Amateur Cine World magazine back cover advert July 1950
E.J. Fancey's upmarket cinema distribution company
here also into 16mm and prints for sale - anyone have a
catalogue?
D.U.K. Films logo (Do-U-Know)
"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.
Watch "Down Among the Z Men" on You Tube: http://youtu.be/AwbHK11sgqY (plus 6 other parts!)
Watch "Flannelfoot" on a DVD from Renown (try Moviemail, Amazon UK etc.)
A UK Kinematograph Weekly cover from 22Aug1970 (courtesy
Derek Sharp)
E.J. Fancey reduced to distributing soft-porn films with titles
like "The Queer
The Erotic"; "She Lost Her You Know What";
"Legend Of the Witches";
and "Do You Want To Remain A Virgin Forever?" - dire
times indeed!
(original gln article in Group 9.5 magazine many moons ago)
Sadly Edwin Fancey's daughter Adrienne died
in 2013 aged 80 (she was born in 1933). Her father would
have been proud of her, as, despite the downturn in the
UK film industry, she became the UK's first woman
managing director of her own film distribution company.
In later years New Realm Entertainment distributed films
like "The
Butterfly and the Diving Bell",
"The Queen",
"Mrs Henderson"
and "Volver".
Adrienne Fancey was the founding sponsor of The Adrienne
Fancey Best Film Award for The Womens International Film
& Television Showcase (The WIFTS), established in
2008. If you come across the recent UK DVD release of "Rock You Sinners" there is an interesting 7 minute interview with the late Adrienne Fancey from around 2009, including photos of her mother and father etc.(gln update 11Mar2014) |
Many, many films were distributed in the UK by
E.J. Fancey companies, the list
below only includes cinema films actually produced by E.J. Fancey
companies
Watch "Swingtease" on You Tube: http://youtu.be/8bPTKduC5F0
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 Available on a Renown DVD! £*"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 "DOWN MELODY LANE" 60mins 1943 Prod: Mandor Productions Dir: Frank Dormand Billy Cotton, Eve Becke A music hall manager remembers old times (with old filmclips!) +"FURY OF THE NORTH" US 1939 56mins Dir:Norman Dawn 3T.9682 "RETURN TO FIJI" 13mins Prod:New Realm Dir:Sylvia Cummins - Fijian soldiers return home Available on a Renown DVD! £*"UP WITH THE LARK" 83mins 1943 Dir:Phil Brandon Comedy with Gracie Revnell, Ethel West - Land girls unmask black marketeers "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 Now on a Panamint DVD £*"TODAY AND EVERY DAY" 35mins 1948 Prod:DUK Dir:Cecil H. Williamson Commentary:Frank Phillips - British railways history "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
Watch "Thames Valley" on You Tube
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 A madcap comedy musical with appearances from The Goons (now on a Renown DVD with "Climb Up the Wall" - see below) +"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 a motoring holiday pursue two girls. (now on a Renown DVD with "Climb Up the Wall" - see below) "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 Prod:E.J. Fancey John Bentley, Theodore Bikel, Donald Grey, Adrienne Scott (Adrienne Fancey) 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 Watch "Man On the Cliff" on You Tube 1956 £* "ACTION STATIONS" 50mins 1956(rel.1959) Dir:Cecil H. Williamson Paul Carpenter, Maria Martin, Joe Robinson, Ronald Leigh-Hunt 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 Joe Robinson, Adrienne Scott (Adrienne Fancey), Beckett Bould Boxer retires to Canada after accidentally killing two opponents "THEY NEVER LEARN" 48mins 1956 Dir:Denis Kavanagh Script: E.J. Fancey Adrienne Fancey, Jackie Collins, John Blythe, Graham Stark 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 Now on a Strike Force DVD £* "ROCK YOU SINNERS" 59mins 1957 Dir:Denis Kavanagh Disc jockey gets break with rock'n'roll TV series Not a bad film! Now on a Renown DVD! £*$"THE TRAITOR" 88mins 1957 Dir:Micheal McCarthy Donald Wolfit, Robert Bray, Jane Griffiths, Carle Jaffe, Anton Diffring, Christopher Lee Music: "Prelude Without A Name" Written by: Jackie Brown Played by:Dennis Wilson 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
1959 "LOCK UP YOUR DAUGHTERS" 50mins 1959 "X" cert. Presented in the form of a quiz - using 'outtakes' from older movies including maybe Bela Lugosi (possibly from Glen Or Glenda) - thought currently to be a 'lost' film - probably just as well!
Watch Glen Mason sing "What's Cooking Baby" from "Climb Up the Wall" Watch Russ Conway play "Lucky Five" from "Climb Up the Wall" Watch Craig Douglas sing "Miss In Between" from "Climb Up the Wall"
Now on a Renown DVD! (April2015) 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 cinema poster "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" 63mins 22Nov1960 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.
£ before a title means it is now available on commercial DVD in
the UK (see Amazon.co.uk etc)
Border films Wardour Street (Soho, London) offices
another cinema poster
Well, standards had dropped somewhat by the 1970s and beyond!
There is a useful DVD boxed set from Renown - 3 x DVDs with over a dozen earlier films from the E.J. Fancey 'empire' Check out the Renown web-site or Amazon.co.uk etc. |
If you can provide other titles, copies of films not in my
collection, or you require DVD copies of ones that are;
or you know of titles now on commercial DVD I have missed - then
please e-mail me -
- Grahame Newnham at : presto @
pathefilm.uk (no gaps in actual address)
Back to MAIN MENU or back to NINE FIVE MENU
Created:2000 ...... Last updated 14 January 2020 ...... fancey1.htm
...... © MM Grahame L. Newnham
11Oct2008 - Tidied, "Silent World" &
"Sussex Fortnight" added
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
Titles now available on commercial DVD in the UK marked £
23July2012
"Today and Every Day" now on Panamint DVD (and
in my collection!)24April2013
Extra detail added for "The Traitor"; "Fighting
Mad"; "Flight From Vienna"; "Action
Stations" & "They Never Learn"
18June2013
"Z Men" poster & links to full film
pages/YouTube clips added 18Nov2013
05Dec2013 - Extra link & Kine Weeekly cover added.
11Mar2014 - Film lists updated / "Thames Valley"
You Tube upload / Adrienne Fancey obit. added
04April2014 - "Climb Up the Wall" You Tube
clips links added / 14Aug2014 "Man On the Cliff"
You Tube upload added
02Mar2015 - "Fury Of the North" added /
02Apr2015 - DVD "London Entertains"/"Calling
All Cars"/"Climb Up The Wall" added
16Nov2015 - Embassy Films advert and cinema poster for "Flannelfoot"/"Forces
Sweetheart" added
13Nov2016 - DVD "The Balloon Goes Up"/"Up
With The Lark" DVD added
27Mart2017 - "Lock Up Your Daughters" added /
16Sep2017 - 1943 "Down Memory Lane" corrected
to "Down Melody Lane"
12Jan2020 - Renown DVD boxed set; DUK logo and odd notes added