My Learned Friend Part 1 Will Hay 1943

My Learned Friend is a 1943 British, black-and-white, comedy, farce, directed by Basil Dearden, co-directed with regular collaborator Will Hay and starring Ronald Shiner as the Man in Wilson's café, Will Hay as William Fitch and Charles Victor as "Safety" Wilson.[1] It was produced by Michael Balcon, Robert Hamer and Ealing Studios. The film's title refers to a tradition in British law: when addressing either the court or the judge, a barrister refers to the opposing counsel uses the respectful term, "my learned friend". The supporting cast included Claude Hulbert, Mervyn Johns and Ernest Thesiger.

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• Will
• Hay
• Basil
• Dearden
• Ronald
• Shiner

[andicog]

Pure genius, its such a great shame that comedy today has to be so crude and crass, Will Hay shows them all how it should be done, what a pity that so many young people will never grasp this type of gentle humor. Why oh why are these films never seen on TV anymore? I could watch nothing else but older films , Will Hay, Laurel and Hardy, George Formby and Norman Wisdom, throw in some Ealing greats such as Jack Hawkins and you can keep new stuff !

[WillHayFan]

@andicog Totally agree, I'm only 38 but was brought up on Will Hay films in the late 70's and early 80's and couldn't get enough of them, they are of a time when innocence was in nearly every film or TV program, no wonder today's standards are bog standard, the today's rubbish leashed on us just matches people's attitudes of standards and this for me is why the standards of attitudes match those shown on today's cinema and television set, sad indeed.

[andicog]

@WillHayFan Thanks for uploading, I have this and most of his films on video (I know its outdated but I cant let go!)  Standards have dropped in every walk of life and shouting obscene language now passes for humor. Who is in charge of what we watch these days, why are we fed rubbish when there are so many great films ? These films were made on a shoestring budget yet still entertain us nearly 70 years later, I doubt many new films will stand the test of time so well .

[WillHayFan]

@andicog Amazing really like you say 70 years, Will has passed away now over 52 years and his legacy will be with us for generations to come, wonder if Will would have ever guessed that his work would still be watched and spoken about 70 year's on, that for me who is a mark of a genius. Not forgetting his side kicks Moffatt and Marriott, shame Will dropped them in the end as he felt they were hindering his performances, but they should also be recognized for there contribution to the films.

[andicog]

@WillHayFan As you say, Moore Marriot and Graham Moffatt did indeed add and compliment Will Hay's performance, I have not read much about Will Hay but I remember some years back seeing an interview with Charles Hawtree, he did say that Will Hay was a wonderful man. I suppose when most young people see over paid, tasteless , talent less footballers, popstars and supposed actors as heroes its a downward spiral from which we will not recover. I wish I could move to Buggleskelly !

[WillHayFan]

@andicog Hear Hear! A move to Buggleskelly can only be a good thing, there is a youtuber who has made a video of visiting the fictional place from the film which was called of called Buggleskelly, just a field now and a few bit's of posts, compared to the film it seemed like more than a century ago now lol, pleased you appreciate Will Hay and all those other timeless classics.

[barnett682]

I'm probably the only 22 year old out there who just can't get enough of WIll Hay, what an amazing man he was and never fails to make me laugh, I can't stand most of the "comedy" these days which is just pure drivel, this is absolutely classic and will always be at the top of my list!! p.s. thanks for uploading this.

[webbsfan1]

I love will hay,ive got all his films on video.even kept my vcr to play them on.Agree wholeheartedly about todays comedy,sadly they just dont have the knack nowadays,i,m in my 50,s but its good to see some youngsters out there appreciating good honest fun.

[AeroplaneCentral]

i agree with everyone i am only 14 and i am part of this ''new generation'' but my dad has told me to never watch the modern rubish and says the old movies and comedies are the best and i love it will hay is probably my favorite, the modern ''stand up comedians'' dont make sense modern day comedy has been rewind, i normally say how can u find michael macintyre funny? evryone is like wow are you crazy? its amazing how rubbish modern day comedies are. i dont know how anyone can compare them.

[rbbonotto]

Many thanks for loading this up. I've read about this film in Halliwell's Guides for years, but I despaired of ever seeing it in the US. Oddly, I dimly remember the Big Ben scene being played on a NYC channel (Channel 9? 11?) when I was about 9 years old -- which would have been around 1971.

Thanks again!