hooray for jollywood
2022 reissue
An important new book release has recently become available which should be of special interest to George Formby fans everywhere. "Hooray for Jollywood " is the aptly named title of a splendid work by Philip and David Williams, cataloguing the life and works of legendary Northern film producer John E. Blakeley and his company, Mancunian Films. The book scores on many levels, from a 'film buff' point of view it is indispensable as it chronicles the films of Blakeley in great detail supply fascinating anecdotes and storylines of all the major players within the Mancunian family as well as supplying comprehensive facts and figures of all the releases from this sadly almost forgotten studio. For any student of Northern humour in the 30's, 40's and early 50's the book is a treat, Frank Randle, Harry Korris, Dan Young, Josef Locke, George Formby, Norman Evans, Jimmy James, Nat Jackley and many other great Northern names were associated with John E. and the book includes interesting notes on all these and many more. Although George Formby made only two films for Blakeley, they were very important in the rise of Mancunian Films, the front cover of the book features a rarely seen photo of George and John E. Blakeley on the set of "Boots Boots". The book is well illustrated throughout, with scenes from many of the films, publicity posters, and actors and technicians. John E. Blakeley virtually retired around 1952 and died in February 1958 but the story doesn't end there and the authors bring us right up to date with how the company and the Blakeley family continued into present day. This book is a 'must-have' for anybody interested in the subject matter contained here. I cannot think of any other work which so comprehensively tells us about this much-missed man and the films he made. This book was published in 2001. PUBLISHERS NOTES: John E. Blakeley, the man behind The Mancunian Film Corporation, was a rare breed in the annals of British film history for all the films he made were produced solely for northern audiences. Indeed, it's probably fair to say that they were despised in the south of the country. Through necessity, his films were initially shot in London, although they were planned and conceived in his home city of Manchester. Made on a shoestring budget and usually bereft of a storyline his stock company of popular northern music hall eccentrics made them extremely popular with the working classes. His stars included George Formby, Nat Jackley, Norman Evans, Duggie Wakefield, Jewel & Warriss, and of course the inimitable Frank Randle. In 1947 at a time when the film industry was virtually on its knees, Blakeley did the unthinkable and opened his own studio in Manchester. At a cost of £70,000, Film Studios (Manchester) was equipped and housed in an old Wesleyan Church, on Dickenson Road, Rusholme. Known locally as the 'Fun Factory' or 'Jollywood' the studio carried on turning out the popular comedies. This book tells the story of John E. Blakeley his lifetime in the film industry and of a devoted family man. It also looks behind the scenes of film making both in London and Manchester. Many stories are told of the stars that worked at 'Jollywood' and many are featured in this book.
2022 also marks the 21st anniversary of the book’s original publication in 2001. Now with expanded text and amendments and the inclusion of many more photos and illustrations this book is a must for any British cinema history buff. John E. Blakeley was a rare breed in the annals of British film history for all the films he made were produced solely for northern audiences. Indeed, it's probably fair to say that they were despised by London critics. Through necessity, his films were initially shot in London, although they were planned and conceived in his home city of Manchester. Made on a shoestring budget and usually bereft of a storyline his stock company of popular northern music hall eccentrics made them extremely popular with the Lancashire working-classes. His stars included George Formby, Nat Jackley, Norman Evans, Duggie Wakefield, Jewel & Warriss, Josef Locke and of course the inimitable Frank Randle. In 1947 at a time when the film industry was virtually on its knees, Blakeley did the unthinkable and opened his own studio in Manchester. At a cost of £70,000, Film Studios (Manchester) was equipped and housed in an old Wesleyan Church, on Dickenson Road, Rusholme. Known locally as the 'Fun Factory' or 'Jollywood' the studio carried on turning out the popular comedies. This book tells the story of John E. Blakeley his lifetime in the film industry and of a devoted family man. It also looks behind the scenes of film making both in London and Manchester. Many stories are told of the stars that worked at 'Jollywood' and many are featured in this book. The appendix also contains a full filmography and several transcripts from the filmed sketches of George Formby, Frank Randle, Harry Korris and Norman Evans. With Blakeley’s passing a unique chapter in British film history came to an end. Mancunian however, continued production, with John E. Blakeley’s son, Tom at the helm. The company moved into the lucrative ‘B’ movie market with a succession of crime films. This virtually unknown part of the Mancunian story is also covered in ‘Hooray for Jollywood’. This edition also carries the original foreword by the late Mike Craig writer and producer of more than 1,200 comedy shows for BBC radio and television, including Ken Dodd, Roy Castle and Morecambe and Wise. It is hoped that a stock of the newly released book will be available at the GFS Convention in June 2022.

Below is the original 2001 report and review.

An important new book release has recently become available which should be of special interest to George Formby fans everywhere. "Hooray for Jollywood " is the aptly named title of a splendid work by Philip and David Williams, cataloguing the life and works of legendary Northern film producer John E. Blakeley and his company, Mancunian Films. The book scores on many levels, from a 'film buff' point of view it is indispensable as it chronicles the films of Blakeley in great detail supply fascinating anecdotes and storylines of all the major players within the Mancunian family as well as supplying comprehensive facts and figures of all the releases from this sadly almost forgotten studio. For any student of Northern humour in the 30's, 40's and early 50's the book is a treat, Frank Randle, Harry Korris, Dan Young, Josef Locke, George Formby, Norman Evans, Jimmy James, Nat Jackley and many other great Northern names were associated with John E. and the book includes interesting notes on all these and many more. Although George Formby made only two films for Blakeley, they were very important in the rise of Mancunian Films, the front cover of the book features a rarely seen photo of George and John E. Blakeley on the set of "Boots Boots". The book is well illustrated throughout, with scenes from many of the films, publicity posters, and actors and technicians. John E. Blakeley virtually retired around 1952 and died in February 1958 but the story doesn't end there and the authors bring us right up to date with how the company and the Blakeley family continued into present day. This book is a 'must-have' for anybody interested in the subject matter contained here. I cannot think of any other work which so comprehensively tells us about this much-missed man and the films he made. This book was published in 2001. PUBLISHERS NOTES: John E. Blakeley, the man behind The Mancunian Film Corporation, was a rare breed in the annals of British film history for all the films he made were produced solely for northern audiences. Indeed, it's probably fair to say that they were despised in the south of the country. Through necessity, his films were initially shot in London, although they were planned and conceived in his home city of Manchester. Made on a shoestring budget and usually bereft of a storyline his stock company of popular northern music hall eccentrics made them extremely popular with the working classes. His stars included George Formby, Nat Jackley, Norman Evans, Duggie Wakefield, Jewel & Warriss, and of course the inimitable Frank Randle. In 1947 at a time when the film industry was virtually on its knees, Blakeley did the unthinkable and opened his own studio in Manchester. At a cost of £70,000, Film Studios (Manchester) was equipped and housed in an old Wesleyan Church, on Dickenson Road, Rusholme. Known locally as the 'Fun Factory' or 'Jollywood' the studio carried on turning out the popular comedies. This book tells the story of John E. Blakeley his lifetime in the film industry and of a devoted family man. It also looks behind the scenes of film making both in London and Manchester. Many stories are told of the stars that worked at 'Jollywood' and many are featured in this book.
hooray for jollywood
2022 Reissue
2022 also marks the 21st anniversary of the book’s original publication in 2001. Now with expanded text and amendments and the inclusion of many more photos and illustrations this book is a must for any British cinema history buff. John E. Blakeley was a rare breed in the annals of British film history for all the films he made were produced solely for northern audiences. Indeed, it's probably fair to say that they were despised by London critics. Through necessity, his films were initially shot in London, although they were planned and conceived in his home city of Manchester. Made on a shoestring budget and usually bereft of a storyline his stock company of popular northern music hall eccentrics made them extremely popular with the Lancashire working-classes. His stars included George Formby, Nat Jackley, Norman Evans, Duggie Wakefield, Jewel & Warriss, Josef Locke and of course the inimitable Frank Randle. In 1947 at a time when the film industry was virtually on its knees, Blakeley did the unthinkable and opened his own studio in Manchester. At a cost of £70,000, Film Studios (Manchester) was equipped and housed in an old Wesleyan Church, on Dickenson Road, Rusholme. Known locally as the 'Fun Factory' or 'Jollywood' the studio carried on turning out the popular comedies. This book tells the story of John E. Blakeley his lifetime in the film industry and of a devoted family man. It also looks behind the scenes of film making both in London and Manchester. Many stories are told of the stars that worked at 'Jollywood' and many are featured in this book. The appendix also contains a full filmography and several transcripts from the filmed sketches of George Formby, Frank Randle, Harry Korris and Norman Evans. With Blakeley’s passing a unique chapter in British film history came to an end. Mancunian however, continued production, with John E. Blakeley’s son, Tom at the helm. The company moved into the lucrative ‘B’ movie market with a succession of crime films. This virtually unknown part of the Mancunian story is also covered in ‘Hooray for Jollywood’. This edition also carries the original foreword by the late Mike Craig writer and producer of more than 1,200 comedy shows for BBC radio and television, including Ken Dodd, Roy Castle and Morecambe and Wise. It is hoped that a stock of the newly released book will be available at the GFS Convention in June 2022.

Below is the original 2001 report and review.