Barnet
Marjie's movie memories are star turn for studio heritage
 |
| Star-struck: Film star Patti Morgan, in period costume, walked past as this |
Elstree group to put photos of the golden days of film industry on its website for us all to enjoy.
When Marjie Morris moved from the north east to Borehamwood in 1953 - or Britain's Hollywood as it was then known - it was a dream come true, for she had grown up idolising the glamourous film stars of that classic era.
As a teenager in wartime Stockton-on-Tees, she had built up an impressive collection of dozens of signed photographs of filmstars such as Lauren Bacall, Gregory Peck and Jean Simmons.
And during the Sixties, she went on to rub shoulders with stars such as Sean Connery and Honor Blackman after her husband became a film set construction manager.
Mrs Morris's treasured memories recently came flooding back when she came across a book of more signed photographs which belonged to one of her neighbours, Dorothy Razzell, who died in April aged 89.
One of the photographs shows Mrs Razzell, who worked making tea at the studios, sheltering from the sun under a newspaper as glamourous Patti Morgan walks past during the filming of Idol of Paris at the MGM studios in Elstree Way in 1948.
Now those photographs have been copied and preserved for future generations by Elstree Film & Television Heritage Group.
Mrs Morris, 79, of Hornbeam Close, was amazed that her late neighbour had managed to scoop photographs including Liz Taylor, Richard Todd and Cesar Romero: "I don't know how she managed to do this," she said.
 |
| Marjorie Morris at her home looks at some of the |
Mrs Razzell's niece, Liz Roubinas, explained that her aunt worked making tea at the MGM studios.
"She was ever so proud of those photographs," she said. She got talking to Mrs Morris at her aunt's funeral and offered to lend her the photographs because of their shared interest.
Mrs Morris's love of the old films stemmed from working as an usherette in her local cinema as a teenager, where she used to see films over and over again. "I used to live on that screen," she said. "It was always such a dream to me, I thought it was real." Her favourite film was Casablanca, and she idolised Cary Grant.
She regularly wrote to Culver City studios in California asking for signed photographs -which is where most of her collection came from.
"I did have some from Elstree," she said, "but in those days, the American films were always the best. That's why I fell in love with all the American film stars."
"If I had been put on a quiz show from 1940 to 1953, I could have answered anything about films. I used to know them all by memory."
In the mid-Fifties, her husband became the assistant master carpenter at MGM studios in Borehamwood. He went freelance in the early Sixties and subsequently travelled the world with his wife to work on films.
"I was really part of it," said Mrs Morris. She travelled to Spain for the filming of Dr Zhivago, starring Omar Sharif, and the Western Shalako, starring Sean Connery.
In recent years, she featured in a historical documentary about the opening of the Elstree Studios in the 1920s, but is no longer a keen
cinema-goer.
"I don't see many films these days, it's not my scene - it's all noise, bang and crash. The time will come when I don't suppose they'll be wanting film stars, it'll all be
mechanical."
She does, however, keep a link with the performing arts through singing as a member of Elstree and Borehamwood Light Operatic Society and Borehamwood Community Choir.
Bob Redman, from Elstree Film & Television Heritage Group, said the photos which belonged to both Mrs Razzell and Mrs Morris would be uploaded onto the group's website in the coming weeks.
He said: "I think Marjorie's story is an excellent example of a member of the community volunteering film material. We can scan it and then put it into our digital archive which we either put up on the website or print out for exhibitions and displays, so that this material is recorded, preserved and shared."
The website can be found at www.elstreescreenheritage.org
1:22pm Friday 1st June 2007
Print 
Email this 
CommentPosted by: Gary Woollard, Swindon on 12:49pm Sat 14 Jul 07
Hi Marjie/
My Father worked at MGM BOREHAMWOOD FROM 1960 ONWARDS UNTIL 1968 When he was made redundant due to the collapse of the film industry in the U.K.
Your Husband may remember him, as your husband was a carpenter, my father joined MGM As a Plumber's mate, then advanced to the Boiler House Watch and then finally assistant to the chief engineer, that being Mr. Crack! I think his name was Ken Crack!
My Dad's name was John Woollard.
He had an accident at MGM In 1961, he was climbing a ladder and somebody left a window open and he hit his head on it and it blinded him in his right eye!
I am sending you this Marjie because my father sadly passed away June 30th aged 83, and I have come across his memoirs and I want to do a portfolio on his life in memmory of him!
Gary Woollard (His Youngest Son)
Hi Marjie/
My Father worked at MGM BOREHAMWOOD FROM 1960 ONWARDS UNTIL 1968 When he was made redundant due to the collapse of the film industry in the U.K.
Your Husband may remember him, as your husband was a carpenter, my father joined MGM As a Plumber's mate, then advanced to the Boiler House Watch and then finally assistant to the chief engineer, that being Mr. Crack! I think his name was Ken Crack!
My Dad's name was John Woollard.
He had an accident at MGM In 1961, he was climbing a ladder and somebody left a window open and he hit his head on it and it blinded him in his right eye!
I am sending you this Marjie because my father sadly passed away June 30th aged 83, and I have come across his memoirs and I want to do a portfolio on his life in memmory of him!
Gary Woollard (His Youngest Son)
Posted by: Tony Reeve, Potters Bar on 8:59am Wed 19 Sep 07
Some many years ago, in my late teens, I went with my father to a large pub in Borehamwood; the pub no longer exists - it was later to become a pub for training publicans, and I believe it has now been razed to the ground. When we came in the door, we found we were the only patrons. The publican took one look at us as we walked to the bar, and then he said "Don't sit there - and don't touch that glass". He rushed round the bar, and sat on the stool he'd indicated - and grabbed the pint pot that was standing on the bar in front of it. When we asked why he was so excited, he explained that Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton had just been in there - and the pint glass was marked with Liz's lipstock (it was!) and that the stool was where she had been sitting. As always I was too late to have seen her...
Some many years ago, in my late teens, I went with my father to a large pub in Borehamwood; the pub no longer exists - it was later to become a pub for training publicans, and I believe it has now been razed to the ground. When we came in the door, we found we were the only patrons. The publican took one look at us as we walked to the bar, and then he said "Don't sit there - and don't touch that glass". He rushed round the bar, and sat on the stool he'd indicated - and grabbed the pint pot that was standing on the bar in front of it. When we asked why he was so excited, he explained that Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton had just been in there - and the pint glass was marked with Liz's lipstock (it was!) and that the stool was where she had been sitting. As always I was too late to have seen her...
What are these links for?
If you liked this article and would like to share it with others on the web who might be searching for good content we've made it easy for you to do it.
At the bottom of all articles, you'll see links to six sites. These sites - commonly called 'social bookmark' or 'social news' sites - have large communities of web users who share and rate interesting, useful and fun things on the web.
Clicking the links will automatically add the address of the story you are reading to one of these sites, letting you share it with others. Each site will ask you to register to share stories. Registration is free and once a member, you can store, recommend and search for stories that interest you.
More on Digg
More on del.icio.us
More on Furl
More on reddit
More on NowPublic/
More on Yahoo!
