This film is part of Free
Hot Water and Vegetabuel
"Don't be cruel to a vegetabuel": delightful pair of music hall numbers from the eccentric writer of Jollity Farm.
Overview
Some film dead-ends take on a life of their own. The De Forest sound system may have lost the technology race to better quality rivals, but it left us with priceless records of 20th Century music hall acts, including eccentric comic songwriter Leslie Sarony. In front of a simple pub doorway set, he sings two numbers, starting with the endearing Hot Water. But the highlight is the delightful Vegetabuel ("Don't be cruel to a vegetabuel"), which has something of the daft flavour of his most famous song, Jollity Farm.
De Forest's optical sound-on-film system was patented by the Iowa-born Lee De Forest in 1919. It failed to win favour with the Hollywood studios, but during the 1920s it spawned a series of 'De Forest Phonofilms' which now serve as matchless records of early 20th century vaudeville and music hall acts in America and the UK. Though they don't capture the atmosphere of a live performance, these numerous short films are sometimes the only filmed record of the original acts. Dozens are preserved at the BFI National Archive, with more in the collections of the US Library of Congress. Sarony enjoyed a long career into the 1980s, including an appearance in Monty Python's The Meaning of Life (1983). The wonderful Jollity Farm is now best known for the Bonzo Dog Band's 1967 cover.
Related
Hints and Hobbies No.11 Hints and Hobbies No.11
Cinemagazine 1926 14 mins Silent
Jiu-jitsu for ladies, how to get ink off a white apron and other life essentials courtesy of the 'Hints and Hobbies' team.
Lobsters Lobsters
Documentary 1936 15 mins
Follow the life cycle of the king of crustaceans in this quirky documentary by Bauhaus artist László Moholy-Nagy.
Audrey Hepburn Test Audrey Hepburn Test
1952 6 mins Silent
The future Holly Golightly exudes a certain grace even for a modest screen test, in the earliest known colour footage of the timeless star.
Facts and Fancies Facts and Fancies
Documentary 1951 24 mins
Joan Collins gets to grips with the by-products of coal in her first screen appearance
Cabtrack The Direct Auto-control Personal Taxi Service Cabtrack The Direct Auto-control Personal Taxi Service
Government sponsored film 1972 16 mins Location: London
Could computer-controlled taxis solve the traffic crisis? Maybe not, but this film's a must for technology buffs (and fans of early electronic music).
Is This Your Life? Is This Your Life?
Amateur film 1957 9 mins Silent
An unusual and visually sophisticated commentary on the routine drabness and drudgery of everyday suburban existence.
Getting it Back: The Story of Cymande - Q&A Getting it Back: The Story of Cymande - Q&A
Inside Film 2024 22 mins
The director of a documentary about British funk pioneers Cymande joins the band at BFI Southbank to talk about the film.
The West Case The West Case
Action and Adventure 1923 28 mins Silent Location: Tilbury
Plotting world domination, Devil Doctor Fu-Manchu steals plans for a new aero-torpedo in this earliest surviving thrill-a-minute serial instalment.
Enter the Scala!!! Enter the Scala!!!
Inside Film 2024 16 mins
Filmmakers Jane Giles and Ali Catterall discuss their documentary Scala!!!, revisiting the legendary and inspirational cinema venue and some of the most notorious films that screened there.
Smith Smith
Charity appeal 1939 10 mins
Long thought lost, this Powell-directed promotional short for a veteran’s charity was only rediscovered in 2003.