Sailors Three (1940)
Directed by Walter Forde

Film Review

Sailors Three was the first and most popular of the comedies that Tommy Trinder made for Ealing Studios, and also the film that marked the end of director Walter Forde's association with the company.  This is the film that secured Trinder's place in the movies and bought him a place in the nation's heart, boosting the morale of his country at a time of crisis and anxiety.  Britain's favourite cheeky chappie is at his funniest, getting the laughs with ease through a successful partnership with two other comedic talents, Claude Hulbert and Michael Wilding.  Rumour has it that the film was originally conceived as a vehicle for John Mills.

The story, inspired by the Battle of the River Plate, is a familiar one in which British nerve and ingenuity triumph over Nazi thuggishness (the Germans even threaten to shoot women and children!), and the special effects now look even more dated than the clichés.  However, the jokes are top-notch and invariably hit the mark, thanks to the perfect split-second timing of the three leads.  Two cheery musical numbers sung by Trinder (a respectable songster as well as a mirth-maker) add to the gaiety of the affair, helping to make this a gem of a classic comedy.  Ah, us lucky people.

Film Synopsis

During WWII, a British destroyer, H.M.S. Ferocious, patrols the South Atlantic, her mission: to locate and destroy the German pocket battleship Ludendorf.  Whilst the ship refuels in Brazil, three of its crew - Tommy, Lulu and Johnny - pay a visit to a night club in search of female company.  Attracted by Lulu's sister Jane, Tommy boards her ship just as she is about to set sail for England with her family.  The three sailors end up in the ship's bar and become so drunk that they do not realise the ship has left port.  In an attempt to get back to their own ship, Tommy and his friends set off in a pilot boat, but end up climbing aboard the Ludendorf...