1957 film serial of Five on a Treasure Island

Discuss the television and film adaptations of Enid Blyton's stories.
Blytonboy
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1957 film serial of Five on a Treasure Island

Post by Blytonboy »

I understand that a serialisation of the 1942 book was filmed in Dorset in 1957 with the blessing of Enid Blyton and previous postings talk about the availability of this film etc. I think it was made by the Childrens Film Foundation but I can't find out much about it or who played the various parts in it. I believe it was screened in the form of saturday morning episodes.
I am particularly interested in tracing an actress called Marilyn Thomas who had a part in the film and she should appear on the credits if anyone has access to the film details. With great respect to her memory, she must have been relatively unknown as I can't trace anything about her anywhere.
I hope the wealth of knowledge on the site might throw some light on this for me.
Many thanks for any help.
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Moonraker
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Post by Moonraker »

I have checked the closing credits, Blytonboy, and there is no reference to Marilyn Thomas. Do you know what part she played? There aren't many names on the list, so I suspect only the main characters are listed.

Personally, I find this adaptation little better than any othet tv/film version. Needless changes were made - Aunt Fanny becomes Aunt Margaret, Kirrin Cottage is now Kirrin House......If it is true that Blyton gave her blessing, then it must have been an off day for her.

You would have thought they would have done a better job in 1957!

It was licensed by Rank Film Distributors Ltd for the Children's Film and Television Foundation.
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Post by Anita Bensoussane »

I wonder if any children wrote to Enid Blyton asking why Fanny's name had been changed to Margaret. And I wonder what she replied? :?

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Post by Timmy-the-dog »

Stella nd Rose have a book for sale on ABE which is signed by Enid Blyton. The description reads :

Book Description: Macmillan & Co Ltd. 1947, 1947. Good condition with no wrapper.1st edition. Cream pictorial cloth. B/w illustrations. The third in the adventure series. SIGNED by author. Endpapers foxed, corners bumped. Covers a little grubby. Inscription reads "Marilyn Love From Enid Blyton". Marilyn was Marilyn Thomas the actress who met Blyton whilst Blyton was living in Dorset and Marilyn was making a film about the Five. A few grubby marks to contents. Bookseller Inventory # 574730

there's nothing on the IMDB under her name and the 1950's
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Blytonboy
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1957 film serial of Five on a Treasure Island

Post by Blytonboy »

Thanks all for the responses, I really appreciate the time taken. The book listed by ABE is the one I'm interested in and I have it on reserve at the moment.
I am not 100% happy with the signature although at this stage I can't tell what type of ink etc has been used. This is the first signature in which Enid has joined the "Y" in Blyton to the "T". I have done quite a bit of research into her signature and the postcard currently for sale on EBAY is obviously genuine and in that she has not joined the two letters together.The signature on the books always shows two completely seperate letters.
I am also puzzled as to why Enid was presented with a 10 year old book to sign in 1957 when she was actively writing at that time and Five Go To Billycock Hill was published in that year!!
I assume no films were being made in 1947.
However, the signature definitely has the look of her signature but I wish I had pushed a bit harder for the signed edition of Five On A Secret Trail sold on Ebay for £284 within the last few days!
Any further thoughts and comments would be appreciated.
Blytonboy
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1957 film serial of Five on a Treasure Island

Post by Blytonboy »

Sorry, that signed book was "Five have plenty of fun"
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Post by Tony Summerfield »

There have been umpteen forged Blyton signatures on ebay, but from a reputable dealer you should be safe. Stella are linked on our website and they have a stall at the EB Day, so I can recommend them. I have seen plenty of genuine Blyton signatures go through on ebay for around the £50 mark and if you just want a signed book which isn't a first edition and doesn't have a dustwrapper that should be possible if you are patient.

I can't help with Marilyn Thomas, a lot of child actors only make one or two appearances and most of these Children's Film Foundation films only credited the main actors.
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Post by dsr »

re. Marilyn Thomas - have you looked on the Internet Movie Database http://www.imdb.com? There is a Marilyn Thomas there in "The days of vengeance", a series dated 1960, appearing in odds and sods up to 1996 - could that be her? If so, if she's been performing continuously, Equity (actor's union) would have had contact details.
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Blytonboy
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1957 film serial of Five on a Treasure Island

Post by Blytonboy »

Thanks for the additional information and I think that Marilyn Thomas on the database is probably the one mentioned in the book. Stella have given me a little bit more provenance as the mother of the previous owner of the book was a friend of Marilyn.
I would be very interested in any comments about this particular signature and the points I previously raised. Tony, your comment about forged EB signatures interested me. Do you mean serious forgery where people try to emulate the ink and age etc? I haven't spotted any yet but there don't seem to be many signed books for sale.
Finally, I totally agree about Stella Books. I have bought from them before but I would be interested on your own expert view on the particular signature and why it would appear on a book already 10 years old!
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Post by Tony Summerfield »

I can't really comment on the signature as I haven't seen it, only the book is on the website and that looks pretty worn!

When signed books fetch high prices, sadly the forgers move in. J K Rowling said that 9 out of 10 of her signed books on ebay are forgeries and now no sensible collectors dare buy them unless they have a letter of provenance (COAs are worthless bits of paper!) and they they fetch the earth. The Blyton situation is not as bad but a high percentage of books on ebay have been forgeries - some really stupid, laminated Dean's published after Blyton's death and still some gullible person has paid £70 odd pounds for it. Buyer Beware!!!!
Blytonboy
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1957 film serial of Five on a Treasure Island

Post by Blytonboy »

Thanks Tony, silly me, I forgot that only the book is shown on ABE. Stella sent me a separate image of the signature!
I'll think about it then decide.
A lovely detailed and lengthy postcard and original envelope just sold on EBAY for £164. Definitely genuine!!
Blytonboy
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1957 film serial of Five on a Treasure Island

Post by Blytonboy »

I didn't go for the book in the end and explained my reasons to Stella Books. They were fine about it.
Talking of "suspect signatures" take a look at 200094730817 on Ebay. I don't like the look of that one at all but I might be wrong!
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Post by Tony Summerfield »

You are not wrong - this is one of the really bad forgeries that came from a shop on the Isle of Wight. Someone signed so many Blyton books that they must have had writer's cramp. His shelves were stacked with worthless poor copies of Blyton books - and they were all signed!! The problem was at its height about ten years ago, but there are literally dozens of these books out there somewhere and every now and again one comes out of the woodwork!!!!!!!!!!

It might be worth adding that it wasn't just reserved for Enid Blyton - he also churned out W E Johns and Ian Fleming.
Blytonboy
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1957 film serial of Five on a Treasure Island

Post by Blytonboy »

Thanks for that Tony, I shall watch what happens to that item with great interest!
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Petermax
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Re: 1957 film serial of Five on a Treasure Island

Post by Petermax »

I have previously mentioned my prize acquisition at the 2009 Blyton Day, a VHS copy of the 1957 Children's Film Foundation serial of Five On A Treasure Island which I eagerly snapped up when I saw it displayed on David Schutte's stall. For quite some time I wished to have a copy of what was probably the first screen adaptation of an Enid Blyton book. As to why it took until the late 1950's for this to happen is something of a puzzle, particularly when two of Richmal Crompton's William stories were made into films back in 1948 and 1950.

My first problem when viewing the C.F.F Treasure Island for the first time was the synopsis at the beginning of each episode. Either Julian or one of the baddies would address the camera and give a complete rundown of the previous events. "Hello everyone, Julian here, do you remember me?" Quite how the child audiences back in 1957 reacted to being talked down to by a well groomed, well spoken product of the Italia Conti Stage Academy does not bear thinking about. My guess is that cinema screens all over the country would have been pelted with gob stoppers, peanuts plus a few ribald comments for good measure! Those intros were so awful that I feel it quite necessary to share one such example here.

The C.F.F certainly created an interesting version of Treasure Island which stands up to repeat viewing, but what a missed opportunity to be faithful to the book, given its 108 minute running time. I have no problem with elements of a book being omitted when translated to the screen, but unnecessary additions I can not abide. Professor Kirrin is plain Mr Kirrin, Fanny is Margaret, Kirrin Cottage is Kirrin House, Kirrin Bay is Kirrin Cove and Alf is now Jan, the world's oldest fisher boy by the look of him! To make matters worse we have the Gay Viking, an experimental warship which in the last episode becomes the seaborne equivalent of a police Wolseley in true C.F.F fashion!

The child actors put in competent performances as the Five but not convincingly so. Rel Grainer portrays a far too affable George for my liking, one who decides to accept her cousins in 30 seconds flat at the meal table instead of the gradual acceptance that we are used to in the book. The classic George sulkiness is almost totally absent. The less said about Timmy the better as no screen version of the Famous Five has come up with a decent canine actor to portray this important role, although Toddy Woodgate from the Southern TV series came close. One of the most hilarious moments in the film was where Timmy was thrown down a cliff by the villains. Despite extensive freeze framing I am unable to work out as to whether a dummy or a real dog was involved. :twisted:

Thankfully the nautical scenes do not feature life jackets which totally spoil the atmosphere, but they do however feature outboard motors when oars would have been more accurate. It could be that none of the children could row or possibly blatant product placement on behalf of British Seagull Outboard Motors. This now defunct firm produced outboard motors that could barely pull the skin off a rice pudding and were always notoriously difficult to start . My father used to own one, his curses would echo all over Portsmouth Harbour. It is perhaps significant that a Seagull spends a great deal of time on Jans workbench. :lol:


Lengthy underwater swimming scenes feature which at least is not too far removed from the book, although I do not recall masks and flippers being used or the children remaining underwater for so long! It is quite clear that certain liberties with the original story were perhaps taken in order to satisfy a very boisterous Saturday morning audience of predominantly working class children in A.B.C cinemas all over the UK. For all its faults the C.F.F Five On A Treasure Island is a fascinating version of the original 1942 book. The scenes shot in Corfe Castle are amazing as we see a very different overgrown castle compared to the well tended example that exists today. Back in 1957 it really did look very neglected. The brief scenes in Corfe Castle village are another unique time capsule, I wonder what purpose the bay windowed building that portrayed the antique shop serves today?

I make no secret of my nostalgia for the whole genre of Saturday Morning Pictures and the Children's Film Foundation. I witnessed its 70's heyday in 1972/73 at my local cinema and also its dying embers in 1978 by which time the kids had deserted this form of entertainment in droves. Thanks to Norman Wright, a classic example of a children's cinema serial exists on VHS. No other serial has ever been released although a number of C.F.F films have been available on DVD.
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