Syd Chaplin plays Old Bill, a World War I army private with the British Expeditionary Forces. The film derives its title from a beloved British cartoon strip.
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Like his younger half-brother Charlie, Syd Chaplin was also a successful silent-film comedian and enjoyed a certain notoriety somewhat oversahdowed by his iconic sibling. Here he plays Old Bill, a World War I army private with the British Expeditionary Forces. The film derives its title from a beloved British cartoon strip, hopping from the comics to celluloid in a funny scene where a soldier stuck in a muddy foxhole complains and Old Bill replies in Cockney, "If you knows a better 'ole, go for it!" The plot involves unmasking a traitor in the ranks who, allied with the owner of a local inn, is responsible for the town falling under German control. The most classic scene finds Bill and his buddy sneaking through enemy lines disguised as a horse. Superb slapstick silliness doesn't come any better.
Product Description:
THE BETTER 'OLE was based on a play by Bruce Bairnsfather and Arthur Elliot, which was itself inspired by a cartoon character created by Bairnsfather during WWI. Decked out in a lavish paintbrush mustache, Sydney Chaplin is cast as Bairnsfather's immortal British army sergeant Old Bill, whose philosophy is "If you know of a better 'ole [foxhole, that is], go find it!" Convinced that his CO (Charles Gerrard) is a spy for the Kaiser, Old Bill dons a German uniform and sneaks behind enemy lines. The upshot of all this is that our hero is captured by his own men and sentenced to a firing squad! Through sheer dumb luck, Old Bill clears himself and reveals the identity of the actual spy. For many years, THE BETTER OLE was available only in the incomplete version stored at the University of Wisconsin; recently, however, the film was restored to its original length and pictorial quality, and its Vitaphone musical soundtrack (complete with overture) was likewise saved from extinction. The film was directed by Chuck Reisner, who began his career as an assistant to Sydney Chaplin's brother Charlie Chaplin.
This product is made-on-demand by the manufacturer using DVD-R recordable media.
Almost all DVD players can play DVD-Rs (except for some older models made before 2000) -
please consult your owner's manual for formats compatible with your player.
These DVD-Rs may not play on all computers or DVD player/recorders.
To address this, the manufacturer recommends viewing this product on a DVD player
that does not have recording capability.
Film Collectors & Archivists: Alpha Video is actively looking for rare and
unusual pre-1943 motion pictures, in good condition, from Monogram, PRC,
Tiffany, Chesterfield, and other independent studios for release on DVD. We
are also interested in TV shows from the early 1950s. Share your passion
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