1941 Directed by Ian Dalrymple
Old Bill has grumbled his way through the trenches of the First World War. Now it is the Second and, envious of his son, Young Bill, he decides to enlist. He finally enters the Pioneer Corps, which is based near his son. When Young Bill goes missing during a raid, Old Bill shows that there's still life in the old dog yet!
Morland Graham John Mills Mary Clare Renée Houston Rène Ray Gus McNaughton Ronald Shiner Manning Whiley Janine Darcey Roland Culver Donald Stuart Nicholas Phipps Allan Jeayes Ian Fleming Philip Friend Arthur Hambling Edward Lexy Al Millen Bill Shine Percy Walsh John Warwick Ben Williams George Spence
UK
UK
Despite being too old World War I veteran Old Bill is determined to rejoin the Army to fight when war breaks out again in 1939.
The moment Old Bill appears on screen, slowly popping up from behind his old taxi, you know you're supposed to recognise him and his walrus moustache. And back in 1941 everyone would, but nearly 80 years later very few people will know the character who, like Colonel Blimp who sported the same sort of face furniture, was a famous newspaper cartoon character.
Unsurprisingly this is a propaganda piece set at the outbreak of war with John Mills as Old Bill's wastrel son who unexpectedly joins up, spurring his father to try and join him despite…
Father and son joins the army, and they try to stretch that idea out without really knowing what to fill it with. Especially the extended middle part drifted pointlessly with random non-fighting war time activities. Made to cheer up the soldiers, but by the time it came out, the war was a bloody reality.... and this was not.
Ian Dalrymple’s British war comedy in which a World War I veteran is inspired to re-enlist in 1939, and ends up serving with his son. Starring Morland Graham, John Mills and Mary Clare.
The story concerns a British expert (Morland Graham) who attempts to re-enlist throughout the Second World War after his son (John Mills) joins the army.
Morland Graham and John Mills both give okay performances in their respective roles as Old Bill and Young Bill Busby, the father-and-son involved. However, the young Bill on occasions looks like he is just being left out, giving his character virtually nothing to do, which makes it annoying for the viewer.
Elsewhere, Mary Clare doesn’t offer much in her part as Maggie…
One thing we tend to forget today when considering the British soldiers in the trenches of the first world war is that amongst the mud, the lice, the rats, the shot, the shell and the horror is that these men still maintained a sense of humour and god knows they must have needed it. This sense of humour is probably best exemplified (as well as in the trench newspaper The Wipers Times) in the cartoons of Bruce Bairnsfather, himself a soldier in the trenches who had taken part in the Christmas truce of 1914 and fought in the 2nd battle of Ypers. Although not his first published cartoon his fame was made when he submitted a drawing of two soldiers…
