George Formby (I)

The show business career of George Formby spanned forty years, beginning in 1921 and lasting until his death in 1961. During that period he appeared in more than 20 hit films, released over 230 records, and made hundreds of stage performances. This collection showcases some of his finest moments on the big screen.

No Limit (1935) was Formby's first major film role after leaving the music halls. Assistant chimney sweep George Shuttleworth (Formby) is laughed at by his friends when he dreams of winning the Isle of Man's TT Motor Cycle Race. Undeterred, he spends his time restoring his battered motorcycle to its former glory, and manages to set a new record at the trials when his brakes fail.

In I See Ice! (1938), George Bright (Formby) is a photographer's assistant who dreams of making it big, but his attempts to obtain a scoop only result in him getting the sack. George gets a job as the property man for an ice ballet company, but keeps up his hobby in his spare time. After inventing a miniature camera that can be concealed in his bowtie, George inadvertently takes an incriminating snap of a leading journalist, which leads to him being acclaimed as a major photographic talent. But will his new-found success help him to woo icy young skater Judy Gaye (Kay Walsh)?

In It's In The Air (1939), George (Formby) agrees to salvage the situation after his sister's serviceman boyfriend forgets to deliver a message to his sergeant major. Impersonating the RAF man to gain entry into the local aerodrome, George finds it impossible to drop his disguise, and soon finds himself behind the controls of a state-of-the-art bomber.

In Come On, George! (1939), George (Formby) is a drifter on the run from the police, who meets up with a disagreeable stallion while hiding in a horse box. Eventually the two become friends and George ends up riding his mate in the big race.

In Let George Do It (1940), George (Formby) is a ukelele-playing member of the Dinky-Do band, who is mistaken for a British agent and dispatched to Norway on a secret mission. Teaming up with Mary (Phyllis Calvert) - a real operative - George stops bandleader Mendez (Garry Marsh) sending coded musical messages to his Nazi paymasters over the radio, but falls afoul of some enemy agents when they pump him full of a truth drug. Can George overcome the Germans, save the day and win Mary's heart?

In Spare A Copper (1940), George (Formby) is an inept reserve policeman working in wartime Liverpool, who is chosen by a gang of Nazi saboteurs as the stooge for their planned destruction of the British battleship HMS Hercules. Framed by the villains and forced to go on the run, George sets out to clear his name with the aid of his new girlfriend Jane (Dorothy Hyson).

Finally, in Turned Out Nice Again (1941), George Pearson (Formby) works in the manufacturing industry and produces a high quality line of traditional womens' underwear. But the poor fellow loses his job when he invests heavily in a revolutionary new yarn which turns out to be as good as useless. Never mind, though: George is going to prove the worth of his yarn, and produce some attractive and modern ladies' undergarments while he's at it...

First released: Monday 7th May 2007