Much Too Shy

"Much Too Shy" is a bit of a breakaway from the normal Formby style but despite this, or maybe because of this, it still comes up trumps. The plot is simple with Formby getting into hot water because of some portraits he has painted, which have naked bodies added to them by a scornful art class which goes on to become an omnipresent advert. Chaos and a court case follows. The only fault I found with this film was that the village was obviously built on a set; how great it would have been to have been shot on location! However set-bound films were par for the course during wartime and are easily forgiven. Set in a small rural village, the film benefits from a decent array of cameos from the likes of Kathleen Harrison, Charlie Hawtrey and, delightfully, Jimmy Citheroe. While it a gentle comedy, there is still a good number of belly laughs to be had and Formby is on his usual top form and his songs are top-notch. You may need to be a Formby fan to enjoy, but the same can be said for all his films. Formby was a genius at what he did and that comes across fully here.