Isleworth Studios is the common name of two former

film studio A film studio (also known as movie studio or simply studio) is a major entertainment company that makes films. Today, studios are mostly financing and distribution entities. In addition, they may have their own studio facility or facilities; how ...

s in Great Britain. __TOC__

Worton Hall Studios 1913–1952

Worton Hall Studios were based on Worton Hall, in

Isleworth Isleworth ( ) is a suburban town in the London Borough of Hounslow, West London, England. It lies immediately east of Hounslow and west of the River Thames and its tributary the River Crane, London, River Crane. Isleworth's original area of ...

. This house was built in 1783 and rebuilt and extended in the early 19th century. In 1913, it was acquired, together with a nine-acre estate, by film producer George Berthold Samuelson. The ground-floor rooms became dressing rooms, canteen, wardrobe and other offices; the upper rooms became bedrooms for anyone staying overnight. Filming of Conan Doyle's ''

A Study in Scarlet ''A Study in Scarlet'' is an 1887 Detective fiction, detective novel by British writer Arthur Conan Doyle. The story marks the first appearance of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, who would go on to become one of the most well-known detective ...

'' began in summer 1914, and the studios were officially opened on 1 July. Samuelson gained publicity by producing a fictitious newsreel during the early years of the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

and over the next few years many silent films were shot here, many based on novels such as ''

Little Women ''Little Women'' is a coming-of-age novel written by American novelist Louisa May Alcott, originally published in two volumes, in 1868 and 1869. The story follows the lives of the four March sisters— Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy—and details th ...

''. In 1922, the studios, generally known as Isleworth Film Studios, were sold to British Super Films, in which Samuelson retained an interest. However, in 1928, an expensive lawsuit with the American actress

Betty Blythe Betty Blythe (born Elizabeth Blythe Slaughter; September 1, 1893 – April 7, 1972) was an American actress best known for her dramatic roles in exotic silent films such as '' The Queen of Sheba'' (1921). She appeared in 63 silent films and 56 s ...

forced Samuelson to sell Worton Hall to British Screen Productions. By 1931 the studios were being used by Fidelity Films. Films produced here included '' Madame Guillotine'', with

Madeleine Carroll Marie-Madeleine Bernadette O'Carroll (26 February 1906 – 2 October 1987) was an English actress, popular both in Britain and in America in the 1930s and 1940s. At the peak of her success in 1938, she was the world's highest-paid actress. Ca ...

. In 1934, they were leased by Alexander Korda and in 1936 he produced ''

Things to Come ''Things to Come'' is a 1936 British science fiction film produced by Alexander Korda, directed by William Cameron Menzies, and written by H. G. Wells. It is a loose adaptation of Wells' book '' The Shape of Things to Come''. The film stars Ra ...

'', based on ''

The Shape of Things to Come ''The Shape of Things to Come'' is a science fiction novel written by the British writer H. G. Wells published in 1933. It takes the form of a future history that ends in 2106. Synopsis A long economic slump causes a major war that leaves Eur ...

'' by H G Wells. Wells wrote the screenplay,

Arthur Bliss Sir Arthur Edward Drummond Bliss (2 August 189127 March 1975) was an English composer and conductor. Bliss's musical training was cut short by the First World War, in which he served with distinction in the army. In the post-war years he qui ...

the music. From 1936 to 1944, the studios were owned by Criterion Film Productions, and afterwards by

British Lion British Lion or British Lions may refer to: * British Lion, a national symbol of Great Britain Sport * British & Irish Lions, a touring side playing rugby union, known until 2001 as the British Lions * Great Britain national rugby league team, fo ...

. They closed in 1952 and were then used for 20 years by the

National Coal Board The National Coal Board (NCB) was the statutory corporation created to run the nationalised coal mining industry in the United Kingdom. Set up under the Coal Industry Nationalisation Act 1946, it took over the United Kingdom's collieries on "ve ...

as a Mining Research Centre. Worton Hall survives and has been acquired by Bovis Homes for conversion into flats. In 1993, part of the building was leased by the

Driving Standards Agency The Driving Standards Agency (DSA) was an executive agency of the UK Department for Transport (DfT). DSA promoted road safety in Great Britain by improving driving and motorcycling standards. It set standards for education and training, as we ...

and is still used (as of 2011) as the Isleworth driving test centre. Part of the site is used as an industrial estate. Films produced here include ''Invader'' (1936) with

Buster Keaton Joseph Frank "Buster" Keaton (October 4, 1895 – February 1, 1966) was an American actor, comedian and filmmaker. He is best known for his silent films during the 1920s, in which he performed physical comedy and inventive stunts. He frequently ...

; ''Under Secret Orders'' (1937) otherwise called '' Mademoiselle Docteur'', with

Erich von Stroheim Erich Oswald Hans Carl Maria von Stroheim (born Erich Oswald Stroheim, ; September 22, 1885 – May 12, 1957) was an Austrian-American director, screenwriter, actor, and producer, most noted as a film star and avant-garde, visionary director of ...

; ''

The Small Back Room ''The Small Back Room'' (U.S. title: ''Hour of Glory'') is a 1949 film by the British producer-writer-director team of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger starring David Farrar and Kathleen Byron and featuring Jack Hawkins and Cyril Cusac ...

'' (1949); '' State Secret'' (1950) with Douglas Fairbanks Jnr. Shooting of ''

The Third Man ''The Third Man'' is a 1949 film noir directed by Carol Reed, written by Graham Greene, and starring Joseph Cotten as Holly Martins, Alida Valli as Anna Schmidt, Orson Welles as Harry Lime and Trevor Howard as Major Calloway. Set in post-Worl ...

'' began here in 1948 before moving to

Shepperton Shepperton is a village in the Borough of Spelthorne, Spelthorne district, in north Surrey, England, around south west of central London. The settlement is on the north bank of the River Thames, between the towns of Chertsey and Sunbury-on-Tha ...

. In 1951, shortly before the studios closed, much of '' The African Queen'' was filmed here. For instance, the scenes in which Bogart and Hepburn are seen in the water were all shot in studio tanks at Isleworth Studios,

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, former county in South East England, now mainly within Greater London. Its boundaries largely followed three rivers: the River Thames, Thames in the south, the River Lea, Le ...

. These scenes were considered too dangerous to shoot in Africa. All of the foreground plates for the process shots were also done in studio.Embracing Chaos: Making ‘The African Queen' a documentary film, as an extra for

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount ...

2009 (the current owner of the US rights) restoration for region 1 and 4K

Odeon Isleworth 1957–2001

Located at 480 London Road, Isleworth it opened in March 1935 as Odeon Isleworth, one of the

Odeon Cinemas Odeon Cinemas Limited, trading as Odeon (stylised in all caps), is a cinema brand name operating in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Norway and Greece, which along with UCI Cinemas and Nordic Cinema Group is part of the Odeon Cinemas Group subsi ...

. The

Bauhaus The Staatliches Bauhaus (), commonly known as the , was a German art school operational from 1919 to 1933 that combined Decorative arts, crafts and the fine arts.Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 4th edn., ...

-influenced building has a German style and was designed by George Coles. It closed in 1957, a victim of the rise in popularity of television. The cinema was then gutted and converted to a studio. Whilst being used as Isleworth Studios, the original Odeon sign was visible up until the early 1990s. Equator Films (now HandMade Films) purchased the studio in 1999 but ultimately sold it. The studios finally ceased operations at the building in 2001 and the auditorium section was taken down the following year. Since 2003, the building has been incorporated into a new block of flats and a business centre. The business centre is called Odeon Parade.

References

* Harris, Ed. Britain's Forgotten Film Factory: The Story of Isleworth Film Studios. Amberley.

External links

Isleworth Studios
from the BFI Film & TV Database *

Internet Movie Database IMDb, historically known as the Internet Movie Database, is an online database of information related to films, television series, podcasts, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and biograp ...

lists of films
Isleworth Studios, London Road, Isleworth, Middlesex

Worton Hall Studios, Isleworth, Middlesex

Isleworth, Middlesex

London Film Studios, Isleworth, MiddlesexCinema Treasures – Odeon Isleworth
{{Coord, 51.4751, -0.3407, type:landmark_region:GB-HNS, display=title Cinemas in London Former cinemas in London Media and communications in the London Borough of Hounslow British film studios History of the London Borough of Hounslow Isleworth