The other day I listened to a radio interview with British Actress Jane Merrow. Well known in the 60's and 70s in both film/ tv in UK and USA.
She made some valid points over how acting was back then as how it is today.

The British studios, like Pinewood, Elstree and Borehamwood worked back then to strict hours -mainly because of the unions, producing all those well known shows we remember. When she went to USA it was very diferent with work going on well into the night to complete one episode after another of the various series evetually shown in Britain.

Whilst the studios in UK did not have the same commercial backing nor capital to produce mega series she pointed out that quality was far better, as was the acting. Series like Danger Man, Man in a Suitcase,The Baron,The Avengers, Strange Report, The Prisoner and of course The Saint which ran for 5 years with 118 episodes, plus many more.

Mentioning its a shame that such series -although now well dated are not produced as entertainment any more , and even todays 'dramas ' have succumbed to producers and writers wanting to give the shock treatment to pump up ratings and fuel the commercial breaks, rather than pure good clean drama and escapeism as those shows were back then.

With many on DVD it is still possible to revisit those times, and the good thing is, not a swear word in any of them.

I wonder what others think on this.

Wallace

There were certainly some quality British films produced on a low budget around that time; Billy Liar, Saturday Night and Sunday Morning, Tom Jones and many others. I've found a couple of interesting websites on the subject:

British Film in the 1960s

Boulting Brothers

I worked in the cinema industry around that time, we frequently had full houses and people queuing in all weather. At the time every British Movie seemed to have (but didn't), either Peter Sellers or John Le Mesurier in it. Anyone remember "A kind of loving"? Most of the outdoor shots were filmed around Preston.

The following website lists the top 100 films of all time, some were so good that many people think they were made overseas:

The BFI 100

There were certainly some quality British films produced on a low budget around that time; Billy Liar, Saturday Night and Sunday Morning, Tom Jones and many others. I've found a couple of interesting websites on the subject:

British Film in the 1960s

Boulting Brothers

I worked in the cinema industry around that time, we frequently had full houses and people queuing in all weather. At the time every British Movie seemed to have (but didn't), either Peter Sellers or John Le Mesurier in it. Anyone remember "A kind of loving"? Most of the outdoor shots were filmed around Preston.

The following website lists the top 100 films of all time, some were so good that many people think they were made overseas:

The BFI 100

You lads just brought back some much appreciated memories, thankyou. Brilliant sites Nigel.
Phil.

Thank you Nigel for those great links-will check out in more detail soon..
'A Kind of Loving' from memory was controversial that it crossed the censorship on nudity- if I recall-too young to see it at the cinema but saw it on TV. It was highly acclaimed for its acting and courage on storyline for its time as Michael Parkinson fronted CINEMA each week and always took an opportunity to show segments of it.

Phil, some evenings when we blob out there is nothing but sheer rubbish on tv channels(free to air) so if we not occupied on hobbies etc its out with some shows of the past.
The other evening we saw a Saint episode filmed in 1965, and followed by the 1956 musical 'South Pacific'. Call me old fashioned but a throughly good evenings entertainment , no ad breaks, no no brainer action stunt movie, no rudeness, no swearing,no doom and gloom news, and no sad people revamping their lives through reality tv.

I went to bed happy.


take care,

Wallace.

Wallace Trickett wrote:
...
'A Kind of Loving' from memory was controversial that it crossed the censorship on nudity ...

From memory, it was on many posters all over the place, June Ritchie flashed her bare back and about as much of her boobs as many ladies in that age group do today show when they nip to the supermarket for some tea bags. She got lots of work in movies and TV after that film but no big starring roles, still see her name on the credits of some TV programmes.

A Kind of Loving, is that the one with albert? finney, and set in Nottingham?
Syd.

Hello Syd,

It was Alan Bates, if you click on Nigels link for British films will take you there.

regards

Wallace

Would you believe it was filmed at:

Albert Hall, Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, UK

Bolton Town Hall, Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, UK

Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, UK

Coronation Park, Radcliffe, Greater Manchester, England, UK
(park: Beacon's Park)

Greater Manchester, England, UK

Miller Arcade, Preston, Lancashire, England, UK
(arcade)

Preston, Lancashire, England, UK
(town square)

Radcliffe New Road, Radcliffe, Greater Manchester, England, UK
(house)

Radcliffe, Greater Manchester, England, UK

Shepperton Studios, Shepperton, Surrey, England, UK
(studio)

St. John's Church, Radcliffe, Greater Manchester, England, UK
(church - wedding)

The lead male was Alan Bates. Saturday Night & Sunday Morning was filmed around Nottingham so was one of the versions of Lady Chatterley.

Thanks for the info Nigel, another film shot in and around Bolton was that one of Arthur Askeys where he was an engine driver, one scene was shot at the loco shed one Saturday morning, the first Saturday for weeks I wasn't working, just think if I had been there that day I might have been an Oscar winner by now.
Syd.

I've been in a few movies and TV shows in bit parts but they were such rubbish no hope of ever winning anything. In one movie I was sat behind Melanie Griffiths, she stands up and talks to me. It was on TV a few weeks ago, first time I'd seen it because it only ran a few days at the cinemas, such a poor film I whizzed it through and found that in my scene they'd electronically replaced me with a younger bloke; I got paid though and had a bit of fun doing it.