Law enforcement in the United Kingdom is organised separately in each of the legal systems of the United Kingdom: England and Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. Most law enforcement duties are carried out by those who hold the office of police constable of a territorial police force.
William Thomson Hay was an English comedian who wrote and acted in a schoolmaster sketch that later transferred to the screen, where he also played other authority figures with comic failings. His film Oh, Mr. Porter! (1937), made by Gainsborough Pictures, is often cited as the supreme British-produced film-comedy, and in 1938 he was the third highest-grossing star in the UK. Many comedians have acknowledged him as a major influence. Hay was also a keen amateur astronomer.
Ichabod Crane is a fictional character and the protagonist in Washington Irving's short story "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow". Crane is portrayed in the original work, and in most adaptations, as a tall, lanky individual. He is the local schoolmaster, and strongly believes in all things supernatural, including the legend of the Headless Horseman. Crane eventually tries unsuccessfully to court the heiress Katrina Van Tassel, a decision that angers Abraham "Brom Bones" Van Brunt, a local man who also wishes to marry Katrina. After supposedly proposing to Katrina, Crane is on his way home alone at night when the Headless Horseman appears and chases the schoolmaster. The Horseman eventually throws his pumpkin head at Crane, causing him to mysteriously disappear without a trace.
Oh, Mr Porter! is a 1937 British comedy film starring Will Hay with Moore Marriott and Graham Moffatt and directed by Marcel Varnel. While not Hay's commercially most successful, it is probably his best-known film to modern audiences. It is widely acclaimed as the best of Hay's work, and a classic of its genre. The film had its first public showing in November 1937 and went on general release on 3 January 1938. The plot of Oh, Mr Porter was loosely based on the Arnold Ridley play The Ghost Train. The title was taken from Oh! Mr Porter, a music hall song.
Graham Victor Harold Moffatt was an English comedic character actor. He is best known for a number of films where he appeared with Will Hay and Moore Marriott as 'Albert': a plump cheekily insolent street-savvy youth.
The Funky Phantom is an animated television series, produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions, in association with Australian production company Air Programs International for the American Broadcasting Company (ABC). The show was a clone of Hanna-Barbera's popular Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!, with a trio of teenage detectives driving around the country and solving crimes. In this case, the "Scooby-Doo" role was taken by a Revolutionary War-era ghost.
The Policeman is a 1971 Israeli feature film, written and directed by satirist Ephraim Kishon. The title character is played by Shaike Ophir, in what is considered one of his finest performances.
Where's That Fire? is a 1940 British comedy film, produced by Twentieth Century Fox, directed by Marcel Varnel and starring Will Hay, Moore Marriott and Graham Moffatt. It was the last film Will Hay made with his most famous comic foils, Moore Marriott and Graham Moffatt.
Contraband is a 1980 poliziotteschi film directed by Lucio Fulci.
I See a Dark Stranger – released as The Adventuress in the United States – is a 1946 British World War II spy film with touches of light comedy, starring Deborah Kerr and featuring Trevor Howard. It was written and produced by the team of Frank Launder and Sidney Gilliat, with Launder directing.
Oru Pennum Randaanum is a 2008 Malayalam feature film written and directed by Adoor Gopalakrishnan.
Death Drums Along the River is a 1963 British-German international co-production, using the characters from Edgar Wallace's 1911 novel Sanders of the River and Zoltán Korda's 1935 film based on the novel, but placed in a totally different story. Filmed on location in South Africa, it features Richard Todd and Marianne Koch leading a cast of British, German and South African actors. The film was the first feature film of British producer Harry Alan Towers.
Freddy and the Dragon (1958) is the 26th and last book in the humorous children's series Freddy the Pig written by American author Walter R. Brooks and illustrated by Kurt Wiese. Freddy's attempts to catch the gang extorting money from Centerboro's city folk are hindered by a headless horseman. The dragon created as a circus attraction becomes a tool in fighting crime. The Bean animals settle accounts with the gang and with a long-standing foe.
The Bridal Path is a 1959 British comedy film directed by Frank Launder and starring Bill Travers, George Cole and Bernadette O'Farrell. It is based on the 1952 novel of the same name by Nigel Tranter. The film was an unsuccessful attempt to repeat the success of Launder and Gilliat's earlier Geordie (1955).
The Boys in Blue is a 1982 British comedy film directed by Val Guest and starring Tommy Cannon, Bobby Ball, Suzanne Danielle and Roy Kinnear. It is loosely based on the classic 1939 Will Hay film Ask a Policeman, which Guest co-wrote. Some policemen who have failed to make any arrests are threatened with dismissal, and begin to invent crime to justify their existence. It was the final feature film that Guest directed.
Seven Sinners is a 1936 British thriller film directed by Albert de Courville and starring Edmund Lowe, Constance Cummings and Felix Aylmer. In the U.S. it was known under this title and also as Doomed Cargo. The screenplay concerns an American detective and his sidekick, who travel from France to England to take on a gang of international criminals.
Cold War is a 2012 Hong Kong police procedural action thriller film directed by Sunny Luk and Longman Leung, starring Aaron Kwok and Tony Leung Ka-fai, and guest starring Andy Lau. The film was selected as the opening film at the 17th Busan International Film Festival and released in Hong Kong, Macau, and mainland China on 8 November 2012.
Doublecross is a 1956 British crime film directed by Anthony Squire and starring Donald Houston, Fay Compton and William Hartnell. It was also known as Queer Fish.
Naalu Policeum Nalla Irundha Oorum is a 2015 Indian Tamil-language comedy film written and directed by Srikrishna. The film stars Arulnithi and Remya Nambeesan while Bagavathi Perumal, Singampuli, Rajkumar, and Yogi Babu play supporting roles. The film was highly panned by critics for its poor story and screenplay. The movie failed to perform well at the box office. It is loosely based on the British film Ask a Policeman (1939) and the Swedish film Kopps (2003).
Ela Veezha Poonchira is an Indian Malayalam-language crime thriller film directed by Shahi Kabir, who is known for scripting Joseph and Nayattu. It stars Soubin Shahir, Sudhi Koppa, and Jude Anthany Joseph. The highly critically acclaimed movie produced by Vishnu Venu under his banner Kadhaas Untold. The film was released on 15 July 2022. Ela Veezha Poonchira is the first ever Malayalam film to be released in Dolby Vision 4K HDR.
