Billy Merson Singing 'Desdemona' (1927)

Billy Merson, the great Nottingham-born music hall performer, here presents one of his signature numbers while looking not unlike Frankie Howerd in 'Up Pompeii'. Shakespearean scholars may be disappointed to discover that his little ditty about Desdemona (sounding like an illness and rhyming with 'pneumonia') has nothing to do with the wife of the Moor of Venice whatsoever. On the upside, the film clearly captures Merson's comic brilliance - he not only sings, but dances, skips and indulges in a lot of creative business with a lyre.

Merson had been making films since 1915 and, eager to ensure that his patter could be shared with cinema audiences, was among the first to experiment with the new sound technology. Indeed, 'Desdemona' is often cited as Britain's first sound film. (Robin Baker)

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