A Short Season of Films: Oct. 2020–Half Term

The Elephant Never Forgets (1952)

Monday October 24th

2p.m. and 3 p.m.

Free admission with admission to the Museum.
Hands up who thinks a film about the last days of Trams in London could be both poetic and elegiac? Me for one. This classic short film by John Krish makes you wonder why we ever got rid of them. Have your hankies handy.



I Want to Go to School! (1959) 

Tuesday October 27th 
2 p.m. and 3 p.m.

Free admission with admission to the Museum.
Remember your school days? Still having your school days? Anyway if you want to see what a day in a Primary School looked like in 1959 then form an orderly queue, to see this short film. Music and movement, drama and all that.

Yes, I remember if it as if it were yesterday, but it wasn’t yesterday it was about 45 years ago. Sigh.


Rail (1966)

Wednesday October 28th
2 p.m. and 3 p.m.

Free admission with admission to Museum.
Normally if you see moving colour film of railways in the 1960s they’ve been taken by enthusiasts with wobbly, blurry hand held Super 8 mm cameras. Not this classic made by British Transport Films! High resolution footage of the transition from steam to diesel.

Unmissable for steam train fans! Introduced by the Museum Director!


The Fairy of the Phone (1936)

Thursday October 29th 
2 p.m. and 3 p.m.

Free admission with admission to the Museum.
Ever wondered how to answer the phone properly and promptly? If so this short film from the late, great GPO film unit will be able to put your mind at rest. Whether you are ‘caller’ or ‘distant subscriber’ you’ll know that when calling the emergency services, whether its acceptable to call, nine, nine, nine or nine, double nine. 

And there’s a Busby Berkeley musical number at the end!


Spare Time (1939)

Friday October 30th
2 p.m. and 3 p.m.

Free admission with admission to the Museum.
We’ve plenty of spare time these days, but what do we do with it? In 1939 the very great Humphrey Jennings made this short film about that very thing. Features choir singing in South Wales, dancing to ‘The Bells of St Mary’s’ in Lancashire and a curious performance of kazoo players and drum majorettes in Yorkshire (pictured).

The things they got up to before television! Introduced by Museum Director Stuart Burroughs.