Old Bill and Son
| Old Bill and Son | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| Directed by | Ian Dalrymple |
| Produced by |
Josef Somlo & Harold Boxall Alexander Korda (uncredited) |
| Screenplay by |
Captain Bruce Bairnsfather & Ian Dalrymple Arthur Wimperis (additional dialogue) Derek Twist (assistant scenarist) |
| Based on | story Old Bill by Bruce Bairnsfather |
| Starring |
Morland Graham John Mills Mary Clare |
| Music by |
Richard Addinsell (music of the French song) Stephen Haggard (words of the French song) Muir Mathieson (musical director) |
| Cinematography | Georges Perinal |
| Edited by | Charles Crichton |
Production company |
Legeran Films |
| Distributed by | General Film Distributors (UK) |
Release date |
|
Running time | 96 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
Old Bill and Son is a 1941 British black-and-white comedy war film directed by Ian Dalrymple and starring Morland Graham, John Mills, Mary Clare and Ronald Shiner as Herbert 'Bert' Smith.[1] It is executive produced by Alexander Korda for Legeran Films.
Synopsis
An old, First World War soldier enlists with his son to fight in the Second World War. Eventually, they travel to France to capture Nazis.
Cast
- Morland Graham as Old Bill
- John Mills as Young Bill Busby
- Mary Clare as Maggie
- Renee Houston as Stella Malloy
- Rene Ray as Sally
- Gus McNaughton as Alf
- Ronald Shiner as Herbert 'Bert' Smith
- Manning Whiley as Chimp
- Janine Darcey as Françoise
- Roland Culver as Colonel
- Donald Stuart as Canuck
- Nicholas Phipps as BBC Reporter
- Allan Jeayes as Willoughby
Critical reception
In contemporary reviews, The Manchester Guardian wrote, "The plot is a disconnected business, a series of episodes of the sort we usually call picaresque when we really mean stragglesome. It is, in fact, as glaringly unkempt and untidy as Old Bill's famous moustache which that delightful actor Morland Graham wears with conviction and distinction," and The Sunday Express wrote, "chalk up a hit for Morland Graham on this picture as Old Bill...it's an amusing highly sentimental affair written in the authentic language of the Front with no attempt to be subtle...a pity to see so fine an actor as John Mills in so empty a part."[2]
References
- ↑ "Old Bill & Son (1941)". British Film Institute.
- ↑ Holt, Major; Holt, Mrs (31 December 1990). "The Biography of Captain Bruce Bairnsfather: In Search of the Better 'Ole". Pen and Sword – via Google Books.
External links
- Old Bill and Son at AllMovie
- Old Bill and Son at the British Film Institute's Film and TV Database
- Old Bill and Son on IMDb
