The Better 'Ole
Synopsis
The adventures of Old Bill and his friends Bert and Alf in the trenches of the first World War.
Top Cast
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Sydney Chaplin
Private William 'Old Bill' Busby
Harold Goodwin
Bert Chester - British Secret Service
Jack Ackroyd
Alfie 'Little Alf'
Edgar Kennedy
Corporal Austin
Charles K. Gerrard
Major Russett
Arthur Clayton
The Colonel (uncredited)
Doris Hill
Joan (uncredited)
Olaf Hytten
German Officer (uncredited)
Tom Kennedy
The Blacksmith (uncredited)
Theodore Lorch
Gaspard (uncredited)
Hank Mann
German Soldier Tying Up Horse (uncredited)
Tom McGuire
The English General (uncredited)
Kewpie Morgan
Gen. Stein (uncredited)
Al Thompson
The Daughter in the Skit (uncredited)
Release History & Theatrical Window
New York City, New York
Festival / Special Debut
October 23, 1926
Wide Cinema Exhibition
Financials & Box Office Performance
Production Budget
$449K
Filming & production cost
Worldwide Gross
$1.3M
Total global ticket sales
Box Office Return
2.84x
+$824K net gain
Theatrical Status
Profitable
Box office tier
Key Information & Fast Facts
- Director
- Charles Reisner
- Screenplay & Story
- Charles Reisner, Darryl F. Zanuck
- Original Score
- Maurice Baron
- Original Title
- The Better 'Ole
- Country of Origin
- United States of America
- Spoken Languages
- No Language
- Runtime
- 1h 35m
- Production Budget
- $449K
- Worldwide Gross
- $1.3M
- Production Studios
- Warner Bros. Pictures
Creative Leadership & Key Crew
Charles Reisner
Charles Reisner, Darryl F. Zanuck, Arthur Eliot, Bruce Bairnsfather
Maurice Baron
Edwin B. DuPar
Ray Enright
Department Leadership Roster
Charles Reisner
Director
Charles Reisner
Screenplay
Darryl F. Zanuck
Screenplay
Arthur Eliot
Writer
Bruce Bairnsfather
Writer
Maurice Baron
Original Music Composer
Edwin B. DuPar
Director of Photography
Ray Enright
Editor
Production Stills & Gallery
Official cinematic photography and background stills for The Better 'Ole.
Featured In Curated Collections
Editorial lists, community rankings, and cinematic collections featuring The Better 'Ole.
list4
War: World War I
Auto-filled from Letterboxd lists
Spy-Thriller
WWI
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Frequently Asked Questions About The Better 'Ole
Quick factual answers about cast, synopsis, director, box office, and release information.
What is The Better 'Ole about?
The adventures of Old Bill and his friends Bert and Alf in the trenches of the first World War.
Who directed The Better 'Ole?
The Better 'Ole was directed by Charles Reisner.
Who stars in The Better 'Ole?
The principal cast of The Better 'Ole includes Sydney Chaplin, Harold Goodwin, Jack Ackroyd, Edgar Kennedy, Charles K. Gerrard.
When was The Better 'Ole released and how long is it?
The Better 'Ole was released in 1926 with a total runtime of 1h 35m.
What was the box office and production budget of The Better 'Ole?
The Better 'Ole had a reported production budget of $449K and grossed $1.3M at the worldwide box office (2.84 return on budget, classified as a commercial hit).
Who composed the musical score for The Better 'Ole?
The original motion picture soundtrack for The Better 'Ole was composed by Maurice Baron.