Ask A Policeman
Encyclopedia
Ask a Policeman is a 1939 British comedy film
directed by Marcel Varnel
which stars Will Hay
, Moore Marriott
and Graham Moffatt
. The title comes from the popular music hall
song Ask a Policeman. The Turnbottom Round police force are threatened with dismissal by their Chief Constable and decide to manufacture some smugglers to keep their jobs. When they encounter real smugglers, their plans begins to fall apart.
plays Sergeant Samuel Dudfoot, an inept policeman
, stagnating in the sleepy village of Turnbotham Round , where there has been no crime for a decade. After the Chief Constable
tells them that there is not enough local criminal activity to justify their station
's existence, three incompetent policemen decide to start manufacturing crimes to "fiddle the figures". Dudfoot, together with Albert Brown (Graham Moffatt
) and Jerry Harbottle (Moore Marriott
) create a crime wave by framing motorists in a speed trap
and concocting false evidence.
They also leave a keg of whisky unattended in order to frame someone as a smuggler - and then accidentally discover a real smuggling ring!
The next morning, Albert asks his girlfriend Emily to go on a date with him but she has a date with someone else. The postman then reveals that some of the letters he has delivered are about Dudfoot's broadcast, since he opened one and had a look inside. Dudfoot decides to find some crime and finally comes up with the idea of setting up a speed trap.
Later that day, Harbottle, Dudfoot and Albert are down a country lane on the outskirts of the village. The idea is that Harbottle will drop his handkerchief and start his stopwatch when a car passes him, Albert and Dudfoot start their watches when they see the handkerchief and Dudfoot will then stop the motorist. After halting one car, the trio attempt to work out how far the motorist was travelling, although he was only travelling about twenty miles per hour. After coming to a conclusion that the motorist was doing over seventy miles per hour, Albert asks Dudfoot to ask the motorist for his insurance and license. When the motorist says he has neither, Dudfoot decides to let him go since he cannot take his license away if he hasn't got one. Albert then explains that the reason why they aren't getting anywhere is because of the distance between the posts. They then decide to move one of the posts but another car horn stops them. Albert gives the signal and Dudfoot stops the car. Since the trio decided that the motorist will be doing sixty, Dudfoot says that the motorist is "for it" since he was doing sixty miles per hour and that he is drunk. Dudfoot hits the motorist on the back of the head with one of the posts, knocking him out and then drive him to the police station.
After looking at the motorist's identity, they discover he is their Chief Constable. Removing him from the cell and placing him on a stool, Albert decides to wreck the chief's car, making it look like has had a crash. Dudfoot then suggests to drive it into something to make it look more believable, and he crashes it through the window of Harbottle's shop. They enter the police station as the chief is coming round. The trio tell him he had a nasty road accident and take him outside to show him that his car is completely wrecked. This backfires since the chief remembers the incident in the country lane. The Squire of Turnbotham Round then claims that he witnessed the accident, saving Dudfoot, Harbottle and Albert from a lot of trouble.
Inside the police station, Emily arrives just as the chief is questioning Dudfoot about a bump on the back of his head. Emily is angry with Albert, and Albert decides to make it up to her by taking her to the cinema. The chief agrees. He then asks Harbottle why he looks so old, and Harbottle says it was the ghost of the Headless Horseman which made him lose his teeth (save for one) and most of his hair. The chief then storms out and drives off in his wrecked car. Harbottle says he made up the story of the Headless Horseman, and Dudfoot states that they need to arrest a criminal soon or else their police station will be closed down. Harbottle suggests that they look in the basement for some books on crime, but Dudfoot says they are too old and useless, so Harbottle takes him to their library. On their way, however, the coastguard stops them and asks for a favour. His brother is a lighthouse keeper and wants a light hung up on top of the police station, his grandmother is very ill and he agreed to the idea that if he could see the light on the Police Station tower he'd know his grandmother was still alive. Little do Dudfoot and Harbottle know, but the light and the coastguard are both connected to smugglers. Harbottle then shows Dudfoot some books in the library, but it is not until Albert arrives back from the cinema. Albert suggests that they should capture some smugglers by placing a keg of brandy on the beach and getting a witness to see what happens.
That night is a windy and stormy night, and Dudfoot comes back into the station with a fisherman, who is carrying a keg of brandy. When the fisherman leaves, Dudfoot calls the Chief Constable to tell him about their plan, but Albert and Harbottle says they haven't taken their keg down to the beach yet, therefore resulting in two kegs of liquor. After the keg "disappears", a scream is heard at the door. The scream belongs to Emily, who has passed out with fright. When Emily comes round, she tells the trio about seeing a Headless Horseman in town. Dudfoot then suggests that they will give her a ride home.
After dropping Emily off, Albert spots the Headless Horseman riding along a distant road. Albert then reverses the police car into the Squire's estate, but the Horseman follows them in, where it enters a garage. After investigating the inside thoroughly, they are greeted by the Headless Horseman, who scares them away. It is also whilst they are in the garage that Harbottle picks up a small package, which he tucks away under his police uniform.
Back at the police station, the Chief Constable phones them and informs them about smuggling taking place in Turbotham Round and gives them bearings to find a light in Turbotham Round, which is being used as a navigational light for smugglers. The coastguard then takes his lamp down whilst the trio are sorting the bearings out, claiming his Grandmother is feeling much better. When the three policeman discover the light is atop their own police station, they brush off the idea that the coastguard is involved. A stone is launched through the police station window. There is a note wrapped around the stone (written on a draper advert), which warns them to keep their noses out of things that are not their business (the note was probably written by the Squire). A ticking sound is then heard and its source is the package Harbottle picked up in the Squire's garage. After Dudfoot places it in a bucket of water, he opens the package and discovers that there are pocket-watches inside. Harbottle then recites a rhyme which tells the legend of the Headless Horseman, although he doesn't know the last line. He then reveals his father knows the line, so the trio decide to pay him a visit.
At Harbottle's father's house, Dudfoot asks Harbottle's father if he knows the line, and after a lot of thinking, he does reveal the line, which in turn reveals that the smuggles place all the contraband in the Devil's Cave in a cliff. Since the tide is still low, the trio go to investigate the cave. They discover many barrels of liquor and they also spot a boat in the distance, whose crew are possibly looking for the smugglers, although they think the trio are working with the smugglers.
The trio then swim to a landing stage where they discover two tunnels, more barrels and a cigarette end. After choosing a tunnel, they discover many barrels, a box of candles, soap and many other things that seemed to belong to Harbottle. Dudfoot reveals that they are in their own cellar, and decide to call the Chief Constable. However, they are confronted by the Squire who reveals he is the leader of the smugglers. After a fight in the dark, the smugglers lock the trio in their own cell and escape.
After removing a loose cell bar, the policemen decide to give chase in their car, but since the other police agents think they are smugglers as well, their car is also wanted. They ditch the car and hitch a lift on a milk bike, a lorry and a double decker bus. The chase ceases near Weybridge
, a town on the outskirts of London, where they end up on a race track
. After colliding with the smugglers' lorry, the police agents capture the smugglers. The Chief Constable then asks the Squire if he has seen him before, but the Squire denies this. Dudfoot then reveals the story of the accident at Harbottle's shop, and the Chief Constable orders that Dudfoot, Harbottle and Albert to be arrested. Dudfoot is outraged at this, punches the Chief Constable and the trio run as fast as they can along the race track away from the other pursuing policemen.
filmed a loose remake of Ask A Policeman, titled The Boys In Blue
. Though not a remake, 2007's Hot Fuzz
borrowed the plot device of policemen uncovering organised crime in a sleepy area of rural England.
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
directed by Marcel Varnel
Marcel Varnel
Marcel Varnel was a film director. He was born Marcel Hyacinthe le Bozec in Paris, France.Varnel started his working life on the Paris stage but soon became a director of musical comedies. In 1925 he moved to New York working as director in several Broadway operettas, musicals and dramas for the...
which stars Will Hay
Will Hay
William Thomson "Will" Hay was an English comedian, actor, film director and amateur astronomer.-Early life:He was born in Stockton-on-Tees, in north east England, to William R...
, Moore Marriott
Moore Marriott
Moore Marriott was a British character actor most notable for a series of films he made with Will Hay in the 1930s.-Career:...
and Graham Moffatt
Graham Moffatt
Graham Moffatt was a British character actor and comedian.Born in Hammersmith, London, he is best known for a number of films where he appeared with Will Hay and Moore Marriott as 'Albert': an insolent, overweight, overgrown-schoolboy type character, loosely reminiscent of Billy Bunter.His first...
. The title comes from the popular music hall
Music hall
Music Hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment which was popular between 1850 and 1960. The term can refer to:# A particular form of variety entertainment involving a mixture of popular song, comedy and speciality acts...
song Ask a Policeman. The Turnbottom Round police force are threatened with dismissal by their Chief Constable and decide to manufacture some smugglers to keep their jobs. When they encounter real smugglers, their plans begins to fall apart.
Synopsis
Will HayWill Hay
William Thomson "Will" Hay was an English comedian, actor, film director and amateur astronomer.-Early life:He was born in Stockton-on-Tees, in north east England, to William R...
plays Sergeant Samuel Dudfoot, an inept policeman
Police officer
A police officer is a warranted employee of a police force...
, stagnating in the sleepy village of Turnbotham Round , where there has been no crime for a decade. After the Chief Constable
Chief Constable
Chief constable is the rank used by the chief police officer of every territorial police force in the United Kingdom except for the City of London Police and the Metropolitan Police, as well as the chief officers of the three 'special' national police forces, the British Transport Police, Ministry...
tells them that there is not enough local criminal activity to justify their station
Police station
A police station or station house is a building which serves to accommodate police officers and other members of staff. These buildings often contain offices and accommodation for personnel and vehicles, along with locker rooms, temporary holding cells and interview/interrogation rooms.- Facilities...
's existence, three incompetent policemen decide to start manufacturing crimes to "fiddle the figures". Dudfoot, together with Albert Brown (Graham Moffatt
Graham Moffatt
Graham Moffatt was a British character actor and comedian.Born in Hammersmith, London, he is best known for a number of films where he appeared with Will Hay and Moore Marriott as 'Albert': an insolent, overweight, overgrown-schoolboy type character, loosely reminiscent of Billy Bunter.His first...
) and Jerry Harbottle (Moore Marriott
Moore Marriott
Moore Marriott was a British character actor most notable for a series of films he made with Will Hay in the 1930s.-Career:...
) create a crime wave by framing motorists in a speed trap
Speed Trap
Speed Trap is a live jazz album by Peter King, recorded at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club in September 1994, and released in 1996 under the Ronnie Scotts Jazz House label...
and concocting false evidence.
They also leave a keg of whisky unattended in order to frame someone as a smuggler - and then accidentally discover a real smuggling ring!
Plot
The film opens with Sergeant Dudfoot talking about his life as a policeman at Turnbotham Round during a radio broadcast. Whilst he is talking, his staff, Albert and Harbottle (played by Graham Moffatt and Moore Marriott) enter Harbottle's shop after they have been poaching. When they enter the police station, Harbottle ruins the broadcast and the broadcast comes to an abrupt end.The next morning, Albert asks his girlfriend Emily to go on a date with him but she has a date with someone else. The postman then reveals that some of the letters he has delivered are about Dudfoot's broadcast, since he opened one and had a look inside. Dudfoot decides to find some crime and finally comes up with the idea of setting up a speed trap.
Later that day, Harbottle, Dudfoot and Albert are down a country lane on the outskirts of the village. The idea is that Harbottle will drop his handkerchief and start his stopwatch when a car passes him, Albert and Dudfoot start their watches when they see the handkerchief and Dudfoot will then stop the motorist. After halting one car, the trio attempt to work out how far the motorist was travelling, although he was only travelling about twenty miles per hour. After coming to a conclusion that the motorist was doing over seventy miles per hour, Albert asks Dudfoot to ask the motorist for his insurance and license. When the motorist says he has neither, Dudfoot decides to let him go since he cannot take his license away if he hasn't got one. Albert then explains that the reason why they aren't getting anywhere is because of the distance between the posts. They then decide to move one of the posts but another car horn stops them. Albert gives the signal and Dudfoot stops the car. Since the trio decided that the motorist will be doing sixty, Dudfoot says that the motorist is "for it" since he was doing sixty miles per hour and that he is drunk. Dudfoot hits the motorist on the back of the head with one of the posts, knocking him out and then drive him to the police station.
After looking at the motorist's identity, they discover he is their Chief Constable. Removing him from the cell and placing him on a stool, Albert decides to wreck the chief's car, making it look like has had a crash. Dudfoot then suggests to drive it into something to make it look more believable, and he crashes it through the window of Harbottle's shop. They enter the police station as the chief is coming round. The trio tell him he had a nasty road accident and take him outside to show him that his car is completely wrecked. This backfires since the chief remembers the incident in the country lane. The Squire of Turnbotham Round then claims that he witnessed the accident, saving Dudfoot, Harbottle and Albert from a lot of trouble.
Inside the police station, Emily arrives just as the chief is questioning Dudfoot about a bump on the back of his head. Emily is angry with Albert, and Albert decides to make it up to her by taking her to the cinema. The chief agrees. He then asks Harbottle why he looks so old, and Harbottle says it was the ghost of the Headless Horseman which made him lose his teeth (save for one) and most of his hair. The chief then storms out and drives off in his wrecked car. Harbottle says he made up the story of the Headless Horseman, and Dudfoot states that they need to arrest a criminal soon or else their police station will be closed down. Harbottle suggests that they look in the basement for some books on crime, but Dudfoot says they are too old and useless, so Harbottle takes him to their library. On their way, however, the coastguard stops them and asks for a favour. His brother is a lighthouse keeper and wants a light hung up on top of the police station, his grandmother is very ill and he agreed to the idea that if he could see the light on the Police Station tower he'd know his grandmother was still alive. Little do Dudfoot and Harbottle know, but the light and the coastguard are both connected to smugglers. Harbottle then shows Dudfoot some books in the library, but it is not until Albert arrives back from the cinema. Albert suggests that they should capture some smugglers by placing a keg of brandy on the beach and getting a witness to see what happens.
That night is a windy and stormy night, and Dudfoot comes back into the station with a fisherman, who is carrying a keg of brandy. When the fisherman leaves, Dudfoot calls the Chief Constable to tell him about their plan, but Albert and Harbottle says they haven't taken their keg down to the beach yet, therefore resulting in two kegs of liquor. After the keg "disappears", a scream is heard at the door. The scream belongs to Emily, who has passed out with fright. When Emily comes round, she tells the trio about seeing a Headless Horseman in town. Dudfoot then suggests that they will give her a ride home.
After dropping Emily off, Albert spots the Headless Horseman riding along a distant road. Albert then reverses the police car into the Squire's estate, but the Horseman follows them in, where it enters a garage. After investigating the inside thoroughly, they are greeted by the Headless Horseman, who scares them away. It is also whilst they are in the garage that Harbottle picks up a small package, which he tucks away under his police uniform.
Back at the police station, the Chief Constable phones them and informs them about smuggling taking place in Turbotham Round and gives them bearings to find a light in Turbotham Round, which is being used as a navigational light for smugglers. The coastguard then takes his lamp down whilst the trio are sorting the bearings out, claiming his Grandmother is feeling much better. When the three policeman discover the light is atop their own police station, they brush off the idea that the coastguard is involved. A stone is launched through the police station window. There is a note wrapped around the stone (written on a draper advert), which warns them to keep their noses out of things that are not their business (the note was probably written by the Squire). A ticking sound is then heard and its source is the package Harbottle picked up in the Squire's garage. After Dudfoot places it in a bucket of water, he opens the package and discovers that there are pocket-watches inside. Harbottle then recites a rhyme which tells the legend of the Headless Horseman, although he doesn't know the last line. He then reveals his father knows the line, so the trio decide to pay him a visit.
At Harbottle's father's house, Dudfoot asks Harbottle's father if he knows the line, and after a lot of thinking, he does reveal the line, which in turn reveals that the smuggles place all the contraband in the Devil's Cave in a cliff. Since the tide is still low, the trio go to investigate the cave. They discover many barrels of liquor and they also spot a boat in the distance, whose crew are possibly looking for the smugglers, although they think the trio are working with the smugglers.
The trio then swim to a landing stage where they discover two tunnels, more barrels and a cigarette end. After choosing a tunnel, they discover many barrels, a box of candles, soap and many other things that seemed to belong to Harbottle. Dudfoot reveals that they are in their own cellar, and decide to call the Chief Constable. However, they are confronted by the Squire who reveals he is the leader of the smugglers. After a fight in the dark, the smugglers lock the trio in their own cell and escape.
After removing a loose cell bar, the policemen decide to give chase in their car, but since the other police agents think they are smugglers as well, their car is also wanted. They ditch the car and hitch a lift on a milk bike, a lorry and a double decker bus. The chase ceases near Weybridge
Weybridge
Weybridge is a town in the Elmbridge district of Surrey in South East England. It is bounded to the north by the River Thames at the mouth of the River Wey, from which it gets its name...
, a town on the outskirts of London, where they end up on a race track
Brooklands
Brooklands was a motor racing circuit and aerodrome built near Weybridge in Surrey, England. It opened in 1907, and was the world's first purpose-built motorsport venue, as well as one of Britain's first airfields...
. After colliding with the smugglers' lorry, the police agents capture the smugglers. The Chief Constable then asks the Squire if he has seen him before, but the Squire denies this. Dudfoot then reveals the story of the accident at Harbottle's shop, and the Chief Constable orders that Dudfoot, Harbottle and Albert to be arrested. Dudfoot is outraged at this, punches the Chief Constable and the trio run as fast as they can along the race track away from the other pursuing policemen.
Cast
- Will HayWill HayWilliam Thomson "Will" Hay was an English comedian, actor, film director and amateur astronomer.-Early life:He was born in Stockton-on-Tees, in north east England, to William R...
- Sergeant Samuel Dudfoot - Graham MoffattGraham MoffattGraham Moffatt was a British character actor and comedian.Born in Hammersmith, London, he is best known for a number of films where he appeared with Will Hay and Moore Marriott as 'Albert': an insolent, overweight, overgrown-schoolboy type character, loosely reminiscent of Billy Bunter.His first...
- Albert Brown - Moore MarriottMoore MarriottMoore Marriott was a British character actor most notable for a series of films he made with Will Hay in the 1930s.-Career:...
- Jerry Harbottle/Harbottle Senior - Glennis LorimerGlennis LorimerGlennis Lorimer was a British actress who appeared in a number of films during the 1930s. She also appeared in the Gainsborough Pictures logo before the opening credits of films by that studio and is sometimes known as the Gainsborough Lady. She made her debut in the 1933 film Orders is Orders...
- Emily Martin - Peter GawthornePeter GawthornePeter Gawthorne was an Irish actor, probably best known for his roles in Will Hay films. Gawthorne was one of Britain's most called-upon bit part actors during the 1940s and 50s....
- Chief Constable - Charles OliverCharles Oliver (actor)Charles Oliver was a British film actor. He appeared in the Will Hay film Ask a Policeman as the local squire who oversees a smuggling empire.-Selected filmography:* Wings Over Africa * Midnight at Madame Tussaud's...
- The Squire - Herbert LomasHerbert Lomas (actor)Herbet Lomas was a British actor who appeared in more than forty films in a career lasting between 1931 and 1955. He was born in Burnley, Lancashire in 1887 and made his first screen appearance in the 1931 film Hobson's Choice.-Filmography:...
- The Coastguard - Dave O'Toole - Dudfoot's witness
- Noel Dainton - Revenue Officer
- Cyril ChamberlainCyril ChamberlainCyril Chamberlain was an English film and television actor. He appeared in a number of the early Carry On, Doctor in the House and St. Trinian's films....
- Radio Announcer - Brian WorthBrian Worth (actor)- Selected filmography :- External links :...
- Broadcasting Engineer - Patrick AhernePatrick AhernePatrick Aherne was a British film actor. He was the brother of the actor Brian Aherne.-Selected filmography:* The Ball of Fortune * Thou Fool * Huntingtower...
- First motorist - Desmond LlewelynDesmond LlewelynDesmond Wilkinson Llewelyn was a Welsh actor, famous for playing Q in 17 of the James Bond films between 1963 and 1999.-Early life:...
- Headless Horsemen
Remakes
In 1982, comedy duo Cannon and BallCannon and Ball
Cannon and Ball are an English comedy double act consisting of Tommy Cannon and Bobby Ball. The duo met in the early 1960s while working as welders in Oldham, Lancashire...
filmed a loose remake of Ask A Policeman, titled The Boys In Blue
The Boys in Blue
The Boys in Blue is a 1982 British comedy film directed by Val Guest and starring Tommy Cannon, Bobby Ball, Suzanne Danielle and Roy Kinnear. It is loosely based on the 1938 Will Hay film Ask a Policeman...
. Though not a remake, 2007's Hot Fuzz
Hot Fuzz
Hot Fuzz is a 2007 British action dark comedy film written by Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright, and starring Pegg and Nick Frost. The three had previously worked together on the 2004 film Shaun of the Dead as well as the television series Spaced...
borrowed the plot device of policemen uncovering organised crime in a sleepy area of rural England.