Anarchy in the UK: The Comic Genius of Will Hay, Moore Marriott, and Graham Moffatt | The Cutting Room | ARTINFO.com Graham Fuller's The Cutting Room January 8, 2013, 2:53 pm Anarchy in the UK: The Comic Genius of Will Hay, Moore Marriott, and Graham Moffatt Comments Hollywood in the 1930s had the Three Zanies – British cinema had its Three Idiots. England’s equivalent of the Marx Brothers (fourth man Zeppo being un-zany) was the team of Will Hay, Moore Marriott, and Graham Moffatt, who appeared together in six classics made by Gainsborough Pictures between 1936 and 1939. Gainsborough may be better remembered for its school of lurid, sexy “Gothic” melodramas (three were released on DVD by Criterion in October), but in the music-hall star Hay and his ill-assorted sidekicks the studio had a fount of comic genius. Though not Dadaist insurrectionists like the Marxes, the Brit Gang of Three similarly mocked authority and disrupted institutions, often from within.

Hay, the pince-nez-wearing star, played officious incompetents in leadership roles – schoolmaster, ship’s captain, prison governor, police sergeant, fire chief – whose bumbling efforts were invariably undermined by his shifty assistants, Marriott’s truculent geezer and Moffatt’s insolent “fat boy.” Always out of their depth, Hay’s characters responded to predicaments they couldn’t solve with a sniff, an evasion, or a pulling of rank. Though the films involved physical comedy, they were essentially comedies of manners. This winter, the Tulsa-based DVD distributor VCI Entertainment , which also has on its roster the ribald Brit “Carry On” comedies and those starring the beloved “little man” Norman Wisdom, is issuing three pairs of Hay’s movies, though only half of the trio’s collaborations are represented.

Volume 1, already out, features William Beaudine’s “Boys Will Be Boys” (1935) and “Where There’s a Will” (1936, with Moffatt); Volume 2, arriving February 5, features Beaudine’s “Windbag the Sailor” (1936, with both sidekicks) and Charles Varnel’s “Good Morning Boys” (1937, with Moffatt); and Volume 3, arriving February 19, features Varnel’s “Oh! Mr. Porter” (1937) and “Convict 99” (1938), both co-starring Marriott and Moffatt. Varnel also directed Hay, Moffatt, and Marriott in three 1939 films that VCI will hopefully release in the future: “Old Bones of the River,” “Ask a Policeman,” and “Where’s That Fire?” (which was lost until 1975). On the completion of the latter, Hay switched from Gainsborough to Ealing Studios, jettisoning Moffatt and Marriott.

His teaming with the irascible American comedy star Edgar Kennedy in Varnel’s “Hey! Hey! USA” was an early indication that he wanted to work with other actors. Hay’s move to Ealing was akin to the Marxes moving from Paramount to MGM after their first five triumphs, culminating in “Duck Soup” (1933). They were never as good again – nor was Hay without the dotard and the youth (who stayed at Ealing to work with Arthur Askey, another music-hall favorite). Though “Windbag the Sailor” – starring Hay as a bragging “mariner” who has only captained a barge – is especially delightful nautical nonsense, the threesome’s masterpiece was “Oh! Mr. Porter.” Here, Hay’s eponymous station master, sent to run a haunted, decrepit Irish branch-line halt, is reliably hindered by the thieving, lazy Albert (Moffatt) and Harbottle (Marriott), whose snapped greeting – “Next train’s gone!” – is one of the greatest British one-liners. Gun-runners complicate the plot and the picture ends with an improbable high-speed journey on a Victorian locomotive.

But it’s the interaction between Porter and his terminally frustrating staff that makes the movie a joy: it’s a testament to the way pretentious English middle-management types set themselves up to be punctured over and over again by recalcitrant underlings. There’s a direct path from Hay, Marriott, and Moffatt’s escapades to socially aware landmark UK sitcoms like “Dad’s Army” and “The Office.” When the critic Raymond Durgnat wrote of the Hay persona’s “Dickensian fruitiness and Greeneian seediness…[his] amoral and weary indomitability at once truly proletarian and truly shabby-genteel,” he nailed the pathetic aspirational yearning that made Hay so recognizable to his countrymen – and a huge domestic box-office star. Update: On January 11, VCI announced it would release “Hey! Hey! USA,” “Old Bones of the River,” and “Ask a Policeman” on Volume 4 of the Will Hay Collection on March 5. Image: (l-r) Graham Moffatt, Will Hay, and Moore Marriott in “Oh! Mr. Porter”/Still via Youtube Where's That Fire?

Reviews & Ratings - IMDb IMDb 28 December 2016 6:33 PM, PST NEWS 15 out of 15 people found the following review useful: "Morning Mr. Tonks how's the foot?" from Derby, UK 1 May 2006 I was there on 11th June 1975 watching this broadcast on TV (and at prime time) for the first time after decades being a lost film. It's so good you can only marvel at the carelessness that must have been involved, Will Hay was one of the most popular British comedians of the time and yet could still be treated with such disdain. It's another retread of the sublime Oh, Mr. Porter and even used the same sets as Ask a Policeman, this time Hay, Moffat & Marriott are firemen in a ramshackle fire station in rundown Bishop's Wallop. The idea is to modernise things and Hay is also looking for ingredient X to put into his revolutionary foam formula, but a gang of thieves get in the way.

The scenes involving moving the station pole have to be the best, relentlessly hilarious and ridiculous stuff and an improvement on a similar scene in Jack's The Boy seven years previously. Climbing the walls of the Tower of London with Percy the horse was another classic bit, the slapstick climax giving way to a breathtaking and poignant exit from the three. The one-liners between the three are fast and furious, their 6th and last film together - Hay moved on afterwards leaving Moffat & Marriott to sidekick for others. Of course not up to Porter's standards Fire is still a very funny family British pre-War b&w film. Was the above review useful to you? 12 out of 12 people found the following review useful: The Engine That Never Made It! from United Kingdom 29 November 2011 Where's That Fire? Is directed by Marcel Varnel and jointly written by Marriott Edgar, Val Guest and J.O.C. Orton. It stars Will Hay, Graham Moffatt, Moore Marriott and Charles Hawtrey.

The little town of Bishop's Wallop is home to a fire brigade, three stoic members of the community, Captain Viking (Hay), Jeremiah Harbottle (Marriott) & Albert (Moffatt). Trouble is is that they are completely inept and their record of putting fires out averages out at 1 in 17! Could Captain Viking's new foam formula save their jobs? Is it time that they got up to date and do away with their horse drawn engine? And is that really a film studio wanting to borrow their engine for a movie? The questions will be answered in chaotic fashion. Where's That Fire? Would be Will Hay's last film for Gainsborough Pictures, it would also be the last film that the so called "holy trinity of the British studio system" (Hay, Marriott & Moffatt) would work together. Hay was growing tired of the film making process and started to feel that the comedy provided by the three men was formulaic, the material getting weaker by the picture.

To that end, the film carries a tinge of sadness about it, while there is no doubt about it, Hay was right about the formula, because this is the little brother of the far superior Ask A Policeman that the trio made the previous year. Yet although it's not the grand comic masterpiece the three of them deserved to go out on, it's still a film chock full of one line zingers, crazy set-pieces and slapstick a go go. The plot is standard stuff, serving only as a backdrop to the guys bumbling their way thru a number of situations that arise. But it's the execution from the guys that makes Where's That Fire? so much fun. In turn there's a riotous long sequence involving a fireman's pole, where the town inevitably comes to a stand still and chaos reins supreme, a scene where they attempt to put out a fire at a petrol station; only not with water, and the cracking finale that sees our "heroes" at The Tower of London involved in potential robbery and neck deep in Vilking's magic foam. Classic Hay, Moffatt & Marriott fare.

Then there is of course the number of comic character interactions that come as part of the script, be it a man with bad foot laid up in bed, or the wonderful appearance of Charles Hawtrey as school swot Woodley (there's something refreshingly funny seeing Woodley getting kicked up the backside), it's simple comedy given a golden touch. As this was also the first Gainsborough Film to be produced with 20th Century Fox's backing, the budget was a decent one, meaning that props, locations and extras were not in short supply. For example the model of The Tower of London that was used for the film's climax cost 300 guinea's to build, taking its creator, John Thorpe, six months to make. To think they let this motley bunch loose around it! While the antique fire engine used, pulled by Percy the Horse, can be seen as a cousin to Gladstone the shunt engine used in Oh Mr. Porter! (1937). Not only a damn fine comedy, then, but also a picture with good production values.

Hay didn't like slapstick, he preferred the oral side of comedy, wisecracking, and he often complained that going into film's turned him into a slapstick comedian. Fact is, is that against his better judgement, and certainly against his plans, he was bloody good at slapstick. Where along with his two sidekicks he made a handful of truly great British comedy movies, Where's That Fire? rests neatly in the middle of that pack. 8/10 Was the above review useful to you? 12 out of 13 people found the following review useful: Cornerstone of British Film Comedy from Cornerstone of British Film Comedy 22 March 2003 I can't recommend this film more highly, its a classic example of British screen humour in every sense. Out of the whole series of Hay/Moffat/Marriott vehicles this must be the best (tied with Oh Mr Porter). The scene with the fire station sliding pole stands out as one of the all time greats of cinema comedy history. The Will Hay movies are now available in the UK for less than 5 pounds each!! Some of the one liners are a bit dated but grab a grandparent to explain them to you!

Was the above review useful to you? 5 out of 5 people found the following review useful: Like most of Will Hay's films, it's a lot of silly fun. from Bradenton, Florida 21 April 2012 Will Hay, Moore Marriott and Graham Moffatt star in yet another incredibly silly but very entertaining film. The trio worked well together for quite a few films and this just might be among their best. As usual, Hay is the lazy and larcenous boss and his two assistants are larcenous, lazy and perhaps stupider. So what do you do with these bumblers? Yep...you put them in control of a local fire station!! Not surprisingly, they don't seem to be able to do anything...except collect paychecks while shirking their jobs. The town council is, not surprisingly, quite upset and threaten to fire them--and Hay is determined to make good. But, their own MANY shortcomings get in the way and the audience is left wondering how they can salvage it all by the final frame. See the film and find out for yourself. The movie has quite a bit to enjoy--such as the fire pole sequence and the silly beer-soaked ending.

Clever and well done--the trio were awfully good in "Where's That Fire?". Was the above review useful to you? 5 out of 5 people found the following review useful: The second best Will hay film..... from England 3 December 2006 This film is definitely up there with the best of Mr Hay's films, though I must say Will hay's best films only include Graham Moffet and Moore Marriot. I'm I big Will Hay fan and for a twenty year old I think that says a lot for the these films. Where's that fire is is one of the very best Will Hay films but I'd say its pipped to the post by Oh Mr Porter which has to be the best but I'd say this is a close second. It has the funniest scene in any Will Hay film, with the main trio trying to carry a fireman's pole across a busy London street is a simple idea but in this case it's inspired. Watch out for Charles Altrey as the annoying public school boy. This film is rare I know 80 year old who hasn't seen it since the 40's so it's a crime that it isn't on DVD or in the Will Hay collection.

But it's on ebay and other sites so if you look hard enough you'll find it and trust me its well worth the wait. Was the above review useful to you? 3 out of 3 people found the following review useful: One Deeply Impressed Yank Gazing At Some Fragments 29 June 2008 *** This review may contain spoilers *** I have only seen about twenty to twenty five minutes of WHERE'S THAT FIRE? on You Tube, but I will take a risk and say that if the rest of the film is like these chunks of it it must be extremely funny. Will Hay, Moore Marriot, and Graham Moffatt made six films together in the 1930s and 1940s and they are compared by most critics to be easily the equals of the Marx Brothers in the amounts their work generates laughter. Hay always played seedy figures of some authority, who is assisted (or hampered) by his two associates, Marriot (an elderly ruin of a man, who somehow is always sharper than Hay, but still stupid) and Moffatt (a young fat fellow who is not impressed by Hay's authority and who has an intelligent form of insolence).

Apparently there were copy-write problems in the release of WHERE'S THAT FIRE? It was thought to be lost until the 1970s when it was shown on television. The version that seems to be currently on DVD is missing some of the initial scenes that starts the story. An oil refinery is on fire, and the fire departments for miles around are being called in to put it out. We see all these modern motorized (for 1940) firehouses going out on the call. Finally we see the firehouse of our three heroes. The bell of the alarm has been muffled, and Marriott and Moffatt are playing checkers (and Moffatt is making the mistake of taking Marriott's advice on his moves). Hay is Captain Viking, the fire chief of the town of Bishop's Wallop. Viking is an working on a foam to combat fire in place of water from hoses. He comes upstairs after another explosion of his concoctions, and then hears the phone ring. He answers and learns that everyone is wondering why they have not answered the alarm. Hay asks how long the alarm has been muffled. Moffatt tells him it has been that way since he had an attack of insomnia a week before and demanded it.

The three ready their fire equipment (a steam pumper pulled by a horse, and wear fire department uniforms that look like they date from 1880). They press on to fight the fire - only to find in the end they not only drove fifteen away from the flames that were visible for twenty miles, but that a second fire destroyed the town hall at Bishop's Wallop. They are given one last chance by the town council, and proceed to try to modernize the firehouse. What follows is a twenty five minute laugh fest (in two parts on You Tube) where Hay, Marriott, and Moffatt struggle with a new fire-pole (to slide down upon). Hay, typically, has put it wrong side up, and they have to take it out of the firehouse to somehow turn it around (or such is their "logic"). As a result they cause a traffic jam outside, destroy the windows of several cars, scratch paint off other cars, destroy the bric-a-brac in a store, and cause a near riot. Also, annoying Hay because of superior brains, young Charles Hawtrey of "Carry On" fame, shows up trying to get them to use Euclidean Mathematics to solve the problem.

At one point the pole is tilted sixty degrees across the street, pinning old Marriott in a chair by his belly (a kindly lady asks if she can give him tea - he agrees when she doesn't have any brandy). Eventually first Moffatt and then Hay got into an apartment that may give them a way to pull the pole up out of the street. The apartment is Moffatt's father's (he's in bed with a broken foot). When not eating grapes that are the father's lunch, Moffatt and Hay try to get the pole up alone and can't. Hay calls for assistance. So far it resembles some of the antics of Laurel and Hardy (I'm thinking of TOWED IN THE HOLE) or the Three Stooges(remember Curly trying to use his extra pipe to stop a leak in the bathroom?). Now it turns into an English version of the stateroom scene in A NIGHT AT THE OPERA, as twenty men come into the room to pull the pole up out of the street. They succeed - in fact they also pull up Marriott - but they break a glass sun light (Hay tells Moffatt's father to watch the glass now in his bed). They have been stepping fairly frequently on the foot.

Now comes the father's doctor who tries to reassure his frantic patient, while taking time for a puff on his pipe. Hays' insane idea was to pull the pole to the roof, turn it around (remember that was the original purpose of all this!), and then go and slowly drop it into place in the firehouse. Great idea except there is nobody on the roof to hold it in place when it is pushed there. It topples over and crashes through the roof of Moffatt's father's apartment. If you can't see the film soon I urge you to watch the hijinks of the three You Tube sections I am reviewing. Apparently the plot twist is like that of OH MR. PORTER and ASK A POLICEMAN wherein the three idiots manage to somehow outsmart (for want of a better term) gangs of criminals or smugglers. Here the gang steals the antique fire engine in a plot to steal the Crown Jewels. The remainder of the movie (including somehow making the fire horse ride vertically up the side of the Tower of London) must be a pip. All I can say is you will not stop laughing. Was the above review useful to you?

4 out of 5 people found the following review useful: true classic from true genius from United Kingdom 14 November 2006 how this quite brilliant film could have ever been misplaced is astounding but thank the lord it was found, although most people would judge 'oh Mr porter' as will hays finest work (along with Moore Marriott and graham moffats)this is easily on a par with that and 'ask a policeman. Hay apparently disliked working within a team but it was within this team that his finest, and British comedies finest moments were made. it was to be the last time that the hapless trio would work together, which is a great shame, although hay would go on to make more films and his talent and comic timing ranks with the best his future work would never reach such heights. watch the scene with the fIreman's pole, true belly laughs guaranteed. Was the above review useful to you? 2 out of 2 people found the following review useful: Cornerstone of British Film Comedy from London, England 10 August 1999 I can't recommend this film more highly, its a classic example of British screen humour in every sense.

Out of the whole series of Hay/Moffat/Marriott vehicles this must be the best (tied with Oh Mr Porter). The scene with the fire station sliding pole stands out as one of the all time greats of cinema comedy history. The Will Hay movies are now available in the UK for less than 5 pounds each!! Some of the one liners are a bit dated but grab a grandparent to explain them to you! Was the above review useful to you? 1 out of 1 people found the following review useful: Hay, Marriot and Moffatt to the rescue! from United States 22 May 2015 Not since the 3 Stooges has the silver screen been invaded by three such goofy firemen. This movie is a scream from start to finish. Hay, Marriot and Moffatt man an outdated one-horse fire station in London as they try to hold on to their jobs after missing one too many fires. The scene where the three cause mass confusion when they try to insert a pole inside of their station is one of the finniest comic scenes I have ever seen before in a film. Even the simplest of tasks turn in to a messy madness and mayhem with Will hay leading the charge as the fire captain.

It is a shame that this morning brought to a close the film career of this amazing trio of British comedians. Was the above review useful to you? The Keystone Firemen from Buffalo, New York 6 March 2016 Will Hay with his second banana comics Moore Marriott and Graham Moffatt are the local fire brigade in their area and God only knows why they're put in charge of that rather critical job. The Police Academy British style seems to be where these three have graduated. Or maybe Mack Sennett's Keystone cops have a training school for fireman across the big pond. Hay is his usual blustering know it all self as his two even dumber assistance go along with whatever he does. Right now he's thinking mere water is out of date for putting out fires. He's experimenting with a new kind of foam to do the job. It had better work because the local council is ready to give the sack to the whole lot of them. It all works out strangely enough after Hay rents out the horse drawn fire truck they have to 'movie producers' who actually want it as part of an elaborate scheme to steal the crown jewels from the Tower Of London. The surreal last scene is worth seeing this film alone for.

Where's That Fire is still funny after 3/4 of a century has passed. Was the above review useful to you? Page 1 of 2: The Will Hay Collection [DVD] [1938]: Amazon.co.uk: Will Hay, Moore Marriott, Graham Moffatt, Sebastian Smith, Agnes Lauchlan, Percy Walsh, Dennis Wyndham, Dave O'Toole, Frank Atkinson, Wilson Coleman, Bryan Herbert, Harry Hutchinson, Marcel Varnel, William Beaudine, Anthony Kimmins, Cyril Campion, Edgar Wallace, Frank Launder, Howard Irving Young, J.B. Morton: DVD & Blu-ray The Will Hay Collection [DVD] [1938] 2 new from Â£89.98 12 used from Â£12.49 1 collectible from Â£64.99 See all buying options Subtitles: English Subtitles For The Hearing Impaired: English Region: Region 2 (This DVD may not be viewable outside Europe. Read more about DVD formats. ) Number of discs: 9 DVD Release Date: 11 Aug.

2003 Run Time: 735 minutes Product Description Product Description Will Hay is one of the greatest and most inimitable British comedians of all time. A major star of the 1930s, he relished playing pompous, incompetent authority figures, and his misanthropic antics have inspired many great funny men. The Will Hay Collection DVD box set contains nine discs which feature the following films: 1. "Ask a Policeman": Will Hay heads a police force where no crime ever gets committed. As their jobs are on the line they decide to create work for themselves. 2. "Boys will be Boys": Will Hay takes his first outing as a School Master and Narkover School becomes the setting for a stolen necklace cape. 3. "Oh Mr. Porter": Will Hay is sent off by his relatives to rural Ireland, where he becomes the Stationmaster of a derelict Irish railway station. There is little to do and much mischief to be had--including catching gun-runners posing as ghosts! 4. "Convict 99": Will Hay plays Dr. Benjamin Twist, a disgraced schoolmaster who is mistaken for a tough prison governor. 5.

"Old Bones of the River": Tramping through Africa, Will Hay attempts to impose his educational theories on the locals. 6. "Where there's a Will": Will Hay plays a bored solicitor who gets caught up in a robbery. 7. "Good Morning Boys": Will Hay again stars in the role of Dr. Benjamin Twist, but this time his pupils become involved with art thieves on a trip to Paris. Hay's seamy schoolmaster act is supported by a fine cast including Charles Hawtrey and Lilli Palmer. 8. "Hey! Hey! USA": Hay plays Dr. Benjamin Twist and is joined by American comedian Edgar Kennedy ("Duck Soup") in this transatlantic caper, which sees the pair take off on a ship heading for New York. 9. "Windbag the Sailor": Will Hay plays Ben Cutlet and, for the first time, is joined by Moore Marriot and Graham Moffatt. Tricked into taking control of an un-seaworthy ship--which the owners intend to sink--the hapless trio find themselves as the sole crew of the decrepit vessel.

From Amazon.co.uk Dispatches from the armpit of popular culture: 'Windbag the Sailor' (1936) - The enduring comic genius of Will Hay, Moore Marriott and Graham Moffat. Dispatches from the armpit of popular culture Musings on music, film and facial hair Tuesday, 25 August 2015 'Windbag the Sailor' (1936) - The enduring comic genius of Will Hay, Moore Marriott and Graham Moffat. If you'll forgive the pun, comedy is a funny thing. It can be very personal, as much as matters of taste - what one person finds amusing, another may not. It can work along cultural or national lines - how often does the awkward phrase 'British sense of humour' rear its head as an explanation of Anglo-American misunderstanding? Screen comedians are no different. I've written elsewhere about my love of Will Hay and I'm not ashamed to say that I count his films as among the funniest I've ever seen.

This is entirely subjective, of course, and I can't separate my appreciation of these films from my childhood memories of rainy school holidays and occasional sick days when BBC2's daytime schedule was full of Will Hay, James Robertson Justice, Harold Lloyd, Laurel & Hardy, The Three Stooges and Buster Crabbe serials. For these reasons I will concede that Hay's films are something of an acquired taste and might appear a little dated to the modern viewer but his influence on British comedy is undeniable I think. Will Hay After honing his act during a lengthy career in musical hall, Will Hay appeared in eighteen feature films between 1934 and 1943 for Gainsborough and Ealing studios, where he was mostly directed by Marcel Varnel. This extraordinary output saw him rival the biggest British cinema's biggest stars at that time, George Formby and Gracie Fields. Although they varied somewhat most of Hay's roles can be seen as variations on what the film critic Leslie Halliwell called 'the seedy incompetent' - a pompous fool who bluffs his way into a position of authority and is forced to live on his wits, or lack of...

Alan Simpson, half of the Galton and Simpson partnership that wrote for Tony Hancock, describes him as "a con man on the verge of being found out, a ducker, a diver - always dodgy, always shifty'"and sees a direct influence on Arthur Lowe, Frankie Howerd and Hancock himself. You could add Basil Fawlty to that list too. Hay's musical hall act revolved around a seedy schoolmaster and it was this persona he brought to the big screen in his first films, either at St Michael's or Narkover boarding school - as in 'Boys Will Be Boys' (1935) and 'Good Morning Boys' (1937). But Hay's best films were undoubtedly with Moore Marriott and Graham Moffat and together they formed one of British comedy's greatest screen teams. In their anarchic humour and brilliant interplay they were an English Marx brothers. 1936's 'Windbag the Sailor' was their first film together and it set the tone for what was to come. Hay plays Benjamin Cutlet, a braggart who is paying for his drinks at a dockside inn by spinning yarns of his fictitious sea adventures.

Marriott (Harbottle) and Moffat (Albert) play employees at the inn and his unwitting accomplices as his bluff is called and he's forced to captain an unseaworthy ship and a mutinous crew who soon become wise to Hay's incompetence. First Mate: Eight bells have gone sir. Hay (shocked): Well, if it goes on like this we shan't have any left! The trio are shipwrecked with only a bakelite radio on an island populated by cannibals. The radio, or 'voice in box', proves awe-inspiring to the cannibals and saves the day as Hay assumes the role of Big Chief Radio Luxembourg and Marriott Big Chief Weather Forecast. You get the general idea, I'm sure. Hay was a gifted physical comedian with a huge range of facial expressions and an absolute master of the double-take (Graham Rinaldi claims there are over 200 in his films - crying out for a Youtube compilation video, I'd say). Yet it is the interplay between the three actors that raises their films to the sublime. Marriot was a remarkable actor in his own right, earning himself the accolade 'British Cinema's master of disguise'.

He specialised in appearing as characters much older than his actual age, mischievously winning Southend On Sea's oldest inhabitant competition in 1931, at the ripe old age of 46. Moore Marriott in 'Windbag the Sailor' Moffat tended to play the smart-alec, wise to and often critical of Hay's schemes. It probably helped the on-screen dynamic that Hay and Moffatt apparently weren't the best of friends off screen. Graham Moffatt So, a comic trio comprising of a boastful shyster, a cynical, smart-alec youngster and a silly old duffer. Sound familiar? Whether John Sullivan deliberately paid homage to Hay's team is not clear but the influence is there for all to see. I don't pretend that these comic archetypes originated with Hay; the 'old fool' character can be seen as far back as Homer's 'Iliad' and the character Nestor who serves no other purpose in the Trojan war than to offer advice and reminiscences to the younger Greek leaders, usually of the 'in my day...' variety.

While 'Windbag..' was the first time this trio appeared together it wasn't their most celebrated movie - that accolade would probably be granted to 'Oh Mr Porter!' (1937) or arguably 'Ask A Policeman' (1939). The former was listed by film critics Barry Norman and Derek Malcolm in the top 100 films of the twentieth century. I tend to think of these movies as a pair as they are very similar. In both our trio are in positions of pointless authority - railway porters at a station that has no passing trains in the former, policemen in a town without crime in the latter. In both their easy life is complicated by seemingly supernatural agencies - a ghost train in the former, a 'eadless 'orseman in the latter. It won't be too much of a spoiler to say that both films have a Scooby Doo-like resolution. If pushed I would probably pick 'Ask A Policeman' as my favourite, if only for the brilliant scene where Marriott simultaneously plays Harbottle and Harbottle's father (with an even longer beard and an even more high-pitched voice very reminiscent of Terry Jones' character in 'Life of Brian' ).

The team made three more films together, 'Old Bones of the River' (1938), 'Convict 99' (1939) and 'Where's That Fire' (1940). Hay continued to make films after the dissolution of the partnership, with Claude Hulbert and a young Charles Hawtrey as his new stooges but it is the seedy schoolmaster and, in particular, the films with Marriot and Moffat retain a special place in my memory and the annals of British comedy. Will Hay died on April 18th 1949, aged 60 - perhaps fittingly, the retirement age of a schoolmaster. References/further reading - Graham Rinaldi's comprehensive biography 'Will Hay', Tomahawk Press, 2009. Will Hay - The Fourth Form At St. Michaels (Part 1 & 2) (1929) - YouTube Will Hay - The Fourth Form At St. Michaels (Part 1 & 2) (1929) Want to watch this again later? Sign in to add this video to a playlist. Need to report the video? Sign in to report inappropriate content.

The interactive transcript could not be loaded. Loading... Rating is available when the video has been rented. This feature is not available right now. Please try again later. Published on May 31, 2012 Will Hay recorded three records of Classroom sketches from his stage show for Columbia. Despite popular perception that the schoolboys on these records were Moore Marriot and Graham Moffatt, his film stooges, they were not yet a part of Will's team. The boys are in fact played by Will Hay Jnr as the young boy and H. Gordon Saunders as the old boy Harbottle (who played the old man role in the stage sketches until his death). On the third record the young boy is played by a woman, Will Hay's girlfriend at the time! William Thomson "Will" Hay (6 December 1888 -- 18 April 1949) was an English comedian, actor, film director and amateur astronomer. Hay was trained as an engineer and joined a firm of engineers, but at the age of 21 he gave up that profession for the stage.

Starting in Manchester as a juggler, self-taught after seeing W C Fields doing it in a film, later he took up acting. He had a relatively brief screen career: by the time he made his first film he was in his mid-40s and an established music hall artist, and his last role came less than a decade later. But between 1934 and 1943 he was a prolific and popular film comedian. He was credited on several films as a writer or co-ordinator, and was arguably the dominant "author" of all the films in which he appeared, in that they were built around his persona and depended on the character and routines he had developed over years on the stage. He worked at the British film studios of Elstree, then Gainsborough, then Ealing; the Gainsborough period was the most consistently successful, particularly when he worked with the team of Marcel Varnel (director), Val Guest and Marriott Edgar (writers), and Moore Marriott and Graham Moffatt (supporting cast) - as on the railway film Oh, Mr Porter!

(1937), his most fondly remembered picture with its catchphrase, 'The next train's gone!', spoken by Marriott as the decrepit old deputy stationmaster. Hay decided to break up the partnership with Moffatt and Marriott and brought in Claude Hulbert as his side-kick for The Ghost of St. Michael's (1941). The Goose Steps Out for Ealing (1942) was an effective anti-Nazi piece of slapstick, and while he was never quite the same again without Moffatt and Marriott, My Learned Friend (1943) again with Hulbert, is considered a masterpiece of black comedy which some regard as his best. Will's first regular appearances on radio, after occasional appearances on shows like variety Music Hall, were in the less humorous mode of quizmaster on the Double Or Quits segments featured on the Army editions of Merry-Go-Round, which he began several months before launching a comedy series. In all, he appeared on over two dozen of these segments up to February 1946. On Good Friday 1949 he addressed an audience of his peers at a dinner organised by the Grand Order of Water Rats.

He seemed in fine form and his health appeared to be improv­ing, but sadly another stroke a couple of days later proved fatal. At 60 years of age, Will Hay had passed away at the official retirement age for schoolmasters. Category Where's That Fire (1940) Will Hay, Charles Hawtrey: Amazon.co.uk: WILL HAY: DVD & Blu-ray Where's That Fire (1940) Will Hay, Charles Hawtrey 5 new from Â£7.50 See all buying options Region: Region 2 (This DVD may not be viewable outside Europe. Read more about DVD formats. ) Average Customer Review: Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images ? Product Description Where's That Fire?Â is a 1940Â BritishÂ comedy, produced byÂ Twentieth Century Fox, directed byÂ Marcel VarnelÂ and starringÂ Will Hay,Â Moore MarriottÂ andÂ Graham Moffatt. It was the last filmÂ Will HayÂ made with his stuntmenÂ Moore MarriottÂ andÂ Graham MoffattÂ and the humour of Hay's films after he dropped work with them changed. lassic Will Hay film.

A once lost classic which was found and restored and presented in this fan made dvd Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought Page 1 of 1 Start over Page 1 of 1 This shopping feature will continue to load items. In order to navigate out of this carousel please use your heading shortcut key to navigate to the next or previous heading. By Mr. G. [the g-man] on 15 April 2014 Format: DVD Verified Purchase Having searched for this long- deleted film, I was more than suprised to suddenly find it listed on Amazon. When it arrived it was the real deal in a proper dvd case with information on the back. Hurrah! The film is not a classic like 'Oh Mr. Porter' or 'Ask A Policeman' but nevertheless it is still a hoot. Think Marx Brothers, Crazy Gang, The 3 Stooges etc for a flavour of the film. Made in 1940, and the last [I believe] such film to feature Moore Marriot and Graham Moffat alongside Will Hay, it was made as a morale booster for the British public who were under extreme pressure from the ravages of war.

Pure slapstick and some wonderful visual/spoken gags, with a plot [sort of]. Captain Viking [Will Hay] along with Albert [Moffat] and Harbottle [Marriott] are incompetant firemen with ancient firefighting equipment which matches up with the fire equipment used at the Tower of London. Some shady characters pretending to be from a film studio have their eye on borrowing our heroes' equipment in order to steal the Crown Jewels by staging a fire at the Tower. Now I don't want to spoil the plot..... Marvellous stuff. In a 'you couldn't make it up' moment, on the dvd case it advises Parental Guidance. Really? The film also features an extremely young Charles Hawtrey as a snotty schoolboy [but of course]. As a bonus there is a short public information film featuring Will Hay and Thora Hird [as his daughter] on how to deal with incendiary bombs falling on your house. Again, great stuff. Anyone with more than a casual passing interest in British comedy would be wise to purchase this little gem before it disappears forever.

A word of warning, there are apparently some dodgy copies of the film out there, best to check with the seller before buying if you are not sure. I am more than happy with my copy. 1000+ images about will hay on Pinterest | Radios, Stepping out and Cheque ASK a POLICEMAN (1939) ●彡 WILL HAY | The mirthful adventures of Police-Sergeant Samuel Dudfoot and his two constables, Albert Brown and Jeremias Harbottle, who stage a fabricated crime-wave to save their jobs---and then find themselves involved in the real thing. See more Convict 99 Reviews & Ratings - IMDb IMDb 7 out of 7 people found the following review useful: Someone's made a dreadful bloomer. from United Kingdom 17 October 2012 Convict 99 is directed by Marcel Varnel and collectively written by Jack Davis Jr, Marriott Edgar, Val Guest, Ralph Smart and Cyril Campion. It stars Will Hay, Moore Marriott, Graham Moffatt, Googie Withers, Peter Gawthorne, Basil Radford and Dennis Wyndham. Dismissed from his position as headmaster at St.

Michael's School, Dr. Benjamin Twist (Hay) applies for a job at another school. Inadvertently going into the wrong interview room, Twist finds himself offered the job because the interviewers think he is a John Benjamin, a tough Australian who has applied for the Warder's job at Blakedown Prison in Devon! Twist in charge of a prison? One that houses some of the toughest criminals in Britain! Oh no... After the monster success of Oh, Mr. Porter! a few months previously, it was always going to be hard for Will Hay's next film to compete. And so it proved. While Convict 99 falls some way below the standard set by "Porter", some of the harsh reviews back on the film's release were misjudged. The prison setting seemed to bother many; more so the picture of prison life painted, with a few critics bizarrely thinking it was a satire on prison reform! Convict 99 is a standard Will Hay/Gainsborough Pictures romp, it milks the mistaken identity theme for all its worth and slots in a few very funny set-pieces along the way.

Re: Twist breaking rocks and losing his sledgehammer, the betting shenanigans and the break out of prison and break into the bank. The famed trio of Hay, Marriott and Moffatt don't get much time to interact together, which is disappointing, in fact Moffatt is under used, but Marriott's Jerry the Mole is a wonderful character and the wise old Marriott perks things up when the film begins to sag. Good character actors Gawthorne, Radford and Wyndham ensure the material doesn't fall flat, while Withers holds her end up well in a male dominated screenplay. 7/10 Was the above review useful to you? 7 out of 8 people found the following review useful: Utterly ridiculous! from Australia 11 March 2002 ...but yet SO ridiculous that it draws you in and you have to stay watching to see what happens. Benjamin Twist was a school master, and he's at this agency wanting a job in a school for reformed boys. But a general misunderstanding/mistaken identity gets him instead a different job, that of a prison governor! You see the man they wanted for the job is called Mr. Benjamin, as in *last* name Benjamin.

So when everyone starts calling Mr. Twist 'Benjamin' (which is his first name), he just calls them all by their first names back and they all think he's such a riot. He does eventually realise their mistake, but at the same time finds out that the job pays £2000 a year; where the job he was actually after only pays £75. Well, being a prison warden isn't THAT much different from being schoolmaster to difficult boys, is it... Was the above review useful to you? 4 out of 4 people found the following review useful: Meandering plot, but definitely not a dud 2 June 2008 *** This review may contain spoilers *** One of the difficulties in viewing Will Hay films is the reputation of "Oh, Mr Porter!" which is a classic comedy by any standards (although "Ask a Policeman" is my personal fave). Compared with 'Porter' the other films are bound to have flaws and "Convict 99" is no exception. It starts with Hay being mistaken for another man (who conveniently goes straight back to Australia) and given a job as a prison governor for which he is totally unfitted.

On arriving at the prison he is mistaken for a convict, then released, then allows the convicts to run the place, then has to get himself out the trouble this lands him in (helped by the old lags themselves). As you can see, economy of plot isn't a virtue of this 80 minute film but it still generates a good share of laughs. When Hay learns that his prison job earns a generous salary and that the people who appointed him won't come near the place for three more years, it's a treat to see him mentally work out how much he can earn before he's rumbled. Although Graham Moffat and Moore Marriott are in the film they don't act as a team with Hay except in one short scene. For my money Marriott almost steals the film as 'Jerry the Mole' who has been compulsively tunnelling his way under the prison for forty years. He is a wonderful old maniac, completely dotty. The film is very well produced, too, with substantial-looking sets for the prison scenes. All in all the film works well and is still well worth watching after 70 years. Was the above review useful to you?

5 out of 6 people found the following review useful: second only to Oh Mr Porter from United Kingdom 28 April 2006 What better compliment can I give it to say that, yes, it's not as funny or as well directed as "Oh, Mr Porter" and yes, Moffat and Marriott are underused, but it is still a Will Hay classic, and to my opinion its his second best movie. The plot is basic - Hay becomes in charge of a prison by mistake, having the same first name as the new governor's last name... he arrives drunk and gets mixed up with a new batch of prisoners...one (number 99) escapes in the process and the guards think Hay is Convict 99... 99 is recaptured and Hay then takes up his position as governor...prisoners run the prison...99 escapes with Hay's money...prisoners escape, get the money back and break into the bank to give Hay back his money. Okay so it makes little sense, but it is fun to watch! Was the above review useful to you? 3 out of 3 people found the following review useful: Kooky fun.

2 May 2011 *** This review may contain spoilers *** Will Hay, Moore Marriott and Graham Moffatt starred in several cute comedies together--with Hay playing lead. I've seen several but I'd have to say of all the ones I've seen, this is the funniest and compares very well to the kooky comedies Hollywood was producing at the time. The film begins with a funny scene with Hay and his brother and sister-in-law and their kids. It seems that Hay has long over-stayed his welcome and they are anxious to get rid of him--so much so that the sister-in-law filled out some job applications for him! One, as a teacher at a nearby school, accidentally gets mixed up with one to be the warden at a prison and, inexplicably, Hay is hired to run the prison. Considering he's an absolute idiot, it naturally doesn't go as he'd like but somehow by the end of the movie it's all worked itself out--in a way that can only happen in movies. But, considering how funny it all is (particularly Marriott--who is even goofier than ever) you don't see to mind how crazy the plot becomes and how unbelievable the whole thing often is.

Great kooky fun--well-acted and with a dynamite script. Was the above review useful to you? 1 out of 1 people found the following review useful: Enjoyable Big House Farce from United States 21 May 2015 "Conflict 99' is an enjoyable prison farce that puts one in mind of the 3 Stooges and Laurel and Hardy at their comedic best in the Thirties. Will Hay plays a school master turned convict turned warden in all less than 90 minutes. Moore Marriot is a stitch as 'Jerry the Mole,' an ancient forever breaking through walls and floors as he attempts to tunnel himself out. The great Graham Moffatt is on board as a high-pitched prison guard. I am an American who has developed a keen taste for British comedy, so I'm not sure how much many of my countrymen will get out of this one but it's worth a risk. I think this film compares favorably with the 5 other Hay, Marriot and Moffatt films that I have viewed on-line. Was the above review useful to you?

1 out of 1 people found the following review useful: Hilarious B&W Movie from United Kingdom 24 February 2014 This is one of the many Will Hay films that were made in the early 1900's, and in case you didn't know, Will Hay was a true British comic genius. Convict 99 Hay plays a school teacher who is being transferred to another school but due to a mix-up with some names he is mistaken as a prison governor and sent to some tough prison down in Devon. To make it worse when he arrives in a drunk state he is mistaken for a convict. From beginning to end this film is full of laughs. Original British comedy is truly a gem; Will Hay does comedy brilliantly and this film is no exception and as with most of his other films it also stars crazy old Moore Marriott and funny kid Graham Moffatt who add to the laughs as well. The story isn't half bad as well and you love how the characters react to different situations. Don't always turn away from black & white movies, especially the comedies, I'd give Convict 99 a 10 out of 10 any day, pure AWESOMNESS.

Was the above review useful to you? Headmaster runs prison with mildly humorous capers from Australia 7 October 2016 Mr Twist, an ex-headmaster looking for work, is mistaken for another man and gets the job of prison governor. If mistaken identity, gag-falls and extraordinary yet unbelievable situations make you laugh, then this is the film for you. Brace yourself for very mild humour. I usually enjoy a good old farce, but this film didn't measure up. It's only really worth watching if you have no other films of the genera on your list. However a special nod to the acting of Kathleen Harrison who briefly plays Mr Twist's long suffering sister-in-law. Another nod to the young prison guard who aids Mr Twist in his capers. Most of the humour is based on people continually and unbelievably mistaking Mr Twist for things he is not. Was the above review useful to you? Wacky warden turns penal system upside down 21 June 2016 *** This review may contain spoilers *** This British comedy stars Will Hay with two frequent supporting players who made some very funny films together in the 1930s. Hay is Dr.

Benjamin Twist, Moore Marriott is Jerry the Mole and Graham Moffatt is Albert Brown. A huge supporting cast adds to the humor here, especially among prison inmates. "Convict 99" has such a ridiculous plot that it brings chuckles just thinking about it. What Hay does to the British penal system is so over the top outlandish that the public might want to be sentenced to his prison. As he tells the convicts during his first meeting as warden (after having been one of them), his aim is to change the concept of the prison walls from one of keeping people in, to one of keeping the riffraff out. What a hoot of a hootenanny this film turns out to be  behind bars, of course. Hay gives a new twist to treatment of hardened criminals. His ways as a warden are sure to raise laughter for those who enjoy wacky comedy. Was the above review useful to you? New strides in penology from Buffalo, New York 13 February 2016 Will Hay starring once again with trusty second bananas Moore Marriott and Graham Moffatt plays a schoolmaster who's been kicked out of his last employment.

Seeking a new job he's made governor (warden to us Yanks) of a prison. But through a wonderful series of mishaps arrives much like Robert Redford did in Brubaker. Takes them a while before they realize he is the new governor. Once there the prisoners realize that they've got themselves a Captain Parmenter like pigeon. Hay's so stupid and so full of himself he thinks he's doing grand things. The cons realize that if they just make him look good they can turn the place into a country club and do. Marriott plays a lifer who has tunneled just about everywhere in the system, but hasn't escaped yet. Moffatt plays a simple and trusting prison guard. All three are bloody marvelous as the British would say. Was the above review useful to you?

Page 1 of 2: WKE Notes, Huff 02/19/63 The Theodore Huff Memorial Film Society Februrary 19 1963 The British Film: Comedy and Cavalcanti: Program 3 THE BLACK SHEEP OF WHITEHALL (Ealing Studios, 1942) Directed by Basil Dearden and Will Hay; original story and screenplay by Angus Macphail and John Dighton; produced by Michael Balaton; camera: Gunther Krampf and Eric Cross; art director, Tom Morahan; 8 reels Starring Will Hay, with John Mills, Basil Sydney, Frank Cellier, Felix Aylmer, Henry Hewitt, Joss Ambler, Frank Allenby, Thora Hird, Margaret Halston, Leslie Mitchell, Barbara Valerie, Kenneth Griffith, Marjorie Rhodes, Ronald Shiner. Over the past two weeks we have been fortunate in being able to show Jack Hulbert and George Formby films that were both among their best and most typical, With Will Hay, perhaps the least known of the trio over here (though in England by far the most popular) we aren't so lucky.

The Black Sheep of Whitehall was one of his last films -- there were only two more, and decidedly lesser ones, ahead of him before his death. It is a good comedy, and the Hay screen character runs pretty much along the established lines, so it's a reliable introduction to Hay himself, but it hardly indicates his full potential. It's rather like being introduced to the Nam Brothers via A Night in Casablanca instead of Duck Soup . Ho-ever, later in the year we will have access to one of Hay's top features, Oh Mr. Porter , and in the meantime this is a far from shabby introduction to his work. Will Hay, a former music hall comio,had a wider range than either Hulbert or Formby. His screen character was more complex, and more unique, and as co- director of most of his films, he had more to do with the shaping of his own comedy. Too, he could be a good straight actor, though he did but little of it, and in later years the occasional straight role -- as in the wartime propaganda film The Big Blockade -- was usually tinged with a little humour so as not to disappoint audiences.

Hie first movie was a comedy, but a wry, subtle one, devoid of slapstick; titled Those Were The Days, it was a charming evocation of music hall days and Victorian morality, and was based on Pinero's play The Magistrate. Coincidentally, John Mills appeared with him in that one too. Hay's basic screen character was somewhat similar to W.C. Fields'; he was lazy, shiftless, often talentless, a chiseller and not above taking a drink -- especially if someone else would pay for it, He was frequently finding himself-dam In positions of trust and responsibility where he was totally inadequate -- and yet somehow bluffing his way through to ultimate success. His most familiar screen character was as the know-nothing schoolmaster, plagued by a group of teen-aged monsters much smarter than he, His best films, in the 30's, were not only unique for this basically unsympathetic character, but for their often inspired plots and slapstick. There seems to be a certain overlapping here from the work of Keaton. Windbag the Sailor, directed by American William Beaudine, has basically the same plot as The Navigator, and Oh Mr.

Porter , probably his best, neatly combines "The General" and 'The Ghost Train". Much of the Hay comedy reflected typical British nostalgia for things old -- his "co-stars' included an old fire engine, horse-drawn of course, and an old locomotive. Locations took in abandoned railway stations, small rural constabularies (one bearing the delightful and not un-English name of Turnbotham Round) and out-of-date British schools, and the plots found him involved in such typically British activities as rum smuggling and schemes to blow up the House of Lords. Like Fields and the Marx Brothers, he surrounded himself with familiar and oft-used "types". Martita Hunt was, in the thirties, a British Margaret Dumont, and as Lady Bagahot was a perfect foil for Hay. Peter Gawthorne was her stuffy wale equivalent. And Hay had two cohorts with him In his best pictures, making up one of the funniest trios in British comedies. Graham Moffat was a rotund teen-ager, and Moore Marriott (actually a dignified middle-aged character actor) appeared with fartastic makeup as a toothless, bearded old relic, forever offering "helpful" suggestions which of course went wrong.

The best films of this trio were "Oh Mr. Porter", "Good Morning Boys", "Windbag the Sailor", though "Convict 99" and "Old Bones of the River" had their moments too. Another top one was "Ask a Policeman" (although it had some very "blue" lines, unusual for Hay); it was followed by Where's That Fire? which marked the end of the Hay-Moffat-Marriot films. All of these had been made for Gainsborough; Hay then shifted, as a solo comedian, to Saline, where his first film was "The Ghost of St. Michaels". Though without his team-mates, he was on familiar ground as an inept schoolmaster, and had comedy-thrill material that was very much of an extension of Oh Mr. Porter . With "The Black Sheep of Whitehall'', there seems to have been an effort made to create a new Hay "image" -- to retain his essential character, but to lessen the slapstick content, and to put Hay into an increased number of "situations" that play well on their own, and are really quite divorced from the main story-line.

For those with the eyes and ears to notice, and they're all the more effective for being handled unobtrusively. "Doorway to Hell", "Me Gangster" and other early crime films had these elements too, all held well in check; it was the much later gangster films, starting with "Blind Alley" and ranging through "Angels With Dirty Faces" and up through "White Heat", that went overboard on the psychological angles and thereby ruined the genre, just as "High Noon" did more harm than good for the cause of the Western. What, "Scarface" has that few of the early gangster films had is pace. Later, more conventional films like "G Man" had that pace, but the early ones - from Cruze's City Gone Wild and Sternberg's Underworld through to "The Public Enemy", "Little Caesar" and Bad Company - were generally, regardless of other merits, ' just too deliberately and slowly constructed. "Scarface", despite the usual slowness inherent In early 30's dramatic scenes, played without Incidental music or dynamic editing, crackles from the word go.

If its savagery is overdone, then at least the mood it seeks to create Is not; better a gangland that is too much a combination of jungle and battleground than the gangland of Little Caesar which is all tough posing and little else. The action scenes in Scarface are flawlessly, blisteringly done; the killings, the machine-gun wars, the car chases, wrecks and bombings. Much of the film is now cliche of course: the No.1 Hoode with his squad of dress-suited body-guards, the terrorising of saloon-keepers into buying beer from the new mob; most of 'the characters, most of the situations, and almost all of the dialogue. Yet it is to the credit of "Scarface" that here at least it still seems fresh and powerful. Thanks to C. Henry Gordon and Edwin Maxwell© the cops seem more three-dimensional than usual. (And yet Gordon and Maxwell usually played hoods themselves!) Karen Morley is still one of the most provocative of a long line of silken mistresses that ranged from Jean Harlow and Joan Blondell to Evelyn Brent, Mae Clarke and Louise Brooks.

And the story itself, being patterned on the career of Capone, and encompassing such incidents as the St. Valentine's Day Massacre, tends to hold up rather better than most of the Cagney/Robinson films from Warners. Muni's exhibitionistic acting style is singularly suited to the Carmonte/Capone role, and he has seldom been better. Boris Karloff on the other hand, with that English voice and barely disguised cultured tones, just doesn't convince as a rival hood; somehow, one just can't believe that he gives a jot about who runs the North Side! However, Karloff's death scene is one of the most Impressive and Imaginatively visual moments in the picture; one can't help wondering whether the credit for this should go to writer Hecht or director Hawks -- or even perhaps to producer Hughes, who has contributed moments of real power and originality to pictures that were otherwise thoroughly mediocre. Altogether, Scarface continues to make a pronounced visual impact, and a very Germanic one at that, as the stylish opening scenes, and the Fritz Lang-like sequence of the reporter interviewing Karloff in his dingy hideaway, show quite clearly. Very much but.

and reshaped since its original release (one reissue version even faked up a sequence of Muni being tried and hung), this print, we're happy to say, is quite complete and in reasonably good shape, It's a dupe, but a pretty good one, and the harsh quality of the print seems to jell rather well with the seedy nature of the story and settings. However, a redone British foreword rather betrays the Anglo-Saxon lack of familiarity with American gangsterism by listing the prohibition years as being from 1919 to 1924! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Wm. K. Everson - - - - - - - - - NEXT FRIDAY -- FILM GROUP meeting -- NEXT SUNDAY's 35mm SHOW AT THE NEW YORKER (NO TITLES HAVE BEEN ANNOUNCED AS YET). WILL NOT TAKE PLACE AS I'LL BE OUT OF TOWN AGAIN BRIEFLY.

NEXT TUESDAY -- Rin Tin Tin in CLASH OF THE WOLVES (1925); Chaplin in PAY DAY (1922)e and the "Silents Please" 3-r1 version of "OLD SAN FRANCISCO" (1927) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Question: Moore Marriot and Graham Moffat made eight films with which comedian?
Answer: Will Hay