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Roiind the Studios 391
The huge chimney of that station, the third highest of London's smokestacks, still stands ; but the buildings beneath it now constitute one of England's film-studios, the home of Gainsborough Pictures — a producingcompany affiUated with the great Gaumont-British organization at Shepherd's Bush.
The powerful Task}' Corporation, from America, originally bought the site and built a " modern " studio on the spot. That was in 1919. For the next four years Islington Studio was the scene of intensive filmproduction. Evelyn Brent played there ; Mary Glynne made The Great Dav and Perpetiia Mary ; the silent version of Three Live Ghosts was made there ; and Donald Crisp directed and starred in The Bonny Briar Bush.
In 1923 the studio was leased out to various companies. Dorothy Gish was among the distinguished stars at Islington that year, when she starred in Nell Gwyn. In the following year three enterprising Londoners — William Freedman, Victor Saville and Michael Balcon — started production at the studio. They were quickly successful and numbered among their players such names as Clive Brook, Betty Compson, Alice Joyce and the McLaglen brothers. The formation of Gainsborough Pictures soon followed and a brilliant series of films began to pour from Islington. The most successful of these pictures were undoubtedly the famous Rat series, with Ivor Novello and Isabel Jeans.
In 1927, I\Iabel Poulton figured at Islington with her triumphant portrayal of Tessa in The Constant Nymph. At the time of the change-over to talkies they made Taxi for Two, another I\Iabel Poulton success, and then The Return of the Rat.
In January, 1930, fire completely destroyed the upper of the two stages and the cutting-rooms, writing iinis to the career of the Islington studios as they then existed.
Gainsborough opened their re-built and modernized studios in the spring of 1931. They had re-designed the place, but the two-floor system still remains. The lower of the two floors, " No. i Stage," is 6,264 square feet in area, while the upper is 5,244 square feet. Above that is a flat roof, served by the studio-lift. It is used extensively for exterior scenes, as an open-air " lot " would otherwise be unavailable. There are three projectiontheatres ; one, on the ground floor, is almost as big as a small public cinema, while the two others are in the basement, and are slightly smaller. They are used in conjunction with the 6 cutting-rooms.
Gainsborough studios employ 25 carpenters and 35 electricians a day at Islington when producing any one of the 7 pictures they reckon to make in a year.
Shepherd's Bush
Gaumont-British Corporation, Ltd., Lime Grove, Shepherd's Bush, London, W.12.
/^AUMONT is to Britain very much what Paramount is to Holly^-^ wood. Just as the first studio in Hollywood was a barn in a grove, from which, eventually, the great Paramount organization grew up, so the company which in 1898 made films on Freeman's Cricket Ground.