Poor Old Bill

{{short description|1931 film}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2020}}

{{Use British English|date=April 2016}}

{{Infobox film

| name = Poor Old Bill

| image =

| alt =

| caption =

| director = Monty Banks

| producer = Walter C. Mycroft

| screenplay = Val Valentine

| based_on = an original story by Lola Harvey
& Syd Courtenay

| starring = Leslie Fuller
Iris Ashley
Syd Courtenay

| music =

| cinematography = Claude Friese-Greene

| editing =

| studio = British International Pictures

| distributor = Wardour Films {{small|(UK)}}

| released = {{Film date|df=y|1931|06|22|UK}}

| runtime = 51 minutes{{cite web|url=http://www.bbfc.co.uk/releases/poor-old-bill-synchronised-1931|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180124072242/http://www.bbfc.co.uk/releases/poor-old-bill-synchronised-1931|url-status=dead|archive-date=24 January 2018|title=POOR OLD BILL (SYNCHRONISED) - British Board of Film Classification|website=www.bbfc.co.uk}}

| country = United Kingdom

| language = English

| budget =

| gross =

}}

Poor Old Bill is a 1931 British comedy film directed by Monty Banks and starring Leslie Fuller, Iris Ashley and Syd Courtenay.[https://web.archive.org/web/20090205140747/http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/46766 BFI.org] It marked the film debut of a very young Peter Lawford, playing the child of the main character, Bill (Leslie Fuller).

Premise

A man sponges off an old comrade from the First World War who believes he has saved his life during the war, although this ultimately proves not to be true.

Cast

Critical reception

TV Guide gave the film one out of four stars, calling it an "Interesting conception for a farce," but concluded that, "Unfortunately, the idea is carried on much too long, stretching what little material there is."{{cite web|url=http://www.tvguide.com/movies/poor-old-bill/review/109423/|title=Poor Old Bill|website=TVGuide.com}}

References

Bibliography

  • Sutton, David R. A chorus of raspberries: British film comedy 1929–1939. University of Exeter Press, 2000. {{ISBN|978-0-85989-603-0}}.