This film is part of Free
Miss Norah Blaney
A risqué music hall ditty uncovers the pioneering gender-bending ways of 1930s young things
Overview
Masculine women and feminine men - it's so hard to tell 'em apart these days! Popular musical hall singer and pianist Norah Blaney performs a ditty about the gender-bending ways of modern young things for the camera in this early sound film.
Blaney was known for her partnership with cellist Gwen Farrar in the late 1920s, performing duets which put an innuendo-laden queer spin on popular (heterosexual) hits.
Related
Five Guineas a Week Five Guineas a Week
Musical 1956 33 mins
1950s song and dance revue set in a colourful world of boarding houses and coffee bars
Devil's Rock Devil's Rock
Drama 1938 51 mins Location: Bangor
Will new open-air microphone technology give Richard Hayward the chance to silence his critics? Watch as Cushendun and Bangor steal the show.
Shooting Stars Shooting Stars
Comedy 1937 32 mins
Black music hall stars Scott and Whaley perform stereotypical minstrel routines in blackface in this 1937 touring revue.
The Rise and Fall of Nellie Brown The Rise and Fall of Nellie Brown
Musical 1964 70 mins Location: Liverpool
An incredibly joyous TV musical about a young woman's search for her long-lost cousin.
Twinkling Fingers Twinkling Fingers
Musical 1940 11 mins
Pianists Charlie Kunz and Mark Hambourg tickle the ivories for our entertainment in this jolly musical short.
Song of Toledo Song of Toledo
Musical 1953 31 mins
This merrily musical short film takes a jovial trip across picturesque 1950s Spain aboard the Talgo Express
Frederick Wiseman's High School - a discussion Frederick Wiseman's High School - a discussion
Short documentary 2026 22 mins
Filmmaker Andrea Luka Zimmerman and curator Matthew Barrington discuss Frederick Wiseman’s High School with Sandra Hebron.
Hard, Cracked the Wind Hard, Cracked the Wind
Horror 2019 17 mins
A haunting with words is the lure between life and death for a young Cornish poet.
A Last Resort A Last Resort
Comedy 2022 17 mins
Rose is desperate to celebrate her 60th birthday in style, but her daughter Genevieve is struggling to ignore some recent tragic news about her mum.
The Walk The Walk
Drama 2023 12 mins
Adeel Akhtar portrays a man on a weekly trek to his nearest JobCentre, entering a state of purgatory through barriers put in place by the system.
Seagull Seagull
Horror 2022 6 mins
Seagull is a recovering drug addict who is about to have a very strange night on The English Riviera.
Octopus Octopus
2021 13 mins
Upon returning to her home town for a funeral, a young woman reconnects with the friends she left behind.