Apparently is was a glorious summer in 1949 as filming of Walt Disney’s ‘Treasure Island’ began in late June. Such a film for Walt Disney had not been attempted before – this was a non-cartoon Live Action film to be made in England at Denham Film Studios with some location work in Cornwall.

The above picture shows the ‘Hispaniola’ – ready for filming probably in Cornwall

ABOVE – very large model ‘Hispaniola’ – again most probably in Cornwall in readiness

Walt Disney and his family had arrived in England aboard the Queen Mary in June – and he is seen BELOW with his daughter Sharon buying flowers from a market stall somewhere in the West End of London – this picture appeared in the Cinema Studio magazine of 29 June 1949

Treasure Island

Favoured by sunny skies and a carefully planned 65 day shooting schedule, the RKO-Walt Disney film got under way on Monday 4 July 1949 as planned, at Denham Film Studios under the direction of Byron Haskin.

Additional casting at this stage included John Gregson, Ralph Truman, David Davies, William Devlin and Geoffrey Keen as Israel Hands.

Also another interesting minor character was ‘Vane’ and this role went to Reg Peters who was cast on 28 June 1949, again as reported in the Cinema Studio Magazine of 6 July – however in the films credits ‘Vane’ is played by Reginald Drummond I wonder if the wrong name has been printed. He was reported as being ‘mine host’ at the White Horse Hotel in Moretonhampstead on the edge of Dartmoor in Devon- and he travelled to Denham no doubt staying there, and relinquishing his day job temporarily.

As well as the arrival of Walt Disney, his trusted colleague Perce Pearce the producer of the film had arrived in England to oversee the filming along with his family. It has he who enlisted second unit director to head down to Appledore in Devon for location filming. It is also rported that Walt Disney was heading down to Hartland in Devon for approximately 7 days iof filming.

Hartland Beach was to be used. Local horses were hired to pull a coach and the Quay Hotel was to double as the ‘Admiral Benbow’. My own opinion was that this footage was not used and the ‘Admiral Benbow’ was built in the Denham Film Studio.

At Hartland Quay on Monday a pirate crew wearing pigtails and carrying an assortment of weapons landed by rowing boat but their activities were cut short by rain – the first that had fallen in North Devon for weeks.

This was the start of the filming in this district of exterior scenes for Walt Disney’s production of Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic ‘Treasure Island’.

There was plenty of activity at the Hartland Quay Hotel, an old building adjoining, which is being transformed into the ‘Admiral Benbow Inn’. The landing of the pirate crew, who were all ‘extras’ recruited locally, were watched with keen interest by many holidaymakers and residents.

At this stage some exterior scenes were to be shot in Falmouth‘

Filming occurred in July 1949, with Falmouth and the surrounding Cornish coast serving as a primary location for exterior ship scenes. The specific areas used included: 

• The River Fal
• Carrick Roads
• Helford River
• Falmouth Docks (for wharf scenes) 

The schooner used for all exterior ship scenes was a real 19th-century vessel named the Ryelands, which was reconfigured and renamed the Hispaniola for the film. The ship was a frequent visitor to Falmouth during the filming period in 1949

On 13 July thunderstorms wreaked havoc on filming with light so poor that no shooting could be done – the huge Technicolor cameras need a lot of light. Neither Robert Newton or Bobby Driscoll went down to Cornwall on location.

I do remember my Aunt who had visited Cornwall with her husband at the time saying that Lundy Island in the Bristol Channel had been earmarked for ‘Treasure Island’ and this in fact was very true but for whatever reason no scenes were ever shot there – it may appear in a long shot as Treasure Island and that is as far as it went

More to come …………

We all have our favourites and when Christmas comes around, this is a film that I just love to see again.

The Holly and the Ivy released in 1952

It is actually from a stage play of the same name written by Wynyard Browne and one that had had a West End run in London at the time.

I have not seen that it is being shown this Christmas which is a disappointment – to me anyway

Home for Christmas – and a view from the Vicarage Window of the Church

Ralph Richardson is the Vicar of Wyndenham – a small village in Norfolk – who has lost his wife and so, as Christmas arrives, he plans host to his grown up family – his children and other relatives

The Vicar’s eldest daughter, Jenny (played by Celia Johnson), lives with him at the Vicarage since his wife – and her mother’s death and has cared for him. Jenny wants to marry her sweetheart, David Paterson (played by John Gregson), but she can’t leave her father alone. David is an engineer and will leave in a month for a five-year job in South America. Will she – can she – leave her father behind and go with him ?

Margaret Leighton plays the youngest daughter, Margaret. She works in the fashion industry in London and seems to have a busy nightlife. Her situation and her life gradually are revealed during the family gathering – it is indeed a tragic story that hits us, the audience right between the eyes

Denholm Elliott plays the Vicar’s son, Michael. He is serving a year in the Army. His father expects him to go to Cambridge, but Michael has no desire to. He plays out a wonderful scene with his father when they both stand around the Christmas tree and really talk to one another – the film Director cleverly uses the tree as a sort of hide-out for Michael from his feelings as their conversation deepens. I have never seen this done before or since.

Aunts Lydia and Gretchen have backgrounds that add meat to the story. And, cousin Richard Wyndham is an always present member of family gatherings.

All aspects of this film are superb. The screenplay, direction, technical production and acting all contribute to making this a wonderful drama about life – and, it is a most fitting story of family love for Christmas.

The Opening sequences of the film as one member of the family drives home to the Vicarage at Wyndenham

and now to another much more well known Christmas Film :-

It’s a Wonderful Life

While she famously starred in It’s A Wonderful Life (1946) at the age of six, Karolyn Grimes didn’t watch the Christmas classic until 1980.

And it wasn’t until a decade after that when the actress realised the impact the film has had on viewers

How we could do with Frank Tyson now as England struggle against the Aussies in the Adelaide Test at Adelaide – and the previous ones too. Probably not the best day to publish this article – the day we lost The Ashes

In that one series in 1954 in Australia Frank Tyson produced astonishing performances with bowling at speeds not seen before or since

Don Bradman and Richie Benaud who between them watched virtually every bowler from before the War up to modern times, when they were asked ‘ Who is the fastest bowler you ever saw ?’ – without hesitation they each replied ‘Frank Tyson’

This might seem to have nothing to do with films of the 50’s era – but is does. A film was made at the time called ‘Typhoon Tyson’s Test Match’ which is detailed on imd

JM Kilburn, famed correspondent of the Yorkshire Post, on Tyson. “His best pace was nothing short of startling to batsmen and spectators alike. He represented an elemental force obscuring the details of his technique and the highest tribute he received was the gasp of incredulity frequently emitted by the crowd as the ball passed from his hand to the distant wicketkeeper.”

Don Bradman called him “the fastest bowler I have ever seen” while Tom Graveney recounts how he stood 40 yards back at slip

It was at Melbourne, during the third Test of the 54-55 series, that the name of “Typhoon”became legend when in the second innings his spell of six for 16 from 6.3 eight-ball overs, and seven for 27 in all, brought a win that had looked unlikely.

This short film re-lives some of those moments of a cricketer forgotten in the modern era – not by me !!

Cheyenne (1955-62) went out on ITV as I recall it and was very popular in England

Clint Walker plays Cheyenne Bodie, a cowboy/scout who each week, rides into a new adventure with new characters. The plots are very much in line with what the B Westerns had been.

Indeed Warner Bros. put their major-studio might behind this TV production, and it shows. Cheyenne fits right in with what Warners were doing with Western films at that time

As we slowly learn as the episodes go on, Cheyenne has been raised by the Cheyenne Indians after his parents were killed by another tribe. Later in the series he lived with a white family. He’s a thoroughly decent type and seems always ready to help those in need.

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Cheyenne was a hit and it made Clint Walker a star. With a hit show, the exacting schedule that came with it, no features on the horizon, and an exclusive contract that paid him just $150 a week, after the third season, Walker was unhappy.

Clint Walker: “… I found out they [Warner Bros.] turned down some pretty nice features that I could’ve done… I heard that when people inquired, they were told, ‘When Clint Walker does features, he’ll do ‘em for Warner Bros.’ So that’s where we had the difference of opinion.” *

So, Clint Walker walked away from the role Bronco Layne (Ty Hardin) filled in briefly and kept going until Walker was coaxed back. Clint’s stance must have worked because Warners put him in the excellent Fort Dobbs (1958) and a little later the excellent ‘Yellowstone Kelly’.

Ty Hardin as Bronco Layne got his own series for a while – again one we saw in England –  Bronco.

‘Cheyenne’ is an excellent TV series, a consistent favourite of Western fans — and for good reason.

My own favourite Clint Walker film is ‘Night of the Grizzly’ where the tension is built up until the final confrontation with the grizzly – very well done too.

This was Clint Walker’s own personal favourite of the films that he was in

BELOW :  Some Great Scenes from the final thrilling climatic confrontation – they don’t do it justice though

The Court Jester (1955).

The Court Jester (1955)

In terms to colourful, upbeat musicals look no further than the 1955 medieval comedy, The Court Jester, starring Danny Kaye as a carnival entertainer turned resistance fighter against a murderous, usurping king. This silly, charming picture is a star-studded affair featuring one of Kaye’s most memorable performances, and it’s a perfect choice for family viewing with its lively musical numbers and infectiously quotable lines.

Written and directed by Norman Panama and Melvin Frank, The Court Jester packs in a mind-boggling number of memorable stars, which makes it required viewing for anybody interested in classic movies. We get Kaye, of course, topping the bill, but his two leading ladies are Glynis Johns and Angela Lansbury,

Basil Rathbone heads up the villains’ side as the scheming Sir Ravenhurst, a role that echoes his performance as Sir Guy in The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938). Other instantly recogniseable stars include Mildred Natwick as the mesmerist lady in waiting Griselda and John Carradine in a brief but notable appearance as the real Giacomo. Michael Pate, Alan Napier, Cecil Parker, Robert

The story draws heavily from familiar swashbucklers, a relationship underlined by Basil Rathbone’s presence in the picture. Kaye’s character, Hubert Hawkins, has joined up with a band of fighters who live in the forest under the leadership of the Black Fox (Edward Ashley), a hero of the Robin Hood stamp whose name and mask also recall Zorro. The rightful heir to the throne is a baby with a distinctive purple pimpernel birthmark on his posterior, a nod to the Scarlet Pimpernel and his calling card.

Instead of Robin Hood’s archery contest, Hawkins enters a more traditional tournament against Sir Griswold, creating a comical version of the climactic tournament fought by Ivanhoe. Rathbone, of course, had played the heavy in both The Adventures of Robin Hood and The Mark of Zorro (1940), which makes Hawkins’ final duel with Sir Ravenhurst as inevitable as it is fun to watch.

In this adventure, Hawkins is an unlikely hero, having spent most of his time with the outlaws entertaining the men and taking care of the royal infant. He gets a chance to prove himself when he and Maid Jean (Glynis Johns) encounter a famous jester, Giacomo (John Carradine), en route to the king’s palace. Hawkins impersonates Giacomo and appears at court, not knowing that Sir Ravenhurst has actually summoned Giacomo because the jester is also a skilled assassin. Hawkins quickly gets out of his depth, especially when Princess Gwendolyn (Angela Lansbury) decides to be in love with him and orders her hypnotist attendant to ensure his success. Hawkins ends up having to fight a rival knight for Gwendolyn’s hand while trying to save the royal baby and restore order to the kingdom, and along the way, he manages to perform a number of songs and sight gags that keep the peril from being taken too seriously.

One of my Dad’s favourite films and because of that it is one of my mine too – Victor Mature was my Dad’s favourite actor.

I have not seen this photograph before. At first I thought it was possibly at the Premier of the film but of course it is not – Richard Burton looks still to be in costume and Jean Simmons looks uncomfortable for some reason.

At the time Richard Burton and Jean Simmons were not film stars on a truly international scale. Alright both of them had successful careers in England but is wasn’t until this film was released that step up came and they became well known. On the other hand, Victor Mature was already established on the World scale due a decade at the top and big money making films like ‘Samson and Delilah’ Earlier than that he was a superb Doc Holliday in John Ford’s ‘My Darling Clementine’

After The Robe he again hit the Box Office jackpot with ‘Demetrius and the Gladiators’ – a follow on from ‘The Robe’. Then came ‘The Egyptian’

Financially a very productive few years for Victor Mature.

I liked him – he was good

Just come across these which I found particularly interesting

I Was A Teenage Werewolf / Dragstrip Girl: 

One of those teenage classics; both made by American International Pictures in 1957

I Was A Teenage Werewolf starred a young Michael Landon and was the first film ever to have the word ‘teenage’ in its title,

Dragstrip Girl was co-produced by the legendary Samuel Z. Arkoff

This poster is most likely a late 1950s, possibly early 1960s re-screening of the films, billed as ‘The double thrill sensation of the century!’, distributed by Anglo Amalgamated with the Hammer House Wardour Street address printed at the bottom of the poster.

Viking Women / Back To Nature / The Mysterious Invader: Late 1950s, possibly early 1960s, film poster for a triple bill of 1957 Anglo International Pictures features. Viking Women, also known as The Saga of the Viking Women and Their Voyage to the Waters of the Great Sea Serpent, produced by Roger Corman and the legendary Samuel Z. Arkoff.

The Astounding She Monster, here billed as The Mysterious Invader, directed& produced by Ronald V. Ashcroft, who employed the B-movie king Edward D. Wood, Jr. as an unofficial consultant after having worked on his Night of the Ghouls.

his ‘Colossal Triple Attraction’, distributed by Anglo Amalgamated with the Hammer House Wardour Street address printed at the bottom of the poster.

The third part of the bill is a nudist film, Back To Nature, filmed in colour and set in the Elsinore nudist colony California, I seem to recall that Michael Winner started his career with a couple of such films made in England around the same time. One called ‘Some Like it Cool ‘ springs to mind – a film written, financed and made by Michael Winner – and one that made quite a lot of money and kick-started his career

T

Well this is really a chart from the USA. Scanning down the chart, certain ones surprise me – for instance I hadn’t realised that ‘The Country Girl’ was such a popular film at the time nor for that matter ‘The Caine Mutiny’

The Country Girl is a brilliant piece of work thanks in part to a fine adaptation by director and screenwriter George Seaton (Oscar for best screen adaptation, 1954) and performances by Grace Kelly, Bing Crosby and William Holden.

I didn’t think that ‘The Caine Mutiny’ would be so highly placed

One interesting snippet on the film though is that the original Vinyl record of the score of ‘The Caine Mutiny’ would be now, so highly valued. Apparently the Studio withdrew the record almost immediately after it’s release because of contractual issues. As regards the film – a wonderful performance by Humphrey Bogart. Who can forget the final scene where he virtually goes to pieces giving evidence – brilliant acting.

‘20,000 Leagues Under The Sea’ was a real hit for Walt Disney who only a few years before had got into ‘live-action’ films with ‘Treasure Island’ and ‘The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men’ – I have to say that I thought these two films were better than 20,00 Leagues. Kirk Douglas was to the fore in this one though. He was popular at the Box Office and in fairness to him, he realised his own worth and capitalised on it.

Recently I read that Kirk had been approached for a key role in ‘Lawrence of Arabia’ but he also demanded star billing and the largest of all the other actors in salary – Sam Spiegel the Producer told him NO

I read also about ‘Spartacus’ which he had co-produced that he had one Director fired from the film. One of the producers commented that ‘Spartacus was a good film -‘ it could have been a great film if that bastard (Kirk Douglas) had not insisted in being in every scene of the film’

James Stewart has two films here in the top ten – quite different ones – ‘The Glenn Miller Story’ and Hitchcock’s classic ‘Rear Window’ – both very good and entertaining films.

We all know ‘Rear Window’ – it is film that leaves you on the edge of your seat right up until the last scene. Very much done on an elaborate Studio set

‘The High and the Mighty’ is there as a big box office winner. It was little seen after it’s original release but in the last decade or so, it has had a DVD release and has been on Television. It is a film packed with suspense – This was an original in it’s time but all the ‘Airport’ films followed with stories similar in style to this

‘White Christmas’ tops the chart here – this iis almost always on Television in England at Christmas and like ‘Its a Wonderful Life’ always has a big viewing audience

The unique and beautiful Cinema – The Kinema in the Woods at Woodhall Spa in Lincolnshire – shows ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ each year just before Christmas and even now in November this year, a number of the showings are sold out

In 1935 Alexander Korda, a Hungarian film impresario of international stature who had rejuvenated England’s film industry with his productions of The Private Life of Henry VIII (1933) and The Scarlet Pimpernel (1935) capitalised on his box-office success by securing finance from the Prudential Assurance Company to help him build own studio – Denham. A studio to rival Hollywood that would make big World targeted films at least the equal to anything from the US

ABOVE – Alexander Korda sitting in his office at the old house overlooking the lake at Denham.

It was here that he sat alongside Producers, Directors and writers as he planned his next production

It was here in this very office that Michael Powell was called along with others to discuss the making of a major Korda Film ‘The Spy in Black’ 1937′. As they talked Korda interrupted and said that he would like to introduce someone who had written the screenplay for the film – and then introduced Emric Pressburger who quietly went through hat he had written – Michael Powell sat transfixed – he did not know this man but thought what he had written was brilliant and vowed that he just had to work with him again which we all know he did for many years

So it was in this office in the old house at Denham, that Michael Powell first met Emric Pressburger thus beginning their unique collaboration which resulted in some of the finest British films ever made

Korda felt that the only way to bring the English film industry to prominence would be by concentrating on quality films. Alexander Korda organised London Film Productions, and risked everything on a deceptively-lavish movie The Private Life of Henry VIII (1933) starring Charles Laughton and Elsa Lanchester. The film became a worldwide blockbuster.

Following the success of this film, Korda was hailed as the saviour of the British film industry. On the strength of this film, he was also able to land an American distribution deal with United Artists.

Korda constructed the stately Denham Film Studios on a 165-acre estate outside London. He also established his own stable of contract actors – and very impressive they were – including Leslie Howard, Merle Oberon (who became the second Mrs. Korda in 1939), Wendy Barrie, Robert Donat, Maurice Evans, and Vivien Leigh.

Some of his more ambitious films included Rembrandt (1936), which he also directed; Things to Come (1936) a $1.5 million adaptation of the H. G. Welles book; and The Thief of Bagdad (1940).

While Britain was war-torn in the early 1940s, Korda took up an extended residence in the United States.

In March 1943, Korda entered into a merger between his independent company London Film Productions and MGM-British.    Korda would become the new executive producer of the English division of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.He returned to England. However, his dissatisfaction with the deal brought about his resignation in 1946.

Korda then with his London Films, bought a controlling interest in British Lion Films which was involved in such productions as The Third Man (1949).

In 1948 he received an advance payment of £375,000, the largest single payment received by a British film company, for three movies, An Ideal Husband (1947), Anna Karenina (1948) and Mine Own Executioner (1948). He released three other films, Bonnie Prince Charlie (1948), The Winslow Boy (1948) and The Fallen Idol (1948).Some of these films did well but others were expensive failures, and Korda was badly hurt by the trade war between the British and American film industries in the late 1940s. In 1948 Korda signed a co-production deal with David O. Selznick.

Korda did recover in part due to a ₤3 million loan British Lion received from the National Film Finance Corporation.  In 1954 he received ₤5 million from the City Investing Corporation of New York, enabling him to keep producing movies until his death. The last film with Korda’s involvement was Laurence Olivier’s adaptation of Richard III (1955).

A draft screenplay of what became The Red Shoes was written by Emeric Pressburger in the 1930s for Korda and intended as a vehicle for his future wife Merle Oberon. The screenplay was bought by Michael Powell and Pressburger who made it for J. Arthur Rank.  During the 1950s, Korda reportedly expressed interest in producing a James Bond  film based upon Ian Fleming’s novel Live and Let Die but no agreement was ever reached.

He died at the age of 62 in London of a heart attack and was cremated. His ashes are at Golders Green Crematorium in London.

There are not many so called ‘giants’ in any industry but that work could sum up Aleaxander Korda – The Man who built Denham Film Studios and very nearly pulled it off and put  British film studios on a par with Hollywood.

Sadly Denham with its sheer size was forced to close in 1952 and now it is not easy to know where it was. I am pleased to say that I know where it is !!! – and as a film lover it is a  place that is very special to me. I do drive past and look when I am down that way.

What might have been the saviour for Denham came when Walt Disney decided to make Live Action films as opposed to Cartoon feature and he chose Denham as the Studio making ‘Treasure Island’ there in 1949 and then ‘The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men’ in 1951 released in 1952.

These were bold Technicolor Productions with plenty of money lavished on them – and it shows. !!

However they maybe came a little too late to save this wonderful Studio.

I wish that it was still there !!

Rudyard Kipling and H Rider Haggard were great friends – my family and I, on more than one occasion have visited Kipling’s house ‘Batemans’ in Sussex and I remember the guide showing us round on one occasion and when we went into Kipling’s study she said that Rider Haggard often visited and he would sit and chat for long periods in that same room.

I felt a shiver of excitement to think that I was actually standing where these two colossal figures had often been together exchanging notes no doubt because in terms of story telling these two are in a class of their own.

Two giants of Literature and this book which I have just acquired, details the film and television adaptations of their stories

King Solomons Mines

‘King Solomons Mines’ – a big and impressive picture – . Looking even further into this, it appears that most of the African location filming for King Solomons Mines was done by February of 1950 –

‘King Solomons Mines’ proved a massive hit at the Box Office for MGM

Stewart Granger and Deborah Kerr were top billed – Elizabeth Curtis (Deborah Kerr) is missing her husband, who departed on a quest to find King Solomon’s lost diamond mines.  She meets and hires a disenchanted safari guide – Allan Quatermain (Stewart Granger) to lead a search party to find him.

Along the way they are besieged with several challenges, including a tremendous animal stampede which even today makes one wonder how it was filmed – and this was way before the days of CGI special effects.

 Even now this must rank as one of the best stampede scenes ever done.

‘King Solomons Mines has a strong storyline loosely based on H Rider Haggard’s magnificent novel –

I remember someone quite famous saying that he loved H Rider Haggard’s books and he used to encourage his children to read them – this is in quite recent times. He made a deal with them to read the first 50 pages of any one of his novels – and he said he knew that after that they would not be able to put the book down.

H Rider Haggard’s remains one of the greatest adventure story tellers in English Literature of all time