Those Seventies box office blues (From Borehamwood Times)

Those Seventies box office blues

1:22pm Thursday 13th March 2008

• Print
• Email
• Share
• Comments(0)

If the previous decades that spanned the history of Elstree Studios had presented great challenges to those working there, then the Seventies presented the biggest challenges ever.

When the MGM-Borehamwood Studios closed at the start of the decade, the company said it would instead pay a yearly subsidy to the EMI Elstree Studios, in return for the use of its facilities.

Recalling the point at which the closure of the MGM Borehamwood Studios was imminent, Bryan Forbes said: "EMI merged with MGM when Jim Aubrey was chief executive.

"I was made chief executive of the joint company and had to inform the MGM-Borehamwood studio (probably the best in Europe at the time) that it was to be closed in two weeks' time and that everybody would be laid off. I tried to prevent it, but was overruled."

With the merger came a name change to EMI-MGM Elstree Studios.

As cinema attendances fell at an alarming rate at the start of the Seventies, it was ironic that TV programmes would be the inspiration for a brief surge in box office takings.

In 1971, Hammer Films, best-known for its horror films, made the first of three On the Buses spin-offs at EMI-MGM. Reg Varney, who played Stan Butler, and worked with Bob Grant, who played Jack Harper, recalled working on the film.

He said: "The budget was very small. To save money, I drove around the cast, crew and equipment required for the filming of location work in the Borehamwood area on a Routemaster bus used in the film."

Among other sitcom spin-offs made at Elstree that decade were Up Pompeii, Love Thy Neighbour, For the Love of Ada and Man About the House.

Last year, actor Roy Hudd, who appeared with comic Frankie Howerd in two of the Ned Sherrin-produced films, Up Pompeii and Up the Chastity Belt, told me: "I was overawed working at Elstree - thinking about the great people who had made films there. I thought how down-hill the place had gone by employing me."

Actor Jonathan Cecil enjoyed working on the final part of the Up the Front trilogy. He said: "I worked at Elstree in 1972 and got the part after being spotted by the producer of the film, Ned Sherrin.

"On the first day of filming I received a lovely telegram from Ned saying, welcome aboard'.

"Up the Front starred Frankie Howerd, and I became very good friends with him. The film also included appearances by Zsa Zsa Gabor, who played Mata Hari, and Stanley Holloway, who played the Great Vincento, a role meant for actor Vincent Price, who was too busy at the time.

"During an end-of-film party in the restaurant at Elstree, the cast of Mutiny on the Buses who were also filming turned up. Elstree was a marvellous, professional studios. I am very lucky to have worked there."

Visit Paul Burton's website: www.elstreecalling.co.uk

• Print
• Email
• Share
• Comments(0)