Ealing Studios

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For the film, see Ealing Comedy (film). For the film comedies see Ealing Comedies.
Ealing Studios

Ealing Studios is a television and film production company and facilities provider at Ealing Green in West London and is officially the oldest film studio in the world and was purposely built for the use of sound in early British films.

Contents

[edit] History

The site had been previously occupied by Will Barker Studios from 1896, but was acquired by theatre producer Basil Dean's newly-formed production company in 1929, and reopened as Ealing Studios in 1931. In 1933, the company was renamed Associated Talking Pictures. When Dean left in 1938, to be replaced by Michael Balcon from MGM, about 60 films had been made at the studios. Balcon discontinued the ATP name and began to issue films under the Ealing Studios name. In 1944, the company was taken over by the Rank Organisation..

In the 1930s and 1940s, Ealing produced many comedies with stars such as George Formby and Will Hay, who had established their reputations in other spheres of entertainment. The company was also instrumental in the use of documentary film-makers to make more realistic war films. These included Went the Day Well? (1942), The Foreman Went to France (1942), Undercover (film) (1943), and San Demetrio, London (1943). In 1945, the studio made its influential chiller compendium Dead of Night.

In the post-war period, the company embarked on a series of celebrated comedies which became the studio's hallmark. These were often lightly satirical, and were seen to reflect aspects of British character and society. The first was Hue and Cry in 1947, and the last Barnacle Bill in 1956. However, the most famous in the series were produced between 1948 and 1955. Whisky Galore! (1949), Passport to Pimlico (1949), Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949), The Lavender Hill Mob (1951), The Man in the White Suit (1951), The Titfield Thunderbolt (1953) and The Ladykillers (1955) are now seen as classics of British cinema.

The BBC bought the studios in 1955, though productions bearing the Ealing name continued to be made at the MGM studio at Elstree for around two years. The BBC used the facilities at Ealing for filmed inserts where the electronic studio could not be used, such as for the excavation site in Quatermass and the Pit (1958-59), Colditz (1972-74) and the communal sequences in Porridge (1974-77). Programmes wholly shot on film were made there also, such as The Singing Detective (1986) and Fortunes of War (1987).

In 1995, the studios were purchased by the National Film and Television School (NFTS) and yet again in mid-2000 by Uri Fruchtmann, Barnaby Thompson, Harry Handelsman and John Kao, with a view to reviving the fortunes of the studio. The studio has since begun to turn out theatrical films again, such as Lucky Break (2001), The Importance of Being Earnest (2002), and Valiant (2005). Shooting has also just finished on a sequel to the highly rated 2005 horror film The Descent.

[edit] Ealing Studios films

  • Birds of Prey (1930)
  • A Honeymoon Adventure (1931)
  • Sally in Our Alley (1931)
  • Looking on the Bright Side (1932)
  • Love on the Spot (1932)
  • Nine Till Six (1932)
  • The Bailiffs (1932)
  • The Impassive Footman (1932)
  • The Sign of Four (1932)
  • The Water Gypsies (1932)
  • Loyalties (1933)
  • Perfect Understanding (1933)
  • The Fortunate Fool (1933)
  • The House of Trent (1933)
  • The Right to Live (1933)
  • This Week of Grace (1933)
  • Three Men in a Boat (1933)
  • Tiger Bay (1933)
  • To Brighton with Gladys (1933)
  • Autumn Crocus (1934)
  • Love, Life and Laughter (1934)
  • Rolling in Money (1934)
  • Sing As We Go (1934)
  • The Perfect Flaw (1934)
  • The Secret of the Loch (1934)
  • Honeymoon for Three (1935)
  • It Happened in Paris (1935)
  • Look Up and Laugh (1935)
  • Lorna Doone (1935)
  • Midshipman Easy (1935)
  • No Limit (1935)
  • Play Up the Band (1935)
  • The Dictator (1935)
  • The Public Life of Henry IX (1935)
  • The Silent Passenger (1935)
  • A Woman Alone (1936)
  • Calling the Tune (1936)
  • Cheer Up (1936)
  • Dreams Come True (1936)
  • Guilty Melody (1936)
  • Keep Your Seats Please (1936)
  • Laburnum Grove (1936)
  • Olympic Honeymoon (1936)
  • Queen of Hearts (1936)
  • The House of the Spaniard (1936)
  • The Lonely Road (1936)
  • Tropical Trouble (1936)
  • Whom the Gods Love (1936)

[edit] Documentaries

  • All Hands (1940)
  • Dangerous Comment (1940)
  • Food for Thought (1940)
  • Now You're Talking (1940)
  • Salvage with a Smile (1940)
  • Sea Fort (1940)
  • Guest of Honour (1941)
  • Yellow Caesar (1941)
  • Young Veterans (1941)
  • Find, Fix and Strike (1942)
  • Go to Blazes (1942)
  • Raid on France (1942) (adapted from Next of Kin)
  • Greek Testament (1943)
  • Return of the Vikings (1944)
  • Man - One Family (1946)

[edit] BBC TV productions

[edit] Later films

[edit] Independent TV

[edit] Music videos

[edit] External links

[edit] References

  • Forever Ealing by George Perry, published by Pavilion, 1981, ISBN 0-907516-60-2; A history of Ealing Studios from its origins in 1902.

Coordinates: 51°30′32″N 0°18′26″W / 51.509016°N 0.307258°W / 51.509016; -0.307258

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