''Rush Hour'' is a 1941 British

Public Information Public relations (PR) is the practice of managing and disseminating information from an individual or an organization (such as a business, government agency, or a nonprofit organization) to the public in order to influence their perception. Pu ...

short film made by the wartime Ministry of Information and designed to pass on an important message to cinemagoers in a humorous manner. The film was directed by

Anthony Asquith Anthony William Landon Asquith (; 9 November 1902 – 20 February 1968) was an English film director. He collaborated successfully with playwright Terence Rattigan on ''The Winslow Boy'' (1948) and '' The Browning Version'' (1951), among oth ...

and produced by Edward Black. ''Rush Hour'' was filmed as a series of short comedy sequences, illustrating the various degrees of chaos and confusion arising from public transport being overwhelmed with passengers at peak times. Its twin targets were employers, to whom the desirability of staggered working hours was stressed, and casual leisure travellers, who were exhorted: "Shopping? Visiting? Then get home early at your ease – leave rush-hour seats for workers, please!"

Cast

Muriel George Muriel George (29 August 1883 – 22 October 1965) was an English singer and film actress. She appeared in 55 films between 1932 and 1955. She also appeared on the variety stage and sang on radio with her second husband Ernest Butcher for thir ...

as Violet *

Hay Petrie David Hay Petrie (16 July 1895 – 30 July 1948) was a Scottish actor noted for playing eccentric characters, among them Quilp in ''The Old Curiosity Shop'' (1934), the McLaggen in ''The Ghost Goes West'' (1935) and Uncle Pumblechook in '' Great ...

as Bus Conductor *

Beatrice Varley Beatrice Evelyn Varley (11 July 1896 – 4 July 1964) was an English actress who appeared in television and film roles between 1936 and 1964. She made her screen debut in the 1936 film ''Tomorrow We Live'' and began to portray a variety of ch ...

as Violet's friend *

Charles Victor Charles Victor (10 February 1896 – 23 December 1965) was a British actor who appeared in many film and television roles between 1931 and 1965. He was born Charles Victor Harvey. Born in Southport, Lancashire, England, Victor was a fourth ...

as Bus Inspector *

David Keir David Keir (1884–1971) was a British film actor, who also appeared on stage Stage or stages may refer to: Acting * Stage (theatre), a space for the performance of theatrical productions * Theatre, a branch of the performing arts, often ref ...

as Man at Bus Stop * Robert Brooks Turner as Man at Bus Stop *

Merle Tottenham Merle Tottenham (22 January 1901 – 18 July 1958) was a British stage and film actress. Her stage work included the original West End production of Noël Coward's ''Cavalcade'' in 1931; and she reprised her role as Annie the servant in the su ...

as Woman at Bus Stop

References

External links

* * 1941 films 1941 short films British short films Films directed by Anthony Asquith Public information films British black-and-white films 1940s educational films 1940s English-language films British educational films {{short-film-stub