Here is an interesting and very rare photograph I have of child star Bobby Henrey – fresh from the success of ‘The Fallen Idol’ chatting with Sir Philip Warter, Chairman of ABC with his wife and daughter.
The picture was taken at the London Premiere of ‘The Third Man’ in September 1949 at The Plaza in The Haymarket
The World Premiere was actually held at the Ritz Cinema in Hastings on 1st September 1949, a few days before the London one – in the evening. Hastings might seem an odd location, but it was chosen by the distributors, British Lion who were experimenting at the time with the idea of having premieres shown in regional cinemas away from London.
Bobby Henrey didn’t stay on long in films – but he did appear as himself a few years later in a 1962 ‘This is Your Life’ BBC programme – the subject being Dora Bryan who had appeared with him in ‘The Fallen Idol‘ – SEE BELOW
Back to ‘The Third Man’ – The crowds certainly turned out for this film
I have also just come across the photograph BELOW – must have been around the same time as the film showing is ‘Trottie True’
ABOVE – London in 1949 – the film ‘Trottie True’ was showing and that was also released in September of that year
As we are in London’s Theatre Land – actually Cinema Land – I couldn’t help but include the one below from September 1956 – not that long afterwards but it seems somehow an eternity away from 1949 – The Rock n Roll revolution had just begun – at the London Pavilion
Trottie True what a great cast in it .and a very young Roger Moore as a stage door Johnnie.
Robert. I hadn’t realised that Roger Moore was in this one but when I look back, as you say, What a Cast ! Stars like Christopher Lee and Ian Carmichael were also in it – just picking out two of many. Thanks, Neil
Brilliant photo of Bobby Henrey at that premiere, Neil. It’s one I’ve never seen before. It must have been a contractual thing that he had to wear his Phillipe costume from The Fallen Idol when making public appearences. I read somewhere that shortly after The Third Man premiere in London, he set off with his mother for the Austrian Tyrol for location filming on The Wonder Kid and that when he attended The Third Man premiere, he was surrounded by fans wanting his autograph.
It is a rare photograph David and featured in a Film Magazine of that time. There may be other photographs which I will post on here as and when I see them. Also there may be more on ‘The Fallen Idol’ I am not yet sure.
Thanks for your comments. Neil
I asked Bobby Henrey if this incident described below had really happened or was it just hype by the film’s publicity department. He told me that although he couldn’t remember it happening, it could well have happened as he was only eight at the time and had never acted in a film before.
On the bright, sunlit morning of Wednesday, September 17th, 1947, director Carol Reed and his film crew, plus eight years old Bobby Henrey, who played Phillipe in the film, were on location in Belgrave Square, London, about to film the first scene on “THE FALLEN IDOL”. “Right, Bobby”, said Carol, “when I say ‘action’ I want you to run across the square and turn around that corner on the right as you go in search of Baines”. The camera turned, Reed called out “ACTION!” and Bobby did as he was told, running across the square and turning around the corner. “CUT” said Carol and then “RIGHT, BOBBY, YOU CAN COME BACK NOW!” But there was no response from the boy. So Carol and one of his crew went to look for him. Eventually, they found him two blocks away, exhausted. No one had told him to stop running!
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