The Balloon Goes Up is a 1942 British black-and-white comedy musical war film, directed by Redd Davis and starring Ronald Shiner, Ethel Revnell, Gracie West, Donald Peers and Elsie Wagstaff.[1] It was produced by New Realm Pictures.
The title refers to the 'Balloon Going Up', a popular euphemism for an anticipated German invasion of Britain during the Second World War. This musical-comedy film is a collection of music hall gags and radio one-line jokes. It is also an anti-Nazi war film.[2]
The term was also used by members of the US military up to the 1990s as a euphemism for World War Three starting with the Soviet Union.