A chronology of Manchester's Film History compiled by CP Lee. Comments and/or additional material welcome - CONTACT
(This page updated 26-Jul-2012)

1901 - 1906

PIONEERS ...

Mitchell and Kenyon began making Actualities in and around the Manchester area from 1900 onwards and then in 1905 AD Thomas also made actualities, changing his name to Thomas Edison.

As the popularity of Film grew so did the industry providing it. The average rental price for a film was 6d a foot and an average film was 60.5 feet per minute, lasting approximately three minutes. Haggar sold 480 copies of A Desperate Poaching Affray at £5-10s-0d each. In 1903 - Welsh filmmaker William Haggar showed the Life of Charles Peace (below right) in Manchester where it was a huge success because of its local content.

BIRTHS:
1901 - Actor and Comic Frank Randle was born 30 January in Wigan (d. 7 Jul 1957). |
1901 - Actor and Comic Norman Evans was born 11 June in Rochdale (d. 25 Nov 1962).
1901 - Actor George Coulouris born in Manchester on 1 October. (d. 25 Apr 1989).
1901 - Actor Beryl Formby born Beryl Ingham in Haslingden (d. 24 Dec 1960). Beryl appeared alongside her husband George in two Mancunian Films, Boots! Boots! and Off The Dole.
1901 - Writer Maurice Procter born Nelson on 4 Feb (d. 1973), penned 'Hell Is A City' which became the classic Manc Noir screen thriller.
1903 - Writer/Producer Walter Greenwood born 17 December in Hanky Park, Salford (d. 13 Sep 1974). Author of Love On The Dole, Associate Producer of the film (1942) (Ronald Gow adapted it for theatre.)
1905 - Actor and comedian Hylda Baker born 4 February in Farnworth (died 1 May 1986).
1905 - Actor Robert Donat was born 18 March in Withington (died 9 Jun 1958).

- or visit another place of interest for Manchester Film fans - www.itsahotun.com

MANCHESTER FILM HISTORY established 2011.