This film is part of Free
Goofer Trouble
Two daft 'goofers' cause trouble by staying outside while an air battle rages overhead in this punchy WWII public information film.
Overview
Two know-it-all 'goofers' – splendidly played by comedy stalwarts Fred Emney and Edward Chapman – stand outside while an air battle rages overhead, which prevents allied airmen above from using their machine guns for fear of hitting civilians. "Give us a break," one weary pilot entreats, "back us up – take shelter and don't give us any more goofer trouble".
Also featured in this short is David Farrar, leading man in Powell and Pressburger's Black Narcissus (1947). Here he plays an Intelligence Officer who wants to know how many aircraft have been shot down. This government film is a public record, preserved and presented by the BFI National Archive on behalf of The National Archives, home to more than 1,000 years of British history.
Related
Happy Family Happy Family
War 1939 9 mins
Summer 1939, and an ordinary family gets an alarming taste of war to come in this little-known Ealing Studios propaganda short.
Tim Marches Back Tim Marches Back
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1944 2 mins
A Peter Strausfeld animation, encouraging the public to use the telephone more sparingly in wartime.
Ships with Wings (Film Trailer) Ships with Wings (Film Trailer)
Promotional 1941 2 mins
A trailer for Ealing's wartime drama "Ships with Wings", an all-star actioner about the Navy's Fleet Air Arm.
The Man in Grey (Film Trailer) The Man in Grey (Film Trailer)
Promotional 1943 3 mins Silent
Gainsborough melodrama trailer, starring the most desirable cast of the period.
The Silent Village The Silent Village
Government sponsored film 1943 36 mins Location: Cwmgiedd
The villagers of Cwmgiedd re-enact a Nazi massacre in Czechoslovakia, in Humphrey Jennings’ unforgettable propaganda film.
Fear and Peter Brown Fear and Peter Brown
Documentary 1940 16 mins
Terror on the home front - literally - in this heady and eccentric brew.
Starve Acre - Exclusive Q&A Starve Acre - Exclusive Q&A
Short interview 2024 24 mins
Daniel Kokotajlo talks to Nia Childs about Starve Acre, his folk horror about a couple digging deep into grief in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales.
Sky Peals - Exclusive Q&A Sky Peals - Exclusive Q&A
Short interview 2024 30 mins
Sky Peals director Moin Hussain and lead actor Faraz Ayub talk to Tomisin Adepeju about their magic realist drama.
Inside the Archive: The Early Films of Michael Powell Inside the Archive: The Early Films of Michael Powell
Documentary 2024 42 mins
Documentary exploring the BFI National Archive’s role in rediscovering and remastering the early films of Michael Powell.
Inside the Archive: The Riviera Revels Inside the Archive: The Riviera Revels
Short documentary 2024 12 mins
Bryony Dixon, curator of silent film at the BFI national archive, explores the origins of a series of comic travelogues, and Michael Powell's involvement in making them.
New Perspectives: Oldboy New Perspectives: Oldboy
Short documentary 2024 4 mins
Discover why Dan George of Northumbria University believes everyone should experience Oldboy at least once.
New Perspectives: Wings of Desire New Perspectives: Wings of Desire
Short documentary 2024 4 mins
Trixie Parkin-Christie of Northumbria University offers fresh insight into why Wings of Desire remains essential viewing.