London After Dark (1926)

[NODDINGCAT]

this is wonderful, love the trams at Elephant and Castle

[englandmadethewest]

Look out for a cameo from Sir Michael Caine as a policeman near the start.

[rankingtrevor]

@englandmadethewest LOL Michael Caine was born 7 years after this in 1933, surely you are mistaken.

[zippy72ify]

The soldier with the big moustache looks like Alexander Armstrong... Interesting to see Tod Slaughter before the films I remember him for as well :)

[AFWUK]

does this continue, my grandfather held whist drives around south London and was a well known host at the time.The next clip was going to Camberwell how frustrating for it to stop there,

[fatbox100]

I live near the "bustling centre of humanity" and was wondering if the Elephant ontop of the Elephant theatre (1:12) is the one ontop of the shopping centre now.

[rightfredsdead]

its funny how they thought the sun went to sleep. even only as far back as the last century. idiots.

[clivetemple]

The days when everyone who worked in London lived there too.

[dfarmbrough]

I'm glad there's something for the big-hearted working classes to do in South London. I mean, after the bear pits and the stews were closed there wasn't much for them...

[staypress]

very very good to see what rea London was like before the mass immigration into the city

[glaxev]

@staypress You joking

most of the poor in the east end where ex irish/jewish/eastern european

[mrmagicroundcircle]

@glaxev

[louisewhomackable]

@glaxev not most, but a good proportion.

[sltr00per]

"before the mass immigration into the city"? You should read London: The Biography by Peter Ackroyd. You might learn something.

[yellowwitch1]

@sltr00per yup, Peter Ackroyd is a great London historian. I learned a few things about this city

[Lydiard91]

@sltr00per There is a difference between small scale and large scale immigration.

[september7891]

@Lydiard91 everybody was white then can you imagine going back in time and telling them when a blackman rapes a white women he gets 8 years in a luxury prison where he can do weight training everyday 3 meals nobody can call him a nigger he gets human rights and a 100 pound given when he comes out,they would think your crazy and would,nt believe you,oh and tell them 70%of school kids in london would be black and because white women can,t keep their legs closed 30%of london is half cast,its crazy,

[pisoplot]

@september7891 You are the scum of the earth.

[september7891]

@pisoplot ok if i am the scum of the earth don,t attack me personally tell me what i said that was not correct thats all, it maybe unfashionable maybe not nice but its true,i mean today evra of manu and a guy from liverpool had an argument and evra was called a nigger the fact that he called the other guys mum a whore is seen as nothing but being called a nigger is everything thats bollocks its worse to call someones mum a whore than be called a nigger,politicall correctness gone mad.

[doodlebloop]

I've always thought with these old silent movies - wouldn't it be great to get someone who can lipread to translate what people are saying?

[legercliff]

Probably inside jokes, jibs and verbal jabs, but I agree it would be fascinating.

[minutegongcoughs]

Another terrific vid. Quality uploads.

[partheniaparthenia]

thank you for providing these glimpses of time

[Cosmoline]

4:28--he vanished! Now that was impressive

[ruberyb45]

Did i see one of the first trolley-buses at the start of this film?

[applecounty]

I've looked at the clip several times, and i have to say i didn't see any. Still interesting mixture of Tram and Omnibus transport. Track maintenance must have been a problem at such a busy junction.

[TheDepotCat]

ruberyb45...

I don't think so. London's first proper trolleybus ran out of Fulwell Depot in 1931.

[swallin19]

Yes definitely Tod Slaughters earliest appearance on film, don't forget IMDB is entirely based on contributors to it, information is never definitive on there.

[sah10406]

Trying to get my bearings in the around Elephant. I seem to remember hearing somewhere that the Dunn department store was at the corner of London Road, on the site of the current Perronet House. The Elephant and Castle theatre was at 24-28 New Kent Road, where the Coronet stands now.

[fivnten]

Great to see the magnificent Tod Slaughter in this - but, oh dear - what about his teeth?!

[latham29]

Amazing film! The footage of Elephant and Castle is extraordinary. Also great to see Tod Slaughter. Is this his earliest appearance on film? I know him only through the mid 30s feature of Sweeney Todd. According to IMDB his earliest screen appearance was 1935 and this is 9 years earlier!

[zoylex]

wow the cars were good!!

[MhicWombat]

I love the melodrama! :-D