J. Arthur Rank
Encyclopedia
Joseph Arthur Rank, 1st Baron Rank (22 December 1888 – 29 March 1972) was a British
industrialist and film producer
, and founder of the Rank Organisation
, now known as The Rank Group Plc.
in England
into a Victorian
family environment, which was dominated by his father Joseph Rank
who had built a substantial flour milling business. He was educated at The Leys School
in Cambridge. Joseph is reported to have told his son Arthur that he was "a dunce at school" and that the only way that he could succeed in life would be in his father's flour mill. J. Arthur ventured on his own with Peterkins Self-Raising Flour, but when that business failed he returned to work for his father. That was the business (Joseph Rank Limited) that he later inherited and which became known as Rank Hovis McDougall
(now owned by British food conglomerate Premier foods
).
to which he began to show religious films. This practice expanded to other churches and schools and it led to his formation of the Religious Film Society to which he then distributed film
s that he had also made. His first production was called Mastership.
When the Methodist Times newspaper began to complain about the negative influence that British
and American
films shown in Britain were having on family life
, their editorial
was answered by the London
Evening News who suggested that instead of complaining, the Methodist Church should provide a solution. Rank took up the challenge and via an introduction by a young film producer named John Corfield, he discussed both the problem and a solution with Lady Annie Henrietta Yule of Bricket Wood
. The net result of these meetings was the formation of the British National Films Company
.
The first commercial production by this company was Turn of the Tide
, a movie based upon a recently published 1932 novel by Leo Walmsley
called Three Fevers. Having created their movie, British National then had to get it distributed and exhibited, but this proved to be more difficult than making the movie itself. Some commercial screens began showing Turn of the Tide as a second feature, but this was not enough exposure for the company to make a profit.
who had recently bought the estate of Heatherden Hall at Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire
, for the purpose of turning it into a movie studio that would rival those in Hollywood, California
. In 1935 the trio became owner-operators of Pinewood Film Studios. Lady Yule later sold her shares to Rank while John Corfield resigned from its board of directors.
.
In 1935 Rank arrived at a solution to his distribution problems. Because the middlemen controlled the distribution pipeline from production to exhibition, he decided to buy a large part of both the distribution and exhibition systems. He began by forming a partnership with film maker C.M. Woolf (father of Sir John Woolf), to form General Film Distributors
, which in 1936 was incorporated in Rank's General Cinema Finance Corporation but continued to handle all distribution for the Rank organisation until 1955, when it was renamed J. Arthur Rank Film Distributors.
and other interests (such as the Bush Radio company, which would be added to the interests in a few more years) within a new company called the Rank Organisation
. In 1938 the Rank Organisation bought the Odeon
cinema
chain. In 1938 the it bought Amalgamated Studios
in Elstree
and in 1941 it absorbed the Gaumont-British Picture Corporation
, which owned 251 cinemas, and the Lime Grove Studios
, (which the Rank Organisation later sold to BBC Television
.) It also bought the Paramount cinema
chain, so that by 1942 the Rank Organisation owned 619 cinemas. He was succeeded as Chairman by Sir John Davis
, upon his retirement. A more complete history is found under the Rank Organisation
from 1937 to 1996 and The Rank Group Plc which absorbed the Rank Organisation in 1996.
, including: The Red Shoes, Hamlet
, Henry V
, A Matter of Life and Death, Black Narcissus
, The Rake's Progress
, The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp
and many more. From the 1950s fewer adventurous films were attempted and solidly commercial ventures, largely aimed at the family market, were made instead. These includes the popular Norman Wisdom
comedies, The various Doctor...
films and, later on, the Carry On films
. However some films of note were produced during this era including: Carve Her Name With Pride
, Sapphire
and Victim, as well as a clutch of prestige topics such as the coronation of Elizabeth II and filmed performances by The Royal Ballet.
belief. The charity later became known as The Rank Foundation. Inspired by his personal knowledge of Fundação Estudar , the Rank Fellowship was created in 2003 by Rank's eldest grandson, Fred Arthur Rank Packard, who became Chairman of the Rank Foundation in 2000. Fred was one of the founders of the Brazilian investment banking firm Banco Garantia, along with Jorge Paulo Lemann
, Marcel Telles and Carlos Alberto Sicuperia. In 1957 he was raised to the peerage
as Baron Rank, of Sutton Scotney in the County of Southampton (Sutton Scotney
is a small village
between Andover
and Winchester
in Hampshire
).
, a playwright from Kingston upon Hull
, has received a grant from Arts Council England
to research and write a play about J. Arthur Rank.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
industrialist and film producer
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
, and founder of the Rank Organisation
Rank Organisation
The Rank Organisation was a British entertainment company formed during 1937 and absorbed in 1996 by The Rank Group Plc. It was the largest and most vertically-integrated film company in Britain, owning production, distribution and exhibition facilities....
, now known as The Rank Group Plc.
Family business
Rank was born on 23 December 1888 at Kingston upon HullKingston upon Hull
Kingston upon Hull , usually referred to as Hull, is a city and unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Hull at its junction with the Humber estuary, 25 miles inland from the North Sea. Hull has a resident population of...
in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
into a Victorian
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
family environment, which was dominated by his father Joseph Rank
Joseph Rank
Joseph Rank was the founder of Rank Hovis McDougall, one of the United Kingdom's largest flour-milling businesses.-Career:...
who had built a substantial flour milling business. He was educated at The Leys School
The Leys School
The Leys School is a co-educational Independent school, located in Cambridge, England, and is a day and boarding school for about 550 pupils aged between 11 and 18 years...
in Cambridge. Joseph is reported to have told his son Arthur that he was "a dunce at school" and that the only way that he could succeed in life would be in his father's flour mill. J. Arthur ventured on his own with Peterkins Self-Raising Flour, but when that business failed he returned to work for his father. That was the business (Joseph Rank Limited) that he later inherited and which became known as Rank Hovis McDougall
RHM
RHM plc, formerly Rank Hovis McDougall, was a United Kingdom food business. The company owned numerous brands, particularly for flour, where its core business started, and for consumer food products...
(now owned by British food conglomerate Premier foods
Premier Foods
Premier Foods plc is a British food manufacturer headquartered in St Albans, Hertfordshire. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.-History:...
).
Religious challenge
Rank was a devout member of the Methodist Church and in his middle age he taught Sunday SchoolSunday school
Sunday school is the generic name for many different types of religious education pursued on Sundays by various denominations.-England:The first Sunday school may have been opened in 1751 in St. Mary's Church, Nottingham. Another early start was made by Hannah Ball, a native of High Wycombe in...
to which he began to show religious films. This practice expanded to other churches and schools and it led to his formation of the Religious Film Society to which he then distributed film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
s that he had also made. His first production was called Mastership.
When the Methodist Times newspaper began to complain about the negative influence that British
Cinema of the United Kingdom
The United Kingdom has had a major influence on modern cinema. The first moving pictures developed on celluloid film were made in Hyde Park, London in 1889 by William Friese Greene, a British inventor, who patented the process in 1890. It is generally regarded that the British film industry...
and American
Cinema of the United States
The cinema of the United States, also known as Hollywood, has had a profound effect on cinema across the world since the early 20th century. Its history is sometimes separated into four main periods: the silent film era, classical Hollywood cinema, New Hollywood, and the contemporary period...
films shown in Britain were having on family life
Family Life
Family Life is a magazine published by, and primarily for, the Old Order Amish. The publisher is Pathway Publishers of Aylmer, Ontario, Canada. Unlike some Amish publications, Family Life is printed entirely in English rather than Pennsylvania Dutch or German.The magazine was founded in 1968 and is...
, their editorial
Editorial
An opinion piece is an article, published in a newspaper or magazine, that mainly reflects the author's opinion about the subject. Opinion pieces are featured in many periodicals.-Editorials:...
was answered by the London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
Evening News who suggested that instead of complaining, the Methodist Church should provide a solution. Rank took up the challenge and via an introduction by a young film producer named John Corfield, he discussed both the problem and a solution with Lady Annie Henrietta Yule of Bricket Wood
Bricket Wood
Bricket Wood is a village in the county of Hertfordshire, England, approximately 4½ miles from St Albans. It is part of the parish of St Stephen. Its railway station is served by a London Midland service that runs between St Albans Abbey and Watford Junction stations.Close to the village stands...
. The net result of these meetings was the formation of the British National Films Company
British National Films Company
In 1934 the British National Films Company was formed in England by J. Arthur Rank, Lady Annie Henrietta Yule of Bricket Wood and producer John Corefield.-Origin of the company:...
.
The first commercial production by this company was Turn of the Tide
Turn of the Tide
Turn of the Tide is a 1935 British film directed by Norman Walker.It was the first feature film made by J. Arthur Rank.It is set in a North Yorkshire fishing village, and relates the rivalry between two fishing families. The actors included John Garrick, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Wilfrid Lawson speak...
, a movie based upon a recently published 1932 novel by Leo Walmsley
Leo Walmsley
Leo Walmsley was an English writer.He was born at 7 Clifton Place, Shipley in the county of West Yorkshire in 1892, and two years later his family moved to Robin Hood's Bay on the coast of present-day North Yorkshire, where he was schooled at the old Wesleyan chapel...
called Three Fevers. Having created their movie, British National then had to get it distributed and exhibited, but this proved to be more difficult than making the movie itself. Some commercial screens began showing Turn of the Tide as a second feature, but this was not enough exposure for the company to make a profit.
Pinewood Film Studios
Having first created a film production company and having made a movie at another studio, Rank, Lady Yule and John Corfield began talking to Charles BootCharles Boot
Charles Boot of Sheffield, England was the creator and builder of Pinewood Studios on the estate of Heatherden Hall at Iver Heath in the parish of Iver in Buckinghamshire, England.- Basic biography :...
who had recently bought the estate of Heatherden Hall at Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
, for the purpose of turning it into a movie studio that would rival those in Hollywood, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. In 1935 the trio became owner-operators of Pinewood Film Studios. Lady Yule later sold her shares to Rank while John Corfield resigned from its board of directors.
Commercial challenge
The problems encountered in the distribution of Turn of the Tide were addressed when Rank discovered that the people who controlled the British film industry had ties to the American movie industry and that for all practical purposes he was shut out of his own domestic market. American films occupied 80% of British screen time during the era before World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
In 1935 Rank arrived at a solution to his distribution problems. Because the middlemen controlled the distribution pipeline from production to exhibition, he decided to buy a large part of both the distribution and exhibition systems. He began by forming a partnership with film maker C.M. Woolf (father of Sir John Woolf), to form General Film Distributors
General Film Distributors
General Film Distributors , was a British film distribution company based in London. It was established in 1935 by the British producer C. M. Woolf together with J. Arthur Rank. The company was incorporated in Rank's General Cinema Finance Corporation in 1936, but continued to operate under its...
, which in 1936 was incorporated in Rank's General Cinema Finance Corporation but continued to handle all distribution for the Rank organisation until 1955, when it was renamed J. Arthur Rank Film Distributors.
Rank Organisation
In 1937 Rank began to consolidate his movie interests in both the Pinewood Film Studios and the Denham Film StudiosDenham Film Studios
Denham Film Studios were a British film production studio operating from 1936 to 1952.The studios were founded by Alexander Korda, on a 165 acre site near the village of Denham, Buckinghamshire. At the time it was the largest facility of its kind in the UK, but it was merged with Rank's Pinewood...
and other interests (such as the Bush Radio company, which would be added to the interests in a few more years) within a new company called the Rank Organisation
Rank Organisation
The Rank Organisation was a British entertainment company formed during 1937 and absorbed in 1996 by The Rank Group Plc. It was the largest and most vertically-integrated film company in Britain, owning production, distribution and exhibition facilities....
. In 1938 the Rank Organisation bought the Odeon
Odeon Cinemas
Odeon Cinemas is a British chain of cinemas, one of the largest in Europe. It is owned by Odeon & UCI Cinemas Group whose ultimate parent is Terra Firma Capital Partners.-History:Odeon Cinemas was created in 1928 by Oscar Deutsch...
cinema
Movie theater
A movie theater, cinema, movie house, picture theater, film theater is a venue, usually a building, for viewing motion pictures ....
chain. In 1938 the it bought Amalgamated Studios
Amalgamated Studios
Amalgamated Studios were founded in 1935 in the Hertfordshire, UK town of Borehamwood. They were acquired in 1938 by J. Arthur Rank, who wished to consolidate his holdings elsewhere....
in Elstree
Elstree
Elstree is a village in the Hertsmere borough of Hertfordshire on the A5 road, about 10 miles north of London. In 2001, its population was 4,765, and forms part of the civil parish of Elstree and Borehamwood, originally known simply as Elstree....
and in 1941 it absorbed the Gaumont-British Picture Corporation
Gaumont British
Gaumont-British Picture Corporation was the British arm of the French film company Gaumont. The company became independent of its French parent in 1922, when Isidore Ostrer acquired control of Gaumont-British....
, which owned 251 cinemas, and the Lime Grove Studios
Lime Grove Studios
Lime Grove Studios was a film studio complex built by the Gaumont Film Company in 1915 situated in a street named Lime Grove, inShepherd's Bush, west London, north of Hammersmith and described by Gaumont as "the finest studio in Great Britain and the first building ever put up in this country...
, (which the Rank Organisation later sold to BBC Television
BBC Television
BBC Television is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation. The corporation, which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927, has produced television programmes from its own studios since 1932, although the start of its regular service of television...
.) It also bought the Paramount cinema
Movie theater
A movie theater, cinema, movie house, picture theater, film theater is a venue, usually a building, for viewing motion pictures ....
chain, so that by 1942 the Rank Organisation owned 619 cinemas. He was succeeded as Chairman by Sir John Davis
Sir John Davis
Sir John Davis was an English accountant and film executive.-Early life:John Davis was born in the City of London in 1906 and educated at the City of London School.-Career:...
, upon his retirement. A more complete history is found under the Rank Organisation
Rank Organisation
The Rank Organisation was a British entertainment company formed during 1937 and absorbed in 1996 by The Rank Group Plc. It was the largest and most vertically-integrated film company in Britain, owning production, distribution and exhibition facilities....
from 1937 to 1996 and The Rank Group Plc which absorbed the Rank Organisation in 1996.
Films
During the 1940s, Rank produced some of the finest films ever made in Great BritainGreat Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
, including: The Red Shoes, Hamlet
Hamlet (1948 film)
Hamlet is a 1948 British film adaptation of William Shakespeare's play Hamlet, adapted and directed by and starring Sir Laurence Olivier. Hamlet was Olivier's second film as director, and also the second of the three Shakespeare films that he directed...
, Henry V
Henry V (1944 film)
Henry V is a 1944 film adaptation of William Shakespeare's play of the same name. The on-screen title is The Cronicle History of King Henry the Fift with His Battell Fought at Agincourt in France . It stars Laurence Olivier, who also directed. The play was adapted for the screen by Olivier, Dallas...
, A Matter of Life and Death, Black Narcissus
Black Narcissus
Black Narcissus is a 1947 film by the British director-writer team of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, based on the novel of the same name by Rumer Godden...
, The Rake's Progress
The Rake's Progress (film)
The Rake's Progress is a 1945 British comedy-drama film made in 1945. In the United States, the title was changed to Notorious Gentleman.- Plot :...
, The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp
The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp
The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp is a 1943 film by the British film making team of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger under the production banner of The Archers. It stars Roger Livesey, Deborah Kerr and Anton Walbrook. The title derives from the satirical Colonel Blimp comic strip by David...
and many more. From the 1950s fewer adventurous films were attempted and solidly commercial ventures, largely aimed at the family market, were made instead. These includes the popular Norman Wisdom
Norman Wisdom
Sir Norman Joseph Wisdom, OBE was an English actor, comedian and singer-songwriter best known for a series of comedy films produced between 1953 and 1966 featuring his hapless onscreen character Norman Pitkin...
comedies, The various Doctor...
Doctor Series
The Doctor series are a series of comic novels by British physician Richard Gordon covering the antics of a group of young doctors. The Doctor film series were developed from them. The early films featured Dirk Bogarde in the lead as Doctor Sparrow and Donald Sinden as Benskin...
films and, later on, the Carry On films
Carry On films
The Carry On films are a series of low-budget British comedy films, directed by Gerald Thomas and produced by Peter Rogers. They are an energetic mix of parody, farce, slapstick and double entendres....
. However some films of note were produced during this era including: Carve Her Name With Pride
Carve Her Name with Pride
Carve Her Name with Pride is a 1958 British drama film based on the book of the same name by R.J. Minney. Set during World War II, the film is based on the true story of the heroism of Special Operations Executive agent Violette Szabo, with Virginia McKenna in the lead role.The film includes the...
, Sapphire
Sapphire (film)
Sapphire is a 1959 British crime drama. It focused on racism in London toward immigrants from the West Indies. The film was directed by Basil Dearden, and stars Nigel Patrick, Earl Cameron and Yvonne Mitchell. It received the BAFTA Award for Best Film and screenwriter Janet Green won a 1960 Edgar...
and Victim, as well as a clutch of prestige topics such as the coronation of Elizabeth II and filmed performances by The Royal Ballet.
Core interests
Although his critics claimed that many of the films that he had produced under the name of Rank were not exactly in keeping with his original intention of producing "family-friendly" movies to combat crass American commercial interests, he nevertheless kept to his core beliefs. To that end in 1953 he set up the J. Arthur Rank Group Charity to promote ChristianChristianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
belief. The charity later became known as The Rank Foundation. Inspired by his personal knowledge of Fundação Estudar , the Rank Fellowship was created in 2003 by Rank's eldest grandson, Fred Arthur Rank Packard, who became Chairman of the Rank Foundation in 2000. Fred was one of the founders of the Brazilian investment banking firm Banco Garantia, along with Jorge Paulo Lemann
Jorge Paulo Lemann
Jorge Paulo Lemann is the third wealthiest individual in Brazil. He is ranked as the 55th richest person in the world by Forbes, with an estimated net worth of as of September 2011.-Biography:...
, Marcel Telles and Carlos Alberto Sicuperia. In 1957 he was raised to the peerage
Peerage
The Peerage is a legal system of largely hereditary titles in the United Kingdom, which constitute the ranks of British nobility and is part of the British honours system...
as Baron Rank, of Sutton Scotney in the County of Southampton (Sutton Scotney
Sutton Scotney
Sutton Scotney is a village in Hampshire, England. It is part of the City of Winchester district, and lies north of Winchester proper.It lies alongside the River Dever and is now bypassed by the A34 trunk road. It is notable for having been the site of numerous Spitfire crashes in the Second World...
is a small village
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
between Andover
Andover, Hampshire
Andover is a town in the English county of Hampshire. The town is on the River Anton some 18.5 miles west of the town of Basingstoke, 18.5 miles north-west of the city of Winchester and 25 miles north of the city of Southampton...
and Winchester
Winchester
Winchester is a historic cathedral city and former capital city of England. It is the county town of Hampshire, in South East England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government district, and is located at the western end of the South Downs, along the course of...
in Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
).
Family
Lord Rank married Nell, and they had two daughters, Shelagh - married first to Fred Packard (lived in Hollywood) and then to Robin Cowen - and Ursula (born 1920). He died in March 1972, aged 83, when the barony became extinct.Popular culture
Rank's famous opening of his films, depicting a man hitting a gong, has been spoofed a few times over the years.- The Muppets Go to the Movies, a Muppet movie parody TV special, includes a short sequence of "J. Arthur Link" with Muppet pig Link HogthrobLink HogthrobLink Hogthrob was a fictional character, a Muppet pig on The Muppet Show, performed by Jim Henson. The character was that of a stereotypical leading man, with wavy blond hair, a manly cleft chin, and a high opinion of himself, but not much between the ears....
. He swings at the gong in the nude, misses, spins around losing his balance, and hits the gong with his head. - In the final Get SmartGet SmartGet Smart is an American comedy television series that satirizes the secret agent genre. Created by Mel Brooks with Buck Henry, the show starred Don Adams , Barbara Feldon , and Edward Platt...
episode, "I Am Curiously Yellow," Maxwell Smart is hypnotised by a gong. When a villain named The Whip asks whether Smart knows who he is, Smart responds: "J. Arthur Rank?" - The American children's television program The Electric CompanyThe Electric CompanyThe Electric Company is an educational American children's television series that was produced by the Children's Television Workshop for PBS in the United States. PBS broadcast 780 episodes over the course of its six seasons from October 25, 1971 to April 15, 1977...
featured the character J. Arthur Crank, played by Jim BoydJim Boyd (actor)Jim Boyd is an American actor, born in Philadelphia.Boyd spent four years in the Air Force and studied at the American Academy for Dramatic Arts....
. - In an episode of the UK version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? (UK game show)Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? is a British television quiz show which offers a maximum cash prize of one million pounds for correctly answering successive multiple-choice questions of increasing difficulty...
broadcast on 23 September 2006, contestant Ingram WilcoxIngram WilcoxIngram Wilcox is a British quiz enthusiast who is best known for becoming the fifth person to win one million pounds on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? in the United Kingdom on September 23, 2006. When he reached the million-pound question, he had already used up all his lifelines...
won the £1 million jackpot after he was asked "Which boxer was famous for striking the gong in the introduction to J. Arthur Rank films?" and he correctly answered Bombadier Billy Wells. - In the BBC TV comedy series Grace and FavourGrace and favourA grace and favour home is a residential property owned by a monarch by virtue of their position as head of state and leased rent-free to persons as part of an employment package or in gratitude for past services rendered....
when Captain Peacock says to Mr Humphries please sound the gong he replies 'Would you like a J Arthur Rank or.....'. - The live SmithsThe SmithsThe Smiths were an English alternative rock band, formed in Manchester in 1982. Based on the song writing partnership of Morrissey and Johnny Marr , the band also included Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce...
album's title, RankRank (album)Rank is a live album by the English rock band The Smiths. It was released in September 1988 by their British record company, Rough Trade, and reached No. 2 in the British charts. In the United States, the album was released on Sire Records and made No. 77.-About the album:Rank was released as a...
, is, according to lead singer MorrisseyMorrisseySteven Patrick Morrissey , known as Morrissey, is an English singer and lyricist. He rose to prominence in the 1980s as the lyricist and vocalist of the alternative rock band The Smiths. The band was highly successful in the United Kingdom but broke up in 1987, and Morrissey began a solo career,...
, an allusion to this. - During a scene in the film Austin Powers in GoldmemberAustin Powers in GoldmemberAustin Powers in Goldmember is a 2002 American spy comedy film and the third installment of the Austin Powers series starring Mike Myers in the title role. The movie was directed by Jay Roach, and co-written by Mike Myers and Michael McCullers. Myers also plays the roles of Dr. Evil, Goldmember,...
, Nigel PowersNigel PowersSir Nigel Powers is a character who appears in the third Austin Powers movie, Austin Powers in Goldmember. He is portrayed as the father of Austin Powers, Dr. Evil and Mini-Me. He currently resides in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania with his wife and eight sons.-Pre-Goldmember:When Austin and Dr...
asks his son Austin Powers why he didn't have a "J. Arthur", with subtitles clarifying the meaning of this question. - In the play Events While Guarding The Bofors Gun by John McGrath, one character (a soldier) says of another, who is lying on a bunk while they are in a guardhouse: "He's having a crafty Johnny Arthur!". (Artistic licence has obviously been used, since Lord Rank's first name was actually "Joseph".) In the 1968 film of the play (directed by Jack GoldJack GoldJack Gold is a British film and television director. He was part of the British Realist Tradition that followed Free Cinema.-Career:...
), this line was replaced. According to the British satirical magazine Private Eye, this was because the British distributor was the Rank Organisation, and Lord Rank objected to his own name being used as slang for the solitary vice - In the song "The Gift" by the Bollock BrothersBollock BrothersThe Bollock Brothers are a British Punk act formed in 1979 by the London promoter, DJ and manager Jock McDonald and are latterly best known for their English language cover of Serge Gainsbourg's song "Harley David " and Alex Harvey's "Faith Healer".As well as being renowned for their self penned...
, a lyric refers to the act of male masturbation as "having a J. Arthur Rank." - "The Intro and the Outro" by Bonzo Dog Band announces the musicians, including "J. Arthur Rank on gong".
Play
Dave WindassDave Windass
Dave Windass, born in west Hull in 1965, is an English playwright.Windass is a former theatre critic for The Stage and a journalist for the Hull Daily Mail...
, a playwright from Kingston upon Hull
Kingston upon Hull
Kingston upon Hull , usually referred to as Hull, is a city and unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Hull at its junction with the Humber estuary, 25 miles inland from the North Sea. Hull has a resident population of...
, has received a grant from Arts Council England
Arts Council England
Arts Council England was formed in 1994 when the Arts Council of Great Britain was divided into three separate bodies for England, Scotland and Wales. It is a non-departmental public body of the Department of Culture, Media and Sport...
to research and write a play about J. Arthur Rank.
Further reading
- Michael Wakelin (1997) J.Arthur Rank: The Man Behind the Gong. Oxford : Lion, 1996. ISBN 0-7459-3134-0 (hardcover), ISBN 0-7459-3135-9 (paperback)