Film and TV Technician (1957)

November 1957 FILM & TV TECHNICIAN 149 Some days after the ceremony George Elvin received a letter from Bill Sharp, in which he said : " Now I would like to say 'thank you ' to A.C.T.T. for the honour that has been bestowed upon me; it is something that I shall cherish until the end of my days. Although I have received this honour, I think a great deal of the credit must go to our Branch, who in the early days gave me so much confidence by putting their faith in me that I was able to go forward as I did, and I can assure you that I had no regrets; also credit is due to the great help given to me from the General Council in those early days. " It gives me great pleasure to look back to the days from 1935 to 1939 and then to look upon A.C.T.T. as it stands today, and then realise that all the work put in by all those early members was not in vain. It is my wish to see that A.C.T.T. go on gathering strength as time goes on, and also to see that they do not lose that personal touch which I think has enabled them to reach the strength they are in today. " My wife is very proud of the Scroll of Honour and says when it is framed it will take up a very prominent position in our home. She would like to have been with us all last Thursday, but owing to health reasons she cannot travel." Three old hands leaving Denham Syd Bremson reports from Denham : Everything, it is said, goes in threes, and the following is no exception. First Charles Wartman, second Adam Black, and third, Pop Wingrave, each within a month or two of completing twenty-one years' service, have all left within a month or two of each other. Charles Wartman was in charge of Stores since the opening of the Laboratories in 1936, a quiet, unassuming fellow just doing his job in spite of the handicap of being minus one leg, lost during the 1914-18 war. He managed, with the aid of his artificial leg, to drive a small car from Cookham to Denham and would, in fact, be still doing so had he not, for purely personal reasons, changed his home to Shoreham. Good luck Charles ! Adam Black, affectionately THE LATE LOUIS LEVY THE passing nf Louis Levy, whose death was announced last month, must bring recollections in the memories of many members who had the great pleasure of meeting and working with so unique and delightful a personality. His vast knowledge and experience of films and the application of music thereto went back to the dim and distant past of early silent movies — in the latter period of which he and his orchestra were the showpiece of the new luxury " Pavilions " then shaping the exhibition side. Film lovers stormed the theatres as much to hear and see Louis Levy as to view their favourite films and stars. Turmoil With the advent of " Talkies " the industry was thrown into a greater turmoil than " widescreen ", TV, or any other technical advance has ever created — small wonder then that with uncompleted films shelved, production stopped, studios outdated and useless overnight, Producers of the calibre of Sir Michael Balcon, Victor Saville, Alfred Hitchcock and the late Robert Flaherty, to name a few, were delighted to know that Louis Levy was available to assist them in the new medium at such a serious and experimental time. Humility and Patience He had, despite his reputation and great experience, a humility and patience both of which greatly encouraged those with whom he worked. Sound Engineers and Editors, particularly, found in him a sympathetic, co-operative and loyal colleague with a quiet enthusiasm for obtaining the best possible results in happy conjunction with all departments. At that time the problems of acoustic treatment, direct music recording on the set (in the absence of advanced dubbing techniques), etc. were many and difficult. It can be truly said that his contributions to the technical improvements were great and never at the expense of the other fellow. Annual Film Ball On the social side his musical organising for the Annual Film Ball held at the Albert Hall every year during the 30's was stupendous. To see — and hear — the combined bands of the Brigade of Guards together with the two orchestras regularly employed under his direction which took the floor at midnight was awe-inspiring even to film folk who flocked to this occasion every year before the war. Radio Shop Window At this time too he induced the B.B.C. to take an active interest in film music so that for years his " Music from the Movies " maintained a radio shop-window for films. Of recent years he had contended cheerfully with ill-health, but despite this, to the end he maintained his high reputation as Musical Director to Associated British Picture Corporation. The industry is poorer by the passing of this " great little man ". We all owe much to so helpful a pioneer. W.S. known as Jock, moved into the Laboratories from the Studios on 17th October, 1936. He remembers the trials, tribulations and teething troubles of those early days. Served Apprenticeship Jock has been a Trade Union member for forty-five years, having joined the A.S.W. in 1912, a craftsman of the old school, very proud of having served his full five years' apprenticeship. He has been a martyr to sciatica for the past two years, during which time he has been attending hospital twice a week in the hope of affecting a cure. Added to this, Jock has now developed a heart condition, and has had to retire almost at the age of sixty-five; to quote his own words, "Five years before I wanted to". Never mind Jock, we all wish (Continued on page 155)