St Martin's Lane, also known as Sidewalks of London, London After Dark, and Partners of the Night,[2] is a 1938 British black-and-white comedy drama starring Charles Laughton as a busker or street entertainer who teams up with a talented pickpocket, played by Vivien Leigh.

[3] Charles Staggers is a London street performer, or busker, with his partners, Arthur Smith and Gentry.

He protects Liberty, known as Libby, a runaway and pickpocket, when she steals a gold cigarette case from successful song writer Harley Prentiss.

She asks Prentiss to marry her but he declines, saying he doesn't want to be thrown away, like Charles, as a mere stepping stone for her career.

In the press of crowds waiting to see her as a big star, Charles tries to catch Libby's attention but is arrested for causing a disturbance and spends time in prison.

Walker wrote that when an attempt was made to obtain Leigh's services for a film version of Cyrano de Bergerac, Laughton stated that she would have to dye her hair blonde.

When Leigh was approached to make Sidewalks of London, she did not want to work with Laughton and she felt no attachment to the role.