Get Cracking

Get Cracking is a 1943 British comedy war film, directed by Marcel Varnel starring George Formby, with Dinah Sheridan and Ronald Shiner.^[1] It was produced by Marcel Varnel and Ben Henry for Columbia (British) Productions, a subsidiary of the American studio. The film opens like a World War Two documentary with a narrator explaining the action, before becoming a more traditional Formby vehicle.

Synopsis

Mechanic and Home Guard lance corporal George Singleton (Formby) has an adversary in a fellow Home Guard, Everett Manley (Shiner). When the rival Home Guard units of Major Wallop and Minor Wallop are sent on battle manoeuvres, George launches his own unique style of commando raid against neighbouring Major Wallop to steal a Vickers machine gun. The raid fails and Singleton loses his lance corporal stripe, so he and a little evacuee girl named Irene decide to build their very own tank. The venture is such a success that George is made a sergeant.

The film includes three songs from Formby: 'Under the Blasted Oak', 'Home Guard Blues' and 'Get Cracking'.

Production

The film was released on 17 May 1943 and runs for 96 minutes in black and white. It was written by L. du Garde Peach, Michael Vaughan and John L. Arthur, while the songs were written by George Formby with Fred Godfrey, Fred E. Cliffe and Eddie Latta.

Cast list

George Formby as George Singleton -
Dinah Sheridan as Mary Pemberton
Edward Rigby as Sam Elliott
Frank Pettingell as Alf Pemberton
Ronald Shiner as Everett Manley
Wally Patch as Sergeant Joe Preston
Mike Johnson as Josh
Irene Handl as Maggie Turner
Vera Frances as Irene
Frank Atkinson as Station Master
Ben Williams as Home Guard
Harry Fowler (Uncredited)
E. V. H. Emmett as Narrator

Box office

The film earned £139,043 to distributors in the UK.^[2]

References

^ BFI.org
^ James Chapman ‘The Billings verdict’: Kine Weekly and the British Box Office, 1936–62' Journal of British Cinema and Television, Volume 20 Issue 2, Page 200-238, p 211

External links

Get Cracking at AllMovie
Get Cracking at the British Film Institute^{[better source needed]}
Get Cracking at IMDb

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[1] BFI.org

[2] James Chapman ‘The Billings verdict’: Kine Weekly and the British Box Office, 1936–62' Journal of British Cinema and Television, Volume 20 Issue 2, Page 200-238, p 211

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