After the Ball

When this film was made Vesta Tilly had only died five years ago, and Leonard Sachs (who appears in a small part) had already been playing the verbose chairman on TV in 'The Good Old Days' for four. So the time was ripe for this ambitious production in colour by Peter Rogers just before he hit it rich with the 'Carry On' films.

Now that so few men bother to wear collars and ties, music hall acts like Vesta Tilley's look even more archaic that they did at the turn of the last century, when Tilly instructs husband-to-be Walter de Frece "You really must learn how to tie a tie!"

Most of the film is given over to Pat Kirkwood recreating Ms Tilly's musical numbers, looking most fetching in a variety of formal outfits including Great War khaki. (Tilly's repertoire had in fact originally also included principal boys; but sadly we never see Kirkwood in fishnets.)

Laurence Harvey is as usual completely out of his depth as a romantic leading man.