Film and TV Technician - Supplement

[Anthony McKay]

I just bought a few copies of 'Film and TV Technician' in the hope of finding some of their 'Guide to British Film Makers' supplements. Unfortunately with them being loose single sheets I only got one. But in the hope that more might turn up, here is my sheet.

[Anthony McKay]

https://archive.org/details/FilmandTVTechnicianJune1960

[Anthony McKay]

I seem to have worked out where I was going wrong with the postings to Archive.Org

https://archive.org/details/FilmandTVTechnicianJuly1960

https://archive.org/details/FilmandTVTechnicianJune1960

https://archive.org/details/DailyCinema9427

https://archive.org/details/DailyCinema9506

Here is link to 'Film Review' November 1960 which I bought for the 'VotD' article.

https://archive.org/details/FilmReviewNov196035

[Gerald Lovell]

Absolutely brilliant stuff, Tony!

[Anthony McKay]

I bought these to fill he gaps in Stephen's previous Kine Weekly posts.

https://archive.org/details/kineweekly2878

https://archive.org/details/KineWeekly2798

https://archive.org/details/KineWeekly2881Images

[Mikey]

Tony

A very enjoyable read. Good solid information as I say.

[Anthony McKay]

This is my latest document - as there are so many pages and it is a thick magazine, I have had to photograph the pages.

This is a trial version - so page 71 jumping to the back will be sorted out eventually.

https://archive.org/details/TrialImages_201806

[Mikey]

Tony

I don't know where you keep finding these items, but they are interesting.

[Anthony McKay]

Tony

I don't know where you keep finding these items, but they are interesting.

Sam Eckman Jr. is one of the characters that bring the M-G-M British story to life for me - I knew about the publication years ago, but was nicely suprised to see a copy pop up on e-bay last year

There must be some politics behind the extravagance of the publication. Sam was Loew's man in the UK, and Ben Goetz was Myer's - both men would be unseated by the political infighting at Culver City.

This tribute can be seen as an a example of "thanks for all the good work, but don't you think you should consider retirement...soon"

[Anthony McKay]

Here is the link to the revised Sam Eckman special:

https://archive.org/details/cinemasameckmanspecial

I've just bought three 61/62 Kine Weekly with production supplements off EBay - will post on to Archive.org when I get them.

[jamal.nazreddin]

…https://archive.org/details/cinemasameckmanspecial…

There are some interesting tidbits in this publication including some familiar movies with an unfamiliar title or star. But I couldn't see anything telling us why ‘Young Bess’ was moved from Britain to Culver City.

There’s an advertisement with an illegible signature on page 77 alluding to debonair Jack Buchanan being brought out of seeming retirement for ‘Band Wagon’. He was brought out to make Fred Astaire appear comparatively young.

[Anthony McKay]

There are some interesting tidbits in this publication including some familiar movies with an unfamiliar title or star. But I couldn't see anything telling us why ‘Young Bess’ was moved from Britain to Culver City.

There’s an advertisement with an illegible signature on page 77 alluding to debonair Jack Buchanan being brought out of seeming retirement for ‘Band Wagon’. He was brought out to make Fred Astaire appear comparatively young.

'Young Bess' was delayed due to Deborah Kerr's other commitments. Alfred Junge did a lot of work on the designs for the film and it looks like a very ambitious project.

March 1946 - The studio was supposed to make 'Young Bess' (Deborah Kerr with Clark Gable) followed by 'The Secret Garden' (Margaret O'Brien)

May 1947 - 'Young Bess' still in the running and 'Romance of Henry Menafee' added to the running list

June - Kerr announced pregnancy

August - MGM joined the embargo on British production in protest of the British Tax on US films.

September - 'Edward My Son' bought for UK production

April 1948 - Kerr to do 'Edward My Son' - was going to follow this with 'Young Bess' - but this was now offered to Elizabeth Taylor.

There are 'Young Bess' Alfred Junge sketches dated from May 1947 all the way through to January 1948.

From then on 'Young Bess' kept popping up now and again in pre-production limbo.

[jamal.nazreddin]

'Young Bess' was delayed…

Thank you!

I noticed in the film's trailer that it claims it was "six tireless years in its ambitious preparation".

And for years I’ve been intrigued that the three stars of the remarkable ‘Black Narcissus’ should appear in this rather unremarkable studio production. And there’s the twist that Jean Simmons was the support player to Deborah Kerr in the earlier movie while their status is reversed in this latter one.

https://www.iceposter.com/posters/Yo...l#.Xfit7i2B3OQ

I can see why Deborah Kerr was pressed for time. IMDB says she had four film released in 1953. The premiere for 'Young Bess' was 21 May 1953 twelve days before the other 'Young Bess' was crowned at Westminster Abbey on 2 June 1953.

I still think it a pity that Kay Walsh and Kathleen Byron were shipped over to California but they didn’t do any productions there

[Anthony McKay]

Despite M-G-M's investment in the studio there seems to have been a reluctance by the studio to risk money on making films at the studio. There was also a reluctance by M-G-M's stars to spend time in Britain during a time of rationing and austerity. The dam seem to have burst in 1953 due to a number of factors - led by the glamour of the Coronation - there were very generous tax exemptions for US citizen's working in Europe; and left-leaning artists and technicians found refuge in the UK.
Although Paris was more popular with the stars than smoggy London.