ABSTRACT
In the darkest days of the slump in England, film-going audiences were likely to emerge from British cinemas humming the catchy melody from one of the era’s most popular tunes. If they remembered the simple, yet lively words, they might have found themselves uttering the optimistic theme of the song in which the lyrics announce
The song continues this hopeful sentiment, noting that though
The tune concludes with a reaffirmation that
So sang the immensely popular Gracie Fields in her second film, the 1932 musical comedy feature entitled, appropriately enough, Looking on the Bright Side; in many ways, this cheery verse, which became a successful recording in the thirties can be said to have summed up the content of a substantial portion of all British films made during the period from 1929 to 1939. With a majority of movies during most years consisting of comedies, musicals, and other escapist film fare, the emphasis on the movie screen throughout the difficult decade of the thirties was on “looking on the bright side,” helping the audience to forget its troubles and cares.
