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Poster for A.W.O.L. (1918)

A.W.O.L. (1918)

1918 · Animation · 3 min · dir. Charles R. Bowers

  • Animation

Synopsis

As the title sequence makes clear, going AWOL is All Wrong, Old Laddiebuck. The 1918 Armistice has ended the Great War, and one American soldier is especially anxious to be discharged. This leaves him vulnerable to a woman - named Miss AWOL - who drives into his camp in a car marked "Joy." Miss AWOL beckons the soldier to join her for a ride, and he does. She hits every possible rock during their ride then barely avoids toppling over a cliff. A policeman on a motorcycle spots them and takes chase. Soon the soldier is in court, and one Judge Gloom fines him twenty-five dollars. Outside the courthouse, Miss AWOL beckons him to go for another ride. This ride is wilder than ever: she flips the car into the air, drives up a tree, hits farm animals (including a cow whose wingéd ghost departs its body), smashes into a haystack (from which dozens of people, for some reason, fly out) and tears a barn from its foundation. Finally, they hit a tree, thus ending the thrill-ride. Immediately, Miss AWOL spots a handsome passerby, and she walks off with him, leaving the soldier to nurse his wounded pride. Meanwhile, the other soldiers at the camp are discharged, and they leap for joy as they depart. The joyriding soldier returns, but finds himself in the guard house. He angrily rattles the bars on his window, but they tauntingly form the word "AWOL."

Synopsis from OMDb

Details

Director
Charles R. Bowers
Writer
Charles R. Bowers
Studio
american motion picture
Released
1918-03-07
Running time
3 minutes
Language
English
Collection
Silent Films, Feature Films

Cast & crew

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