1961-06-14 — Page 6

12,97

THE CHINA MAIL, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 14, 1961.

DAILY EXPRESSA

Weather: Bright perkando; akawerg

The former editor of the Express tells his story

HEADLINES ALL MY LIFE

Suez-and my interview with Eden

by ARTHUR CHRISTIANSEN

114

I am always asked, "What Is pillow, and he didn't seem

e working for Beaver- all happy. Neither have 1, he tuke the credil

Get a move on, Churics," IN the office which I occupied as Editor of the on the fe

for the fact that it was so good. broot?" Usinity my questioners said. Daily Express the carpet wore out two or three And then that day's efforts provide their own answer before Does he go on like that with

can get a word in edgeways. his newspapers?" times in 25 years and the curtains were replaced are sidetracked by a realistic

Oreussion on what is to go into "It must be hell,"

once.

But nothing else changed.

and on the

Bext day's paper.....

It is hell and it isn't. On the After typical night thai The old-fashioned, rose-

maintained its tempo till 3 am days when you think it is going wood, leather-topped double

Lord to be helt it isn't, 1 overslept, TE t the same now in fix essen-

and when desk which R. D. Blumen- tials as when I first sat behind Beaverbrook called me on the days when it seems serene, it feld bequeathed to Beverley that desk. At noon there is a telephone 1 was still at home, turns out to be hell. Baxter was bequeathed to conference in the Editor's Room Three times he called before i Then this the departmental heads. with iT turo and then What's the news! The News bequeathed in my surressor, Editor

his engagement rend book and nemmes Edward Pickering.

the reporters One day I gul gick of the sight designed to the various events.

Any good pictures in prospert: of these cld desk und order- ed a new one. But found that The Picture Editor speaks.

mie

What's going on in the Middle

arrived at multiday. dialogue took place.

"What time do you get เร your oice in the morning?" It depends on what time I Anish the previous night, sir."

"I did not ask you what time you Anished. i want to know

PROGRESS

During the Battle of Britain I in the war Invited to ch boardroom of The Times,

Sir Charles other quest was

An-

to buy a new desk of the same East? The Foreign Editor's in what time you come into your Craven, who used to be brand-

cos!

dearly

size would bave

£400, and I did not seem worth. while

METHOD

comes.

Anybody got an idea for a really powerful leading on the Anglo-American Alliance? What did you all think of the paper today? Isn't wonderful that The Scout's tips are coming up and how long do the Sports Elitor think it will last?

office in the morning.

SERENE

J

arina-

"You'll get used to it," repiled.

I

Where fact becomes hard fact

HAWKEY

the composing room of the Daily Express as words become metal and a story for millions of readers

Beaverbrook was presented to which we can speak," he says them, when the London editors him by Isidore Östrer, head of in his favourite phrase for such of the leading provincial dailles the fim family, and has been Inoments.

were included, that there was no in the main hall of the Daily

room for us all at the Cabinet Express building in Flect-street We must support Eden in table. since 1934.

Call our newspapers," he says,

"Give him

The whole affair seemed an our strongest sup-

of The purpose The unveiling of the head was port. We can start tonight by awful muddle. the occasion of one of Lord arging the Service departments the conference was to ask newa. not lo be too specifu Beaverbrook's rare visits to the lo practise economy: that will papers

about Britain's military prépara- office. Long before my tuine he help him in his Dght." we

tions.

But actually I never did. "Let's go for a motor-car thie: bring your notebook nad n copy of the paper," he said one We pulled up outside a day modest house In Kensington.

Without any explanation he took me slie and there were in the sludku of Jacub Epstein.

Lord Beaverbrook took his place on a throne. Epstein tock a wet cloth off a lump of clay I sat at the foot of the throne on a wooden chair.

SARDONIC

on the top flour of the office

most.

visits

to catch

the

that

the

the

excitement of

to

HANDLED

Sp of

had given up living in a flat In

The editors grumbled and now he came once a year flaming political June I worked much about the vagueness at

week, the proposal that Sir Walter were a 16-hour day, slx-day supposed

the staff sub-editing news stories, laying- Monckton, Minister of Defence, unawares, but the management's out pages, writing headlines, offered to set up a committer secret service was most efficient directing leading articles, con-

which messages could be ed by the Socialists as Merchant

and

whole place was ferring with Lord Beaverbronk,

submitted. "It depends on what time I of Death No, 1 because he was

spenced up with the spit and staying up late with my friends. 2 article finish. Sometimes it's am managing director of Vickers-

nt of all KRIFIC polish

attracts snatching usually

"Hey, that's censorship in glant Armstrings, the sometimes it's Am

hostile Press publicity when on weekends, driving up to London peacetime!"

expostulated, coastal "am nul- Bterested in what ments ar

Army barracks gets the full against

traffic speaking for the first time. And time you finish, only In wha!

stream to take afternoon news so it went on. We were Intruduord, and his

treatment before a royal visit. fine you come in."

conferences

after- Said Epstein, with a sardonie

on Sunday harlson, bronzed face pucker-

Although he never caught his noons while my deputy was on cet In pain as Major J. J. Astor grin, broader if anything than

Fleet-street headquarters un holiday-having, In fact, the of Heyer) Beaverbrook's: "Your Lordship awares he succeeded unce in usual wonderful time. Astor (later Lord explained that I was the has had his hair cut since the doing

50 in the Manchester younguet eder in Flect-street last sitling."

office. The sturdy Lancashire Then came Nasser's seizure of Ya-as Beaverbrook: and had been running Beaver-

have commissionaire

But refused him Suc

the big news, when it } spent the afternoon of broke, was not for me. I had brook's top

and i hope I did not do wrong admission. reven paper for

ny 52nd birthday in the Cabinet handled my last story. A couple. Christiansen, years.

You

Room alone with Mr Eden of weeks later, while at Lord Beachcomber's

while he explained the situation Beaverbrook's villa funny?

Cap to me. Christlausen: It always makes

d'Al for a weekend. I had à heart Attack. I was town back Muugh.

to London and to hospital, While I was there Britain and France Invaded Egypt-and I was not allowed to see a single past 13 visits to newspaper, nor talk to a single

been newspaperman. 10 Downing-street had mostly with colleagues; this was only my second audience with a Prime Minister.

How can we get more work out of that lazy genlus so-and-so and why Isn't he at the morn- ing conference imyway? Was

So the old desk is still there, an inanimate but precious piece of newspaper history that dates back long long before Ford Beaverbrook bought

the paper lor £27,000 plus its bad debts.

For a medium which changes he light last night, does anyone know? (Silence.) Did anybody so much with the public mood it is surprising that the method Watch TV last night

newspaper

of producing A changes little--as little, in fnet, as Blumenfeld's desk. That great man laid down the method for the Excess amul it has en followed by the editors of the paper ever since,

A day can be as dull as the Sabbath in Wales, or us exciting as Easter in Seville, but the basic routine never varios,

In the afternoon there is on-

other conference, this one mech more businesslike, for tension is mounting.

CREDIT

Night excentives. their pay nbont

terday's paper WAL

"Well, I must repeat depends on.....

that it

i was cut short at this point, "Give me a time, my friend," rak Lord Beaverbronic turshly, "and I promise you that never, never,

never will I call

before that thre,"

you

A tough bul, the Beaver. But he never enlled me a moment before 11.30-and-a-half for the next 10 years. Nor was I ever have late, so I will never know it wo yes would have had another row if bad, I had been, SO

TOW

why

"1

"Good God," said Craven, don t think I will live for seven days if your boss doesn't change his ways. I'm working for him at the Ministry of Aircraft Pro- duction,

"He called me at two o'clock this morning, and at half-past eight he was on the telephone ngain to get a progress report.

وائی

think

column is

Beaverbrook: Then read it out aloud and see if I makes

te lagh.

The Epstein heud of ford

"Headlines All My Life” by

I told him that I had hardly Arthur Christiansen, is publish-

had time to put my head on my ed by Heinemann at 25.

SAYS FILM DIRECTOR: 'AS

WE'RE IN A SORRY

HONGKONG

MOVIELAND

BY DAVID LAN

"THERE is a world of change from the flicker that was the movie, to what it has become today" says greying 62-year-old Mr Richard Poh, the Chinese movie industry's senior director, whose movie career spans almost half a century.

Pioneer and crusader, Mr Poh has devoted his life to movie-making and has witnessed the Mandarin movic industry journey from its cradle to its present auccessful position.

He has cirected more than 100.

films and has gulled almost all

"The cameraman hnd to connived to Int the public dictate of the Industry's big stors

The its own faster. "When we started out in 1915, operate shutters to offset

"AB we had no artinetal Ughts." Heckering effects of the mercury

lamps. It was a for

cry from "tho

recalled, "We made a glass studio e modern are-hts and Mule to utilise the sun's raya,”

Mr Poh was then at the

beginning of his enreer, working

Richardson lamps,"

"Next 10 pregetvard from

as a cameraman for the plower- since to sound. The early

Mr Pob. a result" said not-so-elevated lantes of

the public, if I may be pardoned

for mying so, has set our pro- duction polley back sometimes 2 much three decades."

27

ing China Flim Productions Ltd sound - récording tyskum was "A caso in

In Num Tung Chow, four hours such that actor and actress had rent boat ride from Shanghai.

to shoul, even in a love scene." showing

Looking back ove

Progress

years

"There

no round, no transitions

Industry,

point is the cur- action Aims wword-play. boxing.

and cloak-and-dagger

film industry

for Craze

fighting

the pragresa and from black

40 stuff, Tho

has

FOR TASTE STATE'

Mr Richard Poh

the faithfully đug un 30-year-old on both sides of the herbour

The could scarcely and coples and remade them,

cover a fraction

colour, and no moterised white, to colour, and to cinema- publio enjoys them immensely?' of its cost,

Mr Poh war fur from camern. All cameras were hand- salpe,

the operated by madly winding belag erinplacent about cranks", he laughed.

particularly ca mat- Then dawned the age of ters of taste and marketing. mercury lights,

which under every

and actress deve actor loped swollen eyes after a few

hours of shooting."

said Mr Fob, a логгу

Profits

state.

printing of 100 copies to cover all Japan, In other words, Japan hus a market that Is 10 tim: bigger."

Born in Kiangsu in 1900, Mr Prceived h: cinemalo- aphic training from Harvey rogin, who went to China from Hollywood in 1915.

many

H. has worked for more than 10 lm eompanies during his kng career, but has been free- lancing since 1956. fe hus directed

historical spectaculars, and is hiterened in the human interest angle.

Among his best known films are "The Beauty of Beauties," "Sable Clcada" (the latest version was named **Diau Charn"), "Ilumanity", "Soul of China" The Eve of the Wedding" Starting Yu Ming, and Resurection" Elorring Shirley Yamaguchi,

-Me Poh is still strong and energetic, His methods for keeping At? Shadow-boxing for an hour each morning, and be- fore that, a brisk walki"

Petite Agnes K. K. Wong, former Hongkong Mary- knoll

student, now п student at the Pasadena Playhouse, in California, arrived last Sunday star in a film to be made by the Tungman Motion Picture and General Be. velopment Co.

to

Agnes has completed the flest course at Pamdena, where many of Hollywood's top stare TE-

appeared in four stage plays,

The public likes singing, and "It takes the whole of South-ceived their training. She has there are songs in every picture east Aala, for the film to break including "Rain" and the Dark:

whether the oven and make a proflik”. Irrepoctivo at

of the Moon", and has takon a conge it in with

Mr the sloty or

Poh said there was

not.

great future in the Chinese film number of Shakespearoan roles.

At a press conference #oon Chinese Arra

after she On the subject of pronte, Mr industry, unless

arrived, sponsored Poh said that "in the good oki were launched on the world

jomily by Tungman and PAA, days" one Clm shown for 70 Burkes,

May Wong reported

the in Where

on

"But this is Lord Beaver brook," said his secretory.

"Oh, aye," said the commis stonaire. "And you can tell

Beaverbrook Loril

thot I'm Cecil Parkin." (Parkin was a famous Lancashire cricketer,)

"Give Porkin a bonus re-

INCLUDED

ward his vigilance in praiveting Int the iny property," said Lord Ben- verbrook, who had never heard of Cecil Parkin.

*

and

Eden sat in the Prime It is spring in the year of Minister's large armchair, Suez, my last in active jour of the other two dozen or so rolisin. It is clear to me that chairs around the long Cabinet the Beaver has been reeing Room table I had my choice. I Anthony Eden,

Prime took the

the chair on the Prime Minister, for out of his pocket Minister's immediate right. ho produces a series of pen- went away impressed at ABY cilled notes on which he has rate with his firmness of scrawled figures relating to purpose. Britain's Onancial extravagance, mostly milliary.

Less than a week after, I was 5172 giving you these back in Downing-street with the gures in the confidence with rest of the editors-so many of

her

Dress designed by

deaívicky

"On thate" he said, "we are in days in ong cinema, the Astor, "Tako Japen. for example" studies and experience at the Shanghai, covered all the be mid, "A film needing 10 to Playhouse, where she also per- "we hired an cyn doctor to stand industry should tend the pabilis costa of production, while today, 19 cooles for screening in formed many Chinse clasivai

In Houtheast Asia, 14 han instead a ploture shown, for a fortient Gouthames Auta, zoquicen a den daticos.

"As a result,”

by with eye lotion.”

COPYRIGHT

1961.

at

ARTHUR CHRISTIANSEN,

Tomorrow: Churchill

and Lord

Beaverbrook

-London Expreza Service).

Londen Træer Servios,