''Where There's a Will'' is a 1936 British

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

directed by

William Beaudine William Washington Beaudine (January 15, 1892 – March 18, 1970) was an American film actor and director. He was one of Hollywood's most prolific directors, turning out films in remarkable numbers and in a wide variety of genres. Life and car ...

and starring

Will Hay William Thomson Hay (6 December 1888 – 18 April 1949) was an English comedian who wrote and acted in a schoolmaster sketch that later transferred to the screen, where he also played other authority figures with comic failings. His film ''Oh ...

Graham Moffatt Graham Victor Harold Moffatt (6 December 1919 – 2 July 1965) was an English comedic character actor. He is best known for a number of films where he appeared with Will Hay and Moore Marriott as 'Albert': a plump cheekily insolent street-sa ...

and

Norma Varden Norma Varden Shackleton (20 January 1898 – 19 January 1989), known professionally as Norma Varden, was an English-American actress with a long film career. Life and career Early life Born in London, the daughter of a retired sea captain ...

. It features an incompetent

solicitor A solicitor is a legal practitioner who traditionally deals with most of the legal matters in some jurisdictions. A person must have legally-defined qualifications, which vary from one jurisdiction to another, to be described as a solicitor and ...

who unwittingly becomes party to a bank robbery. The film marked the first appearance of

in a Will Hay film. Moffatt acted as a straight man to Hay, along with

Moore Marriott George Thomas Moore Marriott (14 September 1885 – 11 December 1949) was an English character actor best remembered for the series of films he made with Will Hay. His first appearance with Hay was in the film '' Dandy Dick'' (1935), but he w ...

, beginning in the film

Windbag the Sailor ''Windbag the Sailor'' is a 1936 British comedy film directed by William Beaudine and starring Will Hay. The film marked the first appearance of Hay with Graham Moffatt and Moore Marriott acting as his straight men, however both Moffatt and Ma ...

Plot

plays the penniless, bungling solicitor Benjamin Stubbins, who arrives at his office to find his insolent office boy (

) with his feet up on the desk, reading a wild west magazine, that Hay confiscates so that he can read it later. Stubbins later takes a job from a group of Americans who claim they want him to track down some ancestors of theirs in Scotland. In reality, however, they want to use his office so they can rob a safe in the room immediately below his office. Stubbins takes the job (which is designed to keep him out of the office). In the end Stubbins realises his mistake and at a Christmas Eve fancy dress party he informs a group of carol singing policeman about the Americans’ nefarious activities.

Cast

as Benjamin Stubbins *

as Willie the office boy *

as Lady Margaret Wimpleton *

Hartley Power Hartley Power (14 March 1894 – 29 January 1966) was an American-born British film and television actor, who made his Broadway debut in ''Dolly Jordan'' in 1922. He is best remembered for two roles: "Sylvester Kee" the ventriloquist who is shot ...

as Duke Wilson *

Gina Malo Gina Malo (born Janet Flynn; June 1, 1909 – November 30, 1963) was an American film actress, born Janet Flynn in Cincinnati, Ohio. She appeared in a number of British films in the 1930s, often playing an American. Early career Though born i ...

as Goldie Kelly *

H. F. Maltby Henry Francis Maltby (25 November 1880 – 25 October 1963) was a prolific writer for the London stage and British cinema from after the First World War, until the 1950s. He also appeared in many films. Life and career Born in Ceres, Cape Co ...

as Sir Roger Wimpleton *

Peggy Simpson Peggy Simpson (4 July 1913 in Leeds, West Riding of Yorkshire – 1 January 1994 in London) was a British actress. She appeared twice for director Alfred Hitchcock in '' The 39 Steps'' (1935) and ''Young and Innocent'' (1937). Partial filmograp ...

as Barbara Stubbins *

Gibb McLaughlin George McLoughlin (19 July 1879 – 30 June 1961), known professionally as Gibb McLaughlin, was an English film and stage actor. Early days McLaughlin was born in Sunderland, County Durham, England in 1879. For about 10 years he was a sale ...

as Martin * Eddie Houghton as 'Slug' * Hal Waters as 'Nick' * John Turnbull as Detective Collins * Sybil Brooke as the Landlady *

Davina Craig Davina Whitehouse (born Eileen Eliza Smith; 16 December 1912 – 25 December 2002), also known by the stage name Davina Craig before her marriage, was an English-born actress, acclaimed for her roles on stage and film in her native land in the ...

as 'Lucie' *

Mickey Brantford Mickey Brantford (26 March 1911 – 18 October 1984) was an English actor and film production manager . Mickey Brantford was born Michael Richard Henry Comerford into a theatrical family, in London. He began his career in the silent film era as ...

as 'Jimmy' * Henry Adnes as the Pawnbroker *

Frederick Piper Frederick Piper (23 September 1902 – 22 September 1979) was an English actor of stage and screen who appeared in over 80 films and many television productions in a career spanning over 40 years. Piper studied drama under Elsie Fogerty at the ...

as a Fingerprint expert

External links

* 1936 films 1930s crime comedy films British crime comedy films British black-and-white films Films directed by William Beaudine Films produced by Michael Balcon 1936 comedy films 1930s English-language films 1930s British films {{1930s-UK-comedy-film-stub