Mar

Having Fun on Location – The Admirable Crichton

When the film stars go to Location, I would imagine that not all of them are as appealing as this was in Bermuda – one that the crew and actors for the film The Admirable Crichton needed to go to and to stay at probably for a few weeks.

The film was shot from September to December 1956 in Bermuda and at London Film Studios in Shepperton.

Below we have some unusual photographs of the Stars and crew just having fun and messing around on and around the film set.

Diane Cilento – Takes aim ABOVE

Film Cameraman Harry Gillam seems to have fitted in well as a dramatic actor if the above scenes are anything to go by.

Sally Anne Howes – Much more peaceful pose near the rocks.

ABOVE: Kenneth More with Diane Cliento in the water, Cecil Parker makes a noise blowing a shell and a dramatic take on a stormy sea

ABOVE, Kenneth More very un-gentlemanly with Sally Anne Howes, and again coming off second best with a monkey – and tasting local tea with Sally Anne Howes.

Lewis Gilbert who directed the film told stories about filming The Admirable Crichton on the island.

Apparently the whole crew was invited up to dinner one evening at the playwright/actor Noel Coward’s place [Spithead Lodge on Harbour Road] — and that Noel Coward had insisted on cooking.

Everyone was apparently too much in awe of him to tell him his cooking was simply awful.

This film had a glittering 1957 red-carpet London premiere. Lewis Gilbert said that it proved to be a successful film at the Box Office.

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10

Mar

Janet Waldo dies aged 96

Janet Waldo in about 1939

Janet Waldo, who died in 2016 at the age of 96, was an American actress who was much in demand as a voice artist for numerous television cartoon series from the 1960s to the 1980s, notably for British audiences as Penelope Pitstop in Wacky Races, and as Judy Jetson in The Jetsons, both produced by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera.

Janet Marie Waldo was born in Yakima, Washington, on February 4 1920. She began acting in church plays as a child; her father, who was related to Ralph Waldo Emerson, died when she was an infant and her mother, a trained singer, gently pushed her towards a career in the theatre.

Janet studied at the University of Washington and joined a local repertory company, before entering a talent contest in Seattle, where she was spotted by Bing Crosby, touring with some Paramount Studios talent scouts. The young actress and her mother headed to Hollywood with a “feature player” contract from Paramount, Crosby having convinced the studio’s power brokers that Janet Waldo was a natural talent.

She was quickly put to work in a series of small roles, playing Harriet Hillard in Coconut Grove, then (also in 1938) in Tom Sawyer, Detective, with a young Donald O’Connor, and in Paris Honeymoon with Bing Crosby in 1939.

She appeared in a run of westerns with Tim Holt, and by the early 1940s had become a dependable minor player, appearing with Vivien Leigh and Robert Taylor in the wartime love story Waterloo Bridge.

She was in The Bandit Trail with Tim Holt – ABOVE

She was never entirely comfortable as a film actress, however, and during the war turned increasingly to the simplicity of radio. She started on Cecil B DeMille’s Lux Radio TheatRE in 1941 and proved to be a highly adaptable radio star with a flair for accents and dialects. She lent her voice to most of the popular shows of the decade, among them Big Town with Edward G Robinson, The Eddie Bracken Show and, later, Stars over Hollywood. She co-starred with Jimmy Lydon in the CBS situation comedy Young Love (1949-50), and she had a recurring role on The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet.

There were television appearances, notably in I Love Lucy, and she reprised the role of Emmy Lou when The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet transferred from radio to television in the mid-1950s. She was also for a time a regular on The Andy Griffith Show.

Nevertheless, voicing cartoons would be where she was happiest, as she discovered in 1962, when she was hired by Joe Barbera for The Jetsons. She went on to appear in dozens of animated series: she had a two-year run in The Flintstones, and was in episodes of The Fantastic Four, The Addams Family, Yogi Bear, The Scooby-Doo Show, Alvin and the Chipmunks and The Smurfs.

One of her final roles was in 1998 in the hugely popular adult animated TV series King of the Hill, in which she guest starred as Mrs Tobbis in one episode.

Janet Waldo’s husband, the writer and producer Robert E Lee, whom she married in 1948, died in 1994. She is survived by a son and daughter

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09

Mar

Saturday Island

This film from 1952

Set in the South Seas with beautiful Technicolor scenery this film has Linda Darnell, incredibly lovely, starring alongside a newcomer – this was Tab Hunter’s first film. Apparently he had been discovered while he was working on a ranch and had no prior experience acting – but in this he does well. May years later, in his autobiography, he tells some interesting stories about the making of the film and tells of Linda’s kindness to him as an absolute beginner.

This is the type of film I like – set on a beautiful island, filmed in Technicolor and with a beautiful girl cast in the leading part

Starred Tab Hunter and Linda Darnell

Linda Darnell is cast as a Canadian Nurse and Tab Hunter a US Marine who had been stranded on a Desert Island during the war.

BBC radio actor Donald Gray played a pilot who is shot down and lands on the island.

A romance develops between the two until Donald Gray arrives on the Island injured and Darnell uses her nursing skills to save him.

The two men eventually fight – described by Director Henry Hathaway ” he intended to make cinema history by staging the toughest and most earthy battle between two love struck beasts for a woman that had ever been filmed.

It was most unlikely a 19 year old ex Life Guard losing to a 37 year old Gray supposedly recently having had his arm amputated.

The filming set in Jamaica was lovely and Gray’s acting was also praised.

Donald Gray commented that the actors were in a 5 star hotel with all expenses paid with warm twilights soft calypso music and the unbelievable beauty of caribbean beaches.

He was sad when the location shooting was over and they went back to Elstree Studios in England to finish the film.

Donald Gray went on to become a Newsreader and later played detective Mark Saber in a TV series which was very successful.

Linda Darnell and Tab Hunter returned to their respective careers in Hollywood.

Looking at the Poster above – at the time – it was one of those films you would just have to see. They seemed well able to sell the film through such Posters as these.

Above THREE PICTURES – A fight between the two men as Linda Darnell looks on horrified.

With Release in the USA it became Island of Desire ABOVE

Island of Desire 1952 – ALSO advertising using this film to sell the Product – ABOVE

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08

Mar

Quatermass 11

This film was released in 1957 – it followed the famous Television serial on BBCTV here in England

Above – The Trailer to the film

Above: Brian Donlevy and a young Michael Ripper

The Television serial was rivetting over 6 weeks and this film version followed shortly afterwards. It starred Brian Donlevy in the role of Professor Quatermass – whereas on TV he was played by John Robinson who, it seems, had quite a busy career on Television and in some films but apparently the Producers thought an American in this film part would help sell the film in the USA.

This was not a view shared by Nigel Kneale the writer who did not think that Brian Donlevy was the man for the part – although others disagreed. In fact he is the only man to have played the Professor twice on film – as he had done in the previous one The Quatermass Experiment.

These films did well at the Box Office and on imdb both Films seem to get generally favourable reviews and people seemed to have enjoyed them.

I can go back to the Television series and as a small boy both this one and The Quatermass Experiment scared me stiff. I was older when Quatermass and The Pit came on TV but probably that one was the scariest of all.

Above

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07

Mar

Renown Film Festival – 2019

This big day for film fans is fast approaching :

Most of us are fans of of Talking Pictures TV, and we all should take note that

this years Renown Film Festival is on Sunday 24thMarch 2019

The success of earlier Festivals has meant a change to a larger venue for 2019 – The Alban Arena, Civic Centre, St. Albans, Hertfordshire.

The day will consist of the customary variety of films, shorts and Celebrity Guests from the world of film and there will be ,as usual, many stalls selling memorabilia; DVDs, books, posters, films and film stills.

This has always been a fun event and for all – and an opportunity to meet up with friends and maybe some of the actors from the era.

ALSO – BELOW – Another Day to pencil in :

Looks like another event to visit later in the year.

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06

Mar

The Savage Innocents 1960 – The Mighty Quinn

Anthony Quinn on good form here giving a good performance as a native Alaskan Inuit and his daily struggles and challenges. A drama which verges on documentary – and for that matter travelogue – showing the daily challenges and struggles faced by these people.

Great cinematography of the Alaska wilderness its makes you feel as if your right there in the igloo with Inuk and his wife Asiak as they eat whale blubber and hunt seal and birth babies.

It gives a feel of life in the Alaskan wilderness. Scenes such as this one above and below looked even more impressive in Cinerama.

The second unit shot some really quite beautiful location footage in the Arctic, and the cinematography throughout is impressive.

Great scenes like the ones above.

I remember seeing this one at the local cinema at the time. Really good but sadly not well known nowadays seemingly.

It is filmed in Technirama .

The film is an accurate portrayal of Eskimo customs I would imagine. Filmed at Pinewood Studios in England – and on location in Alaska.

It contrasts the cultural practices of Inuit and North American societies at a time when many Inuit people had not yet encountered Western influence. It is full of memorable performances and terrific, and at that time, unusual scenes.

Anthony Quinn brings tremendous verve to the role, and there are several other memorable parts by the supporting cast, particularly Peter O’Toole. The film also has Yoko Tani in a leading role.

In the late sixties, Bob Dylan was asked how he came to write the song “Quinn the Eskimo”. He replied that he’d seen this film in which Anthony Quinn played an Eskimo- The Savage Innocents. He wrote the song based on that idea.

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05

Mar

Lancaster Skies 2019 – A New Film – Made In Lincolnshire

Now this of course is a very new film – so technically not a Fifties Film but it’s theme is one that might well have been plucked right out of the era.

Made In Lincolnshire – actually at the film studios of Tin Hat Productions in Sleaford.

ABOVE – A Lancaster Skies Day held at Freiston Nr Boston very recently. Looks like the Production Team and the Actors were there.

Callum Burn has juts had his feature film Lancaster Skies released in 40 cinemas (including Vue) up and down the country from Feb 27. with further showings scheduled over the coming weeks at various venues.

The film is almost a throw-back to the classic British war films of the 1940’s and 50’s, and it is being released by Kaleidoscope Entertainment. For those who cannot catch the big screen release, the film will receive a DVD release in May, and it will be marketed on a Worldwide Scale.

Speaking about the production, Callum Burn explained how important it was for the film to capture an authentic look and feel of the era, with scale models used for the majority of the visual effects.

“The result is a film with the power to make an audience feel that they have been transported back to the picture houses of the past.”

From next month, it will be screened in cinemas (including Boston’s Savoy) and the very famous Kinema In The Woods at Woodhall Spa – and from May it will be available to take home on DVD and Blu-ray in countries as far afield as the US, Japan, and Australia.

Another scene from the film. features East Kirkby’s Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre and its surviving Lancaster Just Jane.

Tin Hat Productions is owned by Andy Burn, son Callum Burn, both of Sleaford, and Sam Parsons, of London, who attended film school with Callum. The trio have also had loyal support from Lincoln’s Scott Ellis.

Lancaster Skies was originally titled Our Shining Sword.

Above: A farewell Scene at a Railway Station

The production team overcame numerous obstacles in their path to get the film finished last year. They made costumes, built sets (including a replica Lancaster), crafted models for special effects sequences, and held fundraising events – achieving a number of high profile endorsements along the way, including from TV personality Stephen Fry.

Stephen’s endorsement helped pave the way for the distribution deal, said Andy, which he described as ‘a dream come true’.

He said: “We are really, really pleased. The hope was we would get some sort of DVD deal. We would never had dreamt we would get a cinema release. That kind of thing doesn’t happen and it certainly doesn’t happen for films that cost £80,000”

On the advice of the distributors, the picture has been transferred back from black-and-white back to colour to give the film its best chance of success in America.

Andy says they have been told they should at least make their investment back, and one encouraging sign of this is that three screenings are already sold out. Andy paid tribute to everyone who has supported the project, saying: “Thanks to all the people who are buying tickets, and thanks to all the people in the community who helped because there were lots of them, whether they were actors or local businesses that put money in.

For much of the production, the film went by the name Our Shining Sword, but at the start of the year gained a new title. This was done to take full advantage the world-famous star involved in the picture, The Lancaster Bomber.

The filmmakers looked to the nearby East Kirkby Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre and its surviving Lancaster Just Jane to help bring their story – one inspired by the missions of Bomber Command – to life.

Having been involved in the production, the Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre has also had the chance to see the film.

Andrew Panton, from the centre, said: “The film has a wonderful story line with great depth and intricacy highlighting many factors of wartime service life.

“We are proud to have been involved with supporting the film both due to its subject matter and the fact that Tin Hat Productions are a local company.”

The Film had a Premier Type showing at The Kinema In The Woods in Woodhall Spa – home base for the Dambusters in real life of course. Also close to the Lincolnshire Aviation Centre where some of this was filmed and home to a working – but not yet flying – Lancaster Bomber which was used in the film. So the choice for this event was very apt.

Some of the comments after this showing :

With great anticipation the much awaited film began and we were not disappointed with a few unexpected twists it is a great representative of how these young men dealt with day to day life and death. For a small cast and budget an amazing achievement

Lancaster Skies is different – it has excellent production values and tells the story of a single Bomber Command crew at the height of the war. It would seem to capture the mood of life and death on a Bomber base perfectly.

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04

Mar

Genevieve 1953 – with Larry Adler’s Famous Theme

Genevieve is a 1953 British comedy film produced and directed by Henry Cornelius . It stars John Gregson, Dinah Sheridan, Kenneth More and Kay Kendall as two couples comedically involved in a veteran car rally. The main theme of the musical score was composed and performed by Larry Adler. Composer Graham Whettam was commissioned to write the orchestral score incorporating Larry Adler’s tune.

I heard Larry Adler in a Radio interview some years ago talking about this. Apparently the film was considered by the makers to have little or no potential – in fact a dud. Larry was offered £500 to compose the theme which as he said even in those days was a poor offer but they also offered a NIL fee and a percentage of the film’s profits. His agent advised him not to go for this option as he and everyone else thought he would get nothing but in fact that is what Larry chose to go with.

As we all know the film was a resounding success and Larry said that the percentage he got year after year, was enough to educate all his children and more was left over. What a good instinct he had there.

This Film Score was nominated for an Oscar. However the nomination went to the film’s music director, Muir Mathieson, not Larry Adler, whose name had been taken off American prints of the picture due to his inclusion on the Blacklist.

It wasn’t until June 1986 before the Academy’s Board of Governors had Academy records updated to give Adler his proper credit, which Mathieson had never claimed.

Muir Mathieson’s name was removed from the nomination and Larry Adler’s inserted. Over thirty years later, Larry Adler finally received his nomination certificate.

His wrote other film scores included The Hellions (1961) King & Country (1964) and A High Wind in Jamaica (1965) and A Cry from the Streets (1958)

I hadn’t realised that before the War – actually in 1937 , Larry Adler was topping the Bill at the Holborn Empire and he was supported by Tommy Trinder and Max Wall – so the audience would be guaranteed music and a good laugh – SEE ABOVE

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03

Mar

Gene Autry – Western Films and so much more

I really don’t know much about Gene Autry and was never a fan of him or his films but I have to say that looking back over many years – well before the fifties – he was very successful.

He invested from the Thirties in Property , Films and later in Television – and this made him a very rich man.

In 1982, he sold Los Angeles television station KTLA for $245 million. He ranked for many years on the Forbes magazine list of the 400 richest Americans, before he fell in 1995 to an estimated net worth of $320 million.

He even pilots his own plane around the USA – Above

And before he sets off – he likes to brief Champion on where he is going to – BELOW

About a decade ago, a large-scale restoration project on a lot of Gene Autry’s Films working from his own 16mm and 35mm uncut material, made sure these films when shown again would look and sound good – as they did apparently.

Many of the Titles are available on DVD from The Timeless Media Group featuring Gene Autry films made in the 1950s.

BELOW – Gene Autry in a scene from a Western Film

BELOW – Hills of Utah 1951

Gene Autry is the only person to have all FIVE stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

Silver Canyon – Above Gene Autry’s leady lady Gail Davis in this film seems to have him covered in the scene above. Mind you they must have got on well as they appeared in quite a few films together and later she was the star of the TV Series Annie Oakley produced by Gene Autry’s Company.

In fact this is what he had to say about Gail Davis :-

‘There are lots of girls who can ride and shoot and lots who can act, but the girl who could do both just couldn’t be found. Then this kid came along and I didn’t have any more problems. A whole generation of children grew up with Gail Davis playing Annie Oakley on television. Before that she co-starred with me in several of my movies. She also toured with me on a number of occasions. Gail was an extremely talented individual. She had a kind, generous heart and brought so much joy to so many children. She never stopped doing that right up to the day she passed away.’

Texans Never Cry – I love that shot above of Gene and Champion having a welcome drink of water

Following the death of his first wife, he went on to marry Jackie in July 1981 and they remained together until his death in 1997.

Jackie Autry came into Gene’s life after his first wife of 48 years, Ina, died of cancer. Jackie was Autry’s banker and helped him oversee his vast holdings that included the radio and television stations and the California Angels baseball team.

She was 34 years younger and not sure she wanted to be married. But it lasted 18 years and she would not have missed a single day.

“Somebody said to me, ‘If you had to describe your relationship with your husband?’ I would say my husband was my best friend. He was my pal. My buddy. My lover. And my child,” she said. “All in one person.”

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02

Mar

Alan Ladd in Desert Legion 1953

Desert Legion is an adventure film released in June 1953 – from Universal-International.

It was Alan Ladd’s first film for Universal since becoming a star. It was a one-picture deal and gave Ladd a percentage of the profits, a relatively novel thing at the time. (He split profits with the studio 50-50.)

The USA gross at the Box Office is stated to be $1,650,000 so you would think is was profitable for both studio and star.

It’s a typical action film with Alan Ladd in the French Foreign Legion on patrol and attempting to track down a local bandit who no one can seem to locate.

On patrol one day after a couple of raiders, Captain Paul Lartal (Alan Ladd) realises too late that he has led his men into a trap. A bullet hits his forehead, and he is rendered unconscious. Meanwhile his soldiers being slaughtered by menacing bandits…

He is wounded and when he comes to he finds himself with a lovely desert princess Arlene Dahl who is nursing him back to health. She looked even lovelier in this lush Technicolor print

The next thing he knows he’s back at Legion headquarters with this story about a lost city in the desert.

Akim Tamiroff plays Alan Ladd’s friend and colleague who deserts him to find this lost city. Richard Conte is also in the cast

Universal made numerous films with Jon Hall and Maria Montez at that time, or just before, which we have mentioned on this site before, and so had plenty of middle eastern sets so Alan Ladd agreed to do Desert Legion using some of those same sets I would think. Action scenes include cliffhanging and a spear-throwing competition.

‘Desert Legion’ is really a romantic desert fantasy which for the most part is quite entertaining.

The last half hour of the film was more action packed and in some way compensated for the slowness of first hour

Director: Joseph Pevney

Writers: Irving Wallace (screenplay), Lewis Meltzer (screenplay)

Stars: Alan Ladd, Richard Conte, Arlene Dahl, Akim Tamiroff

Based on a 1927 novel by Georges Arthur Surdez who was especially noted for his French Foreign Legion tales

Ladd had broken his hand during a fight scene towards the end of his most recent film The Iron Mistress, but recovered to begin work on Desert Legion on 7 July 1952.