Film work 1941-1950

 

 

 

 

In August 2017 BBC Radio 4's The Film Programme did a profile of Shirley's work in the British film industry. The presenter Antonia Quirke and her producer came up to our home in Manchester where we kept Shirley's 'archive' of diaries, journals, letters, photos etc. Here is a 10 minute YouTube video of that part of the programme: https://youtu.be/5p6DJmxYBLQ

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"I started work when I was 16 in November 1941. My schooling was interrupted by the war and finished a commercial course at Pitmans Schoool in 1941, and started work as a secretary. I didn't do junior work because from the age of 18 girls were called up to the Forces or Land Girls, so I had the opportunity to immediately become a personal secretary at R.K.O.

 

"When I started in film production in 1945, I left home at 7.00 a.m. as the studios started filming at 8.00 a.m. When I started we never knew when we would go home because the were no definite hours - if we were in the middle of a scene we would have to continue until we finished it. Later, a 6 p.m. deadline was agreed and any time after that would have to be paid at overtime rates - so the Director thought twice about doing so.

 

"I worked with many well-known actors and actresses of those years: Deborah Kerr, Jack Warner, James Robertson Justice. And Noel Coward directed one film."

 

(from interview with her grandchildren )

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NEXT: FILM WORK - THE FRUSTRATING YEARS

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