Old Bill and Son (1941)

Young Bill (John Mills) has just joined the British Army, as he wants to do his part now that war has arrived. Well, Old Bill (Morland Graham), his father, wants to do his part as well...though no one takes him seriously due to his age. Plus, he already fought in WWI like a good patriotic Brit would have done. At first he's rejected but ultimately joins up...and ends up serving with his son.It is hard to believe that a many pushing 50 would be inducted into the regular army, though the Home Guard (volunteers who drilled and trained in case the country was actually invaded) would have loved to have had Old Bill. Regardless, you should suspend your disbelief and just watch this pleasant comedy. Not a great film by any standard but a nice propaganda film made to stir up British pride and patriotism when things were their worst.

Bruce Bairnsfather sends his old campaigner out looking for a better 'ole for the Second World War in this movie, under the direction of Ian Dalyrimple. After John Mills, playing Young Bill, joins up when war is declared, Old Bill, played by Morland Graham tries to get in. He's told he's too old, but a series of senior officers were his junior officers in the last fight, so he winds up on the front in France, scrounging and getting into trouble in this service comedy.This was a good effort at the time it was released -- in March of 1940, when the fighting, so far as the British were concerned, was on the Eastern Front, and a failed campaign in Norway. The French were still waiting in the Maginot Line, facing the Siegfried Line. It would take another couple of months before the Germans launched their blitzkrieg, took Belgium and the real war began, so far as British history was concerned, at Dunkirk.As a result this looks like a very peculiar view of the Second World War, like Jan de Hartog's ERGENS IN NEDERLAND. Like many a movie made for the moment, its moment has passed.

Filmed during WW11 when Germany had the initiative and was invading Russia, a number of the actors (apart from John Mills) were familiar to me.There was Renee Houston a music hall artiste (Gloria in "A Girl Must Live 1939), Renee Ray ,"Miss Fulham" a bathing beauty queen who renounces her chance of competing in "Bank Holiday" (1938), Gus McNaughton a newspaper editor in "Storm in a teacup" (1937), Roland Culver a well known character actor in "The Moon's a Balloon" (1940)and many other titles and finally Ronald Shiner "Dry Rot" (1951).We had to raise the nation's morale in 1941 (the year H.M.S.Hood was sunk by "Bismark" and this film (based on a WW1 cartoon)is where the entire family and friends of John Mills enter the army and most magically are all posted together to France.This was helpful for filming as it is mostly a studio bound production with little or no expensive location shots or big stars salaries to pay.Obviously a propaganda film produced to raise the nation's morale but it was mildly entertaining so I rated it 6/10.

Unlike the other "reviewer" i have had the opportunity of seeing this film.It is of course based on the cartoon characters of Bruce Bairnsfather of Tommie's in the First World War.There was a Warner Brothers silent film "The Better Ole" produced by Warner Brothers in 1926.This film updates the story to the Phony War period of the Second World War.Bill is now serving in The Pioneer Corps close to where his son,played by John Mills,is stationed.The humour ,such as it is is rather predictable,stealing chickens etc and is rather laboured.It is rather surprising that this film is dated 1941 as it has the feeling of a film produced before the blitzkreig of the low countries.John Mills,is rightly quite dismissive of this film in his autobiography.It is really no more than a curiosity now.