An interesting curiosity, this. Originally written for Will Hay, Arthur Askey was substituted when Hay switched studios. The result is a gentle comedy that conforms to the Will Hay template, complete with support from Moore Marriott and Graham Moffatt, of a self-important incompetent put in charge of a remote outpost - in this case a WW2 meteorological station in an abandoned lighthouse off the coast of Scotland.
At first you wonder how it's going to work with Askey all alone and talking to himself for a whole film (although this is actually managed very well), but of course he's soon joined on his desolate rock by stowaways, shipwrecked mariners, Nazi fifth-columnists, and, most improbably but entertainingly, a boatload of glamorous women on their way to a fashion show.
Arthur Askey is surprisingly good in this, presumably because the script forces him to abandon his usual mugging to the audience and instead gives him an actual character, albeit one of Will Hay's. There's excellent support from Googie Withers and child star Vera Frances, who very nearly steals the film. And while there are plenty of gags, as you'd expect, the adventure aspect also works well, with the rag-tag group of plucky British misfits taking on the might of the German navy. You can see how this would have hit the spot in 1942.
At first you wonder how it's going to work with Askey all alone and talking to himself for a whole film (although this is actually managed very well), but of course he's soon joined on his desolate rock by stowaways, shipwrecked mariners, Nazi fifth-columnists, and, most improbably but entertainingly, a boatload of glamorous women on their way to a fashion show.
Arthur Askey is surprisingly good in this, presumably because the script forces him to abandon his usual mugging to the audience and instead gives him an actual character, albeit one of Will Hay's. There's excellent support from Googie Withers and child star Vera Frances, who very nearly steals the film. And while there are plenty of gags, as you'd expect, the adventure aspect also works well, with the rag-tag group of plucky British misfits taking on the might of the German navy. You can see how this would have hit the spot in 1942.