John Baxter (director)
John Philip Baxter (born December 31, 1896 in Foots Cray , Kent , † February 15, 1975 in London ) was a British film director and producer .
Life
Baxter was initially employed as a railroad worker and, after experience as a troop supervisor, began a career as a singer after the First World War. After experience as a manager of colleagues and actors, he got the opportunity to work in film with the beginning of the sound film era. For the Shepperton Studios he was first employed as a casting director, then as a director. His debut film Taking Ways consisted of numerous music hall numbers that brought the short plot to a full-length length. His second film brought him attention because of the unusual setting; Doss House was in a homeless shelter gambling melodrama .
He was shooting film on film now. After moving to Twickenham Studios , he founded “Baxter and Barter Productions” with a business partner, from which “UK Films” later grew. After the collapse of the English quota system, which had determined a certain percentage of British films, many production companies went bankrupt; Baxter moved to the British National , where he stayed until 1943. After experience with independent firms and a few films with the UK's answer to Shirley Temple , Hazel Ascot , Baxter began caring from the 1950s - he still had the Group 3 debut film, The Second Mate , and some children's-tailored works after World War II staged - primarily around production. From 1960 to 1968 he was program director for Television Wales and the West (TWW).
His films are unimpressive, often sentimental and with melodramatic tones; they seem very antiquated today. One exception is Love on the Dole , which presented the subject of poverty in a way seldom seen before (and was Deborah Kerr's debut); this topic is repeatedly addressed in his work when he does not, as v. a. during the Second World War and the staging of the Bud Flanagan / Chesney Allen films and some of the series about Arthur Lucan's "Old Mother Riley", which was dedicated to pure entertainment.
Filmography (selection)
- 1931: Taking Ways
- 1932: Doss House
- 1941: Love on the Dole
- 1947: Kalle cleans up (Bothing venture)
- 1949: Friends through thick and thin (Three Bags Full)
- 1950: The Dragon of Pendragon Castle
- 1951: The Second Mate
- 1956: Ramsbottom Rides Again
Web links
- John Baxter in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- extensive biography at the British Film Institute
Individual evidence
- ↑ Portrait of Baxter at britishpictures ( Memento of the original from February 13, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Baxter, John |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Baxter, John Philip (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | British film director |
| DATE OF BIRTH | December 31, 1896 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Foots Cray , Kent |
| DATE OF DEATH | 15th February 1975 |
| Place of death | London |