New Elstree Studios

New Elstree Studios was a British film studio complex that was the main production centre for the Danziger Brothers from 1956 to 1962, and was one of several sites collectively known as "Elstree Studios". 60 B-movies and 350 half-hour TV episodes were filmed there, for both British and American markets.

New Elstree Studios
Alternative namesDanziger Studios
General information
TypeFilm studios
AddressElstree Road, Elstree, Hertfordshire
CountryUnited Kingdom
Coordinates51.6427°N 0.3146°W / 51.6427; -0.3146
Construction started1955 (1955)
Completed1957
Inaugurated1956
OwnerDanziger Brothers
Technical details
Floor area7.5 acres (3.0 ha)

History

Edward and Harry Danziger were American-born brothers who moved to Britain in 1952 and began making television films, using resources at various facilities including London's Riverside Studios, Shepperton, Borehamwood and Nettlefold.

In 1955, the Danzigers decided to form their own studio base and founded the New Elstree Studios in Hertfordshire. They converted a former wartime aero-engine testing factory, west of the Aldenham Reservoir near the village of Elstree, into a studio with six sound stages and exterior shooting facilities. The 7.5-acre (3.0 ha) site employed 200 and was used mainly for second features and television series,[1] to be sold in both Britain and America.[2]

The Danzigers' aim was to produce films as quickly and as cheaply as possible, regardless of quality.[3] By the time of the studios' official opening in 1956, over twenty productions had already been filmed there.[4] The studios operated as an assembly line, producing some 60 B-movies and 350 half-hour TV episodes between 1955 and 1961,[5] typically producing two TV episodes a week,[1] or a second feature in ten days.[3]

The site was closed in 1962 and sold to RTZ Metals in October 1965 for warehouse storage.[1] Since the late 1980s, the site has been occupied by the Waterfront Business Park on the A411 Elstree Road.[6]

List of films shot at New Elstree Studios

This is a chronological list of films (including television series on film) that were shot at New Elstree Studios. All were produced by Danziger Productions or Danziger Photoplays, except those indicated otherwise.

Other Danziger productions

The following films were produced by the Danzigers,[44][45] and are therefore very likely to have been shot at New Elstree Studios, but it is possible that a small number were shot elsewhere.

See also

References
  1. Vahimagi, Tise. "Danzigers, The". BFI screen online. British Film Institute. Retrieved 12 February 2022.
  2. Mann, Dave (2009). Britain's first TV/film crime series and the industrialisation of its film industry, 1946-1964. New York: Edwin Mellen Press. p. 163. ISBN 978-0-7734-4763-9.
  3. Mayne, Laura Margaret Jayne (31 Aug 2016). "Whatever happened to the British 'B' movie? : Micro- budget film-making and the death of the one-hour supporting feature in the early 1960s". Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television. Taylor & Francis Group. 37 (3): 559–576. doi:10.1080/01439685.2016.1220765. ISSN 1465-3451.
  4. Mann (2009), p. 162
  5. Amies, Mark (26 April 2020). "From Aero Engines to Movie-making – Elstree's other studio". Past<Rewind. Retrieved 4 February 2022.
  6. "From B-movies into b-roads". Borehamwood and Elstree Times. Newsquest Media Group Ltd. 15 March 2007. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
  7. "Sailor of Fortune (TV series)". BFI. British Film Institute. Archived from the original on January 1, 2022. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  8. McFarlane, Brian. The Encyclopedia of British Film: Fourth edition. p. 2009.
  9. "The New Elstree Studios". Studio Review (supplement to Kinematograph Weekly). Odhams Press. 2 October 1957. p. iv. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
  10. "The Depraved (1957)". BFI. British Film Institute. Archived from the original on March 10, 2016. Retrieved 29 January 2022.
  11. "Quatermass 2 (1957)". BFI. British Film Institute. Archived from the original on May 14, 2016. Retrieved 29 January 2022.
  12. "Blood in the Sky (1958)". BFI. British Film Institute. Archived from the original on May 27, 2020. Retrieved 29 January 2022.
  13. "Up the Creek (1958)". BFI. British Film Institute. Archived from the original on May 25, 2020. Retrieved 29 January 2022.
  14. "High Jump (1958)". BFI. British Film Institute. Archived from the original on March 9, 2016. Retrieved 29 January 2022.
  15. "Man Accused (1959)". BFI. British Film Institute. Archived from the original on March 9, 2016. Retrieved 29 January 2022.
  16. "Crash Drive (1959)". BFI. British Film Institute. Archived from the original on December 1, 2020. Retrieved 29 January 2022.
  17. "Date at Midnight (1960)". BFI. British Film Institute. Archived from the original on September 11, 2018. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  18. "Escort for Hire (1960)". BFI. British Film Institute. Archived from the original on June 6, 2019. Retrieved 29 January 2022.
  19. "The Nudist Story (1960)". BFI. British Film Institute. Archived from the original on March 10, 2016. Retrieved 29 January 2022.
  20. "An Honourable Murder (1960)". BFI. British Film Institute. Archived from the original on June 6, 2019. Retrieved 29 January 2022.
  21. "The Tell-tale Heart (1960)". BFI. British Film Institute. Archived from the original on December 3, 2020. Retrieved 29 January 2022.
  22. "The Spider's Web (1960)". BFI. British Film Institute. Archived from the original on June 6, 2019. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  23. "Compelled (1960)". BFI. British Film Institute. Archived from the original on January 31, 2022. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  24. "Sentenced for Life (1960)". BFI. British Film Institute. Archived from the original on March 10, 2016. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  25. "Night Train for Inverness (1960)". BFI. British Film Institute. Archived from the original on September 19, 2017. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  26. "Inside Job (1961)". BFI. British Film Institute. Archived from the original on June 6, 2019. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  27. "Feet of Clay (1961)". BFI. British Film Institute. Archived from the original on November 27, 2020. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  28. "A Taste of Money (1961)". BFI. British Film Institute. Archived from the original on March 23, 2019. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  29. "Two Wives at One Wedding (1961)". BFI. British Film Institute. Archived from the original on August 26, 2017. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  30. "So Evil, So Young (1961)". BFI. British Film Institute. Archived from the original on March 7, 2016. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  31. "Highway to Battle (1961)". BFI. British Film Institute. Archived from the original on May 5, 2019. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  32. "The Middle Course (1961)". BFI. British Film Institute. Archived from the original on October 9, 2019. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  33. "Return of a Stranger (1962)". BFI. British Film Institute. Archived from the original on March 11, 2016. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  34. "The Gentle Terror (1963)". BFI. British Film Institute. Archived from the original on January 31, 2022. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  35. "Strip Tease Murder (1963)". BFI. British Film Institute. Archived from the original on March 10, 2016. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  36. "The Court Martial of Major Keller (1964)". BFI. British Film Institute. Archived from the original on September 3, 2018. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  37. "Operation Stogie (1962)". BFI. British Film Institute. Archived from the original on January 23, 2021. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  38. "The Pursuers (1962)". BFI. British Film Institute. Archived from the original on June 6, 2019. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  39. "Three Spare Wives (1962)". BFI. British Film Institute. Archived from the original on October 26, 2020. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  40. "The Durant Affair (1962)". BFI. British Film Institute. Archived from the original on January 20, 2019. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  41. "The Lamp in Assassin Mews (1962)". BFI. British Film Institute. Archived from the original on June 6, 2019. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  42. "The Battleaxe (1962)". BFI. British Film Institute. Archived from the original on June 6, 2019. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  43. "The Spanish Sword (1963)". BFI. British Film Institute. Archived from the original on October 30, 2020. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  44. "Danziger Productions Ltd". BFI. British Film Institute. Archived from the original on March 10, 2016. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  45. "Danziger Photoplays". BFI. British Film Institute. Archived from the original on August 14, 2020. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
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