The East Anglian Film Archive, the first and largest Regional Film Archive in England, was established in 1976. Since 1984, EAFA has been owned and operated by the University of East Anglia, Norwich (UEA), to support research and work to preserve our moving image heritage. More than 250 hours are freely available online as examples of the wide range of film which attracts interest the world over.
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Wall of Death
Anglia Television report on Cindy Willis, a seventeen year old who rides a motorbike around the Wall of Death at the fair by Southend Pier.
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Overview
Southend can boast that in the summer of 1929, the UK’s first Wall of Death was unveiled at the Kursaal, one of the world's first amusement parks which now offers a bowling alley, a casino and other amusements. The film includes an interview with George 'Tornado' Smith, the owner and creator of the Wall of Death, who became synonymous with the sideshow at the Kursaal, and even performed with his tame lioness, Briton in a sidecar after she grew too big to ride on the handlebars.
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