February 2017 – Page 3 – What Was Pebble Mill?

Fellow Traveller poster and script front page

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Thanks to Ann Chancellor-Davies for sharing this promotional film poster, and the front page of the rehearsal script, (Ann’s huband Gavin, was the production designer on the film). It never ceases to surprise and delight me, how many script front pages have been kept by people – they are such a mine of useful information!

Fellow Traveller was the only cinematic feature film to be made at Pebble Mill, it was transmitted on 10th February, 1991 on BBC2.

Below is the entry from the Radio Times, courtesy of the BBC Genome project:

“Starring Ron Silver, Imogen Stubbs, Daniel J Travanti, Hart Bochner
1950s Hollywood: the McCarthy senate committee is conducting a witch-hunt for supposed communists in the entertainment industry and betrayal is in the air. For three friends this proves to be a disaster – for the writer who must work incognito for the emerging ITV in England; for the musician now living in England, a painful renewal of old wounds; and for the star a final performance.
Producer Michael Wearing, Director Philip Saville”

http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/982604f5c78f4f9ab5618684c165c64b

The following comments were left on the Pebble Mill Facebook page:

Roger Slater: ‘I was Sound Mixer, ably assisted by the late great Tim Everett as Boom Operator and Benedict Peissel as Sound Assistant. Shot in Bray Studios and on location in the UK and Miami.’

Lesley Weaver: ‘I was the Hair & Make Up Designer, a privilege to work on this artistically challenging film as it covered historically wonderful periods for make & up and hair.

It took me to New York for photo shoots, Miami, The Keys glorious sea shore and numerous UK locations including Bray Film studios.

The fun recreation of 1950’s Robin Hood, Maid Marian, Sheriff of Nottingham and all the Merry (Stunt) Men.
Fighting scenes shot in Gavin Davies’s amazing huge forest built at Bray Film Studios.

Sue O’Neill was my lovely able Senior Assistant in the UK, amongst a team of talented make up girls and the late Peter Shepherd in the US.

We did 20’s 40’s & 50’s wigs, cut throats, pumping wounds and black blood for early 1950’s black & white TV make up… I remember Sue O’Neill baking her prosthetics around the country in various hotel ovens over night! Such dedication!
From Art Deco offices to post war austere London bedsits and disagreeable landladies. Then over to the warmth & glow of Hollywood party life with dazzling costumes glamorous film stars & cars, the McCarthy Committee cloud over Hollywood and suicide in coral swimming pools. It had it all for make up & costume!
Always a great laugh to work with Al Barnett Costume Designer extraordinaire and all the other talent technicians on the production ….. And let us not forget costume design assistant, Amin Hassan who we sadly lost a few week ago!

Writer Micheal Eaton was enthusiastically on set everyday and excited to be ‘wigged up’ for his Hitchcockesque cameo scenes! …

….. it was always a pleasure to find yourself working on one of Micheal Wearing’s productions as you knew all your hard work would contribute to something worthwhile.

How lucky was I?

Oh Happy Happy Days !!’

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Cargo Kings script front pages

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Cargo Kings was one of a handful of live plays from Pebble Mill transmitted in March 1983. By this time it was very unusual to stage television drama live, because of its limitations, so these plays were quite a brave enterprise.

These script front pages show the cast and crew of the drama, as well as the rehearsal schedule and scene order.

Thanks to Philip Thickett, who was one of the cameramen, presumably on camera 5, from the notes on the script, for sharing it.

BORRIS, (scribbled on the script) for those who don’t know was the drama rehearsal room which was part of the garage and outside broadcast block at the back of BBC Pebble Mill.

The following comments were left on the Pebble Mill Facebook page:

Terry Powell: ‘Yet, another show I worked on. We really did do some fabulous programmes.’

Janice Rider: ‘Yes indeed we did Terry – that was quite a nerve-wracking experience as I remember but we were all relieved we managed to pull it off including quick changes . See they spelled my name wrong on the running order as usual!’

Terry Powell: ‘Yes, indeed. But we still had fun. We literally went from one show to another in those days. We must have been like race horses.’

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Bob Meikle and Jim Gray

Photo by Richard Stevenson, no reproduction without permission

This photo is of cameramen, Bob Meikle and Jim Gray, sitting in the Crush Bar, outside Studio A, enjoying a break and a snack. It was taken by Richard Stevenson in February 1990, when Bob and Jim were presumably working on a show in Studio A.

The following comment was left on the Pebble Mill Facebook page:

Stuart Gandy: ‘This was when the servery for the crush bar was downstairs, before eventually moving to the corridor above.’

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All Memories Great & Small – part 2

Excerpt from “All Memories Great & Small” by Oliver Crocker.

Memories from Mike Duxbury (Film Editor):

‘I’d got a job as an Assistant Film Editor at the BBC in Pebble Mill in 1976 and spent most of my time assisting Henry Fowler. He was one of the senior Film Editors there and edited most of the high quality dramas. I was twenty-eight and Henry must have been in his fifties and we got on great. I had assisted him on a couple of series of Gangsters and I learned so much from him then. Henry had been editing for all of his career and by this time was becoming a little jaded. He lived in Tewkesbury which was a fifty minute drive down the motorway and he used to find the flimsiest of excuses to come in late or go home early – his favourite being “Fog on the motorway.”

60 cast and crew have shared their memories for this new book, which is available to preorder now from Miwk – http://bit.ly/2d7p5ts

Thanks to Oliver Crocker for sharing this excerpt.

The following comment was left on the Pebble Mill Facebook page:

Roy Thompson: ‘Remember Henry Fowler so well from his, and my, time at Wood Norton. He taught me so much about film production.’

Henry Fowler, film editor. Photo by Ian Collins, no reproduction without permission.

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David Rose obituary

David Rose (right) talking to Andy Meikle (left) in 2010 at the ‘It Came From Pebble Mill’ screening event

David Edward Rose: 22nd Nov 1924 – 26th January 2017

Below is an excerpt from David Rose’s obituary in The Telegraph: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/obituaries/2017/01/31/david-rose-producer-z-cars-obituary/ .

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