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THE KING OF UK CINEMA'S 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, now 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, Pathescope 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 much of Pathescope's 1950's output. Productions from E.J. Fancey Ltd. include "Down Among the Z Men" with The Goons and Carole Carr; "Forces Sweetheart" with Harry Secombe, Micheal Bentine and Hy Hazel; "Flannelfoot"; "Beyond the Heights"; "Comedy Cocktail" and "Behind the Headlines" with Gilbert Harding. Associated company DUK (Do You Know) distributed the George Pal puppetoons, "Mad Hatter"; "Land of My Fathers" and "Prisoners of the Tower" etc., whilst New Realm was distributor for titles such as "Marshall of Santa Fe"; "Fury of the North"; "No Rain at Timburie"; "Workmates"; "A Willing Horse"; "Doing the Dicken's Walk"; the two Tarzan features, the "Snipshots" animated shorts and even things like "Candlelight In Algeria".

Even the final 9.5mm silent Chaplin releases like "Shoulder Arms", "The Pilgrim" and "A Day's Pleasure" came via the E.J. Fancey link-up. The rights were rumoured to have come from Germany, but Chaplin objected and the prints were hastily withdrawn from sale!

Another company E.J. Fancey Productions Ltd arrived on 30th November 1954, this time with E.J. Fancey and his son Malcolm as directors. It still boasted the Fancey's prestigous address of Queen's House, Leicester Square on it's letterhead!

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" and "Man On the Cliff" 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 Pathescope - it is cut from the 9.5mm 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.

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!

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!

One wonders what delights could have lain in store for ninefivers if Pathescope 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

*"THE BALLOON GOES UP" 58mins 1942 Dir:Redd Davis - Comedy/musical with Gracie Revnell, Ethel West, Donald Peers, Ronald Shiner - Balloon unit WAAFs catch German spies.
"UP WITH THE LARK" 83mins 1943 Dir:Phil Brandon - Gracie Revnell, Ethel West-Land girls unmask black marketeers
"DOWN MEMORY LANE" 60mins 1943 Dir:unknown- Music hall manager remembers old times(with old filmclips!)
"PRISONERS OF THE TOWER" 34mins 1946 Dir: Cecil H. Williamson T.9735 - Tower of London tour with commentary by Valentine Dyall
"SOHO CONSPIRACY" 85 mins 1950 Dir:Cecil H. Williamson-Charity concert for bombed church- TitoGobbi clips etc
+"BEYOND THE HEIGHTS" 36mins 1951 Dir:E.J. Fancey T.9723-Winter sports travelogue with village avalanche drama
+ "COMEDY COCKTAIL" Arr.& Pres:Cecil H. Williamson T.9719 - Compilation of early Charlie Chaplin comedy shorts
+ "THAMES VALLEY" 1951 Prod. & Phot.: Ian K. Barnes T.9754 - The river Thames from its source to London
"LAND OF MY FATHERS" 35mins 1951 Dir: E.J. Fancey T.9762 - 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 T.9728 - Survey of the horse from earliest times.
*+ "DOWN AMONG THE Z MEN" 71mins1952 Dir:Maclean Rogers T.9753-Crazy spy comedy-The Goons & Carole Carr
"POTTER OF THE YARD" 30mins 1952 Dir: John Wall and Oscar Burn - Scotland Yard clerk poses as mechanic to catch bank robber.
$ "TOO MANY DETECTIVES" 30mins 1953 Dir:John Wall & Oscar Burn - Potter proves a missing embezzler was murdered. (Second in 'Potter of the Yard' series)
"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)
*+ "BEHIND THE HEADLINES" 51mins 1953 Dir:Maclean Rogers T.9766 -Scotland Yard semi-doc with Gilbert Harding
*+ "FLANNELFOOT" 74mins 1953 Dir:Maclean Rogers T.9764 -Thriller about notorious jewel thief and murderer.
*+ "FORCES SWEETHEART" 76mins 1953 Dir: Maclean Rogers T.9765 - Goon style comedy with Harry Secombe, Micheal Bentine and Hy Hazell
"LOONIZOO" 14mins Dir: unknown - Micheal Bentine impersonates animals and their language.
"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 doc. crashes in mountains
* "JOHNNY ON THE SPOT" 72mins 1954 Dir:Maclean Rogers - Complicated murder mystery as framed ex-convict clears name.
* "SHADOW OF A MAN" 69mins 1954 Dir:Micheal McCarthy -After fight, drunk is found dead, heart failure or murder?
"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 T.9779 - Man with amnesia tries to identify himself and dead man.
* "ACTION STATIONS" 50mins 1956(rel.1959) Dir:Cecil H. Williamson - Counterfeiting gang chase forger to Spain
"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.
* "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.

Pathescope "T" reference numbers are shown for those titles released on 9.5mm sound.
* means VHS/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 VHS (PAL or NTSC) or DVD (PAL) copies - then e-mail me, Grahame Newnham at : presto @ pathefilm.freeserve.co.uk (no gaps in actual address)

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Last updated 17 May 2007 ................................... fancey1.htm .................................. © MM G.L. Newnham