This film is part of Free
Job for Johnny
Making plans for Johnny, who has a future in British steel - or so says this fascinating recruitment film.
Overview
Making plans for Johnny... "All he's interested in is motor bikes," but our hero has a future in British steel. This interesting recruitment film takes the form of a drama shot on location in steel town Scunthorpe, using non-actors to play teenaged apprentice Johnny and his family, friends and workmates. It was made for the trade body the British Iron and Steel Federation, which commissioned some 50 films.
Producers Greenpark Productions specialised in sponsored films with a veneer of fey artiness: note the snatches of stylised lighting and dramatic compositions, serving no narrative purpose. The result is disjointed, with atmospheric images but banal, unconvincing dialogue and a 'stage northern' narrator. But as a document of postwar change, it's fascinating. Johnny equals a brand new demographic: the teenager. Although it's hardly Rebel Without a Cause, the script touches on Johnny's inner conflicts as he ponders his future and the conflicting views of elders and peers. Then in the key scene he meets a works careers adviser, effectively addressing the young men in the film's target audience. Johnny's future is as good as sealed...
Related
Pattern for Progress Pattern for Progress
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1948 42 mins Location: Ebbw Vale/Glyn Ebwy
The drama and spectacle of steelmaking at Ebbw Vale.
Steel Windows Steel Windows
Documentary 1970 7 mins
A window on to a futuristic vision of concrete, glass and steel.
Project Spear Project Spear
Industry sponsored film 1964 31 mins
At Rotherham a revolution in steelmaking has human consequences.
Consett Steel Consett Steel
Industry sponsored film 1967 26 mins Location: Consett
Sparks fly in an industrial film that captures the exciting visual drama of steel production in Consett.
The First Four Years The First Four Years
Industry sponsored film 1951 42 mins Silent
An industrial epic plays out in steelmaking South Wales.
End of a Line End of a Line
1975 13 mins Silent Location: Swindon
After a glorious history, Baldwin's iron and steelworks in Swindon, Staffordshire, faces closure.
Scunthorpe International Folk Festival Scunthorpe International Folk Festival
Non-Fiction 1969 4 mins Silent Location: Scunthorpe
It’s the year of famous music festivals, and Scunthorpe has a rare opportunity to see some colourful national dress, dancing and folk music.
Prince George's Visit to Scunthorpe - Oct. 26th, 1933 Prince George's Visit to Scunthorpe - Oct. 26th, 1933
Non-Fiction 1933 9 mins Silent Location: Scunthorpe
Royalty comes to Scunthorpe - and the Jubilee Cinema produces its very own film to mark the great occasion.
Khichdi Khichdi
Animation & Artists Moving Image 2023 16 mins
The interwoven stories of four best friends who reunite in the UK, thirty-five years after training together as nurses during their teens in Ferozepur, Punjab.
Dr XYZ: A Medical Drag Transthology Dr XYZ: A Medical Drag Transthology
2023 15 mins
A satirical take on the healthcare service announcements of the 1960s and 70s.
Every Moment Counts Every Moment Counts
Animation & Artists Moving Image 2023 9 mins
A short animation that offers a window into the world of children’s palliative care.
Police Story: Panel Discussion Police Story: Panel Discussion
Inside Film 2024 24 mins
Panel discussion on Jackie Chan's 1985 action classic Police Story, with Chase Armitage, Sam Mak and Jadey Duffield.
China O'Brien: The Reunion China O'Brien: The Reunion
Documentary 2024 60 mins
Cynthia Rothrock, Richard Norton and Keith Cooke reunite three decades on from the groundbreaking martial arts classic.
Women in Action Panel Discussion Women in Action Panel Discussion
Inside Film 2024 28 mins
Action Xtreme - the UK's leading action film studio - hosts this panel discussion with four leading women in action cinema - Soo Cole, Jo Rolison, Jadey Duffield and Ioanna Karavela.