Songfacts®:

• H.G. Wells (1866-1946) is best known for his futuristic novels, in particular The War Of The Worlds, which, first published in 1896, inspired countless novels, comic books, films and TV series. In 1905, Wells published an entirely different kind of novel, Kipps: The Story Of A Simple Soul. After being raised by his uncle and aunt, orphan Arthur Kipps becomes apprenticed to a draper; although Wells was not an orphan, he too was apprenticed to a draper, so the story is obviously autobiographical up to a point.
• Half A Sixpence is a musical based on Arthur's fortunes; composed in its entirety by David Heneker, it contains fifteen songs, most of them forgettable. First performed at the Cambridge Theatre, London, on March 21, 1963, the show was transferred to Broadway, and also made into a film, which was released in 1967. The complete score copyright 1963 and 1967 by Britannia Music of London was published by Chappell, also of London by arrangement with Britannia, at the retail price of twenty-five shillings.
• The title song is sung by leading man Tommy Steele, who was once mooted as Britain's answer to Elvis. Steele played the lead in both the stage production and the film. Kipps gives his girlfriend half a sixpence as a token of his love, but after inheriting a fortune, he moves up in the world and becomes engaged to a more sophisticated woman before realizing that his first love, Ann, is the one he truly wants. The theme song sets the scene for the rest of the show. >>

  Suggestion credit:
  Alexander Baron - London, England, for above 3