The Cine Technician (1943 - 1945)

42 THE CINE-TECHNICIAN Ma; -June, 104: bike and all, right outside the classroom window, and that meant the end of that Id. a week. When he left school at the age oi 14, Charlie's lather got him a £5 "apprenticeship" with an engineering firm in Upper Thames Street. His wages were 5/ a week and his work and " training " consisted in oiling, brushing and sorting load upon load of assorted nuts and holts which his firm bought by the ton as scrap, smartened up and resold as new. Charlie soon realised that all he was going to learn there was about nuts and bolts and how to work the fiddle, so he decided to brave his father and pack it up. His mother gallantly hacked him up over this, and Charlie had soon got himself a film job at 10/ a week with International Exclusives, run by J. J. Sallmayer and Low Warren. Their place was in Litchfield Street, off Charing Cross Road, where they carried on a renting business, with their own preview theatre, and they also used to produce their own films in all the London studios, Bushey, Walthamstow, etc., with directors like P. Nash and Maurice Elvey making such films as Westward Ho .', Adam Bede and Nelson, in which beautiful Ivy Close, Eonme Neame's mother, appeared. Charlie soon got the hang of the projectors and used to run their trade shows (which meant a rise), worked in all the renting departments, and when they went to the studios on production acted as general assistant and camera assistant. In a firm in the next street was another lad just starting, and Charlie soon became firm friends with him — George Noble. For years George and he worked and went around together, and Charlie still has some photos that I bet George would give pounds not to have published. The last time Charlie saw George was when he paid a surprise visit to Shepherds Bush in the uniform of a Lieutenant in the Canadian Army Film Unit, driven up in style in his famous sidecar outfit. A few words dropped neatly here and there by Charlie and George was soon the head of the Canadian Film Unit, a native of Toronto and busy parleying with Bucquet and the other MGM big shots on important matters of film big business. Anyhow, Charlie carried on with Sallmayer, mainly on the production side. Gradually the renting side of the business faded away and finally Sallmayer dropped it altogether and started the Master Film Co. for production only. Shortly after the war they set about building new studios at Teddington, and at the time these were the last word in British studios. They mule all sorts of film down there, Hard Cash and Daniel Devonda, with Evelyn Brent and Clive Brook, and a series of two-reelers (2 a week) of the most thrilling moments in famous books, with all sorts of directors to make them such as Thomas Bentley and Maurice Elvey, and Charlie worked hi all production departments from props to camera, and under Bill Crisp ii the labs. Sallmayer suggested that he sh finally decide on camera work, but just at that time Tom Carrick arrived from Universal in N York to revive the studio and equip it for what then the most modern lighting in England, an Charlie elected to go and work with him. Aft* they had very proudly and successfully finitheir wiring and equipment, Charlie carried oa there as electrician. But soon things were going at all well with the British Film Indus The Americans were exploiting the , they had gained during the war years and v bit by bit getting a stranglehold on the Bri1 market. By 1923 there was hardly a single Bri film in production, and down at Teddington t were one by one reluctantly given the sack. Chi was one of the last to get it, and for a while 1. managed on odd free-lance jobs from time to til Then, late one night, he and a film business pal i . his, Cliff Sandall, were walking home across Tr: ■ falgar Square when they noticed a big C.P.R. pricked out in lights — "Canada for £12." The only difficulty was the money — £13 each for the fare and £3 each which tht must have to be allowed entry. Howevei Cliff Sandall thought of a manufacturer friend • his who wanted photos taken of his plant. Ch dug out his old postcard camera and tin work. A day of photographing was followed I an all-night printing-session, and in the mori the kitchen and living room were festooned 1 floor to ceiling with drying prints. The whol< only cost them £3 for materials, their client delighted, and with the tial £30 in tl pockets off they set for Canada in one of the C.P.R. "Empress" class. They had a very nice crossing, particularly ti e first few days before it was found out that they didn't hold 1st Class tickets, and then steamed the St. Lawrence to Quebec. Here a slight difficulty arose as several of the £12 travellers hi I drunk or gambled away their £3 entrance money and looked like being sti ppi d from ente Canada. However, this was neatly overcome Charlie and anyone else who slid had his intact showing it and being let through, and I going round the side and pushing it through liars for the rest to use a second time. And sol all got through, and off to Winnipeg, which v as Ear as their 812 to 1-. them, and where Cliff andfl Charlie, as | said, had heard such dreadful a of farming conditions that thej had signed on ;is " station agents." But by now anything seemed b< tter than th t. so < lliff and Charlie and half-a-d' i decid to accepl the sti aj nd went to demand their back money. Oh, fchej were told, there was