GAUGE THE ISSUE: The Next Train's Gone! (Oh, Mr Porter review)

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This is a video critique. All images and footage are referenced under Section 107 "fair use" guidelines.
'The Titfield Thunderbolt' is copyright of Studio Canal.
'Ace Ventura - Pet Detective' is copyright of Morgan Creek Ent.
'Airplane' is copyright of Paramount.
'Brief Encounter' and 'Oh Mr Porter' are copyright of Carlton.
'The Ghost Train' is copyright of Gainsborough Films.
'The Wrecker' is copyright of Network.
Dad's Army is copyright of the BBC.
All material is referenced under the US Copyright Act within Section 107's "fair use" guidelines. Most images are licensed under Creative Commons 2.0 and 3.0, OR are in the Public Domain. All Third Party content is referenced under the US Copyright Act within Section 107's "fair use" guidelines.

[@irsw51]

I remember Jimmy Perry saying that when he was mulling over writing a comedy about the Home Guard he saw ''Oh Mr Porter ' and realised that a basic ingredient of a good comedy was an old man, a boy and a pompous man. So he came up with Jones, Pike and Mainwaring. See also Fathers Jack, Dougal and Ted or Grandad, Rodney and Del Boy, etc etc.

[@shaylawton]

Let’s not forget Uncle Albert

[@angelsone-five7912]

My Dad`s favourite film which he introduced me to about 60 years or more ago, I have been a Will Hay fan ever since. This film does NOT need remaking, you can`t improve on perfection.

[@leeproctor7622]

I absolutely love Will Hay and all of his films I could watch this film forever I laugh all the way through it it's a classic 😂😂❤

[@andrewwilliams2353]

I reckon that the sort of people who enjoyed it when it was first released are the same sort of people in these days who would still enjoy a bit of silly fun. Not everyone appreciates silliness but I find it really helps you along in an often dismal world.

[@shaylawton]

The tunnel seen in the opening credits is not Salisbury Tunnel, it’s actually Waller’s Ash Tunnel, it’s located on the LSWR (now SWR) main line between Winchester and Micheldever and still exists today, the only difference is that the line is now electrified with a 3rd rail system

[@BuggleskellyStation]

Nice review Chris. It's a timeless film and will always be my favourite.

[@ajaxengineco]

You only mentioned it off-hand, but ever since reading the book, I'd kill for an adaptation of Jennie in the style of God's Wonderful Railway.

[@atilllathehun1212]

My two boys, born late 80s and early 90s, loved this film. I still watch it every now and again.

[@fenlinescouser4105]

I'd like to see a biopic of Will Hay himself. I read a biography many years ago and was both amazed and fascinated.

[@jodypitt3629]

Hi Chris, I've drawn both the station and the 2-4-0T locomotive, formerly named "Northiam".

[@gmscms1]

I always drew parallels between oh mr porter and hot fuzz. Similar stories and both classics!

[@yesihavereadit]

Clocks, we get a new one everytime a station manager dies!

[@SilverGear_]

I would love to see Jennie adapted for the screen. It's a hidden gem that while being a bit dated in one or two scenes, it really is a cozy story set in a surprisingly well built world with consistent illustrations to boot. Been enamoured with it since I read it.

[@57305northernprincess]

I had a idea of turning Oh Mister Porter into a sitcom series

[@samuelfarris1949]

A very good evaluation of why the film still holds up today. Regarding the point made of how Will Hay's work inspired Dad's Army over a bumbling lead, it should be pointed out while Will Hay is placed into a situation with no idea of its particularities, Captain Mainwaring is blinded by legit misgivings over class distinction. The comedy in Dad's Army principally relates back to juxtaposition of humanity, in comparison to Oh Mr Porter using wordplay and setups to drive the crucial beats. Now for the comparison made to The Titfield Thunderbolt, I find it interesting that Oh Mr Porter toys with the concept of lore to its setting - as notably reflected in the exploited myth of the miller that supposedly has caused Buggleskelly station to assume its abandoned status - whereas Titfield's comes across more as an anchorage for the main plot device with very little in lore attached to it. This helps keep the plot focused on its crucial elements, but on the other hand leaves you wondering just how this impacts the characters outside of the obvious. Regards, Samuel Farris.

[@JohnDavies-cn3ro]

I've always loved this film; saw it as a child and have my own copy - indeed, like many enthusiasts can virtually recite the script word for word. Surprisingly the curator of the West Clare Railway Museum at Malahide told me he's never seen it! Yes, it is still funny, in a quiet, gentle way. Sublte little jokes - the cow named 'Lost in Transit' for example, Harbottle being the centre forward for the Buggleskelly Swifts, or the old postman with his constant chant of "Ye're waistin' yer time" are just unforgettable. Indeed, one authority considers it the best British film of the pre-war years, which is saying something. Incidentally, besides loaning 'Northiam' for the film, the KESR was also used in an early post-war film, "The Loves of Joanna Godden' (with Chips Rafferty) in which one of the Terriers makes a brief (all of ten seconds) appearance. "The Ghost Train" is best known now for the wartime Arthur Askey version, which you include a clip from; updated so the villains are a Nazi fifth column, and tailoured for Arthur's style of comedy. There were earlier versions - thankfully most of the 1933 version was rescued in time to save it from decomposition. In the original, the villains are either Bolshevicks or IRA gun runers; the railway sequences were filmed on the Lympley Stoke to Camerton line, and also at Barmouth. Clips from them were used in the Askey film, but the original is much, much better. If you want another laugh, try reading the subtitles to this programme - some of them are hilarious in regard to the misrepresentation of what's being said. The machine can't keep up with Will and Co.

[@Rog5446]

Moore Marriott was only 52 when this film was made, but you would have thought he was at least 80. Will Hay was a very fine amateur astronomer and has an asteroid named after him called Asteroid 3125 Hay.

[@highpath4776]

It is the location of Buggleskelly that gets me, the station is set in Northern Ireland but the lines in each direction run into the republic, which affects the routes that onward journeys can go to , and there were some difficulties in crossing the border with some commercial freights and so on, and gives the gun runners two sources if desired to pick up supplies. indeed would such a station exist , under the control of one company while the line itself must generally be run by another (From a different company) no wonder nothing stopped there.

[@rjmun580]

The title of the film and the name of the lead character came from the Victorian music hall song of the same name.

[@johnjephcote7636]

I still read 'Gentlemen' as 'Cheltenham'. Nobody understands me or whence I acquired this mis-reading.

[@fordson51]

Two of the first British comedies I watched were Oh Mr Porter wnd the Ghost Train. They were funny films when i first saw them and still are funny almost ten years after first seeing them. While dated, I agree thta they aged well and can stand up to time purely for there comedic simplicity that makes them as good as they are.

[@VictorTanzig1]

Just watched this. You're right about it still being funny. Excellent performances. You're right about that ending - very tragic. Thanks for recommending this.

[@tonypetts6663]

It's not that the comedy is outdated, it's the fact that people have lost the ability to understand the comedy based on its own time, not now.

[@eliotreader8220]

is the mainline engine a T3. I believe Gladstone in real life was actually built in the 1890s

[@melchestermodelrailway]

Nice review Chris, although I remember my ticket being collected at the destination in the late 80's, so not a practice that only occurred during the steam era.

[@jackpayne5101]

Will Hay was brilliant especially when he was with the other two, if any time you are in need of a laugh these films are a go to. ' With his ear hole painted green' 😅

[@akula9713]

The characters are just lovable. Plus as an older gent, it takes me back to a time that was not so crude, so serious. Today’s so called comedians cannot do a set without mentioning some bodily function or act.

[@nathantew946]

9:54. The ghost train would make a good Halloween episode. Or talk about Charles Dickens is the signalman if you want to give people nightmares.

[@Jaidencharlotte]

Will there be a gti on The Ghost Train?

[@furripupau]

Oh, Mr Porter! has aged better than some of the other Will Hay films, a number of which are so steeped in the jingoism of the day that it's "amusing" to put it politely. The humor in Oh, Mr Porter! is really about the best there is to get out of a comedy from the 1930s, easily on par with the best of the films from contemporary comedians like W.C. Fields or the Marx Brothers, and demonstrates a sort of intricate joke crafting, honed in that era, but which is sadly missing from modern comedy flicks.

[@joshslater2426]

So this is where that other loco called Gladstone comes from? Interesting. Also thanks for the nod to Fawlty Towers. A few details of it won’t get past today’s PC audience, but nearly all of the jokes are timeless and utterly hilarious. Good thing I’ve got a DVD of the show so I can watch all the greatness uncensored.

[@maestromecanico597]

Much obliged for bringing this to my attention.

[@tonystrainsofrugby6871]

My personal favourite :) I did show it to a mutual friend of ours and despite whinging about the fact it was black and white (probably the biggest boundary to a lot of new audiences) he seemed to quite enjoy it. Noticeable laughter at the "who can we get to Connemara?" scene. I think a lot of us can identify to Hay's incompetent authority figure due to having encountered many of them in our day to day lives (although rarely as funny as Hay). For me the famous putting the clock back scene is made by Albert's semi-sarcastic retort "I'm sorry, you're right" just as the exhaust appears in the background to confirm Porter is anything but right. I must admit as a child I never knew what Quincy was (more commonly known as Tonsillitis these days I guess) so had assumed that the farmer's wife had a litter of her own rather than an illness in the same way that Porter does lol

[@annoyingbstard9407]

Quinsy. Still a medical term today. I have one at the moment!

[@tonystrainsofrugby6871]

@@annoyingbstard9407 really? Well everyday is a school day, thank you :) great KZbin name btw, I should probably change mine to that lol

[@caledonianrailway1233]

Will you be reviewing that film about the Caledonian sleeper I forgot the name it’s still being made

[@marquonuk]

My favourite Will Hay film. The best comedy is usually a combo of different comedic styles (as here), if only so that if not every style appeals, most viewers can find something to enjoy. If when watching this for the first time, a viewer doesn't "get" the comedy acting talent of Hay and the supporting actors, it's really their loss. With older films/TV shows, especially B/W ones, it's necessary to watch it in "time context". In other words, to judge it fairly you need to try to accept/ignore the foibles/prejudices/differences of the time in which it was made and attempt to view and enjoy what's presented before you in a positive spirit. :-)

[@mels1811]

Brilliant video Chris

[@davidreed9671]

It's an excellent entertaining silly comedy, that is it, no analysis needed

[@ChristheXelent]

Ah, but surely the reasons why it's entertaining are worth talking about in the name of getting more people to see it, right?

[@russellnixon9981]

Enjoyed this well made and fun.

[@MrDavil43]

As a railways-of-old enthusiast I have watched Oh Mr Porter countless times. Surely the portrayal of stereotyped Irishmen is not really acceptable these days, nor, possibly, is the concept of an English chap being sent over to "manage" the station. But when I watch an old film I try to see it in the mores of the time it was made.

[@treblebass6721]

I believe Arnold Ridley was Daisy Ridley's Great Uncle NOT Great Grandfather!

[@kineticrail]

Absolutely love oh mr porter. Watching this I now have to sit and watch the film. My favourite will hay was call a policeman

[@hornet1068]

Saw this film many many many years ago and loved it, still do, so much so that i had to virtually scour the T`interweb to get a DVD copy a could watch without my eyes failing due to crappy quality. it was brilliant, lent it to a friend to watch and never got it back! Bye Bye, Ex friend!

[@basicallywellfed3453]

I don't remember any comedy films of this vintage using ANY racial or sexist references. That came later , and really on TV, except in adventure / action films, generally where the portrayal ethic charaters was not for laughs, but were just appalingly bad (of a type written about by George Orewell - Boys Weeklies[collected works]) written by writers unlikely to have met an Asian or African in any situation. .

[@mrsprincess6152]

Mi name's Murphy and I wants Mi 🐖 🐖 🐖 😂❤

[@Sammy1234568910]

Both Oh Dr Beeching and Oh Mr Porter titles are inspired by the music hall song 'oh Mr Porter' and both use the tune in their theme songs all be it with the lyrics changed l, particularly in Oh Dr Beeching where an entire new song is written. I love this film but then again I am a rail enthusiast but I've also watched a couple other Will Hay films like Ask a policeman and while I don't think they are as good they are still funny from what I've seen (all be not all have aged as well as Oh Mr Porter).

[@laurenceskinnerton73]

I love O Mr.Porter,it’s brilliant!

[@daveyspider]

will hay briliant

[@PhilMacVee]

I think that Barry Norman could do a better job on this. I think he's dead and turning! A review that floats all over the place and cites so many other pieces...... give us peace!

[@ChristheXelent]

Reckon Rush Limbaugh could provide slicker feedback. He seems to be under an' all. A comment that seems all over the shop and doesn't cite any point in particular... give us clarity!

[@jamesthomas5109]

Love this movie 🎬 so classic 😊

[@Nastyswimmer]

0:56 - Oh come on Chris "My crew and me" - not "my crew and I".

[@ChristheXelent]

Take that up with Inspector Fowler, if you wish. He might have a few things to say about it

[@johnbristow5665]

Bril cast brill script. Those 3 the only fools and horses. Incidently the BBC in the sixties would only play bits as it was a bran new film? Aunty Beeb

[@railfan0083]

Based, well done Chris! 😊

[@caledonianrailway1233]

Where can I watch it

[@Jaidencharlotte]

You can find the full film on KZbin

[@Sleepygames101]

hi

[@barleyarrish]

'next trains gone'

[@ronaldpainting5614]

British comedy used to be the best in the world. Censoring everything from the past to suit todays audiences is like a despot changing history. Leave it alone, hands off British comedy. Due to this happening here i cancelled my T V licence two years ago. If you want to see the other side of Will Hay he was a very serious amateur astronomer. If you don`t like it, don`t watch it, your not being forced too.

[@mbak7801]

Censoring comedy is never acceptable. If you think something is wrong be civilised and keep your opinion to yourself.

[@nickgower8681]

People these days are so offended at anything. Pathetic

[@ListerDavid]

There’s only one thing I can say about this review. You’re wasting your time.

[@johnathanrowley2707]

The woke is ruining comedy especially old sitcoms ,the wil hay collection is great

[@phaasch]

" Oh Mr Porter" has an appalling ladk of diversity. All 3 leads are white, straight males. A remake (perhaps by the Disney corporation) could depict how things REALLY were in 1937 ;-))