Alice White in "The Girl from Woolworths"
       
By the late 1920s Woolworths enjoyed a role in popular culture around the world. Heiress Barbara Hutton's weddings and extravagant expenditure featured in the news reels and inspired Harry Warren's song "I found a million dollar in a five and ten cent store".

The 20s also saw the first talking pictures in the Cinema.  Until this time films were silent with written captions to explain the plot or to show any dialogue (a bit like subtitles on a foreign film today).  Most cinemas employed a pianist or organist to play background music.  The "talkies" changed all of that.

One of the very first taking pictures to hit the silver screen was the story of "The Girl from Woolworths", made by First National Pictures and starring Alice White, already a glamorous star of the silent films.
       

Karen Brown's book "The Girl from Woolworths" was sold in Woolworths stores in Britain and Ireland in the late 1920s.

 The film was based on Karen Brown's book "The Girl from Woolworth's" published by Wm. Collins Sons & Co. Ltd.   Woolworths stores had advanced copies of the books some time before the picture was screened and sold quite a lot of copies.

But sales rocketed when the film hit the screen. 

 

The basic story goes something like this.  Girl slaves away all day in Woolworths in the music demonstration department. She has to sing songs from the sheet music to customers on demand - truly singing for her dinner.

Then one day she is talent-spotted and whisked off for a career in the music business.  It's tough and demanding, but clearly more fun that working in Woolworths.

Then (violins) she falls madly in love. She has to choose - the possibility of fame and fortune as a singer, or wedded bliss with the man of her dreams.

Hankies at the ready, she chooses to follow her heart and they all live happily ever after.

 Alice White and Charles Delaney star in the First National talkie "The Girl from Woolworths" in 1929.
       

According to critics at the time the plot (though weak) was a great excuse to string together a whole series of good songs.  They thought the stars Alice White and Charles Delaney were eclipsed by their supporting cast, but told everyone to go and see the film anyway.
     

"The Girl from Woolworths" from Woolworths (Composite image: Paul Seaton)

       
Store colleagues loved the film and set up great displays of the music, film star cards and book.  No-one knows how many dreamt of following their heroine, the character Pat King from the film and book.
 

 

 "She was happy. She took a peek at her name in lights - for the first and last time. 
To-morrow they would take down the tiny bulbs that spelled "The Girl from Woolworth's". 
The girl from Woolworth's would be gone - but not back to Woolworth's."

from "The Girl from Woolworths" by Karen Brown
The Novel Library for Fiction Lovers No. 152 © Wm. Collins Sons & Co. Ltd., Glasgow, Scotland.
       

1920s Gallery Home

20s overview: stepping up the pace   Visit a 1920s store  
Rapid expansion -  an opening every 17 days   Supplier partnerships and product development
The first gramophone records   Play the Little Marvel record "What'll you do"  
Woolies in the community    Alice White in "The Girl from Woolworths"
Sixpenny pops "We'll have a Woolworth Wedding"
50th birthday of the American Woolworth
Price quiz - dateline 1929