Old wagons on film (Rank Films "Look at Life" series)

UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUMS OLD TIME LORRIES, COMPANIES AND DRIVERS (INTERACT
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Hi all and a Happy New Year.

I stumbled across a few short films on youtube a month or so back, all under a general heading “Look at Life”. As it turns out, back in the 50s and 60s the Rank Organisation (then Britain’s biggest cinema and film company) decided to ditch the newsreels that it usually showed as a prequel to the main feature in favour of a series of short films that focussed on a number of aspects of daily life in Britain. I won’t go on about it much more except to say they (Rank) kept the series going for a decade and looked at any number of subjects; perhaps best of all they didn’t skimp on the quality, using high-grade 35mm film, and even on youtube the results still look fabulous.

Anyway, what’s this got to do with this forum? Well, try these for size:

First, “Look at Life - A Load of Pheasants 1969”
youtube.com/watch?v=llQUrH8eEHM

A short film whose main subject is a team of two (unfortunate?) blokes taking an ERF (LV? A series?) with a load of dead expensive birds (or dead, expensive birds) to Italy. At about 6m50s we see why having a map with low bridges marked on it was an invention whose time was well overdue.

Second, “All Through The Night” (1960)
youtube.com/watch?v=wvd5Y_maKQc

in which we follow Wal in his Atlas Express Bedford S Type on a night trunk to the Midlands and back. Having seen the sheer amount of labour and sweat involved in getting a load together at about 1m2s, all I can say is thank gawd for forklifts.

Last, from 1964, “Turn Of The Wheel”,
youtube.com/watch?v=dSlOS6Cflos
in which the film shows how decommissioned buses, trains and trams were recycled (anyone who thinks recycling old PT stock is a new thing is either naive or too silly to listen to). Lots of glimpses of old stock for the bus and train nuts on here, but the highlight for me is the sight of a Wynn’s motor (a Pacific?) at about 7m35s lugging an old Pullman carriage around.

I hope some on here will enjoy these (there are others that touch on transport) as much as I did, it certainly beats watching the 5-nil rout that is the Ashes.

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Forgot to add this one:
“The City’s For Living In” (1968).
youtube.com/watch?v=tMamOIdcS9A
Not specifically about lorries but transport planning and in particular Bath. Scammell at 0m59, not sure what the artic at 1m3s is but a Dodge (LAD cab?) following, at 1m11s a Leyland 4-wheeler and then an Ergo cab artic, for some reason Wilmotts rings a loud bell. Whose was the Ergo cabbed concrete mixer at 7m20s?

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The mixer was one of MIXCONCRETE’s, they had a few plant’s dotted around. Good films.

Pete.

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Thanks Pete (windrush). Great films as you say.

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Ive been trying to find news footage of the winter 1977 when the M62 closed due to heavy snow, it was the first all weather motorway which it obviously wasnt

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i watched them on you tube only a couple of weeks ago ,its in four parts how the police patrol was trying to keep it goin.good viewing

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curnock:
i watched them on you tube only a couple of weeks ago ,its in four parts how the police patrol was trying to keep it goin.good viewing

Not sure what you watched, but got a link?

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Theres loads of films on all sorts of subjects. I spent hours watching all sorts of different stuff on them the other week

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kr79:
Theres loads of films on all sorts of subjects. I spent hours watching all sorts of different stuff on them the other week

Me too. I’m glad someone got something out of them, I was beginning to think the lack of responses on here meant I’d wasted my time posting the links.

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ramone:
Ive been trying to find news footage of the winter 1977 when the M62 closed due to heavy snow, it was the first all weather motorway which it obviously wasnt

i watched the videos in connection with this !!

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curnock:

ramone:
Ive been trying to find news footage of the winter 1977 when the M62 closed due to heavy snow, it was the first all weather motorway which it obviously wasnt

i watched the videos in connection with this !!

Where , have you got the link?