Review of Ask A Policeman / Boys Will Be Boys

Introduction

Two of the best Will Hay pictures. "Ask A Policeman" was made in 1939 and more or less lifts the basic premise of the previous year`s "Oh Mr Porter". Directed by Marcel Varnel and written by Marriott Edgar, Val Guest and JOC Orton, Will Hay stars as the incompetent Sgt. Dudfoot. There hasn`t been a crime in his village for years and when this comes to light, the Chief Constable decides to close the police station and either transfer or retire the officers. Dudfoot and his fellow officers Albert and Harbottle set about making some false arrests but pick the wrong man to nick for speeding - the Chief Constable. Luck is on their side in the long run as they uncover a smuggling ring operating in the village. "Boys Will Be Boys" was made in 1935 and directed by William "One-shot" Beaudine. Hay wrote the screenplay himself based on stories by "Beachcomber" (JB Morton). Hay plays Dr Alec Smart, a third-rate educator who applies for a job at Narkover School. He gets the job through a commendation from the governor of the prison he teaches at, or rather through a commendation with a forged signature. Falling foul of one of the governors, he finds Narkover is as near to a male version of St. Trinians as you could hope to find and is as near as dammit a prep school for Wormwood Scrubs. When a valuable diamond necklace goes missing on Founder`s Day, a rugby match turns into a knock-down battle. The cast includes a seventeen-year-old Jimmy Hanley (late first husband of Dinah Sheridan and father of "Magpie"`s Jenny Hanley and Sir Jeremy Hanley) as one of the schoolboys.

My favourite moment in "Boys Will Be Boys" is Hay teaching the lags at the prison about butterflies. "Lepidoptera - Lepi meaning butter, and doptera meaning fly".

"Ask A Policeman" includes footage shot at the legendary Brooklands racing circuit in its heyday. There is also a bus chase through the town which is fascinating to see how townscapes have changed in sixty-odd years.

Video

Movies in the thirties were always shot in 1.33:1, or "Academy Frame". Being of that age (Boys Will Be Boys is the same age as my old Dad), the films aren`t in that marvellous condition (my Dad is in much better nick, thank you). Contrast and detail are less than ideal and there`s a fair amount of wear and tear but the films are still very watchable.

Audio

Fuzzy, but relatively clear of snap, crackle and pop. I`ve heard better and I`ve heard worse.

Features

Subtitles only.

Conclusion

An extremely strong set of discs. I`d say this pair and the "Oh Mr Porter" pair tie for the best of this release.

"I`ve always found something funny in the idea of a hopelessly inefficient man blundering through a job he knows nothing about." - Will Hay.