This man is certainly ‘flavour of the month’ at the moment with his very popular BBC TV series  – However he has been very popular for a good many years on British Television

Some of these pictures date from 1961.

In an article he wrote for one of the Film Annuals in 1961 – one of the first things he states is “I will not be a ‘personality’ – and all that lark!”

Well – maybe he is very much a personality and celebrity now.

Above with his TWO Brothers – two of which we know well

At this time he is doing ‘Zoo Quest’ on BBC Television

Above – With Guide in Africa in the very early sixties.

Above – we now jump forward  a few years to 2018 and see the Queen walking round her Buckingham Palace Garden with David Attenborough – and it seem making him laugh with a remark she has made.

Now what could be better than this – a visit to the cinema in 1954 to see TWO Technicolor Productions – On an action packed Western and then an adventure on the South Sea Islands.

At the time it would be every young lad’s dream to see this programme I reckon.

Below: Richard Denning

George Montgomery seemed here, to be at the height of his success,  making one good  Western after another, often with William Castle as Director.

Martha Hyer’s career was also taking off at this time, and she’d be nominated for an Oscar for Some Came Running (1958).

Richard Denning was in the excellent Hangman’s Knot (1952 ) – but I mainly remember him myself for a favourite of our family – ‘Beyond  The Blue Horizon’.  Come to think of it – this would fit a Boyhood dream of being on a tropical desert Island as much as ANY film would – this one fits the part perfectly.

A scene below with Richard Denning and Dorothy Lamour from the film we love – Beyond The Blue Horizon

Above:  ‘Beyond The Blue Horizon’. Richard Denning and Dorothy Lamour – This film was in Technicolor

Richard Denning  was in  Creature From The Black Lagoon (1954)

Richard Denning was married to the beautiful Universal horror star Evelyn Ankers. She also appeared opposite Lex Barker as Tarzan in Tarzan’s Hidden Jungle.

Made in England this is a well remembered film – at least to me  it is – with Alan Ladd in good form.

My previous post showed Alan Ladd and his wife at the Royal Command Performance in 1948 but this was much later.  At this point in 1953 Alan Ladd had signed a film Deal with Warwick Films – and this was one of the ones he made here in England. Another was The Red Beret.

This is a great publicity shot that I have come across BELOW :-

Alan does not look too interested in this shot above  though.  Overall his performance  was pretty good but he did seem to have a laconic style which must have been appealing to Cinemagoers at that time because he had been so popular although this was towards the end of his peak film years.

The Black Knight was the third film of three that Alan Ladd did for Warwick that were released by Columbia in America. The first one, The Red Beret was a World War II story and he played  a Canadian to explain his non-British accent. The second, Hell Below Zero, was a modern story set on a whaling ship –  he played an American.

Director Tay Garnett handles the battle sequences in The Black Knight well  and the rest of the British cast were well up to the mark.

During filming at Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire, which began in September 1953  I always remember Dirk Bogarde saying that he talked with Alan Ladd in the Canteen at times and asked Alan what he had done that day to which he replied ‘ just a couple of good looks to the camera’ – and Dirk thought to himself that this was indeed a really good tip for film acting.     As Dirk said – Alan was a very experienced film actor and he his remark went right back to basics  – Don’t overplay things on screen’

Alan Ladd never did that – and he had a very long and successful film career.

The Heading I have used states the  ‘Queen Mother’  but that is more to identify her, as we knew her for so long – but in fact at this point of course in 1948,  she was The Queen although not the Monarch.

he Royal Command Performance was for the premiere of ‘Scott of the Antarctic’ on November 20, 1948.

Here she is meeting celebrities at the Empire Leicester Square in London.  She is seen greeting Alan Ladd who quite rightly bows – and to the Left of him is Vivien Leigh – than to the right of him is his wife Sue Carroll, then Jean Kent and Glynis Johns -( who would be very young at the time) – and in the picture on the far right is Princess Margaret.

Above – Another picture at the same event – Alan Ladd and his wife arrive at the Empire Leicester Square.

Patricia Neal and Ronald Reagan at the Royal Command Film Performance of Scott of the Antarctic at the Empire Theatre in London on November 20, 1948.

I had not realised this but of course Ronald Reagan and Patricia Neal were here in England to film ‘The Hasty Heart with Richard Todd.  I had not realised that they were here at the same time as  Alan Ladd, although as far as I can see Alan Ladd was not here to make a film – but he was here quite a bit in the early fifties for The Black Knight and The Red Beret.

I did read somewhere, and have it in my mind. that Alan Ladd would not travel by air – it seems he had a fear of flying.   Not sure if that is true but I as reminded of it when this 1948 snippet came up and wondered how he had travelled.

It seems from the picture below he did sail to England on the Cunard  White Star R.M.S. Mauretania

ALAN LADD, JOAN CAULFIELD, PATRICIA NEAL, MICHAEL O’SHEA, VIRGINIA MAYO, and SUE CAROL LADD

 Alan Ladd, Joan Caulfield, Patricia Neal, Michael O’Shea, Virginia Mayo, and Sue Carol Ladd sign a black and white publicity photograph of themselves on the deck of theCunard White Star R.M.S. Mauretania

ALAN LADD with is Wife SUE CAROL LADD – on board the Cunard White Star R.M.S. Mauretania

Fascinating it is to me, is the way that films are made and put together – whether that means Locations, Sets, Matte Painting or any other of the many techniques used to provide us cinemagoers with the realistic entertainment we love.

From the very first films that were made, ways have been found to enhance these with the special effects mentioned above – also trick shots, aerial shots, and a host of others – and over the years these have become more and more sophisticated although not always better.

The use of Models or Miniatures in films is as old as the hills and still remains an important aspect of film making.

Above: The model of the Manderley  from the 1940 Alfred Hitchcock film ‘Rebecca’. Apparently the model was so large it occupied an entire sound stage.   It was enhanced with matte paintings for sky and scenery for all of the exterior shots.

Above: Someone arranging a Miniature from ‘A Place of One’s Own’ 1945 Starring James Mason, Barbara Mullen and with Ernest Thesiger

Above: The Lord of the Rings from much later – but  these models are still used – and very much part of film making

Above: Derek Meddings preparing a scene from ‘Goldeneye’ 1995.   Sadly Derek died later in 1995 actually before  the film was released later that year. He did work on a lot of  James Bond Films – and many others too. He also Directed one or two films and acted in one I believe – not a Bond film though.

Back to the Fifties ABOVE for The War of the Worlds which starred Gene Barry. I liked this fim

None other that Joan Rice accompanied by Donald Sinden who had starred together in ‘A Day to Remember’ visited the lovely town of Gainsborough in Lincolnshire – a town situated on the banks of the River Trent.

The cinema had been re-named the Gaumont in 1949 and was modernised in early-1954, Reopening on 29 March 1954 with Edward G. Robinson in “The Glass Webb” showing.and with film stars Joan Rice and Donald Sindon making personal appearances.

I haven’t been able to locate any pictures of the visit which is a shame – but above we the Two stars together.

However there have been references to this visit on Facebook by people who remember it and were there as young children. At that time Joan Rice was quite a big name after The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men  and His Majesty O’Keefe.

Donald Sinden though had yet to make his mark in film terms but of course he had a much longer and more varied career than Joan Rice.

I understand that there was quite large crowd out to see them in the Town. One woman from Gainsborough seems to remember a Norman Wisdom film being the first one shown after the Cinema re-vamp – and she could well be right because it would be at the time when one of his films was on release – and in fact Joan Rice had been the female lead in that – the film was One Good Turn although on checking this was not released until February 1955.

Anyway – if anyone reads this and was there at the time, or has photographs of this visit –  please do let us know.

Back in the 1950s we went to the Cinema to be entertained – and these low budget films with preposterous story lines – and not much better special effects came thick and fast – at that time mainly from America.

We had a makeshift Cinema in the next village / small town that showed films and I remember my brother going to see Tarantula 1955 there – which has a young Clint Eastwood playing a very minor part as a fighter pilot.

The main roles were to John Agar – a regular in this type of film – and Mara Corday plus Leo G. Carroll – who had a main role and a long run in the TV series ‘The Man From Uncle’ a few years later

“Tarantula” is a typical sci-fi of the 50’s and a surprisingly good film. The screenplay is very well written and it is supported by good direction, performances, cinematography and special effects – at least these were ok for the time.

Below – What a scene this – needs to be seen to be believed

Above: Those actors  in the picture are on hand to administer a dose of something in the largest syringe ever seen in the film The Amazing Colossal Man from 1957.

This film is nothing more than a poorly-crafted, poor  special effects laden film about a man that survives a plutonium blast that starts to grow almost 8 inches a day. Soon Colonel Glenn Manning becomes fifty feet high and starts to lose his mind.

Film Director – Bert I. Gordon is able to do something he rarely ever does, and that is make you care a bit for the characters. Glen Manning is punished for a good deed and his heroic personality, and the irony of his situation is never lost on him or the audience. Glenn Langan does his best and a pretty good job as the giant man The rest of the cast is not quite at his mediocre level.

Below – What a scene this as

Above: A sequel to THE AMAZING COLOSSAL MAN,  this film picks up where that one left off.

Col. Glenn Manning, having survived the fall from Boulder Dam is disfigured and hopelessly insane – and the U.S. military tries to contain him while his sister tries to communicate with him. He manages to escape and wreak havoc.

This time we have  Dean Parkin in the main role as Col. Glenn Manning – and the film has the same Director – Bert I. Gordon

Wherever I go I seem to assess places and scenery as to whether it would fit into a film location – and it is all the more appealing when there appears something or somewhere that seems to fit the bill perfectly.

On a trip this January day to the famous City of Hull with my family, among other things we decided to go to the Hull Museum right down in the Old City of Hull – and the old City is very attractive architecturally and maybe should – or maybe has – been used in film location filming. The only example I can think of was a film, in recent years about the Queen who reputedly, as Princess Elizabeth along with her sister Princess Margaret slipped out of the Palace to enjoy the VE Day Celebrations – and the old City of Hull replicated central London in those days – as this story was re told on film.

It was titled The Queen’s Big Night Out  but I don’t think that the film got much publicity  – it’s release was only three of years ago in 2015.

Above:

Royal show: Sarah Gadon (Queen Elizabeth II) (R) and Bel Powley ( Princes Margaret) (L) spotted filming scenes from Girls Night Out in Hull

 Anyway Hull Museum, first let me say, is very well worth a visit – and once inside along with so much, there is quite a long Street set up just as it would be in the 50s.   The Pictures below speak far better than I can – but to me,  depict street scenes straight from a film of the era.

These pictures will show what I mean about film sets The Bus above just looks so stylish – maybe not so good to drive though More Wonderful Scenes – above from the Hull Museum Another Scene from The Queens Big Night Out – in part of the Old City of Hull.

This is an actor who was around through the late forties fifties and well into the 80s – mainly portraying German Officers in some memorable War Films – such as Where Eagles Dare – and before that Albert RN and The Colditz Story.

Derren Nesbitt played cold-blooded SS officer, Major von Hapen, in  Where Eagles Dare (1968) and so effective was he in the role that his co-star Anton Diffring, famously remarked: “You’re more German than I am!”

In fact he had fled Germany before the War and sought refuge in Canada. He was of Jewish parentage and was gay – neither of which would have endeared him to the Nazi Regime in pre War Germany – so it is cruelly ironic that it seems he was to make his living – and  a very good living – out of playing  Nazi Officers  or such roles over so many years.  Wherever there was casting for a War film, you can bet on it that Anton Diffring would be one of the first to be cast – and at the time, he would have no doubt as to the role he would be playing.

Having trained as an actor in Berlin and Vienna, Anton Diffring left his homeland in the late 1930s and went first to the US and then to Canada, where he was interned.

He came to Britain after the War in the late 1940s to try his luck but it took him a while to become established.

His first credit in a British film came in 1950, in State Secret.

Above – in a non German Officer Role Anton Diffring starred in Hammer’s Production of The Man Who Clould Cheat Death in 1959 – pictured here on what looks to be a social occasion – with Hazel Court and Christopher Lee – who were with him in this film.

He actually had star billing in this one – apparently Peter Cushing was unavailable for the Hammer Production.

Anton Diffring,  died on 20th May, 1989. Depending on which source you believe, he was either born Anton de Vient or Alfred Pollack, in Koblenz.

He was never one hundred percent happy playing  the roles he was offered, but practical enough to take the money and security that these parts gave him. He continued to make the most of his blonde hair, blue eyes and chiselled features on both sides of the Atlantic, appearing in such classics as Albert RN (1953), The Colditz Story (1955), The Heroes of Telemark (1965), The Blue Max (1966), Where Eagles Dare (1968), Operation Daybreak (1975 – as SS officer Reinhard Heydrich) and Escape to Victory (1981).
We also remember him for the Horror roles – as well as the one above – he played Dr Schuler in Circus of Horrors (1960) and Pavel in The Beast Must Die (1974).

Unusually though, he played in one of the comedy stories created in The Galton and Simpson Playhouse series where he played opposite none other that Arthur Lowe – in the episode below :-

Car Along the Pass
Henry Duckworth is living proof that the English take their holidays very seriously indeed.
Starring Arthur Lowe, Mona Washbourne and Anton Diffring

Henry Duckworth would never have imagined that he would be trapped in a cable car with a German couple when he set off on his Alpine holiday ABOVE

Car Along The Pass, is the first of seven stories in the Galton and Simpson Playhouse series.  Henry and Ethel Duckworth (Arthur Lowe and Mona Washbourne) take a cable-car trip in the Swiss Alps.  Henry hasn’t enjoyed his holiday at all and things don’t improve when the cable-car stops when it’s only half way across.  The passengers are told that repairs will take a few hours, so naturally Henry (since he’s an Englishman) decides to take charge.

Henry Duckworth has some similarities with Arthur Lowe’s most famous comedy character (Captain Mainwaring from Dad’s Army) – both are rather pompous and very proud of their country of birth, but whereas Captain Mainwaring is also a basically decent man   Duckworth is more of  a blinkered bore, without many redeeming qualities. Not sure of the part that Anton Diffring played here – looks to be one of the German tourists trapped in the Cable Car. This was shown on Television on 17 th February 1977.

ABOVE – These two famous actors play out a scene on the Cable Car – Ironic that these two actors played their most famous parts on opposite sides to one another.

Anton Diffring also worked in several international films, including François Truffaut’s Fahrenheit 451 (1966).

He died in his home at Châteauneuf-Grasse in southern France, in 1989 and, while no official statement as to his cause of death was ever released – fellow German actor Arthur Brauss suggested, in a 2002  interview, that he died from an AIDS related condition.

However, in her biography of the actor, author Susan Edwards states that he died of cancer.

Quite a while before we introduced a Colour Television programme in 1967 in Britain, the USA were preparing for such an event 12 years before this. It was always said – and I could well be corrected on this – that their TV Colour in the early days was not that good.  Ours, years later, was in fact very good.

Anyway regardless of the merits or otherwise this short snippet from the TV Mirror magazine on 12th January 1954 is interesting.

The above pictures were taken in a factory of the Radio Corporation of America ( RCA ) where Colour Television Sets were being made.

On the Left is a close-up of the screen,  which is an essential part of the Cathode Ray Tube. Through its Thousands of holes race the streams of electrons, which produce the colours Red, Blue and Green.

The picture on the Right shows a girl wearing special safety glasses and she is putting the delicate colour picture tubes through one of the final tests.

I do remember in England a tinted screen going on sale – which was placed over the existing 12″ or 14″ screens of the day, to give the picture a tinge of colour. It didn’t seem to catch on though.

ABOVE: This was a plastic screen to make a B&W TV look colour.  This comment from the USA – It was awful, didn’t work very well. Green grass and blue skies.

It had a Blue Tint at the top and a green one at the Bottom of the screen with the middle a sort of non descript beige.  In theory-  on an outside shot it would look ok with the sky blue and the grass at the bottom green. I suppose on the very occasional shot it would look good.

Also we had the magnifying glass / screen – again placed over the existing Television screen – which made the picture larger. This was effective if you were sitting facing the screen straight on – however if you were to one side it tended to distort the picture.

My Grandmother had one of these fitted. I remember. They were quite easily removed.