formby on film

Handyman stands for election as Minister of Parliament for local village, and exposes corrupt councils plebiscite. Brendan Ryan Leslie Halliwell's Film Guide A local handyman exposes a corrupt council. Spotty star comedy with insufficient zest for its great length I said in a previous review that 'this film is the worst of the lot!' - I take it all back. It is actually quite good, I cannot understand why it has never been shown on television, far worst film productions get regular screenings. No matter! If you are a member of the GFS you will now be able to see for yourself because the Society has managed to find a excellent print of this film. It will be seen for the first time in Blackpool on November 28 and is sure to get a repeat performance. A marvelous discovery. All the pictures on this page are actual screen captures, not VistaVision I agree but a wonderful improvement on the only copy known (before now). Peter Pollard Update - August 2012 These images are from the DVD which is of course a very good copy, far better than the original film print written about above. The DVD version now carries sub-titles for the hard of hearing. Peter Pollard In recent years, "He Snoops to Conquer" has been poorly thought of in comparison with George's other films. Sometimes the criticism has been a little unfair, arising from the fact that this film now appears more dated than most. The plot revolves around a local council's post-war town-planning, so although it seems rather obscure today, it would have been very topical when released. Of course there are numerous corny effects in all of George's pictures, but in "Snoops" there are too many. Admittedly, they seem more corny now than they may have in '45, but unfortunately the film relies too heavily on these effects to supply much of the comedy (for example, the crazy inventions of mad millionaire Sir Timothy Strawbridge, amongst other bizarre things). Such gimmicks are no substitute for the true Formby-style comedy we find in every other of his films, and there's no escaping the fact that the script is letting George down here - at a critical point in his career when he needed a strong success. Perhaps the writers' problem stems from the fact that the political orientation is not really in keeping with the familiar Formby film character. Or, I ask myself, do I find the film lacking simply because I am unable to accept George presented in a different type of role? No, this is not the case: I'd love to know how George would have tackled a new kind of role, but this script does not define a new character, it simply stifles the old one. And the ukulele is only allowed to appear in one song - surely this is going too far! Note that the following film "I Didn't Do It" represents a marked return to the old Formby formula, and is one of his best. However, though "Snoops" may not be George's greatest, it is still most entertaining, and we are now very glad to have a print of what once seemed to be a long-lost treasure - it is the pride of the GFS archives. Andy Eastwood

HE SNOOPS TO CONQUER Columbia Produced by: Marcel Varnel & Ben Henry Writers: Stephen Black, Howard Irving-Young, Norman Lee, Michael Vaughan Langford Reed. Photography: Roy Fogwell Director: Marcel Varnel Trade Show: December 12 1944; Released on: January 8 1945 Cast: George Formby, Robertson Hare, Elizabeth Allen, Aubrey Mallalieu, Gordon McLeod, James Harcourt. SONGS: Hill Billy Willie (Formby/Gifford/Cliffe) Got To Get Your Photo In The Press (Latta) Unconditional Surrender (Cunningham/Towers)