Salute John Citizen

This is "The Happy Breed" only in black and white,only covering 3 years and on a much lower budget.It tells the story of a suburban family and their ups and downs in the period.It has a marvelous cast,including not only Stanley Holloway but George Robey.The characters are well written and it gives the viewer a feeling of what it was like to live in this period and to get on with your everyday lives.Death can strike at anytime and is commonplace.People just have to get on with their lives.There are a number of patriotic speeches in this film.In particular there is one speech by Juimmy Hanley,who having just become a father decides to sign up for the army.The sentiments of the speech would not go down well today.However at the time the film was made,Britain had lost every land battle and was waiting for Americas war power to have some effect.So the exhortations to join the services are understandable