George v Ronald
‘Get
Cracking’ was released in May 1943 – that same month George Formby turned 39
years of age. His film career was
drawing to a close, only 4 more would follow, with ‘Civvy Street’ being his
final release three years later. At this point in time, his work in
entertaining the troops for ENSA was as well-known as his on-screen
entertainments. Perhaps you could say that ‘Get Cracking’ was an extension of
this, as he entertained the Home Guard by having a laugh with them at their
under-equipped exploits. But after the war ended, George’s career in
film stalled. Instead, he had to capitalise on his touring success and he took
his act to Africa and Australia. His next big thing in his home country would
be his appearance on the West End stage in the play ‘Zip Goes a Million’ in
1951.
There
are two good reasons why George’s film career came to a close. Firstly, he had
typecast himself as the innocent Lancashire lad, who got himself into daft
scrapes but always got the girl. By the time he turned 40, this was getting a
bit tired, perhaps also slightly weird.
As he started to look his age, the unworldly-wise act didn’t wash quite
so well. His love interest in ‘Get Cracking’ is Dinah Sheridan, who turned 23
in 1943, making George very nearly old enough to be her father.
But
also, the war had changed audiences. Compare George’s continuing happy-go-lucky
output with the films that Powell and Pressburger were turning out as the war
drew to a close. Ours was a nation that was now bereaved, thoughtful and ready
for change. George represented pre-war days of seaside trips, motorbike racing
and cheeky innocence and perhaps everyone was now just a bit tired of all that.
It
is interesting to compare the post war careers of George with his ‘Get Cracking’
nemesis Ronald Shiner. Shiner had been in several of George’s previous films and
from memory I seem to think that he usually portrayed the petty villain in some
way. I personally always see Shiner as being a wrong-un, which is probably
unfair to the actor behind the roles, who may well have been the salt of the
earth. But where George faded, Ronald
prospered. He went on to work with the likes of Arthur Askey and Margaret
Rutherford and in 1952 he was voted the most popular male film star. After
working with George one last time in ‘Civvy Street’ he went on to appear in
more than 20 other films. The more cynical kind of character that he was good at –
the spiv, the petty crook, the streetwise chum – were in demand. The film world at least had tipped in favour
of Ronald’s type.
Ronald
retired in the early 60s to run a pub before his death in 1966 while George’s
life ended with some acrimony and scandal. Funny how the roles seem reversed at
the end.
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