Where's That Fire?

Will Hay, Moore Marriott and Graham Moffatt star in yet another incredibly silly but very entertaining film. The trio worked well together for quite a few films and this just might be among their best. As usual, Hay is the lazy and larcenous boss and his two assistants are larcenous, lazy and perhaps stupider. So what do you do with these bumblers? Yep...you put them in control of a local fire station!! Not surprisingly, they don't seem to be able to do anything...except collect paychecks while shirking their jobs. The town council is, not surprisingly, quite upset and threaten to fire them--and Hay is determined to make good. But, their own MANY shortcomings get in the way and the audience is left wondering how they can salvage it all by the final frame. See the film and find out for yourself.

The movie has quite a bit to enjoy--such as the fire pole sequence and the silly beer-soaked ending. Clever and well done--the trio were awfully good in "Where's That Fire?".

I can't recommend this film more highly, its a classic example of British screen humour in every sense. Out of the whole series of Hay/Moffat/Marriott vehicles this must be the best (tied with Oh Mr Porter).

The scene with the fire station sliding pole stands out as one of the all time greats of cinema comedy history.

The Will Hay movies are now available in the UK for less than 5 pounds each!! Some of the one liners are a bit dated but grab a grandparent to explain them to you!

Not since the 3 Stooges has the silver screen been invaded by three such goofy firemen. This movie is a scream from start to finish. Hay, Marriot and Moffatt man an outdated one-horse fire station in London as they try to hold on to their jobs after missing one too many fires. The scene where the three cause mass confusion when they try to insert a pole inside of their station is one of the finniest comic scenes I have ever seen before in a film. Even the simplest of tasks turn in to a messy madness and mayhem with Will hay leading the charge as the fire captain. It is a shame that this morning brought to a close the film career of this amazing trio of British comedians.

I was there on 11th June 1975 watching this broadcast on TV (and at prime time) for the first time after decades being a lost film. It's so good you can only marvel at the carelessness that must have been involved, Will Hay was one of the most popular British comedians of the time and yet could still be treated with such disdain.

It's another retread of the sublime Oh, Mr. Porter and even used the same sets as Ask a Policeman, this time Hay, Moffat & Marriott are firemen in a ramshackle fire station in rundown Bishop's Wallop. The idea is to modernise things and Hay is also looking for ingredient X to put into his revolutionary foam formula, but a gang of thieves get in the way. The scenes involving moving the station pole have to be the best, relentlessly hilarious and ridiculous stuff and an improvement on a similar scene in Jack's The Boy seven years previously. Climbing the walls of the Tower of London with Percy the horse was another classic bit, the slapstick climax giving way to a breathtaking and poignant exit from the three.

The one-liners between the three are fast and furious, their 6th and last film together - Hay moved on afterwards leaving Moffat & Marriott to sidekick for others. Of course not up to Porter's standards Fire is still a very funny family British pre-War b&w film.

Will Hay with his second banana comics Moore Marriott and Graham Moffatt are the local fire brigade in their area and God only knows why they're put in charge of that rather critical job. The Police Academy British style seems to be where these three have graduated. Or maybe Mack Sennett's Keystone cops have a training school for fireman across the big pond.

Hay is his usual blustering know it all self as his two even dumber assistance go along with whatever he does. Right now he's thinking mere water is out of date for putting out fires. He's experimenting with a new kind of foam to do the job. It had better work because the local council is ready to give the sack to the whole lot of them.

It all works out strangely enough after Hay rents out the horse drawn fire truck they have to 'movie producers' who actually want it as part of an elaborate scheme to steal the crown jewels from the Tower Of London. The surreal last scene is worth seeing this film alone for.

Where's That Fire is still funny after 3/4 of a century has passed.