Frank Bellamy and his studio references

Radio Times (21/12/1974 - 03/01/1975) Bridge on the River Kwai p.46
"Bridge on the River Kwai, one of the most 
Oscar-laden films ever produced is the big film for 
Christmas night on BBC1 at 8.45"

Recently in conversation with David Jackson I mentioned a scan he sent me had enabled me, for the first time, to be able to read the titles of books on Frank Bellamy's studio shelves.

Photo of Bellamy taken by Northamptonshire Evening Telegraph photographer, Kit Mallin

Now, if you click you will, at least be able to make out:

• Badmen of the West by Robert Elman
• The Movie Treasury: Gangster Movies Harry Hossent
• The Movie Treasury: Western Movies Walter C Clapham
• A Pictorial History of War Films Clyde Jeavons.

 Coincidentally David has a copy of some of these and kindly sent me this page from A Pictorial History of War Films by Clyde Jeavons - page 94. So Bellamy owned a copy and had to produce an image to accompany a Radio Times TV listing for the Christmas issue. Back then such films were a big event (remember we only had three channels!) and it would be things like Magnificent Seven, Sound of Music or Bridge on the River Kwai. I recently read A Town like Alice by Nevil Shute for the first time - a present from my retiring line manager, and was amazed how much I enjoyed it. It still reads very well. It's not about the bridge directly but about the Japanese treatment of some women who march around Malaya (the real incident was in Sumatra, states the author's afterword).

Clyde Jeavons A Pictorial History of War Films p194

It's interesting to see how Bellamy has not copied the images available to him here, but used them to inform his work.His portraiture of actors and actresses are very accurate. Below is the page on which the picture at the top of this article appeared. (The linework of Frank Spencer is by Peter Brookes whose work appeared around this time in the Radio Times).

Radio Times Dec 21-Jan 3 1974-1975 p46

Thanks again David for sparking another article!