LORRIES STAR I BRITISH FILM
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RESCUE work in a coal mine, flooded as the result of an explosion, is held up while pumping machinery is brought to the site. Fog interferes with its transport; jealousy among lorry operators introduces sabotage, balking on the road and so forth. The young hero-haulier, financed by the Italian proprietor of a lorry-drivers' cafe, eventually wins through, and gets the pumps to the colliery in time.
• This, briefly, is the basis of the plot of what is claimed to be the first British film that deals with night life on the road, as lived by the heavy-transport driver. It is a Paramount picture, now being produced by Mr. Havelock Allen and directed by Mr. J. P. Carstairs. The scenes depicted on these pages were " shot" this week at Boreham. Wood, from the .studio there of British and Dominions Film Corporation, Ltd. Ot course, there is 'alove interest, and a fine entanglement is. created by the lovers being members of rival transport concerns. The .film is due to be released about August. .It will, obviously, be of unusual interest to readers of this paper. .
:. All the lorries taking .part are Con-imers. That of 'Messrs. Spinelli and Benson—the hero's firm—is an• N3 2-3-ton long-wheelbase forward-control tilt-van. A. Wilson and Co., a rival, operates an Ni 25-cwt. model.' 'There are also an N5 4-5,ton platform lorry, two N3 2-3-ton drop-sided vehicles, and an N2 forvvard-control
boxyan of 450 cubic ft. capacity. .
These six goods vehicles were lent to the producer of the picture by COnamer Cars, Ltd., Luton. This company was quick to appreciate the value of the '
publicity -afforded.
It did not, however, leave the 'matter at that, but
• detailed its field. manager: Mr. P. E. Fleming, to super: vise the fleet while in the service of the Paramount
concern. Moreover, Mr. G. Cozens, managing director of the Commer company, ad Mr. G. Bragg, sales manager, both visited the studios to see some of the scenes being shot.
In addition,, we understand that arrangements have been made for the whole of the staff of the Cornmer works to have a free view of "Night Ride" when it reaches Luton.
Such support is not wholly egoistic from the point of view of the cornreny, for a film such as this is well calculated to popularize and to stimulate public interest in road transport, and is, therefore, excellent propaganda for the industry generally.
The leading . parts are taken by Mr. Jimmy Handley, Mr. Julian Vedey, and Miss Joan Ponsford. Thefirst-hamed plays the part of Benson, the yoUng ownerdriver, who is the hero of the
story. He falls in love with the daughter of the opposition—Miss Ponsford—who, driving a Hillman Hawk 16 h.p. saloon car, lent by the associated Hillman company, succeeds in preventing her father's lorry from overtaking that of her. lover.
Mr. Vedey is the proprietor of the lorry:drivers' cafe, and Benson's partner. He is also author of the story.
He told us of the' manner in which he had obtained knowledge of his subject, spending nights on the main roads, visiting . cafés, mixing with drivers and gleaning from them stories of real experiences.
If he should have included in his film story some of the incidents he retailed to us about attempts to ditch competitors by skilful swinging of trailers, price-undercutting warfare, and lorry girls, it would 'certainly provide added colour ! We are hopeful that he will not have diverged from a fairly accurate representation of modern conditions, for -the sake of dramatic effect,
There is one episode for which an intentional crash was staged between the Hillman and 'the smallest Commer, and, at the first attempt to film. this, the strength of, the, wings of the vehicles, we were told, was underestimated, for they were not even denied by the impact, and the collision had to.be re-done more violently.
Such repetition is, of course, the usual practice, most incidents being enacted several times—possibly as many as 'six. On the occaSion in point, the company worked from dark to break of dawn in the production 'of a length of film which, in ultimate form, would take only four minutes to show. That was regarded as a fair night's. work.
Drivers for the commers, when they were not being driven by Mr. Handley or Mr.. Fleming, were supplied by the London Autocar Delivery Co., Ltd., 8a, Mall Road, London, W.6, and Luton.
One of the difficulties with which film drivers have to -contend, during night work, is that presented by heading at speed towards the powerful arc lamps employed, and then passing suddenly out of the, zone of light into the blackne.; beyond. ' Some of the "shots" were made in an artificial fog created by smoke bombs and sprayed Nujol. This was apparently a very
unpleasant business.
Travel by road, since. earliest times, has been surrounded with something of a 'glamorous atmosphere. Many writers have interwoven it into tales of romance, adventure and so forth. Our great industry should be an inexhaustible store of incident for moresuch stories, and how better could it be tapped than by the" film maker?