Michael Balcon's close encounter with the American market, 1934-1936

Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television

Volumn 16, Issue 3, 1996, Pages 333-348

  Sedgwick, John ^a  

^a LONDON METROPOLITAN UNIVERSITY   (United Kingdom)

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

EID: 61149209541     PISSN: 01439685     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1080/01439689600260331     Document Type: Review

References (21)

1. J. Sedgwick, The British Film Industry's Production Sector Difficulties in the Late 1930s, Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television, forthcoming gives a detailed analysis of this decline
2. These claims are based upon a film popularity index (POPSTAT) based upon the cinema programmes of approximately 90 London West-End and leading provincial city cinemas. A full explanation of the index can be found in J. Sedgwick, The market for films in Britain, 1934: a viable national cinema, Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television, 14 (1994) pp. 15-36
3. J. Sedgwick, The market for films in Britain, 1932-37, unpublished PhD thesis (London, 1995)
4. J. Sedgwick, Cinema-going preferences in Britain during the 1930s', in J. Richards (ed.) The Unknown 1930s: an alternative history of the British cinema, 1929-39 (London, 1996, forthcoming)
5. See R. Low, Film Making in 1930's Britain (London, 1985), pp. 131-132 for a fuller description of these personnel
6. See J. Sedgwick (1996) op cit., for a fuller discussion of the asymmetry between the two markets and the implications for film makers
7. US Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Historical Statistics of the US: colonial times to 1970, Series H873 and H874
8. These figures are taken from H. Browning & A. Sorrell, Cinema and cinema-going in Great Britain, Journal of the Royal Statistical Society, 117 (1954), pp. 133-165
9. and represent a downward revision of estimates found in S. Rowson, Statistical survey of the cinema industry in Great Britain in 1934, Journal of the Royal Statistical Society, 99 (1936), pp. 67-129
10. This exchange rate is based upon N. Dimsdale, British monetary policy and the exchange rate, Oxford Economic Papers, 33 (1981), pp. 306-349
11. Low (1985) op cit., p. 114
12. H. Mark Glancy, Warner Bros. Film grosses, 1921-51: the William Schaefer ledger, Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television, 15 (1995), pp. 55-74
13. See (MBSC)/C39, C50 and C62 respectively. The last file contains a letter from Michael Balcon to Mark Ostrer (Joint-Managing Director), dated 19 January 1935, in which Balcon writes: 'We did not anticipate playing any other star than Robert Donat in this film, but having failed to obtain a satisfactory leading woman player, it has been decided to cast Madeleine Carroll'. Contracted to pay £5,000 per film for four films, Carroll's engagement raised the budget of 39 Steps from £53,949, to £58,449, since originally only £500 had been set aside for the lead female part. (MBSC/C5). For a discussion of the cost of making Jew Süss see S. Tegel, The politics of censorship: Jew Süss (1934) in London, New York and Vienna, Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television, 15 (1995), pp. 219-244
14. H.M. Glancy, MGM film grosses, 1924-1948: the Eddie Mannix ledger, Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television, 12 (1992), pp. 127-144
15. Glancy (1995) op cit.
16. R.B. Jewell, RKO film grosses 1929-51: the C.J. Trevlin ledger, Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television, 14 (1994), pp. 37-50
17. See Sedgwick (1996a) op. cit
18. MBSC/C2/Internal memorandum 17 December 1934. For a history of the making (or not, in the case of G-B) of this film see J. Richards, Soldiers Three: the 'lost' Gaumont British imperial epic, Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television, 15 (1995), pp. 137-141
19. Matthews' only Hollywood appearance came in 1943 in a cameo in Forever and a Day (1943), an all-star tribute to Britain produced by RKO with contract co-operation from other studios. For a succinct account of Matthews career during the 1930s see Jeffrey Richards, The Age of the Dream Palace: cinema and society in Britain 1930-39 (London, 1984), pp. 207-224
20. and M. Dickinson & S. Street Cinema and the State: the film industry and the British government, 1927-84 (London, 1985), pp. 34-39
21. A. Higson, Waving the Flag (London, 1995), pp. 10-11