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Speaker 1 0:02
Okay, it says recording. So just a quick introduction Dory. The copyright of this recording is vested in the British entertainment history project. Today is Wednesday the 15th of November 2017. And we've been welcomed into the home of Dorian and Brian Marshall, who both had long careers in the film and TV industry. This interview is with Dorie Marshall, who was production secretary for many years, and the interviewer is, is afterwards. So Doreen, thank you for having us. Could you? Let's go right from the start. Can you tell us when and where you were born? I
Speaker 2 0:42
was born in? Well, I'm not really sure of East Ham because I was adopted. So I was born. I lived in Greys, Essex.
Unknown Speaker 0:54
Right. Where did you go to school there?
Unknown Speaker 0:56
Yeah. Nine to 26. I was born, right.
Speaker 1 0:59
1926. Yep. And then you went to school in grades. And you you left school at 15 1414
Speaker 2 1:06
came and they closed the schools, right.
Speaker 1 1:13
And then what were your first jobs then were After leaving school, British bar
Speaker 2 1:17
tissue company that worked the same hours as a factory. So I used to go to work in the air raids and come home in the air raids. Right?
Unknown Speaker 1:30
What year was this?
Speaker 2 1:33
It'll be well, it was about 15. Right?
Speaker 1 1:37
That 41 Okay. And then you had various jobs I think you told me was shorthand typist Well,
Speaker 2 1:45
I was a trainee shorthand. typist. Yes. And I worked for various companies. I work for advertising agency. bearers, welcome that chemical firm, and local insurance company. And now I always got riskless after about a year. So when I went into the film business, it suited me fine, because nothing was too long. Right.
Speaker 1 2:18
So as I understand that, you you met somebody who, who helped give you an opportunity, is that right? Yes,
Speaker 2 2:24
that's right. I was working in a firm catering equipment. And these big tea makers and stuff. They use Fairs and things. And her name was daughter, Doreen. And she was a continuity girl doing temporary work between pictures. And I got quite friendly with her. And she said one day you make very good production secretary. And I said, Oh, yeah, that's actually not here. If a job. Are you interested? So I said, Yeah. Anyway, she did hear of a job. And it was working for a casting director for Hammer films. And so I gave him my notice, and off I went, and the day I started, Bob Fitch it I think his name was said, I'm leaving on Friday. So I said, Oh, what they're going to do with me, so he said, they're going to keep you on for a bit. And Philly, more people are on holiday in a hammer house, you would Australia, which is what they did. And then whilst doing that, I applied to the union, AC T. And they were very busy at that time, because I was starting off all the commercial television. And I got an interview with this man. I suddenly got telegram and he said, meet me in Santo pub in Wardour Street. I thought funny. Anyway, they did. He did. And he offered me a job at Barnes, which was a disused cinema. And they turned it into a studio.
Speaker 1 4:14
And still hammer. Oh, was this a television company?
Speaker 2 4:18
No, this was a television company. Yeah. I freelanced. I wasn't with anybody. And so there I was in my little office, and it was the old Powder Room of the centre bar. And you went through my office, and then there was the low and all the seemed to be the male actors went through my office. And I always remember
Unknown Speaker 4:52
was it Dennis price he
Speaker 2 4:55
told you that his price was one of them. And yes, he came back He bowed and said, Thank you. I've always remember that. So I was there for quite a long time. And then through that, I met other people went from one job to another. I was very lucky in those days, we were so busy all the time.
Speaker 1 5:19
So let's talk a little bit about the job itself that you did show me. Yeah. You worked in a production office? Yeah. That was, I mean, set up wherever you were based. set
Speaker 2 5:30
one up. Yeah. If you're abroad. Yeah. But as
Speaker 1 5:34
far as I understand it, there were lots of things that our production Secretary needed to do. What about the admin stuff, the schedules and so on?
Speaker 2 5:45
You, you organised it, really, the production manager was the one that you weren't for him. And he that office organised all the, if they wanted props and things. And if you went on location, you are organised the location, the transport, and everything, and the shape tools, and breakdowns which is things they wouldn't need, all the time, and do what they called a call sheet every morning, which was what they'd shot the day before. So it really was the hub where everybody came.
Speaker 1 6:28
So always busy, or you had to organise basically that everybody who mattered was where they should be when they should be. Well, yes, so topia, was that crew and actors, extras, no
Speaker 2 6:43
extras no extra? No, they had, they had their own people. And also the assistant director would be the one that would look after them. Huge sort of you they you would know what was going on, but they had their jobs to do.
Speaker 1 7:02
So what will one of the first programmes you worked on? A Yo, you were on a series where you was in foreign Legion? No,
Speaker 2 7:09
that was when I went to Bekins field right from there, I think it was from there. I went to Bekins field. And I got a room down there. I lived down there for a few months. And Dorine happened to be working on the same television. So that was nice. And I live down there, which was lovely. We used to walk to work rather than upon to Beckinsale studios every day. And it was very happy time. Alright, and Mel O'Brien used to introduce them, each episode she introduced. And at the time, I thought she was quite old. And I thought she was quite old because she used to have to have her wrist in the office. In fact, you probably only about 14 and be at the madam. And then you'd have separate stories. And each one would have different people in it. Roger Moore, when he was unknown. All sorts of people popped up that afterwards did become
Speaker 1 8:23
right. So you would meet those actors then? Yeah, yeah. Yeah,
Speaker 2 8:27
I used to go to need sometimes with the, to the nearest pub with the director, who I'd done and before and they will use comes back so you got to know.
Speaker 1 8:41
Right? So I jumped to a bet. So going back to bonds, what were the sorts of programmes you were working on when you were in bonds?
Speaker 2 8:49
Well, they were little programmes. Little stories. Really? Yeah, that was days to fill up, you know, to fill up the time and commercial and commercial television was just kicking off. Yeah. Okay,
Speaker 1 9:07
so you moved to Bekins field. Tell us some of the directors and producers that you that you worked with when
Speaker 2 9:13
you were there. Bekins field where there was comfort, don't Chaffey what sorts of people came on when and in my office? I have my production manager, Frank. So Mike, I'll remember if we've got all a bit Dow he used to get up on the desk and do a tap dance, just to Jersey. And the producer used to would never carry money. And he used to drive to work and he come to work. And he'd have you wouldn't have his coat on or he wouldn't have his watch on because he never carried money. And he'd had to Stop for petrol on the way. And so he left here security. And he used to get into terrible tempers on the phone and throw the phone across the room. So, you know, but they're all characters really in those days. So
Speaker 1 10:18
that's when you were based at bars and Bekins field, but you also went out on location, didn't you? Where did you go?
Speaker 2 10:24
Oh my first Okay, June was Tommy the Toria door to Seville with Tommy zero. And that was big excitement because it was my first occasion. But I think I was there for about a month and I got one day off. So I really didn't see it. I set up an office in the hotel when I got there. And that was it really, I did go on the evenings with Arias, members of crew. But apart from that, I didn't really see it. But
Speaker 1 10:56
the jobs you had to do in the office were similar on location, or were there some basic differences, no
Speaker 2 11:03
more or less the same. But people used to I used to take all the phone calls during the day for the unit because they'd have they'd all be out of the ball ring. They did lots of filming in a bowl ring. So I used to I was a one in one place. So I used to get all the phone calls for everybody and pass on or do or get stuff coming and going if they would send it stuff out. You know
Speaker 1 11:36
I think you said to me when you when you worked abroad, sometimes the airline would would alter the aeroplane a bit for the for the for your team.
Speaker 2 11:45
Oh no, we used to take the whole plane and fill it out with the artists and the crew. And we would they would take out all quite a few of the seats so that it was all first cars because that's what the union said we should do. So were very small. And also save very good hotels as well. Usually although at the beginning when I first when I used to have to share a room with a continuity girl which you know they were doubling up then I mean later like they none of their you got room to yourself.
Speaker 1 12:29
So you started on location your first trip to Seville where where else did you go?
Unknown Speaker 12:35
I went to Tripoli. I went to actually went to AAA Yes. South of France, which was lovely. film called full treatment. I went to Italy on the film darling.
Unknown Speaker 13:03
Oh, the Judy Christie from
Speaker 2 13:06
God. And yeah, that was nice. Italy, and went to Ireland. And I lived in Ireland for a little while, like go to a room with a family, which was nice because I became one of the family better than in the hotel. So I was there quite well.
Unknown Speaker 13:26
Do you remember what the film was in Ireland?
Speaker 2 13:29
Do you know I can't remember. All I know is a Peter Van Eyck was in it. Right? Who knows he said he was Austrian. But he always played German parts. And he had white hair. And the story behind him was that he used to just be brown hair, and two small parts. And then he had his hair dyed. And he immediately changed. He will go all the parts and things. And he used to have to have special shampoo to do it with that one time somebody did it wrong. And he went green. So that and we also we ran out of money in Ireland. German people and Irish people was supposed to sort of, you know, put in all the money, and the Germans didn't put the money in. So at one point, they had to borrow my allowance, which I had for the week to pay the taxi people because we've gotten that money. But I've got your name.
Speaker 1 14:39
And I think you told me you were down in Cornwall for a while
Speaker 2 14:42
I was on the great behemoth it was called which was a monster when she was Yeah. When I used to go and look at the rushes which was what they chuck the day before. It notice if If this creature looked as if its feet weren't so good then.
Speaker 1 15:09
So all these locations you had to use set up the production office with others and just
Speaker 2 15:16
wherever I when I set up an office, Brian would wet in Brighton won a battle of the Wii one that was on last week, twice. And that was quite good. I took a flat down there and shared it with the producer secretary. That's quite interesting. Manchester was up in Manchester for a couple of weeks on a film called head it was it was certainly Baker. Oh, yeah. Very
Unknown Speaker 15:50
good film. Yeah.
Speaker 2 15:51
Lots of parties in the evening. We had a math there was a very good night club we all used to go to
Speaker 1 16:02
you know, when you did have chance to enjoy yourself. He was working hard
Unknown Speaker 16:06
evenings, definitely.
Speaker 1 16:10
So in the middle of all this travelling you did manage to meet Brian.
Speaker 2 16:13
Yes. Oh, and also I met Robert Mitchum, because I was what is called the London end is if they go abroad, you look after things in London and you send out artists and anything they want. And I looked after Robert Mitchum, his wife and kids, children. Then when they came into London to go to Greece, to join him in 1958. That was and when they came back, they kept me on the film for a couple of days. And they offered me a job working for his wife working for the Mitchum venture, which I didn't take because I was waiting to start as a production Secretary on something else, which I'll often look back on things are wonderful.
Transcribed by https://otter.ai
