The Cine Technician (1953-1956)

22 CINE TECHNICIAN February 1955 children's films is a story in itself!) Jack Parker and Frank North had joined our camera department some while before, and, from this time onwards, between them, they photographed the lion's share of G.B.I, productions. Our directorial ranks were boosted by the arrival of John Aldcrson, Gaston Charpentier and Stanley Irving, while Bunty White and Cyril Roth helped to swell the cutting rooms. The wizards of the Animation Department, whose pioneer work is apt to be forgotten, were "Jeff" Jeffries, Brian Salt, Ken Hardy, Lye Pearce and the late Jeff Taylor. Di Baerlein did marathon work on the rostrum cameras in her little cell next door to Albert Urry and his Title Department — though Albert himself (surely the best title artist in the business) belonged to G.B. News. After a while, Mary Field had taken over the running of the Children's Film Department and our Trouble at Townsend gave Petula Clark her first big part. In making these early children's films there were no golden rules to guide us and it was only bit by bit that we formulated certain guiding principles. There were, of course, pundits in plenty to tell us where we were wrong. A FTER the war we were joined ■^* by another bevy of directors — Smithy Morris, Derek Mayne, S. G. Fergusson and Lewis Gilbert. Don Chaffey began with us as an art director, then became a producer, finally graduating to direction. Lewis made the lovely Arctic Harvest and Derek, the British Film Academy Award winner, Atomic Physics. Our animated diagram educational in Technicolor won acclaim and festival awards wherever they were shown. By now there was a growing market for these films though it was still very far from big. Dominating everything, while managing to give each of us the maximum liberty of operation, was the tall, austere figure of Bruce Woolfc himself. He had begun at the end of World War I, making those justly celebrated war films for British Instructional, Ypres, 'At i in a, in, , 77m i;,,m, ,s oj c.imi, i and the Falkland Islands. He had gone on to build Welwyn Studios and to produce the early Anthony Asquith pictures, Shooting Stars, Till England, Underground, A Cottage on Dartmoor, The Runaway Princess and Dance 1'nttn Lady. When John Maxwell, of British international Pictures, took over Welwyn Studios and British Instructional, Bruce Woolfe left to found another company of his own, British Independent Pictures. Soon, however, the Ostrers invited him to form a company with them — and G.B. Instructional was born. G.B. I., with its policy of imaginative documentaries and of educational made to the requirements of the teachers themselves, soon made the name for itself which entitles its founder to view his creation with sober satisfaction. But, just as the end of the first world war saw the commencement of Bruce Woolfe's major activities, so the end of the second world war saw his gradual relinquishing of the reins of management into the hands of Donald Carter, who, as the producer of the wartime instructional, had received a good grounding for his new role. Bruce Woolfe, however, remained on to advise for several years more. Frank Wells, Frank Cadman, Ken Morrison and Kitty Wood joined us and we began to expand in all directions. Geoffrey Barkas took over producing for the Children's Film Department which, later, changed its name to Children's Entertainment Films — to help clear up the misconception that Mary Field's department made educationals. Already working with this department were " Prim " Primrose, Bill D'Arcy and Pat Latham. A really large-scale children's programme was then begun. Ralph Smart made the highly successful Bush Christmas in Australia; I made the 15 reel Serial Dusty Bates with Tony Newley and Ronnie Shiner at Islington Studios and the London Docks; Lewis Gilbert made Little Ballerina; Vernon Sewell made The Trek to Mashomba in Africa, and later, Phil Leacock did Children of the New Forest. The Animation Department, like an amoeba, broke away, and, under Walt Disney's David Hand, became G.B. Animation. Gainsborough pushed us right off the roof at the Bush and we moved to the old Imperial Studios at Boreham Wood, stageless since that fire just before the war. Harold Goodwin and Pat Morton had joined us around about the time of the move and so had Anthony Gittins, Victor Lyndon, Al Scobie, George Pcrcival, Tristram Stack and Jimmy Hill. Frank Wells took over the Educationals and was abbetted by Thora James, Rene Wilson, Felicity Kinross, Polly Allen, and Margaret Simpson. Things then expanded thicker and faster. G.B. Africa was formed under Harold Weaver who was joined out there by Victor Lyndon, Jimmy Allen, Aubrey Singer, Donald Swanson, Ronnie Shears, George Groom, Nora Toomey, Al Scobie, David Middlemas, Frank Cadman, Enid Mansell, Brian Salt and others as their tour of duties took them to Africa. Charles Oliver took over the Sales Section, working from Imperial House in Air Street, and, at Boreham Wood, Peter Birch reestablished our own Sound Department, assisted by Dave Howells and Mac Macarney. Lou Lavelly and Ted Creed were our chief sparks, Teddy Grossman was Production Manager, Frank Bennett was Studio Manager, assisted by Marjory Round, while John Hardman and Laurie Ridley ran the Stills Department. Ken Talbot, Brendan Stafford and Bill McLeod joined the Camera Department. John Workman, Claude Hudson and Peter Dixon became U.P.M.s or assistant directors. However, during this period of rapid expension we were joined by so many that if I have omitted any important names it is, I trust, understandable, and I crave forgiveness. In point of fact, there must be very few among those trained in documentary in the early days who did not at one time or another work for G.B.I. TOURING this heydey, David ■*^ Rawnsley, at the Rank Organisation's Research Department, was itching to launch his Independent Frame Technique, at which the whole film business was then agog. Very boldly, Donald Carter, with Mary Field's approval, approached Mr. Rank and offered to let the next children's film be the guinea pig on which to try out the LP. System. He agreed and I was lucky enough to be assigned to direct it. The film, of course, was Under the Frozen Falls, with Claude Hulbert and Harold Warrender, and it proved what it set out to prove : that the system worked without making the director's task impossible; without revealing on the screen the factorybelt production methods; while achieving an overall increase in effective use of floor space. If it later brought a certain amount of discredit upon itself, this was largely the result of allowing the tail to wag the dog, and of that stroke of ill fortune in the shape of the slump — ironically rendering