ASK A POLICEMAN (1939) Will Hay, Graham Moffatt & Glennis Lorimer | Adventure, Comedy | B&W

Ask a Policeman is a 1939 British comedy film directed by Marcel Varnel and starring Will Hay, Moore Marriott and Graham Moffatt.

SYNPOSIS
The mirthful adventures of Police-Sergeant Samuel Dudfoot and his two constables, Albert Brown and Jeremiah Harbottle, who stage a fabricated crime-wave to save their jobs, then find themselves involved in the real thing. Will Hay stars as Sergeant Dudfoot in a plot that sees the Turnbotham Round police force on the verge of disbandment due to its lack of arrests. To avoid closure, Dudfoot and his team orchestrate fake crimes, but they stumble upon genuine smugglers in the process. The title is derived from the popular music hall song "Ask a P'liceman."

In Turnbotham Round, Sergeant Dudfoot recounts his policing experiences during a radio broadcast, interrupted by his bumbling constables, Albert and Harbottle. The following day, Dudfoot receives a letter from the Chief Constable, signaling an impending investigation due to the force's lack of arrests. Determined to keep their jobs, they hatch a plan to fabricate an arrest. Setting up a speed trap, they inadvertently apprehend the Chief Constable himself, leading to a series of comical mishaps.

Desperate to prove their worth, Dudfoot, Albert, and Harbottle concoct schemes to catch criminals, inadvertently crossing paths with real smugglers. Amidst confusion and chaos, they encounter a Headless Horseman, a warning note from the smugglers, and ticking pocket watches. Unraveling clues, they uncover the Devil's Cave, ultimately discovering they've stumbled into their own cellar filled with contraband.

Confronted by the Squire, who is revealed as the smuggling ringleader, a chaotic chase ensues, culminating in the trio's arrest warrant. Dudfoot, refusing to go quietly, punches the Chief Constable, and the trio dashes off, evading capture amidst a frantic pursuit.

CAST & CREW
Will Hay - Sergeant Samuel Dudfoot
Graham Moffatt - Albert Brown
Moore Marriott - Jerry Harbottle/Harbottle Senior
Glennis Lorimer - Emily Martin
Peter Gawthorne - Chief Constable
Charles Oliver - The Squire
Herbert Lomas - The Coastguard
Dave O'Toole - Dudfoot's witness
Noel Dainton - Revenue Officer
Brian Worth - Broadcasting Engineer
Patrick Aherne - First motorist

Directed by: Marcel Varnel
Written by: Marriott Edgar, Sidney Gilliat (story), Val Guest, J. O. C. Orton
Produced by: Edward Black
Cinematography: Derick Williams
Edited by: R. E. Dearing
Music by: Louis Levy
Production company: Gainsborough Pictures
Distributed by: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (United States)
Release date: 28 August 1939
Running time: 83 minutes
Country: United Kingdom
Language: English

NOTES
In 1982, comedy duo Cannon and Ball filmed a loose remake of Ask A Policeman, titled The Boys in Blue, which was directed by Val Guest, one of the screenwriters of Ask A Policeman. Though not a remake, 2007's Hot Fuzz borrowed the plot device of policemen uncovering organised crime in a sleepy area of rural England. The makers of the Indian film Naalu Policeum Nalla Irundha Oorum (2015) have acknowledged Ask a Policeman as an influence on it.