Interview with Terry Gallacher: Operation Crowflight

On 15th December 1960, the film Operation Crowflight was broadcast on ABV2 (Australian Broadcasting Corporation in Melbourne).

Terry Gallacher, who directed the film, gave an interview in September 2009, from his home in France, about the background, the filming and editing of the production and it’s reception at the time.

55 years ago today – Operation Crowflight Film ABV2

On the 15th December 1960, 55 years ago today, the Australian Broadcasting Commission in Melbourne (ABV2) premiered the film “Operation Crowflight” as part of it’s People programme.

My father Terence Gallacher was the director of the film, in 2010 he wrote three articles on the making, production and reaction to the film, in the interview below he ends by saying, “I was very proud of working on that film and very proud to have been working with the people who worked with me on it, terrific team.”

Sir Mohinder Dhillon: Terry Gallacher – Loss of a friend and brother

Terry would always live in our hearts. As a person one can’t find a better friend. I lived in London for a while and Terry helped in many ways, bought me friends car, advised me in buying a house overnight.

Terence Gallacher 1928 – 2014

Terence Michael Gallacher died on the 3rd October 2014, almost 69 years to the day he entered British Movietone News for the first time in 1945, he was eighty five.

Colleagues: Vittorio Della Valle

Vittorio Della Valle was a colleague of mine from 1961 to 1972.

He was born in 1917 in Rome.  His father was a cinematographer who had accompanied one of  the Italian Airship Expeditions to the North Pole.

Back Screen Projection

UPIN received a commission from The Daily Mail around 1965 to produce a back screen projection to be shot for them to use with a live television commercial.  The shot required was of their own newsroom.

Podcast: The Movietone Years – episode forty three

“Movietone cameraman Paul Wyand” – part two

Paul Wyand was a legendary newsreel cameraman for British Movietone News, he was the author of the book, “Useless if Delayed” published in 1959.  Part two of the podcast recalls his career after the end of the Second World War, filming the Coronation, and the feature length documentary Flight Of The White Heron, working with Orson Welles and his move from cameraman to being Assignments Manager and later Production Manager.

Podcast: The Movietone Years – episode forty two

“Movietone cameraman Paul Wyand” – part one

Paul Wyand was a legendary newsreel cameraman for British Movietone News, he was the author of the book, “Useless if Delayed” published in 1959.  Part one of the podcast recalls his career up to the end of the Second World War.

Criticism of the Newsreels

The newsreels have been criticised from the day they started until the present day. Over the years, they have been accused of being flippant, incompetent and right wing biased, among other things.

The following is not a chronology of all the complaints, but a selection of the most notable.

“Newsworthiness” and Charlie Drake

In the mid sixties, United Press and British Movietone News parted company from the enterprise known as UPMT.   This was the first British newsfilm agency based in London.  It commenced operations in June 1955.  Its first customer was the B.B.C.

One of the problems that beset the two companies was that they had different interests in terms of news coverage.  Movietone were producing a newsreel twice a week and, where possible, they chose stories that were interesting in terms of what was happening in front of the camera.  They were also aware that certain stories would not be suitable for the reel because of the delay in distribution.