The North East Film Archive is one of a network of regional film archives established to collect, preserve and show film made in, or about the North East of England. Our collections are non-fiction, and date from the early 1900s to the present day, providing a rich record of life in the region over the 20th century. Many of our films are available to watch, free of charge, on our website.
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Just Billingham No. 24
From the golden age of the industrial cinemagazine, Just Billingham presents the snap, crackle and pop of a chemical workshop and saucy Scarborough seaside fun for pensioners.
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Overview
A punchy mix of film gems feature in this Just Billingham edition. An exasperated narrator offers comic, cautionary safety advice to ICI workers caught in traffic turmoil at the works’ East Gate. Workers wear alarming protective suits in the final days of traditional metal sodium production at Billingham’s Cassel Works and a good humoured commentary, reminiscent of March of Time newsreels, accompanies a record of a pensioners’ trip to the Scarborough seaside.
ICI Billingham was one of many industries in Britain attracted to the distinctive format of the cinemagazine, first popularised by the Pathe Pictorial in 1918. Twenty seven issues of Just Billingham were released from 1946 to 1960 and distributed internally for film shows that would foster a sense of community between works divisions. Rich in content and variety, a voice-of-God narrator frequently adds a light, whimsical touch to the stories. Topics covered range from an exposition on the beer shortage affecting thirsty workers in 1947 to a look at the work of the anhydrite mine that operated below the ICI Casebourne cement works from 1928.
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