Butlin's Holiday Camps 1950s

Decade: 1950

B&W shots: Busy UK streets 1940s post-war, post war England, great shots of buses , cars and men on bicycles cycling towards camera, plane taking off. Travel. CUs people carrying suitcases, man loading suitcases onto trolley, families on trolley car go through tunnel . COLOUR from here. Trolley car emerges into Butlins resort film is now in miraculous technicolour ( Wizard of Oz style ). V/O ‘ come with us and enjoy the finest holiday of your life , you’ll remember every moment and you’ll be refreshed by the colour and gaiety of this new and attractive world full of wonder and delight ‘ comical hyperbole / marketing spiel. Visuals are very underwhelming, sign says ‘ Welcome to Butlins... Read more B&W shots: Busy UK streets 1940s post-war, post war England, great shots of buses , cars and men on bicycles cycling towards camera, plane taking off. Travel. CUs people carrying suitcases, man loading suitcases onto trolley, families on trolley car go through tunnel . COLOUR from here. Trolley car emerges into Butlins resort film is now in miraculous technicolour ( Wizard of Oz style ). V/O ‘ come with us and enjoy the finest holiday of your life , you’ll remember every moment and you’ll be refreshed by the colour and gaiety of this new and attractive world full of wonder and delight ‘ comical hyperbole / marketing spiel. Visuals are very underwhelming, sign says ‘ Welcome to Butlins ‘, row of flags waving in the wind, camera pans across Butlins swimming pool and fountain. EXT Butlins Empire theatre, huge menacing clown statue standing on top of theatre roof. Holidaymakers get off trolley car, children pointing, family at door of holiday home. ‘Red Coat ‘ drops off bags, row of holiday homes / shacks with holidaymakers sitting outside, family stroll through gardens ( beautiful flowers ). Mother fixes ‘ camp badge ‘ to son’s t-shirt, son is wearing a ‘Kent Butlins ‘ hat. INT family seat themselves in dining hall, little girl tastes soup and smiles (nice ). EXT mother and little son, son is sat in high chair and drinks from a cup, various babies eating , neon sign for Butlins theatre. Conductor, bizarre comedy sketch man in pink gown and blonde wig prances across the stage and keeps tripping over, drag queen, great reaction shot of 1940s audience laughing / funny. 1940s theatre. Woman in nurse’s uniform ‘ chalet patrol’. She looks through the window to check on the baby, CU baby crying, nurse takes a note. Nice close shot of woman picking up telephone / phone call (slightly reckless babysitting scheme). Woman leaves her seat in audience.



01:03:30 - 01:06:40

CU sign ‘Camp Church’. INT church clergyman/ priest in red robes conducts service. Vars altar with cross, candles and silver goblet, religious art. Good shots of 40s people leaving church and shaking hands with the priest, CU priest. Sign ‘Reading and Writing Room’ . INT Great shot of man writing letter at desk by window. CU man’s hands writing letter (generic writing shot). Elderly man with comb-over (balding) lights pipe, smoking. Young woman in pearls reading magazine. Elderly woman knitting. Middle aged man snoozes in chair (after dinner nap). Great shots of 40s people relaxing. EXT Little girl in white flowery dress with bow in hair plays with giant croquet mallet. CU label with ‘My name is… Chalet number…’. Great shots of children’s playground. Little boys and girls standing up spin on little carousel. CU cute blonde little boy smiling. Group of girls and boys swing on big swing. Idyllic/ nostalgic childhood images. Children’s entertainment. Punch and Judy show (creepy puppets). Vars children in audience watch show. Man in silly had goes down slide. Little girl on swing. More playground shots. Children’s party in playground with clowns, big group of children waving balloons. Children down slide and riding on little horses.



01:06:40 - 01:09:00

Sports Day. Balloon race, huge group of people holding multi-coloured balloons, let them go into the sky. Kids by lake dressed up as pirates, fancy dress party. EXT photo shop, people look through window at black and white photos. Great shot of little ginger boy with nose pressed up against glass (could be sweet shop, excited children look through window). Red Coat takes photo of family sat on bench. Man takes photo of girl and grandpa. Photographers. Nice MCU young woman smiling for the camera. Shopping centre. Sign for ‘Childrens Shop’. Boys staring in shop window whilst eating ice cream. Nice CU top shot of ginger woman’s hair being combed into 40s waved style, hairdresser. Signs for Gift Shop, Fruit Shop, Post Office. CU man’s hands scooping Walls ice cream from a cardboard pot. DAY EXT parade, sunny day, marching band of Red Coats, man bangs big drum. Brass band. Crowd gather by the swimming pool on summer day. VO says ‘they have some of the finest swimming pools in the country’. Two ladies in swimsuits and swimming cap pose on water fountain. VO ‘with the band, the costumes, the luxury surroundings you might very well imagine yourself on the Riviera or perhaps in Hollywood’ funny, glamorous Butlins! Little boy on orange lilo, two young women in swimming costumes pose with umbrella and beach ball. Children play in children’s pool, paddling pool. ‘Expert diver’ does high dive. MCU man with great mustache.



01:09:00 - 01:13:05

Swimming gala. EXT swimming races. Crowd watches at side of the pool. ‘Holiday Princess’ competition, beauty contest/ pageant. Young women parade round the pool some in dresses some in swimming costumes. Elderly couple in audience look on smiling. Audience clap contestants/ applaud. Girls onto podium, 3 in swimsuits one in very demure long dress, young man rather cheekily lifts up demure girl’s dress to reveal her knees then looks up at her. Audience laugh. Children’s fancy dress contest, boy dressed as African warrior, little girl as geisha, fairy. INT Coffee Bar, children sit around eating cake. CU woman’s hand holding cocktail, pan down to table of drinks with small plate of maraschino cherries beside it. INT 40s English pub. Customers drink in silhouette, CU barmaid pulling a pint. Alcohol, drinking. People riding horses through camp. Two young girls roller-skating in EXT roller rink. Couples roller-skating. Little boys look at skating couples and point. Men play roller hockey match. GVS Butlins camp buildings, windmill. Redcoats riding on horse and cart with sign reading ‘Butlins in Ireland’. CU baby in white clothes. CU middle aged man laughing. Boy over high jump, boy down slide into water. Nice shot of relaxed woman sat outside with eyes closed, content. Pan across Butlins pool. NIGHT shots of signs for Butlins Empire Theatre. Red sunset shots.