''Old Bill Through the Ages'' is a 1924 British silent

comedy Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...

fantasy film Fantasy films are films that belong to the fantasy genre with fantastic themes, usually magic, supernatural events, mythology, folklore, or exotic fantasy worlds. The genre is considered a form of speculative fiction alongside science fiction f ...

directed by

Thomas Bentley Thomas Bentley (23 February 1884 – 23 December 1966) was a British film director. He directed 68 films between 1912 and 1941. He directed three films in the early DeForest Phonofilm sound-on-film process, ''The Man in the Street'' (1926), '' ...

and starring

Syd Walker Syd or SYD may refer to: *Syd (name), including a list of people with the name * ''Syd.'', taxonomic author abbreviation of Hans Sydow (1879–1946), German mycologist * Sydney, New South Wales, Australia ** IATA code for Sydney Airport, New South ...

Arthur Cleave Arthur Cleave (9 April 1884–2 December 1939) was a British actor. He died in London aged 55 and was buried in Brompton Cemetery in London. Selected filmography * ''The Romance of Old Bill'' (1918) * '' The Lady Clare'' (1919) * '' Garry ...

and

Jack Denton John Fleming St. Andrew Denton (11 September 1872 – 19 April 1949) was a British actor and film director of the silent era. Denton was born in Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Leicestershire and died at age 76 in Redhill, Surrey. Selected filmography Ac ...

.BFI.org
/ref> The film was based on a series of

cartoon A cartoon is a type of visual art that is typically drawn, frequently animated, in an unrealistic or semi-realistic style. The specific meaning has evolved over time, but the modern usage usually refers to either: an image or series of images ...

s by

Bruce Bairnsfather Captain Charles Bruce Bairnsfather (9 July 188729 September 1959) was a prominent British humour, humorist and cartoonist. His best-known cartoon character is Old Bill (comics), Old Bill. Bill and his pals Bert and Alf featured in Bairnsfather's ...

. The screenplay concerns a soldier serving in the trenches during the

First World War 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 ...

who falls asleep and travels through time, encountering a number of historical figures.

Cast

- Old Bill *

- Bert *

- Alf * Gladys Ffolliott - Queen Elizabeth I *

Austin Leigh Austin Leigh was a British stage and film actor. Selected filmography * ''Brigadier Gerard'' (1915) * '' Beau Brocade'' (1916) * ''The Temptress'' (1920) * '' Desire'' (1920) * '' Adventures of Captain Kettle'' (1922) * '' Old Bill Through the Ag ...

- William Shakespeare * Franzi Carlos - Ann Hathaway * William Pardue - The Redskin *

- Himself *

Wallace Bosco Wallace Charles Bosco (31 January 1880 in St Pancras, London – 1973 in Richmond upon Thames, Surrey) was an English film actor and screenwriter A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer ...

Douglas Payne Douglas Payne (1875 in England – 3 August 1965 in London, England) was a British actor of the silent era. Selected filmography * '' Maria Marten'' (1913) * '' The Harbour Lights'' (1914) * ''In the Ranks'' (1914) * ''Enoch Arden'' (1914) * '' ...

Cecil Morton York Cecil Morton York (29 April 1857 – 23 February 1935) was a British actor of the silent era. Born Cecil Morton Smith in Kensington, West London, UK, he died at age 77 in Denville Hall, Northwood, London. Selected filmography * '' Flying fro ...

* Clive Currie * Cyril Dane

References

External links

* 1924 films British historical comedy films 1920s English-language films Films directed by Thomas Bentley 1920s historical comedy films Ideal Film Company films British black-and-white films British silent feature films British fantasy comedy films 1920s fantasy comedy films British historical fantasy films 1924 comedy films 1920s British films Silent fantasy comedy films Silent historical comedy films {{historic-film-stub