Calling the Tune
Calling the Tune offers a fascinating look at the fledgeling gramophone industry as it tries to solve the problems of reliable recording and production methods. 'I predict that the gramophone will be the democratic entertainment of the future' states unscrupulous record label boss Mr Gordon (Sam Livesey), who finally gets his comeuppance after one dirty trick too far against his rivals. If the film's love story is perfunctory, the real interest comes with watching performers of the day, from Henry Wood and his orchestra to George Robey and Charles 'the laughing policeman' Penrose laying down their recordings direct to record. And something very like a prototype laser disc makes a crucial appearance too.
From the archive
The story of the love between the daughter of a record manufacturer and the son of the man he had cheated, set during the early days of the gramophone industry.
Why this is free to watch
Calling the Tune (1936) is hosted by the Internet Archive as a public-domain or openly licensed work, which means its copyright has expired, lapsed, or was released by the rights holder. No signup, no payment and no advertising interrupts playback. Nitrate streams the file directly from the Archive and hosts no video itself.
- Director
- Reginald Denham
- Starring
- Adele Dixon, Sally Gray, Clifford Evans, Sam Livesey, Donald Wolfit, Eliot Makeham, Lewis Casson, Ronald Simpson
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