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News & Views

Death of Sir Sydney Samuelson

It was with great sadness that members of the British Entertainment History Project(formerly the BECTU History Project) learned of the death of our patron, Sir Sidney Samuelson
Sir Sidney was a member of the History Project and always supporting its founder, Roy Fowler in the early days of the Project regularly attending many meetings in Soho and Clapham.He continued to support the Project for as long as personal circumstances allowed him.

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Bulletin no 9 July 2021

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Bulletin no 8 June 2021

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Bulletins

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Leslie J Wheeler and MGM at Borehamwood

Author: 
David Sharp
Post date: 
27 Dec 2020 - 9:40am

A brief Memoir from a member of the sound department at MGM Borehamwood which sheds a little light on the earlier part of the studio's history.

behp0259-leslie-j-wheeler-memoir

RED LIGHT AND BELL, by Leslie J Wheeler Hon FRPS., FBKSTS.

[A memoir, focusing on MGM Studios at Borehamwood, re-keyed with minor corrections from a faded typescript. DS]

In the recent grip of winter and with the snow many inches deep on the ground, it has been pleasant for us oldies to reminisce – particularly with the aid of the flames and coals of a (practical) fire provided by the modern equivalent of the Gas, Light and Coke Company! And to gaze intently into those red coals and conjure up so many memories of those pictures in the fire.

Newsletter No.3

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The Production of a BBC Television play in the 1950's. Nathaniel Titlark.

Author: 
David Sharp
Post date: 
11 Feb 2020 - 10:03am

The Production of a BBC Television play, 1950s style.

Sad death of History Project founder - Roy Fowler

Author: 
sueMalden
Post date: 
20 Sep 2019 - 12:05pm

Roy Fowler

Producer Director and Historian

 

Many in our industries, particularly in film and television, will be sad to learn of the recent death of Producer/ Director Roy Fowler. He died at home in London at 92.  Roy was a remarkable man.

 

The 50th Anniversary of the UK Cinema Release of John Schlesinger's "Midnight Cowboy".

Author: 
Mike Dick
Post date: 
13 Sep 2019 - 5:57pm

Today is the 50th anniversary of the UK cinema release of the great British director John Schlesinger's movie "Midnight Cowboy". It starred Dustin Hoffman as "Ratso" Rizzo and Jon Voight as Joe Buck. The film won three Academy Awards - Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Director.

 The British Entertainment History Project has an 147 minute interview with John Schlesinger  recorded on the 30 th March 1994. It covers his early career at the BBC in the 1950s. He talks eloquently about directing such classics as "A Kind of Loving" "Billy Liar" "Far From The Madding Crowd" and "Marathon Man". You can find the interview at

 https://historyproject.org.uk/interview/john-schlesinger

 In this excerpt he talks to interviewer  Norman Swallow about the making of "Midnight Cowboy"  

Ossie Morris talks about working with Franco Zeffirelli on "The Taming of the Shrew"

Author: 
Mike Dick
Post date: 
18 Jun 2019 - 12:01pm

The British Entertainment History Project is deeply saddened to hear of the death of the great Italian film director   Franco Zeffirelli. Our collection of interviews includes one recorded in 1987 with Ossie Morris who worked with him as  Director of Photography on the movie "The Taming of the Shrew" starring Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor. In this transcript  of  the interview  Ossie talks about working with Zeffirelli on the movie. You can listen to the complete six hours and forty three minute interview at:  https://historyproject.org.uk/interview/oswald-ossie-morris . The section about working with Zeffirelli is on Side 8.

 

Interviewer.

 Let’s talk about Zeffirelli.

 

Ossie Morris