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.”

1973 Monte Carlo Rally

In January, I went off to film the 42nd Monte Carlo Rally.  It was the first rally to count for the World Rally championship.  298 cars were entered and they started from Almeria, Athens, Glasgow, Frankfurt, Monte Carlo, Oslo, Reims, Rome and Warsaw.

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.

Movietone at War: Seventy years on

15th March 1944 – On this day the Second Battle of Cassino opened.  The town of Cassino was on a mountain to the east of the Monastery which had already been flattened.  Paul Wyand and Martin Gray were determined to get to the front to get a good view of the assault.  In the car they carried their American tent colleagues plus a third who had joined them for the ride.  He was Sherman “Monty” Montrose of United Press.

As they left the main highway to take a back road, they were stopped by an American colonel.  He said that that road was under continual German observation and that they had been firing at any movement they saw on it.

Movietone at War: Alec Tozer in Burma

March 1942 – British Movieone News cameraman Alec Tozer was accompanied by George Rodger while searching for stories in Burma. George Rodger was the renowned stills photographer of Time Life based in London.   They had heard that Rangoon was about to be taken by the Japanese.   They wanted to get close enough to film something.  They had each been equipped with a Jeep.

1972 Safari Rally

Easter came round again and we made the long flight down to Nairobi.  There had been no rain and there would be no rain while the Rally was being staged.

This would make things very difficult for the crews in the rally and for us.  The cars would be speeding across the Murrum blowing up huge plumes of dust which flew into the air to about forty feet and trailing away as a tail two hundred yards long.

Movietone at War: Movietone and the Royal Family

April 6th 1944 –  Movietone had been commissioned, in December 1943, to make a short film for the Empire Division of the Ministry of Information on “The Life of Princess Elizabeth”.   Little or nothing had been done since receiving the commission probably due to the inability of the officials at The Palace to organize things.  Any thought of getting the film ready for the Princess’s birthday had to be dismissed because her birthday was now less than two weeks away and not a single foot had been shot.

Fashion Programme – “Style”

In April 1984, we were due to go to MIP in Cannes once again.  For some years, the company had gone to MIP, taken a display stand, but offered no additional product. All their customers already received the news service.  I had persuaded UPITN’S President, Kenneth Coyte, that we should go with something to sell.   I had pondered the problem for some time after the previous MIP.  I came to the conclusion that the missing programme should be concerned with fashions.  At that time, there was no regular programme concerning fashions among the major broadcasters in the world.  There were also few specialist women’s programmes that might include fashions.

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: A month to remember

I thought that I might compare what some Movietone people were doing on and after D-Day in various locations.  So, this is the month of June 1944 as seen by Movietone.