COUGHS AND SNEEZES (1945)
One of Richard Massingham’s most famous public information films, which lead to the ubiquitous mantra: "Coughs and Sneezes Spread Diseases". The film is bookended by two cruelly humorous sequences, as we witness a series of cartoonish pranks played upon anonymous wretches, and Massingham’s comeuppance as he’s punished with a dose of pepper and the mother of all sneezing fits.
A selection of over 20 films from one of British cinema’s most fascinating and enduring eccentrics is available on BFI DVD: How To Be Eccentric: The Selected Films of Richard Massingham.
Director: Richard Massingham
Duration: 1 minute
Suggested credit: Coughs and Sneezes (1945) © The British Film Institute