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The GPO Film Unit: 1936
 

The year of Night Mail - and also the camp classic The Fairy of the Phone

Main image of The GPO Film Unit: 1936

Films produced by the GPO Film Unit in 1936 include:

Calendar of the Year
An impressionistic study of seasonal activities, showing how the Post Office is adapted to deal with them in transmission of radio and television, in the telephone service and in the collection and distribution of mail.

The Fairy of the Phone
Musical comedy based on instructions given in the London telephone directory.

Gardens of the Orient
The tea-gardens of India and Ceylon.

How Stamps Are Made
The stages in the production of the King George V Jubilee stamps.

How To Tell A Phone
Humorous instructions on the correct way to use the telephone.

Island of Contrast
Travelogue of Ceylon, focusing on shrines, pottery, and various fishing methods.

Message From Geneva
An account of the nature and importance of the work of the League of Nations, based around the theme of communications.

Night Mail
The nightly journey of the Postal Special from London to Glasgow.

The Postmaster General on a Post Office Problem
The Postmaster General, George Tryon, describes the congestion in the sorting offices after the evening collection and appeals to the public to stagger their post through the day.

Radio Interference
A dramatised explanation of how the Post Office traces sources of radio interference.

Rainbow Dance
Colour fantasy of a man standing in a rainbow, made to promote Post Office savings.

The Saving of Bill Blewitt
A Cornish village story is used to promote the Post Office Savings Bank.

Simple Magnetism and Electricity
The principles of magnetism and electricity as applied to the transmission of speech by telephone.

Travelling Post Office
How the Post Office's night mail train from London to Aberdeen collects and distributes mail en route.

World Exchange
The international telephone exchange in London, focusing on the route taken by a phone call from Switzerland to Montreal.

Related Films and TV programmes

Thumbnail image of Calendar of the Year (1936)Calendar of the Year (1936)

A year in the life of Britain, as assisted by various GPO services

Thumbnail image of Fairy of the Phone, The (1936)Fairy of the Phone, The (1936)

Hugely entertaining GPO film offering advice on telephone manners

Thumbnail image of Night Mail (1936)Night Mail (1936)

Classic documentary about the London to Glasgow postal train

Thumbnail image of Rainbow Dance (1936)Rainbow Dance (1936)

Vivid and energetic Len Lye animation made to advertise the Post Office

Thumbnail image of Saving of Bill Blewitt, The (1936)Saving of Bill Blewitt, The (1936)

Charming tale of Cornish fishermen, made to promote Post Office savings

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Thumbnail image of The GPO Film Unit: 1935The GPO Film Unit: 1935

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Related People and Organisations

Thumbnail image of GPO Film Unit (1933-1940)GPO Film Unit (1933-1940)

Film Unit