Freeview 81 Film Club Sky 328 newsletter Freesat 306 MAY/JUNE 2020 Virgin 445 Dear Supporters of Film and TV History, Hoping as usual that you are all safe and well in these troubled times. Our cinema doors are still well and truly open, I’m pleased to say, the channel has been transmitting 24 hours a day 7 days a week on air with a number of premières for you all and orders have been posted out to you all every day as normal. It’s looking like a difficult few months ahead with lack of advertising on the channel, as you all know it’s the adverts that help us pay for the channel to be transmitted to you all for free and without them it’s very difficult. But we are confident we can get over the next few months. All we ask is that you keep on spreading the word about the channel in any way you can. Our audiences are strong with 4 million viewers per week , but it’s spreading the word that’s going to help us get over this. Can you believe it Talking Pictures TV is FIVE Years Old later this month?! There’s some very interesting selections in this months newsletter. Firstly, a terrific deal on The Humphrey Jennings Collections – one of Britain’s greatest filmmakers. I know lots of you have enjoyed the shorts from the Imperial War Museum archive that we have brought to Talking Pictures and a selection of these can be found on these DVD collections. Also a brand new release from the BFI, The Battle of the Sexes with Peter Sellers and Constance Cummings; the complete series of Butterflies with Wendy Craig on DVD, Quatermass with John Mills to tie in with it airing on the channel and some wonderful music CDs plus lots more. I had a lovely chat online with Adrienne Posta about her time on Up the Junction which we aired recently and I hope we can start filming again soon with the stars we love. I hope to invite Adrienne and Maureen Lipman to our next event. Licensing – a thank you to all of you once again for suggestions of what to air on the channel. Our list is pretty full now I’m afraid! As you know it’s not always a case of we haven’t thought of your suggestion, it could be we can’t locate the copyright owners, or we know film material still exists but the owners don’t wish to negotiate a license with us – but stay tuned, hopefully we will get there eventually! Very sad news at the loss of dear Jill Gascoine recently. I know it was a release for her, but watching her so young in ROOMS currently airing on the channel, really brings it home that she is no longer with us. Our hearts go out to her family and of course also to the family of dear Blonde British Bombshell Honor Blackman who also passed away recently. Both a great loss to our industry and we are fortunate to be able to see them both on Talking Pictures TV. Finally, our T-shirts are ready! Hand made by us! They are super quality and a new and improved price – do wear them with pride. Do enjoy the premières on Talking Pictures TV this month including: The Molly Maguires (1970) with Sean Connery, Viva Max (1969) with Peter Ustinov, Copacabana (1947) with Carmen Miranda and Groucho Marx, The Enforcer (1951) with Humphrey Bogart, I Walk Alone (1948) with Kirk Douglas and Burt Lancaster and The Rebel (1961) with Tony Hancock. Until next month, Stay Safe and Stay Tuned! Very best wishes, Sarah, Noel & Neill 1 From the British Film Institute One of Britain’s GREATEST Filmmakers HUMPHREY JENNINGS DVD Collections Volumes 1 & 2 The First Days and Fires Were Started SPECIAL OFFER Humphrey Jennings Volume 1 The First Days (1934-1940) 2 discs, 1 DVD and 1 Blu-Ray £15.00 £15.00 each OR Colour & Black & White; Optional subtitles; Running time approx: 211 minutes. Volume 1 gathers together 14 films from 1934-1940 and £25.00 for both provides a fascinating insight into Jennings’ early days as a filmmaker, learning and developing his craft. Features WITH FREE UK POSTAGE include the acclaimed Spare Time and London Can Take Call Us Now On Freephone It! as well as previously neglected works, many of which are available for the first time since their release. 0808 178 8212 Films: Post Haste (1934) Locomotives (1934) The Story of the Wheel (1934) Farewell Topsails Or 01923 290555 (1937) Penny Journey (1938) Speaking from America (1938) The Farm (1938) Making Fashion Widely considered to be one (1938) Spare Time (1939) SS Ionian (1939) The First of Britain’s greatest filmmakers, Humphrey Jennings has Days (1939) Spring Offensive (1940) Welfare of the long been celebrated as the Workers (1940) London Can Take It! (1940) director of works which capture everyday heroism in Extras: The Birth of the Robot times of war and peace. (1936): a Len Lye film for Shell on which Born in Walberswick, Suffolk Jennings worked. English Harvest on 19th August 1907 he was (1939): alternative cut of The Farm. not only a filmmaker but a Cargoes (1940): alternative cut of SS photographer, literary critic, Ionian. Britain Can Take It! (1940) theatrical designer, poet, alternative cut of London Can Take It! painter and theorist of modern art. He died on 24th September Illustrated booklet with essays 1950 in an accident in Greece, and film credits. while preparing for a film. 2 From the British Film Institute One of Britain’s GREATEST Filmmakers HUMPHREY JENNINGS DVD Collections Volumes 1 & 2 The First Days and Fires Were Started SPECIAL OFFER Humphrey Jennings Volume 2 Fires Were Started (1941-1943) £15.00 each OR 2 discs, 1 DVD and 1 Blu-Ray £15.00 Black & White; Optional subtitles; £25.00 for both Running time approx: 138 minutes. The second volume of films is a lyrical portrait of the nation WITH FREE UK POSTAGE at war and includes five films from 1941-1943. It shows Call Us Now On Freephone Jennings at the peak of his tragically short but outstanding career. From the rousing call to arms of The Heart of Britain and Words for Battle, the poetic evocation of daily 0808 178 8212 life in Listen to Britain, and the powerful drama of Or 01923 290555 Fires Were Started and The Silent Village, the films included in the set offer a lyrical portrait of the nation at war and a moving celebration of ‘Britishness’. Widely considered to be one of Britain’s greatest filmmakers, Films: The Heart of Britain (1941) Humphrey Jennings has Words for Battle (1941) Listen to Britain (1941) long been celebrated as the director of works which Fires Were Started (1943) The Silent Village (1943) capture everyday heroism in Extras: This is England (1941, times of war and peace. 10 mins): alternate cut of The Heart of Born in Walberswick, Suffolk on 19th August 1907 he was Britain. I Was a Fireman (1943, not only a filmmaker but a 74 mins): Jennings’ original cut of photographer, literary critic, Fires Were Started. theatrical designer, poet, painter and theorist of modern Illustrated booklet featuring art. He died on 24th September essays, film notes and biographies by 1950 in an accident in Greece, Lindsay Anderson, Patrick Russell while preparing for a film. and Kevin Jackson. 3 Memories of a life in films Part 9, by Noel Cronin Selling to TV stations was hard enough, but only having trade films and old or not very good series made it doubly so. Breaking into companies that had prime product for a small fledgling distribution company was nearly impossible; you either needed distribution clout or money, but I battled away and finally got a break. Luck or judgement who knows?! In my travels I met a charming American and a tough Swede who had a distribution company in the USA and I sold their product in the UK. It wasn’t the best and the company bumped along before going bust. Jim, the American, reappeared a while later. He was working with a New York based company, producing and selling family dramas known as ‘after school specials’ – good wholesome productions that the USA TV networks played for children returning home from school. Good films, but not easy to sell in the UK. I was offered the UK distribution, but had to put up a large advance to secure the contract. The product on the face of it did not support the investment, but my hunch was to go with it. To this day I am not sure how I raised the money – I am sure my house was hocked – but the deal was done! Things started slowly, a few little sales, but not looking great, then BANG – the American company was bought by a company called New World Entertainment and, after a period of uncertainty, my company, Dandelion Distribution, was retained to handle the New World product. I had programming I could only have dreamed of in the past; mini-series, soaps, feature series – a whole new world had literally opened up. LA here I come! 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.