When John Lennon of the Beatles was an early teenager during the 1950s, he and his cousins would travel to Blackpool and specifically Blackpool Tower Circus to watch a number of comics and performers entertain the crowd. Lennon said he especially enjoyed singer, songwriter, comedian George Formby. For years Formby had been one of England's most popular entertainers as well as its highest-paid. At the height of his performing career, Formby appeared in his first feature film, September 1935's "No Limit." The comedy has him as a chimney sweeper who dreams of racing his bike in the prestigious TT motorcycle race on the Isle of Man.
Formby, a Lancaster lad and son of popular entertainer George Formby Sr., who died before junior could see him perform, followed in his father's footsteps using his same act and song-and-dance routines. At 19, he met and married stage actress Beryl Ingham, who played a crucial role in managing and shaping Formby's on-stage persona. With ukulele in hand, Formby became famous as a recording artist, with Beryl securing spacious venues to accommodate the ever-growing crowds paying to see him. In 1934 she arranged Associated Talking Pictures to star Formby in a couple of shorts films, which was met by an overwhelming response from the public. The studio signed him to a seven year contract, producing eleven Formby movies. His first was "No Limit."
Formby's wife didn't make things easy for director Monty Banks, who described each day on the set with her as "a battleground." Wanting to make sure her husband was front and center in each scene, Beryl not only ticked off the director but Formby's opposite, veteran actress Florence Desmond. She plays Florrie Dibney, secretary to the head of a large English motorcycle company who gets Formby into the popular Isle of Man race despite several bumps along the way, including a pair of competitors who attempt to buy off Formby from racing. The two lead performers often clashed while filming, with Formby alleging Florence was stuck up and pompous while she found him to be a 'gormless oaf." Desmond particularly went nuts when she saw the posters advertising "No Limits" with her name below the title, a slap in the face for the popular actress.
"No Limits" contains actual racing footage from the 37-mile long race course, juxtaposed by studio shots with a background projection screen. Formby, an experienced motorbike rider, performed much of his scenes racing on the track. Director Banks, however, became upset when he saw Formby pulling some dangerous maneuvers on his bike during filming to show off his skills, even though stunt riders had been hired to perform those hair-raising scenes. Formby can be seen weaving inside and around his fellow riding competitors. For the exciting ending when his bike suddenly conks out, the entertainer was tasked with pushing his motorcycle a considerable distance. Requiring 15 takes out in scalding hot weather, Formby passed out on the final take, sending the studio doctor onto the track to administer aid.
The other Formby films used the same formula introduced in "No Limits." He played the urban "little man defeated-but refusing to admit it," setting the stage for his ultimate victory. These storylines are intersperse with him winning the girl as well as showcasing his singing and playing his favorite string instruments. Wrote film historian Brian McFarlane, Formby's films were "unpretentiously skillful in their balance between broad comedy and action, laced with Formby's shy ordinariness." Formby traveled extensively during World War Two, giving numerous charity performances before the troops. He remained popular in England during the late 1950s, despite his failing health. The Beatles, especially George Harrison, who was a member of the George Formby Society, improvised several numbers on the ukulele inspired by Formby. A statue on the Isle of Man features Formby leaning against a lamp-post dressed in motorcycle leathers holding a ukulele in honor of his role in "No Limit."
