Philip Jenkinson
Encyclopedia
Philip Jenkinson is a British cinema specialist, journalist, BBC television presenter and film collector. His collection was known as Filmfinders.
, his family went on holiday to Butlins
and won a talent competition doing George Formby imitations. A talent scout noticed him and arranged an audition with BBC Children's Hour
. That incident led to much radio work from Leeds. His parents were not interested at all. The money he earned he spent on elocution lessons to get rid of his Manchester accent. In those days no successful actor would have a regional accent.
He was a very asthmatic child and consequently missed a lot of school, so the milkman gave his mother a 9.5mm projector to keep him amused, and by that means he started watching films. His mother used to give him money to go swimming to build up his strength, but he used to spend it on going to the cinema instead. His mother disapproved because she thought this was a means of picking up germs, but he would put his swimming trunks under the tap before returning home so that his mother would not discover what he had been doing.
When he left school he started work as a projectionist, then worked in the theatre, in stage management mainly and acting.
. Would you like to come along and do something similar on the programme?’ They liked it and asked me to come back next week and do another one. I initially signed a contract for six months, which grew and grew. I ended up staying with Late Night Line Up for five years. The talk and emphasis was always about old movies. Film Night came out of Late Night Line Up. It started with me and Tony Bilbow. Tony reviewed the new films whilst I related the new films to ones that were made earlier, linking them with either a director or a star or the style; something they had in common."
During the 1970s, Jenkinson also contributed a weekly column for the television listings magazine Radio Times
and edited films for music show the Old Grey Whistle Test
. He was frantically busy during that period. He received up to 50 letters a week asking him to show certain film clips and was satirised by Monty Python
in their sketch Sam Peckinpah's "Salad Days". During the sketch, a series of superimposed captions read, "Philip Jenkinson again," "Get on with it," "And stop sniffing," and "Will you stop sniffing." At the end, a caption reading "Tee hee" is displayed as he is machine-gunned to death.
In 1971 he started a series of 13 week lectures at London’s National Film Theatre
on the history of the musical. At this time Jenkinson started building up Filmfinders, as a stock shot library as opposed to being a personal collection. He acquired many Mack Sennett
and Laurel and Hardy
films from other collectors. It was a group which included Leslie Halliwell
(who wrote The Filmgoers' Companion), author William K. Everson
, Kevin Brownlow
(authority on silent cinema), John Huntley
(then at the British Film Institute
) and a couple of friends in Hollywood.
Jenkinson appeared as a guest on the Morecambe and Wise
show.
.
He has two sons, Lee William Jenkinson, who went on to play bass guitar for softcell singer Marc Almond, and Ben Jenkinson who is autistic.
He has one granddaughter, Ruby Angelina Sarah Campbell, who studies design in the UK.
Early life
When Jenkinson was a child in SaleSale, Greater Manchester
Sale is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, in Greater Manchester, England. Historically part of Cheshire, the town lies on flat ground on the south bank of the River Mersey, south of Stretford, northeast of Altrincham, and southwest of the city of Manchester...
, his family went on holiday to Butlins
Butlins
Butlins is a chain of large holiday camps in the United Kingdom. Butlins was founded by Billy Butlin to provide affordable holidays for ordinary British families....
and won a talent competition doing George Formby imitations. A talent scout noticed him and arranged an audition with BBC Children's Hour
Children's Hour
Children's Hour—at first: "The Children's Hour", from a verse by Longfellow—was the name of the BBC's principal recreational service for children during the period when radio dominated broadcasting....
. That incident led to much radio work from Leeds. His parents were not interested at all. The money he earned he spent on elocution lessons to get rid of his Manchester accent. In those days no successful actor would have a regional accent.
He was a very asthmatic child and consequently missed a lot of school, so the milkman gave his mother a 9.5mm projector to keep him amused, and by that means he started watching films. His mother used to give him money to go swimming to build up his strength, but he used to spend it on going to the cinema instead. His mother disapproved because she thought this was a means of picking up germs, but he would put his swimming trunks under the tap before returning home so that his mother would not discover what he had been doing.
When he left school he started work as a projectionist, then worked in the theatre, in stage management mainly and acting.
Career
Philip Jenkinson said in an interview in 2003: "One day when I was giving a lecture at St Martin’s School of Art, a BBC producer, Mike Appleton, was waiting at the back to pick up his girlfriend and he caught the last 10 minutes. He came over and said it was very interesting. ‘I am a producer of a programme called Late Night Line-UpLate Night Line-Up
Late Night Line-Up was a pioneering British television discussion programme broadcast on BBC2 between 1964 and 1972. Late Night Line-Up returned for a special one-off edition on BBC Parliament in 2008.-Background:...
. Would you like to come along and do something similar on the programme?’ They liked it and asked me to come back next week and do another one. I initially signed a contract for six months, which grew and grew. I ended up staying with Late Night Line Up for five years. The talk and emphasis was always about old movies. Film Night came out of Late Night Line Up. It started with me and Tony Bilbow. Tony reviewed the new films whilst I related the new films to ones that were made earlier, linking them with either a director or a star or the style; something they had in common."
During the 1970s, Jenkinson also contributed a weekly column for the television listings magazine Radio Times
Radio Times
Radio Times is a UK weekly television and radio programme listings magazine, owned by the BBC. It has been published since 1923 by BBC Magazines, which also provides an on-line listings service under the same title...
and edited films for music show the Old Grey Whistle Test
Old Grey Whistle Test
The Old Grey Whistle Test was an influential BBC2 television music show that ran from 1971 to 1987. It took over the BBC2 late night slot from "Disco Two", which had been running since January 1970, while continuing to feature non-chart music. It was devised by BBC producer Rowan Ayers...
. He was frantically busy during that period. He received up to 50 letters a week asking him to show certain film clips and was satirised by Monty Python
Monty Python
Monty Python was a British surreal comedy group who created their influential Monty Python's Flying Circus, a British television comedy sketch show that first aired on the BBC on 5 October 1969. Forty-five episodes were made over four series...
in their sketch Sam Peckinpah's "Salad Days". During the sketch, a series of superimposed captions read, "Philip Jenkinson again," "Get on with it," "And stop sniffing," and "Will you stop sniffing." At the end, a caption reading "Tee hee" is displayed as he is machine-gunned to death.
In 1971 he started a series of 13 week lectures at London’s National Film Theatre
BFI Southbank
BFI Southbank is the leading repertory cinema in the UK specialising in seasons of classic, independent and non-English language films and is operated by the British Film Institute.-History:...
on the history of the musical. At this time Jenkinson started building up Filmfinders, as a stock shot library as opposed to being a personal collection. He acquired many Mack Sennett
Mack Sennett
Mack Sennett was a Canadian-born American director and was known as the innovator of slapstick comedy in film. During his lifetime he was known at times as the "King of Comedy"...
and Laurel and Hardy
Laurel and Hardy
Laurel and Hardy were one of the most popular and critically acclaimed comedy double acts of the early Classical Hollywood era of American cinema...
films from other collectors. It was a group which included Leslie Halliwell
Leslie Halliwell
Robert James Leslie Halliwell was a British film encyclopaedist and television impresario who in 1965 compiled The Filmgoer's Companion, the first one-volume encyclopaedia devoted to all aspects of the cinema. He followed it a dozen years later with Halliwell's Film Guide, another monumental work...
(who wrote The Filmgoers' Companion), author William K. Everson
William K. Everson
William Keith "Bill" Everson was an English-American archivist, author, critic, educator, collector and film historian. He often discovered lost films.-Early life and career:...
, Kevin Brownlow
Kevin Brownlow
Kevin Brownlow is a filmmaker, film historian, television documentary-maker, author, and Academy Award recipient. Brownlow is best known for his work documenting the history of the silent era. Brownlow became interested in silent film at the age of eleven. This interest grew into a career spent...
(authority on silent cinema), John Huntley
John Huntley (film historian)
John Frederick Huntley was a British film historian, educator and archivist.Huntley was born in Kew and entered the film industry as a teaboy at Denham Studios around 1938...
(then at the British Film Institute
British Film Institute
The British Film Institute is a charitable organisation established by Royal Charter to:-Cinemas:The BFI runs the BFI Southbank and IMAX theatre, both located on the south bank of the River Thames in London...
) and a couple of friends in Hollywood.
Jenkinson appeared as a guest on the Morecambe and Wise
Morecambe and Wise
Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise, usually referred to as Morecambe and Wise, or Eric and Ernie, were a British comic double act, working in variety, radio, film and most successfully in television. Their partnership lasted from 1941 until Morecambe's death in 1984...
show.
Personal life
He is widowed to Sally Jay, the sister of Sir Antony JayAntony Jay
Sir Antony Rupert Jay, CVO, is an English writer, broadcaster, director, and actor famous for the co-authorship, with Jonathan Lynn, of the successful British political comedies Yes Minister and Yes, Prime Minister...
.
He has two sons, Lee William Jenkinson, who went on to play bass guitar for softcell singer Marc Almond, and Ben Jenkinson who is autistic.
He has one granddaughter, Ruby Angelina Sarah Campbell, who studies design in the UK.