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Will Hay
Will Hay was born in December 1888 in County Durham. After an unremarkable childhood, he trained as an engineer, but left the profession aged 21 to take up acting. In 1914, he joined the Fred Karno Comedy Troupe, a legendary company responsible for helping to launch the careers of Stan Laurel and Charlie Chaplin. He quickly built up a great reputation on the stages of England's music halls as a comic actor, both with other comedians and alone performing humorous monologues.
In 1934 he was launched as a film comedian, to immediate acclaim. He retained a huge amount of control over his material, and was the driving force behind most of his films. He largely played the same ridiculous bumbling figure throughout his career, a persona honed to perfection during his music hall days, but his audience had no complaints.
Hay enjoyed his greatest successes when teamed with Moore Marriot and Graham Moffat, probably most notably in 'Oh, Mr Porter!' in 1937. Despite this, he chose to break up the unofficial partnership and strike out on his own towards the end of his career. Although the resulting films are by no means bad, most agree that they somehow lack the same spark he had enjoyed with his faithful stooges. He made twenty films in total, of which all survive except the first, 'Know Your Apples.'
In 1944, Hay found success in yet another medium, radio. His BBC series was broadcast live and was set in an unruly school with Will as a put-upon schoolmaster. This lasted only four months before being taken off the air. Some believe that Hay wasn't allowed the same creative control he had always previously enjoyed, and this caused a rift between him and management.
Comedy wasn't the only sphere in which he excelled. Hay had a lifelong interest in Astronomy, to the point of which he had his own small observatory built at his home in Mill Hill, in Surrey. His dedication was recognised when he became a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society in 1932, and his reputation further enhanced when he discovered a white spot on the surface of Saturn the following year.
He was also a keen pilot, and gave flying lessons to Amy Johnson, the first woman to fly solo from England to Australia. As if all this were not enough, Hay also spoke seven languages, including Latin and Afrikaans.
His career effectively ended in 1947 when he suffered his first stroke and was left crippled. He died two years later, having suffered another stroke and was buried in Artists Corner of Streatham Cemetary in South London.
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Filmography
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Will Hay - what members say
Will Hay - filmography
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My Learned Friend
on DVD
(1943)
Starring: Will Hay, Claude Hulbert, Mervyn Johns
Director: Basil Dearden, Will Hay
Certificate: 
Veteran British filmmaker Basil Dearden (ASSASSINATION BUREAU, THE MAN WHO HAUNTED HIMSELF) directs this madcap farce in which Will Hay performs for the last time. The crazy plot revolves around two lawyers who are being pursued by a desperate murderer.
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72%
from 30 members
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Will Hay - Hey! Hey! USA
on DVD
(1938)
Starring: Will Hay, Graham Moffatt, Edgar Kennedy
Director: Marcel Varnel
Certificate: 
Dr. Benjamin Twist is invited to act as tutor to the son of a millionaire in the United States of America, after posing as a famous professor. Twist discovers that two gangs of villains are out to kidnap his precocious young pupil, Bernie Schultz...
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63%
from 352 members
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Will Hay - Radio Parade of 1935
on DVD
(1934)
Starring: Will Hay
Director: Arthur B. Woods
Certificate: 
An enjoyable satire that pokes fun at corporations such as the BBC, Radio Parade of 1935 features Will Hay in uncharacteristically suave mode as William Garland, the Director-General of the National Broadcasting Group, a remote figure who has never seen his own studios. Contending with an ambitious ..read more »
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60%
from 52 members
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Will Hay - Convict 99
on DVD
Starring: Will Hay, Graham Moffatt, Moore Marriott
Director: Marcel Varnel
Certificate:
A disgraced school master, Bejamin Twist, is mistaken for a tough prison governor and is assigned in charge of a prison for particularly hardened criminals. Believing he is being sent to a school rather than a prison, he celebrates accordingly only to find that his drunkenness accidently lands him ..read more »
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68%
from 666 members
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Will Hay - Oh Mr Porter
on DVD
Starring: Will Hay, Graham Moffatt, Moore Marriott
Director: Marcel Varnel
Certificate:
For 20 years the railway Superintendent has wanted to fire the bungling William Porter, but as Porter is related to the Managing Director, he does not dare. When Porter is appointed to Buggleskelly, a near-derelict station in Ireland, he organises an early morning excursion train for a sinister one-..read more »
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72%
from 1,068 member
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Will Hay - Good Morning Boys
on DVD
Starring: Will Hay, Graham Moffatt, Edgar Kennedy
Director: Marcel Varnel
Certificate:
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The boys at St. Michael spend most their time gambling, betting and setting booby traps for their Head Master, Dr Benjamin Twist. A new Governor inspects the school and demands the Head Master's resignation. Dr Twist defends his educational methods and is given a chance to show what his boys can do ..read more »
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67%
from 507 members
Will Hay - watch online
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Old Bones of the River
to Watch Now
(1938)
Starring: Will Hay, Moore Marriott, Graham Moffatt
Director: Marcel Varnel
Certificate: 
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Run time: 87 minutes
When Professor Benjamin Tibbets (Will Hay) travels to Africa up river to open schools for the natives, he experiences several setbacks. His new pupils are less than receptive, and when the commander of the local base goes down with malaria he takes on his duties as well. Aided by the crew of the ..read more »
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80%
from 1 member
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Convict 99
to Watch Now
(1938)
Starring: Will Hay, Moore Marriott, Graham Moffatt
Director: Marcel Varnel
Certificate:
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Run time: 89 minutes
After losing his job as head of a famous school, Dr Benjamin Twist applies for a job as Governor of the nearby prison. In a case of mistaken identity, he is awarded the job, but on his first day there is a mutiny and again he is confused for someone else - a prisoner! After his experience, he vows ..read more »
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80%
from 1 member
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Hey! Hey! USA
to Watch Now
(1938)
Starring: Will Hay, Edgar Kennedy, David Burns
Director: Marcel Varnel
Certificate:
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Run time: 93 minutes
Dr Twist is forced to pose on an Atlantic liner as the famous Professor Tavistock. As the professor he is asked to tutor Bertie Schultz, the precocious son of a millionaire. To avoid awkward questions about his passport when he arrives in the USA, he enlists the help of a gangster stowaway to ..read more »
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Good Morning Boys
to Watch Now
(1937)
Starring: Will Hay, Martita Hunt, Peter Gawthorne
Director: Marcel Varnel
Certificate:
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Run time: 80 minutes
Dr Twist is the Headmaster of a boys’ school. There the pupils spend most of their time gambling, betting and setting booby traps for their Principal. When a governor arrives to inspect the school he is appalled and demands that Dr Twist resigns. Defending his educational methods, Dr Twist is ..read more »
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40%
from 2 members
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Where There's a Will
to Watch Now
(1936)
Starring: Will Hay, Hartley Power, Gibb McLaughlin
Director: William Beaudine
Certificate: 
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Run time: 77 minutes
Alcoholic lawyer Benjamin Stubbins (Will Hay) is deep in debt. He finds himself being used by a gang of crooks to pull off a bank robbery, but manages to foil their scheme.
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80%
from 2 members
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Boys will be Boys
to Watch Now
(1935)
Starring: Gordon Harker, Will Hay, Jimmy Hanley
Director: William Beaudine
Certificate:
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Run time: 78 minutes
‘Narkover’ School is perhaps more famous for its forgers than its academic prowess. Dr Alex Smart covets the post of headmaster through enlisting the help of Brown, an ex-pupil, with a good record in forgery! Smart is then forced in return to employ Brown so that he can prepare for a ..read more »
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63%
from 3 members
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Will Hay facts
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very good 6 February 2006
...One of Will Hays best ones, some very funny moments, especially the catching speeding cars, one driver turns out to be the Chief Constable. ...
Classic will hay 12 July 2005
