The Magnet - 23rd Jun 2008 4:05pm
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
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