"On the Beat" is a British song written by

Roger MacDougall Roger MacDougall (2 August 1910, in Glasgow – 27 May 1993) was a Scottish playwright, screenwriter and director. Biography MacDougall began writing the occasional screenplay in the late 30s, working both alone and in collaboration with ...

and sung by the comedian

George Formby George Formby, (born George Hoy Booth; 26 May 1904 – 6 March 1961) was an English actor, singer-songwriter and comedian who became known to a worldwide audience through his films of the 1930s and 1940s. On stage, screen and record he s ...

. It was recorded by Formby on 4 August 1940 for

Regal Zonophone Records Regal Zonophone Records was a British record label formed in 1932, through a merger of the Regal and Zonophone labels. This followed the merger of those labels' respective parent companies – the Columbia Graphophone Company and the Gramopho ...

. It is sung by Formby in the 1940 film ''

Spare a Copper Spare or Spares may refer to: Common meanings * Spare (bowling), a term for knocking down all the pins using two bowling balls * short for spare part ** Spare tire People * Austin Osman Spare (1886–1956), English artist and occultist * Richard ...

''.Bret p.112 Formby plays a

War Reserve Constable ''This should not be confused with a Special Constable, which was a voluntary British police officer, that existed alongside the War Reserve Constable.'' War reserve constable (or WRC, war reserve police constable, WRPC) was a voluntary role wit ...

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

, and sings it at a fundraising concert. It includes some of the chords of the popular

music hall Music hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment that was popular from the early Victorian era, beginning around 1850. It faded away after 1918 as the halls rebranded their entertainment as variety. Perceptions of a distinction in Bri ...

song “

Ask a Policeman ''Ask a Policeman'' is a 1939 British comedy film directed by Marcel Varnel and starring Will Hay, Moore Marriott and Graham Moffatt. The plot sees Will Hay playing a policeman at the Turnbotham Round police force. The force hasn't arrested anyb ...

”.

References

Bibliography

* Bret, David. ''George Formby An Intimate Biography Of The Troubled Genius''. 2014. British songs 1940 songs George Formby songs Songs written by Roger MacDougall {{1940s-song-stub