George Formby - Mr Wu's A Window Cleaner Now

From the film "Let George Do It" (1940) starring George Formby, Phyllis Calvert, Garry Marsh and Hal Gordon. Composed by George Formby, Fred E. Cliffe & Harry Gifford.

[@Asenceana]

I'm Chinese and I love this song. And the Uke. Who cares? It's a funny song:)

[@davidiainmcmahon]

I'll never understand why people are so down on his singing. It may not be clean or rich but it's warm and charming all the same. His little laughs in this one are guaranteed to bring a smile.

[@roblister5183]

Much Love to me Grandad, who we sadly said goodbye to today. Used to listen to George in his car without my Grandma knowing. Had to be the last thing i listened to today.

[@helenhancock9919]

I was brought up on George Formby and Al Jolson. Our dad could play the uke like no one I know. Sadly dad's not with us anymore 😢 to hear this music

[@AlexanderBartolini]

Every time you listen to the music he's right there with you your dad gets to meet George formby himself

[@azillliasmith2734]

@@AlexanderBartolini ❤❤

[@azillliasmith2734]

❤❤

[@wildfire7250]

Simply a legend great uke player and his films and music puts a big smile on your face I love George 😊

[@alanrandall49]

What a great entertainer, when I'm feeling down listening to George Formby songs never fails to put a smile back on my face!

[@enriquedario2835]

You all probably dont give a shit but does any of you know of a tool to log back into an instagram account..? I was stupid lost my account password. I love any tips you can give me.

[@deandrekylo1625]

@Enrique Dario instablaster =)

[@sniff001]

George Formby - may his music live on forever. He is a legend not to be forgotten.

[@kylekay5894]

Omg. My dads a window cleaner,can remember my dad singing this when I was 5-7 years old and finally found it. Mission accomplished! (Happy thoughts)

[@lindamanas954]

Love the way the orchestra join in

[@barr474]

A comic policeman. Today we've got thousands of 'em, and they're not acting!

[@thepeachandyellowsky]

James Herriot's Dog Stories brought me here just now. Watching Formby makes me feel happy.

[@skywalkerranch]

His eyesight getting better but his nose is getting flatter just awesome.

[@Westlake62]

He is a master at the uke - and If his songs don't put a smile on your face, not much will!

[@BrianParkes-qg9oj]

All these comments are wonderful, I've pressed the like button on all that I've read up until now, brilliant George formby, a time which seems so innocent compared to today. He was a delight as we're his films. A time lost forever, we are the poorer for that. Joyous memories. Thank you George.

[@EAJ-ik8ld]

This cheeky bloke and his uke are absolute treasures. No question about it.

[@owendureke5148]

George Formby is the business. I have a ukulele of my own.

[@liverpoolreds8]

I watched Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and I couldn't get this out of my head.

[@waynepanter6919]

Same here lol😂😂😂

[@graemeyetts3465]

He was a really good comic actor. Earning huge money for these films too.

[@richardmerriman4347]

Apparently his father,a comedian was also paid fortunes when appearing on stage

[@billygillan821]

This is from one of the greatest British movie's ever made,and has the famous scene were George fall's a sleep and dreams he beats up Hitler up,which at the time caused the great when Britain was great public to stand and cheer in the cinema's.

[@MKBlackcollar]

I'm a middle-aged Chinese guy and don't find this song racist as it isn't derogatory. It is just a funny enjoyable song about a Chinese window cleaner.

[@azillliasmith2734]

😊❤ x x 👍🏻

[@littleneddygoestowar]

How this was tied into the movie was masterful. It's how Peter knew his calls were being listened in on. In the late 70s if you heard this in the background of a phone call and then heard some bloke humming it 5 minutes later the chances of it being a mere coincident are nil. That movie is just so subtly yet masterfully crafted. I used to be a Robert Ludlum fan but as I grow a bit older I really have come to appreciate LeCarre and his ability to weave a plot. Nobody does it better.

[@jilltaylor-keck9075]

Love these. Takes me back to times when I used to listen to George Formby with my dad.

[@garethflattery3010]

I love the actor slightly broke character when hearing George play 0:55

[@MatSymmonds]

I don't care if he's a vacuum cleaner 😂

[@emcarn8187]

He brought so much joy to people, especially during the Second World War. He was banned occasionally from BBC Radio due to his lyrics. It is interesting to hear him bend notes 30+ years before the late Eddy Van Halen. He also had an influence on a young physics and astronomy student who also craved a career in music. Brian May from Queen used his father’s George Formby uke banjo in 2 songs; Bring Back That Leroy Brown and Good Company.

[@grahamwoodhams6512]

God Bless George and a great entertainer This what the Great in Britain ❤❤❤

[@holydiver73]

This Mr Wu couldn't hold down a bloody permanent job. First he owns a laundry, then he's a window cleaner and later he becomes an air raid warden. Work shy Wu's what used to call him. GEORGE WAS A GENIUS!

[@geocachingwomble]

He joined the RAF too

[@AlanGeorgeBates-oj9zr]

What a great song upbeat attitude please keep this music Going.

[@lindamanas954]

These songs are pretty difficult to sing. The melodies leap about all over the place. George had an excellent sense of pitch.and to play the ukelele at the same time as singing is very difficult. He was an excellent musician.

[@emergengy]

Originally it's a 1970's Cold War spy novel by John le Carre. Over 30 years ago there was a popular BBC miniseries adaptation of it, and recently there was a movie version, which is the one that features this song in one scene. It's easily one of my favourite films of the past several years.

[@jenniferjones188]

Mum and dad loved George Formby during the 2nd world war he was fun.

[@mkcwebmaster]

@godznuts I won't argue with you about his singing (although let's not forget, this is comedy) - but if you're questioning George Formby's uke playing skills then you've lost the plot - he is the greatest master of the uke ever to have lived and there's plenty of footage to prove it.

[@pdxraj]

It's not racist - lots of Chinese people were in the laundry business in those days. It's stereotypical definitely but not racist. And George Formby definitely wasn't a racist. It's a pretty offensive accusation to make lightly.

[@TOMMII0108]

"Mr Wu's an air raid warden" is worse!

[@qcompressed1409]

Segregation was still a thing back then you know it didn’t get better till the 60s

[@ultrademigod]

@@qcompressed1409 We never had segregation in Britain.

[@themadplotter]

nobody asked you

[@themadplotter]

@Paul In Kyushu i wasn't talking to you paulie paulson so fuckoff back to your sun newspaper eh?

[@marinavsevolodovna7537]

Excelente 👌 ❤

[@grandslam1998]

Makes you proud to British. Bravo.Bravo

[@skywalkerranch]

It's just awesome.

[@newtonwhatevs]

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy got me here.

[@ukuleletutorials1383]

My favourite :)

[@seanmoyses]

oh...he mostly certainly could play the ukulele!!!!! George was at his best in these days. He inspired a battle beaten public (London and the cities we bombed on a monthly basis) to look towards happier times. Thankfully they came. This music is happy 70 years later.

[@goldadavydova9493]

Love George Formby style!!! All time great!

[@ozzy2000]

hes buried in warringtons cemetry with a big stage as his grave stone he was real good

[@SirReginaldBlomfield1234]

I think Garry Marsh is the only person I've heard pronounce Vacuum correctly !

[@ChrisJohnson-cv4ot]

It was about giving our soldiers moral during WW2

[@TheMrGilatar]

I absolutely agree. It's such a wonderfully refreshing thing to see in today's entertainment world of clichés and tired plots.

[@raymondstockbridge7334]

'Outside line, sir.. someone rough.' - hysterical and tense bit!

[@davidells6760]

Big Audio Dynamite brought me here …

[@edwardianeccentric]

I'd agree but with clarification: he is the greatest master of the banjo ukelee played in a quite specific style, that he made all his own.

[@inconceivabledark]

Thrash that axe George! Brilliant stuff, before my time but still gotta love it

[@AlexGreenwoodUkulele]

I've been a fan of his for years. Little did I know that his old home, Beryldene, is about 1.3 miles away from my house. Got a little blue plaque on the wall outside the wall. Very nice to know my favourite performer also lived very, very close to where I live. My friend's great-granddad has a picture of him and George Formby. My friends great-granddad used to fix Georges Bentley because he was the only person qualified to fix those specific Bentleys in the area at the time. It's also cool to find that a friend has someone in his family who met Formby. Wonder if I'll make any more discoveries within the next few weeks? :3333

[@keefmeister77]

Damn, did Beryl make him name it after her? I heard she was quite domineering....

[@AlexGreenwoodUkulele]

+keefmeister77 Sadly so. Beryl was very much commanding over George, although George would never argue as he'd risk his career if he was to lose Beryl. As with every house they lived in, it was named Beryldene. The auction of the possessions was bad enough, but when the will was sent out, it sent shock everywhere. The main thing is, Beryl was controlling over George, so much so that she went about having surgery so that she could not reproduce after sexual intercourse, as she was "disgusted of the idea of having sex".

[@womba68]

"All day long he wants to keep on running up the ladder", perhaps the finest double entendre ever.

[@ringo1029384756]

Peter Guillam and George Smiley brought me here.

[@superoct113]

ringo1029384756 me too ......

[@natsui877]

ringo1029384756 me too !!!

[@chengyizhou6252]

+ringo1029384756 Same here..

[@morse86]

+ringo1029384756 Yeah me too :)

[@Bunkerhillburning]

+ringo1029384756 Big Audio Dynamite brought me here.

[@greenmorris37]

The way he puts that little chord slide-up in, at 2:35. Masterful!

[@jameshorn270]

I have a CD of British wartime songs. In a later recording, Mr. Wu became an air raid warden.

[@JJMCB26]

I love this, it's like "Chinese Laundry Blues" and "When I'm Cleaning Windows" rolled into one epic tune :)

[@TheBritishpopstar]

2.57 he just so one off his own a spirit you never see gain the one and only what a lovely personaltey you rock

[@seanryan3020]

I know the opening lines from Big Audio Dynamite's "Dragon Town."

[@themadplotter]

Excellent taste in music brought me here.

[@gremlinuk1968]

1st hear, when I was a kid 70s, ,when on tv, back then,!

[@hughtierneytierney3585]

He was the biggest cinema box office attraction in Britain during world war two, so nuts to Hollywood and nads to Clark Gable &c. I'm sorry there wasn't more swearing in his films though.

[@gremlinuk1968]

1st hear , was play early 70s , as a kid !!

[@fanshaw2012]

widely mourned by millions - a true giant in his heyday and a virtuoso on his banjo-uke loved him since a kid and saw him on TV each and every week

[@ryancagna]

so cool

[@tooslimnc]

So did I! Had to go looking for it :-D

[@mkcwebmaster]

Gammy is a slang word with several meanings. I usually take the word as meaning mouldy or rotten or "yucky" but I can't think how that meaning could apply here. Knicks are knickers of course (in those days, probably big bloomers) - or panties as our American friends call them.

[@MACKEYUNLIMITED]

It was purely a sarcastic comment . You reply is exactly the response I was looking for. Very well done !

[@SHARKOON752]

Lovely teeth and lovely smile

[@charizard4410]

George Formby is so funny why cant comedians now days try as hard as he did instead of all the vulgar language nudity and sex jokes

[@whitmanalleman2393]

But... You do realize this guy also made sex jokes, right? Not to mention, as the person below me states, a little racist. But, you know, whatever foma you like, old chap. Good song none the less.

[@MsMrReason]

George was precursor to Frankie Howerd, Carry Ons and Are you Being Served. he was actually quite smutty if you listen to the lyrics.

[@bryanmaloney1953]

Whitman Alleman, he did it with style, a clever phrase, and an implied wink. That's the difference.

[@ivanhenderson31]

Thank you! Excellent comment that describes what Americans call now-a-days "humor"

[@Doppelfrog]

@@MsMrReason My little stick of Blackpool Rock...

[@graemeyetts3465]

One of the skills is his use of rhythm and phrasing

[@11nytram11]

@godznuts Formby was a comedy act. He didn't need a great voice. His charm was in his affable nature and his unrivaled skill on the Ukulele (as well as many double entendres which were risque for his era). Few people in the world have mastered the split-stroke and even fewer can reach Formby's level, his solo's are the stuff of legend in Ukulele circles. Some Ukulele circles in th UK get fed up with being linked to him just because of the Ukulele but none question his skills.

[@ChunkieTehMaster]

play on bro, and my you live on forever.

[@mkcwebmaster]

Yep. Brilliant isn't he!

[@simplethunder]

1:20 He invented trolling? Love that facial expression.

[@srterwin2]

Spike Milligan's revisitation of this song in the 'Hitler Sings' sketch is just hilarious... pure genius... (can't post the link though, it won't let me...)

[@happydays2all1]

XXX. Classic.

[@davidgrahamscott]

@firevorm yES!! u R SOOOO RIGHT!!

[@thetetons744]

This was sampled in big audio dynamite's "dragon town"

[@gday1111111]

Goes hard

[@VidushaShavinda]

tinker tailor Soldier Spy brought me heree

[@mkcwebmaster]

@davidatownsend - I looked it up. it's spelled CAMI (according to Wikipedea).

[@declangane]

@mkcwebmaster the absolute master!

[@superjules]

@mkcwebmaster I don't know about that. Ever hear of Roy Smeck?

[@jsnbeat]

@mkcwebmaster technically that would make them gammy knicks then eh! Rotten, yucky knickers ....

[@perwalden57]

Do anyone know wich band playing behind Formby? BBC dance orchestra or just an all star band?

[@leegoodspeed812]

immortal.

[@freemanv4056]

I don't care if he's a vacu-yum cleaner.

[@RetroPlus]

Windas. Nice accent!

[@mattwebster6346]

George has his own chapter in the Big Book of British Smiles

[@EliasCrowe]

LOL @ 1:21 . I wasn't expecting that.

[@kb5dpx]

I love the guy on the bass behind George toward the end of the clip -- he's having such a good time. But then, George almost always had that effect on both his listeners and fellow musicians. :)

[@MACKEYUNLIMITED]

It was meant in Sarcasm , but thanx for the comment !

[@viciazzo]

me too, but still wonder why they choose this particular song...

[@MargotDarby]

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

[@DisgruntledVlog]

Gimme two seconds.... Searching my desk... Nope, no fucks to give. Historical is the correct word.

[@nancejo]

@superjules How many movies did Roy Smeck star in?

[@inspiredau5878]

the PlayStation eye toy starter game brought me here

[@Imshotmate]

his mimics me think of the lololo man.

[@isaweesaw]

@PilesDriver how is it?

[@mkcwebmaster]

OK, I've checked up. It's not gammy (haha, that was ringobingodingo being daft! [earlier comment]). It's "cammie", which is a type of fabric I think.

[@johnguthrie7141]

Camiknickers

[@SippingYack4ever]

I thought he was about to break in to Kiss by Prince

[@isaweesaw]

@Flossferry i what way?