This is one of a handful of Formby films I saw when young, thus imparting an even more rosier glow to the proceedings, although I've always enjoyed nearly all of his stuff immensely. It depicts a Britain in which a minority of traitorous saboteurs (presumably in the pay of the Nazis) are out to destroy British industry, or in this case, the British war machine in the battle for supremacy. The thousands of British Nazis of today only want to destroy people, out of racism and love for what lies beyond death, ie nothing at all.
George as a policeman this time gets implicated in the saboteurs plans to blow up a new warship HMS Hercules awaiting final fitting and launch in Liverpool. His mission, with his statuesque girlfriend Dorothy Hyson and with the entire police force chasing him is to find and expose the Quislings and thus clear his name. The leads both had had long careers - George's first film was made in 1916, Dorothy's in 1917. Along the way he gets to sing Ukelele Man (in the music store), On The Beat (at the police ball what happened to all those people?), I Wish I Was Back On The Farm (with his not so clever pigeons, at the theatre), and I'm Shy (at the mill, with organ). Favourite bits: George standing on Ronald Shiner's cameo-appearance head; the fiery motorcycle riding trials for the Flying Squad; the chase leading to the Wall Of Death.
Simple fare maybe, but one of my favourite uplifting Formby's. Not a trace of cynicism, filth or violence, which along with it being in 4:3 b&w is why you hardly ever see it on TV nowadays.
George as a policeman this time gets implicated in the saboteurs plans to blow up a new warship HMS Hercules awaiting final fitting and launch in Liverpool. His mission, with his statuesque girlfriend Dorothy Hyson and with the entire police force chasing him is to find and expose the Quislings and thus clear his name. The leads both had had long careers - George's first film was made in 1916, Dorothy's in 1917. Along the way he gets to sing Ukelele Man (in the music store), On The Beat (at the police ball what happened to all those people?), I Wish I Was Back On The Farm (with his not so clever pigeons, at the theatre), and I'm Shy (at the mill, with organ). Favourite bits: George standing on Ronald Shiner's cameo-appearance head; the fiery motorcycle riding trials for the Flying Squad; the chase leading to the Wall Of Death.
Simple fare maybe, but one of my favourite uplifting Formby's. Not a trace of cynicism, filth or violence, which along with it being in 4:3 b&w is why you hardly ever see it on TV nowadays.