Wartime Comedy (1939-1949)

Jack Train, Molly Weir, Tommy Handley and Lind Joyce		From left: Clarence Wright, Fred Yule, Dorothy Summers, Sydney Keith, Tommy Handley, Paula Green,Jack Train, Kay Cavendish, Dino Galvani.

A wartime British comedy, It’s That Man Again was set up to rival American shows such as Burns and Allen. Tommy Handley, a popular comedian of the time, was recruited for the show. The show’s title referred to Adolph Hitler, at whom the show eagerly poked fun. Each time Hitler took over another territory, the newsypapers would headline “It’s That Man Again.” A bit of a walligag to say over the air, the title was shortened to ITMA.

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It's that Man Again made terrible fun of Nazi propaganda. When the show piloted, it was set on a pirate radio ship. They didn’t think this was appropriate during wartime, so they changed the scene to mock all the new government ministries that were popping up all over. Tommy Handley played the Minister of Aggravation and Mysteries and worked at the Office of Twerps. Jack Train played Funf, the German spy and became known for the popular catch phrase, “This is Funf speaking.”

As the war worsened, the plot once again became unacceptable. So, for the summer the show was renamed It’s That Sand Again, and moved its set to Foaming at the Mouth, a shady seaside resort. Tommy Handley played the town mayor. The show went back to its original name in 1941. It continued to be a popular show until the death of Tommy Handley in 1949. At that time the show ended because they felt it wouldn’t be the same without their beloved Tommy.