Who Done It? (1956)

Director: Basil Dearden

Writer: T.E.B. Clarke

Composer: Philip Green

Starring: Benny Hill, Belinda Lee, David Kossoff, Garry Marsh, George Margo, Ernest Thesiger, Denis Shaw, Frederick Schiller, Jeremy Hawk, Thorley Walters, Peter Bull, Arthur Lowe, Charles Hawtrey, Fabian

More info: IMDb

Plot: Hugo Dill leaves his job as a sweeper after winning some money. He becomes a private detective and investigates a plot to assassinate British scientists.

My rating: 6.5/10

Will I watch it again?  Probably not.

I just adore Benny Hill and that's been going on since the 70s when I was a kid staying up late on Sunday nights to see the sexy broads on his show.  The world owes that man a great debt it could never pay.  This picture marks Hill's only starring role in a feature film.  Shocking, isn't it?  Equally shocking is that he was only in three other films with a credited role.  If it weren't for his prolific career on TV in the string of shows he had it wouldn't be so criminal.  This flick doesn't live up to Hill's comic genius but it is amusing and gives Hill a framework to showcase his talent in playing numerous comic characters with all manner of disguises, accents and personas.  That's where this film shines.  Hill is a delight to watch.  It's British so the actors do a wonderful job.  It also doesn't hurt that there are some familiar faces in the bunch.  I've seen a lot of British comedy from the 50s and 60s and I've gotten used to being amused and not laughing out loud.  Their sensibility is different.  That's not a bad thing, being amused.  I can enjoy that alongside shit that makes my sides hurt.  It's just different.  The Anchor Bay DVD looks fantastic in anamorphic widescreen B&W.  The only extra is a 30 minute film with Hill called THE WAITER (1969) which has Hill in a role that's familiar with fans of his 70s TV show.  This is a must have disc for fans.