The adventures of Old Bill and his friends Bert and Alf in the trenches of the first World War.The adventures of Old Bill and his friends Bert and Alf in the trenches of the first World War.The adventures of Old Bill and his friends Bert and Alf in the trenches of the first World War.
- Awards
- 2 wins
Edgar Kennedy
- Cpl. Austin
- (as Ed. Kennedy)
Charles K. Gerrard
- Maj. Russett
- (as Charles Gerrard)
Arthur Clayton
- The Colonel
- (uncredited)
Doris Hill
- Waitress
- (uncredited)
Olaf Hytten
- German Officer
- (uncredited)
Tom Kennedy
- The Blacksmith
- (uncredited)
Theodore Lorch
- Gaspard
- (uncredited)
Hank Mann
- German Soldier Tying Up Horse
- (uncredited)
Tom McGuire
- English General
- (uncredited)
Kewpie Morgan
- Gen. Stein
- (uncredited)
Al Thompson
- The Daughter in the Skit
- (uncredited)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe film and the earlier musical comedies are based on a popular cartoon character Old Bill, an Cockney-born British infantryman, drawn by Bruce Bairnsfather.
- Quotes
Alfie 'Little Alf': Let's get out of this damn 'ole!
Pvt. William 'Old Bill' Busby: If you knows of a better 'ole - go for it.
- Crazy creditsSyd Chaplin was credited above the title and his full character name was supplied in an inter-title.
- Alternate versionsThe print of the film in the Turner library, and released on DVD through Warner Archive includes the original 1926 Vitaphone music score, with some sound effects and singing. At one point, Harold Goodwin whispers a word to Sydney Chaplin which is also faintly heard.
- ConnectionsFollowed by Old Bill and Son (1941)
Featured review
There is more about Bairnsfather's films in his biography - IN SEARCH OF THE BETTER OLE published by Pen and Sword Books, Barnsley, UK. His most famous cartoon was the Better Ole but his most famous film was 'Carry on Sergeant' the phrase that gets most Army Officers through wars. The film was made in Canada in 1928 but caused furore in the country when a Canadian soldier was shown going upstairs with a girl in an estaminet. It did not do well mainly because it was a silent film just at the time that the talkies were taking off eg The Jazz Singer. Originally 14 reels long it has been shortened in the modern era and has been shown on Canadian television. Other films by Bairnsfather are The Better Ole 1918, Old Bill through the Ages 1924, The Better Ole 1926, Vitaphone personal appearance 1927 and Old Bill and Son 1941.
- battlefields
- Dec 31, 2008
- Permalink
Details
Box office
- Budget
- $449,000 (estimated)
- Runtime1 hour 35 minutes
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.33 : 1
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