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Summary: A British comic fictional propaganda piece on how suburban dwellers should buy National War Bonds to help the war effort rather than trying to produce their own food, early 1917.
Description: Two friends, Mr Woodgate and Mr Sparwell, short of money and with food expensive decide to hunt rabbits and fish locally for food. Their wives meanwhile practise home economy by decorating their own hats and "undies". At home Mr Woodgate complains that two rabbits last week cost 40 shillings. Mr Sparwell similarly notes that two and a half pounds of plaice cost three pounds ten shillings. Next day Mr Woodgate buys a shotgun, Mr Sparwell a fishing rod, and they go out to the woods. Mr Sparwell's first cast hooks a tramp's billycan into the water for which he is forced to pay. Later Mr Woodgate injures the sleeping tramp slightly by shooting him in mistake for a rabbit and also pays him compensation. Otherwise neither has any luck. At the end of the day Mr Woodgate's dog catches and kills a rabbit which he then shoots to maintain the illusion. Mr Sparwell catches a small fish in his landing net as he is packing his equipment. They compare catches describing the fictitious "one that got away". Their wives at dinner that night are amused by the small catch. On the week's accounts the cost of one small rabbit, including the cost of the gun and licence, is nineteen pounds four shillings, and of a small fish, again including the equipment, is nine pounds one shilling. On the next day both men sell off their equipment and resolve in future to practise economy by buying National War Bonds.
Production Details: Paul, Lennox (Production cast)
De Frece, Lauri (Production cast)
Personalities, Units and Organisations:
Keywords: propaganda, British - practical (object name)
society, British - domestic (object name)
31/3(41) (event)
GB, England (geography)
Physical Characteristics: Colour format: B&W
Sound format: Silent
Soundtrack language: None
Title language: English
Subtitle language: English
Technical Details: Format: 35mm
Number of items/reels/tapes: 1
Footage: 1183 ft; Running time: 19 mins
HD Media:Yes
Notes: Title: this and the subtitles are flashframes
Summary: figures for cost are given in pre-1972 British currency. One pound contained 20 shillings (s) which each contained 12 pence (d). By convention sums such as two pounds could be written as 40 shillings
Remarks: the ending, making the point of buying National War Bonds, is very abrupt, almost an afterthought. There is nothing in the rest of the film to indicate that the country is at war, and with slightly different captioning this could have been - and may have originally been - a simple comedy
