| MARJORIE LAVELLY (1921 - 2006) |
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| Marjorie Lavelly - the 'self-confessed queen of continuity' on sixties and seventies British TV action series. She came out of the forces as an accountant and joined documentary company, GB Instructional Films at Shepherds Bush, then Elstree. An editor she knew offered to train her in the cutting rooms, but due to an eye injury she had to abandon that path. She took a shorthand/typing course and got work as a production secretary. She studied continuity sheets, then got work on 2nd Units. Her husband, a gaffer at Shepperton was offered a picture in India, on which she also managed to get employed. It was a long feature called "Queen of Jhansi", in English and Hindi and the first colour picture to be made by an Indian with Indian finance. She said: "quite an experience, I worried like crazy but managed to get through it without any cockups". Her first English feature was "Robbery Under Arms" (1957), she worked on many Hammer films, four Carry On films, TV series such as "The Avengers", "The Sweeney" and "The Professionals". The last film she worked on was "The Girl in a Swing" (1988). for a Danish company, shot in Copenhagen. She then retired and died in September 2006. |
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| ELAINE SCHREYECK
Elaine Schreyeck - working - on the back of the props truck - on "The Sundowners" - the photo caption was: 'her majesty'. |
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| Elaine Schreyeck - known as "the Duchess", entered the film industry in 1941 at Paramount Pictures in Wardour Street. In February 1942, she joined Ealing Studios under Michael Balcon, to work in the script department, before becoming secretary to director Basil Dearden. In July 1943 she worked on her first film as script supervisor and continued until her retirement in 1986. Her first credit on IMDb is listed as "For Those in Peril", directed by Charles Crichton, an Ealing Films production - she is uncredited. There are 74 films listed on her IMDb page, amongst which are "The Prince and the Showgirl", directed by Laurence Olivier, also "Battle of Britain", "Diamonds are Forever", "Live and Let Die", "The Man with the Golden Gun", "Moonraker", "For Your Eyes Only", "Octopussy", the first two "Superman" films and finally "Hope and Glory". |
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| GLADYS GOLDSMITH
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| Gladys Goldsmith started out at Denham Studios. She was a production secretary during WW2 and worked in an adjacent office to Renee Glynne, to whom she was "a humorous friend and colleague". After the war she turned to continuity at Denham, working as assistant continuity on "Escape" and "Hamlet" in 1948. Her first recorded work 'going solo' was on "Let's have a Murder" in 1950. From "Checkpoint" in 1956 she began a long association with the Rank Organisation and Pinewood Studios. She worked there on the 'Doctor' series of films, took over from Marjorie Lavelly for the location work on "One Million Years BC", and continued on a 'mixed bag' of films: "The Avengers" (series), "Carry on Up The Khyber", "Kelly's Heroes", "The Day of the Jackal", "The Return of the Saint" (series), and her last film was "Moonraker" in 1979. |
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| LORNA SELWYN
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| Lorna Selwyn's first known credit is on the television series "The Bucaneers" (1956). She worked on other tv series: "The Saint", "The Edgar Wallace Mystery Theatre", "The Avengers", films such as "Rasputin: The Mad Monk", "The Plank", "Ulysses", "Witchfinder General" and an infamous style of film of the '70s "Come Play with Me". Her last film on IMDb is "Queen of the Blues" (1979). |
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| DOREEN DEARNALEY
Doreen Dearnaley on location, with some crew members, in Alassio, Italy for "the Snorkel" (1957). |
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| Doreen Dearnaley started as a production secretary for Two Cities Films at Denham Studios. Her first recorded film as continuity girl was "House of Blackmail" in 1953. She worked at Hammer on various films, including "Dracula" in 1957. Among other films, she worked on "The Jokers" and "Charlie Bubbles" in 1967, "Up The Junction" (1968), "Get Carter" (1971) and her final film on IMDb is "Something to Hide" in 1976. |
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| JUNE RANDALL
Brian Donlevy and June Randall on "Quatermass 2" (1956) |
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June Randall first got a job as studio manager's secretary at Gainsborough Studios, Poole Street, Islington. After a year she went onto the floor as an assistant and learned the trade that way. Her first recorded credit as assistant continuity is at Gainsborough on "Dear Murderer" in 1947, and then as continuity girl on "The Blind Goddess" in 1948. She worked at Hammer and on tv series - "The Avengers" and "The Saint". She worked on several films with Stanley Kubrick, starting with "A Clockwork Orange" in 1971, and again with him on "Barry Lyndon" and "The Shining". She worked on 5 "Bond" films, plus "Ghandi", "Alien 3", and her last film was "Back to the Secret Garden" in 2001. |
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| PAULINE HARLOW
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Pauline Harlow started as a receptionist at Bray Studios and then worked as Arthur Kelly's secretary, moving on to work for Anthony Nelson Keys. She was offered a year's training with continuity girl Tilly Day, and was also seconded to the cutting rooms. The first film she did solo as continuity girl was "Sword of Sherwood Forest", taking over from Dot Foreman. She continued her training under Tilly and then worked on various Hammer films. After a break from the job, while her children were growing up, she returned to work on many tv series, "Monsignor Renard", "Kavanagh QC" and particularly "Inspector Morse", with John Thaw. Pauline has continued working on the sequel, "Lewis". |
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Photographs reprinted here with kind permission of Tomahawk Press, the publishers of Wayne Kinsey's book "Hammer Films - The Unsung Heroes": ISBN 13: 978-0-9557670-2-9 and Bloomsbury Publishing Limited, the publishers of "Fred Zinnemann An Autobiography" ISBN 0 - 7475-1131-4 |