No Limit

No Limit was George's first big league film, his 4th overall. The boss of ATP Basil Dean had wanted to find a Northern entertainer to rival Gracie Fields; when his scouts announced the finding of George Formby for him he said "But he's dead", thinking of George's famous Dad who had died in 1922. But nevertheless, Formby Jr. probably inevitably became a star, the biggest in Britain between 1938-1945 – he came along at just the right time when the public wanted simple good hearted escapism. The only purpose simple good hearted escapism serves today for film-makers is to give themselves and the public something to sneer at.

Gormless little man George Shuttleworth wants to take part in and win the annual motorcycle TT Races on t'Isle of Man, gets there penniless but with Florence Desmond rooting for him, and an assortment of baddies led by nasty Jack Hobbs out to stop him by foul means. Songs: Riding In The TT Races (in the crowded railway coach), Riding Around On A Rainbow (the lively hit of the film by Flo – to Beryl's disgust - on the IOM ferry), In A Little Wigan Garden (an advance warning for serious people: black-faced on the beach at Douglas), I'm Walking Your Way (as a romantic duet in the "moonlight"). Favourite bits: the studio shots of George's back yard at Slagdyke; the location shots of the course and backgrounds on the Isle of Man; grandfather Edward Rigby's superbly indignant performance; the TT race scenes and climax (due to the heat and number of re-takes George actually did collapse at the finish). The local stunt riders apparently went on strike successfully for a short while after they found out that director Monte Banks was paying the donkey and his owner (who had smaller bit parts) more than them!

A landmark film with the Formby Formula virtually in place, it wouldn't really be changed now for the next 10 years.

There's a few things going for this film if your into nostalgia. Firstly George is a likable Lancashire comedian setting out on the big screen in an absolutely predictable script.

It's worth a watch if you've ever been to the Isle of Man (TT races or not) purely from a historical point of view. Health & safety would just die at the crowds locality to the bikes! There are a few good laughs but 75 years on it all looks very, very familiar. The Riding the TT Races song on the train journey is an eccentric bit of comedic genius and the Shuttleworth Snap is a dream bike (there's a full replica at The Bay Inn, Port Erin, Isle of Man - fab pub).

This was the first of the films that George made for ATP,later to become known as Ealing Studios.It is here that the template is laid for all the other films to follow.The gawky girl shy lad,triumphing over other more likely lads to win the girl and in this case the TT race.In this film he is directed by the Italian born,Monty Banks,who will marry Gracie Fields and supported by the experienced actress Florence Desmond.It is difficult to realise that George and Gracie managed to keep Ealing Studios afloat,whilst the head of production,indulged in "prestige pictures" which nearly drove the studios into liquidation and resulted in his being sacked,which led to the appointment of Michael Balcon and greater things.If you are interested in Britain in the 30s,or are a Formby fan then this is for you,otherwise forget it.Given the fact that his wife,Beryl was on the set,it is understandable that he is never kissed on the mouth by his leading lady!

What a jump up in quality No Limit is from George's first 2 films ("Boots!, Boots!" and "Off The Dole")

More lavishly produced, more of a story, more of a drama, more of a genuine laugh.

More of a proper film really (instead of the disjointed bits of skits and sketches of the previous films) professionally directed by Monty Banks (Gracie Fields husband)

I could imagine going to see this in the cinemas in 1936 and having a "reet rollikin good laff"

George singing "Riding in the TT Races" to a carriage full of smiley fat faces gives a little tug on the happy string in your heart.

The TT race finale is a thrills and spills rompalong (how close the dangerously careering bikes are to the crowd around would give the present day Health & Safety police kittens)

It all ends predictably and happily ever after.

I'd pick a rainy Sunday afternoon to watch this film, cuddled up on the sofa, drinking pots of tea, munching Eccles cakes.

When John Lennon of the Beatles was an early teenager during the 1950s, he and his cousins would travel to Blackpool and specifically Blackpool Tower Circus to watch a number of comics and performers entertain the crowd. Lennon said he especially enjoyed singer, songwriter, comedian George Formby. For years Formby had been one of England's most popular entertainers as well as its highest-paid. At the height of his performing career, Formby appeared in his first feature film, September 1935's "No Limit." The comedy has him as a chimney sweeper who dreams of racing his bike in the prestigious TT motorcycle race on the Isle of Man.

Formby, a Lancaster lad and son of popular entertainer George Formby Sr., who died before junior could see him perform, followed in his father's footsteps using his same act and song-and-dance routines. At 19, he met and married stage actress Beryl Ingham, who played a crucial role in managing and shaping Formby's on-stage persona. With ukulele in hand, Formby became famous as a recording artist, with Beryl securing spacious venues to accommodate the ever-growing crowds paying to see him. In 1934 she arranged Associated Talking Pictures to star Formby in a couple of shorts films, which was met by an overwhelming response from the public. The studio signed him to a seven year contract, producing eleven Formby movies. His first was "No Limit."

Formby's wife didn't make things easy for director Monty Banks, who described each day on the set with her as "a battleground." Wanting to make sure her husband was front and center in each scene, Beryl not only ticked off the director but Formby's opposite, veteran actress Florence Desmond. She plays Florrie Dibney, secretary to the head of a large English motorcycle company who gets Formby into the popular Isle of Man race despite several bumps along the way, including a pair of competitors who attempt to buy off Formby from racing. The two lead performers often clashed while filming, with Formby alleging Florence was stuck up and pompous while she found him to be a 'gormless oaf." Desmond particularly went nuts when she saw the posters advertising "No Limits" with her name below the title, a slap in the face for the popular actress.

"No Limits" contains actual racing footage from the 37-mile long race course, juxtaposed by studio shots with a background projection screen. Formby, an experienced motorbike rider, performed much of his scenes racing on the track. Director Banks, however, became upset when he saw Formby pulling some dangerous maneuvers on his bike during filming to show off his skills, even though stunt riders had been hired to perform those hair-raising scenes. Formby can be seen weaving inside and around his fellow riding competitors. For the exciting ending when his bike suddenly conks out, the entertainer was tasked with pushing his motorcycle a considerable distance. Requiring 15 takes out in scalding hot weather, Formby passed out on the final take, sending the studio doctor onto the track to administer aid.

The other Formby films used the same formula introduced in "No Limits." He played the urban "little man defeated-but refusing to admit it," setting the stage for his ultimate victory. These storylines are intersperse with him winning the girl as well as showcasing his singing and playing his favorite string instruments. Wrote film historian Brian McFarlane, Formby's films were "unpretentiously skillful in their balance between broad comedy and action, laced with Formby's shy ordinariness." Formby traveled extensively during World War Two, giving numerous charity performances before the troops. He remained popular in England during the late 1950s, despite his failing health. The Beatles, especially George Harrison, who was a member of the George Formby Society, improvised several numbers on the ukulele inspired by Formby. A statue on the Isle of Man features Formby leaning against a lamp-post dressed in motorcycle leathers holding a ukulele in honor of his role in "No Limit."