Davy (1959)

Davy (Dir: Michael Ralph, 1958).

Notable as the first British film shot in Technirama and featuring a lovely muted Technicolor palette, Davy is often regarded as the final Ealing comedy. In truth this is a bit of a misnomer. A better description of Davy would be a comedy drama which happened to be released by the Ealing Studios, as it has little of the characteristics associated with Ealing and the comedy is some rather heavy handed slapstick. 

Harry Secombe stars as the titular Davy, the only real talented member of a family vaudeville act. When he is given the chance to audition for Covent Garden’s Royal Opera House he must decide whether to keep the act together or go it alone. 

Much of the comedy in Davy is confined to sequences of the family’s act and is not really part of the narrative. The remainder of the film is somewhat downbeat in tone and not really a comedy at all. Secombe and his beautiful singing voice are undoubtedly the film’s strong suit and one feels that with a better showcase for his talents he could have carved out a successful film career. As it is, Davy was seen as a critical and commercial disappointment. 

However Davy is by no means a bad film. If you watch it expecting an Ealing comedy you will be disappointed; if you approach it as a low-key drama with musical interludes there is much to enjoy.