''Alf's Button'' is a 1920 British silent

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

directed by Cecil Hepworth and starring

Leslie Henson Leslie Lincoln Henson (3 August 1891 – 2 December 1957) was an English comedian, actor, producer for films and theatre, and film director. He initially worked in silent films and Edwardian musical comedy and became a popular music hall come ...

, Alma Taylor and

Gerald Ames Gerald Ames (12 September 1880 – 2 July 1933) was a British actor, film director and Olympic fencer. Ames was born in Blackheath, London in 1880 and first took up acting in 1905. He was a popular leading man in the post-First World War cinema ...

. It was based on the 1920 novel '' Alf's Button'' by

William Darlington William Darlington (April 28, 1782 – April 23, 1863) was an American physician, botanist, and politician who served as a Democratic-Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives for Pennsylvania's 2nd congressional district from 181 ...

. The film is about a British soldier who discovers a magic coat

button A button is a fastener that joins two pieces of fabric together by slipping through a loop or by sliding through a buttonhole. In modern clothing and fashion design, buttons are commonly made of plastic but also may be made of metal, wood, o ...

which summons a

genie Jinn ( ar, , ') – also romanized as djinn or anglicized as genies (with the broader meaning of spirit or demon, depending on sources) – are invisible creatures in early pre-Islamic Arabian religious systems and later in Islamic myt ...

to grant his various wishes. It was remade as a sound film in 1930. It was shot at

Walton Studios Walton Studios, previously named Hepworth Studios and Nettlefold Studios, was a film production studio in Walton-on-Thames in Surrey, England.film magazine Film periodicals combine discussion of individual films, genres and directors with in-depth considerations of the medium and the conditions of its production and reception. Their articles contrast with film reviewing in newspapers and magazines whi ...

, during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, Alf (Henson) discovers that he has a brass button which, when he rubs it, summons Eustace (Carew), a

. While in the trenches, the genie brings Alf and his friend Bill (MacAndrews) goblets of beer, pretty young women, a bath, and anything their hearts desire. Finally, Alf is discharged from the Army and marries Liz (Taylor), who returns the button to the genie.

Cast

as Alf Higgins * Alma Taylor as Liz *

as Lt. Denis Allen *

James Carew James Usselman (February 5, 1876 – April 4, 1938), known professionally as James Carew, was an American actor who appeared in many films, mainly in Britain. He was born in Goshen, Indiana in 1876 and began work as a clerk in a publishing fir ...

as Eustace, the genie *

Eileen Dennes Eileen Dennes (1 February 1898 – 22 January 1991) was an Irish-born actress of the silent era A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and em ...

as Lady Isobel Fitzpeter * John MacAndrews as Bill Grant *

Gwynne Herbert Gwynne Herbert (11 September 1859 – 17 February 1946) was a British stage and film actress. Partial filmography * ''Liberty Hall'' (1914) * '' The Christian'' (1915) * ''The Firm of Girdlestone'' (1915) * '' The Folly of Desire'' (1915) * '' T ...

as Lady Fitzpeter *

Jean Cadell Jean Dunlop Cadell (13 September 1884 – 29 September 1967) was a Scottish character actress. Although her married name was Jean Dunlop Perceval-Clark she retained her maiden name in the context of acting. Life and career She was born at 4 ...

as Vicar's wife

References

Bibliography

* Low, Rachael. ''History of the British Film, 1918-1929''. George Allen & Unwin, 1971.

External links

* * 1920 films 1920 comedy films British comedy films 1920s English-language films Films directed by Cecil Hepworth Hepworth Pictures films Films based on British novels British black-and-white films British silent feature films Films shot at Nettlefold Studios 1920s British films Silent comedy films {{UK-silent-comedy-film-stub