Somewhere in Civvies

It's an odd coincidence that England's two most famous Northern comedians -- George Formby and Frank Randle -- were both from the small town of Wigan, Lancashire. (Stan Laurel was born in Lancashire too, but I consider him an American comedian: Laurel's comedic style was English but not especially 'Northern'. In 'Way out West', he even claims to have been born south of London.) George Formby's thick Lancashire dialect never impaired his popularity in southern England ... but Frank Randle was always a Northern commodity, whose appeal was distinctly limited south of the Midlands.

Randle was a physically unappealing man, whose humour dealt heavily in sexual innuendo and broad vulgarity. He was an influence on Benny Hill ... but Benny's sexual humour was always cheeky, whilst frankly randy Frank Randle's was extremely raunchy. (Max Miller, England's most famous 'blue' comedian, was more suggestive than either of them.) A typical gag from Randle's music-hall act: he would come out onstage and start to speak a few words in his broad Lancashire dialect, but would seem to have difficulty. He beckoned into the wings, giving the cue for a shapely showgirl in a scanty costume to come onstage bearing a satin pillow. Randle would then ostentatiously take out his dentures (full plates, upper and lower) and place them with great ceremony on the pillow. The showgirl would curtsey, turn and exit while Randle leered at her backside. Then he faced the audience again and resumed his monologue, staying utterly toothless for the rest of his turn.

Offstage, Randle was legendary for his violent arguments with theatre managers, and for his bizarre behaviour which often bordered on mental illness. The stories told about Randle's offstage behaviour are much more interesting than the unfunny and vulgar routines he performed in his music-hall act.

In the 1940s, Frank Randle starred in a few cheapjack comedy movies for the Mancunian Film Corporation. As that name indicates, Mancunian's film studio was based in Manchester, and their movie output was distributed almost entirely to cinemas in northern England. Very seldom did a Mancunian film get screened south of the Midlands, north of the Tweed or west of Shrewsbury. These were 'quota quickies', ground out to meet the British law requiring a minimum quota of films exhibited in Britain's cinemas to be British-made regardless of quality.

'Somewhere in Civvies' is absolutely typical of Frank Randle's output, although it has a slightly better cast than usual ... largely due to veteran character actor H.F. Maltby, whose superb comedy timing and distinctive appearance (walrus moustache, spectacles, quivering chin) are wasted in these trivial doings.

The funniest joke in this movie (and one that's absolutely typical of Frank Randle's comedy style) occurs when Randle, as an army private, turns out for parade mounted on a 'moke': a small donkey of the sort usually employed for giving rides to children at the seaside. Maltby, as Randle's commanding officer, spots the donkey and demands to know what Randle is doing. Randle replies: "I'm sitting on my ass, sir!" If you fancy this sort of humour, then I recommend this movie. If not, not.

I'll rate 'Somewhere in Civvies' (and the entire Frank Randle oeuvre) 2 points out of 10. I'm tempted to rate it only one point, but Randle was genuinely a major name during the golden era of English music-hall comedy.

This one has Frank Randle and stooges operating under the direction of Quota Quicky specialist Maclean Rogers. The plot, for what it is -- mainly a method for getting from one comedy skit to another -- has Frank and chief stooge Gus Aubrey being invalided out of the army, going into the home decorating business, and finally conducting a brass band in a medley with a collapsing stage -- I saw some of the gags here in one of the P.D.Q. concerts of Professor Peter Schickele. There is also a subplot in which Frank is due to inherit fifty thousand pounds, but the secondary heir is trying to have him declared insane; also, Frank's niece, played by Nancy O'Neil, wants to marry her young man.

As seems to be typical, all these problems are handwaved away before the big production number is more than begun. It's an excuse for Frank and stooges to perform some of their rude, destructive stage skits, with the venue opened up only slightly for the movie screen.

As with the other Frank Randle picture I've seen -- SOMEWHERE IN ENGLAND -- it's strictly B material meant to capture the stage performance of Northern favorite Randle, meant to play local cinemas in the North, and of no more importance to World Cinema than the "Weaver Brothers & Elviry" comedies produced by Republic Pictures for their rural audiences in the U.S. However, as a record of the comedy material that was popular once you got out of the major cities, it is well done.

This is in the credits so we know whom to blame for this unfunny mess.It looks as if he must have used material from half a dozen music hall sketches.Also features radio comedienne Suzette Taari.

Oh dear, the previous comments are very one-sided & totally unfair. Randle may not have been a nice person,& even that is contested, but it is not that he should be judged on but on his performance. If all the unpleasant, drunk & vile people were excluded from show business we would loose many, if not all, of them. This is not to say that Frank Randle was any of these. Randle had the misfortune to appear in Blackpool shows when perhaps the most right-wing & fundamentalist Chief Constable was in power. Biased by his religious convictions he gave Mr Randle a very hard time. Randle reacted against this. Yes - crude, rude, & common but all the better for it!