Metadata
WORK ID: YFA 3385 (Master Record)
| Title | Year | Date |
| OUT AND ABOUT | 1974 | 1974-01-01 |
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Details
Original Format: 16mm Colour: Colour Sound: Sound Duration: 29 mins Credits: K.L. Films Present Produced by Ken Leckenby: Cine-Sync Sound System Mercury Movie Makers Subject: Transport Sport Fashions |
| Summary This is one of several films entitled ‘Out and About’ made by Ken Leckenby. It features several events in Leeds area during 1974 including the Lord Mayor's Parade, the celebration of the bi-centenary of Bingley Locks, Leeds Caribbean Carnival, the Model Boat World Championship, an air display and Morecombe Illuminations. |
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Description
This is one of several films entitled ‘Out and About’ made by Ken Leckenby. It features several events in Leeds area during 1974 including the Lord Mayor's Parade, the celebration of the bi-centenary of Bingley Locks, Leeds Caribbean Carnival, the Model Boat World Championship, an air display and Morecombe Illuminations.
Titles: ‘K.L. Films Present’, ‘Out and About’, ‘Produced by Ken Leckenby: Cine-Sync Sound System’.
The film begins with short scenes from the events featured: the...
This is one of several films entitled ‘Out and About’ made by Ken Leckenby. It features several events in Leeds area during 1974 including the Lord Mayor's Parade, the celebration of the bi-centenary of Bingley Locks, Leeds Caribbean Carnival, the Model Boat World Championship, an air display and Morecombe Illuminations.
Titles: ‘K.L. Films Present’, ‘Out and About’, ‘Produced by Ken Leckenby: Cine-Sync Sound System’.
The film begins with short scenes from the events featured: the Caribbean Carnival, Bingley Locks, the Lord Mayor's Parade, the Model Boat World Championship, an Air Display, and Morecombe Illuminations. Then Ken Leckenby, seated on a bench, speaks to the camera explaining the latest ‘Out and About’ film and its contents.
Intertitle: ‘the Lord Mayor's Parade - The Leeds Lord Mayor's Parade, 1st June 74, Leeds Communicates, Leeds Junior Chamber of Commerce.’
In the middle of this sign, there is a figure of a horse drawn carriage against a background outline of a modern building.
The parade starts at Woodhouse Moor. Police are on horseback and on Norton motorcycles. On a hot day people line the streets, many with ice creams. A Scot’s Guard converses with a steward, horses are being fed, and the Lord Mayor arrives and gets into an open-top car. A float passes with ‘Miss Metro’ accompanied by a traditional jazz band. There is an estimated 100,000 people in attendance watching 80 floats on the three mile long procession.
Some women, dressed in Victorian dress, serve behind a stall. A procession of floats, many commercial, and other exhibits pass by including: a float with women in min-skirts, a pantomime horse, a brass band, Samuel Smiths dray, Waddington’s Playing Cards, Leeds Horse Show, Crabtree Vickers, a racing car and vintage motorbike, a Post Office float, illustrating the theme of the Carnival – ‘Leeds Communicates’; ATC parachutes, vintage cars, the Scots Guards, and a Leeds United float.
Intertitle: ‘Bingley 5 Rise Locks bi-centenary 1774-1974.’
On the 21st March, 1774, the locks and a three mile stretch of the canal opened. People and boats gather to celebrate. A demonstration is given of police frogman (someone who is trained to dive or swim in a military capacity which can include combat.) Boats and barges pass each other on the canal, and local church bells ring in the background, just as they rang at the original opening. Some people are dressed in eighteenth century costume. The anniversary is attended by the Chairman of the Council who joins the barges as they make a procession down the canal to the locks. They are joined by children in a dinghy and a girl in a kayak. A line of army officers stand with rifles, poised ready to give a gun salute. The five locks are seen all together from the below.
Intertitle: ‘Caribbean Carnival’
The Leeds Carnival, also called the Leeds West Indian Carnival or the Chapeltown Carnival, is the longest running West Indian carnival in Europe, with the first taking place in 1967. At the annual Carnival in Potternewton Park Leeds, men, women and children are dressed in traditional costume and ready for the parade. Many of the costumes are very flamboyant and colourful. One man has a painted face. The Carnival Queen is dressed in her regalia, a silver costume, a huge hat, and wings decorated with silver balls. The costume designer, Edris Browne carries her headdress. The Carnival sets off with revellers dancing to the steel-drum band. Additionally, two female members of the Mercury Movie Makers can be seen recording the sound from the event.
Intertitle: ‘Miniature Power Boat Endurance Racing: World Championships: Redcar Tarn, Keighley, Yorkshire’
Model power boat enthusiasts are gathered around the outside of the pond to watch the race of remote controlled boats. The commentary explains that it is the Golden Jubilee of the Model Power Boat association of Great Britain. The race is for two hours around a 220 yard circuit. The boat that completes the most laps in that time is the winner. The Class ‘A’ 3.5 cc race is in progress, and a rowing boat is on hand to rescue any broken models. Boats and equipment are displayed on the side of the pond. Each pit has a scorer and a mechanic. The entry from South Africa is being repaired and/or cleaned before it is set off.
Intertitle: Air Display’
At the Battle of Britain Racing Meeting at Rufford, the 1st Swords Aerobatic Display Team is in action. A Hercules Aircraft launches a parachute display team. They descend, trailing different coloured smoke. They land close to each near the edge of the field. The Hercules flies over at very low altitude, and there is a display of a Super Marine Spitfire MK19. Next on display is the Red Arrows Display Team, with nine aircraft trailing coloured smoke which is controlled by the pilot. The commentator notes that they go through their routine at 300-390 mph. This includes the opposition barrel roll manoeuvre.
Intertitle: ‘Morecombe Illuminations’
At night the illuminations light up the street on either side and over the street. They are also on the Promenade, at an arcade, and on the big wheel. Other funfair rides are shown as well as the Broadway Theatre in lights. The film closes with an animated display of nursery rhymes in Happy Mount Park.
The End
Context
This is one of many films made by amateur filmmaker Ken Leckenby. Ken was a member of the Mercury Movie Makers Cine Club of Leeds. MMM made films as a collective, but Ken also made many films of his own, including a series of films he titled ‘Out and About’, which all had the form of bringing together film and information of local places and events. Each event would have a subtitle and Ken would often supply an informative commentary to go with the film. Ken would go out most weekends...
This is one of many films made by amateur filmmaker Ken Leckenby. Ken was a member of the Mercury Movie Makers Cine Club of Leeds. MMM made films as a collective, but Ken also made many films of his own, including a series of films he titled ‘Out and About’, which all had the form of bringing together film and information of local places and events. Each event would have a subtitle and Ken would often supply an informative commentary to go with the film. Ken would go out most weekends filming for these, and this continued from the 1960s almost up to Ken’s passing in 1999. For more on MMM see the Context for A Vision Fulfilled (1984). This kind of documentary filmmaking was not uncommon at the time. Another example are the films of another ‘Ken’, Ken Snowden, who made similar short newsreel type features on local events in the Pickering area over roughly the same period. These documentary type films provide a fascinating and important record of local subjects and events. In fact Mercury Movie Makers now have an annual Out and About film competition named after Ken Leckenby - and recently won by another veteran pair of filmmaker Roy and Jean Vickers. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of this film is the Caribbean Carnival. Although many filmmakers filmed local Lord Mayor's Parades and other carnivals, the YFA has a great number of them, there are precious few focusing on Afro-Caribbean or Asian celebrations. The colourful nature of the Caribbean Carnival, and the joyful music of the steel band, must have made a refreshing change to the usual fare; as can be seen from the expressions of some of those present. The Leeds West Indian Carnival was the first one of its kind – organised by a black British committee – to be held in Britain, in 1967, even before London's Notting Hill Carnival. It owes its origins to Arthur France who arrived in Leeds from the Caribbean island of Nevis in 1957. In the face of the prejudice that was common against people arriving in Britain from the West Indies, Arthur helped to set up the United Caribbean Association in 1964, along with Cedric Clarke, the first black Labour Councillor in Leeds, and George Archibald – 27 people crowding into his bedsit! This campaigned for equal rights and an end to discrimination. Looking beyond this, for “ . . something to bind us together as people of the Caribbean”, Arthur was instrumental, with others such as Ian Charles, Calvin Beech and Gertrude Paul, in founding the Leeds Carnival, based on his recollections of carnivals back home in Trinidad and St Kitts-Nevis. Geraldine Connor and Max Farrar in their paper provide a fuller background to the carnival, and a comprehensive bibliography. They state that: ‘The origin of the Leeds Carnival lies in a fête organised in 1966 at Kitson College (now Leeds College of Technology) by two students, Frankie Davis (from Trinidad) and Tony Lewis (from Jamaica)’, at which Jimmy James and the Vagabonds played (see References). The Leeds Carnival featured the Gay Carnival Steel Band, which Arthur France also founded, as well as the traditional Snow, or Carnival, Queen. Other bands may also be present (again see Connor and Farrar). Arthur France himself can be seen near the beginning with a red headband and white top. It ought to be remembered that racism was common in Leeds at the time among some sections of the population and that the National Front was highly active (they marched in Leeds a few years later). Yet there is little sign of this in the film, and Ken Leckenby deserves commendation for promoting this event. Carnivals have a fascinating history, with roots probably in early pagan festivals. The earliest recorded carnival is from 15th Century Italy, to celebrate the last day before Lent (Shrove Tuesday or Mardis Gras). The word Carnival derives from 'carne' (meaning meat) and 'vale' (meaning farewell). When French settlers introduced carnivals to Trinidad they were taken up by the colonial rulers. But after emancipation in 1830 they were adopted by the newly freed slaves to celebrate their liberation. The distinctive sound and rhythm of samba, calypso and steel pan, that define Caribbean carnival, originate from Africa (perhaps given its definitive sound by the great Sonny Rollins’ ‘Don’t stop the carnival’). However, the flamboyant mas parades with their extravagant costumes were adapted from the European tradition of carnival. From these beginnings Arthur France continued to be highly involved in Afro-Caribbean affairs. In support of the Black Power movement, Arthur was involved in much campaigning and in 1982 was a founder member of the steering committee which set up the West Indian Centre. In 1985 he received the Hansib Award for his work within the black communities in Leeds; in 1995 he received the Voice Newspaper Community Honour and the CRE Race in the Media Award; and in 1997 he was awarded the MBE. The Carnival itself has gone from strength to strength, retaining a strong West Indian flavour. The mas bands (the masquerade bands that make up the colourful procession), the West Indian costumes, the Soca Sounds and the steel pan musicians, are all very prominent. The Carnival did experience a bad year in 1990 when three people were killed, but in the main there has been little trouble. After 1983 the procession avoided the city centre, travelling around the Harehills and Chapeltown areas, but returned to the city centre after 2002, when the Leeds West Indian Carnival Committee was given the Civic Trust 'Ambassador for the Community Award'. It now gets covered by BBC 1xtra, and the BBC also has a short video clip on the carnival, featuring an interview with Arthur France, some early black and white footage of the Carnival and showing some recent spectacular costumes. References Geraldine Connor and Max Farrar, ‘Carnival in Leeds and London, UK: Making New Black British Subjectivities‘, in Riggio, Milla, C (ed.) Carnival: Culture in Action — The Trinidad Experience, London and New York: Routledge, 2004. Leeds Carnival This has a link to the BBC video clip. Arthur France’s Story on the Moving Here website http://nowthen.org/collections/west-indian-carnival-leeds/leeds-carnival-1974 |
