The Goose Steps Out (1942)

Teacher William Potts finds himself arrested at a British airport on suspicion of being a Nazi spy. When the real spy is apprehended, British Intelligence is so struck by the similarities that they persuade Potts to take on the spy's role and fly into Germany to find out and steal plans of a secret weapon Germany is working on. His job should be simple enough to slip into. He is to teach a group of young Nazi Youth students. One problem that British Intelligence don't know about - Potts is probably one of the most incompetent teachers in England. Will he find the plans without being discovered - or even get out alive? Starring Will Hay, Charles Hawtrey, Frank Pettingell, Julian Mitchell, Barry Morse, Ann Firth, Peter Ustinov, Leslie Harcourt, Peter Croft, Ray Lovell, Jeremy Hawk, Aubrey Mallalieu, John Williams and Lawrence O'Maddern. This is from a recording from Talking Pictures I did a few years ago. This wasn't the original film I was going to upload - that was Where's That Fire? (1939) - but when I attempted to upload that onto my laptop it cut out halfway through. So instead you have The Goose Steps Out, one of the later (and I have to say great) Will Hay films, complete with Charles Hawtrey far sharper and intelligent than he was ever allowed in the wonderful Carry On films he later did. It also features early appearances by Barry Morse (The Fugitive) and Peter Ustinov in his film debut, while Hay himself was multi lingual, so the German he is speaking as the spy really IS him! On a sadder note is the fate of Ann Firth, who plays Lena, who does not seem to of had an easy life. In 1945 her career stalled when she was stricken with spinal paralysis and it took her 18 months to be able to walk again. Then in 1953 she was involved in a van crash which disfigured her, which affected her career. She did marry to a naval officer in 1955, but she left the marriage after just a few weeks. After struggling to find work and losing her job as a barmaid in a pub due to injuries she suffered there she committed suicide in 1961, aged just 42. What a shame.