Behind the Front (1926)

During World War I a young man joins the army and winds up befriending another young recruit, not knowing that it's the same pickpocket who stole his watch. After finishing basic training, ... See full summary »

Director:

A. Edward Sutherland

Writers:

Monte Brice (adaptation), Ethel Doherty,

Stars:

Wallace Beery, Raymond Hatton, Mary Brian

Cast

Cast overview:
Wallace Beery	...	Riff Swanson
Raymond Hatton	...	Shorty McKee
Mary Brian	...	Betty Bartlett-Cooper
Richard Arlen	...	Percy Brown
Hayden Stevenson	...	Capt. Bartlett-Cooper
Chester Conklin	...	Scottie
Tom Kennedy	...	Sergeant
Frances Raymond	...	Mrs. Bartlett-Cooper
Melbourne MacDowell	...	Mr. Bartlett-Cooper
Jerry Mandy	...	Limburger soldier
Charles Sullivan	...	Soldier
Gertrude Astor	...	French barmaid

Storyline

During World War I a young man joins the army and winds up befriending another young recruit, not knowing that it's the same pickpocket who stole his watch. After finishing basic training, the two are sent to the front lines in France, where they wind up in trouble with the MPs, getting involved with some cute French girls and "volunteering" for a dangerous front-line mission, and their antics result in their endangering the armistice.

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Genres:

Comedy

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 February 1926 (USA)

Also Known As:

Nós... Somos da Pátria Amada

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

User Reviews

Funny Funny Movie About WWI

Wallace Beery joins the army and heads to France not knowing that his new best friend is the pickpocket who stole his watch. This silent movie is a great comedy about day to day life in the trenches of The Great War (before we knew to number them). The two friends spend time in the stockade, eat bad food and meet French girls. They also "volunteer" for a dangerous mission in no-man's-land, accidentally capturing an entire German company and violating the armistice. Laurel & Hardy repeated this gag in "Pack Up Your Troubles" a few years later. By 1926, Hollywood was making war dramas showing the courage and sacrifices the doughboys made. "Wings" and "Hell's Angels" would be made in the next three years. Maybe it was time to forget the horrors of the war and laugh at it for a while.