Turned Out Nice Again

An employee (George Formby) at a cotton factory that produces underwear garments tries to encourage his company to move with the times. A conman (Ronald Ward) tries to fob him off with a supposed fake fabric that turns out to be the real deal.

One of the more intelligently made Formby vehicles and the last one at Ealing Studios before moving to Columbia Pictures, Formby benefits from playing a maturer and less childlike character, very different from most of his other films. There is less slapstick and a greater focus on his domestic life, particularly with his sympathetic wife nicely played by Peggy Bryan, but she is outshone by Eliot Mason as George's mother in one of the best roles of her career playing a dreaded mother in law to Bryan's Peggy. George gets to sing a couple of numbers including 'The Empress of Lancashire' and 'Can't Go Wrong in These'.

George became the top UK box office attraction with Ealing Studios. However this film was his last for Ealing. He signed with Columbia Pictures for more money and the opportunity to produce. In my opinion his Ealing films were far better than those he made for Columbia.

Unlike most of his other films this is based on a stage play. They even have all the actors entering and exiting through french windows which are obviously not the front door.

There is even the typical mother in law.

Interestingly this film,though made in the middle of the war was set in 1936. So obviously a morale booster.

As this is about women's underwear there are obviously lots of double entendres.

A very young Michael Rennie pops up for a couple of lines.

Not George's best work.

This was the 2nd of the 9 last Formby films directed by Marcel Varnel and Formby's last for Ealing – Varnel went over and worked for Columbia too. As such it was the end of a chapter, the Columbia's had a different atmosphere and were just as nice to watch yet imho the classic films were all behind him now.

George Smallman Pearson works at Dawson's Underwear Company, gets promotion and takes a trade show down to London where he gets sold the rights to a brand new material for making virtually transparent bloomers and brassieres. He's loyal to his company which is apparently 20 years behind the times making even more weird underwear for women than their flashy competitor. It costs him £300 of his own money to get the rights, whilst generally living dangerously on HP … when you get down to it people don't change, only the things they get into debt for. He's married this time but heavily leaned upon by his domineering mother, and hassled by his pigeon-fancying Uncle Arnold – played by Edward Chapman later to become Mr. Grimsdale to Norman Wisdom. Michael Rennie makes a fleeting godlike appearance, and Wilfred Hyde-White is a crabbed removal man. The War was not mentioned either. Songs: the classic Auntie Maggie's Remedy (on the bus, my favourite bit), the sly You Can't Go Wrong In These (on the catwalk), the rousing Emperor Of Lancashire (in the club) and the syrupy You're Everything To Me, having a cup of tea on the verandah with Peggy Bryan.

Well, yet overall another pleasant outing from the team, totally nonsensical and inconsequential and one I try to see every couple of years or so.

Working-class comic (affectionately appointed the Emperor of Lanc) Formby stars in this light-hearted vehicle as the laconic Lancastrian who invests his life savings in a fine cotton spool with which he intends to transform women's undergarments.

The always-affable Formby has his nervous hands well and truly full as he referees the escalating contest between his faithful wife (Bryan) and domineering mother (Mason). The two women engage in churlish antics which risk poor George's cotton dreams coming apart at the seams.

Interesting to see pre-stardom Michael Rennie in a very brief cameo as a salesman whom Formby mistakenly believes is also vying for the rare twine, and Wilfrid Hyde-White as a removalist.

A few witty double entendres and the occasional musical number punctuate an otherwise mild, trademark comedy in which things really 'Turned Out Nice Again' per the Formby formula.

George Formby was always extremely modest about his talent (at least in public): "I wasn't very good but I had something people seemed to want" he said once.

This film shows a different side to Formby, one that is far above his usual clumsy naive screen character. He is competent and respected at work, he is a married man (albeit with a dragon of a mother who never fails to remind him she was "four and a half hours under chloroform" when he was born), and he is supportive to his family giving his uncle a place to live while he is out of work (we are in 1930's Lancashire). The screenplay gives George a workout in the acting stakes, too. He stands up to his wife, his employer and - eventually - his mother in some highly charged scenes and comes over very well indeed.

It's probably because of the change of pace that this is one of my favourite Formby films. It is still good fun, with plenty of laughs and good songs but the characters and writing are strong, too. It's something of a let-down to go back to usual Formby fare such as "Spare a Copper" and a shame George wasn't allowed to develop this side of his talent in more films.