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Film Club Sky 328 Newsletter Freesat 306 APR/MAY 2020 Virgin 445

Film Club Sky 328 Newsletter Freesat 306 APR/MAY 2020 Virgin 445

Freeview 81 Film Club Sky 328 newsletter Freesat 306 APR/MAY 2020 Virgin 445

Dear Supporters of Film and TV History, What an awful time we are all witnessing, we do hope you are all safe, well and wallowing in nostalgia on Talking Pictures TV. It’s nice to have a bit of a way to escape from the news every once in a while. It’s been a challenging time here at HQ trying to keep everything going and keep the channel on air for you all. We are working our hardest and keeping the cinema doors firmly open. Renown Pictures also continues to be open for business and we are still posting orders to you all every day. It might be difficult for some of you to get to a post box at the moment; we love receiving post but if it is difficult you can order with us over the phone using a card if that helps, it’s always nice to talk to you all. We were so sad to hear of the passing of Roy Hudd on the 15th of March. A great friend and supporter of the channel, he will be greatly missed. A tribute to his life and work is on page 5 of this newsletter. ‘At last,’ I hear you cry! That’s right – it’s the long awaited release of our next new DVD box set The Renown Crime Collection Volume 6! Filled with unseen and rare crimes and cases to crack, with optional subtitles, all for just £20 for the whole collection. Films include the very rare, previously lost British crime filmWho Killed The Cat? and as a bonus feature along side Police Dog the film, is a very rare police dog training film from the 1970s. There are hours and hours to help keep you entertained in these days of being confined to barracks! For those who missed any of the previous editions of our very popular crime collections, if you buy this new Volume 6, you can get any of the previous volumes for just £10 EACH! Also in this month’s newsletter is the release of our beautiful Bombshell Compacts – which really are a must for all bombshells – and our limited edition new Talking Pictures TV Bag, perfect for picking up those necessities – just £10 while stocks last. As we can’t visit the pub, we bring the pub to you with the Roll Out The Barrel DVD release from the BFI, looking back at the history of British pubs on pages 14-15; there’s more bombshells with a brilliant book on , , , and on page 7, plus a box set of the series OUT with Tom Bell that all of you have been enjoying recently on the channel on pages 20-21. Also, rare new DVD releases, Passport To Shame, Whirlpool and Appointment With Venus and, as requested, Volume 1 of the BFI Children’s Film Foundation Bumper Box, to complete the set. Something for everyone! Fans of our Imperial War Museum Season will enjoy many new films from their archives over the coming months, including: IWM: The Team (1941), a Second World War short film stressing the importance of team work and IWM: Salvage with a Smile (1940), a Second World War comedy short explaining the value of salvage with Kathleen Harrison and . To celebrate the 75th Anniversary of VE Day on Friday 8th May, we have a Vera Lynn CD on page 10 with lots of favourites for you to sing along to. Good news, Noel has finally, after years of trying, managed to unlock the vaults at Paramount to bring some very rare premieres to Talking Pictures TV this month, for many of which this will be their UK Television premiere. More info on pages 24-25. We also have a host of premieres coming on the channel, including Up The Junction (1967) with Suzy Kendall and Dennis Waterman, No Room At The Inn (1948) with Freda Jackson, Joy Shelton and Hermione Baddeley; Houdini (1953) with Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh and Another Time Another Place (1958) with and Sean Connery. Heartfelt thanks to all of you for being so supportive when we had to postpone our 7th Festival Of Film in St Albans. For those of you who were booked into the Premier Inn for this event, they will refund you if you contact them as we managed to get them to overturn their ruling on refunds for our ticket holders. We now await the re-opening of the venue to get a new date. The Frank Marker Windsor event has also been post- poned, but we are all looking forward to October’s Stockport Film Festival, where surely we can all meet up once again and enjoy a day together. Until next month let’s stay safe, keep our spirits up and dream of the day we can all meet up in the ‘Quiet Woman’ for a swift ’arf, have a pie at Sid’s Café, get Sam Kydd to give us a taxi ride to the party and share an embrace like the Huggett family! ’Til we meet again, some sunny day, keep smiling through... Until next month, thank you as always for your continued support, Very best wishes, Sarah, Noel & Neill 1 You will receive everything on both pages Scotland Yard needs you! A collection of Crime Capers from the , 50s and 60s. Can you solve the crimes? Films include: Who Killed the Cat? with NEW EXCLUSIVE Mervyn Johns, I Met a Murderer starring , Smokescreen with and RENOWN 3 DVD SET in Police Dog. Disc One CRIME COLLECTION WHO KILLED THE CAT (1966) Running time: 83 mins. A ‘lost’ British crime thriller directed by Montgomery Tully. Volume 6 Cast: Mary Merrall, Ellen Pollock, Amy Dalby, Mervyn Johns, Vanda Godsell, Conrad Phillips. JUST £20 A scheming widow persecutes three old ladies, even poisoning WITH FREE UK POSTAGE a pet cat – but fate takes its revenge on her… I MET A MURDERER (1939) Running time: 75 mins. Call Us Now On Freephone A British thriller directed by Roy Kellino. Cast: James Mason, Pamela Mason, Sylvia Coleridge, William Devlin, 0808 178 8212 Peter Coke, Esma Cannon, Sheila Morgan, James Harcourt and Sheppy as The Dog. A murderer on the Or 01923 290555 run meets a young woman who conceals her suspicions because she wants to use the story for a book. DANGEROUS GROUND (1934) 64 mins. A crime drama directed by Norman Walker. Cast: Malcolm Keen, Jack Raine, Joyce , Martin Lewis, Kathleen Kelly and Gordon Begg. Two insurance detectives work with the police to identify and bring down a crime kingpin. One is murdered, but his partner and his daughter continue. Edited by David Lean. Disc Two KILL HER GENTLY (1957) 70 mins. A Hitchcockian British thriller, directed by Charles Saunders. Cast: Griffith Jones, Maureen Connell, Marc Lawrence, George Mikell, Shay Gorman, Marianne Brauns. Two escaped convicts are picked up by a motorist who recognises the men from descriptions heard on the radio. Instead of turning them in, he decides to hire them to murder his wife. SMOKESCREEN (1964) 71mins. A crime drama, directed by Jim O’Connolly. Cast: Peter Vaughan, John Carson, Yvonne Romain, , Sam Kydd, Deryck Guyler. An insurance investigator travels to Brighton to assess the apparent death of a businessman, after his burning car was seen crashing over a cliff into the sea. The car is recovered and no body is found, – accident, insurance fraud or murder? 2 You will receive everything on both pages Disc Two continued POLICE DOG (1955) 70 mins. NEW EXCLUSIVE A crime drama, directed by Derek Twist. Cast: Joan Rice, Tim Turner, Sandra Dorne, Charles Victor, RENOWN 3 DVD SET Nora Gordon, Cecil Brock, John Le Mesurier, James Gilbert, Ian Fleming, Rex III, (as The Dog), and Christopher Lee. When his colleague is shot dead by a CRIME COLLECTION burglar, PC Frank Mason vows to serve justice. He is placed in Volume 6 charge of a stray Alsatian dog now being used for police work. Meanwhile his partner’s killer decides to break into a safe. JUST £20 Will Turner and his dog find the man and bring him to justice? WITH FREE UK POSTAGE ONE MAN ONE DOG (1971) 13 mins. Filmed at Scotland Yard. An insightful film on police dogs and Call Us Now On Freephone their handlers revealing the state of crime in and the surrounding areas in the 1970s. 0808 178 8212 Disc Three THE 20 QUESTIONS MURDER MYSTERY (1950) 89 mins. Or 01923 290555 A crime film directed by Paul L. Stein. A murderer sends a question in to the BBC Twenty Questions programme prior to committing a crime. There are four clues to solve which are read out on air and heard by two reporters. Cast: Robert Beatty, Rona Anderson, Clifford Evans, Edward Lexy, Olga Lindo, Frederick Leister, Harold Scott, Wally Patch, Meadows White, Kynaston Reeves. Regular panellists on the programme, played themselves. (AKA Murder on the Air) THE HI-JACKERS (1963) 77 mins. A British crime thriller, written and directed by Jim O’Connolly. Cast: Anthony Booth, Terry McKinley, Jacqueline Ellis, Derek Francis, Patrick Cargill, Glynn Edwards, David Gregory, Harold Goodwin, Tony Wager, Arthur English, Michael Beint, Tommy Eytle. A lorry driver meets a young girl at a café and offers her a lift. His truck which is carrying valuable whisky is later hi-jacked. An action-packed plot line, with good location photography. BOND OF FEAR (1956) 64 mins. A British crime drama directed by Henry Cass. Cast: Dermot Walsh, Jane Barrett, John Colicos, Marilyn Baker, Anthony Pavey, Alan MacNaughtan, Jameson Clark, John Horsley, Marianne Stone, Arnold Bell, Avril Angers, Bill Shine. A man and his family on a caravan holiday in France are taken hostage by an escaped convict. 3 RENOWN Box Set Special price for this newsletter only Why not complete your Crime Collection? Each Box Set below just £10 when you buy Volume 6 with free UK P&P (NORMAL PRICE £20) If you like crime films and detective stories, you’ll love our Crime Collections. There are five box sets, each with three DVDs full of films and shorts. Exclusive to Renown, the Crime Collection series is ideal for those who enjoy sleuthing from the sofa, and is packed with intriguing mysteries and murders. Look out for Jayne Mansfield, Donald Houston, , Gordon Jackson, June Thorburn, Barbara Murray and many more. Enjoy the film debut of Sid James, on screen with Michael Medwin, and pit your A Gunman Has Escaped; The Third Alibi; Jackpot; wits against an array of screen Boy with a Flute; Death Goes The Quiet Woman; Impulse; detectives and private eyes. to School; King of the Crosstrap; Smart Alec; Offer only available when Underworld; Black Memory; Passenger to London; The purchased together with Murder at 3am; The Challenge; Body Vanished; The Riverside Volume 6 (pages 2-3). The Secret Man. Murder; Vengeance Is Mine PLUS Patricia Dainton.

Blackout; Johnny On the Spot; The Boys with bonus feature: The Large Rope; The Hangman 13 East Street; Mystery at The Boys Reunion; Mysterious Waits; Echo of Diana; Strange Monstein; Web of Evidence; Mr Nicholson; The Voice of Harvest; Decoy – to Trap a When London Sleeps; Merrill; Operation Diplomat; Thief; The Case of Charles The Lost Hours; The Passing Port of Escape; Blind Spot; Peace; The Grayson Case; Stranger; The Hostage; Lady of Deceit; Checkmate The Gentle Trap; Night of the The End of the Line Prowler and many more!

4 Call Freephone 0808 178 8212 Or 01923 290555 Spotlight on Roy Hudd Born: 16th May 1936 Died: 15th March 2020 We were sad to hear of the passing of Roy Hudd on the 15th of March. He was a great friend and supporter of the channel and will be greatly missed. Roy was a rare commodity in the entertainment world. As an actor, presenter and comic entertainer, he was a much-loved figure and guaranteed to make an audience laugh. As an authority on entertainment and a published author on the subject, he was second to none. Born in , one of his first jobs was working as a commercial artist with pen and pencil, rather than scripts and props. He also dabbled in window dressing and acted as a messenger with an advertising agency. It was not long however, before show business began to call and he made his professional debut in 1957 as a stand-up comedian at the Hill Theatre. The following year he joined Butlins at Clacton as a Redcoat and worked alongside and . It was satirical comedy on TV that really gave Roy his first break, in the BBC seriesThat Was the Week That Was in 1964. He also appeared on the BBC in Not So Much a Programme, More a Way of Life, alongside David Frost, William Rushton, John Bird, and Eleanor Bron. Satire played a part again in his success with Radio 2 in his long-running show, The News Huddlines, which co-starred and Chris Emmett. He married Ann Lambert in 1961 but the relationship ended in divorce in 1983. His son Max followed in his father’s footsteps and is also a performer. Roy’s film career was brief but memorable and showed his diversity in character portrayal, from The Blood Beast of Terror (1968), a horror yarn with Peter Cushing, to comedies such as Up Pompeii (1971), Up the Chastity Belt (1971), The Magnificent 7 Deadly Sins (1972) and The Alf Garnet Saga (1972). He returned to the theatre to great acclaim in 1977 as Fagin in ’s revival of Oliver!, and constantly toured with variety shows and pantomime, though it wasn’t until 2015, that Roy played his first pantomime dame, in Dick Whittington and his Cat, at the newly renovated Wilton’s in London. Roy was awarded the Best Actor in a Musical for his portrayal of , in Underneath the Arches in 1983, which also gained him a new generation of fans. In the New Year honours list of 2004 he was given the OBE for his service to entertainment and an honorary degree of ‘Doctor of Letters’, was bestowed upon him in 2010 by the University of Westminster. His charity work was vast and he was also a former King Rat, for the show business charity organisation The Grand Order of Water Rats. In 2002 he began a regular role in , playing Archie Shuttleworth for a year and returning for guest appearances until 2018. Later television credits also included , and Midsomer Murders. Hudd was also a music hall and variety expert, writing several books on the Victorian music tradition, re-recording old music hall songs and appearing on the TV show, The Good Old Days. As President of the British Music Hall Society from 1992 until his death, he chose the genre as his specialist subject when he appeared on in 2014 and in January this year, it was announced he was to donate more than 20,000 rare song sheets and posters to the University of Kent. Roy’s second wife, Debbie Flitcroft, was by his side when he peacefully passed away. With such a great legacy, Roy will never be forgotten. 5 Memories of a life in films Part 8, by Noel Cronin I needed some help and advice on getting into the TV business so Norman Dickson, who recently retired from ITN independent TV news, helped to open some doors and Dandelion started to grow. Knowing very little of how film distribution worked, I wrote to every ITV station and offered my meagre library of a few independent documentaries and a couple of instructional films. Out of all the stations two replied, STV and Thames TV. Sadly, Michael Trotter at STV died some years ago, but Pat Mahoney from Thames TV is still around and a long time friend. I travelled to all the fairs and visited as many TV stations that would see me and with various degrees of politeness most rejected my meagre offerings, but with the blindness of youth and the great support of my wife Joyce the company started to gain some business traction. Cashflow was always a problem and paying the bills remained a challenge. Banks then were much the same as now – if you had money you were offered more; if you needed money it was difficult! In life you need luck and my first big break was about to happen …… Producer Noel Cronin founded Talking Pictures TV and Renown Pictures. Noel is contributing a series of memories to the newsletter over the coming months. Ever since his entrance into the world of film as a young man, Noel has been interested in preserving the heritage of lost and forgotten films, shorts and programmes, and for many years has been gathering, restoring and preserving this wonderful heritage which would otherwise be lost. Noel worked for and the Central Office of Information, and bought the rights to several libraries that owned films which now air on TPTV. His career as a producer and editor of films, documentaries and TV series spans several decades.

6 BOOK OFFERS – RECOMMENDED NEW RELEASE BOMBSHELLS From Jean Harlow and Marilyn Monroe to Ruth Ellis: the stories of the strong, spirited and controversial women who created the enduring image of the Blonde Bombshell. By SHAR DAWS Jean Harlow, the Godmother of Blondes, lit the torch for the blonde bombshell, creating an image and persona that would be passed on for generations to come. Jean’s life was cut tragically short at the age of 26, but the flame reignited in the with the most notorious blondes of all time: Ruth Ellis, Marilyn Monroe, Jayne Mansfield and Diana Dors. Each left a legacy that has ensured the fire will never be completely PAPERBACK BOOK extinguished, affecting not only individual lives includes 30 images but society across a world stage. From Marilyn’s stardom and Diana’s integrity, to Ruth’s tragic status as the last woman hanged in Britain, all of these women experienced success and tragedy, love and heartbreak; and attention both positive and negative. Bombshells examines these five women in the context of the 1950s, the expectations and constrictions of society at the time and how they pushed through barriers and paved the way for the real sexual revolution. Our Price £16.99 plus £2 Postage Call Us Now On Freephone Or 01923 290555 0808 178 8212 7 The ‘Bombshell’ Compact Mirror Exclusive to Renown, each of our elegant compact mirrors features an image of one of our very own ‘Bombshells’. , Liz Fraser, Diana Dors and Elizabeth Sellars are all pictured in gorgeous black and white within a circular frame. Each compact is engraved on the back with a delicate floral pattern and contains a double mirror inside.

£7.99 each or any Perfect for checking your make-up 2 for £12 with when out and about, this lovely FREE UK postage mirror will fit into a handbag pocket and makes a lovely gift.

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8 The Comic Catchphrase Shopping Bag – Just with FREE UK Postage! £10! Practical, washable, re-usable and “So handy easy to fold and store, this useful for a quick shopper bag is the perfect trip to the size for carrying your shops!” daily groceries and puts a bit of fun into a trip to the shops! Made from cotton fabric, measures 49cm wide x 39cm high excluding straps.

EXCLUSIVE LIMITED TO RENOWN! EDITION!

9 VERA LYNN Remembers The Songs That Won World War II MUSIC CD OUR PRICE £12.99 WITH FREE UK POSTAGE Celebrate the 75th anniversary of VE Day on 8th May with this nostalgic CD and sing along to such classic songs as: The White Cliffs of Dover, Yours, There’ll Always Be an England, Lilli Marlene and We’ll Meet Again. Vera Lynn is forever remembered as the singer who became the “forces sweetheart” during the difficult days of the Second World War. In 1941, during the darkest days of the conflict, she began her own radio programme, Sincerely Yours, sending messages to British troops serving abroad. She and her quartet performed songs most requested by the soldiers. Vera also visited hospitals to interview new mothers and send personal messages to their husbands overseas. During the war years she also joined ENSA and 22 Memorable Tracks: toured Egypt, India and Burma, giving outdoor Yours; Medley: Who’s Taking You Home Tonight / concerts for the troops. In March 1944 she went Wishing / Wish Me Luck; Somewhere in France to Shamshernagar airfield in Bengal to entertain with You; Medley: The Last Time I Saw Paris / the troops before the Battle of Kohima. Her host Arm in Arm / I’ll Be with You in Apple Blossom and lifelong friend Captain Bernard Holden Time; Medley: A Pair of Silver Wings / recalled “her courage and her contribution to Silver Wings in the Moonlight / Comin’ in on a morale”, and it’s for these qualities that Dame Wing and a Pray’R; London Pride; A Nightingale Vera Lynn will always have a place in our hearts. Sang in Berkeley Square; White Cliffs of Dover; Medley: If I Only Had Wings / The Badge from Your Coat / Roll out the Barrel; I’ll Be Seeing You; You’d Be So Nice to Come Home To; Room Five- Hundred-And-Four; That Lovely Weekend Besame Mucho (Kiss Me); There’ll Always Be an England; You’ll Never Know; It Had to Be You; Lili Marlene; Medley: Be Like the Kettle and Sing / There’s a New World over the Skyline; As Time Goes By; Medley: When the Lights Go on Again / I’ll Pray for You / We’ll Meet Again; Land of Hope and Glory (Adapted from ‘Pomp & Circumstance’ No 1).

To order, call us on Freephone 0808 178 8212 Or 01923 290555 10 WHIRLPOOL OUR PRICE £12.99 with FREE UK POSTAGE Call Us Now On Freephone: 0808 178 8212 Or 01923 290555 1 DVD. Year of release: 1959. Running Time: 91 mins approx. Colour. Director: Lewis Allen. Stars: Juliette Gréco, O.W. Fischer, Muriel Pavlow, Marius Goring, William Sylvester. A tense 1950’s thriller set against the stunning scenery of the Rheinland. Lora (Juliette Gréco) a beautiful barmaid, is tracked down by her wartime boyfriend Herman (William Sylvester), a shadowy figure involved in illegal currency dealing. In Lora’s bar, Herman murders another criminal and escapes, taking the innocent Lora with him. Against her better judgement, Lora agrees to meet in Amsterdam, and to evade the authorities, they travel separately. On her journey Lora meets Rolph (O.W. Fischer) who is captaining a cargo boat down the River Rhein. Lora begins to fall for Rolph but with the Police and Herman closing in will she find happiness and free herself from Herman?!

To order, call us on Freephone 0808 178 8212 Or 01923 290555 11 After featuring Volume 2 in the last newsletter, we had lots of requests for Volume 1 – so here it is! From the the Children’s film foundation bumper box volume 1 3 DVDs, 9 film collection Year: 1956 - 1984 Total running time: 507 minutes Black & White and Colour A wizard weekend for all the family is guaranteed with this carefully curated assortment of tasty cinematic treats from the Children’s Film Foundation: Britain’s best-loved and longest-running producer of quality cinema entertainment for kids of all ages. It’s fun and adventure all the way from the feisty Fifties to the electric Eighties with RRP: £29.99 this bumper box set, lovingly loaded with nine fab, fast, furious full-fat vintage OUR PRICE features and a brand-new documentary. In this Bumper Box the BFI brings together £25.00 nine fantastic films on three discs with WITH FREE UK POSTAGE special features including a brand new Call Us Now On Freephone documentary about the CFF. Stand well back for 1960s bonfire-night fun in 0808 178 8212 Peril for the Guy (1956), have a kick-about with Or 01923 290555 George Best and Bobby Charlton at Manchester United in Cup Fever (1965) and share your orange squash with an incredible invisible rabbit in Mr Horatio Knibbles (1970)! Take your seats in the Big Top for circus hi-jinx with Anoop and the Elephant (1972), befriend the world’s only ice-lolly-loving Yeti in The Zoo Robbery (1973) and become a young 1970s eco-warrior for The Battle of Billy’s Pond (1976). 12 From the British Film Institute the Children’s film foundation bumper box volume 1 Attempt to avert nuclear disaster in the nail-biting One Hour to Zero (1976), chase cockney crooks down London’s canals as you join 4D Special Agents (1981) and enlist The Who’s Roger Daltrey to back your 1980s reggae band on Brighton Pier in Pop Pirates (1984)! Take doggie delight in Rover Makes Good, Juno Helps Out and To the Rescue – three 1950s canine crackers from the CFF vaults, guaranteed to make you roll over, woof and wag your tail! That’s just the films – there are extras and an illustrated booklet too. Do your film-history revision fun-style with a new interview with veteran CFF writer John Tully (16 mins) and The Children’s Film Foundation Story (84 mins) – a fabulous new feature-length documentary telling the true tale of the Foundation and the talents who worked there. There are interviews with CFF luminaries including John Krish, Harley Cokeliss and a cast of thousands! Last, but not least, there are three 1950s canine crackers from the CFF vaults, Rover Makes Good, Juno Helps Out and To the Rescue.

Special Features: The Children’s Film Foundation Story (2018, 80 mins): spilt over 3-discs this new feature length documentary looks back at the history of the CFF and some of the classic films it produced. Includes interviews with children of today as they watch the films for the first time. Rover Makes Good (1952, 16 mins); Juno Helps Out (1953, 19 mins); To The Rescue (1952, 21 mins); Interview with John Tully (2018): new interview with the writer of One Hour to Zero; Fully illustrated booklet with new writing on the films by Vic Pratt.

13 From the British Film Institute Roll Out the Barrel: Year: 1944-1982 | 2 DVDs Colour and Black & White The British Pub on Film Approx running time: 318 minutes This fascinating 5-hour-plus collection of entertaining short dramas, humorous trade films, perceptive documentaries and archival newsreel items is an essential history of the British boozer on film. From Arnold Miller’s swinging Under the Table You Must Go, Philip Trevelyan’s beautifully expressionistic The Ship Hotel Tyne Main and German director Peter Nestler’s Workingmen’s Club in Sheffield to the local quirks and characters of Richard Massingham’s wartime Down at the Local, the whirlwind regional tour of A Round of Bass and the Michael Palin and Terry Jones humorous trade film Henry Cleans Up, this must-have double measure of DVDs is full to the brim with the sights and sounds of the great British pub, exploring its role as a place of communal gathering, game playing and opinion debating. Cheers!

RRP £40.00 OUR PRICE £20 WITH FREE UK POSTAGE Call Us Now On Freephone 0808 178 8212 14 From the British Film Institute Roll Out the Barrel: 2-DVD set The British Pub on Film

Disc One ONLY £20 The Story of English Inns (1944) Down at the Local (1945) The Inn that Crossed the Sea (1950) Tramp’s Ball (1953) Beer and Skittles (1954) The Old Pheasant (1958) The Friendly Inn (1958) Mining Review 16th Year No.5 (1963) Lucy’s Table (1965) All in Good Time (1964) A Working Men’s Club in Sheffield (1965) The Ship Hotel - Tyne Main (1967) Disc Two Under the Table You Must Go (1969) Guinness for You / A Round of Bass / Henry Cleans Up (1974) What’ll You Have? (1977) New Pubs For Old (UK) (1979) New Pubs For Old (International) (1979) Local Life (1982)

RRP £40.00 OUR PRICE £20 WITH FREE UK POSTAGE Call Us Now On Freephone 0808 178 8212 15 Stockport 2020 – why not make a weekend of it?

16 From the British Film Institute OUT OF THIS WORLD with Boris Karloff Year: 1962 | 1 DVD | Optional Subtitles Black & White | Approx: 52 minutes An offshoot from the legendary Armchair Theatre, Out of this World was devised in 1962 by television colossus Sydney Newman (, The Avengers) and Irene Shubik (The Wednesday Play, Rumpole of the Bailey) to present the science fiction genre at its intelligent best to an adult audience. The anthology series was produced by Leonard White, dramatising the cream of literary science fiction, from such writers as Isaac Asimov, Clifford Simak and Philip K. Dick, using the considerable scriptwriting talents of Clive Exton, Leon Griffiths and Terry Nation. The show was a tremendous success, paving the way for Irene Shubik’s later classic series Out of the Unknown. Hosted by actor Boris Karloff, each episode explored the genre from satire to suspense, drama to comedy, with the greatest flair and invention that Sixties television could provide. This long awaited release presents the only surviving episode, an adaptation of Isaac Asimov’s Little Lost Robot, with Maxine Audley as the formidable ‘robopsychologist’ Susan Calvin. In 2019 robots cater to every human need, following the ‘prime directive’ not to harm humans. When a robot that’s been deprogrammed to disregard the directive gets lost amid identical machines, a ‘robopsychologist’ is employed to try and identify it. Director: Guy Verney Cast: Boris Karloff, Maxine Audley, Clifford Evans, Murray Hayne, Gerald Flood, Hayden Jones, Roger Snowdon. Also included are two audio recordings of otherwise lost episodes, Impostor by Philip K Dick, dramatised by Terry Nation who devised the Daleks for Doctor Who the following year; and Cold Equations, Tom Godwin’s suspenseful tale featuring a very young Jane Asher, Peter Wyngarde and a screenplay by Clive Exton. Contents include: a digitally remastered presentation of Little Lost Robot; Alternative VidFIRE presentation of Little Lost Robot; audio commentary with Leonard White and Mark Ward; Cold Equations (Paul Bernard, 1962, audio only): adaptation of a short story by Tom Godwin. Impostor (Peter Hammond, 1962, audio only): Terry Nation’s adaptation of a Philip K. Dick story and an illustrated booklet with essay by Oliver Wake and Simon Coward, and full credits.

RRP £14.99 OUR PRICE £9.99 WITH FREE UK POSTAGE Call Us Now On Freephone 0808 178 8212 17 RENOWN Special price for this newsletter only 2 x Triple Bills for £10! Get both for £10 with FREE UK postage! That’s 6 films and shorts for a tenner! Melody Club / A Hole Lot Of Trouble / Gold Is Where You Find It Melody Club (1949) Terry-Thomas stars in one of his earliest roles as a nitwit detective on the trail of a gang of jewel thieves. Starring: Gwynneth Vaughan, Len Lowe, Bill Lowe A Hole Lot of Trouble (1969) Three workmen assigned to dig a hole near a road for an electrical cable run into problems with local officials. Starring: Arthur Lowe, Victor Maddern, Bill Maynard Gold is Where You Find It (1968) Steve returns to Ireland a millionaire, gets drunk and loses the gold nuggets – everybody thinks its a gold rush. Starring: Eddie Byrne, Dermot Kelly, Barry Keegan + Child in the House / The Scamp / Frontline Kids Child in the House (1956) With her mother in hospital and her father on the run, 11-year-old Elizabeth is sent to live with her sniffy aunt and rigid uncle. Directed by . Starring: Phyllis Calvert, Eric Portman, , Mandy Miller, , Joan Hickson and Alfie Bass. The Scamp (1957) Stephen befriends a rebel child, Tod who is accused of shoplifting and offers to look after the boy whilst his father is away. Starring: , Dorothy Alison, Colin Petersen. Frontline Kids (1942) The leaders of a gang of street urchins are found jobs as page boys by a hotel porter and uncover a gang of jewel thieves. Starring: Leslie Fuller, Marion Gerth, Anthony Holles.

ALL OF THE ABOVE FOR £10! (NORMAL PRICE £10.99 each)

To order, call on Freephone 0808 178 8212 Or 01923 290555 18 Passport to SHAME OUR PRICE £12.99 with FREE UK POSTAGE Call Us Now On Freephone: 0808 178 8212 Or 01923 290555 1 DVD. Year of release: 1958. Running Time: 87 mins approx. Black and White. Director: Alvin Rakoff. Stars: Odile Versois, Herbert Lom, Eddie Constantine, Diana Dors, Brenda De Banzie, Robert Brown. With optional subtitles. A superior sexploitation thriller showcasing fiery performances from both Herbert Lom (as a sinister pimp) and Diana Dors (as one of his workers), Passport to Shame was the feature directorial debut for BAFTA-nominated Alvin Rakoff. With camerawork from Nicolas Roeg and a memorable performance from Odile Versois as the innocent caught up in a life of crime, it is presented here as a remaster from original film elements in its original theatrical aspect ratio. A young French girl on the run from the Parisian police, arrives in London. Believing herself to be safe, she is horrified to discover that Nick – a violent, scheming pimp – has designs on making her the latest acquisition to his “girls of the night”... SPECIAL FEATURE: Image gallery

To order, call on Freephone 0808 178 8212 Or 01923 290555 19 OUT The Complete Series Special Edition OUR PRICE £15 with FREE UK POSTAGE Call Us Now On Freephone: 0808 178 8212 Or 01923 290555 2 DVDs. Year of release: 1978. Running Time: 300 mins approx. Colour. Director: Jim Goddard. Stars: Tom Bell, Lynne Farleigh, 2-DVD set Brian Croucher, Brian Cox, Bryan Marshall and Derrick O’Connor. Frank Ross did the crime and as a consequence did the time but now he’s out! Bank robbing was his forte but he would never have been caught had someone not grassed him up. After eight years inside, courtesy of Her Majesty, he is determined to uncover the snitch and he will stop at nothing to unearth the secret – something that certain people in the criminal underworld will do anything to protect. On top of this his wife is mental and his son is a delinquent. Welcome to the world of Frank Ross. Pursued by both police and criminals, can he uncover the truth before the clock stops ticking and he wakes up with a chalk line around himself ? Special Features: • Brand new, exclusive commentaries on the first and last episodes with writer Trevor Preston, director Jim Goddard and producer Barry Hanson. • All six of Trevor Preston’s scripts in PDF format.

To order, call on Freephone 0808 178 8212 Or 01923 290555 20 The Complete Series Special Edition

OUT can be seen on Talking Pictures TV on Saturdays at midnight

Written by Trevor Preston and directed by Jim Goddard, OUT was produced by and first aired in 1978. The series was hugely popular with an average audience of 10 million viewers. OUT is dominated by Tom Bell’s iconic portrayal of Frank Ross. His immaculate three-piece suit and imposing look mark him out as a sharp individual, in more ways than one. His gang included John Junkin, Frank Mills, Oscar James and Peter Blake. Other notable actors were Norman Rodway (as Inspector Bryce, who put Ross away), Brian Croucher (Frank’s only real friend), Andrew Paul as his son Paul; Linda Robson as Paul’s girlfriend Mo, Brian Cox (as gangland rival McGrath) and Derrick O’Connor and Bryan Marshall (two of McGrath’s heavies). At the time of the series, graffiti saying, “Frank Ross is innocent” appeared in various London locations. When a rail strike disrupted people’s plans to make it home in time for the final episode, the words:“who grassed Frank Ross?” could be seen scrawled across blackboards at Euston station.

To order, call on Freephone 0808 178 8212 Or 01923 290555 21 Daphne du Maurier

Rebecca Audio Book £12.99 WITH FREE UK POSTAGE! Contains 2 Audio CDs Read by Alex Kingston Abridged in episodes as originally aired on BBC Radio 2

“Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again. It seemed to me I stood by the iron gate leading to the drive and for a while I could not enter, for the way was barred to me”. Alex Kingston reads Daphne du Maurier’s classic tale of love, loss, tragedy and revenge. Daphne du Maurier’s young heroine meets the charming Maxim de Winter and, despite her youth, they marry and go to Manderley, his home in Cornwall. There, the sinister housekeeper Mrs Danvers and the mystery she keeps alive of his first wife Rebecca – said to have drowned at sea – threatens to overwhelm the marriage.

Call Now On Freephone: 0808 178 8212 Or 01923 290555

22 Appointment with Venus OUR PRICE £12.99 with FREE UK POSTAGE Call Us Now On Freephone: 0808 178 8212 Or 01923 290555 1 DVD. Year of release: 1951. Running Time: 83 mins approx. Black and white. Director: Ralph Thomas. Stars: David Niven, , George Coulouris, Barry Jones. Based on a true story, Appointment With Venus is a fine example of the indomitable British spirit during World War II in the face of Nazi tyranny. The Nazis occupied the Channel Islands in 1940. Amongst the population on the tiny island of Amorel is Venus, a pedigree cow, whose ability to produce high quality milk is legendary. So well-known is Venus that she has even come to the attention of Hitler who wants to send her to Germany to breed with the Teutonic herds he claims are the best in the world. To deny Hitler and boost morale at home, British Special Forces, led by Major Moreland (David Niven) and ably assisted by Nicola Fallaize (Glynis Johns) and the Islanders, mount a dangerous operation to rescue Venus and return her to England.

To order, call on Freephone 0808 178 8212 Or 01923 290555

23 What’s on Talking Pictures TV over the coming weeks? Watch Talking Pictures on: FREEVIEW 81 | SKY 328 | FREESAT 306 | VIRGIN 445

Saturday 18th April 3:10pm and Sunday 19th April 9pm Tuesday 21st April 3:40pm Sunday Night at the Time Flies (1944) London Palladium (1973) Comedy sci-fi directed by Walter Variety show hosted by Jim Dale with Larry Grayson, Forde. With Tommy Handley, Evelyn Paul Anka, Rod Hull & Emu and Dall, George Moon and Felix Aylmer. The Tiller Girls. A music hall star travels back in time to Elizabethan England. Sunday 19th April 10pm Armchair Theatre: Saturday 18th April 6:55pm and Death of Glory (1973) Friday 24th April 7:10pm Director: Gareth Davies. Stars: Appointment With Crime (1946) Warren Clarke, Bill Maynard, British crime film directed by Dandy Nichols. A man lives his military fantasies John Harlow. Stars: William Hartnell, by leading a marching band but Raymond Lovell and Robert Beatty. his ex-Army father has a secret. A British thief, released from prison, devises a plan for vengeance. Monday 20th April 1:45pm and Monday 27th April 4am Saturday 18th April 8:45pm and High Tide at Noon (1957) Wednesday 22nd April 10:05pm Drama, directed by The Spy Who Came In from Philip Leacock. the Cold (1965) Stars: Betta St. John, Michael Cold War film starring Richard Burton, Craig. In Nova Scotia, Joanne & Oskar Werner, directed Mackenzie’s gambler husband by Martin Ritt. British spy Alec Leamas squanders their savings. is caught in a sinister labyrinth of plots and counter-plots. Monday 20th April 10:00pm The Deadly Affair (1966) Saturday 18th April 11:00pm Thriller, directed by Armchair Theatre: Stars: James Mason, According to the Rules (1974) Simone Signoret. A British secret Directed by: Piers Haggard agent is puzzled by the sudden Stars: Liam Redmond, Oliver Maguire, suicide of a man he investigated. James Berwick, Des Cave, J.G. Devlin. When an ex-IRA man is found dead, Tuesday 21st April 7:20pm suspicion falls on an old comrade. and Saturday 25th April 10:55pm Sunday 19th April 12:35pm and Don’t Ever Leave Me (1949) Wednesday 22nd April 3:25pm Comedy, directed by Arthur Court Jester (1956) Crabtree. Stars: Jimmy Hanley, A musical-comedy film starring Danny , Linden Travers. Kaye, Glynis Johns, Basil Rathbone, Harry comes out of prison and Angela Lansbury and Cecil Parker. is soon up to his old tricks. A carnival performer plays court jester as part of a plot against an evil ruler. Wednesday 22nd April 1:45pm Sunday 19th April 2:40pm and Thursday 23rd April 4:50pm White Cradle Inn (1947) Give Us the Moon (1944) Drama, directed by: Harold Directed by Val Guest, with Margaret French. Stars: Michael Rennie Lockwood, Vic Oliver, Peter Graves, & Madeleine Carroll. A child . A war hero leads an idle evacuated to the Swiss Alps, is life until he finds his place in society. billeted with local Inn owners. The Spy Who Came In from the Cold This British Cold War starsRichard Burton, Claire Bloom and Oskar Werner. It was directed by Martin Ritt in 1965. At the height of the Cold War, British spy Alec Leamas has one last assignment. Deep undercover, he poses as a drunken, disgraced former MI5 agent in East Germany in order to gain information about captured colleagues. When he himself is thrown in jail and interrogated, he is caught in a sinister labyrinth of plots and counter-plots unlike anything in his long career. Airs: Saturday 18th April 8:45pm and Wednesday 22nd April 10:05pm. 24 What’s on Talking Pictures TV over the coming weeks? Watch Talking Pictures on: FREEVIEW 81 | SKY 328 | FREESAT 306 | VIRGIN 445

Thursday 23rd April 2:30pm Saturday 25th April 9:10pm The Huggetts Abroad (1949) Up The Junction (1967) Comedy, directed by . Drama, directed by Peter Stars: Jack Warner, Kathleen Harrison Collinson. With Suzy Kendall, & Dinah Sheridan. When Jimmy gets Dennis Waterman, Maureen work in South Africa the family all Lipman and Adrienne Posta. go with him, travelling there by truck. A Chelsea girl moves to Thursday 23rd April 6:40pm working-class Battersea. A Tale Of Two Cities (1958) Sunday 26th April 2:00pm and Drama, directed by Ralph Thomas. Wednesday 29th April 1:10pm Stars: Dirk Bogarde, Dorothy Tutin, One Good Turn (1954) Cecil Parker & Stephen Murray. Comedy, directed by John During the French Revolution, Paddy Carstairs. With Norman Lucie Manette falls in love with a Wisdom, Joan Rice, Thora Hird. duplicitous Englishman. Norman is the oldest orphan at Friday 24th April 2:30pm Greenwood Children’s Home ... Frieda (1947) Sunday 26th April 4:00pm Drama, directed by Basil Dearden. Love on the Dole (1941) Stars: David Farrar, Glynis Johns, Drama, directed by: John Baxter. Mai Zetterling & Flora Robson. Stars: Deborah Kerr, Clifford An RAF pilot who was shot down Evans & George Carney. during WWII marries a German In 1930s Salford, Harry and woman who helps him escape. sister Sally fall victim to poverty. Friday 24th April 10:00pm Sunday 26th April 6:45pm Little Fauss and Big Halsey (1970) The Franchise Affair (1951) Comedy-drama, directed by Crime Drama, directed by: Sidney J. Furie. Stars: Robert Redford Lawrence Huntington and Michael J. Pollard, also featuring Stars: Michael Denison, Dulcie Lauren Hutton and Noah Beery, Jr. Gray. A lawyer is called in by two The exploits of two motorcycle riders, women accused of kidnapping. one of Redford’s lesser known works. Sunday 26th April 9pm Saturday 25th April 6:05pm Sunday Night at the No Room At The Inn (1948) and London Palladium (1974) Thursday 30th April 2:30pm Variety show hosted by War Drama, directed by Ted Rogers. This week’s stars Daniel Birt. With Freda Jackson, include Sacha Distel, The Drifters, Joy Shelton, Hermione Baddeley, Penny Lane, Nino Frediani and Joan Dowling. The landlady of a British The Second Generation. boarding house confines a group of child evacuees to a life of degradation. Sunday 26th April 10:00pm & Wednesday 29th April 10:05pm Saturday 25th April 7:25pm This Property Is Condemned Atomic City (1952) (1966) Thriller, directed by Jerry Hopper and Romantic drama directed by starring Gene Barry and Lydia Clarke. Sydney Pollack. Stars: Natalie The son of a physicist is abducted. Wood, Robert Redford, Kate Reid, The kidnappers want atomic secrets Charles Bronson. Sexually charged in exchange for the boy. Depression-era drama. Up the Junction on Talking Pictures TV Stars: Suzy Kendall, Dennis Waterman, Maureen Lipman and Adrienne Posta. Directed by Peter Collinson, released in 1967. Upper-class Chelsea girl Polly moves to working-class Battersea and takes a job in a sweet factory. She makes new friends and falls for a nineteen year old second-hand furniture assistant, who aspires to become rich and leave Battersea forever. Plenty of cool 60s pop music and fashion throughout and a psychedelic-pop score by Manfred Mann. Airs: Saturday 25th April 9:10pm. 25 Subtitled Films Available April-May SKY 328 | FREEVIEW 81 | FREESAT 306 | VIRGIN 445 Friday 17th April 09:05 am Dreaming (1944) Sunday 3rd May 07:30 am The Strange World Of Planet X (1958) 12:35 pm The Magnet (1950) 01:00 am The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) 09:00 am When the Whales Came (1989) 07:25 pm The Atomic City (1952) 04:45 am Girdle of Gold (1952) 05:00 pm Dreamland (1998) 09:10 pm Up the Junction (1967) 06:00 am Marked Men (1940) Saturday 18th April Sunday 26th April 12:20 pm The Love Lottery (1954) 02:45 am Witness In The Dark (1959) 01:00 am The Hunter (1980) 03:40 pm King Creole (1958) 06:00 am Shadow of A Man (1954) 03:00 am Terror of the Tongs (1961) 07:00 pm Another Time Another Place (1958) 07:35 am Smokescreen (1964) 06:00 am The Last Journey (1935) 10:00 pm Man in the Middle (1964) 10:40 am On The Beat (1962) 07:15 am The Hostage (1956) Monday 4th May 12:50 pm (1952) 08:40 am South of Panama (1943) 03:50 am I Lived With You (1933) 04:55 pm Battle of the V1 (1958) 04:00 pm Love on the Dole (1941) 08:10 am Crossroads to Crime (1960) 08:45 pm The Spy Who Came in from the Cold 10:00 pm The Property is Condemned (1966) 01:25 pm Twice ‘Round the Daffodils (1962) (1965) 00:15 am Scream of Fear (1961) 05:50 pm The Hireling (1973) Sunday 19th April 01:50 am Walk on the Wild Side (1962) 10:00 pm The Fan (1981) 06:00 am That Brennan Girl (1946) Monday 27th April 12:35 pm The Court Jester (1956) 06:00 am The Delavine Affair (1955) Tuesday 5th May 04:30 pm The Big Noise (1944) 07:20 am As Young As You Feel (1951) 00:00 am Royal Flash (1975) 06:40 pm Raise the Titanic (1980) 09:00 am Charley Moon (1956) 06:00 am Not So Dusty (1956) Monday 20th April 01:15 pm Father’s Doing Fine (1952) 09:40 am The House In Marsh Road (1960) 05:05 am Talking Pictures TV 03:00 pm (1945) 01:15 pm The March Hare (1956) Remembering Sam Kydd Tuesday 28th April 02:55 pm (1953) 06:00 am Emergency (1962) 06:00 am 13 East Street (1952) Wednesday 6th May 07:35 am Death Goes To School (1953) 07:10 am The Man Inside (1958) 06:00 am Hangman Waits (1947) 12:00 pm Bottoms Up (1960) 01:40 pm Another Shore (1948) 07:15 am Every Day’s A Holiday (1964) Tuesday 21st April 03:15 pm Davy (1958) 09:05 am Fighting Man of the Plains (1949) 06:00 am Pit of Darkness (1961) 07:00 pm Notorious (1946) 11:30 am King Creole (1958) 07:40 am Naked Fury (1959) Wednesday 29th April 01:50 pm It’s a Great Day (1955) 12:00 pm Fort Algiers (1953) 06:05 am Jackpot (1960) 07:10 pm Bless This House (1972) Wednesday 22nd April 11:30 am Hand in Hand (1962) 10:05 pm Houdini (1953) 00:00 am The Chase (1966) 10:05 pm The Property is Condemned (1966) Thursday 7th May 02:40 am Stock Car (1955) Thursday 30th April 02:20 am Target Earth (1954) 06:00 am Impulse (1955) 02:10 am Guilty? (1956) 06:15 am I’ll Walk Beside You (1943) 07:35 am Serena (1962) 06:00 am Wedding Of Lilli Marlene (1953) 09:40 am River Beat (1954) 12:00 pm And The Same To You (1959) 07:50 am Crow Hollow (1952) 05:40 pm The Flying Deuces (1939) 03:25 pm The Court Jester (1956) 03:50 pm A Little of What You Fancy (1968) Friday 8th May 10:05 pm The Spy Who Came in from the Cold Friday 1st May 00:30 am Gelignite Gang (1955) (1965) 00:15 am The Passenger (1975) 07:35 am Battle of the V1 (1958) Thursday 23rd April 02:45 am Inquest (1940) 02:55 pm Another Time Another Place (1958) 09:25 am Paul Temple’s Triumph (1950) 06:00 am No Trace (1950) 05:30 pm Clash By Night (1963) 02:30 pm The Huggetts Abroad (1949) 09:15 am South of Panama (1943) 06:40 pm A Tale Of Two Cities (1958) 10:30 am Miss MacTaggart Won’t Lie Down Saturday 9th May 10:00 pm Cabaret (1972) (1966) 02:00 am Shepherd On The Rock (1993) Friday 24th April 02:30 pm The Talk of the Town (1942) 09:10 am It’s in the Bag (1943) 02:15 am Not Wanted On Voyage (1957) 07:15 pm The Atomic City (1952) 12:10 pm Go to Blazes (1962) 06:00 am Child in the House (1956) 10:00 pm The Fan (1981) Sunday 10th May 07:35 am Dusty Ermine (1936) Saturday 2nd May 04:25 am Port of Escape (1956) 09:15 am The Other Love (1947) 02:15 am The Story of Shirley Yorke (1948) 06:00 am Kiss the Bride Goodbye (1944) 05:30 pm Derby Day (1952) 06:00 am The Sword of Monte Cristo (1951) 07:45 am Movie Struck (1937) (AKA Pick a Star) Saturday 25th April 07:35 am Beyond the Curtain (1960) 08:55 am (1952) 06:00 am Man In The Mirror (1936) 10:50 am (1959) 02:10 pm The Card (1952) 07:40 am Bombay Waterfront (1952) 07:40 pm Houdini (1953) 06:55 pm Hello Down There (1969) UK Cinema and The War Years: Part 1 Cinema and the First World War During the first world war, film became a tool for reporting and also for making propaganda to create public support for the war effort. This made it more acceptable as a source of both entertainment and information and also influenced certain types of film. As a result, cinema became more popular with audiences around the world. On the eve of the war, Britain had some 5,000 cinemas offering a capacity of over 4 million. Sadly, film carried the perceived taint of its fairground origins with largely working class audiences, and was commonly held in contempt by the traditional self-imposed critics of cultural taste. Charles Masterman, the man in charge of Britain’s propaganda efforts at the start of the First World War, suggested film should be used – aiding the dissemination of information to the masses and helping to establish the cinema. The efforts to improve the social status of cinema began before the war with the development of better venues and films from our own shores as well as international epics such as Quo Vadis (1913), Cabiria (1914) and The Birth of a Nation directed by D.W. Griffith in 1915. The progress of the war itself was also a powerful force in bringing people into the cinema. King George V said after a screening of The Battle of the Somme (1916), “The public should see these pictures that they may have some idea of what the army is doing and what it means.” This reluctant acceptance of film as a source of information meant that films were often marketed as being “official” to enhance their standing. Films from the front, on the other hand, were released as ‘Official Pictures of the British Army in France’ and the newsreel ‘Topical Budget’, was rebranded first as ‘War Office Official Topical Budget’ and then in early 1918 as ‘Pictorial News (Official)’. Censorship was needed, however. All nations enacted legislation at the start of the war placing restrictions on press freedom, concerned that unrestricted reporting might provide intelligence to an enemy, or images damaging to recruitment or morale at home. Kitchener, Britain’s Secretary of State for War, banned photography and film at the front which lasted for almost a year. Only the perception that Britain was losing the campaign for sympathy among neutral countries and failing to cater adequately to interest at home, led to a relaxation of the ban and of the first two “Official Kinematographers” in the autumn of 1915. The horrors of war were not the films that brought British audiences to the cinema. During 1914- 1917, escapism and “made-up horrors” were the most attended films, together with comedy, such as ’s work, in all the combatant countries. The most popular films in Britain were Ultus: The Man from the Dead (1916) and Dombey and Son (1917) based on the Dickens novel. Short animation films were used to promote war loans or savings certificates and other patriotic duties. Throughout the war, the ability of cinema managers to satisfy their patrons was dependent both the survival of venues for the screening of films and the availability of appealing product. Further threats came from ticket price increases caused by government action: the introduction of a levy on entertainment was one way for governments to seek to increase revenue in wartime and an entertainment tax introduced in Britain in 1916 added between 25 percent and 50 percent to the cost of a ticket. The impact of many of these problems, however, was short-lived, or varied with prevailing conditions. In general, cinema audiences tended to increase during the war as civilian populations looked to the cinema for distraction and entertainment as well as information or inspiration.

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