MY LEARNED FRIEND

GB
1943
1hr 14mins
Dirs: Basil Dearden and Will Hay
Starring: Will Hay and Mervyn Johns

A seedy lawyer finds himself marked down for assassination by a forger whom he previously defended unsuccessfully

This comedy farce was Will Hay’s last film, and the humour took on a distinctively darker turn than in his earlier films but it is still a riot. It climaxes with Will Hay, Claude Hulbert and Mervyn Johns fighting on the clock face of Big Ben. Well they aren’t really of course as it is all studio-bound but the clever set up features back-projection of Westminster Bridge ‘down below’ and trams are visible as part of this.

As Will Hay clings to the side of Big Ben three trams can be seen crossing Westminster Bridge
And now its the turn of Mervyn Johns to play the fool. Three more trams are visible below, two of which are passing each other in exact symmetry!
Will Hay nearly goes over the edge. On the far right of this frame, two further trams can be made out.