The Galloping Major

Basil Radford - Major Arthur Hill
Jimmy Hanley - Bill Collins
Janette Scott - Susan Hill
A.E. Matthews - Sir Robert Medleigh
René Ray - Pam Riley
Hugh Griffith - Harold Temple
Joyce Grenfell - Maggie
Charles Victor - Sam Fisher
Sydney Tafler - Mr. Leon
Julien Mitchell - Sergeant Adair
Charles Hawtrey - Lew Rimmel
Kenneth Evans - Bert
Alfie Bass - Newsboy
Sid James - Bookmaker
Kenneth More - Rosedale Film Studio Director

Milady amusing stereotypical comedy romp that was director Henry Cornelius’ first post-Ealing production and co-written with old colleague Monja Danischewsky. The film was based on an original story from the films lead actor Basil Radford – his only adapted story and final film role before his death the following year. The comedy is not without its charm but Cornelius would strike ‘racing’ gold shortly afterwards with the classic Genevieve (1953).

Major Arthur Hill (Basil Radford), a pet shop owner in the London district of Lambs Green encounters a like-minded gambler in the form of debt collector Harold Temple (Hugh Griffith), but both agree that gambling is a mug’s game and if they’re to make money then owning their own racehorse is the ideal solution. As a result they launch a racing syndicate with the betting-mad inhabitants of Lambs Green all chipping in but they fall just short of their target amount, so the Major visits his old military acquaintances at a Gentlemen’s Club and recruits eccentric Sir Robert Medleigh (A.E. Matthews) to purchase the outstanding shares.

The horse they set their sights on is the filly Montana Miss in a selling plate, but the Major arrives late at the auction and buys the wrong horse; the highly strung Fathers Folly. Many within the syndicate are angered over the purchase of the wrong horse but decide to give the Major the benefit of the doubt and allow the horse one race to prove his worth. The race is a disaster, the horse is spooked when a plane flies overhead and jumps over a fence into the infield; but this provides the Major with a moment of inspiration. If the horse is such a good jumper why not enter him in the Grand National!

And thus the syndicate rename the horse The Galloping Major, and to cut back on expensive training fees decide to prepare him themselves on the parks of London. On the eve of the big race, The Galloping Major slips out of his stable and unwittingly strolls into a film studio where he is mistakenly painted grey and sent to Chester for use in filming. The Major’s daughter spots a picture of the horse on the film set in a .local newspaper and the inhabitants of Lambs Green head to Aintree en-masse and decide to collect the horse en-route. They get the horse to the racecourse in the nick of time but then there remains the question of who rides him in the big race?