Patrick George Callaghan

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes I was very pleased to recieve a prime DVD copy of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes from Barry in Omagh, Co Tyrone recently. It stars Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce and was made in 1939. It’s the first time I’ve watched this movie and I must say that I really enjoyed it. It was produced by Darryl F. Zanuck and is lavish and well made, particularly for 1939, and sets the pace for other adaptions of Conan Doyle’s books. The plot is based around Professor Moriarty’s attempt to steal The Crown Jewels and to ridicule Sherlock Holmes in the bargain. The film reaches a gripping finish in The Tower of London as Holmes and Moriarty confront each other. The movie features American actor George Zucco as a brilliant Moriarty and a strong supporting act from Ida Lupino. Completely enjoyable from start to finish.  Highly recommended

One of the most lovable and enduring movies I have ever watched is The Bridal Path starring Bill Travers and released in 1959. Bill plays a Hebridean farmer who is forbidden by certain members of the community to marry his first cousin, and most of the women on the island are first cousins. In an effort to find a wife he sets out to the mainland where his many adventures soon get him into trouble with the police. He is accused of being a white slaver, of poaching, upsets the Highland Games, and is chased by angry police across the highlands. He makes his way back to his island to find that his cousin does not care if they are cousins, and wants to marry him whatever the considerations, and upon this, they set off for the Island of Mull and marriage. A lovely comedy with fantastic colourful Scottish scenery.

Maryon Park was the main setting for the 1966 Michelangelo Antonioni’s cult movie ‘Blow-Up’ featuring David Hemmings and Vanessa Redgrave. David Hemmings played Thomas, a top London fashion photographer captivated by his photographs of a murder, whilst Vanessa Redgrave is the woman at the centre of his interest. His photographs depict a murder scene… or do they? What you see, and what you don’t see, is the enigma central to the story. My photographs taken in 1998 show a park that has changed little in 32 years, the upper meadow where the supposed murder took place is a bit run-down now, but the lower meadow still has its original tennis courts used in the movie, and much of the scenery is unchanged. Beyond the courts there is a hedge now, the flower beds have been altered since the movie, and there is perhaps a little more litter around, but to be fair… a school party had just left from having a picnic when I arrived!   http://twitpi...

Buggleskelly Today… Buggleskelly Today… The year of 1937 began the birth of Buggleskelly, the mythical Irish railway station set on a stretch of disused line near Basingstoke in Hampshire England. The setting was for the film Oh, Mr. Porter starring Will Hay, Moore Marriot, and Graham Moffat… The film was to become a classic! A tumbledown railway station, representing Buggleskelly was built at an old halt, and even during filming the line was being taken up by The Basingstoke and Alton Railway Company. The film itself is one of the funniest of British comedies in the Music Hall tradition of the 1930′s. The location of the run-down mythical Buggleskelly station was very overgrown when we visited there with our cameras in 1996, but it was still possible to make out where the booking office, rail lines, and signal box had once stood. There are more pictures taken at the location on  http://twitpic.com/photos/patricallaghan3  

Whisky Galore! 1949 It was in the summer of 1948 when the Ealing crew arrived on the beautiful Island of Barra in the Western Isles of Scotland. Michael Balcon, head of Ealing Studios had not been happy about the production, saying as he looked at the story board, he just did not understand it!  “It holds few laughs” he was heard to comment. Based on a Compton Mackenzie novel, shooting almost entirely on location presented huge problems, everything, including cast and crew, and a huge amount of camera equipment, had to be shipped from mainland Scotland. Actors were billited with a number of the Islanders, and in fact, many of the inhabitants appear in the production. Their view of the film people was… That they were quite mad! Prefabricated sets were constructed at Ealing Studios in London then shipped for assembly on Barra. Under the brilliant direction of Alexander Mackendrick, an American born Scot, the film gentl...

The Hoax began in 1917, or was it really a hoax? The cousins Elsie Wright (16) and Francis Griffiths (10) maintained throughout their lives, right up until old age, that they had clearly photographed fairies at a  Beck in Yorkshire, England. Such was the supposed deception that their resulting pictures have fooled the very best experts in the photographic field, and the mighty Kodak Company would not give any sort of judgement as to the authenticity of the subjects within the plates, even Conan Doyle was convinced the photographs were genuine. “At least Elsie [Wright] gave us a myth which has never harmed anyone and it looks like continuing to fascinate and entertain well into the future. How many professed photographers can claim to have equaled her achievement with the first photograph they ever took?” Geoffrey Crawley. The story was turned into a movie in 1997 entitled FairyTale… A True Story, and boasts an all star cast with Florence Hoath as El...

In 1945 Josephine Leslie under the name of R.A. Dick published her wonderful novel entitled “The Ghost and Mrs. Muir “… Determined to make a life for herself and her daughter, Lucy Muir, a young widow moves into Gull Cottage on a wild English coast. The cottage is haunted by its former owner, a crusty sea captain. The captain tries unsuccessfully to frighten off Lucy Muir in order to keep the cottage for retired seamen, but they fall in love with each other, and when Lucy is short of money, the Captain helps her write a book based on his sea adventures which becomes very popular. The book attracts the amorous attentions of a ‘perfumed parlour snake’ and Lucy Muir must then choose between the living and the dead…  Josephine Leslie’s novel was turned into a highly successful movie in 1947 by 20th Century Fox, and featured Gene Tierney and Rex Harrison in a superbly moving screenplay.

Among my most favoured British drama movies of the 1940′s is THE SMALL BACK ROOM made in 1948. It was made by the Archer Team for London Films, and features Sammy Rice, a troubled bomb fuse scientist. Sammy is troubled by alcohol and his relationship with his girlfriend. Sammy has a head full of ghosts to exorcise, then he is called upon to defuse a new German secret weapon that can kill with the slightest of touch… It’s a movie that I’ve watched and enjoyed many times over, and never fail to be be impressed by the stunning performance of David Farrar and Kathleen Byron in the lead roles, it would seem as if they are just made for each other. The movie really does capture the exotic nature of wartime London and was based on the dramatic novel by Nigel Balchin. Other greats featured are: Jack Hawkins, Leslie Banks, Cyril Cusack, Emrys Jones, Michael Gough, and Renee Asherson.

I think one of most bizarre, yet compelling dramas I’ve ever watched and completly enjoyed is A Canterbury Tale made in 1944 by the team of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger. It tells a reworked story of Chaucer’s 14th century tale set in Kent, and portrays three young people who make a modern day pilgrimage to Canterbury for blessings. Within this plot is the local squire, who for some strange reasoning does not like soldiers and girlfriends getting together and pours glue over the village girls hair at night! Filmed at Denham and around Canterbury it is never-the-less a charming wartime movie that features the talents of Eric Portman, Sheila Sim, Dennis Price and newcomer Sergeant John Sweet (U.S ARMY)

POOL OF LONDON – 1950  A wonderfully evocative film drama of London and The London Docklands in 1950. Shot almost entirely with locations on The Thames and around Central London - it’s a look into a times past world! There are so many dramatic and nostalgic locations in the production- that it’s near-impossible to keep up with them! Released by Britain’s famous Ealing Studios…it features a strong cast in Bonar Colleano  and wife Susan Shaw, Renee Asherson, and Earl Cameron. The screenplay was written by Jack Whittingham and John Eldridge, and the direction was handled by the master Basil Dearden.

Smokescreen 1964 A very tight absorbing little screenplay from British  second feature movie maker  Butcher Films, set in and around Brighton, Sussex, England. It features Peter Vaughan and John Carson as two Insurance men on the trail of a very clever deception… also includes some wonderful moments from Deryck (Korky) Guyler, David Gregory , Romo Gorrara, Gerald Flood, John Glyn-Jones and Glynn Edwards. Of the movie the British Film Institute said: “…From its arresting pre-credits sequence of a blazing 1953 Hillman Minx Convertible hurtling over Beach Head and the off-beat promise of Johnny Gregory’s minor key theme, Smokescreen is an utterly charming B-film comedy-thriller that emphasises character as much as plot and makes full use of extensive location footage…”

WHISKY GALORE… It was in the summer of 1948 when the Ealing crew arrived on the beautiful Island of Barra in the Western Isles of Scotland. Michael Balcon, head of Ealing Studios had not been happy about the production, saying as he looked at the story board, he just did not understand it!  “It holds few laughs” he was heard to comment. Based on a Compton Mackenzie novel, shooting almost entirely on location presented huge problems, everything, including cast and crew, and a huge amount of camera equipment, had to be shipped from mainland Scotland. Actors were billited with a number of the Islanders, and in fact, many of the inhabitants appear in the production. Their view of the film people was… That they were quite mad! Prefabricated sets were constructed at Ealing Studios in London then shipped for assembly on Barra. Under the brilliant direction of Alexander Mackendrick, an American born Scot, the film gently eases you into a wo...

One of the warmest and lovable films in my collection is THE BARGEE made in 1964. Whenever I watch this I just fall in love with the colour and nostalgia of it. Beautifully filmed and set along Britain’s canals it stars Harry H. Corbett of Steptoe fame, as Hemel Pike, a romantic barge owner with a girl at every Lock, and when one of his girlfriends falls pregnant he is chased to the alter by her angry and hot headed father. It’s a lovely and clever comedy that just blows me away. Featured are: Hugh Griffith as the father, Ronnie Barker as Hemel’s cousin and workmate, Eric Sykes as a canal traveler, and Julia Foster as the expectant female. It was wonderfully written by the famous team of Ray Galton and Alan Simpson.

One of the finest and funniest of films to come out of the Ealing studio in 1953 was The Titfield Thunderbolt. There can hardly be anyone on the planet that has never watched this wonderful little movie. Completely English, and depicting English country life, it’s a rural wealth of interesting characters. When the then British Railways made their minds up to close the Titfield to Mallingford branch line the villagers decide to run the rail line themselves in a very innovative and humorous way…Full of the colour of a warm English summer, the Michael Balcon production features John Gregson, Stanley Holloway, George Relph, Hugh Griffith and Sidney James. T.E.B. Clarke wrote the screenplay and it was directed by Charles Crichton.

THE POOL OF LONDON is a wonderfully evocative film drama of London and The London Docklands in 1950. Shot almost entirely with locations on The Thames and around Central London - it’s a look into a times past world! There are so many dramatic and nostalgic locations in the production- that it’s near-impossible to keep up with them! Released by Britain’s famous Ealing Studios…it features a strong cast in Bonar Colleano  and wife Susan Shaw, Renee Asherson, and Earl Cameron. The screenplay was written by Jack Whittingham and John Eldridge, and the direction was handled by the master Basil Dearden.

Inn For Trouble 1960 is one of the funniest films I’ve seen for years. It features Peggy Mount and David Kossoff as Ada and Alf Larkin in a screen spin-off from its popular TV series. Alf’s faithful service and loyalty of 25 years to Belcher’s Brewery is rewarded with the management of his own Pub – The Earl Osborne, a remote and under used drinking house, but it seems their management of the establishment could be a short one. However, they do find some very comical ways to raise business, and when in the end a main road is planned to run right beside their public house, they find they are at last, sitting pretty! A very funny and fast moving comedy that also has a great supporting cast in Charles Hawtrey, Lesley Phillips, Irene Handl, Graham Stark, Ronan O'Casey, Stanley Unwin and of course Graham Moffatt from the Will Hay Comedies.

The Runaway Bus 1953. Written, produced and directed by Val Guest is a comedy with a colourful cast. Starring Frankie Howerd, Margaret Rutherford, Petula Clark, George Coulouris and Terence Alexander. Heavy fog prevents all flights from London Airport, therefore a number of passengers are put on a coach for Blackbush Airport where the fog is lifting. Driver Percy Lamb played by Frankie Howerd doesn’t realise that thieves have hidden gold bullion in the luggage boot of his coach. What follows is a fast paced comedy with lots of twists and turns and a number of red herrings. I watched and enjoyed the film many years ago on television, and a recently purchased DVD left me with no doubt the film had suffered very little from loss of enjoyment in all those years since 1953.

‘The Night Caller’ …  Armitage Films 1965. Still, after all this time, has some very scary moments! The title shot of The Thames is evocative! It features John Saxon  (later to work in the US), Maurice Denham, and Patricia Haynes -  I fell in love with her! … I just adore tall beautiful women… Later she appears in a ‘TV Steptoe’ Also has David Gregory and Romo Gorrara – two favorites of mine … Romo went on as a stunt actor - both established hands from many a Butcher Film!  And of course the velvet soft tones of John Carson lend an air of quiet authority. (John retired to South Africa after many British Film appearances) Very decisive is the performance of Alfred Burke, who from 1965-1975 became a household name as Frank Marker in the popular TV series of  Public Eye … The Night Caller is available on DVD from Amazon. Some title releases: The Night Caller from Outer Space 1966.

Isle of the Dead… 1945 Vorvolaka… This nightmare vampire was very much on the minds of the people in the time when Greece fought her war of 1912… A classy screenplay from RKO which features Boris Karloff, Ellen Drew, Marc Cramer, Katherine Emery, Helen Thimig, and Jason Robards. It was written by Ardel Wray and Josef Mischel, with masterly direction from Mark Robson. Not a run of the mill - ’ blood and guts’ vampire movie… but a creative story with strong and convincing acting from the whole cast!

Buggleskelly Today… Buggleskelly Today… The year of 1937 began the birth of Buggleskelly, the mythical Irish railway station set on a stretch of disused line near Basingstoke in Hampshire England. The setting was for the film Oh, Mr. Porter starring Will Hay, Moore Marriot, and Graham Moffat… The film was to become a classic! A tumbledown railway station, representing Buggleskelly was built at an old halt, and even during filming the line was being taken up by The Basingstoke and Alton Railway Company. The film itself is one of the funniest of British comedies in the Music Hall tradition of the 1930′s. The location of the run-down mythical Buggleskelly station was very overgrown when we visited there with our cameras in 1996, but it was still possible to make out where the booking office, rail lines, and signal box had once stood. Pictured by Dave Riley.