>Ah, the glory days of being a late 80s kid forced to watch this lot in the place of new tv.

Did anyone ever notice that they used the same curly haired weirdo as the baddy in every single CFF film?

>
>Did anyone ever notice that they used the same curly haired weirdo as the baddy in every single CFF film?


Wasn't it Tinker off of Lovejoy?

>>Did anyone ever notice that they used the same curly haired weirdo as the baddy in every single CFF film?
>
>
>Wasn't it Tinker off of Lovejoy?

NELE!!!!!!!!

KJSGESTEHGUEGUH!!!

The CFF rule. Imagine an era when the big film companies made films specially for children just because they thought they ought to ...

GLitterball must be seen. 70's film about kids who meet in Woolco, then get in with an alien custard-eating ball bearing.

And what about Up In The Air - boy escapes from cruel boarding school presided over by evil headmaster Jon Pertwee ... by building a hot air balloon.

Some were gritty, some were silly, some were freaky, all delightful. I love the CFF.

> Some were gritty, some were silly, some were freaky, all delightful. I love the CFF.

Some were shit, sorry but I was of the generation that saw them when they were repeated 10-15years later.

But it is a nice idea, making films for people without the sole purpose of making money (I can't be sure but I doubt the CCF ever went merchandicing crazy).

I think I'm going to blow it now by saying "If there were more of these films then maybe 3 year old kids wouldn't be killing people for crack cocaine

Well, I'm of that generation too, and I think most have a certain charm even though some have dated. (I think they go downhill around the 80's. Pop Pirates, anyone with the bouffant boy from Grange Hill?) Mostly, they're time capsules of different eras' attitudes to children/childhood. I collect 'em and find that many are v. watchable.

And yes, really nice that many big British stars/actors would be in them for little pay, just because it was a good thing to be doing.

I always like telling Doctor Who fans about the 1978 one in which Patrick Troughton plays a time-travelling eccentric and watch them go red as they've never heard of it. ('A Hitch In Time.')

>Well, I'm of that generation too, and I think most have a certain charm even though some have dated. (I think they go downhill around the 80's. Pop Pirates, anyone with the bouffant boy from Grange Hill?) Mostly, they're time capsules of different eras' attitudes to children/childhood. I collect 'em and find that many are v. watchable.
>
This is nice to know, I hate that "Hey it might be shit, but it's sooo kitsch" mentality. I haven't seen them since I was a kid (bar Angus Dayton showing Cheggers on that BTWF show)
> And yes, really nice that many big British stars/actors would be in them for little pay, just because it was a good thing to be doing.
>
Sadly it could be argued that there are no more great brit actors. A mate of mine went to a party thrown by some Drama bint, half way through one of them pulled out a vid of Joseph and they all started cooing saying that was the kind of thing they wanted to do. Eastenders stage school strikes again

> I always like telling Doctor Who fans about the 1978 one in which Patrick Troughton plays a time-travelling eccentric and watch them go red as they've never heard of it. ('A Hitch In Time.')

I get much the same pleasure talking to young punksters when talking about the Stooges.

I am right remembering there was a film about a Electric Eskimo?

>This is nice to know, I hate that "Hey it might be shit, but it's sooo kitsch" mentality.

Me, too. I try to see them as they were genuinely intended, not in an ironic retro way - hate that. But as they made quite a lot of films per year, lots are bound to miss the mark.
Here's an interesting CFF fact. Here Come The Double Deckers started off a series of CFF shorts - called The Magnificent Six and a Half. Brains and Spring were in them.
Here's another horrible archive fact ... Carlton own the CFF catalogue, including these Magnificent Six and a Half films, but they claim that they *aren't* CFF titles and haven't got them ... auuugh.

<<I haven't seen them since I was a kid (bar Angus Dayton showing Cheggers on that BTWF show) >>

I think Cheggers as Robin Hood is one of the CFF films to be avoided ...


>> Eastenders stage school strikes again

Ha - I always call it The Anna Scher School Of Shouting In A Cockney Accent. I liked the Roger Price outrageous kids' sketch shows that came out of it in the 70's, though.

>I get much the same pleasure talking to young punksters when talking about the Stooges.

You mean they haven't heard of The Stooges ...?

>
>I am right remembering there was a film about a Electric Eskimo?

Very likely. There's a big directory on the TV Cream site which is quite useful for CFF buffs.

I wish they'd repeat them, I wouldn't mind watching them at 2 in the morning, maybe a few jars and the odd John Coltrane fag would help bring back the child in me.

Watching Kids TV today (we all do, well us without gainful employment) it's nice to know that the kids aren't much better at acting.

Weren't all these kids the ones that ending up in shows like Pink Windmill and Spatz?

Go up to any teen to day and say how you like the records of Iggy Stooge, you can pull the chain out of their pocket and lock them to a fence and they won't notice.

>I wish they'd repeat them, I wouldn't mind watching them at 2 in the morning, maybe a few jars and the odd John Coltrane fag would help bring back the child in me.

Oh, to be thrilled by a late night broadcast of 'The Battle For Billy's Pond' or 'Calamity the Cow.' But, sadly, I don't think they'll ever be shown anywhere again.
Do you recall The Children's Film Unit, the Amicus to the CFF's Hammer, who made similar kid films except unremittingly grim - where everyone dies in the end; hung by the neck (Captain Stirrick) or laid waste by nuclear explosion (Doombeach)or whatever. They had kids working the cameras and doing the technical stuff as well. Channel 4 sometimes show *them* at about 4am in the morning.

>
>Watching Kids TV today (we all do, well us without gainful employment) it's nice to know that the kids aren't much better at acting.

What did you watch? Not Star Street!

>
>Weren't all these kids the ones that ending up in shows like Pink Windmill and Spatz?

They tended to be un-stage school-y ones, really. Often making their one and only appearance in the CFF film they made.

>
> Oh, to be thrilled by a late night broadcast of 'The Battle For Billy's Pond' or 'Calamity the Cow.' But, sadly, I don't think they'll ever be shown anywhere again.
> Do you recall The Children's Film Unit, the Amicus to the CFF's Hammer, who made similar kid films except unremittingly grim - where everyone dies in the end; hung by the neck (Captain Stirrick) or laid waste by nuclear explosion (Doombeach)or whatever. They had kids working the cameras and doing the technical stuff as well. Channel 4 sometimes show *them* at about 4am in the morning.
>
You couldn't get away with that sort of thing now, I mean look at the furfore at the internet perv thing on Corrie got.

I remember watching a Stranger Danger short in about 81 when I was a little kid, scared the shit out of me!

Unfortunately being such a slacker I fail to get up before 1pm on the weekend (luckly I've also got a girlfriend, Ant & Dec or Oral Sex, hmmm). But I do hate those people who bang on about how Chums works on so many levels (and it wouldn't be that you want to guest on it and further yer career by any chance?)

Back to the kids working on the films (in tech roles) Rock on! Can't do much worse than anyone else, most people have no respect for Kids TV, that's why it's shit. Except:
1. Aquila, I like this, great premise (I want one of those ships NOW, the old lady and the indian are quite funny)
2. Belfry Witches, only cos I really fancy Lucy Davis

I'm such a sad student

I quite like Aquila - it's so old-fashioned, it could be 1950's ... but that gives it a certain charm.

>I quite like Aquila - it's so old-fashioned, it could be 1950's ... but that gives it a certain charm.

That's what I like, the fact it's not trying to be hip, say like Children's Ward, which recently had a lesbian storyline for all of 2 minutes, my dyke mate didn't believe me at first. Of course it was all insinuated.

Kids shouldn't be cool, they should want to run about in a silly fashion pretending to be planes for as long as possible (of god what do I sound like?)