Trouble Brewing

A newspaper printer (George Formby) dreams of becoming a private detective and invents a special indelible ink that he uses to try and catch a gang of counterfeiters.

A lively Formby vehicle with plenty of energy throughout and some great moments that help the movie motor along well. Includes a handful of songs including 'Hitting the Highspots Now' and 'Fanlight Fanny'. Googie Withers is great as the love interest in one of two Formby films she appeared in and, rumour has it the pair shared a real kiss in a vat of beer so as Formby's wife Beryl didn't find out.

One of Formby's very best has George working in the printing department for a major London newspaper. Counterfeit notes are spreading around and George and his partner Bill take it upon themselves to solve the crime. The songs aren't as good as they are in usual Formby films but the film is very well written and is very funny. Anyone who likes Ealing comedies will love this.

It's champion!

I bought the Studio Canal DVD as a Christmas present to myself as it was the only one of George Formby's films (from the original Ealing series) that I did not have in my collection.

The disc offers a beautiful print presumably from a pristine vault print and once I started watching the film, I realised that I did not remember it at all from the last time I saw it in the early 1960s on Granada TV, introduced by George himself.

With 3 terrific songs, the usual Formby stock company in supporting roles and Googie Withers a better leading lady than most of George's very posh girl friends, the film is thoroughly entertaining from start to finish.

The pace is frenetic and handled superbly by director Kimmins and I think this, of all Formby's films, shows what a terrific physical comedian he really was. I did not spot any obvious doubling for his many stunts (check the way he slides down stairs, something he must have learned from watching Chaplin) and the Wrestling match is just priceless!

Audiences (especially children) must have loved this frolic back in 1939, just a few months before the outbreak of war would change British cinema forever and render such a harmless farce obsolete forever.

Highly recommended, not only for Formby Fans but for all lovers of great slapstick screen comedy.

I don't quite know why, but this is one of my favourite George Formby films. I mean, the experts would have us believe they were all the same anyway, same plot, same characters, same scenes, same production and even the same song. So this shouldn't be any different from the rest but somehow is, so I'm afraid that I can't make the grade as Critic.

Fake money is being passed and so on their own initiative George and Gus go off in pursuit of the perps, at first in the wrong direction to pad the film out a bit, but eventually get on the right track. On the way George gets to mime along to 3 songs (the best being the especially salacious Fanlight Fanny sung to the 2 highly amused kitchen staff), slide down innumerable bannisters, is chased back and forth by either goodies or baddies etc, all without a moments let-up. Googie Withers was an extremely demure and decorative assistant, who should have played a much larger part had Beryl allowed. But George still managed to get to give her a kiss! Garry Marsh and Ronald Shiner were there as usual in sterling (genuine) support.

What a race were the pre-WW2 English (it's not allowed anymore to call the English a race in PC UK) as portrayed in Formby's films. It took the demobbed soldiers at the end of the War to finally put an end to this kind of harmless nonsense, in favour of more realism.

Give me escapism any day!

I strongly disagree with the previous comment. Firstly, the 3 songs are top notch - "Horoscope", "Hitting the Highspots Now", and the classic "Fanlight Fanny" - all fantastic George Formby tracks. The movie is quite entertaining with many funny moments. Gus McNaughton is almost a joint star with George in this film, as together they both try to uncover the counterfeiters after their racing winnings have been switched for "slush" money. It turns into quite a farce, and becomes quite compelling (the things that these guys go through uncover the criminals are brilliantly far fetched). I recommend this film to anyone who likes George Formby, you won't be disappointed.