This film is part of Free

Splinters
Great songs and great legs in this all-male revue make for an evocative early talkie.
Overview
You'll be humming along with the catchy main tune, I'll Be Getting Along, by the end of this film version of the famous wartime 'revusical' Splinters. Two of the original wartime cast, Hal Jones and Reg Stone, star with support from comedian Sydney Howard. The beauty chorus were all soldiers in drag; not grotesque but convincingly feminine and 'everyone a perfect gentleman'.
GA Atkinson of the Daily Express wrote that Splinters "has some right to be regarded as an authentic war document. It is the complete antidote to the nonsensical war-comedies that come from abroad. Every ex-soldier who sees it must subscribe to the accuracy of its observation … Reg. Stone, surely the best female impersonator that either stage or screen has ever known, heads an all-male beauty chorus which must be seen to be disbelieved".
Related

Five Guineas a Week Five Guineas a Week
Musical 1956 33 mins
1950s song and dance revue set in a colourful world of boarding houses and coffee bars

Devil's Rock Devil's Rock
Drama 1938 51 mins Location: Bangor
Will new open-air microphone technology give Richard Hayward the chance to silence his critics? Watch as Cushendun and Bangor steal the show.

Shooting Stars Shooting Stars
Comedy 1937 32 mins
Black music hall stars Scott and Whaley perform stereotypical minstrel routines in blackface in this 1937 touring revue.

The Rise and Fall of Nellie Brown The Rise and Fall of Nellie Brown
Musical 1964 70 mins Location: Liverpool
An incredibly joyous TV musical about a young woman's search for her long-lost cousin.

Twinkling Fingers Twinkling Fingers
Musical 1940 11 mins
Pianists Charlie Kunz and Mark Hambourg tickle the ivories for our entertainment in this jolly musical short.

Song of Toledo Song of Toledo
Musical 1953 31 mins
This merrily musical short film takes a jovial trip across picturesque 1950s Spain aboard the Talgo Express

British Cinema Breaking with Convention British Cinema Breaking with Convention
Inside Film 2010 30 mins
Jonathan Romney and a panel of directors defend the unorthodox and original in modern British cinema.

Rhianna Dhillon introduces I'm Still Here Rhianna Dhillon introduces I'm Still Here
Short documentary 2025 3 mins
Critic and broadcaster Rhianna Dhillon introduces the Oscar-winning Brazilian drama.

180° Rule - BFI LFF 2020 - Q&A 180° Rule - BFI LFF 2020 - Q&A
Inside Film 2020 11 mins
Farnoosh Samadi, the director of 180° Rule, and actor Sahar Dolatshahi in conversation following an online screening at LFF 2020.

Dreams of a Life (Q&A) Dreams of a Life (Q&A)
Inside Film 2011 14 mins
Director turned detective Carol Morley (and actor Zawe Ashton) explain how an anonymous death changed both of their lives.

The Extraordinary Miss Flower - Exclusive Q&A The Extraordinary Miss Flower - Exclusive Q&A
Inside Film 2025 28 mins
Directors Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard talk about their film, which unpacks a suitcase of love letters that inspired an album by Emilíana Torrini.

Afrika Bambaataa on Afrofuturism (Q&A) Afrika Bambaataa on Afrofuturism (Q&A)
Inside Film 2014 45 mins
Afrika Bambaataa and DJ, musician and filmmaker Don Letts discuss the development of Afrofuturism and its key artists.