Saloon Bar

1940 British film by Walter Forde

November 2, 1940 (1940-11-02)

Running time

76 minutesCountryUnited KingdomLanguageEnglish

Saloon Bar is a 1940 British comedy thriller film directed by Walter Forde and starring Gordon Harker, Elizabeth Allan and Mervyn Johns.^[1] It was made by Ealing Studios and its style has led to comparisons with the later Ealing Comedies, unlike other wartime Ealing films which are different in tone.^[2] It is based on the 1939 play of the same name by Frank Harvey in which Harker had also starred.^[3] An amateur detective tries to clear an innocent man of a crime before the date of his execution.

Plot

The action takes place in London over one evening in the saloon bar of the Cap & Bells pub, just before Christmas. The regulars discuss the forthcoming execution for robbery and murder of the boyfriend of one of the barmaids. A pound note from the robbery is found in the till. Convinced of the condemned man's innocence, and led by bookie Joe Harris, they trace how the note came to be there and unmask the true killer.

Cast

Gordon Harker as Joe Harris
Elizabeth Allan as Queenie
Mervyn Johns as Wickers
Joyce Barbour as Sally
Anna Konstam as Ivy
Cyril Raymond as Harry Small
Judy Campbell as Doris
Al Millen as Fred
Norman Pierce as Bill Hoskins
Alec Clunes as Eddie Graves
Mavis Villiers as Joan
Felix Aylmer as Mayor
O. B. Clarence as Sir Archibald
Aubrey Dexter as Major
Helena Pickard as Mrs Small
Manning Whiley as evangelist
Laurence Kitchin as Peter
Roddy Hughes as doctor
Gordon James as Jim
Annie Esmond as Mrs. Truscott
Eliot Makeham as meek man
Roddy McDowall as boy
Julie Suedo as Eleanor
Torin Thatcher as Mr. Garrod

Production

The film's sets were designed by the art director Wilfred Shingleton.

Critical reception

Kine Weekly said "Gordon Harker is the chief spokesman and has never been in better form; neither has the well-chosen supporting cast. The direction, too, reveals no little resource. What action there is, is not only well timed, but contributes to an exciting climax. As for the "pub" atmosphere, it will warm the heart of every man and, maybe, every woman. In all, a capital and refreshingly English novelty thriller."^[4]

In British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959 David Quinlan rated the film as "good", writing: "Verbose but winning mixure of mystery and comedy, with nice pub atmosphere."^[5]

The Radio Times Guide to Films gave the film 3/5 stars, writing: "Gordon Harker was a familiar face in British thrillers during the 1930s, his mournful expression and throaty cockney accent enabled him to play characters on either side of the law. In this engaging Ealing whodunnit, he has a fine old time as a bookie playing detective in his local. Director Walter Forde makes effective use of the claustrophobic set to build tension, and he is well served by an efficient cast of suspects."^[6]

Leslie Halliwell said: "Amusing, well-made little suspenser from a West End success."^[7]

References

^ "Saloon Bar". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
^ Murphy, Robert (1992). Realism and Tinsel: Cinema and Society in Britain 1939-48. Routledge. pp. 209–210. ISBN 978-0415076845.
^ "Production of Saloon Bar | Theatricalia". theatricalia.com.
^ "Saloon Bar". Kine Weekly. 280 (1729): 10. 6 June 1940 – via ProQuest.
^ Quinlan, David (1984). British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959. London: B.T. Batsford Ltd. p. 244. ISBN 0-7134-1874-5.
^ Radio Times Guide to Films (18th ed.). London: Immediate Media Company. 2017. p. 800. ISBN 9780992936440.
^ Halliwell, Leslie (1989). Halliwell's Film Guide (7th ed.). London: Paladin. p. 878. ISBN 0586088946.