Where There's a Will

"where There's a Will' has an early Thirties look to it. The jazz in the background really gives it an old-time feel overall. I would have liked to have seen more Graham Moffat who plays the smart alec office boy. Will Hay is always a victim of circumstances and mistaken identity. In this film he plays a heavy-drinking and down-at-the-heels lawyer who is not doing well and is the shame of his family. However, his fortunes begin to turn when he gets involved with three American crooks. The blond who plays the leading lady is hot stuff. Will Hay is the British answer to W.C. Field. His movies are always very enjoyable if you're willing to give them a chance.

This was definitely one of the great Will Hay's lesser efforts – the whole film seemed at best subdued at worst laboured. Although overall I still like it as an ordinary British pre-War comedy film somehow with a mild Aldwych atmosphere, it's just not one of his classics.

He plays Benjamin Stubbins a penniless seedy solicitor cum jack of all trades who happens to have rich relations in the country, and a cluttered office in the City directly above a bank. Unfortunately he makes the acquaintance of a gang of acquisitive gun-toting thieves who think he's a useful contact to have in the furtherance of their aims. The main subplot has him pretending to be a Somebody to his daughter which seems to totter pointlessly in and out of the story. Favourite bits: Some of the sparse interplay between Hay and his young office boy Graham Moffat – though Hartley Power as the American gangster had better patter; the quaint fancy dress Christmas Party at the country house and climax.

Hay was excellent in his role even if the film itself could have done with a bit of (beautiful thought!) Tom Walls' lunacy to spark some life into the proceedings. But it's still a pleasant 76 minutes with plenty to savour and worth it to the fan.

Will Hay's funniest films were generally written by Marriott Edgar and Val Guest, with Marcel Varnel in the director's chair. Working with William Beaudine as director and a different team of writers, it is perhaps not surprising that this is not one of Will Hay's better films. There are some funny moments to be had, whenever young Graham Moffatt is on screen in particular, but in general little imagination can be seen in both the screenplay and Beaudine's vision of the material.

Nearly half an hour passes before the crime plot at the centre of the film starts to develop, with nothing but jokes to sustain it for the first third of its duration. The film not only progresses slowly because of this, it also has no real atmosphere either. The characters are all stereotypes too: the clever and dumb criminals, the altruistic daughter, the disapproving family members, although given a couple of exceptions for Moffatt's office boy and Martin, the easily drunken butler.

What the film does do very well is jokes that rely on how scenes are cut together in order for them to work. For example, one character says "I wonder what is holding him up", which is followed by a shot in another scene of the man she was talking about literally held up by some rope or cloth. It is hardly a poor film, although the coincident reliance plot is nothing to boast about. It is an amusing one and a half hours, but nothing hysterically funny, nor anything thought provoking or particularly clever.

Benjamin Stubbins {Will Hay} is an incompetent solicitor, who unbeknown to himself, is involved in a bank robbery.

Between 1934 and 1943, Will Hay made 18 feature length films. Starting out working for British International Pictures {3 films}, then Gainsborough Pictures {9} and finally doing his last five films for that bastion of old time British cinema, Ealing Studios. For those counting, the odd one out is Where's That Fire? Which was made by Twentieth Century-Fox. All of them are of varying quality, but each one, including the lesser lights such as this William Beaudine directed piece, showcase what a comic talent Will Hay was. Hay was a master of acting with his face as much as his voice and bodily movement. Given a good script, and a good supporting cast from which to feed off, Hay managed to give British cinema some of its finest comedy entries. Oh Mr Porter! Ask A Policeman and My Learned Friend are fit to grace any list of Great British cinema.

So where does that leave Where There's A Will? Well as a Hay performance it's really rather good. Suitably playing the buffoon with maximum cheek and incredulity, it's Hay who keeps the film from being a so so piece. That it isn't anything more than time filling entertainment outside of Hay himself, is down to the thinly plotted writing {surprising with the talented Sidney Gilliat co-writing} and the lack of decent comic villains. While Graham Moffatt, who along with Moore Marriott helped Hay realise his comedic ability in his career high points, is badly wasted. But still it's charming enough in spite of its lazy screenplay, none more so than with its breezy Christmas finale at the Wimpleton family estate, and it does find Hay on particularly entertaining form. 6.5/10

After a slow start, this builds up into the perfect comedy heist movie. Although no longer a school teacher, Will Hay is the same unpleasant but somehow loveable silly old git. It's not to OH MR PORTER standards but is still one of his best.

Compared with his first Gainsborough picture, BOYS WILL BE BOYS, in terms of plot, humour and production standards, this it at a noticeably higher level. It's not just a display of Will Hay's tried and trusted old music hall act, this is a proper film - an American crime caper! The Americans in the cast fit seamlessly into this making it seem both typically English and also American. Maybe having an American director helped? Director William Beaudine wasn't just contracted to make this, he was actually involved in its writing so being completely on board with this project from its inception ensures a lovingly well made picture.

Only the genius of Will Hay could make such an unpleasant, selfish and incompetent character a hero. He's horrible to his colleagues, he's lazy and corrupt but from the first moment he's on screen we're rooting for him. Why we find him so likeable makes no sense, it just does.