Ask a Policeman (1939)

Country of Origin: UK
Year of Production: 1939
Running Times: 83m
Length:
Format: 35mm
Colour Format: black and white
Ratio: 1.37:1
Sound: mono

DIRECTION

Directed by: Marcel Varnel

PRODUCTION
Copyright: [not given]
Production Company: Gainsborough Pictures Ltd present
In Charge of Production: Maurice Ostrer (uncredited)
Producer: Edward Black (uncredited)

SCRIPT
Screenplay: Edgar Marriott & Val Guest; John Orton (uncredited)
Story: Sidney Gilliat
Script Editor: Frank Launder (uncredited)

PHOTOGRAPHY
Photography: Derick Williams
2nd Unit Photography: Jack Parry (uncredited)
2nd Unit Assistant Camera: George Hill (uncredited)

EDITING AND POST PRODUCTION
Editing: R.E. Dearing
Cutting: Alfred Roome

MUSIC
Musical Direction: Louis Levy

SOUND
Recording: S. Wiles
Recorded in full range recording at Islington, London

DESIGN AND SET CONSTRUCTION
Settings: Vetchinsky (real name: Alex Vetchinsky)

OTHER CREW
Production Assistant: Roy Ward Baker (uncredited)

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Racing scenes made with the cooperation of R.R. Jackson and members of The Brooklands Automobile Racing Club

CAST

Will Hay (Sergt. [Samuel] Dudfoot)

with
Graham Moffatt (Albert [Brown])

and
Moore Marriott ([Jerry] Harbottle[/Harbottle Sr])

Glennis Lorrimer (Emily [Martin])
Peter Gawthorne (Chief Constable [John Cronshaw])
Charles Oliver (the Squire [Montague Pennington])
Herbert Lomas (coastguard)

UNCREDITED CAST

Patrick Aherne (motorist)
Cyril Chamberlain
Desmond Llewelyn (headless horseman)

Turnbottom Round may be proud of its record as a village with no crime, but it doesn't do much for the pride of the local constabulary - especially when it's realised that the only reason that the village is crime free is because Sergeant Dudfoot and his two constables, Jerry and Harbottle are so inept that they fail to notice what's going onaround them. They have a lot to prove when they go up against a smuggling ring - and a frightening headless horseman...

USA
Theatrical Distributor: MGM

UK
Rating: U

TIMELINE

1980
February
28: UK - television broadcast (on BBC 2)

1985
April
7: UK - television broadcast (on BBC 2)

1988
February
18: UK - television broadcast (on BBC1)

1990
July
25: UK - television broadcast (on BBC 2)

1992
May
16: UK - television broadcast (on BBC 2)

1994
June
20: UK - television broadcast (on BBC 2)

REMAKE
The Boys In Blue (1982)

PERIODICALS

Film Weekly vol.21 no.554 (27 May 1939) p.31 (UK)
review

Kinematograph Weekly no.1670 (20 April 1939) p.25 (UK)
review

Kinematograph Weekly no.1847 (10 September 1942) (UK)
review

Monthly Film Bulletin vol.6 no.65 (May 1939) p.91 (UK)
review

Motion Picture Herald vol.135 no.4 (29 April 1939) p.54 (USA)
review

Today's Cinema vol.52 no.4195 (19 April 1939) p.18
review

Today's Cinema vol.59 no.4772 (8 September 1942) p.9 (UK)
review

BOOKS

The British Film Catalogue 1895-1985: A Reference Guide by Denis Gifford (London: David & Charles (1986)  ISBN: 0715388355)
catalogue number: 09582

OTHER SOURCES

screen
credits

police, headless horsemen, smugglers, fake ghosts

Last Updated: 1 August, 2009