25 minutes | Friday, 9 June 2023
The 1935 comedy film No Limit tells the story of a Wigan chimney sweep determined to ride in the famous TT Race. Starring George Formby and Florence Desmond, it was a massive international success, and screening it in all the Island's cinemas became an essential part of the TT festival each year.
In The Archive Room this week we hear from locals involved in both making and screening the film.
Jack Cannell (father of the legendary TT Commentator Geoff Cannell) was on hand to give expert advice - and more!! Jack Ward was only a schoolboy at the time, but remembers how the special effects were done, and Bob Wilkinson - a cinema manager at the time - played an important part in recruiting 'extras' for the film, and recalls the enduring popularity of the film on the Island.
George Formby himself talks about starting out in film making - and Formby's co-star, Florence Desmond, has some mixed memories of her time working on the film!