Some thoughts about some of the shows we worked on ….
The Julie Felix Show
Bernie Newnham
Sad news – Julie Felix died last week (dated 05/04/2020). A part of my youth, in various studios, on various shows.
Long ago – 1967 – we were scheduled to do proving tests in TC6 (or was it TC8?). Somehow day 2 turned into the first “Julie Felix Show”, the BBC’s first commissioned colour programme. It got to be on the cover of “Wireless World”:
The front cover strangely didn’t get a mention in the magazine, but I can tell you the cameramen were Robin Barnes and Paul Salinger, and the act is The Incredible String Band.
I found the picture on a page on the original tech-ops site – http://www.tech-ops.co.uk/page33.html – put together on 25/04/02 for monitors that worked in 800×600. If you click on “View Source” you can marvel at ancient runes of lovingly hand coded HTML.
[Editor Note: page 33 is now incorporated into this site, and the HTML updated. ]
David Newbitt
Nice reminder Bernie. I see from my 1967 diary I worked on the Julie Felix shows and the first two I have a note of were on October 10th and 17th in TC6. All subsequent recordings were from TC8 at weekly intervals each Tuesday following on from the dates of the TC6 ones. All mixed by Bish until January 4th 1968 when Buster Cole was SS. Not sure how long the series continued beyond then as I was no longer involved.
I still have a number of “Wireless World” mags from the 1960s. I’m attaching a scan of the cover from April 1968 and wonder if the featured production is in anyone’s recollection? It rings bells of recognition in my mind but it won’t come to me. Increasing number of synaptic connections missing! The cover photo was described as here (you might have thought they would have mentioned it was a D25 mic) :-
Peter Fox
Do you think the boom-op was hinting that there was a maybe a mite too much headroom?
Barry Bonner
No, I think he’s looking in the same place as the actor!
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I worked quite a lot of Julie Felix shows starting at the end of 1967 also on October 17th. in TC6 with Bish, it says we overran 15 mins!
Later on, notes in my 1968 diary from October onwards say that it was Len Shorey and Alan Edmonds and in TC8.
Nice show to work on and as I played folk guitar I got on quite well with Julie.
Warship
Roger Bunce
Calling anyone who worked on the drama series “Warship”, which ran from 1973 – 1976.
Youthful TV Historian Alex Moore is researching a book on the series, but has found a lack of information on paper.
Pat Heigham
I didn’t work on the series, but a side story:
Actor Bryan Marshall, who played Commander Alan Glenn, left at the end of the last episode, to take up another appointment (in the story).
Coincidentally, the Bond movie “The Spy Who Loved Me” was released a few days after the last episode of “Warship” was transmitted, and Bryan turns up as captain of one of the nuclear submarines!
Maybe that was his future posting!
Chris Booth
I edited quite a few and I can remember being told how the titles were shot. During a Force 9 gale the ship’s helo, complete with cameraman, kept station off the bow as the frigate steamed flat out straight at it – apparently quite a buttock clenching exercise!
Dee Time
Tony Grant
Bring back live telly, by the time I had a little bit of experience I always hoped something would go wrong on air, but not to me, please! Back in those days on crew 9, we had to do “Dee Time” (pity about email, you can’t hear me screaming) a simply dire programme, only relieved by the occasional appearance of Spike Milligan. I also remember one show that had guests Michael Caine and Matt Munro, and they simply took over telling jokes and stories concerning one of Michael’s films for which Matt sung the title track – cue those genned up kiddies who can supply the title.
Bill Jenkin
“The Italian Job”. (The original of course).
David Brunt
[“Dee Time”] 5th July 1969. With Michael Caine, Matt Monroe, Louis D’Amour, Tony Hatch, Jackie Trent, Marmalade.
Missing, inevitably.
Bernie Newnham
[“Dee Time” was] live on Saturday night from Studio G Lime Grove. Len the Lip used to run downstairs from studio E after reading the football results so that he could say “Now here is your host, Siiiimon Deeee”. ripped off from some American show intro I believe.
I doubt they even thought of recording them.
Simon Dee “Dee Time” opening titles 02/11/1968:
David Brunt
Just two complete editions survive, plus clips from about another dozen.
The intro was ripped off from Johnny Carson’s introduction for “The Tonight Show”. Though Carson wasn’t known for jumping in a sports car with some leggy models for the closing titles.
Bernie Newnham
Twenty years on, Simon Dee’s daughter, Domino Henty-Dodd, was my boss’s secretary. One day the three of us had lunch in the first floor canteen.
It was……..weird…
OBs
Alan Taylor
Another story …sprung to mind this afternoon when I was walking near my home and saw a tractor splash through a huge puddle.
I did a show from the Army tank proving grounds at Bovington, Dorset. It was an ENG shoot and the cameraman went into little boy mode, being excited to do the show because he’d never seen tanks close up at high speed. There was a point on the course where the tank was obviously going to splash through a water filled hole. The water was about six feet deep and with the sloping approach and exit, it was about the length of an Olympic swimming pool and about 12 feet wide. The cameraman spotted a possible camera angle on slightly low ground ahead of the exit and reckoned that he would get an exciting low angle shot of the tank emerging from the water dip.
I pointed out that his chosen spot was low lying and only a little way off the expected course of the tank. He said that he chose the spot for exactly that reason. I mentioned the Greek bloke Archimedes and that the cameraman should imagine a tank entering that water splash at about 25mph and then imagine where that tank sized body of water might end up. He recognised the problem and we hastily relocated to higher ground alongside the water splash where we would still get a good shot, but have a fighting chance of staying dry.
Just as the tank was heading around the course, a stills photographer decided to occupy the very spot that we had earlier vacated. There was far too much noise to shout to him by then. Moments later the tank splashed into the water. The entire contents of that pool made a beeline for that snapper at tsunami velocity. He was bowled over with considerable force and ended up about twenty yards away. Talking to the squaddies afterwards, it’s a regular occurrence and if they spot somebody there, they all make sure to watch the fun.
King Lear
Garth Tucker
A friend from Ireland phoned to see how I was coping in the present circumstances. During an enjoyable conversation he got talking of the BBC’s Shakespeare series, variable he thought but with some really excellent productions. He then talked at some length about the “King Lear” directed by Jonathan Miller which he thought outstanding, Michael Hordern superb as Lear. Talking of the storm scenes in Act 3, with its all its highly contorted emotions and madness, he noted how Miller latched onto a powerful ‘4 Shot’ consisting of four tightly knotted MCUs, he found it difficult to believe it was able to be held for such a long time. Having had my appetite whetted I sought it out from my collection and was truly spell bound. I, with my prejudices, having thought the camerawork was as good as I had ever come across, could hardly wait to see which Crew was involved. Somewhat to my surprise, but highly delighted, I found it was Ron Green’s Crew. Lighting was John Treays, Sound Derek Miller-Timmins and Vision Mixer John Barclay. What a production, what a team. Does anybody who worked on the show have any recollections of it?
Peter Fox
Some memories of “King Lear”; John Treays lit the clifftop mad scene with a CSI follow spot on the gantry as a backlight and the show workers pumped (warmed water) garden sprayers which of course were also back lit, Michael Hordern was on a rostrum set so the main task was fiddling the camera to keep the spot hidden behind his head. It really did look fantastic too. As with many of Jonathan’s ideas, you set up a picture and let the actor do his stuff.
On one of the rostrum scenes, effectively a dress run, I noticed Norman Rodway was still wearing his wrist watch. At the end of the scene I asked him if he knew what the time was. He looked at his watch as you do, told me and then the penny dropped!
The main cliff top set was ”wrapped” as in the popular arty theme of the era and hence had wonderfully vague misty and undefined boundaries. When we had all convened to get started after the rig Jonathan appeared, looking around at the set. ”That’s perfect” he said. Someone pointed out that only the house lights were on. ”Never Mind” said Jonathan ”it’s just what I wanted” . I didn’t envy Treacle (John Treays) talking him out of it, but flat grey and featureless as a theme was nevertheless retained with the proper lights on. I did one shot of actors whirling in a tight circle, (I can’t remember why now) with some appropriate tightening and panning and follow-focussing. Quite a concentrated effort and John Treays was very complimentary. I think what he was really appreciating was that it wasn’t shot on a fifty degree lens with blue flares at the top. As with everything we did with Jonathan, he generated teamwork. He would provide the theme and would be enthusiastic about all the good things that came out it. Another high spot was Rodway’s eyes being put out – that involved squishing grapes.
“Sooty on Location”
Pat Heigham
I finished on a Bond 007 and my next job was for Thames TV – “Sooty on Location”
This was actually a very nice job – we were filming in a splendid garden of a house close to Harry’s dwelling which served as the unit base.
Sooty was operated by Harry’s son, Matthew, behind hedges and straw bales.
It was a scorching summer (I had trouble trying to persuade the hotel chambermaids to keep the room curtains closed during the day – no air-conditioning!).
The house owner was kind enough to allow us to use the swimming pool of an evening – no need to knock on the door, she said, just come in and use. So we threw the director in!
[It so] happened that I had a friend who had a strawberry farm halfway between our hotel and Harry Corbett’s house, so I used to order up a couple of pounds of berries and collect them on the way, putting them beside the tea urn. Nobody knew from where they came!
