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Time Flies (1944) movie poster

Timeline

Time Flies (1944) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Release, runtime and language
1944 · 88 mins · English
Directed by
Walter Forde
Starring
Felix Aylmer, Tommy Duggan, Arthur Hambling, John Salew, Wallace Bosco, Pete Murray

When the Professor (Felix Aylmer) shows his time‑machine to Susie (Evelyn Dall), it misfires and launches with Tommy (Tommy Handley) and Bill (George Moon) aboard. They are flung into Elizabethan England, meeting Walter Raleigh, William Shakespeare, Queen Elizabeth I, Captain John Smith and Pocahontas. Their frantic attempts to return home drive the film’s historic comedy.

Comedy Cast, crew & box office
On this page (5)
  1. 1 Events in order (12)
  2. 2 Timeline questions answered
  3. 3 Movie threads
  4. 4 Movies like Time Flies
  5. 5 Every angle

12 events in order · contains spoilers

Time Flies Timeline: Events in Chronological Order

Every key event of Time Flies (1944) in order, scene by scene, with when and where it takes place. Use it to untangle flashbacks, time jumps and parallel storylines, to refresh your memory before the sequel or to find the exact scene you are thinking of.

  1. Tommy's pitch on tour

    Bill and Susie Barton are on tour when Tommy shows up, soliciting funds for a new scheme called Time Ferry Services Limited. He frames it as a way to monetize time travel, and Bill has already loaned him $10,000 to help Professor Stewart McAndrew develop the Time Ball. The encounter sets the stage for intrigue, deception, and a dangerous temptation to chase a scam.

    When
    present day
    Where
    on tour

  2. Susie confronts the loan repayment

    Susie travels to the lavish apartment of Tommy and the Professor to demand the money back. She confronts them about the risky investment and the missing loan, insisting on repayment. The confrontation reveals that Tommy's wealth is borrowed and not real.

    When
    present day
    Where
    Tommy's apartment

  3. Discovery of Tommy's ruse and hiding in the Time Ball

    The group discovers that Tommy is actually a valet who has been borrowing his employer's clothes and apartment to pose as a wealthy man. His boss calls the police, forcing them to flee. They scramble inside the Time Ball, hoping to evade capture.

    When
    present day
    Where
    Tommy's employer's apartment

  4. Time Ball activated; travel to Elizabethan London

    Tommy closes the hatch, accidentally activating the Time Ball. The device whirs and catapults the group back in time to Elizabethan London. They arrive disoriented, realizing they are far from home and trapped in a new era.

    When
    late 16th century
    Where
    Time Ball

  5. Arrival in Elizabethan London and a growing swindle

    In Elizabethan London, Tommy befriends Sir Walter Raleigh and the Queen Elizabeth I, seizing on their presence to launch a new swindle by claiming to own America and selling pieces of land to courtiers. The audacity of the scheme underscores the danger of power and currency in a distant era. The others become entangled in the plan, fearing for their safety and future.

    When
    late 16th century
    Where
    Elizabethan London

  6. Professor McAndrew imprisoned in the Tower

    Professor Stewart McAndrew is arrested and jailed in the Tower of London for alleged Scottish espionage, effectively trapping the group in the past. The situation becomes more dire as they realize there may be no easy way back. The political climate of the era tightens around them.

    When
    late 16th century
    Where
    Tower of London

  7. Susie meets Shakespeare

    Susie encounters William Shakespeare and feeds him some of his own lines, which he eagerly writes down. The encounter reveals the cultural vibrancy of the era and gives Susie a taste of the period's literary world. The exchange is playful but also shows how time travel can influence art.

    When
    late 16th century
    Where
    Elizabethan London

  8. Assuming identities to plead for the Professor

    Susie and Bill meet Captain John Smith and Pocahontas in a tavern and steal their identities to gain an audience with Queen Elizabeth I to pardon the Professor. The ruse relies on convincing the monarch of their supposed connections and importance. The deception is risky and exposes them to immediate danger if uncovered.

    When
    late 16th century
    Where
    Elizabethan London (tavern)

  9. Unmasked and condemned to execution

    Their deception is revealed, and they are unmasked and sentenced to be executed along with the Professor and Tommy. The weight of court politics and the danger of misrepresentation tighten around the group. The looming execution underscores how precarious their situation has become.

    When
    late 16th century
    Where
    Elizabethan court

  10. Escape by Time Ball and return to the present

    The queen's soldiers attempt to burn them alive in a dramatic use of the Time Ball, but the Professor manages to repair the device and send them back to the modern day. The operatic tension of the moment highlights the fragile line between progress and peril. They barely escape the past just as their window to return closes.

    When
    late 16th century
    Where
    Time Ball in Elizabethan London

  11. Return to present day, weeks too early

    They arrive back in the present, but several weeks too early, creating confusion and disrupting their sense of time. The premature arrival throws their lives into disarray as they try to readjust to a world that has moved on without them. The experience leaves them unsettled and wary of future adventures.

    When
    present
    Where
    present day

  12. Fade away due to temporal paradox

    As a consequence of the temporal paradox, they begin to fade away from the present. Their memories and presence gradually diminish, leaving a sense of unfinished business and the knowledge that time sometimes claims its due. The ending lingers with a haunting reminder of the costs of meddling with fate.

    When
    present
    Where
    present day

Last updated: February 24, 2026 at 09:40

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Timeline questions answered

Time Flies Timeline Explained: Your Questions Answered

When does it happen, and why in that order? The questions people ask about the chronology of Time Flies (1944): time jumps, flashbacks, cause and effect between scenes and the correct order of events, each answered with spoilers.

Q1

Why was Tommy pretending to be wealthy?

Tommy is actually a valet who has been borrowing his employer's clothes and expensive apartment to pose as a wealthy businessman. He's been running a scam called Time Ferry Services Limited to get people like Bill to invest in the Professor's time machine project.

  • tommy valet
  • time ferry services
  • scam
  • professor time machine investment
Q2

How did the Time Ball get activated?

Tommy accidentally activated the Time Ball while hiding inside it from the police. When his employer arrived and police were called, Tommy panicked and closed the hatch, which triggered the device and sent the group back to Elizabethan London.

  • time ball activation
  • time machine
  • elizabethan london
  • accidentally sent back
Q3

Why was the Professor arrested in Elizabethan England?

The Professor was arrested and jailed in the Tower of London for being a Scottish spy. The Elizabethan authorities suspected him because he was a Scottish man with strange inventions and no clear explanation for his presence in England.

  • professor arrested
  • tower of london
  • scottish spy
  • elizabethan england
Q4

Why did Bill and Susie pretend to be Captain John Smith and Pocahontas?

They needed to get an audience with Queen Elizabeth to beg for the Professor's pardon. After meeting the real John Smith and Pocahontas in a tavern, they stole their identities and letters of introduction to gain access to the Queen.

Foreshadowing: Earlier in the tavern, they encountered the real explorers who provided the names and credentials they would later steal.

  • captain john smith
  • pocahontas
  • queen elizabeth
  • identity swap
  • tavern scene
Q5

Why were they sentenced to execution?

Their identity deception was uncovered when the Queen realized they were not who they claimed to be. The Queen sentenced all of them - Bill, Susie, Tommy, and the Professor - to be burned alive inside the Time Ball as punishment for their deception.

  • execution sentence
  • queen elizabeth
  • unmasked
  • burned alive
  • time ball
Q6

How did they escape execution?

As the Queen's soldiers attempted to burn them inside the Time Ball, the Professor managed to repair the malfunctioning device. He activated it just in time, sending them back to the present day and escaping their execution.

  • escape execution
  • professor repairs time ball
  • return to present
  • burned alive
Q7

Why did Tommy claim to own America?

After arriving in Elizabethan London, Tommy befriended Walter Raleigh and Queen Elizabeth and launched a new scam. He claimed to 'own' America and sold parcels of American land to gullible courtiers, exploiting their ignorance about the New World.

  • tommy sells america
  • walter raleigh
  • land scam
  • elizabethan court
  • new world
Q8

What happened when Susie met William Shakespeare?

Susie encountered William Shakespeare and, in a playful moment, recited some of his own famous lines back to him. The playwright eagerly wrote them down, thinking they were original ideas - a humorous twist on time travel allowing her to 'inspire' the famous bard.

  • susie meets shakespeare
  • famous lines
  • time travel humor
  • elizabethan london
Q9

Why did they fade away after returning to the present?

They returned to the present several weeks too early, creating a temporal paradox. Because they arrived before they were supposed to, they began fading away from existence - a consequence of messing with the timeline.

Foreshadowing: The Time Ball had already shown its instability when it initially misfired, hinting at the dangers of imprecise time travel.

  • fade away
  • temporal paradox
  • weeks too early
  • time travel consequences
  • present day
Q10

What was the Time Ball and how did it work?

The Time Ball was Professor Stewart McAndrew's primitive time machine, which he developed with funding from Bill's $10,000 investment. It was a device that could send people through time, though it was unreliable and prone to malfunctioning, as demonstrated when it misfired and sent the group to Elizabethan England.

Foreshadowing: The initial misfire during the Professor's demonstration established that the Time Ball was an untested and dangerous invention.

  • time ball time machine
  • professor stewart mcandrew
  • time travel device
  • misfire

Movie threads

More Movies Like Time Flies, by Mood & Story

Curated lists built around what makes Time Flies tick: the same mood, the same kind of story or the same emotional payoff. Each list explains why these movies belong together.

Comedic Time Travel Chaos like in Time Flies

Wild historical hijinks fueled by mistaken identities and frantic escapes. If you enjoyed the frantic historical hijinks of Time Flies, discover more movies where accidental time travelers cause comedic chaos. These films feature anachronistic humor, mistaken identities, and lighthearted farces across different eras, perfect for fans of whimsical adventures.

  • time travel
  • comedic chaos
  • fish out of water
  • historical farce
  • mistaken identity
  • frantic
  • Tone: light, whimsical
  • Pacing: fast, chaotic
Why these movies?

The story pattern: Stories typically begin with an accidental or unintended journey through time, dropping modern (or otherwise displaced) characters into a historical setting. The plot then revolves around their attempts to navigate this unfamiliar world, often leading to a series of comedic misunderstandings, swindles, and narrow escapes before they find a way back.

Why they belong together: These movies are grouped by their shared premise of using time travel as a engine for lighthearted farce rather than serious drama. They prioritize fast-paced, whimsical humor, chaotic situations, and a generally low-stakes, optimistic tone where even perilous situations are played for laughs.

Time Flies movie poster

Time Flies

1944
Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure movie poster

Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure

1989
Boom in the Moon movie poster

Boom in the Moon

1946
Not So Dumb movie poster

Not So Dumb

1930
Comin’ ’Round the Mountain movie poster

Comin’ ’Round the Mountain

1936
Abbott and Costello Go to Mars movie poster

Abbott and Costello Go to Mars

1953
The Happiest Days of Your Life movie poster

The Happiest Days of Your Life

1950
Seven Hours of Troubles movie poster

Seven Hours of Troubles

1951

Historical Impostor Comedies like Time Flies

Characters stumbling through history, pretending to be someone they're not. Fans of the mistaken identity swindle in Time Flies will love these movies about characters pretending to be historical figures. Explore more comedies filled with anachronistic humor, improvised lies, and chaotic charm set against a backdrop of famous eras and personalities.

  • impostor
  • historical comedy
  • swindle
  • anachronistic
  • mischievous
  • deception
  • Tone: light, mischievous
  • Pacing: fast, frantic
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The narrative follows characters who assume false identities within a historical context. Their success depends on maintaining a deception, often while being completely out of their depth. The comedy arises from their improvisational lies, the contrast between their modern sensibilities and historical norms, and the inevitable complications that threaten to expose them.

Why they belong together: This thread connects films that use historical settings as a playground for impostor-based comedy. The focus is on the humor derived from anachronisms, the tension of maintaining a ruse, and the lighthearted, often mischievous energy of characters navigating the past under false pretenses.

The Man Who Was Sherlock Holmes movie poster

The Man Who Was Sherlock Holmes

1937
The Inspector-General movie poster

The Inspector-General

1952
Incognito from St.Petersburg movie poster

Incognito from St.Petersburg

1978
Imitation General movie poster

Imitation General

1958
Crook’s Tour movie poster

Crook’s Tour

1940
The Fixer Uppers movie poster

The Fixer Uppers

1935
The Great Garrick movie poster

The Great Garrick

1937
Midnight Intruder movie poster

Midnight Intruder

1938

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Every angle

Time Flies (1944) Explained: Plot, Timeline & Characters

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