Will Hay Collection [DVD]

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I founded the Will Hay Appreciation Society in 2009 when writing my university dissertation about Hay and his films. Will Hay (1888 - 1949) was a British comic actor who toured the music halls of the world with his 'schoolmaster' routine. In the 1930s he moved into films, starring in classics like 'Oh, Mr. Porter!' (1937), joined by his co-stars Moore Marriott and Graham Moffatt. Hay was also a keen amateur astronomer, a polyglot, a pilot (he taught Amy Johnson to fly) and of course a brilliant comic writer and director.

a b "Jimmy Perry obituary: Creator of Dad's Army who used his own life experiences in much-loved sitcom". The Independent. London. 24 October 2016 . Retrieved 9 May 2017. Greene, Graham (23 August 1935). "Where's George?/The Great God Gold/Boys Will Be Boys/The Murder Man". The Spectator. (reprinted in: John Russel, Taylor, ed. (1980). The Pleasure Dome. Oxford University Press. p. 16. ISBN 0192812866. ) Hay's tenure with Ealing was a box office success and his films were critically acclaimed, but have been described as not at the level of his Gainsborough films with Moffatt and Marriott. [6] Radio career [ edit ] The humour of Hay's films has been described as subversive and similar to that of fellow English comedian Frank Randle. His films are often characterised as exhibiting traits of anti-authoritarianism and having a satirical approach towards how authority figures are portrayed. This is notable with Hay himself, who often played an incompetent authority figure who struggled not to be found out, but whose idiocy was discovered by those around him. [11] Just before Hay died, a few items of his equipment were donated to the British Astronomical Association. [34]

a b c d e f g h i j k "Will Hay – Master of Comedy". YouTube. BBC Radio 4. 2 June 1976 . Retrieved 10 May 2017. Sergeant Dudfoot is talking about his life as a policeman at Turnbotham Round (pronounced Turn Bottom Round) during a radio broadcast. His staff Albert and Harbottle (played by Graham Moffatt and Moore Marriott) enter after they have been poaching and Harbottle ruins the broadcast. Hay kept his career in astronomy separate from his comedy career and published Through My Telescope under the name of W.T. Hay, using the same title when giving lectures on astronomy. [6] Hay was an advocate for education on astronomy and considered those who had an interest in astronomy "the only men who see life in its true proportion". In a 1933 interview with the Daily Mail he stated "If we were all astronomers, there'd be no more war." [33] He was a friend of William Herbert Steavenson, who would go on to become the President of the Royal Astronomical Society in 1957. [33] The Will Hay Appreciation Society was founded in 2009 by British artist Tom Marshall, and aims to preserve the legacy of Will Hay, Moore Marriott and Graham Moffatt and to bring their work to a new generation of fans. As of June 2019, the organisation has over 4200 members. [6] The Will Hay Appreciation Society unveiled a memorial bench to Will Hay, Moore Marriott and Graham Moffatt in October 2018, in Cliddesden, Hampshire the filming location for Oh, Mr. Porter!. The bench was unveiled by Pete Waterman. [7]

a b Mobberley, Martin P.; Goward, Kenneth J. (April 2009). "Will Hay (1888-1949) and his telescopes". Journal of the British Astronomical Association. 119 (2): 67–81. Bibcode: 2009JBAA..119...67M. The director Marcel Varnel considered the film as among his best work, [11] and it was described in 2006, by The Times in its obituary for writer Val Guest, as "a comic masterpiece of the British cinema". [12] Jimmy Perry, in his autobiography, wrote that the trio of Captain Mainwaring, Corporal Jones and Private Pike in Dad's Army was inspired by watching Oh, Mr Porter! [13] Legacy [ edit ] In 1907 Hay married Gladys Perkins (1889–1982), [36] whom he had known since he was 15, [37]. They legally separated on 18 November 1935. However, they never divorced and Gladys cited the reason for this was that she was a Roman Catholic. [5] They had two daughters and a son: Gladys Elspeth Hay (1909–1979), William Edward Hay (1913–1995) [38] and Joan A. Hay (1917–1975). [39] Following his separation from Gladys in 1935, he was in a long-term relationship with Randi Kopstadt, a native of Norway. [5] Hay, W.T. (1933). "The spot on Saturn". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 94: 85. Bibcode: 1933MNRAS..94...85H. doi: 10.1093/mnras/94.1.85 . Retrieved 11 May 2017.Dean, Martin; Kevin Robertson; Roger Simmonds (1998). The Basingstoke and Alton Light Railway. Crusader Press. pp.76–81. Moffatt's life story was made into a short film by The Will Hay Appreciation Society which features interviews from his three children, Richard, Chris and Jayne. The film is called Graham Moffatt: Britain's Favourite Fat Boy. [1] If you think the best Will Hay role isn't at the top, then upvote it so it has the chance to become number one. The greatest Will Hay performances didn't necessarily come from the best movies, but in most cases they go hand in hand.