I'm always at a disadvantage when watching films like this – not that the film itself is creaky with age but I don't enjoy either horseracing or gambling which are its main subjects. This is stretched out into a rather laboured farce but I made the best of it and maybe even laughed half a dozen times at it.
Henry Kendall plays the owner of a race horse guaranteed to win the big race, various farcical individuals keep getting in the way to either make him scratch the horse from the race or to ensure its victory for their disparate financial reasons. Included was his wife Enid Stamp-Taylor intent on running away with ever-dashing Guy Middleton who was intent on running away with the future race winnings, ever-dependable Claude Hulbert as a silly ass private eye for the Turf checking on them who managed to get involved with a lady garage hand Binnie Hale, whilst wearing her trousers for most of the film. The only one who appeared to have no skeleton in his closet was the trainer young Kynaston Reeves. Ever-puzzled Percy Walsh leads a gang of rather ineffectual toughs in their expensive attempts to fix the race through wavering reed Hulbert. Quirky Music Hall star Harry Tate played a quirky police sergeant. That was an uncredited Terry-Thomas standing behind the slightly older Middleton at the racetrack – I bet the two of them got on well! There's some good exchanges between Stamp-Taylor and Kendall eg "Are you accusing me of running around with men?" - "It isn't the running around what matters it's what happens when she stops". Some nice location shots too.
If you know you don't like pre-WW2 British quota-quickie comedies and then watch this you'll probably find you've completely wasted your time and effort. But as you might gather I quite liked it, to me it's a nice and familiar cast of old friends dealing with a tortuous but occasionally humorous plot. If I watch it again I may understand it all better but I wouldn't bet on it. It doesn't deserve to be totally forgotten and an "Ealing Rarity" so you might want to take a chance on it.
