Those Were the Days_
A farce based on Arthur Wing Pinero's play 'The Magistrate' in which the son (John Mills) of a stern magistrate (Will Hay) visits a music hall against the wishes of his father. In true farcical style, the magistrate too ends up at the music hall, and before long all the characters are trying not to avoid each other... Mainly notable (a) because of its depiction of the music hall as seen by a generation which knew it intimately (b) because of its use of music hall acts of the time and (c) because it gave Will Hay his first film role.
Starring
Will Hay, Iris Hoey, Angela Baddeley
Updated Feb 16, 2026
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Year context
Those Were the Days was released 92 years ago in 1934.
Overview
A farce based on Arthur Wing Pinero's play 'The Magistrate' in which the son (John Mills) of a stern magistrate (Will Hay) visits a music hall against the wi...
Those Were the Days is a Music, Comedy film with a runtime of 1h 20m.
CAST (13)
Will Hay
Magistrate Brutus Poskett
Iris Hoey
Agatha Poskett
AB
Angela Baddeley
Charlotte Verrinder
Claud Allister
Capt. Horace Vale
GG
George Graves
Col. Alexander Lukyn
John Mills
Bobby Poskett
Jane Carr
Minnie Taylor
MA
Marguerite Allan
Eve Douglas
HM
H.F. Maltby
Mr. Bullamy
Laurence Hanray
Wormington
Syd Crossley
Wyke
Wally Patch
Inspector Briggs
JG
Jimmy Godden
Pat Maloney
DETAILS
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What is Those Were the Days about?
A farce based on Arthur Wing Pinero's play 'The Magistrate' in which the son (John Mills) of a stern magistrate (Will Hay) visits a music hall against the wishes of his father. In true farcical style, the magistrate too ends up at the music hall, and before long all the characters are trying not to avoid each other... Mainly notable (a) because of its depiction of the music hall as seen by a generation which knew it intimately (b) because of its use of music hall acts of the time and (c) because it gave Will Hay his first film role.
How long is Those Were the Days?
Those Were the Days has a runtime of 80 minutes (1h 20m).
Who stars in Those Were the Days?
The cast of Those Were the Days includes Will Hay, Iris Hoey, Angela Baddeley, Claud Allister, George Graves.
What is the rating of Those Were the Days?
Those Were the Days has a rating of 7.5 out of 10 based on 2 votes on TMDB.
GENRES (2)
Music
Comedy
