Spare a Copper
Encyclopedia
Spare a Copper is a 1940
British
, black-and-white
, musical
comedy
war film
, directed by John Paddy Carstairs
and starring Ronald Shiner
, as the Piano Mover and Tuner, and George Formby
. It was produced
by Associated Talking Pictures. It is also known as Call a Cop.
where the battleship HMS Hercules is being built. A group of saboteurs are planning to destroy HMS Hercules by blowing it up. George manages to foil the saboteurs' attempts to destroy HMS Hercules, saving the battleship from being blown up by saboteurs. One of the saboteurs, called "Jake", is played by Bernard Lee
.
1940 in film
The year 1940 in film involved some significant events, including the premieres of the Walt Disney classics Pinocchio and Fantasia.-Events:*February 7 - Walt Disney's animated film Pinocchio is released....
British
Cinema of the United Kingdom
The United Kingdom has had a major influence on modern cinema. The first moving pictures developed on celluloid film were made in Hyde Park, London in 1889 by William Friese Greene, a British inventor, who patented the process in 1890. It is generally regarded that the British film industry...
, black-and-white
Black-and-white
Black-and-white, often abbreviated B/W or B&W, is a term referring to a number of monochrome forms in visual arts.Black-and-white as a description is also something of a misnomer, for in addition to black and white, most of these media included varying shades of gray...
, musical
Musical film
The musical film is a film genre in which songs sung by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, though in some cases they serve merely as breaks in the storyline, often as elaborate...
comedy
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...
war film
War film
War films are a film genre concerned with warfare, usually about naval, air or land battles, sometimes focusing instead on prisoners of war, covert operations, military training or other related subjects. At times war films focus on daily military or civilian life in wartime without depicting battles...
, directed by John Paddy Carstairs
John Paddy Carstairs
John Paddy Carstairs was a British film director and television director , usually of light-hearted subject matter. He was also a comic novelist and painter....
and starring Ronald Shiner
Ronald Shiner
Ronald Alfred Shiner was a British stand-up comedian and comedic actor whose career encompassed film, West End theatre and music hall.-Career:...
, as the Piano Mover and Tuner, and George Formby
George Formby
George Formby, OBE , born George Hoy Booth, was a British comedy actor, singer-songwriter, and comedian. He sang light, comical songs, accompanying himself on the banjo ukulele or banjolele...
. It was produced
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
by Associated Talking Pictures. It is also known as Call a Cop.
Synopsis
Formby plays a slightly bumbling War Reservist police officer called George Carter who aspires to become a member of the flying squad. The film is set in MerseysideMerseyside
Merseyside is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 1,365,900. It encompasses the metropolitan area centred on both banks of the lower reaches of the Mersey Estuary, and comprises five metropolitan boroughs: Knowsley, St Helens, Sefton, Wirral, and the city of Liverpool...
where the battleship HMS Hercules is being built. A group of saboteurs are planning to destroy HMS Hercules by blowing it up. George manages to foil the saboteurs' attempts to destroy HMS Hercules, saving the battleship from being blown up by saboteurs. One of the saboteurs, called "Jake", is played by Bernard Lee
Bernard Lee
John Bernard Lee was an English actor, best known for his role as M in the first eleven James Bond films.-Life and career:...
.
Cast
- George FormbyGeorge FormbyGeorge Formby, OBE , born George Hoy Booth, was a British comedy actor, singer-songwriter, and comedian. He sang light, comical songs, accompanying himself on the banjo ukulele or banjolele...
as George - Dorothy HysonDorothy HysonDorothy Hyson, Lady Quayle was an American film and stage actress, born Dorothy Wardell Heisen in Chicago, Illinois. She was the daughter of actress Dorothy Dickson and matinée idol Carl Hyson...
as Jane - Bernard LeeBernard LeeJohn Bernard Lee was an English actor, best known for his role as M in the first eleven James Bond films.-Life and career:...
as Jake - John WarwickJohn WarwickJohn Warwick was an Australian film and television actor.-Selected filmography:* On Our Selection * In the Wake of the Bounty * The Squatter's Daughter * Riding High...
as Shaw - Warburton Gamble as Sir Robert Dyer
- John TurnbullJohn Turnbull (actor)-Selected filmography:* The Amazing Quest of Mr. Ernest Bliss * The Wickham Mystery * Rodney Steps In * The Midshipmaid * The Medicine Man * The Man Outside * The Iron Stair...
as Inspector Richards - 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...
as Brewster - Eliot MakehamEliot MakehamEliot Makeham , sometimes credited as Eliott Makeham or Elliot Makeham, was an English film and television actor.-Early life and education:He was born Harold Elliott Makeham in 1882, in London, England....
as Fuller - Ellen PollockEllen PollockEllen Pollack was a British character actress, mainly appeared on stage in London's West End. She also appeared in several films.Pollack was born in Heidelberg, Germany and died in London, England.-Selected filmography:...
as Lady Hardstaff - Edward LexyEdward Lexy-Filmography:* Under Secret Orders * Mademoiselle Docteur * Farewell Again * Knight Without Armour * Action for Slander * Smash and Grab * The Green Cockatoo...
as Night watchman - Jack MelfordJack MelfordJack Melford was a British film and television actor. He was the brother of screenwriter and film director Austin Melford.-Selected filmography:* Find the Lady * Luck of the Turf * Scruffy...
as Dame - Hal GordonHal GordonHal Gordon was a British film actor. A character actor, he appeared in over 90 films in both comic and straight roles.He started off as a lawyer's clerk but finding it dull he decided on the stage, making his music hall debut in 1912...
as Sergeant - Jimmy GoddenJimmy GoddenJimmy Godden was a British film actor.He was educated at Christ's Hospital and was in the Civil Service before becoming a concert pianist...
as Manager - Grace ArnoldGrace ArnoldGrace Arnold was an English actress. Her first film was Men Without Honour in 1939, where she starred opposite an actor named Ian Fleming.-Selected filmography:* Guilt * Spare a Copper * Went the Day Well?...
as Music shop customer - Charles CarsonCharles Carson (actor)-Selected filmography:* The Loves of Ariane * Dreyfus * Many Waters * Marry Me * The Chinese Puzzle * Monsieur Albert * Men of Tomorrow * Leap Year...
as Admiral