I Thank You

"I Thank You" is the best of the films that Arthur Askey made. With his friends Moore and Graham Moffatt and Richard Murdoch, Askey romps and stomps his way through mayhem with many laughs and chuckles. They are joined by some talented performers of the day that add a musical production touch to this comedy.

The plot is a fairly simple one, but the hilarious chaos of many scenes makes one wonder if it was all scripted that way, or if the leads were just ad-libbing as they went along. It is clear that they were enjoying the making of this film.

No doubt this and other comedies of the period did a lot to ease tensions during the war. Farce of this type probably helped many in England keep the proverbial British stiff upper lip during the German bombing of London. The closing scene of the troupe entertaining Londoners in a bomb shelter was a fitting tribute to the English and to the entertainers who did their part for the war effort.

This is a fun film that rivals the best of the raucous movies of the Marx Brothers and Three Stooges in America.

`Big-hearted Arthur Askey' was a major British star of cinema, TV, and even, much earlier, Music Hall. On the evidence of `I Thank You' (a catch-phrase pronounced Aye Theng Yew) he was a comical little man with great timing but I just couldn't get a laugh out of this movie. And its not simply a case of what made people smile more than fifty years ago not being relevant today. A couple of nights previously I had watched an even older film, `Nothing Sacred' and found it absolutely hilarious.

`I Thank You' was made & set during the Second World War. It opens & closes in the London Underground where the population went to escape the German air raids, includes a couple of novelty songs plus performances from Richard `Stinker' Murdoch who became a top radio script-writer and Kathleen Harrison who always seemed to play a maid until she had great success in the fifties in The Huggetts series of films.

It's hard to recommend `I Thank You' which is often frantic and farcical; the best I can say is that it is mercifully short at seventy-odd minutes.

My bet is that if you asked 100 of my fellow Americans who Arthur Askey was, you MIGHT get lucky and find one. He and other British comedians like Will Hay are simply never shown on TV around here and the only reason I discovered them is that I like to download and watch public domain movies--and I have discovered some interesting movies that way. It seems that a lot of the public domain films were made by Gainesborough Pictures--and they made a lot of comedies as well as dramas.

Now I am not saying all these films are brilliant. Askey was often a bit low-brow in his humor--probably because he had his roots in the English stage--sort of like their version of vaudeville. So, for his audiences, Askey and many other comedians went for the cheap laugh--and that's not really a bad thing! Plus, his humor was never as cheap as our Three Stooges! This film must have seemed very near and dear to the hearts of the actors, as it's about a group of stage performers who are out of work and need someone to finance their show. So, Askey and Richard Murdock both approach a rich Lady--who also used to be a performer like them. But, she turns out to want nothing to do with her old job and now she is too sophisticated for such things. So, instead of asking for her financing directly, the decide to go to work for her, as she's advertising for a butler and maid. So you think....how can one of them be a maid?! Well, Askey, in the grand tradition of low-brow entertainment, dresses in drag--and he looks pretty convincing actually! So when exactly will they get around to popping the question? And what will she say? And what hope do they have of convincing anyone they are real servants?! Although this film too much singing, some of the songs were pretty catchy. Plus, I loved Moore Marriott in the he film. While he did a lot of films with Askey and Will Hay, here he is at his funniest. His crazy old coot routine is a hoot--and does a lot to make up for the plot lulls and songs. Well written and funny--this is a fun film even if some of the humor is a bit corny.

More low-brow humour featuring Arthur Askey in women's clothing. I Thank You is clearly trying to emulate similar 'zany' American movies of the era, but tries far too hard with woefully threadbare material. Even Will Hay's regular foils Graham Moffatt and Moore Marriott fail to lift the quality of the humour.

Arthur Askey's name is pretty much a seal of greatness, and this movie is no exception. If you don't mind his usual corny jokes, you're in for a dream ride with this one. Rivalling Askey in the comedic department is a young, unnamed girl who may well have been the English Gracie Allen with her charming voice and illogical logic. Sadly though, her character was never named, and she does not appear in any credits list for the film.

Askey and co. need a backer for their show, and the usual brass, Lady Randall, won't comply - so they set out for her house to pretend to be the new hired help, and end up getting a lot more than they bargained for! A great movie with a laugh around every corner.