Freeview 81 Film Club Sky 328 newsletter Freesat 306 FEB/MAR 2021 Virgin 445 You can always call us V 0808 178 8212 Or 01923 290555 Dear Supporters of Film and TV History, It’s been really heart-warming to read all your lovely letters and emails of support about what Talking Pictures TV has meant to you during lockdown, it means so very much to us here in the projectionist’s box, thank you. So nice to feel we have helped so many of you in some small way. Spring is on the horizon, thank goodness, and hopefully better times ahead for us all! This month we are delighted to release the charming filmThe Angel Who Pawned Her Harp, the perfect tonic, starring Felix Aylmer & Diane Cilento, beautifully restored, with optional subtitles plus London locations in and around Islington such as Upper Street, Liverpool Road and the Regent’s Canal. We also have music from The Shadows, dearly missed Peter Vaughan’s brilliant book; the John Betjeman Collection for lovers of English architecture, a special DVD sale from our friends at Strawberry, British Pathé’s 1950 A Year to Remember, a special price on our box set of Together and the crossword is back! Also a brilliant book and CD set for fans of Skiffle and – (drum roll) – The Talking Pictures TV Limited Edition Baseball Cap is finally here – hand made in England! And much, much more. Talking Pictures TV continues to bring you brilliant premieres including our new Saturday Morning Pictures, 9am to 12 midday every Saturday. Other films to look forward to this month include Theirs is the Glory, 21 Days with Vivien Leigh & Laurence Olivier, Anthony Asquith’s Fanny By Gaslight, The Spanish Gardener with Dirk Bogarde, Nijinsky with Alan Bates, Woman Hater with Stewart Granger and Edwige Feuillère,Traveller’s Joy with Googie Withers, The Colour of Money with Paul Newman and Tom Cruise and Dangerous Davies, The Last Detective with Bernard Cribbins. We also have a new series beginning in March, The Champions, made in the 1960s and starring Stuart Damon, Alexandra Bastedo and William Gaunt as the Champions of Law, Order and Justice. Sad news as we learn of the loss of Barbara Shelley, remembered affectionately and seen on Talking Pictures TV in Quatermass and the Pit. We also note the sad passing of director Michael David Apted, CMG who directed The Lovers TV series and Stardust among many others. See below for an important message for ticket holders for the St Albans Festival of Film. We remain hopeful that October’s festival at the beautiful Stockport Plaza will go ahead. There’s a CD on page 14 which will help you all recreate your cinema experiences at home with sounds of the iconic Compton organ – every sale helps keep our beloved Plaza going! Until March, stay safe and keep on spreading the word about Talking Pictures TV. You are not alone, there’s 6 million of you all watching us every week now – who would have thought it! Best wishes and thank you, Sarah, Noel and Neill IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT FOR ST ALBANS SUNDAY 28TH MARCH 2021 TICKET HOLDERS Sadly it does look like our March Festival of Film at St Albans will not be able to take place once again. For those of you with tickets, it’s time to either swop them for Stockport in October, on Sunday 10th, move them to 20th March 2022 in St Albans again, use them towards a purchase of anything in this newsletter, or post us your tickets for a refund. Please do get in touch and let us know what you would like to do. You can always call us V 0808 178 8212 Or 01923 290555 1 TalkingAs Picturesseen on TV RENOWN PICTURES NEW DVD RELEASE THE ANGEL WHO PAWNED HER HARP “ This whimsical Ealing-style comedy keeps its THE ANGEL WHO feet firmly on the ground, spreading chuckles With instead of sentiment.” PAWNED HER HARP Optional This British black and white part-fantasy comedy Subtitles film was based on a novel by Charles Terrot and is EXCLUSIVE PRICE JUST £10.00 a remake of a television play written by him and WITH FREE UK POSTAGE Black & broadcast in 1951. Made at Beaconsfield Studios, A comedy starring Felix Aylmer, Diane Cilento White Buckinghamshire, with location shooting at the and Jerry Desmonde. Directed by Alan Bromly. and Colour Angel, Islington, scenes of Old Islington, Camden Passage and Harringay Versions Stadium, London. The film offers a fascinating Fully glimpse into London at the time, with streets full Restored of trolleybuses on their wires, the successors to trams. Specific locations in Islington include: The original black and the High Street with The Angel Cinema, white 1954 film with Express Dairies and The the colour version as Peacock public house, a bonus feature, fully The White Lion public restored and with house, White Lion Street, Liverpool Road, Upper optional subtitles. Street with Nottidge’s shop and the Police Station, A beautiful blonde angel, Charlton Place and the Regent’s Canal section of the Grand Union Canal with Packington Street (Diane Cilento), arrives in Bridge, Rothery Street and St Mary’s Path, the The Angel, Islington on a gardens of St Mary’s Church and Gerrard Road. The Royal Festival Hall goodwill mission to soften on London’s South Bank also appears – at the time it would have been the heart of pawnbroker built only three years earlier. In the scene where the angel falls to earth, Joshua Webman, (played London is shown from above, with the Thames, County Hall, The Houses by Felix Aylmer). Finding of Parliament and Parliament Square. that she needs money to fulfill her mission on Earth, her solution is to pawn her harp. During her earthly visit, she finds time to salvage several other lost sheep, bringing out the best in the people she meets and showing them Call Now On Freephone the path on which their 0808 178 8212 Or 01923 290555 2 happiness lies. 3 The 1958-1961 Memories of a life in films: Fighting for Freeview. SHADOWS Part 18, by Noel Cronin TPTV was increasing its audience gradually on Freesat and Sky and that showed us that there CD really was an audience out there that wanted OUR PRICE CD Talking Pictures TV. But further growth on very Kon-TikiWITH FREE crowded platforms was difficult and slow and if £15.99 UK POSTAGE TPTV was to carry on its growth it was obvious it needed 47 Tracks on 2 CDs to offer its service on Freeview, the main service and platform MUSIC CD that is available in the largest amount of households nationwide. With lead guitarist Hank Marvin’s twangy, melodious Fender Stratocaster It seemed simple, other than although free to viewers, the cost to us guitar, The Shadows provided the inspiration for a thousand copycat groups was astronomical! and were the most influential and successful British instrumental group of It is no secret that high costs are incurred being on Freeview but as all time. This 2-CD compilation comprises everything they recorded between my good friend Steve Meyer said “you need to pee with the big dogs!” 1958 (when they were known as The Drifters) and 1961, including a rare South African EP. An early single featuring Hank Marvin and Bruce Welch, I have never been a great techie, so thankfully Sarah took up the with their first group The Five Chesternuts is also included. The collection challenge of getting TPTV on Freeview. There are two UK companies features worldwide hits: Apache (a UK No. 1); Man of Mystery; The Stranger, that control the sale of Freeview channel numbers and slots and after their signature tune F.B.I.; The Frightened City; their second UK No. 1 a huge amount of meetings and discussions, Sarah secured a position Kon-Tiki and Peace Pipe. Also included are the chart-topping LP The Shadows on Freeview HD. This was Freeview, but a second tier that covered and EPs Shadows and Shadows to the Fore. 60% of the UK. Whilst the full service would have been preferable – DISC 1 The Five Chesternuts: JEAN DOROTHY/TEENAGE LOVE the simple thing was we just couldn’t afford it. We needed to know The Drifters: FEELIN’ FINE/DON’T BE A FOOL WITH LOVE/CHINCHILLA/JET BLACK/DRIFTIN’ that the public would want TPTV in sufficient numbers to justify The Shadows: SATURDAY DANCE/LONESOME FELLA/BONGO BLUES/APACHE/QUARTERMASTERS STORES/ the expense … Next month: “is it working?” MAN OF MYSTERY/THE STRANGER/F.B.I./MIDNIGHT/THE FRIGHTENED CITY/BACK HOME/KON-TIKI/ Producer Noel Cronin founded Talking Pictures TV and Renown Pictures and is 20. 36-24-36/THE SAVAGE/PEACE PIPE contributing his memories to the newsletter. Ever since his entrance into the world of DISC 2 film as a young man, Noel has been interested The Drifters: JET BLACK (Live)/DRIFTIN’ (Live)/BE BOP A-LULA (Live) in preserving the heritage of lost and forgotten The Shadows: MUSTANG/THEME FROM ‘SHANE’/SHOTGUN/THEME FROM ‘GIANT’/ films, shorts and programmes, and for many SHADOOGIE/BLUE STAR/NIVRAM/BABY MY HEART/ years has gathered, restored and preserved this wonderful heritage which would otherwise be SEE YOU IN MY DRUMS/ALL MY SORROWS/ lost. Noel worked for the Rank Organisation and STAND UP AND SAY THAT/GONZALES/ the Central Office of Information, and bought FIND ME A GOLDEN STREET/THEME FROM the rights to several libraries that owned films ‘A FILLETED PLACE’/THAT’S MY DESIRE/ which now air on Talking Pictures TV. His career MY RESISTANCE IS LOW/SLEEP WALK/BIG BOY/ as a producer and editor of films, documentaries SHAZAM (Live)/GUITAR BOOGIE (Live)/ and TV series spans several decades.