Screenings of 1930s "quota quickie" films plus Q&As with expert guests at the Kino Cinema in Bermondsey, South London. Come along, watch a film, have a drink and join in the discussion. Two days later it appears as a podcast.
***UPDATE***
The Kino was unexpectedly shut down in January so season three of Kino Quickies has been postponed. We will be hosting a one-off SOLD OUT screening of "The Gaunt Stranger" at The Garden Cinema, WC2 on October 8th.
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Kino Quickies 13 - The Gaunt Stranger (1938) with Adrian Smith
Season 2 · Episode 13
Monday, October 30, 2023 • Duration 47:23
For our first film at a venue other than the Kino, Bermondsey, we were delighted to be hosted on October 8th 2023 at the gorgeous Garden Cinema for our screening of The Gaunt Stranger(1938).
Based on a novel by Edgar Wallace, The Gaunt Stranger is the story of a mysterious criminal called "The Ringer" who, although supposedly dead, has threatened to kill a corrupt lawyer called Maurice Meister at a specific time and date.
Scrooge (1935) was the subject of our Christmas special and the last Kino Quickie of the season.
It's the first ever talkie version of A Christmas Carol and stars Seymour Hicks, a man who had played the part hundreds of times before, on both stage and screen.
The Kino Cinema was packed to the rafters which made the second half of the Q&A all the more enjoyable as it was given over to some festive community singing led by a top secret mystery special guest.
The best way to watch Scrooge (unless you happen to catch it on Talking Pictures TV or TPTV Encore) is to buy the DVD of the 1951 Alastair Sim version from Renown Films, because the Seymour Hicks version is included as a bonus extra feature.
Ming's research for the Q&A went above and beyond and she turned up all sorts of interesting nuggets of information much of which was found in . Unfortuantley it's extremely expensive at the moment but is available to read in the .
Kino Quickies 04 - Sweeney Todd (1936) with Jade Evans
Directed by George "King of the Quickies" King and starring Tod Slaughter, it's the well known story of the murderous barber who polishes off his victims who are then processed into pie filling by his next door neighbour. Yum!
Our specially invited expert guest for the post show Q&A, Jade Evans, had a minor disaster the night before the screening when she tested positive for the dreaded Covid. Luckily, we had the technology to enable her to attend remotely via the wonders of the internet and the sound quality was only slightly affected.
None of the prints of Sweeney Todd, as far as we can tell, are in perfect condition but if you'd like to watch a scratchy copy online, you can do that HERE.
And this British Pathe short feature starring Tod Slaughter is hoot!
Kino Quickies 03 - The Phantom Light (1935) with Neil Brand
Episode 3
Thursday, April 14, 2022 • Duration 58:59
The third film in the Kino Quickies season, screened on April 10th 2022, was The Phantom Light from 1935.
An early film from director, Michael Powell, this is the story of spooky goings on in an isolated lighthouse off the remote Welsh coast.
Our specially invited expert guest for the post show Q&A was broadcaster, composer and silent accompanist, Neil Brand.
Book tickets for any of the films in the Kino Quickies season HERE
On April 7th, our very own Lawrence Napper gave an online talk for Westminster Libraries called, Quota Quickies: the worst films ever made? If you missed it, all is not lost as it will soon be posted to YouTube. Watch this space for more details.
Kino Quickies 02 - Death at Broadcasting House (1934) with Jo Botting
Season 1 · Episode 2
Wednesday, March 30, 2022 • Duration 01:04:10
The second film in the Kino Quickies season, screened on March 27th 2022, was Death at Broadcasting House from 1934.
In the futuristic and glamorous surroundings of the BBC's brand new headquarters, an actor is murdered while performing in a radio drama, live on air, before the unsuspecting ears of millions of listeners.
Death at Broadcasting House was based on a novel of the same name by Val Gielgud and Holt Marvell. The book is now out of print and very expensive to buy second hand - however, the story was serialised for the Sydney Morning Herald in 1934 and you can read this (unfortunately low quality) scan of that serialistion HERE.
The film is available to buy on DVD from our friends at .
Kino Quickies 01 - The Ghost Camera (1933) with Pam Hutchinson
Season 1 · Episode 1
Tuesday, March 15, 2022 • Duration 50:37
To kick off the Kino Quickies season on March 13th 2022, we picked a sure fire crowd pleaser. The Ghost Camera is a comedy / mystery / thriller starring Henry Kendall as John Gray, Ida Lupino as May Elton and John Mills as her brother, Ernest.
When John Gray finds a camera on the back seat of his car, he develops the film to try to find out the owner. What he discovers sets him on the path to danger, adventure and, perhaps, love.
Information about the special guests can be found in the listings below.
THE SEASON:Sunday March 13th at 1:30pmThe Ghost Camera (1933)
A surprisingly funny murder / comedy /mystery drama, it stars Henry Kendall, Ida Lupino and a very young John Mills. Our special guest for the post screening Q&A is film critic & historian,
Sunday March 27th at 1:30pmDeath at Broadcasting House (1934). Sunday April 10th at 1:30pmThe Phantom Light (1935).Sunday April 24th at 1:30pmSweeney Todd, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (1936)
Kino Quickies 11 - Death on the Set (1935) with Richard Farmer
Season 2 · Episode 11
Friday, December 9, 2022 • Duration 01:08:05
The cups all those millions of fans out there of the Kino Quickies mascot, Henry Kendall, runneth over this day, because Death on the Set treats us to a double dose of him.
Our Henry plays two unlikeable men - a very unpleasent film director and his drunken and disreputable lookalike - who are locked in a cycle of crime.
It's based on a book by Victor MacClure which is now out of print but you can buy it online if you sell all of your belongings.
Our guest for the Q&A is Richard Farmer, a researcher at Bristol University. He is currently researching UK film studios as part of a wider project called Studio Tec.
During the Q&A we displayed two interesting maps which show the locations of all the film studios in and around London in the 1930s. See them here on the website of the late, great Roland-François Lack.
Our guest for the Q&A is quota quickie royalty in the form of the author Steve Chibnall, who literally wrote the book on quota quickies. It's called Quota Quickies by Steve Chibnall.
You can buy Quota Quickies by Steve Chibnall on the internet.
In 1978, an elderly Ches Allen appeared on ITV's "".
Kino Quickies 09 - I Lived With You (1933) with John Snelson
Season 2 · Episode 9
Thursday, November 10, 2022 • Duration 57:15
I Lived With You (1933) - a comedy starring Ivor Novello, based on a play that he wrote - is the third film in this second season of Kino Quickies.
Novello plays a homeless Russian prince who meets Gladys Wallis (Ursula Jeans) in the maze at Hampton Court and moves in with her family. His presence in this normal family home has chaotic effects on the whole household. Also starring Ida Lupino as Glad's sister, Ada and Eliot Makeham& Minnie Rayner as her parents, the film was directed by the most prolific director in UK film history, Maurice Elvey.
Our guest for the Q&A is the author John Snelson, who has written extensively about the performing arts and has a new book coming out soon about the history of British musicals.
I Lived With You has been released on DVD by Renown Films. Currently, however, all the copies available online are really expensive, so hopeully it will turn up on and soon.
Book tickets for any of the films in the Kino Quickies season HERE
Subscribe to our other film related podcast, Soho Bites.
On April 7th, our very own Lawrence Napper gave an online talk for Westminster Libraries called, Quota Quickies: the worst films ever made? If you missed it, all is not lost as it will soon be posted to YouTube. Watch this space for more details.
Don’t forget to subscribe to the Kino Quickies podcast. It comes out a couple of days after each screening.
They don't just screen ninety year old films at the Kino - they show recent ones too! Keep up to date with theirTwitter,Instagram and website.
Twiddling the knobs for this recording was Robin Warren AKA Robin the Fog - investigate him on his website and follow him on Twitter.
We are delighted to have received support fromTalking Pictures TV - the UK's best TV station. You can find them on your television on these channels: Sky 328, Freeview 82, Freesat 306 and Virgin 445 and register for their online catch-up service,TPTV Encore
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In the film, one of the key plot points is the that the murder happens to be recorded on a new piece of technology called a Blattnerphone, although the device itself is never shown in the movie. The audience at the Kino was treated to a picture of one. You can see that and hear an example of an actual Blatterphone recording HERE
The Inventor of the Blattnerphone wasLudwig Blattner- an interesting man who was a major player in early UK film.
Book tickets for any of the films in the Kino Quickies season HERE
Jo Botting runs monthly screenings of interesting, obscure and rare vintage films on Tuesday evenings at the BFI. Details HERE
Our in-house Quota Quickie expert, Dr Lawrence is giving an online talk on April 7th about…. yes you guessed it…. Quota Quickies! It’s called, Quota Quickies: the worst films ever made? and you can register for free
Riding the faders and twiddling the knobs for this recording was Robin Warren AKA Robin The Fog who has a busy and diverse portfolio of work. Find him on Twitter or on his website and you can also hear him on Resonance FM.
A murder mystery set and partly shot at the BBC's (then) brand new headquarters. An actor is murdered whilst performing live on air before the shocked ears of millions of listeners. Josephine Botting, curator of the BFI National Archive is our guest for the Q&A.
Directed by a young Michael Powell and starring Gordon Harker and Binnie Hale, the action centres on an isolated lighthouse where the previous lighthouse keeper has been mysteriously murdered. Composer and silent film accompanist.Neil Brand, joins us for the Q&A.
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