Too many fans seem to be blown away

Most undeservingly overhyped movie of all time??

It's a mild crowd pleaser for people who are exhausted by blockbusters.

Blending excellent reporting and strong storytelling, this is a disturbing film truly stranger than fiction

"Band Waggon" marked the cinema of vaudeville entertainer Arthur Askey and his comedy partner Richard Murdoch. The title of the film is taken from a successful radio comedy from the B.B.C, staring Askey and Murdoch. The plot is absolutely non-existent as this vehicle is merely a way of advertising new talent from "Gainsborough" studios. The whole thing has dated badly and the comedy is outnumbered by those bloody music numbers - with less than successful results! Every time someone begins singing, I immediately fast forward my DVD of "Band Waggon." Moore Marriott makes another appearance as Harbottle but is thoroughly wasted, as is Peter Gawthorne. Both actors were put to FAR better use in Will Hay comedies. The subplot about a group of Nazis hiding out in a supposedly haunted house is both lame and poorly handled. It was only added into the film as an afterthought. The only remotely positive thing I can throw in the film's direction, is that at least Arthur Askey and Richard Murdoch are able to communicate on the same wavelength as each other. In hindsight, they should have stayed together for more films after 1941. A curious museum piece but nothing more.

George Formby's nearest rival was small-in-stature but loud-of- voice, Arthur Askey. Askey always introduced himself as "Big-Hearted Arthur" on his radio program. Needless to say that Askey's movie appearances were strongly supported by this hit BBC radio program, "Band Waggon", which was itself turned into this wonderfully daft musical comedy (featuring Jack Hylton's band and a round dozen musical numbers) in 1940. In the West End, the movie "Band Waggon" ran 85 minutes, but it was cut to 80 minutes for general release. ITV claim their DVD is the original 85 minutes version. It's possible, even though the present master negative itself is only 7,163 feet (= 79.5 minutes). TV airings have always used this version. As I say, it's possible ITV managed to get hold of an original 35mm or 16mm print. I'd be pleasantly surprised if this was the case, but frankly I'm not prepared to spend $16 or so to find out, even though the 7,163 feet version definitely belongs on any list of Britain's top musical comedies. In short, "Band Waggon" is a most amusing free-for-all of satire, one-liners, slapstick chases, comic cut-ups and lavish production numbers, all expertly rendered by a gifted cast directed by Marcel Varnel.

A couple years ago, I discovered that there are lots of wonderful films free for download in the public domain. Among these are a lot of films from Gainsborough Pictures. While I like the Will Hay ones quite a bit and am glad I discovered his film, for the life of me I cannot understand the appeal of Arthur Askey. Perhaps if I were a Brit and grew up with him--all I know is that the 6-8 films of his that I have seen simply don't appeal to me. And, I am not sure I'll ever acquire a taste for his style of singing and mugging.Apparently, Askey became famous for his BBC show "Band Waggon" and this is a movie that is based just a tiny bit on it--though it's complete fiction. The film finds a group of musicians out of work--the same can be said for Askey and his partner, Richard "Stinker" Murdoch. But the two groups don't find each other until much later in the film. In the meantime, Murdoch and Askey have a run-in with a seemingly haunted castle. It really isn't, but Moore Marriott runs about the place scaring people and pretending to be a ghost. I really wish they'd done MUCH more of this, as Marriott is a very funny supporting actor and I would have enjoyed more humor and far less singing in this film. Regardless, the pair run away from the castle and meet up with the unemployed musicians. Then, they learn that the ghost was NOT a ghost and they and their musician friends return to the castle. There they find TV equipment (something still in its infancy) and decide that instead of asking more questions, they'll just put on a show and broadcast it. In the meantime, there are Nazi spies running about--and the equipment is theirs--as are some stolen secret plans. It all becomes very confusing and instead of really straightening it all out, they have a long series of musical and comedy sketches they broadcast to Britain.I think my biggest problem with the film was Askey, though all the singing didn't help, either. Askey was just obnoxious--loud, unfunny and talentless. His singing in the quintet was a skit with no humor and he just came off as a boorish idiot. In fact, I found it a chore to watch--except when Moore Marriott was in the film. Overall, a bad film that ages very poorly. It's incoherence and bizarre plot was not a problem (after all, I liked "Hellzapoppin" with Olson and Johnson) but Askey was. What a horrible little man.

Directed by Marcel Varnel and starring Arthur Askey, Richard Murdoch, Patricia Kirkwood and Moore Marriott, Band Waggon is based on the hugely popular BBC radio show of the same name. Band Waggon is very much a British throwback to a time when comedy was almost chaotic in execution, where malarkey ruled the wave. To that end the film is a sure fire hit, performances are hitting the right notes and direction from the fabulous Varnel is suitably breezy. Within the running time of under 85 minutes, film is chocked full of enough set-ups to fill out another movie as well, there is no doubting the value for money given to British cinema goers back in 1940. Sample songs, shenanigans, spies and spirits along the way, and film closes with an elongated song and show routine as a time bomb cheerily ticks down to potential detonation.It's hardly great comedy and it's far from being Askey's best film, but it has some solid laughs and it remains eternally silly for all the right cinematic reasons. 6/10