Screen Archive South East is a public sector moving image archive serving the South East of England. The archive's collections of magic lantern slides, films, videos and associated materials capture the many varied aspects of life, work and creativity from the early days of screen history to the present day and serve as a rich and invaluable historical resource.
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Drunken Writer
A deranged writer resorts to the gin bottle in John P Mitchell's beserk comedy film from 1960
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Overview
This weird comedy from John P Mitchell, features a demented writer trying to connect his typewriter to an electric current. After his first attempts produce only sparks, the experimenter swigs from a handy bottle of gin. The typewriter continues to spark so the writer decides to empty the bottle. This is shown using stop-motion animation. The inevitable result is that the professor is seen dancing and singing to himself and using a morse-key to produce text.
Filmmaker, John Mitchell, was a member of the Brighton & Hove Photographic Club and made numerous film portraits of Brighton, Hove and Sussex in the 1960s. His work primarily focussed on visitor attractions like the Palace Pier, fairground rides, the Volk's Electric Railway, and the London to Brighton Veteran Car Rally. He also made entertainments, like The Drunken Writer and films recording events or activities in the area like an Armistice Day ceremony, fishermen at work at Shoreham Harbour, and delegates gathering at a Labour Party Conference.
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