Forums Forums Wirral History : Chasing the Past Wirral Now and Then The Magnet

SYNOPSIS

A mixture of a psychological study of a ten-year-old boy, an English domestic comedy and a satire on psychologists finds young Johnny Brent, the only child of a pair of psychologists, trading an "invisible watch" to a much-younger child for a large magnet. His nurse/nanny accuses him of stealing and scolds him and he runs away. He soon convinces himself that the police are after him and following several unsuccessful attempts to get rid of the magnet, he presents it to an organizer of a fund-raising campaign for acquiring an iron-lung for the local hospital. The magnet is one of the auction items and finally is mounted on the iron-lung as a tribute to the unknown donor. Meanwhile, the father makes a completely inaccurate diagnosis for the mother of the boy's worries. In the end the boy meets the child he thought had died as a result of losing the magnet, and trades the boy back for the return of his "invisible watch" the gold medal the town mayor had given him for his part in the hospital campaign.

A lot of the shooting of "The Magnet" was done locally on Seabank Road, New Brighton bathing pool, on the promenade, on the beach and in The Palace. Ealing Studios rented Seacombe Congregational Church in Liscard Road in 1950 and the walls were sound proofed and the lights, props and cameras arrived for the shooting. Stars of the film included Kay Walsh, Willaim Fox (who later became James Fox), Stephen Murray, Thora Hird and James Robertson Justics as the tramp.

View from the Tower Ballroom of New Brighton looking towards St James Church


Running under the Pier


View of the Pier and the landing stage


View of the Pier Pavilion


Fort Perch Rock


Floral Pavilion and the Victoria Gardens


Outside The Palace


Inside The Palace


New Brighton Baths


View from the Floral 2007


View towards the New Pavilion


View of Fort Perch Rock

Great find.

Never heard of it, but sounds good to watch

Yes, i want to see this film, its on google video but very poor quality last time i checked

I saw this film when I was about 10 with my ma and da. They said it was based in The Wirral, but was too young to recognise anything. I remember someone mentioned 'Borough Road' in the film as well, the only place I knew!

Hi. You can buy this on DVD. I think Amazon have it. Awful film but pure nostalgia. Made the year I was born. 1950.

My uncle played the young rebel kinda lad on the pinball machine in the film The magnet Edward Davies his name is.

Have a DVD copy if anyone would like to borrow. May take an hour or two to find.

Snod

Any chance of a copy (of your copy)? I'll gladly reimburse. I haven't got the facilities to copy one at the moment. No qualms about copying a film of this age.

Cheers.

Hi Snod, I wouldnt mind having a look if you dont mind mate. Or as Pinz suggested, if you can do a copy i would gladly re-imburse you for time and disc etc.
Ive just found load of old (Victorian) pics in a skip of New Brighton. Will put them up soon

I will find my copy, burn one from that and then give a shout.

Should not take long to find the thing (he says with fingers crossed)

Snod

Copying in progress.

I will PM Hoseman & Pinz with an address and you can decide who comes to collect.

Snod

Hope this works. Although not as good as having an actual copy you can view the film here http://y2u.co.uk/&002_Images/New_Brighton_03.htm

This is a dedicated New Brighton website that it is on. Hopefully the link will take you straight to the film. I'm not brilliant with these linky fings!

Thanks Snod, not a prob mate, my mum was brought up in New Brighton, she will be made up to see it too!