The Better 'Ole (1926)
October 23, 1926Release Date
The Better 'Ole (1926)
October 23, 1926Release Date
Plot.
Where to Watch.
This Movie Is About.
Cast & Crew.
Syd Chaplin
Pvt. William 'Old Bill' Busby
Harold Goodwin
Bert Chester - British Secret Service
Jack Ackroyd
Alfie - 'Little Alf'
Charles K. Gerrard
Major Russett
Edgar Kennedy
Cpl. Austin
Charles Reisner
Director
Arthur Clayton
The Colonel (uncredited)
Doris Hill
Joan (uncredited)
Media.
Details.
Release DateOctober 23, 1926
StatusReleased
Running Time1h 35m
Budget$449,000
Box Office$1,273,000
Genres
Wiki.
The Better 'Ole is a 1926 American silent World War I comedy drama film. Released by Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc., this film is the second full-length film to utilize the Vitaphone sound-on-disc process, two months after the first Vitaphone feature Don Juan; with no audible dialogue, the film does have a synchronized musical score and sound effects. This film was also the second onscreen adaptation of the 1917 musical The Better 'Ole by Bruce Bairnsfather and Arthur Elliot. Charlie Chaplin's eldest brother Sydney Chaplin played the main lead as Old Bill in perhaps his best-known film today. This film is also believed by many to have the first spoken word of dialog, "coffee", although there are those who disagree. At one point during the film, Harold Goodwin's character whispers a word to Sydney Chaplin which is also faintly heard. This was discovered by the UCLA's Robert Gitt, during the restoration of the sound discs for the film. The line was recorded in perfect sync, apparently during the orchestra recording sessions rather than live on set, therefore making it the earliest known use of dubbing in a motion picture.