George Formby was an English actor, singer-songwriter and comedian who became known to a worldwide audience through his films of the 1930s and 1940s. On stage, screen and record he sang light, comic songs, usually playing the ukulele or banjolele, and became the UK's highest-paid entertainer.
George Frederick Joffre Hartree, known as Charles Hawtrey, was an English actor, comedian, singer, pianist and theatre director.
James Robinson Clitheroe was an English comic entertainer. He is best remembered for his long-running BBC Radio programme, The Clitheroe Kid (1956–72).
No Limit is a 1935 British musical comedy starring George Formby and Florence Desmond. The film, which was directed by Monty Banks, was made on location at the TT motorcycle race on the Isle of Man. It was the first of eleven films that Formby made for Associated Talking Pictures.
Convict 99 is a 1938 British comedy film directed by Marcel Varnel and starring Will Hay, Moore Marriott, Graham Moffatt and Googie Withers.
Eileen Bennett is a British retired film actress who was active in the late 1930s and early 1940s. She was born in London, United Kingdom. She attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and started out as a model. She made her screen debut in the 1939 film The Outsider in an uncredited role. She played Eve in the thriller Trunk Crime later that year. Also, in 1939, she deputised as a television announcer for Jasmine Bligh when she was on leave. She was described as "Britain's new screen star" in 1942. She had significant roles in the comedy Much Too Shy (1942) and Thursday's Child (1943).
Spare a Copper is a 1940 British black-and-white musical comedy war film directed by John Paddy Carstairs and starring George Formby, Dorothy Hyson and Bernard Lee. It was produced by Associated Talking Pictures. It is also known as Call a Cop. The film features the songs, "I'm the Ukulele Man", "On the Beat", "I Wish I Was Back on the Farm" and "I'm Shy". Beryl Reid makes her film debut in an uncredited role, while Ronald Shiner appears similarly uncredited, in the role of the Piano Mover and Tuner.
Peter Gawthorne was an Anglo-Irish actor, probably best known for his roles in the films of Will Hay and other popular British comedians of the 1930s and 1940s. Gawthorne was one of Britain's most called-upon supporting actors during this period.
Under a Cloud is a 1937 British comedy film directed by George King and starring Betty Ann Davies, Edward Rigby, Hilda Bayley. The screenplay concerns a man who returns from Australia and tries to reconcile with his estranged family.
Ronald Crabtree known by his stage name Danny Ross, was a British comedian best remembered for his role alongside Jimmy Clitheroe in the long running BBC Radio comedy show The Clitheroe Kid (1957–1973).
The Last Curtain is a 1937 British crime film directed by David MacDonald and starring Campbell Gullan, Kenne Duncan and Greta Gynt. The film blends drama and comedy and its plot follows an insurance investigator who examines a series of robberies that have taken place. Much of the action takes place backstage at the fictitious Trafalgar Theatre.
I Didn't Do It is a 1945 British comedy crime film directed by Marcel Varnel and starring George Formby, Dennis Wyndham and Carl Jaffe. Formby's songs include: "She's Got Two Of Everything"' (Cunningham/Towers), "'I'd Like A Dream Like That'" (Formby/Cliffe), and "The Daring Young Man"' (Formby/Cliffe). Because of a realistic murder scene, the film was granted a British 'A' certificate, ensuring no one under the age of 16 would be admitted to the cinema unless accompanied by an adult.
Give Me the Stars is a 1945 British musical drama film directed by Maclean Rogers and starring Leni Lynn, Will Fyffe, Jackie Hunter and Olga Lindo. American Toni Martin travels to Scotland and finds herself looking after her cranky grandfather Hector MacTavish, and even taking over his music hall act.
The Farmer's Wife is a 1941 British comedy drama film directed by Norman Lee and Leslie Arliss and starring Basil Sydney, Wilfrid Lawson and Nora Swinburne. It is based on the play The Farmer's Wife by Eden Phillpotts which had previously been adapted by Alfred Hitchcock for a 1928 film of the same name. It was produced by ABPC at Welwyn Studios, at a time when the company's main Elstree Studios had been requisitioned for wartime use. The film is not widely known.
Come On George! is a 1939 British comedy film directed by Anthony Kimmins which stars George Formby, with Pat Kirkwood and Joss Ambler in support. It was made by Associated Talking Pictures. Hal Erickson wrote in Allmovie: "Come on George! was a product of George Formby's peak movie years." It concerns the world of horse racing, and Formby, who had once been a stable apprentice, did his own riding in the film. Songs featured are "I'm Making Headway Now", "I Couldn't Let The Stable Down", "Pardon Me", and "Goodnight Little Fellow, Goodnight".
Hilda Christabel Bailey was a British theatre and film actress. On stage from 1913, she was in both stage and film versions of Carnival in 1918 and 1921, respectively; and in the controversial crime film Cocaine in 1922.
Eddie Latta was the songwriting name of Bruce Alfred Williams, a Liverpool undertaker who wrote songs for the Lancashire film actor and music hall artist George Formby, among others.
Bell-Bottom George is a 1943 black and white British comedy musical film, directed by Marcel Varnel, starring George Formby and Anne Firth. A wartime morale booster, it features the songs, "Swim Little Fish", "It Serves You Right", "If I Had A Girl Like You" and "Bell Bottom George." Future Carry On star Charles Hawtrey appears in a small role.
This is a summary of 1939 in music in the United Kingdom.
Rhythm Serenade is a 1943 British musical film directed by Gordon Wellesley and starring Vera Lynn, Peter Murray-Hill and Julien Mitchell.
