Oh! Mr Porter
Encyclopedia
Oh! Mr Porter is an old British
music hall
song about a girl "going too far". It was famously part of the repertoire of singer Marie Lloyd
. Written in 1893 by George LeBrunn, its lyrics include this chorus:
The film Oh, Mr Porter!
was clearly at least in part inspired by the song Oh! Mr Porter. Will Hay's character is Mr William Porter, although he is not in fact a railway porter, but the stationmaster of a Northern Irish
station, which leads to some confusion, typical of Hay's films. A snatch of the song can be heard over the opening credits.
The song was adapted for use in the BBC situation comedy
Oh, Doctor Beeching!
sung by Su Pollard
.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
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 about a girl "going too far". It was famously part of the repertoire of singer Marie Lloyd
Marie Lloyd
Matilda Alice Victoria Wood was an English music hall singer, best known as Marie Lloyd. Her ability to add lewdness to the most innocent of lyrics led to frequent clashes with the guardians of morality...
. Written in 1893 by George LeBrunn, its lyrics include this chorus:
The film Oh, Mr Porter!
Oh, Mr Porter!
Oh, Mr Porter! is a British comedy film starring Will Hay with Moore Marriott and Graham Moffatt and directed by Marcel Varnel. While not his most commercially successful, it is probably his best-known film to modern audiences...
was clearly at least in part inspired by the song Oh! Mr Porter. Will Hay's character is Mr William Porter, although he is not in fact a railway porter, but the stationmaster of a Northern Irish
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
station, which leads to some confusion, typical of Hay's films. A snatch of the song can be heard over the opening credits.
The song was adapted for use in the BBC situation comedy
Situation comedy
A situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue...
Oh, Doctor Beeching!
Oh, Doctor Beeching!
Oh, Doctor Beeching! is a British television sitcom written by David Croft and Richard Spendlove, which, after a broadcast pilot on 14 August 1995, ran for two series from 8 July 1996, with the last episode being broadcast on 28 September 1997...
sung by Su Pollard
Su Pollard
Susan Georgina "Su" Pollard, 7 November 1949, Nottingham) is an English comedy actress, most famous for her roles in the sitcoms Hi-de-Hi! and You Rang, M'Lord?. She is also well known for her unusual and flamboyant dress sense and her abrupt voice....
.
- Herman's HermitsHerman's HermitsHerman's Hermits are an English beat band, formed in Manchester in 1963 as Herman & The Hermits. The group's record producer, Mickie Most , emphasized a simple, non-threatening, clean-cut image, although the band originally played R&B numbers...
recorded a cover version of the original song in the 1960s.