Carry On Prefabs

The chapter about prefabs is the first in my book, Concretopia. It also happens to be the last chapter to be written, due to the arse-about-face way I have approached it. Here's an extract from a 1945 short film made to promote prefabs, which I watched as part of my research ages ago now. It's directed by a young Lewis Gilbert, he of 3 x Bond film, Alfie and Shirley Valentine fame. The hero, a womanising, chain-smoking investigative journalist, is played by – who else – Charles Hawtrey.

Charles Hawtrey Carry On prefabs



In The Ten Year Plan, Hawtrey is sent out to discover just what the bally hell this prefabrication lark is all about. In it he talks to some blimpish military experts, some colourful Ealing-style members of the public and goes to investigate the buildings for himself. It's a lovely example of the art of the public information film, the kind of thing that is likely of more historical interest now than the picture it was accompanying at the cinema.





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