Convict 99
Encyclopedia
Convict 99 is a 1938 British comedy film
directed by Marcel Varnel
and starring British comedian Will Hay
and Googie Withers
.
(Will Hay
) is dismissed from his job as headmaster at St. Michaels' School (the school returns in a later film The Ghost of St. Michael's
), and applies for a job in another school.
Going for interview, he is called into another office where they are expecting John Benjamin, a strict prison governor
recently arrived from Australia
who is applying for the vacancy at Blakedown Prison in Devon
. On the way to what Twist believes is the school, he becomes drunk, and on arrival is mistaken for Max Slessor, a prisoner who had escaped during a jailbreak.
Designated Convict 99 and in for seven years for forgery
, Twist is soon discovered to be the new Prison Governor, and once put in his (dubiously) rightful place embarks on a programme to make the prison a more friendly place for the prisoners, funding it from the proceeds of a football pools
win and stock market investments.
Things take a turn for the worse, when the recaptured Slessor, aided by a phoney baroness who accuses Twist of attempted rape, escapes again with a signed cheque. Altering the figures, he draws the entire prison funds from the bank. Twist and some of the convicts head in a prison van to Limehouse
, in east London
, to catch Slessor, recover the lost funds and then successfully break into the bank in the middle of the night to return the money.
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...
and starring British comedian 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...
and Googie Withers
Googie Withers
Georgette Lizette "Googie" Withers CBE, AO was an English theatre, film and television actress. She was a longtime resident of Australia with her husband, the actor John McCallum, with whom she often appeared.-Biography:...
.
Synopsis
Incompetent Dr Benjamin TwistDr Benjamin Twist
Dr Benjamin Twist is a recurring fictional character who appears in several films featuring comedian Will Hay, who portrays the character in all mediums.-Character history:...
(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...
) is dismissed from his job as headmaster at St. Michaels' School (the school returns in a later film The Ghost of St. Michael's
The Ghost of St. Michael's
The Ghost of St. Michael’s is a 1941 British comedy-thriller film, produced by Ealing Studios.-Plot:An ineffectual science teacher William Lamb is hired by a school recently transferred because of World War II to the remote Dunbain Castle on the Isle of Skye, Scotland...
), and applies for a job in another school.
Going for interview, he is called into another office where they are expecting John Benjamin, a strict prison governor
Prison Governor
In the UK, a Prison Governor is responsible for the management and security of a prison, jail, remand centre and young offenders' institution. In India and Pakistan, the head of a District, Central, Women or special Prison/Jail is called Superintendent of Jail, Superintendent Jail, Senior...
recently arrived from Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
who is applying for the vacancy at Blakedown Prison in Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
. On the way to what Twist believes is the school, he becomes drunk, and on arrival is mistaken for Max Slessor, a prisoner who had escaped during a jailbreak.
Designated Convict 99 and in for seven years for forgery
Forgery
Forgery is the process of making, adapting, or imitating objects, statistics, or documents with the intent to deceive. Copies, studio replicas, and reproductions are not considered forgeries, though they may later become forgeries through knowing and willful misrepresentations. Forging money or...
, Twist is soon discovered to be the new Prison Governor, and once put in his (dubiously) rightful place embarks on a programme to make the prison a more friendly place for the prisoners, funding it from the proceeds of a football pools
Football pools
A football pool, often collectively referred to as "the pools", is a betting pool based on predicting the outcome of top-level association football matches set to take place in the coming week. The pools are typically cheap to enter, with the potential to win huge money. Entries were traditionally...
win and stock market investments.
Things take a turn for the worse, when the recaptured Slessor, aided by a phoney baroness who accuses Twist of attempted rape, escapes again with a signed cheque. Altering the figures, he draws the entire prison funds from the bank. Twist and some of the convicts head in a prison van to Limehouse
Limehouse
Limehouse is a place in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is on the northern bank of the River Thames opposite Rotherhithe and between Ratcliff to the west and Millwall to the east....
, in east London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, to catch Slessor, recover the lost funds and then successfully break into the bank in the middle of the night to return the money.
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...
- Dr Benjamin TwistDr Benjamin TwistDr Benjamin Twist is a recurring fictional character who appears in several films featuring comedian Will Hay, who portrays the character in all mediums.-Character history:... - 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 the Mole - 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 - Googie WithersGoogie WithersGeorgette Lizette "Googie" Withers CBE, AO was an English theatre, film and television actress. She was a longtime resident of Australia with her husband, the actor John McCallum, with whom she often appeared.-Biography:...
- Lottie "the Baroness" - 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....
- Sir Cyril - Basil RadfordBasil RadfordBasil Radford was an English character actor who featured in many British films of the 1930s and 1940s. He trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and made his first stage appearance in July 1924...
- Deputy Governor - Dennis WyndhamDennis WyndhamDennis Wyndham was a South African film actor. He appeared in 47 films between 1920 and 1956. He was born in Natal, South Africa....
- Head Warder - Wilfred WalterWilfred WalterWilfred Walter was an English film and theatre actor. He was the son of the actor Richard Walter....
- Max Slessor - Alf GoddardAlf GoddardAlf Goddard was a British film actor.Brother of a famous boxer, Alf Goddard was once a boxer too. He was also a trained athlete and a professional dancer. He served in the army in World War I and when he was invalided out he worked on munitions. He made his stage debut in a musical hall act in 1916...
- Sykes - Basil McGrail - Bates
- Kathleen HarrisonKathleen HarrisonKathleen Harrison was a prolific English character actress best remembered for her role as Mrs. Huggett in a trio of British post-war comedies about a working class family's misadventures. To modern viewers she is better remembered as Mrs...
- Mable - Roddy McDowallRoddy McDowallRoderick Andrew Anthony Jude "Roddy" McDowall was an English actor and photographer. His film roles included Cornelius and Caesar in the Planet of the Apes film series...
- Jimmy - Teddy BrownTeddy BrownTeddy Brown was an American entertainer who spent the latter part of his life performing in Britain. He was born Abraham Himmelbrand in 1900, and first played in the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, but moved to the field of popular music in the 1920s.He was noted for his rotund appearance,...
- Slim Charlie - Bertha BelmoreBertha Belmore-Early career:She was only eight when she made her first appearance on stage. She later toured the coast of America with Sir Philip Ben Greet's Shakespearean Players.-Selected filmography:* Happy * Keep It Quiet...
- Tiara Lady - George MerrittGeorge Merritt (actor)George Merritt was a British film and television actor.-Selected filmography:* The W Plan * The Lodger * I Was a Spy * Crime on the Hill * The Silver Spoon...
- Patrolman - Roy EmertonRoy EmertonRoy Emerton was a British film actor.He was a sailor, cowboy, stoker, stevedore, railroader, miner, etc and served in World War I. He played in a great number of popular London stage shows, including Shakespeare as well as film work....
- John Benjamin