Montgomery "Geoff" Tully

[dicky2006]

I am sure that director Geoff Tully has been mentioned in the past but I'd like to see his name remembered for the many films mostly low budget that he made at lots of studios in the UK.



In the 1980s I had the pleasure of corresponding with him for a couple years prior to his death and he came across as a charming gentleman not only a film director but also a writer, poet and documentary film maker.



He did a huge amount of work at Merton Park and was responsible for many of the best "Scotland Yard" features. He also directed an Edgar Wallace entitled "The Man Who Was Nobody" with Hazel Court and John Crawford starring. Alec C Snowden the producer also used him on several co-features in the 1950s because he could bring a film in on time and within budget. Of these "Strange Awakening", "Escapement" and "Dial 999" are amongst my favourites.

John Bentley told me that Geoff looked nothing like a film director in those days and more like he worked in a bank. He let the actor act and filmed the action. If you watch his films they are easily recognisable often for the many single shots of characters and dialogue all in one take. He could also at times film exciting sequences like the car chase and smash seen in "The Key Man".



He also wrote and directed for Maurice Wilson at Grand National and like so many did some Danziger films too. During the 1950s he directed television episodes of amongst others "Fabian" but film was his first love.



In the 1980s when we corresponded he was quite surprised to be remembered as it was really a job to him and of course much of his output was not available to rewatch at that time. He quickly told me to call him Geoff as Montgomery was just for the public. His wife had worked at Merton Park in wardrobe (where they met) and his daughter was employed there too! I was also pleased to have put him back in touch with his old camera man Alan "Dick" Dinsdale.



If you have a particular film memory of Geoff Tully please share it one these pages...



A visit to the IMDb will provide his numerous credits.

[Dr Amicus]

The Glass Cage is an extraordinary film - a wonderful b movie about a man starving himself in a glass cage who gets murdered. I had the good fortune to see this at a Hammer day in London a few years back compered by Norman Warren. As a result of this, I had planned post-doctoral study in British B movies, but then left academia before starting this.



The Terrornauts is equally extraordinary - but not for the same reasons. Despite a script by the great SF Writer John Brunner, this is NOT geat SF. However, with a cast that includes Charles Hawtrey and Patricia Hayes getting dragged across space for plot reasons that are too ludicrous to detail, this is never less than vastly entertaining. It's an Amicus film - and I somehow managed to devote several pages of my thesis to it...



I've got a vhs of the latter - anyone know any DVDs of either of these films?

[julian_craster]

The Glass Cage (the US title is THE GLASS TOM is available as a legit DVD from USA on one of the Hammer Collection series (Region 0 )

[dicky2006]

Montgomery Tully (Geoff) to those he worked with, would have been thrilled to see his work given credit in The British B Film publication. It is true that both he and Ken Hughes who I was in correspondence with at the sametime thought they were well and truly forgotten. It is good to see that their B pic work is now some distinction.

[m35541]

I've got a vhs of the latter - anyone know any DVDs of either of these films?

No official VHS release of The Terrornauts I'm afraid. Bootlegs - copied from a US VHS release I think - are generally available. At least they are the longer American version rather than the shorter UK theatrical release print.





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