"Old Bill" Comes To Lite

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 147, 22 June 1940, Page 6 (Supplement)

"Old Bill" Comes To Lite

By - - - Joan Littlefield

Screen Page

T EGERAN FILMS' "Old Bill Li and Son,** which will bring Bruce Bairnsfather's immortal characters to the screen for the first time in a 1940 setting, is nearing completion at Denham, and as soon as it is cut and edited it will be sent to America, where there has been a great demand for it. When I saw Captain Bairnsfather recently he told me that he had had offers to make three or four "Old Bill" pictures in Holly?-, wood. "But Old Bill is such an English character that I could not imagine making films about him in America." "Before starting to shoot '01(1 Bill anil Son' in the studios we spent a month with the troops in France," Captain Bairnsfather said. "We had magnificent co-operation and took about 12,000 feet of film. Practically every type of British unit in France was filmed, at work and at plav, and over Christinas we got some excellent shots of two concert parties, with CJracie Fields singing at one of them." In return for the many kindnesses shown our unit I did a number of cartoons for the boys, and a private gave me a 101S shell on which I had drawn a sketch of Old Bill. More than 20 actors. have; interpreted Old Bill for me, and I think Morlaml Graham is the best of them. lie is my character come to life."

Service for Britain Both Mr. Graham and Percy Walsh, ihis French counterpart, were in the las<t war, and they are able to wear their own ribbons.in the film, Mr. - Walsh, by a strange coincidence, having won the Croix de Guerre. John Mills, who, plaj's the role of the son. is a sergeant in the British Army. "I joined the Royal Engineers when war broke out," lie told inc. But ho didn't add that to do this -he gave up tho chance of his career. Last summer he gave so fine a performance as George in "Of Mice and Men" on tho London s-tage, that Hollywood got wind of his success. He was tested for the film, as were Burgess Meredith and other American stare, and offered the part a few days after war broke out; but by that time 'he was already in the Army.

Johnny, as everybody calls him, earned Lis sergeant's stripes, in four months. After a time lie was asked to • form a concert party, with which lie visited, bv lorry, c.very anti-aircraft unit :, in a 1000-mile radius of where he is utalioned. Then came, "Old Hill and;, Son," for which the War Oflice allowed' 4 hi in eight weeks' leave. Now, however, he is impatient to get back to the war again. Though he may have to wait a while longer in order to be a sailor at the Ealing Studios in "Soldiers Three." Ke'ne TJay—crazy about the "jitterbugs" since her return from Hollywood —is playing Ohf Kill's adopted daughter. Mary Clare is Mrs. Bill, Benee Houston an entertainer to the troops (herself in fact) and Janine Dnrcey, the little

French girl who was so charming in "French Without' Tears," ie-.-Francoise, the daughter of a French estaminet keeper.* Jnnine is only 19, but her husband and her father are both;- serving in the French Army, so the youthful actress is mothering nearly 'a hundred Poilus, fifty of whom' are in the' Magi not Line. She for, .them and collects money '-\vitli -\Vhicli to buyr.them comforts.« X.•' Tan -.'Dalrymple . : \vrotV,• tlie Script' of "Old Bill and Son" and'is...also; directing it. r This cx-Cftiubridge history * who once worked for\the SCtulciitrMovCrment, begun liis fi jni - -he wrote, the screen -'play/'for '"South Hiding." TTe devised, wrote and partly, directed "The Lion ITas Wings;''.and hits next ambition* is to t mak.e a^.rilm: ; about the' fall of Warsaw; which' - will enibodv the fitory ;of the Polifili submarine, Or/el; which e'scapod frb'mVGdyiiiav'fundcr!; the nose of the - ("Jerman 2Cavy laiid.- : C;Vuntu : - a 1 ly reacheil -;Kngland Shev/sei;>:wl^>vitli the 35ri tislr- Fleet, : 1 >uthasgjtist|\becn reported as believed lost:' . r .jX?-