Grahame N's Web Pages

THE KING OF UK CINEMAS'
POVERTY ROW
E.J. FANCEY

Edwin John Fancey was a name to strike terror into the hearts of cinema audiences of the 1950's! When in my teens, friends and I used to sneak, under age, into the local 'continental' cinema in Portsmouth (The Palace, later Martines Disco) our excitement waned when we saw 'New Realm' as the distributors' name, for these products were not exactly of the highest calibre, normally being tame old American offerings, retitled. Always trying to get recent films for my 9.5mm sound shows, my school friend would exclaim 'not E.J. Fancey' as the credits hit the screen, and was usually only persuaded to stay by the promise of a Walton glamour film to finish the programme! However, if it hadn't been for Mr. Fancey, Pathéscope would have had little post-war product to offer us on 9.5mm sound.

E.J. Fancey, born at Richmond, Surrey in 1902, was a film producer and distributor, who began distributing American pictures in the UK, via his company New Realm. During the war he moved into film production, forming New Realm Pictures Ltd on 2nd March 1940 with his brother Sid, and D.U.K. Films Ltd with his wife B.C. Fancey six years later on 22nd March 1946. So began the British equivalent of P.R.C. Pictures - poverty row here we come!

Around 1940/41 E.J. Fancey was prosecuted for stabbing his company accountant in the groin. An argument had arisen it appears, over an accusation that he ran the finances of his company rather 'close to the wind'. The accountant had a leg amputated as a result of the injury. When the case came to court, the accountant was regarded as a hostile witness by the prosecution - presumably he had been 'softened up' before the hearing. Even so, E.J. Fancey got a short prison sentence. (Some details are in the Kine Weekly)

E.J. had a grand castle-like mansion (was this at 29 Boundary Road, West Worthing?). The property had a lodge cottage and it is said he moved his mistress (Olive Negus-Fancey) into this convenient pied-a-terre! A keen racing man, we're told he owned race horses and lived life in the fast lane as befits a 'major' film producer.

Via his various companies we find a large chunk of the 9.5mm printed sound films released by Pathéscope during the 1950s. Many were actual E.J. Fancey UK productions including feature films like "Down Among the Z Men" with The Goons and Carole Carr; "Forces Sweetheart" with Harry Secombe, Micheal Bentine and Hy Hazel; "Behind the Headlines" with Gilbert Harding and "Flannelfoot"; plus shorter travelogues and documentaries "Beyond the Heights"; "Land Of My Fathers"; "Prisoners Of the Tower"; "The Man On the Cliff"; "A Willing Horse"; "Doing the Dickens Walk" etc and short compilation footage films like "Comedy Cocktail" (Chaplin); "The Mad Hatter"; "Concerto"; "The Two Roys" and "Dancing Feet" (musicals). To save money a number of these films like "Beyond the Heights" were even written and/or directed by the man himself.

Many other (usually American) titles released by Pathéscope on 9.5mm had been distributed by E.J. Fancey's associated companies DUK (Du-U-Know) - George Pal puppetoons; New Realm - "Marshall of Santa Fe"; "Fury of the North"; "No Rain at Timburie"; "Workmates"; the two Tarzan features, "Snipshots" animated shorts and even things like "Candlelight In Algeria".

"Down Among the Z Men", which supposedly had it's world premier at the Troxy, Fratton Road, Portsmouth (I grew up a few miles away in Emsworth - I would have been 7 years old at the time) became quite a cult film, being about the only film to feature all of the Goons - Peter Sellars, Spike Milligan, Harry Secombe and Michael Bentine - famous for their madcap comedy radio series "The Goon Show". It is said it made thousands from the cinema re-releases. Even today the DVD, issued by various obscure companies retails at around £15. Sadly the remains of the Fancey empire have long lost the rights, so that others are now still cashing in.

Even the final Pathéscope 9.5mm silent Chaplin releases like "Shoulder Arms", "The Pilgrim" and "A Day's Pleasure" came via the E.J. Fancey link-up. Via DUK Films they had issued a Chaplin compilation for the cinema. The rights were rumoured to have come from Germany, but Chaplin objected and the cinema release, and of course the Pathescope 9.5mm prints were hastily withdrawn from sale! In fact according to an account from Michael Winner in his excellent book "Winner Takes All" Chaplin made a rare visit to the UK in 1958 - "Why are you here?" asked the reporters. Mr Chaplin replied "To sue that bastard E.J.Fancey who has been making money by pirating my films". On learning this, E.J. said to Winner "I'll sue the git for libel"!!

Another company - E.J. Fancey Productions Ltd arrived on 30th November 1954, this time with E.J. Fancey and his son Malcolm as directors. Together with New Realm Pictures, DUK and Embassy Films it still boasted the Fancey's prestigous address of Queen's House, Leicester Square on it's letterhead! Later, other companies included Aqua, Fantur and Border.

When Edwin Fancey retired in the 1970's, his two children Adrienne and Malcolm took control of his companies. Now if we check the cast lists of films like "Forces Sweetheart", "Flannelfoot", "Behind the Headlines", "Man On the Cliff", "Johnny On the Spot" and "Rock You Sinners" we find actress Adrienne Scott. This was his daughter, but using a stage name before she moved into the adminstrator's chair! In fact we can see Adrienne in her underwear in a brief scene in "Flannelfoot" - where the killer is hiding behind a curtain whilst she changes - however the scene was obviously too hot for Pathéscope - it is cut from the 9.5mm sound print - probably the only thing that is missing in the whole film!

E.J. Fancey had two more children Judith Smith (a film editor) and Charles Negus-Fancey, by common law wife Olive Negus-Fancey, who ran Border Films and Carlyle Pictures. He died aged 79 in October 1980.

A later 1979 big budget production was "The World Is Full Of Married Men" - Caroll Baker's contract stipulated her name alone would be above the film's title. She happened to catch it when it opened in the West End, and spotted that her name and Anthony Franciosa's appeared above the title. She complained and all prints had to be withdrawn and re-titled!

Despite various bankruptcies along the way, and although reduced to a film booking agency, New Realm was still in business at 82 Wardour Street in 1995, deep in the heart of what was London's Soho filmland. Amongst boarded up doorways and decaying sex shops, times were even harder by then, no smart brass plate, but a scribbled sticky label by a second floor doorbell! (Obviously someone at New Realm spotted my original article in the Group 9.5 magazine at the time, for a few weeks later the sticky label had been replaced by a small brass plate! - ed.)

One wonders what delights could have lain in store for ninefivers if Pathéscope and their E.J. Fancey deal had survived, for in 1974 New Realm bought the UK rights to a then unknown French film by the name of "Emmanuelle"!

FILMS PRODUCED BY E.J. FANCEY COMPANIES IN THE 40's AND 50's

  1940
 $"SWINGTEASE" 10mins 1940 Prod:New Realm - clips from "Sing As You Swing" 
  "WORLD TOUR" 15mins 1940 Prod:E.J. Fancey - Travelogue

  1942
  "ATLANTIC PERILS" 22mins 1942 Prod:New Realm - Sealing expedition
 *"THE BALLOON GOES UP" 58mins 1942 Dir:Redd Davis - Comedy/musical
    Gracie Revnell,Ethel West,Donald Peers,Ronald Shiner - Balloon unit WAAFs catch German spies

  1943
  "UP WITH THE LARK" 83mins 1943 Dir:Phil Brandon
    Comedy with Gracie Revnell, Ethel West - Land girls unmask black marketeers
  "DOWN MEMORY LANE" 60mins 1943 Dir: unknown
    A music hall manager remembers old times (with old filmclips!)
  "RETURN TO FIJI" 13mins Prod:New Realm Dir:Sylvia Cummins - Fijian soldiers return home
  "WAR AND NEW ZEALAND" 9mins 1945 Dir:Sylvia Cummins - New Zealanders at war

  1946
 +"DAYS OF MAKE BELIEVE" 32mins 1946 Prod:DUK  Dir:Cecil H. Williamson 3T.9730
    Refugee children admire toys
  "INDIAN BACKGROUND" 9mins 1946 Impact of western civilisation on India 
  "PRISONERS OF THE TOWER" 34mins 1946 Dir:Cecil H. Williamson 3T.9735
    A Tower of London tour with commentary by Valentine Dyall
  "TAKE IT EASY" 34mins 1946 Dir:John Taylor - English resorts
 
  1947
  "APPOINTMENT WITH FIRE" 34mins 1947 Prod/Dir:Cecil Williamson
    Comm:Valentine Dyall - Reporter discovers the history of fire
  "COAL MINING TODAY" apprx 16mins 1947 Prod:Sylvia Cummins

 1948
  "BALI ADVENTURE" 35mins 1948 Prod:DUK Dir:Cecil H. Williamson Comm:John Snagge
  "THE GODS CAN LAUGH" 35mins 1948 Prod:DUK  Dir:Cecil H. Williamson
    Commentary:John Snagge - Man's victory over nature leading to atomic bombs
  "TODAY AND EVERY DAY" 35mins 1948 Prod:DUK  Dir:Cecil H. Williamson
    Commentary:Frank Phillips - British railways
  "THE UPSTART CROW" 35mins 1948 Prod:DUK  Dir:Cecil H. Williamson
    Commentary:John Snagge - Stratford-on-Avon travelogue

  1949
  "JOURNEY BACK" 28mins 1949 Prod:New Realm - G.I. returns to see post-war Britain
  "SPAIN, POTENTIAL THREAT" 16mins 1949 Prod:New Realm Comm:Stewart MacPherson
    General Franco's power since the civil war in Spain 

  1950
  "ANIMAL KINGDOM" 34mins 1950 Prod:New Realm - Farm children learn about wild animals
  "HANGMAN'S WHARF" 73mins 1950 Prod:E.J. Fancey/DUK  Dir:Cecil H. Williamson
    John Witty, Genine Grahame in crime drama about doctor who is framed for murder
  "ROARING WHEELS" 35mins 1950 Prod:E.J. Fancey  Dir:Cecil H. Williamson
    Commentary:Patrick Burns - Motor racing
*+"SILENT WORLD" 34mins 1950 Dir:Cecil Williamson Comm:Leslie Mitchell 3T.9722
    Divers, equipment, the world under the sea, training of frogmen
  "SOHO CONSPIRACY" 85 mins 1950 Dir:Cecil H. Williamson
    Charity concert for bombed church - Tito Gobbi clips etc
 $"SUSSEX FORTNIGHT" 40mins 1950 Dir:Norman Hemsley - Raymond Glendenning (on a 
    penny farthing!) & girls cycling club visit Arundel,Littlehampton,Goodwood etc.
  "THIS IS THE LIFE" 34mins 1950 Prod:E.J. Fancey  Dir:Sidney Coronel
    Commentary:Stewart MacPherson - Trapping & training animals for the circus
  "TROPHY ISLAND" 35mins 1950 Prod:DUK  Dir:Cecil H. Williamson 
    Commentary:Stewart MacPherson - TT races on the Isle of Man

  1951
 +"BEYOND THE HEIGHTS" 36mins 1951 Dir:E.J. Fancey - 4T.9723
    Winter sports travelogue with village avalanche drama
 +"COMEDY COCKTAIL" Arr.& Pres:Cecil H. Williamson - 2T.9719
    Compilation of early Charlie Chaplin comedy shorts
 +"THAMES VALLEY" 1951 Prod. & Phot.:Ian K. Barnes - 2T.9754
    The river Thames from its source to London
 +"LAND OF MY FATHERS" 35mins 1951 Dir:E.J. Fancey - 4T.9762
    Commentary:Frederick Allen - Tour of England and Wales
  "LONDON ENTERTAINS"  49mins 1951 Dir:E.J. Fancey
    Madcap comedy musical with appearances from The Goons
 +"A WILLING HORSE"    35mins 1951 Dir:Jeff Davies - 2T.9728
    Survey of the horse from earliest times
  "NO SAIL" 34mins 1951 Prod:E.J. Fancey  Dir:Cecil H. Williamson
    Commentary:Leslie Mitchell - Survey of sailing craft
 +"TALES OF TWO CITIES" 34mins 1951 Dir:Oscar Burn - 3T.9739
    Commentary:Richard Dimbleby, Stephen Jack - London and Paris compared

  1952
*+"DOWN AMONG THE Z MEN" 71mins 1952 Dir:Maclean Rogers - 6T.9753
    Crazy spy comedy with The Goons (Peter Sellars, Spike Milligan,
    Harry Secombe, Michael Bentine) & Carole Carr
  "FLIGHT" 9mins 1952 Prod:E.J. Fancey Comm:Eamonn Andrews - History of flight
  "POTTER OF THE YARD" 30mins 1952 Dir:John Wall and Oscar Burn
    Scotland Yard clerk poses as a mechanic to catch bank robber.

  1953
*+"BEHIND THE HEADLINES" 51mins 1953 Dir:Maclean Rogers - 5T.9766
    Scotland Yard semi-doc. with Gilbert Harding,John Fitzgerald and Adrienne Fancey

  "THE CHILDREN'S CORONATION" 15mins 1953 Prod:E.J. Fancey - Children at the Coronation
*+"FLANNELFOOT" 74mins 1953 Dir: Maclean Rogers      - 9T.9764 
    Thriller about notorious jewel thief and murderer. 
*+"FORCES SWEETHEART" 76mins 1953 Dir:Maclean Rogers - 9T.9765
    Goon style comedy with Harry Secombe,Micheal Bentine and Hy Hazell
  "LOONIZOO" 14mins 1953 Dir:? - Micheal Bentine impersonates animals & their language
  "LAND OF THE VIKINGS" 9mins 1953 Prod:E.J. Fancey - Norway travelogue
  "MR BEAMISH GOES SOUTH" 33mins 1953 Dir:John Wall & Oscar Burn
    Potter unmasks hotel guest who kills women in acid baths.(Third in 'Potter of the Yard' series)
  "OPERATION SEAGULL" 33mins 1953 Prod:E.J. Fancey - Wartime resistance in Norway
  "PUSS IN PICTURES" 9mins 1953 Prod:E.J. Fancey - National Cat Club, Olympia
 $"TOO MANY DETECTIVES" 30mins 1953 Dir:John Wall & Oscar Burn
    Potter proves a missing embezzler was murdered. (Second in 'Potter of the Yard' series)
  "TWO WORLD'S MEET" 12mins  1953 Prod:E.J. Fancey - Cornwall travelogue
  "WAY DOWN WEST" 11mins 1953 Prod:E.J. Fancey - Cornwall travelogue

  1954
  "CALLING ALL CARS" 44mins 1954 Dir:Maclean Rogers
    Friends on motoring holiday pursue two girls. 
  "INTO THE UNKNOWN" 34mins 1954 Dir:E.J. Fancey - Flying doctor crashes in mountains
* "JOHNNY ON THE SPOT" 72mins 1954 Dir:Maclean Rogers
    Complicated murder mystery as framed ex-convict clears name.
  "LAUGHING WATER"  1954 Prod:E.J. Fancey Comm:Frederick Allen - Norway travelogue
  "MOON ISLAND" 18mins 1954 Dir:Cedric Malleby - Travel, an island in the Canaries
  "THE PUPPETEERS" 6mins 1954 Prod:E.J. Fancey - Children's entertainers
  "RIVER OF DESTINY" 33mins 1954 Prod:E.J. Fancey Comm:Leslie Mitchell - the river Rhine
* "SHADOW OF A MAN" 69mins 1954 Dir:Micheal McCarthy
    After a fight, drunk is found dead, heart failure or murder?
  "TIDE AND TIME" 11mins 1954 Prod:E.J. Fancey - Coastal erosion

  1955
  "A CITY REBORN" 24mins 1955 Prod:E.J. Fancey - Vienna travelogue
  "FLIGHT FROM VIENNA" 58mins 1955 Dir:Denis Kavanagh
    Mission to bring out scientist from Hungary
*+"MAN ON THE CLIFF" 23mins 1955 Dir:Robert Hartford-Davis 3T.9779
    Ronald Leigh Hunt - Man with amnesia tries to identify himself & a dead man 
  "PEACE AND PLENTY" 33mins 1955 Dir:R. Higgins - Visit to Switzerland
    Comentary:John Arlot & Adrienne Scott (Fancey)
  "SONG OF NORWAY" 32mins 1955 Dir:Maclean Rogers - Adrienne Scott,Vanda Godsell,Graham Stark,
    Andrew Timothy - Oslo, English hotel receptionist enters ski race & is rescued from crevace

  1956
* "ACTION STATIONS" 50mins 1956(rel.1959) Dir:Cecil H. Williamson
    Counterfeiting gang chase forger to Spain
  "CLEAR HEIGHTS" 22mins 1956 Dir:Edwin Scott (E.J. Fancey)  
    Mountain climbing in Switzerland
  "EAST OF THE ADRIATIC" 8mins 1956 Dir:E.J. Fancey - Travelogue
  "ECHOES OF THE PAST" (aka "Return To Munich") 27mins 1956 Dir:E.J. Fancey 
    A Bavarian returns to his native Munich
  "FIGHTING MAD" 53mins 1956 Dir:Denis Kavanagh
    Boxer retires to Canada after accidentally killing two opponents
  "THEY NEVER LEARN" 48mins 1956 Dir:Denis Kavanagh
    Policewoman poses as jailbird to uncover forgery racket

  1957
  "IT COULD BE YOU" 46mins 1957 Dir&Script:Edwin Scott (E.J. Fancey)
    Phillip Baird, Diana Chesney, Jackie Collins, Adrienne Scott
    Travelogue with story of two London models winning prize of Germany trip
* "ROCK YOU SINNERS" 59mins 1957 Dir:Denis Kavanagh
    Disc jockey gets break with rock'n'roll TV series
*$"THE TRAITOR" 88mins 1957 Dir:Micheal McCarthy
    Donald Wolfit as wartime resistance leader seeking traitor

  1958
  "ADRIATIC PEARL" 16mins 1958 Holiday resorts and history of Yogoslavia
  "SICILIAN MEMORIES" 13mins 1958 Dir:Denis Kavanagh Sightseeing in Sicily

  1960
  "CLIMB UP THE WALL" 65mins 1960 Dir:Michael Winner with Jack Jackson, 
    Russ Conway,Glen Mason, Libby Morris, Mike Preston, Cherry Wainer, Peter Sellers,
    Michael Bentine,Claude Dampier,Frances Day - Jack Jackson comperes music & variety
  "GIRLS OF THE LATIN QUARTER" 69mins 1960 Dir:Alfred Travers - Musical with
    Bernard Hunter, Jill Ireland, Sheldon Lawrence, Cuddly Dudley, Cherry Wainer
  "SHOOT TO KILL" ??mins Dir: Michael Winner with Dermot Walsh,Joy Webster,John M. East
    A showbiz reporter gets involved with political intrigue

Pathéscope "T" reference numbers are shown in bold for those titles released on 9.5mm sound (the number
before the 'T' is the number of reels on 9.5mm sound - films were often shortened for the 9.5mm release)
* means DVD copy in GLN collection (copies can be provided, no rights given or implied, contact me below)
+ before a title means 9.5mm sound copy in GLN collection.
$ before a title means 16mm sound copy in GLN collection.

If you can provide other titles, copies of films not in my collection,
or you require DVD copies of ones that are - then e-mail me -
- Grahame Newnham at : presto @ pathefilm.freeserve.co.uk (no gaps in actual address)

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Tidied, "Silent World" & "Sussex Fortnight added 11Oct2008
Extra text and images added to text. more titles added 15 Oct2008
"Song of Norway" added 09Mar2009
"Atlantic Perils", "Indian Background", "Appointment With Fire", "Return to Fiji",
"Today & Every Day","The Upstart Crow","The Gods Can Laugh" , "Journey Back",
"Spain, Potential Threat","Animal Kingdom", "Trophy Island", "This Is the Life",
"Roaring Wheels", "No Sail", "Tales of Two Cities" added 10June2009
"Flight"; "Puss In Pictures"; "Two Worlds Meet"; "Way Down West"; "Land of the Vikings";
"Operation Seagull"; "The Children's Coronation"; "Laughing Water"; "River of Destiny";
"Time and Tide"; "The Puppeteers"; "A City Reborn" added 22June2009
"Climb Up the Wall"/"Shoot To Kill"/"Girls Of the Latin Quarter"/"Hangman's Wharf"/"It Could Be You" added 05Nov2010
"Adriatic Pearl"/"Sicilian Memories"/"Echoes Of the Past"/"East Of the Adriatic"/"Clear Heights"/"Peace and Plenty"/"Moon Island" added 08Nov2010 phew!
"Silent World", "Land of Our Fathers" & "Tale Of Two Cities" now in my 9.5mm collection 14uly2011
Last updated 14 July 2011 ..................... fancey1.htm ....... ............ © MM G.L. Newnham