Pinewood Studios

[Stephen Pickard]

Hi CooperS, unfortunately I only have a handful of call sheets from this period which I will scan and put on here. There is a call sheet for "Carry On At Your Convenience" on Marianne Stone's thread in the Obituaries.

UFO started at MGM and continued at Pinewood after they closed.

[dvdman]

wasnt the scrips better at pinewood for ufo than mgm ed himself once said this at a convention and ive aways thought this

[Stephen Pickard]

An interesting closer view of Pinewood looking toward Black Park during the construction of J & K Stages taken around 1965. J & K were intended to be used for TV production and "Man In A Suitcase" was the first series to use them.

The tank seen to partly on the right was apparently built for the 'Alexandria' set for "Cleopatra" in 1960, which was eventually dismantled and moved to Cinecitta Studios in Rome, due to delays caused by Elizabeth Taylor's illness.

You can clearly see the approach from Black Park to where Fort Knox stood for "Goldfinger". Below that is presumably the Spanish set complex:

[Stephen Pickard]

A layout of the studio at about the same time ('66):

[Stephen Pickard]

This is a picture taken at Pinewood sometime in the '70's. It is a picture of me with a lady, from Sri Lanka, giving her a tour of the studio.

If the area behind us is slightly familiar to any of you it was used for the fire station entrance in "Fahrenheit 451". On the left at the back you can just make out 'H' stage and the long projection 'North Tunnel' which extends behind us to 'E' stage. The building on the right side was the film library, when I joined in '68, and eventually became a cutting room block.

[Stephen Pickard]

The still below is the Harbor set from "Cleopatra" at Pinewood in 1960.

The area bottom center is where J & K will be built in '65. If you study the aerial color picture above you can see the same office block, opposite the new stages to the left, in the picture below at lower left. This gives you the location and an idea of the size of the set:

[dvdman]

stephen Marianne Stone's was a very close friend to peter rogers

did you ever have a pint or meal in pub The crooked billet ??

[Stephen Pickard]

stephen Marianne Stone's was a very close friend to peter rogers

did you ever have a pint or meal in pub The crooked billet ??

Well Marianne Stone was a very busy character actress so I assume she had lots of friends at Pinewood. I used to see her often but never had the chance to talk to her.

In all the years I was at Pinewood, I think I only went to the 'Crooked Billet' once. I didn't own a car so I rarely went out to lunch. There was a pub, I think it was called 'Guerka' that was popular with some of the Pinewood Staff.

[Stephen Pickard]

Another aerial view of Pinewood in 1960 with the Cleopatra set:







A closer view of the 'Cleopatra' set:

[dvdman]

the pub the Guerka is still there in iver but its not called that anymore i remeber as a kid that tyburns film producer kevin francis use to drink there at dinner time did you ever get to meet him ?

[Stephen Pickard]

the pub the Guerka is still there in iver but its not called that anymore i remeber as a kid that tyburns film producer kevin francis use to drink there at dinner time did you ever get to meet him ?

I met Kevin Francis, son of Freddie, several times and I remember we hit it off as we were both Hammer fans. As he was so busy as a producer, I didn't get a lot of opportunity to talk to him. I think his first film was called "Persecution" with Lana Turner, followed by "Legend of the Werewolf" and "The Ghoul", both with Peter Cushing. I know there was at least another couple of films he made at Pinewood but I cannot remember what they are without checking imdb.

[dvdman]

well kevin did start out as a runner on one of the c lee dracula films and he came on this is your life when peter cushing was done

[harryfielder]

I’d known Kevin Francis since Randall and Hopkirk days when he was a 2nd A.D. and we’d had a few beers together.

His Father, Freddy was a well respected lighting cameraman and had worked on a number of big budget films over the years. (Why do lighting cameramen want to Direct?)

Kevin also produced The Ghoul, Trog and Persecution around the same time and always gave me a bit of work when he could. Whenever I’m at Pinewood I make a point to drop into his office and say hello...

In another twenty years time he offers to buy a script off me.

My best wishes go to all the Francis family.



Aitch,

[smudge]

LOL Aitch - I think it's because Lighting Cameramen (DoPs) put the goods up there on the screen. The Director might have the best of intentions but without his skilled craftsmen he's stuck! So I am not surprised when, having been so close to the action, they want to have a go at being the guvnor themselves...



Smudge

[dvdman]

I’d known Kevin Francis since Randall and Hopkirk days when he was a 2nd A.D. and we’d had a few beers together.

His Father, Freddy was a well respected lighting cameraman and had worked on a number of big budget films over the years. (Why do lighting cameramen want to Direct?)

Kevin also produced The Ghoul, Trog and Persecution around the same time and always gave me a bit of work when he could. Whenever I’m at Pinewood I make a point to drop into his office and say hello...

In another twenty years time he offers to buy a script off me.

My best wishes go to all the Francis family.



Aitch,

i dont think kevins at pinewood anymore as i never saw him the last time i worked there i think hes a film agent today because his name came up when wendy richards died

[Steve Crook]

Why do lighting cameramen want to Direct?

They have to find something to do in their long lives.



Freddie Francis lived until he was 90

Jack Cardiff lived until he was 94

Erwin Hillier lived until he was 94

Chris Challis is 91 & still going strong



When I met Jack & Freddie at an event at the NFT one time I asked them about this. They thought it was probably all the exercise they got when they were younger. Lugging those huge Technicolor cameras around



Steve

[dvdman]

what does NFT stand for steve ??

cheers

paul

[Steve Crook]

what does NFT stand for steve ??

cheers

paul

The National Film Theatre. Now officially called the BFI South Bank but still referred to as the NFT by us die-hard old fans



Steve

[HUGHJAMPTON]

If this link has been posted already, my apologies. Checkout the Pinewood section.



Dennis Lowe

[dvdman]

This is a picture taken at Pinewood sometime in the '70's. It is a picture of me with a lady, from Sri Lanka, giving her a tour of the studio.

If the area behind us is slightly familiar to any of you it was used for the fire station entrance in "Fahrenheit 451". On the left at the back you can just make out 'H' stage and the long projection 'North Tunnel' which extends behind us to 'E' stage. The building on the right side was the film library, when I joined in '68, and eventually became a cutting room block.

if you go backwards to your left is where Zoom tv use to be sadly when i went back a few years ago the building was still there but empty