Today’s story is not about a person but a river, the Irwell and the day in 1953 when it played not so dirty with a film crew
In 1953, the river Irwell played a starring role in the film adaption of Harold Brighouse’s Comedy Hobson’s Choice.After ten weeks at Shepperton Studios, the Director came to a quiet stretch of the river near to what was then the Salford Royal Hospital along with two of its stars, some technicians and a camera crew.
It was the scene, if you have seen the film when Willy Mossop is courted by Hobson’s daughter Maggie.According to the Manchester Guardian, a bench was set up on the bank, cinders were spread around to make it look like a pathway but the Irwell refused to play its part.Instead of a murky grey weather, the sun was shining and the water’s sparkled and so as the script called for murk and gloom, fireworks were lit spreading sulphurous fumes and smoke across the river, along with the black fumes from a pile of burning tyres.
Black distemper was splashed over the cinder path, a lampost was smeared in grime but even now the Director was not happy.As John Mills stomped around waiting for the filming to start, a pile of rubbish was hurled into the water, designed to flow past the seated Willie and Maggie but the current wasn’t having any of it, instead drifting to the bank.
Nevertheless David Lean pressed on only to realise that the white scum that had been on the surface of the river all morning had also dissapted in the sunshine, forcing one of the technicians to run off to a local shop and buy up dozens of packets of detergent powder, then standing above the weir, ripping open the box and emptying their contents into the flowing river before the turbulent waters began to bubble once more.
Finally the Director is satisfied, the clapper board slams and Willie and Maggie, enter side by side to take their places on the bench.
