The East Anglian Film Archive, the first and largest Regional Film Archive in England, was established in 1976. Since 1984, EAFA has been owned and operated by the University of East Anglia, Norwich (UEA), to support research and work to preserve our moving image heritage. More than 250 hours are freely available online as examples of the wide range of film which attracts interest the world over.
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Childrens' Christmas Parties
The ring on the string keeps moving! Party games, a finger buffet and a ventriloquist dummy entertain the children of the Lane and Scrutton families at Christmastime.
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Overview
The Lane-Scrutton families enjoy a get-together and a giggle at Christmas, with special parties put on for the grandchildren, friends and neighbours. An elaborate finger food buffet and party games such as 'oranges and lemons' and 'pass the parcel' keep the little ones entertained, whilst the 'big ones' entertain themselves with a ventriloquist dummy - a toy version of Peter Brough's famous puppet character Archie Andrews who at the time was a favourite on the wireless.
In an age before television, the hobby of home movie-making would fill in those vacant hours for brothers-in-law Sidney Lane and Cecil Scrutton. Throughout the years they captured a number of family events – away days, play days and parties – even employing a set of free-standing floodlights to ensure indoor scenes at their Norwich homes were adequately captured. They bought their 9.5mm cine camera in 1951, from Doughty's Shop on Regent Road in Great Yarmouth. A screening of the year's home movies would become an integral part of the family’s winter schedule, accompanied by a bought Charlie Chaplin film short for added entertainment.
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