John Mills was an ardent lover of nature, so the production of the film The History of Mr Polly – adapted from the H.G. Wells novel – was much to his taste. The greater portion of the film was made out of doors in the lovely grounds of the Denham Film Studios. Highly skilled craftsmen built the picturesque Inn on the banks of the River Colne which runs through the grounds.
They also built Fishborne High Street – the fictional town where Mr Polly had unhappily lived with his wife . Swans nested close to the scene of filming and they were extremely interested in their new surroundings. Between sequences John Mills, Star of the film and also it’s Producer, frequently spent time feeding the swans and cygnets there.
Above: John Mills amuses himself by feeding the swans and six cygnets in the grounds of Denham Film Studios
What a great actor. I would have loved to have visited those grounds at Denham!
Tony, Yes So would I. I like The History of Mr. Polly and I did know that it was filmed at Denham in the grounds running down to the River Colne – as was Treasure Island and The Story of Robin Hood. John Mills lived much of his later life in Denham Village close by. Funny how these little snippets keep cropping up – with photographs that seemed lost. However many of them survive thanks to the many many film magazines, Annuals and Books of that era.
Neil