St. Martin's Lane (1938) Synopsis

Street performers, aka buskers, are an integral part of the fabric of London's West End. They have a captive audience in those waiting in line at cinemas or theaters, and are dependent upon their generosity for their livelihood. They are also in view of the legitimate performers, namely the actors, such as Jan Duchesi, rushing to/from the theaters at which they are in the cast of the latest hit play or musical. Approaching age forty, Charles Staggers is one of those buskers who has probably seen better days but has lost none of the enthusiasm for what he does. He has changed his act as his mood has suited him, and most recently having converted from being a ventriloquist to now reciting the classics, performing in cooperation with his friends Arthur Smith and Gentry who are a musical duet. One evening, he has more than one altercation with a young woman. His negative view of her, late teen Liberty (or Libby), changes when he learns her situation: she is an orphan, is homeless currently squatting in a house for rent, but probably most importantly that she can sing and dance. He is able to convince not only Libby, but also Arthur and Gentry, that they should put together a new act, which becomes a song and dance routine. Their act catches the attention of stage composer Harley Prentiss, who unknowingly was also robbed by Libby that same evening. In their quaint act, he sees one star, namely Libby. In Harley whisking her away, Libby, reverting back to Liberty as her stage name, is on her next step to stardom, seemingly putting Charles and the street life behind her. The question then becomes if Charles in particular can recover from this change as he in the process fell in love with Libby, whom he wanted to marry.—Huggo

Street performers, aka buskers, are an integral part of the fabric of London's West End. They have a captive audience in those waiting in line at cinemas or theaters, and are dependent upon their generosity for their livelihood. They are also in view of the legitimate performers, namely the actors, such as Jan Duchesi, rushing to/from the theaters at which they are in the cast of the latest hit play or musical. Approaching age forty, Charles Staggers is one of those buskers who has probably seen better days but has lost none of the enthusiasm for what he does. He has changed his act as his mood has suited him, and most recently having converted from being a ventriloquist to now reciting the classics, performing in cooperation with his friends Arthur Smith and Gentry who are a musical duet. One evening, he has more than one altercation with a young woman. His negative view of her, late teen Liberty (or Libby), changes when he learns her situation: she is an orphan, is homeless currently squatting in a house for rent, but probably most importantly that she can sing and dance. He is able to convince not only Libby, but also Arthur and Gentry, that they should put together a new act, which becomes a song and dance routine. Their act catches the attention of stage composer Harley Prentiss, who unknowingly was also robbed by Libby that same evening. In their quaint act, he sees one star, namely Libby. In Harley whisking her away, Libby, reverting back to Liberty as her stage name, is on her next step to stardom, seemingly putting Charles and the street life behind her. The question then becomes if Charles in particular can recover from this change as he in the process fell in love with Libby, whom he wanted to marry.—Huggo

Published Time: 2018-07-18 06:35:49