| Old Bones of the River | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Marcel Varnel |
| Written by | Marriott Edgar Val Guest J. O. C. Orton |
| Starring | Will Hay Graham Moffatt Moore Marriott |
| Cinematography | Arthur Crabtree |
| Edited by | R. E. Dearing Alfred Roome |
| Distributed by | General Film Distributors |
Release date | December 1938 |
Running time | 90 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
Old Bones of the River is a comedy film released in 1938 starring British actor Will Hay with Moore Marriott and Graham Moffatt and directed by Marcel Varnel, based on the characters created by Edgar Wallace.
The film is a spoof of the 1935 movie Sanders of the River.[1][2]
Synopsis
Hay plays Professor Benjamin Tibbetts, representative of the Teaching & Welfare Institution for the Reformation of Pagans (otherwise known as T.W.I.R.P for short), and dedicated to spreading education amongst the natives of colonial Africa. Professor Tibbetts is the uncle of Wallace's character Lt Tibbetts, known as "Bones", so the Professor is referred to as "Old Bones".
As he arrives (still trying to learn the native language via recordings), Professor Tibbetts is tricked into sneaking a gin still into the country by Prince M'Bapi, half-brother of Bosambo, chief of the Ochori tribe. The steamer that brings him takes Commissioner Sanders on leave, with Captain Hamilton taking over his duties.
Later, Tibbetts makes his way to Kombooli High, where his students wear Eton collars alongside their native garb. Tibbetts dons a mortarboard but wears safari shorts under his gown owing to the heat.
When Hamilton falls ill with a dose of malaria, Tibbetts is forced to take over his duties, which include collecting the taxes. Travelling upriver by canoe, he finds Sanders' paddlesteamer the Zaire, operated by Harbottle (Moore Marriott) and Albert (Graham Moffatt).
M'Bapi leads a revolt against Bosambo, and the threesome rescue a baby from death by sacrifice.
Cast
- Lucius Blake[3]
- Will Hay as Professor Benjamin Tibbetts
- Moore Marriott as Jerry Harbottle
- Graham Moffatt as Albert
- Robert Adams as Bosambo
- Jack London as M'Bapi
- Wyndham Goldie as Commissioner Sanders
- Jack Livesey as Captain Hamilton
Notes
- ↑ Collinson, Gavin. "Old Bones of the River (1938)". BFI Screenonline. British Film Institute. Retrieved 9 July 2017.
- ↑ "ARCHIVE Ol - Once: British films of the 30s, 40s and 50s". www.britishpictures.com.
- ↑ Khomami, Nadia (2 October 2023). "Overlooked black actor may have been most prolific in early British cinema". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2 October 2023.
External links