No Limit

No Limit (1935)

George Shuttleworth is convinced that he has the talent to win the Isle of Man TT races, despite what his neighbours back home in Wigan may think. During the trials, the brakes go on George's bike, 'The Shuttleworth Snap', which he made himself. As a result, he breaks the TT lap record, becoming an instant motor-cycling star. As the big race approaches, George soon realises that other jealous riders will stop at nothing to make sure he does not take part in the race. An early George Formby film and probably his best.

Date of release
1935-10-28
TMDB
6.5 / 10 (11)
Runtime
1h 20m
Genres
Comedy
Director
Monty Banks

Casting

Interesting facts

No Limit is a 1935 British musical comedy film directed by Monty Banks and starring George Formby and Florence Desmond. It was written by Tom Geraghty, Fred Thompson based on a story by Walter Greenwood, and was made on location at the TT motorcycle race on the Isle of Man. It was the first of eleven films that Formby made for Associated Talking Pictures.

Production

The screenplay was by Tom Geraghty and Fred Thompson based on a story by Walter Greenwood, who had enjoyed literary success with Love on the Dole published the year before the film's release.

The 1935 Isle of Man TT was used as the backdrop by the film's producers. Many locations on the Isle of Man were featured in the film, these included Douglas Beach, White City, Douglas Head Road, Douglas Palace Ballrooms and the Douglas Camera Obscura. The Mona's Queen (1934), the newest addition to the fleet of the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company, was used for scenes shot in Liverpool.

However, filming was not an easy proposition because of Formby's wife: Beryl Ingham, who was also his business manager. Her behaviour towards the cast and crew was both difficult and domineering. Film historian Matthew Sweet described the set as a "battleground" because of her actions. Director Monty Banks approached Basil Dean, the head of Associated Talking Pictures (ATP), to have Ingham barred from the production but was unsuccessful.

Real motorcycle manufacturers are not referenced in the film, and instead contemporary motorcycles were customised and given fictitious names - being primarily the Rainbow Motorcycle Company and the Sprocket Motorcycle Company.

For example, Formby took to the Isle of Man a 1928 AJS H5, which was referred to as a 1928 Rainbow, which had been modified and 'streamlined' by his character to become the Shuttleworth Snap. Following his exploits in the trial, Formby's character is approached by Mr. Turner, who represents the Sprocket Motorcycle Company originally to offer him a deal to ride.

Read on Wikipedia · Text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Data from Wikidata.

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