Oh, Mr Porter!

Oh, Mr Porter! (with minor variations in punctuation) can refer both to a song and a film inspired by the song.

Origin of the Phrase

Oh! Mr Porter is an old British music hall song, and was part of the repetoire of singer Marie Lloyd. Written in 1893 by George LeBrunn, its lyrics include this chorus:

Oh Mr. Porter what shall I do,

I wanted to go to Birmingham and they've taken me off to Crewe,

Hurry me back to London as quickly as you can

Oh Mr. Porter what a silly girl I am.

Herman's Hermits recorded a cover version of the song in the 1960s.

1937 Movie

Today, the phrase is best known as the title of a 1937 British film Oh, Mr Porter! starring British comedy actor Will Hay, and is his best-known film. It also included his two regular supporting actors, Graham Moffatt and Moore Marriott. The Guardian newspaper described the film as "perfectly representing a certain type of bumbling British humour," despite being directed by a Paris-born director, Marcel Varnel. Varnel considered the film his best work. The film critic Barry Norman included it among his 100 best films of all time. The plot was loosely based on The Ghost Train.

Although the film was clearly inspired by the song, the connection between them was rather limited. A few lines from the song appear at the start of the film, they both have a railway setting, and the leading character in the film is a railway porter.

The film was parodied in the spoof documentary Norbert Smith, a Life, as Oh, Mr Bank Robber starring "Will Silly".

External Links

• Article on the song, with a sound file of the tune
• Guardian article on the film
• Oh, Mr Porter! at the Internet Movie Database