Windbag the Sailor

I've always enjoyed British humor and comedy; and I think the British movies and TV sitcoms of the late 20th century are generally far superior to those on this side of the pond. But, until recently I hadn't seen many early English films. So, I was surprised and pleased to find that our English cousins also had some early doses of slapstick and buffoonery on film. .

"Windbag the Sailor" is such a film. Its cast has some stars of British cinema from the silent days to the early years of sound pictures. Will Hay didn't start in pictures until sound, but he was a talented actor, writer and director. He plays Captain Ben Cutlet, who has many a yarn about his seagoing days to spin at the local pub. One can guess what the plot might be from that. Other actors add to the goofy plot that is punctuated with some hilarious scenes.

I don't know if the United Kingdom had anything like vaudeville. It surely had performance halls for such entertainment. A number of early American stage entertainers took their vaudeville acts to Europe in the early 20th century. If the Brits didn't have a phase of vaudeville, the country was quick to develop its own film industry. Movie houses opened as quickly as in the Americas. Comedies, dramas, mysteries and adventure films soon became common fare for the Brits. "Windbag the Sailor" is an early example of British buffoonery on film that most movie buffs should enjoy.