Good Morning, Boys **** (1937, Will Hay, Graham Moffatt, Lilli Palmer, Martita Hunt, Peter Gawthorne) – Classic Movie Review 7960

Dr Benjamin Twist: ‘When all’s said and done, the boys can’t answer questions for which they don’t know the answers, can they?’

Director Marcel Varnel’s 1937 British treasure Good Morning, Boys stars the truly eccentric trio of funny men Will Hay, Graham Moffatt and Charles Hawtrey.

Hay as cheating schoolmaster Dr Benjamin Twist, Moffatt as naughty fat boy Albert and Hawtrey as school swot Septimus are the cornerstones of this British comedy classic, a perfect showcase for Hay’s incomparable music-hall act character of tatty teacher.

The funny script has St Michael’s headmaster Dr Twist (Hay) taking his tricky pupils off to Paris, after they have won a trip there for passing their French exam by cheating, and there they get embroiled with French cutie Yvette (Lilli Palmer) and a plot by a gang of crooks to steal the Mona Lisa from the Louvre.

Richard Todd makes his film debut as an extra in a crowd scene. Future director Lewis Gilbert plays a schoolboy. Clive Dunn has a minor role. Director Varnel has a cameo appearance as Louvre Guard. Also in the cast are Will Hay Jr, Mark Daly, Basil McGrail, Peter Godfrey, Fewlass Llewellyn as The Dean, C Denier Warren, Charles McBain, Charles Paton, Paul Sheridan, Lewis Broughton, Noel Dainton, Millicent Wolf and Terry Richardson.

The black and white comedy gem Good Morning, Boys confirmed Hay as a film star. It is re-shot in 1953 as Top of the Form.

Good Morning, Boys is directed by Marcel Varnel, runs 80 minutes, is made by Gainsborough Pictures and Gaumont British Picture Corporation, is released by Gaumont British Distributors, is written by Marriott Edgar, Val Guest, Leslie Arliss (screenplay and dialogue) and Anthony Kimmins (original story), is shot in black and white by Arthur Crabtree, is produced by Edward Black, is scored by Louis Levy and is designed by Alex Vetchinsky.

It was shot at Islington Studios, London, England.

© Derek Winnert 2018 Classic Movie Review 7960

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