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Martin Smith

Forename/s: 
Martin
Family name: 
Smith
Work area/craft/role: 
Producer
Director
Editor
Writer
Company: 
BBC
Grenada
Industry: 
Film
TV
Interview Number: 
498
Interview Date(s): 
6 Mar 2001
Interviewer/s: 
Stanley Forman
Manny Yospa
Gloria Sachs
Production Media: 
Audio
Duration (mins): 
180

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Interview
Interview notes

BECTU HISTORY PROJECT

Notes on interview with Martin Smith 6th March, 2001 Tape 1 side 1.

Father was a radio-radar technician, mother was an Irish protestant. He was

in hospital aged 3 with a TB spine. Born 2nd February, 1939. Bombed nurses home, Gloucester, Exmouth, two sisters, radio cine shop (father) 16mm sound projector, Forum Cinema , Exmouth, Withercombe Raleigh School, Norfolk, Little Snoring, Fakenham. 14 Exam. Wyndham College, Egham, Surrey. Left school 1954/5. Photographer in Slough, ABC, Majestic, Empire, Staines. Rewind boy, Majestic, Don Brown, Join up reels, Suez crisis 1956, Hungary, Demonstration anti-Suez, NATKE, Union activity, 18 months out of films, Ford Rep., Aldermaston March, glandular fever, left Ford, 18/9 years old Junior 2nd projectionist, Commodore, Hammersmith.

Brian Heesman, McCoy Manager, active in CND. Empire, Staines, Adelphi, Eichmann Story, refusrd to Screen it, CND sit down etc. arrested, direct action committee of 100. Blockade, Weathersfield, conspiracy charge, Police lies, bound over to keep the peace, 2 months+ 2 months, Brixton, Stafford.

 

Side 2

 

50s/6os civil disobedience, McCoy, manager, Commodore, projectionist, NATKE Shop Steward, Eric Walker, 16mm, Egytian Embassy, Cameo, Poly, Regent Street, British Transport Films, Ernie Wells, Ron Lockston, Ian Wolf, John Taylor, Paddy Carey, Beeching report films, Edgar Anstey, "100 Years of Underground" Humphrey Jennings, ACTT Ticket, Humphries, Negative preparation assistant, JohnAbbot, Stan Hitchcock, Freddy Pugh, newsreels, Monica Brennan, colour bar at Humphries, Jane Wood, ssistant editor, John Irwin, Maurice Hatton, 6 weeks stay with company, David Naden Associates, BBC 2, John Arden, 6 months, director of company, 16mm, 35mm Cineolas, 16mm ACMADE machine, Picture synchroniser, Editor, "Dateline", "Offenbach Master of Melody", Editing BBC Religious Department. Spiritualism, Peter Ferris, Brian Moser, Charles Stewart, Granada TV, "Cities at War", mid 60's, "John Cash in San Quentin", "Doors","Big Breadwinner Hogg", Kilburn Henry, Oliver Hunkin, Archbishop of Canterbury, Ramsey, Christopher Martin.

 

 

Tape 2, side 3

 

Prison film, Griffiths, 1969, Musical Toye, Tim Aspinall, Andy Page, Angela Gobel, PA, Panarama, Granada, Joined DNA, Married. Matthew, Mark Barlow, "World at War," £5 per week, Teddington, Charles Bloomberg. Mark Fox, Jeremy Isaacs, "Jacobs Ladder", 1970, directing, "Russia at War", David Hart, Stanley Forman, ETV, Neil Asherson, Novasti, Philip Whitehead, Albert Speer, Peter Lang, Beryl Wilkins, "Nemesis", Stuart Hood, "2 Deaths of Adolph Hitler", 1974, Labour Party Film Unit, Mike Dodds, Cameraman, Griffiths, Mike Beckham, John Birt.

 

Side 4

 

Granade, John Birt, David Elstein, Stanley Forman, 1974, Joan Hora, Leipzig 1967, Norman Swallow, Ian McMillan, Sheila Brady, "Companero" Screened at Sheffield, Di Vaughan, "This Week", Peter Taylor, Smoking Philip Morris, "Death in the West", CBS, Lawsuit, "Inflation", Argentina disappearances, Fielding, "This Week" 20 films, Jeremy Isaacs, 1977, History USSR, Dan Carter, Mike Waller, Jonathon Dimbleby, Latin America, 1978, Gus MacDonald, 1979, Science Films, Peter Williams, early morning news, David Frost, AMTV, Greg Dyke, July 1980, Richard Creasy, Vietnam War, Boston , Peter McGee, Stanley Kamo, 4 programmes,

 

Tape 3, side 5

 

Chubb, Charlton Heston,  7 Emmies, Vietnam, Boston, Peter Williams, tVS, Sussex, Rye, 15 years, Executive producer, TVS, Max Wall, 9 x 1 hour History of Poland, "Friend and Neighbours", "Linda", Shaike Weinberg, Jerome Keel, Ray Farr, 1991, a year without work, "Sudan" left after 2 years, design achievement, Ted Turner, past 2 ½ years, executive producer, Carlton, Ill Hewlett, Tom Garlijnd,, Stopped work, "Second World War in Colour", "Danger Unexploded Bomb'', Estella Brava, 1987, Cuba.

Transcript

Biographical

Father was a radio-radar technician, mother was an Irish protestant. He was in hospital aged 3 with a TB spine. Born 2nd February, 1939. Bombed nurses home, Gloucester, Exmouth, two sisters, radio cine shop (father) 16mm sound projector, Forum Cinema , Exmouth, Withercombe Raleigh School, Norfolk, Little Snoring, Fakenham. 14 Exam. Wyndham College, Egham, Surrey. Left school 1954/5. Photographer in Slough, ABC, Majestic, Empire, Staines. Rewind boy, Majestic, Don Brown, Join up reels, Suez crisis 1956, Hungary, Demonstration anti-Suez, NATKE, Union activity, 18 months out of films, Ford Rep., Aldermaston March, glandular fever, left Ford, 18/9 years old Junior 2nd projectionist, Commodore, Hammersmith.

Brian Heesman, McCoy Manager, active in CND. Empire, Staines, Adelphi, Eichmann Story, refusrd to Screen it, CND sit down etc. arrested, direct action committee of 100. Blockade, Weathersfield, conspiracy charge, Police lies, bound over to keep the peace, 2 months+ 2 months, Brixton, Stafford.

50s/6os civil disobedience, McCoy, manager, Commodore, projectionist, NATKE Shop Steward, Eric Walker, 16mm, Egytian Embassy, Cameo, Poly, Regent Street, British Transport Films, Ernie Wells, Ron Lockston, Ian Wolf, John Taylor, Paddy Carey, Beeching report films, Edgar Anstey, "100 Years of Underground" Humphrey Jennings, ACTT Ticket, Humphries, Negative preparation assistant, JohnAbbot, Stan Hitchcock, Freddy Pugh, newsreels, Monica Brennan, colour bar at Humphries, Jane Wood, ssistant editor, John Irwin, Maurice Hatton, 6 weeks stay with company, David Naden Associates, BBC 2, John Arden, 6 months, director of company, 16mm, 35mm Cineolas, 16mm ACMADE machine, Picture synchroniser, Editor, "Dateline", "Offenbach Master of Melody", Editing BBC Religious Department. Spiritualism, Peter Ferris, Brian Moser, Charles Stewart, Granada TV, "Cities at War", mid 60's, "John Cash in San Quentin", "Doors","Big Breadwinner Hogg", Kilburn Henry, Oliver Hunkin, Archbishop of Canterbury, Ramsey, Christopher Martin.

Prison film, Griffiths, 1969, Musical Toye, Tim Aspinall, Andy Page, Angela Gobel, PA, Panarama, Granada, Joined DNA, Married. Matthew, Mark Barlow, "World at War," £5 per week, Teddington, Charles Bloomberg. Mark Fox, Jeremy Isaacs, "Jacobs Ladder", 1970, directing, "Russia at War", David Hart, Stanley Forman, ETV, Neil Asherson, Novasti, Philip Whitehead, Albert Speer, Peter Lang, Beryl Wilkins, "Nemesis", Stuart Hood, "2 Deaths of Adolph Hitler", 1974, Labour Party Film Unit, Mike Dodds, Cameraman, Griffiths, Mike Beckham, John Birt.

Granade, John Birt, David Elstein, Stanley Forman, 1974, Joan Hora, Leipzig 1967, Norman Swallow, Ian McMillan, Sheila Brady, "Companero" Screened at Sheffield, Di Vaughan, "This Week", Peter Taylor, Smoking Philip Morris, "Death in the West", CBS, Lawsuit, "Inflation", Argentina disappearances, Fielding, "This Week" 20 films, Jeremy Isaacs, 1977, History USSR, Dan Carter, Mike Waller, Jonathon Dimbleby, Latin America, 1978, Gus MacDonald, 1979, Science Films, Peter Williams, early morning news, David Frost, AMTV, Greg Dyke, July 1980, Richard Creasy, Vietnam War, Boston , Peter McGee, Stanley Kamo, 4 programmes,

Chubb, Charlton Heston,  7 Emmies, Vietnam, Boston, Peter Williams, tVS, Sussex, Rye, 15 years, Executive producer, TVS, Max Wall, 9 x 1 hour History of Poland, "Friend and Neighbours", "Linda", Shaike Weinberg, Jerome Keel, Ray Farr, 1991, a year without work, "Sudan" left after 2 years, design achievement, Ted Turner, past 2 ½ years, executive producer, Carlton, Ill Hewlett, Tom Garlijnd,, Stopped work, "Second World War in Colour", "Danger Unexploded Bomb'', Estella Brava, 1987, Cuba.