Unlike his contemporaries at other British studios, Hepworth was one
of the few producers who managed to keep production going for the duration
of the WWI. He started off by making a number of propaganda shorts with
the aim of encouraging people to buy War Bonds. Hepworth also continued
to rent out his studio to visiting independent companies. One of these
was Ivy Close Films, founded by Elwin Neame during the war years. Their
first film was the Neame directed Dream Paintings (1912). Another company
at Walton-on-Thames was Turner Films which had been founded by American
star Florence Turner and her manager and producer, Laurence Trimble.
The popularity of Hepworth films remained undiminished until the end
of the war. But, inevitably, changes were in the air, following demobilization
rival production companies began springing up. In order to stay abreast
of this new surge of output, Hepworth formed the Hepworth Picture Plays
Limited in 1919, and in the following year, raised further monies by
floating his company for what was to he an ultimately ill-fated expansion
intended to build a six-stage studio. The stock sold poorly, and despite
filming continuing at the Hepworth studios. With his films appearing
outdated in comparison with current British and American productions,
life was becoming increasingly difficult for Hepworth and all UK producers
after the collapse of the post-war boom. In 1923, just six months later,
Hepworth and the Hepworth Picture Players were declared bankrupt. He
continued working in the industry, making trailers for the National
Screen Service in the 1930s and `Food Flashes' for the Ministry of 1nformatiom
during WWII.
The contents of Hepworth's engine-house - diesels and generators, the
compressing plant, the traveling gantry and a switchboard which alone
had cost £3,250 - were all sold together for £950. The two
studios with freehold land, together with all accessories, the four
printing and developing machines, the drying machines, the electric-lighting
apparatus and cameras went for £4,000 as a going concern, and
the debenture holders got only seven shillings in the pound. The departure
of Hepworth dramatically changed the style and personality of the studios
at Walton. In 1926, the press announced that it had been purchased by
Archibald Nettlefold of the Birmingham industrial family (later part
of GKN; Guest Keene and Nettlefold). A recreational farmer in his spare
time, Nettlefold had long had a close association with the stage, where
he had produced a number of successful plays. One of the few theatrical
producers to take up the screen at that time, he had founded Anglia
Films in 1923 and bought the Hepworth Studios after making a couple
of disastrous films. Nettlefold hoped to carry on the Hepworth Studios
with its former employees, but with yet another failure on his hands,
The House of Marney (1926), made at Walton, he changed his course of
direction. He contracted Butchers Film Service as his distributor, and
Walter Forde, the former silent comedian, was put to work in the renamed
Nettlefold Studios.
