There were many dramatic events in the life of acclaimed music hall singer Marie Lloyd Wikipedia article so it is difficult to understand why the lyrics of this musical are so uninteresting.
Given that it was developed over a long period of time and finally produced during the closing days of the "let it all hang out" decade the absence of any of Lloyd's cheekily assertive songs or any real attempt to equal them by Sherrin and Brahms is puzzling especially when Brahms describes the amount of research done on early versions of the libretto.
"By 1962 we had read the two biographies and a great many books about the music halls of the period ...We produced an enormously long script called "Don't Dilly Dally" covering most of Marie Lloyd's life and all three husbands incorporating practically every song she had ever sung as well as a large number we had written with Ron Grainer. We recorded a tape ... and played the lot to Lord Ted and a new backer and after four and a half hours we went away and heard no more.
[in 1963] We worked on another four drafts with Ron Grainer and produced an entirely new version called "Cleo Laine meets Marie Lloyd". Mike Hall thought the best thing would be for him to take all the versions away with scissors and paste and produce a definite edition called "My Old Man".After some months he confessed that it had been too much for him and [again] we heard no more."[1]
Sometime between 1962 and 1969 the unwise decision was made to ditch Lloyd's extensive back catalogue and write all new "commercial" songs with the lead role going to "Carry On" series regular Barbara Windsor who "saw herself as a reincarnation of Marie Lloyd which was not hard considering her cockney background, her volatile character and her turbulent private life" [2]
Unfortunately Windsor's enthusiastic but squeaky singing spread over 11 of the soundtrack LP's 15 tracks often distracts from Grainer's slick melodies and fluid cabaret orchestration [perhaps an attempt on his part to make up for "On The Level's" strident excesses].
When a professionally trained vocalist takes over, such as on the tracks "I'm Nobody In Particular"and "Wave Goodbye", Grainer's harmonies and chord progressions are finally given the vocal reinforcing they deserve.
There are a couple of introverted songs which do have some poignant moments but so fixed is the mental image of Windsor the chirpy 1960's comedienne it is difficult to believe in the character she is supposed to be playing.
Because the stage dialogue is missing it is impossible to know if the songs were more effective in the context of the final script.
Perhaps if Sherrin and Brahms first choice, Millicent Martin, has been available [2] their writing would have been less compromised by Windsor's stage personality. Martin certainly demonstrated, during the run of "TWTWTW", that she could skillfully suggest adult problems lying beneath an outer show of confidence and her appearance in the films "Nothing But The Best" and "Alfie" demonstrated she had a flair for acting as well.
For a very sanitised TV biography that none the less effectively works many of Lloyd's best known songs into the narrative see the 2007 BBC TV Drama "Miss Marie Lloyd".
MAN IN THE NEWS [19.4.1970] updated 9 February 2021
A thirty minute late night talk show. IMDb lists six episodes over a two year period but indicates in the cast and crew section there may have been another six episodes featuring three interviews each by Richard Kee and Alastair Burnett. One of these unlisted interviews has been confirmed in a TV Times PDF archives scan [11.7.71].
The program appears to have been usually broadcast on a Sunday around 11.15 - 11.45 pm. At that time slot Grainer's engaging theme would have few listeners so it is interesting he didn't compromise his standards. Luckily the signature tune was included on the Play It Again labels 1994 Ron Grainer theme compilation album.
FOR THE LOVE OF ADA [20.4.70]
For Grainer 1970 was a triple year for commissions centering on strong minded females and a double up year for product revolving around feisty cockney women who pushed social boundaries.
Shortly after the opening of "Sing A Rude Song" came the debut of his theme for this TV comedy series exploring the unlikely friendship between Ada, an elderly Cockney woman, probably in her early 70s, and Walter a similarly aged Yorkshire grave digger and their interlocking relationship with the domestic world of Ava's daughter Ruth and husband Leslie.
Part of the fun watching the show is hearing sweet as apple pie Ava deliver some very tart and down to earth opinions when least expected.
Grainer's theme is true to Ada's character. It's a plaintiff non assuming melody scored for two reed instruments [possibly clarinets] and a guitar over a strong chord sequence which gives it an atmosphere of calm assurance.
HOFFMAN [16.7.70]
A complex and unusual battle of the sexes story about Susan [Sinead Cusak] a young typist who is blackmailed by her office boss Mr Hoffman [Sellers] into spending a week with him in his flat. In return Hoffman promises not go to the police and tell them that he saw Susan's fiance, Tom, give a criminal gang the truck route for a large shipment of cigarettes that was later stolen.
For a major part of the movies running time Hoffman's conversation tends to be either side winding - "you'll find the cow tendered in the refrigerator"or openly cynical about women in general Susan, however, is such a polite person his patronising, dismissive remarks don't seem to register with her and to his surprise Hoffman finds he doesn't want to take physical advantage of the situation.
Susan's determined reluctance to relax in Hoffman's presence eventually force him to try other tactics like an evening meal at a posh restaurant, a visit to a meat market and an energetic walk through a city park but it is a rudimentary lesson in playing "Chopsticks" on piano which seems to start the breaking down of both their defences.
When Susan discovers, via a letter kept in a cluttered back room, that Hoffman's previous wife despised his ideas of a cosy family life and left him for a show biz career - "where I can have as many beautiful men as I like make love to me"- she starts to appreciate the reasons for his desperate loneliness.
After Hoffman tips off Susan's boyfriend that the cover story for her week away is false there is a major confrontation and Susan realises that Tom is self centered and not the type of person she wants to be permanently involved with. In contrast her gradual appreciation of Hoffman's hidden qualities give her reason to believe they could have a future together.
As this is basically a two actor screenplay [like 1962's "The Dock Brief" also starring Sellers and scored by Grainer] the incidental music needs to be melodically interesting throughout the entire film and Grainer achieves this with style.
The opening credits song "If There Ever Is A Next Time" [Lyrics Don Black music Grainer] is openly sentimental but it serves to reveal the emotional idealism behind Hoffman's actions. The meat market visit [for vegetarian Susan] is accompanied by a South American guitar and flute, the brisk walk in the park has an enjoyable jaunty tempo while the love theme, which is heard around the 80 minute timing mark,is intense and seems quite heartfelt.
1970 References
[1] Caryl Brahms "Too Dirty For The Windmill" p213 Constable and Company 1986
[2] Ned Sherrin "The Autobiography" p267 Sphere Books 2005
