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.

Podcast: A typical working day at GTV9 1957

In the second podcast of the series, Terry describes a typical day for him, editing the early evening and late news for GTV9, starting at 9am and ending at 11pm.

The first newsreader Terry worked with was Tom Miller, and later Eric Pearce,in the early days the cameramen were Peter Hansford and Bill Beams and later Peter Purvis and Bob Lord.

Podcast: GTV9’s Opening Night 1957

Today, 19th January 2017, is the 60th anniversary of GTV9‘s opening night in Melbourne, Australia. To mark the occasion here is the first in a series of interviews given by Terry Gallacher about his time in Australia during the early days of Australian Television.

In April 2011 I recorded an interview with my father, Terry Gallacher, for the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia’s Oral History program, it was meant as a record of his career and experiences in Australia, covering looking for work since his arrival in Melbourne in 1956 and including his time at GTV9 as Senior Film Editor and later at ABV2 as Supervising Film Editor.

Video journalism

In 1938, Robert Humphrey wrote an article called “Careers in the films”.   He wrote: The newsreel cameraman. (needs) a thick skin, indomitable push, and boundless ingenuity and resource to help him in tight corners in which he will inevitably find himself; and, most important of all, plenty of tact and patience to deal with all sorts of authorities, both reasonable and unreasonable … the ability to make a quick decision is essential, as also is a certain flair for what is of news interest”.

Movietone at War: The sinking of the Bismarck

Schlachtschiff Bismarck, pride of the Kriegsmarine, was a state-of-the-art warship.

Together with the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen the ship was based in Norway.  On May 21st 1941, the two warships set off for the Atlantic where they were to attack Allied merchant ships.  It was called Operation Rheinubung. The Admiralty, made aware of the Germans’ departure, alerted its squadrons at sea that Bismarck was making for the North Atlantic.

Movietone at War: when news stories were hard to come by

27^th September 1939 – The newsreels had been asking the Ministry of Information to allow them to film the embarkation of the B.E.F. (British Expeditionary Force) to France.   They had been stalled at every turn.   Then the Ministry of Information issued them with 3,000 feet of film on the embarkation. But, the material was badly dated and worse still, the newsreels guessed that the story had been shot by the G.P.O. (General Post Office) Film Unit.

Movietone at War: Assignments for D-Day

D-Day and the invasion of Europe, the Second Front, was expected at any time.

21^st May 1944 – Gerald Sanger, Movietone’s Editor, was Orderly Officer at Battalion H.Q. of the Home Guard.  He was asked “How would you cover the Invasion if it were left to you ?“.   The question had been posed by Sir Gordon Craig, Movietone’s General Manager, and the response was to be submitted to Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF).

Movietone at War: Conscription and reserved occupations

Early July 1939 and the Association of Cine Technicians received notification from the Government about reserved occupations within the film industry.

The A.C.T. published the information as follows:

Members should note the contents of the following letter A.C.T. has received from the Ministry of Labour.

“I am directed by the Ministry of Labour to refer to your letter of the subject of the Provisional Schedule of Reserved Occupations.  A decision was reached to reserve the following occupations at the ages stated.

Movietone at War: filming the surrender at Lüneburg Heath

Movietone cameraman Paul Wyand and soundman Martin Gray moved on to Lüneburg Heath.  Luneberg had been captured by Montgomery’s forces on April 18^{th 1945}, and was now the headquarters of Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery.

Paul had met him in Italy where Monty had refused to allow Paul to use his sound camera, but here it seemed that Monty wanted to say a few words and have them recorded.

Movietone at War: “Will you kindly leave him alone please ?”

Paul Wyand was Movietone’s chief cameraman.   He was a cameraman, with Movietone, for thirty years and during that time he had more than his fair share of “tales”.