This film is part of Free

Title of error

Bob in the Pound

Fun-filled singalong savings ad with a dangerously catchy theme tune.

Advert 1943 2 mins Silent

Overview

Learn to save with this animated karaoke-style cinema ad! Featuring a cartoon character with the name Bob - the colloquial term for a pre-decimalisation one-shilling piece - the film was made to encourage the wartime public to invest in government savings bonds for a 'brighter' post-war future.

The voice speaking from the radio in comic interplay with 'Bob' belongs to Tommy Handley, the presenter of the BBC's hugely popular wartime radio comedy show It's That Man Again. ITMA, as it was affectionately known, involved an extensive and eccentric cast of characters - including charlady Mrs Mopp, who featured in a number of humorous cinema advertisements for Persil washing powder. These included Mrs Mopp Asks Why (1943), also available to view on BFI Player. 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.

Genres

Advert , Animation & Artists Moving Image and Musical

Country

United Kingdom

Language

No Dialogue with English subtitles

Subjects

Watch for free

Five Guineas a Week Five Guineas a Week

Musical 1956 33 mins

1950s song and dance revue set in a colourful world of boarding houses and coffee bars

Watch for free

Devil's Rock Devil's Rock

Drama 1938 51 mins Location: Bangor

Will new open-air microphone technology give Richard Hayward the chance to silence his critics? Watch as Cushendun and Bangor steal the show.

Watch for free

Shooting Stars Shooting Stars

Comedy 1937 32 mins

Black music hall stars Scott and Whaley perform stereotypical minstrel routines in blackface in this 1937 touring revue.

Watch for free

The Rise and Fall of Nellie Brown The Rise and Fall of Nellie Brown

Musical 1964 70 mins Location: Liverpool

An incredibly joyous TV musical about a young woman's search for her long-lost cousin.

Watch for free

Twinkling Fingers Twinkling Fingers

Musical 1940 11 mins

Pianists Charlie Kunz and Mark Hambourg tickle the ivories for our entertainment in this jolly musical short.

Watch for free

Song of Toledo Song of Toledo

Musical 1953 31 mins

This merrily musical short film takes a jovial trip across picturesque 1950s Spain aboard the Talgo Express

Watch for free

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.

Watch for free

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.

Watch for free

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.

Watch for free

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.