Back-Room Boy (1942) User Reviews

Doin' the Lambeff Tork

[Spondonman · 7/10 · 5 August 2006]

This was Arthur Askey's fifth film (and sans Stinker), and in my opinion his last really good one - three flag wavers and many nothing's followed. It's also one of my favourite British WW2 comedy efforts, a jolly time-passing Hun-beater.

At the BBC Arthur is responsible for transmitting on the hour every hour The Wireless Pips - wonder how many people believed it - but not surprisingly it wreaks havoc with his social life. Big, now a confirmed misogynist is posted to a lonely Scottish lighthouse where there are no women ... when he arrives. Never mind the photo of the topless woman, there's soon Googie and a gaggle of leggy and laughing lovelies for him to try and ignore too. With a plethora of spooky disappearances he's up against Jerry (and "Quislings") but doesn't know it until near the end - the audience would've guessed from the beginning they'd make a show. A refreshing extra dimension was added with Vera Francis, the "13 year old from Lambeff" - her world-weary and cynical comments still sound fresh and amusing even at this distance. Arthur and Vera made a good team, this one's worth watching just to see them spark.

A pleasant outing for all concerned, sad to think it was all downhill afterwards.

Lumee! More Women.

[hitchcockthelegend · 7/10 · 25 March 2010]

Arthur Askey plays Arthur Pilbeam, who after recently being jilted by his fiancé swears off women and seeks employment away from them. He lands a post at a remote lighthouse on one of the Scotish Isles, here he thinks he's finally cracked it and can enjoy solitude whilst providing the meteorological bulletins. However, his peace is soon shattered when young Jane walks into his life, she stowed-away on his boat for she's searching for her uncle on a neighbouring island. Then Bobbie shows up after her boat was torpedoed, then another boat load of survivors, predominantly women, arrive. Arthur is beside himself, but worse is to come for all of a sudden they all start to disappear one by one. Could this be another Mary Celeste? Only in lighthouse form?

Produced out of Gainsborough Pictures, this Askey vehicle is directed by Herbert Mason and co-written by Marriott Edgar, Val Guest & J.O.C. Orton. Starring alongside Askey are Googie Withers, Moore Marriott, Graham Moffatt and Vera Francis. Very much along the lines of another Guest/Edgar scripted piece, the classic Oh Mr Porter! this fun and breezy picture sees Askey restrained and the film be all the better for it. In truth it takes its time to get going, practically 40 minutes pass by before the additional characters start being introduced. Which means we are at the mercy of Askey and the delightful Vera Francis for much of the movie. But it works.

Francis isn't an annoying child star, she has nice delivery and her role is so well scripted it keeps the film breezy. Her natural like presence appears to have a good effect on Askey, who is more relaxed and thus the comedy is more humanistic and real. Enter the support players, who somewhat understandably given the plot, aren't given much to do. Which is a shame because more of Withers, Marriott & Moffatt would obviously have been a bonus. But it is what it is and as the mystery element kicks in, and some sinister undertones sidle up next to the comedy, the lack of meat for the support characters' bones is easily forgiven. There's no real surprises come the finale, but one thinks nobody would be expecting that given the time of the film's release. So sit back and enjoy this fun mystery for it's one of the better Askey pictures. 7/10

A WW II comedy film that is and isn't the pips

[SimonJack · 6/10 · 29 August 2018]

"Back-Room Boy" is a light British comedy of World War II. It also is a mild satire and propaganda film that pokes some fun at the BBC, Germany's navy and some others. The star of the film is Arthur Askey, a long-time comedian and stand-up entertainer whose venues included radio, TV and films. His career wound down by the 1970s. Most Brits, old film buffs, and enthusiasts of British comedy would know of Askey. But most English-speakers on the West side of the pond since the last half of the 20th century wouldn't know of him.

In his films that I've seen and enjoyed, Askey reminds me of Harold Lloyd. Besides looking a little like Lloyd, Askey's lively manner closely resembled Lloyd's. But Askey didn't get into the cliffhanger or perilous positions that Lloyd was known for. In this film, Askey does make a risky rope bridge crossing from one ocean rock to another.

Askey's character, Arthur Philbeam, longs for solitude away from women and a demanding job. So, he takes his wartime BBC job to a remote lighthouse on a rock off the North coast of Scotland. From there, he's to transmit weather reports to the BBC.

Things go all wrong, and the fun happens when he first is joined by a young girl who stows away on the boat that takes him to the island. Then they are joined by several women and two old tars who survived a shipwreck. After some strange disappearances, they discover that German agents are hidden on the rock and have planned some skullduggery.

This is the only film I know of that shows or has any mention of a backroom boy, as such. And, surely the only film that calls attention to the renowned BBC radio broadcast of the exact Greenwich Time. This was done using a "backroom boy" (man or woman) who would push the button or key the pip that made the sound. For those of us on the West side of the pond, those were the pip signals that the BBC broadcasts for exact Greenwich time.

The pips originated in 1924, and since 1990 the BBC has broadcast them to mark the exact hour. People would use the radio signals to set and adjust clocks and watches. Americans had something similar in the early days of television, when an announcer would say something to mark the exact hour at different times. For instance, "At the sound of the tone, the exact time will be 10 p.m. Central Standard Time."

Unfortunately, since digital broadcasting has time lags, the reliance on the pips for calibrating clocks and watches has waned. But that shouldn't dim one's enjoyment of this light comedy.

Safe for Askeyphobes

[kmoh-1 · 1 January 2008]

One of Arthur Askey's better moments, in a Ghost Train/Oh Mr Porter-style comedy-thriller featuring a haunted lighthouse and a boatload of disappearing girls. Plenty to savour. In particular, Askey's performance, stripped of the charmless mugging to which he was regrettably prone, is very enjoyable, and unusually for him bears a passing resemblance to a member of the human race. Disappointed in love, he turns all misogynistic, tries to run away from women, and of course ends up surrounded by them; he is greatly supported by a dry, even sardonic script.

Other pluses include Moore Marriott on good form as Jerry, and a splendid debut by Vera Frances, surely one of the top child stars of the UK cinema. A real shame she didn't make more films. She delivers several marvellous lines, pearls of wisdom indeed, in a convincing cockney accent, although perhaps flawed by her imperfect diction; a very nice dry run for her finest moment with Tommy Handley in It's That Man Again. The opening sequence, where Askey is the man charged with doing the pips for the BBC, is splendid - as another commentator has already said, one wonders how many of the audience actually believed that they were produced by hand. The BBC has always inspired a vein of mildly surrealistic comedy, and Askey was one of its best exponents. And the scene where Askey first sees Googie Withers is genuinely scary.

There are minuses. After the BBC sequence, the plot takes an age to get going, and the scares of the middle third of the picture aren't connected strongly enough with those of the final third. The actual plot feels a bit bolted onto the rest of the picture. And although, in this genre, it is essential that the lead character is a cowardly incompetent who undoes the villains, here Askey is too cowardly, and does too little to thwart the sinister plot. Finally, Graham Moffatt has a couple of decent lines, but basically there is not enough for him to do, and sadly he is by now much too old to play the Albert character.

But all in all, a nice film, a cosy hour and a quarter, several good jokes, and certified safe even for committed Askeyphobes.

A most enjoyable propaganda film

[planktonrules · 7/10 · 17 February 2010]

Unlike the excellent review by GARY170459, I am not that familiar with Arthur Askey's films--they just aren't shown here in the states. I've seen a couple but am far from knowledgeable about him and his films. I did also recognize Moore Marriott as I'd seen him in a few films, including "Gasbags"--one of several Crazy Gang films. Both were particularly good, though Askey was clearly the star and Marriott was just there for support.

The film is a WWII propaganda piece made in the UK for local consumption. It's a very amiable comedy that both entertains and helped get the public behind the war effort.

It begins with Askey breaking up with his girlfriend and he is sick of women. He arranges to be transferred to a job manning a lighthouse in the middle of no where off the Scottish coast, but far from being isolated, people keep dropping in--even though he's 40 miles off the coast! It's pretty funny to see him getting frustrated with this and the film then gets tangled up in a German plot--though you'll just need to see the film yourself to find out what's in store.

The film is very entertaining and it's nice to see a tale set in a lighthouse that is worth seeing, as the last film I saw with a similar setting was "Sh! The Octopus (1937)"--a terrible little film with little to recommend it.

Give up women and the next thing you know you're surrounded by them.

[mark.waltz · 7/10 · 8 September 2022]

A prank played by the wise-cracking Arthur Askey not only causes him to lose his position, but his fiancee (Joyce Howard) as well. He's transfered to a remote Scottish lighthouse to work on repairing it and soon has more women around than he can handle. Precocious pre-teen Vera Frances and a group of women (including Googie Withers) stranded by a boating accident are soon seeking lodging inside the lighthouse which creates all sorts of amusing comical situations. There's also a bit of a mystery when the young Frances all of a sudden disappears, indicating that there's someone there unaccounted for and unwelcome.

This features quite a nifty set, featuring a steamy lagoon complete with caves, and the lighthouse set is amazingly detailed as well. Askey is at his best here, having had quite a few successes around this time ("The Ghost Train" and "The Band Waggon", extra g part of the title), and these are certainly his best. Great supporting characters and a fast pace makes this a must, and as a Yank, I wasn't overwhelmed with British cultural references that left me confused.

Back-Room Boy

[CinemaSerf · 6/10 · 1 April 2023]

This is quite a fun outing for Arthur Askey. He is transferred from the BBC in London to a lonely lighthouse to set up a weather station. Needless to say, it's wet, windy and downright dreich in his new home. Then in the best traditions of "Whisky Galore" there is shipwreck. This time, though, it's not booze - but buxom beauties that find themselves stranded and he finds himself completely bamboozled. He is soon awakened from his delirium of delight though, when the girls start to disappear. What could be happening to them? He starts to investigate and soon finds himself embroiled in a devious Nazi plot that could alter the course of the whole war. It's maybe a bit too long - it certainly takes a while to get going, but once it's up and running it shows off the comic skills and timing of this consummate professional as he owns the screen with his smile and his antics. The story is a gentle reminder of what made us laugh at the height of the war and though entirely predictable is still quite a watchable effort with a couple of nice contributions from Googie Withers and Moore Marriott too.

People actually paid money to watch this!

[1930s_Time_Machine · 3/10 · 25 May 2022]

Why on earth was Arthur Askey a star? It defies all sense and logic that people found him even remotely funny. Why did people pay money to watch him? Hadn't they suffered enough? During the war there was clearly some sort of Nazi mind-melting ray being beamed at our population to weaken our resolve by removing our collective sense of humour.

This film was originally conceived as a vehicle for Will Hay but lured by the big money over at Elstree, Will Hay jumped the Gainsborough ship leaving his former studio in the lurch. They then had to quickly shoehorn Askey directly into Will Hay's role. The switch just doesn't work. Will Hay films are hardly what can be described as clever and sophisticated, they're only funny because of Will Hay's unique comedic talents and Arthur Askey has none of his talent - he is just irritating.

Nevertheless you'll still probably watch this annoying nonsense until the end!

Hilarious romp

[calvertfan · 10/10 · 17 October 2002]

I probably say each Askey comedy is the "best one so far" so if I said it now it wouldn't carry any weight.

But it is.

It's the teaming of him and Googie Withers that does it, and it's interesting to see her both very young and very dark. I know she was a natural brunette in any case but I've gotten so used to seeing her as a blonde in her late 30's roles!

Askey was the guy who does the pips in the hour so that everyone can set their watches. Although this job doesn't bode too well with his girlfriend (Joyce Howard) so he makes a mockery of it one night and somehow gets a new job - relegated to watching over a lighthouse on a deserted island where apparently some evil mermaid haunts. He's glad to be there if only to be away from women at last but this changes when Googie's boat is torpeedoed and she's stranded there with him, and then about seven more of her girlfriends make it to land after her. The movie takes a decidedly more mysterious turn when they all start disappearing without a trace.

I'd give this one a 10 and put it up with other great laughs such as "The Ghost Train", "Charley's Big-Hearted Aunt" and "Bees In Paradise".

Fun in the Old Lighthouse

[bugsmoran29 · 10/10 · 23 May 2015]

Arthur Askey is at his best in this combination mystery and war propaganda. Arthur plays a weatherman who is sent to a stormy island lighthouse off the coast of Scotland. He is thankful for his solitude and his separation from the world of women. However, he soon finds himself surrounded by a young girl and a bevy of beautiful women. Moore Marriott and Graham Moffatt show up on the island as well to help Askey provide the laugh. The guys and the gals are soon matching wits with the Nazis who are bent on setting up a mine field in the North Sea. Arthur Askey is a bit more restrained in this movie compared to other efforts and it works to his advantage.

Arthur Askey makes a decent Will Hay

[jkbeelzebub · 9/10 · 13 June 2022]

An interesting curiosity, this. Originally written for Will Hay, Arthur Askey was substituted when Hay switched studios. The result is a gentle comedy that conforms to the Will Hay template, complete with support from Moore Marriott and Graham Moffatt, of a self-important incompetent put in charge of a remote outpost - in this case a WW2 meteorological station in an abandoned lighthouse off the coast of Scotland.

At first you wonder how it's going to work with Askey all alone and talking to himself for a whole film (although this is actually managed very well), but of course he's soon joined on his desolate rock by stowaways, shipwrecked mariners, Nazi fifth-columnists, and, most improbably but entertainingly, a boatload of glamorous women on their way to a fashion show.

Arthur Askey is surprisingly good in this, presumably because the script forces him to abandon his usual mugging to the audience and instead gives him an actual character, albeit one of Will Hay's. There's excellent support from Googie Withers and child star Vera Frances, who very nearly steals the film. And while there are plenty of gags, as you'd expect, the adventure aspect also works well, with the rag-tag group of plucky British misfits taking on the might of the German navy. You can see how this would have hit the spot in 1942.

Pleasant WW2 comedy

[rjhbjpt · 29 July 2002]

After being jilted by his fiancee, Arthur Pilbeam wants a job where he will encounter no women. He is sent to a lighthouse on a remote Scottish island which is being run as a meteoroligical station where he is supposed to be the only inhabitant. However, Jane, a young girl, has stowed-away on his boat. She is looking for her uncle on the neighbouring island. Then model Bobbie turns up - her boat has been torpedoed. With the arrival of another boatload of survivors, bringing the total occupancy of the island to 13, things are getting a little crowded. That's when they all start to disappear, one by one...