Goofer Trouble

Two daft 'goofers' cause trouble by staying outside while an air battle rages overhead in this punchy WWII public information film.

Two know-it-all 'goofers' – splendidly played by comedy stalwarts Fred Emney and Edward Chapman – stand outside while an air battle rages overhead, which prevents allied airmen above from using their machine guns for fear of hitting civilians. "Give us a break," one weary pilot entreats, "back us up – take shelter and don't give us any more goofer trouble".

Also featured in this short is David Farrar, leading man in Powell and Pressburger's Black Narcissus (1947). Here he plays an Intelligence Officer who wants to know how many aircraft have been shot down. 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.