Those Were the Days (1934)

Name: Those Were the Days
Genre: Comedy, Music
Released: 1934-04-02

1h 20m

Running Time

Plot.

A farce based on Arthur Wing Pinero's play 'The Magistrate' in which the son (John Mills) of a stern magistrate (Will Hay) visits a music hall against the wishes of his father. In true farcical style, the magistrate too ends up at the music hall, and before long all the characters are trying not to avoid each other... Mainly notable (a) because of its depiction of the music hall as seen by a generation which knew it intimately (b) because of its use of music hall acts of the time and (c) because it gave Will Hay his first film role.

Where to Watch.

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Details.

Release Date
April 2, 1934

Status
Released

Running Time
1h 20m

Genres
Comedy Music

Last updated: 2025-02-10

Wiki.

Those Were the Days is a 1934 British comedy film directed by Thomas Bentley and starring Will Hay, Iris Hoey, and John Mills. It was based on Arthur Wing Pinero's 1885 farce The Magistrate and was the first of two Hay movies based on Pinero's plays, the other being Dandy Dick. The film also features music hall acts of the time – acts of a type rarely committed to film. It is primarily remembered as Will Hay's first major screen role.

The film was produced and released by British International Pictures and was shot at the company's Elstree Studios. The film's sets were designed by the art director Duncan Sutherland.