mgm british studios

[paul welsh]

now that my new book 'estree confidential' is now published and out of the way i have been asked to do a book as a fund raiser for elstree screen heritage on the old mgm british studios in borehamwood. i would be interested to hear from anyone who worked or visited the studio or has particular knowledge of it.
personally i have fond memories of mgm and visiting it and i recall ace camerman ossie morris once telling me it was 'the rolls royce of british studios' . i can't believe it is 42 years since it closed

[Moor Larkin]

If you can make contact with him, Bernie Williams, now in Hollywood, worked at MGM from the age of 15 (around 1958) working his way from studio errand boy to becoming a Production Manager by 1966. His father was a Security Man there, and got him his original job.

Bernie Williams had originally obtained work at Borehamwood via his father’s influence. His dad was employed in the Security department at the London studios. Bernie recalled beginning his movie career in the Stills department at MGM, at around age 15. This was in the late 1950’s. He thence moved through a variety of roles in the subsequent years. He must have been deputed to work closely with the MGM filming days of Danger Man, seemingly as early as 1960, and certainly between 1964 and 1965. As I mentioned in my previous blog, Frank Maher (the Prisoner stunt-co-ordinator and double for McGoohan) had mentioned that Mr. Williams was the person who had originally introduced him to Patrick McGoohan, and Mr. Maher described Bernie Williams as being a production manager. Frank Maher became involved with Danger Man only for the 1964-66 hour-long episodes, seemingly confirming that Bernie knew Patrick (and David Tomblin) from the time of the first series back in 1960.
http://numbersixwasinnocent.blogspot...ie+williams%22

[Moor Larkin]

Some interesting posts on this page of a TCM forum.......

http://forums.tcm.com/thread.jspa?th...art=0&tstart=0

[alan gowdy]

Interesting indeed - thanks for posting that link

[paul welsh]

sounds interesting - the tcm forum. does it cost to join ? do you get inundated with junk emails ?

[ertyuio]

Could anyone help me with this FORGOTTEN Grey Rolls Royce from MGM British Studios ?
May be some of readers of this forum could remember this car ?032 (3).jpg

Thsi car has been bought by MGM British Studios in 1967 and then used probably in films. One sure thing is that it appeared in THE AVENGERS season 6 ( Love all - I wish you were there ) THE PERSUADERS ( it's me over there ) THE PROFESSIONALS ( Blood Sports ) MINDER ( Gonfight at the OK Launderette ) DR ( Day of the daleks ).

I have recently bought it, and I 'd like to know more about it. If you have been involved with the Studios or television series, may be you will remember it ?
Many thanks

[Gerald Lovell]

Hi ertyuio and welcome to the forum. I have no connection with the studios or series, but can tell you that in September 1971 when the relevant scenes of "Day of the Daleks" were filmed for DOCTOR WHO, the car was noted down as being hired by the BBC from Kingsbury Motors.

[Moor Larkin]

WF on a car of that age would specify that it was first registered in East Yorkshire - Sheffield area. I wonder why it ended up in London.

[ertyuio]

Thank you Gerald for your answer. Kingsbury Motors....well...I must find out. Thank you for this information. Could you tell me more about this Garage, please ?
What is the kind of garage where studios would rent out special cars , then ? If this car belonged to MGM British Studios, I presume it became the property of EMI-Elstree Studios...Am I right ? Ertyuio

[Gerald Lovell]

As far as I know, ertyuio, Kingsbury Motors (like Farmcraft of New Malden) regularly hired out specialist vehicles to the film and television industries. If the vehicles were hired, it means that Kingsbury, etc. likely owned them and the studios simply paid for their temporary use.

[ertyuio]

Thank you Gerald for this information. I did find repair & maintenance documents mentionning Kingsbury Motors Limited. I will find out soon when I will receive informations from DVLA.
Many Thanks. Now the most important part of the job is to find out in which other films or series the car was used...Do you have any suggestion ? I don't know where to start actually...

[mariocki]

Your first picture shows the car outside the Edgwarebury Hotel in Radlett - the entrance is virtually unchanged so if you visit you could easily recreate that shot.

[Amethyst_Isle]

Thank you Gerald for your answer. Kingsbury Motors....well...I must find out. Thank you for this information. Could you tell me more about this Garage, please ?

Would this be of any use to you ?

Kingsbury Motors Ltd
Address:
Rafiki House
Fourth Way
Wembley
Middlesex
HA9 0LH

and this link takes you to the Vanden Plas Kingsbury Works.

http://www.aronline.co.uk/blogs/2011...ngsbury-works/

[ertyuio]

Thank you for this information, this is interesting. However the Kingbury Motors in Wembley does'nt seem to be related to the one who was letting out cars to the studios. Does anyone know which car they provided and in which series or films they were used ? As fas as my car is concerned you are probably true : there are a number of repair bills from Kingbury motors in my historic file so when they closed the MGM studios, may be the car has been sold to Kingsbury motors, this is why it appears in these series, it was hired.

[Moor Larkin]

Thank you for this information, this is interesting. However the Kingbury Motors in Wembley does'nt seem to be related to the one who was letting out cars to the studios. Does anyone know which car they provided and in which series or films they were used ? As fas as my car is concerned you are probably true : there are a number of repair bills from Kingbury motors in my historic file so when they closed the MGM studios, may be the car has been sold to Kingsbury motors, this is why it appears in these series, it was hired.

I got the impression on one forum that discussed these old car arrangements, that the place that hired cars out, was Kingsbury Car Hire, and their premises were behind Kingsbury Motors. No idea other than that, but MGM certainly had cars with chauffeurs to drive folk about and I don't suppose they would have wanted to have to operate their own garage as well, to service them. I believe the Bentley seen at the end of Fall Out in the Prisoner show was a car used by MGM for such purposes, and Patrick McGoohan "borrowed" it for the shoot. It's possible your car was similarly being borrowed by various directors to add colour to their projects.

[hot snow]

I read somewhere the Bentley in Fall Out was Mcgoohans own vehicle...

[Moor Larkin]

I read somewhere the Bentley in Fall Out was Mcgoohans own vehicle...

Yes, I think Alexis Kanner said once that it "belonged to Pat". McGoohan discussed his own cars in one or two interviews and refers to owning some mundane family saloon (possibly a Morris) and also a "caravanette" of some sort.

[hot snow]

Not certain if Patrick had been busted at this stage for drink driving,some reports say he took a bicycle from his home in Mill Hill to MGM.Thats quite a ride,we know he had the gypsy caravan from thomasina in his garden,perhaps he took that

[Moor Larkin]

Not certain if Patrick had been busted at this stage for drink driving,some reports say he took a bicycle from his home in Mill Hill to MGM.Thats quite a ride,we know he had the gypsy caravan from thomasina in his garden,perhaps he took that

I seem to recall he was said to be using a studio car to be chauffered to and from Shepperton when Danger Man went there, for the last dozens or so episodes; the reason given was that this gave him more time to study his scripts.

I recall it being said in one piece that when he was biking it, he apparently left his cycle in his reserved parking space - as if to remind himself of why this had been made necessary.......

[hot snow]

A driven man perhaps,perhaps not