Destroying a film print (Mike Williams)
Is part of Mike Williams Interview (incomplete)
Mike Williams interviewed by Richard Wallace
Projectionist Mike Williams tells the story of how he accidentally destroyed a print of A Woman in a Dressing Gown.
And I’ll tell you a little story now about the day I destroyed A Woman in a Dressing Gown starring Yvonne Mitchell, one of the black films in the ‘60s about suburban life, if you like. We were going to have a press show of it, and we were told we were having a green copy, brand new copy, and it was arriving on the so and so train from Paddington. Pick it up, get it over. So I was sent across to pick up the copy of Woman in a Dressing Gown. Now you know film cans as they used to come in a lead sealed box. I went across and I signed at the parcels office for this box of film and I started to stroll across to the Olympia which was about a mile, three quarters of a mile walk. And it was a heavy box. And it was raining. So I thought of an easy answer to this. Now instead of changing hands all the time I opened the film box took two cans of film out and tucked them under my arm. Easy. Same weight on both sides. Dropped the film in the rain, in the middle of Queen Street, the main thoroughfare. It cost a lot of money apparently to replace two reels of a green copy of Woman in a Dressing Gown and I wasn’t very popular for a day or two. But they let me get over it. It was never held against me. But it was quite a sight to see endless footage of this film unrolling in the rain in Queen Street. One of those things, one of those things. These accidents happen in life, you know.
Title
Destroying a film print (Mike Williams)
Subject
accidents
film damage
Description
Projectionist Mike Williams tells the story of how he accidentally destroyed a print of A Woman in a Dressing Gown.
Creator
The Projection Project
Source
Interview with Mike Williams
Publisher
The University of Warwick
Date
04/12/2015
Contributor
Richard Wallace
Mike Williams
Relation
http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/7970
Format
.mp3
Language
English
Type
Sound recording
interview extract
Coverage
1956-1964
Interviewer
Richard Wallace
Interviewee
Mike Williams
Date of Interview
25/08/2015
Location
Cardiff
Transcription
And I’ll tell you a little story now about the day I destroyed A Woman in a Dressing Gown starring Yvonne Mitchell, one of the black films in the ‘60s about suburban life, if you like. We were going to have a press show of it, and we were told we were having a green copy, brand new copy, and it was arriving on the so and so train from Paddington. Pick it up, get it over. So I was sent across to pick up the copy of Woman in a Dressing Gown. Now you know film cans as they used to come in a lead sealed box. I went across and I signed at the parcels office for this box of film and I started to stroll across to the Olympia which was about a mile, three quarters of a mile walk. And it was a heavy box. And it was raining. So I thought of an easy answer to this. Now instead of changing hands all the time I opened the film box took two cans of film out and tucked them under my arm. Easy. Same weight on both sides. Dropped the film in the rain, in the middle of Queen Street, the main thoroughfare. It cost a lot of money apparently to replace two reels of a green copy of Woman in a Dressing Gown and I wasn’t very popular for a day or two. But they let me get over it. It was never held against me. But it was quite a sight to see endless footage of this film unrolling in the rain in Queen Street. One of those things, one of those things. These accidents happen in life, you know.
Original Format
One-to-one interview
Duration
00:01:36
Bit Rate/Frequency
320kbps
Cinema
ABC (Olympia) Cinema, 67 Queen Street, Cardiff