''Up with the Lark'' is a 1943 British musical

comedy film The comedy film is a film genre that emphasizes humor. These films are designed to amuse audiences and make them laugh. Films in this genre typically have a happy ending, with dark comedy being an exception to this rule. Comedy is one of the o ...

directed by Philip Brandon and starring

Ethel Revnell Ethel Revnell (12 July 1896–24 August 1978) and Gracie West (born Grace May Prudden, 12 October 1892–21 June 1989) were a British comedy double act, most popular in the 1930s and 1940s though Revnell continued to perform into the 1960s ...

Gracie West Ethel Revnell (12 July 1896–24 August 1978) and Gracie West (born Grace May Prudden, 12 October 1892–21 June 1989) were a British comedy double act, most popular in the 1930s and 1940s though Revnell continued to perform into the 1960s ...

and Anthony Holles. It was a low-budget production during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Plot summary

During the

, two incompetent female detectives, Ethel and Gracie (played by the British radio comedians Ethel Revnell and Gracie West), disguise themselves as

Land Girls Land Girls or variants may refer to: * Women's Land Army (World War II) * Women's Land Army (World War I) *'' The Land Girls'', a 1998 film * ''Land Girls'' (TV series), 2009 {{disambiguation ...

, with the aim of exposing the

black market A black market is a Secrecy, clandestine Market (economics), market or series of transactions that has some aspect of illegality, or is not compliant with an institutional set of rules. If the rule defines the set of goods and services who ...

business that they believe a local hotel manager is running. Despite the two women's inept efforts, they eventually succeed.http://movies.tvguide.com/up-with-the-lark/review/121917

Cast

- Ethel *

- Gracie * Anthony Holles - Martel *

Anthony Hulme Anthony Hulme (1910–2007) was a British film actor. Filmography * ''A Yank at Oxford'' (1938) * '' The Body Vanished'' (1939) * ''The Frozen Limits'' (1939) * ''They Came by Night'' (1940) * '' Laugh It Off'' (1940) * '' For Freedom'' (1940) * ...

- Mr Britt *

Johnnie Schofield Johnnie William Schofield (10 March 1889 – 9 September 1955) was a British actor, known for '' The Middle Watch'' (1948), '' Tawny Pipit'' (1944) and '' Melody of My Heart'' (1936). Early life John William Schofield was born on 10 March 1889 ...

- Mr Tanner *

Lesley Osmond Lesley Osmond (23 November 1921 – March 1987) was a British actress. She appeared in the West End theatre, West End in the 1944 play ''The Rest is Silence (play), The Rest is Silence'' and the 1953 musical ''The Glorious Days''. Selected filmo ...

- Mabel * Alan Kane - Fred Tompkins *

Ian Fleming Ian Lancaster Fleming (28 May 1908 – 12 August 1964) was a British writer, best known for his postwar ''James Bond'' series of spy novels. Fleming came from a wealthy family connected to the merchant bank Robert Fleming & Co., and his ...

- Reverend Swallow

Songs

The film contains several songs, largely detached from the plot. The two main songs are *Up With the Lark *Let's Go Cuckoo

References

External links

* 1943 films 1943 musical comedy films 1940s British films 1940s English-language films British black-and-white films British musical comedy films English-language musical comedy films {{1940s-UK-comedy-film-stub