Title:NATIONAL SAVINGS FILM COMPILATION [Main Title]
Film Number:MGH 4211
Other titles:
Summary: Several short wartime films promoting National Savings.
Description: I. Short animation in which a man on a bicycle, carrying a rolled up poster, cycles through a village and into London. In Trafalgar Square, he winches himself up Nelson's Column and drops a poster declaring "Savings New: We Must Keep on Saving". (Some smudging of image towards the end of the clip.)
II. Close-up of a newspaper with a National Savings advertisement stating that "The Squander Bug Loves Stuffed Wallets". The Squander Bug himself, an animated character, climbs out of the advertisement and walks across the desktop intent on mischief, but gets stuck on a stamp - a National Savings stamp.
III. Short message "Squash that Squander Bug with National Savings".
IV. "More and More". Short film in which broadcaster and comedian Cyril Fletcher recites the tale of "Cyril Bole, who didn't trust a living soul". He doesn't trust his money with anyone else, so stuffs it in his mattress. After losing a lot of it in a fire, he changes heart and decides to wisely invest his cash in National Savings. The short ends with an appeal to join a National Savings Group: "No End to Groups". (Written by A P Tooley; Produced by the National Savings Committee by Merton Park Studios.)
V. Lady Cripps, wife of Chancellor of the Exchequer Stafford Cripps, notes that although the war in Europe is now at an end and "we have much to be thankful for", it must not be forgotten that the war in the East is continuing. She makes an appeal for aid to China, Britain's ally against Japan, and promotes a Flag Day being organised by British United Aid to China. End caption "Help China".
VI. "Build the Broken Walls." Shots of London being rebuilt after the end of the war; Laurence Olivier (voiceover) makes an appeal. "Let us rebuild [the walls of the city] with energy and confidence. However, our boys are still fighting in the Far East... Work and save, and prepare the home of freedom for their homecoming. Keep on saving!"
Alternative Title:
Colour:B&W
Digitised:No
Object_Number:MGH 4211
Sound:Sound
Access Conditions:IWM
Featured Period:
Production Date:1944
Production Country: GB
Production Details: National Savings Committee (Production sponsor)
Merton Park Studios (Production company)
Tooley, A P (Production individual)
Fletcher, Cyril (Production cast)
Olivier, Laurence19071989British actor; Laurence Kerr, preferred form Laurence Olivier. (Production cast)
Personalities, Units and Organisations:
Keywords:
Physical Characteristics: Colour format: B&W
Sound format: Sound
Soundtrack language: English
Title language: English
Subtitle language: None
Technical Details: Format: 35mm
Number of items/reels/tapes: 1
Footage: 687 ft; Running time: 8 mins
