I’m not usually one for YouTube music/film mash-ups but I stumbled across this one and found it so evocative and lovely that I’ve decided to share it with you. It consists of clips from the 1934 version of W. Somerset Maugham’s “Of Human Bondage”, starring Leslie Howard and Bette Davis, set to the sublime 1934 recording of ‘The Very Thought Of You’, featuring Ray Noble’s Orchestra with a vocal by the inimitable Al Bowly. (Noble also wrote the song). The whole thing is very thoughtfully worked out–the fact that the recording that is used was made the same year as the movie is indicative of the YouTube posters thoughtfulness in putting this little project together. For the record, his name is given as ‘Stu’ and here’s a link to his channel–there are apparently a number of other of similar video mash-ups that I’m uncharateristically eager to watch.

Who was Al Bowly? In the 1930s, Bowly was Britain’s most popular male singer, akin to Bing Crosby in both style (sort of) and fame (at least over there). Here’s his Wikipedia entry if you’re intrigued by this singular talent. He died at the young age of 40, in a 1941 London Blitz explosion. That’s the Nazi’s for you–making the world safer but eliminating talent. Ray Noble is another fascinating period figure who deserves his own post. Perhaps tomorrow…