Grand National Pictures

A look at some of the numerous meetings that we undertook in order to issue 8mm films to our customers.

Contracts & Rights Chapter 14

Derek was no stranger to the office of Maurice Wilson, the MD of Grand National Pictures, together they had completed a dozen deals and counting. Just a quick glance in any early Derann 8 sales or hire catalogue and you will find evidence of the many titles that Derek had placed his signature on the dotted line of their contracts.   ‘The Severed Arm’, 1973; ‘Bummer’, 1973; ‘Sex Life in a Convent’, 1972; ‘Sex Life in a Women’s Prison’, 1974; (Full colour label printed but the film was shelved); ‘Prickly Problems’, 1974; ‘Ricco’, 1973; ‘Strip First, Then We Talk’, 1975; ‘Knuckle-Men’, 1973; ‘The Female Bunch’, 1971; ‘The Flesh Eaters’, 1964;  ‘The Corpse’ 1971; ‘Threesome’, 1970; ‘Death Curse of Tartu’, 1966; ‘Devil’s Partner’, 1960; ‘So Much Naked Tenderness’, 1971; ‘The Quick and the Dead’, 1963; ‘Operazione Goldman’, 1966; (which we issued on 8mm as ‘Thunderbolt’); ‘The Young Sinners’, 1960; ‘She Knows Y’ Know’, 1962; ‘The Cuckoo Patrol’, 1967; ‘The Great Wall’, 1962; ‘Night of the Bloody Apes’, 1969; ‘Night of Bloody Horror’, 1969; ‘Fear has a 1000 Eyes’, 1971; ‘Psycho Killer’, 1970; ‘The Hitchhikers’, 1972; ‘Hill Of Death’, 1965; ‘Colossus And The Headhunters’, 1968; ‘Super Chick’, 1972; ‘The Raiders Of Leyte Gulf’, 1964; ‘Destination Inner Space’, 1966; ‘Fugitive Girls’, 1974; ‘Master Spy’, 1963; ‘The Nympho’, 1968; ‘Blood Devils’, 1970; ‘They All Do It’, 1968; ‘The Erotic Three’, 1969;  ‘Miss Leslie’s Dolls’, 1974: ‘Blue Sextet’, 1971, and many others, you’ll see them in the 16mm hire catalogus too. They may not be contenders for an Academy Award, but these film paved the way for bigger things…. while giving many customers, film groups and societies some amusing entertainment. One of my favourites is there.. ‘The Flesh Eaters’ great little hooror film!  There was also ‘King Creole’, ‘G.I. Blues’, ‘Blue Hawaii’, ‘Paradise Hawaiian Style’, ‘Girls, Girls, Girls’, and ‘Last Train from Gun Hill’, which Derek had picked up in the late 1960s.  I only met Mr Wilson once, Derek had gone in to say hello and we’d been warmly welcomed and had been invited to make ourselves comfortable on two leather armchairs. Maurice sat behind his glass topped desk, in his suit and tie with cigar in his mouth… just like a Hollywood mogul. He ordered cofffee for us and we had  talked for ten or fifteen minutes about the film business in general, then Maurice produced the poster for his latest theatrical release. It was a Carlo Ponti production and starred Richard Burton and  Marcello Mastroianni. ‘Massacre in Rome’ was already 3 or 4 years old but he was very proud of his new acquisition and before we left Derek had picked up the 8 and 16mm rights.

…. to be continued.