British Pathe

c 1926

A story comparing a "working-man's" cabaret - "The Anchor" with the more grand West End cabarets. The Anchor has a very small dance floor - this is compared to the crowded "Kit Kat" Club. At the Anchor Club pierrots make-up backstage. Don Parker and his band play. Will Trussell is at...

c 1926

A story comparing a "working-man's" cabaret - "The Anchor" with the more grand West End cabarets. The Anchor has a very small dance floor - this is compared to the crowded "Kit Kat" Club. At the Anchor Club pierrots make-up backstage. Don Parker and his band play. Will Trussell is at the piano. George Young and Jack Esmonde clap hands, tap their feet and prance around in what now seems (and probably did then...) a camp manner. They skip off. Toto Maxter dances a high kick routine. Kitty Keys sings "The Dancing Lesson" - Kitty is a man in drag and has a band around her head with a flower attached which bobs around humorously as she sings. She pulls a powder puff out of her décolletage and powders her nose. The puff is loaded with heaps of powder for comic effect. Kitty sneezes several times then carries on singing and dancing. West End acrobatic dancers are compared to the dancers at the Anchor Cabaret - rather more raunchy. They perform an Apache style dance. There is much throwing around of the woman, passionate kissing, grabbing by her hair, swinging around by the legs and dumping on the floor. Wild applause from the audience. Good shot of their faces. One woman in a hat obviously disapproves. Glamorous chorus girls on stage at "The Princes" compared to The Mayfair Dancers who perform a ballet routine in a very small space. Cissie Barrasford and Billy Noble do a Dutch dance. Intertitle reads: "The distribution of favours is always welcome" - actors distribute something - sweets? Shot of a family in the audience, children waving and clapping. Shot of the barman pulling pints at the bar. Good shot of the pumps. Man takes beers over to a table where three men in flat caps sit, one smoking a pipe. They raise their glasses in a toast to each other and drink their beer. C/U of one of them downing a pint.

Note: great film! Alternative spellings: Kit Cat Club, Kit Kat Club Kit-Cat or Kit-Kat.

"The Princes" refers to the New Princes Restaurant shows produced by Percy Athos - costumes designed by Gordon Conway. Kit Kat Club was owned by Piccadilly Hotel.

Safety print exists - show print. Probably in "Frocks Frolics and Follies" roll.