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EXPOSURE • 30 & 31
SHEPPERTON
To those familiar with British sailors in Italy whose task Rattigan’s acclaimed stage play
was to hide the ‘bambino’ of the title from Admiralty brass follow- ing a spot of shore leave in Naples.
That same year came The Green Man, a comedy thriller from the Launder-Gilliat team star- ring the incomparable Alas t air Sim with George Cole, Terry Thomas and delightful blonde Jill Adams (described then as Britain’s shape- ly answer to Marilyn Monroe).
Also on the backlot was Jack Hawkins, an insurance investiga- tor, admiring the Dégas etchings in heavy gilt frames on the splendid bedroom set of Fortune Is A Woman. The lady in question was Hollywood’s glamorous Arlene Dahl, often billed as the girl for whom Technicolor was invented.
More Hollywood glamour came to Shepperton with Joan Crawford joined by the Italian heartthrob Rossano Brazzi and British newcomer Heather Sears, in the title role of The Story Of Esther Costello.
A decade later, although now in her ‘sixties, Crawford was still game enough to be photographed by Lord Snowdon in ringmaster’s jacket and displaying a shapely leg in black tights for the bizarre cir- cus thriller Berserk!, in company with Ty Hardin and Diana Dors.
In 1962, A Kind Of Loving took the floor at Shepperton, helmed by a first-time director named John Schlesinger. His stars in Stan Barstow’s gritty North Country love story were Alan Bates and June Ritchie, whose domineering screen mother was played by Thora Hird. A year earli- er, comedian Max Bygraves had starred in his first straight acting role as a teacher in London’s tough East End in Spare The Rod, based on the book by Michael Croft. Max (who had previously starred in the musical Charley Moon) had ploughed a consider- able amount of his own money into the project, which was direct- ed by Leslie Norman, who of course is Bar r y ’s pater).
Around the same time, Terence Stamp played a grown man trapped inside the body of a baby in The Mind Of Mr. Soames, which co-starred Robert Vaughn and Nigel Davenport. The air was heavy with gunsmoke and falling spars aboard the deck of H.M.S. Victory for filming of Terence
Shepperton Studios for many decades, the whole complex has changed considerably. Years ago, a short
journey along Squire’s Bridge Road, over the humpback bridge (with its Mermaid statue in the central stream) brought you to your destination. Next door still stands the Littleton Parish Church, whose vicar was a fre- quent lunchtime guest in the aways welcoming studio’s com- missary. But today you have to proceed further, turn the corner into Studios Road, which is now the main entrance, and on through what was the old car park.
Appropriately for the studio known as Sound City in the early 1930’s, Shepperton was the first British studio to install stereo- phonic sound and subsequently win a Hollywood Oscar for its sound department. Another notable first was its use of the CinemaScope process.
The site of the studio can trace its history back to 700 AD when the original occupiers were the Westminster Monks. Centuries later, the Old House under the title of the Manor of Littleton, became a favourite of King William IV where he dallied in the still exist- ing summer house by the river with Lady Caroline, sister of the Marquis of Londonderry.
With its spacious grounds, and stately Cedars of Lebanon trees, Shepperton was ideally suit- ed for transformation into a centre for making international movies. During the 30’s, the Old House (reputed to be haunted) was used as a hotel by the many famous stars and directors who were working there. All filming at Shepperton was halted for the duration of World War Il, but teams of craftsmen were still set to work manufacturing dummy tanks, guns and aircraft out of wood and canvas camouflaged to hoodwink the enemy.
When the war was at its height, look-outs were placed on the roof of the Old House to watch for German bombers.
My first Shepperton visit was early in 1956 when The Baby And The Battleship was in production, starring a youthful John Mills and Richard Attenborough as two
Bequest To The Nation with a one- armed, eye patched Peter Finch as Admiral Nelson. The love of his life, Emma Hamilton, was played by Glenda Jackson, today’s some- what less than glamourous Transport Minister in Tony Blair’s New Labour government.
In 1960, Suddenly, Last Summer lined up the powerful trio of Katharine Hepburn, Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Clift in Tennessee Williams’ steamy novel, under the direction of Joseph L. Mankiewicz. Voodoo was the sub- ject of Craze which starred men- acing Jack Palance with British beauty Suzy Kendall.
Producer John Heyman’s Hitler: The Last Ten Days went before the cameras in early 1973 with Sir Alec Guinness cast as the Füehrer. Supporting cast included Diane Cilento, Simon Ward, Adolpho Celi, Eric Porter and Joss Ackland. Technical advisor was Herr Gerhardt Boldt, who had been Hitler’s batman for those final fateful days in the Bunker. It was strictly ‘no visitors’ on this production, directed by Ennio de Concini. Incidentally, the film’s poster was designed by none other than Paul Constable and Nimal Jayasekera of Graffiti, who today design and produce Fuji’s EXPOSURE Magazine.
Legendary Josef Shaftel’s all- star musical, Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland, with the heroine portrayed by Fiona Fullerton (although at 15 she was already too mature for the role) and Sir Ralph Richardson sitting on top of a mushroom as The Caterpillar; Peter Sellers was the March Hare; Dudley Moore was the Dormouse; Roy Kinnear the Cheshire Cat; Spike Milligan as the Gryphon; Michael Hordern as the Mock Turtle and with Dennis Price and Dame Flora Robson as the King and Queen of Hearts, well before it became a royal title in part! Other incongruous sights were Michael Crawford in full make-up as the White Rabbit driving his car around the back lot and Sir Robert Helpmann, one of the ballet world’s greatest exponents, hum- ming a few bars from Swan Lake just as the traditional tea trolley arrived outside C Stage. He was dressed in his heavy costume as the Mad Hatter at the time!
Stills courtesy BFI Stills & Posters/Shepperton Studios Archives/Iain McAsh/Graffiti/Foyer/All copyright owners acknowledged where known.