Richard Massingham

Men from Scotland Yard and military intelligence build a dossier on a sabotage ring.

A bitter burglar, a prostitute and an elderly shoplifter spend their first day out of jail.

The story of a family house through four generations

A brisk GPO Film Unit promo for the Post Office Savings Bank: pub talk and daydream vignettes tout penny-by-penny thrift, peaking in a playful Norman McLaren passage where household furniture springs to life—selling the idea that “many a little makes a lot.”

Shows how hygiene can change the course of history and how it was a decisive factor in Britain's World War II victory. Commentary by Dr. Charles Hill.

A trip to the theatre changes a meek bank clerk's life, as he undergoes hypnosis and leaves without being woken up. Suddenly, he believes he is the world's greatest lover and becomes a terrorizing Casanova.

The story of a family house through four generations

A brisk GPO Film Unit promo for the Post Office Savings Bank: pub talk and daydream vignettes tout penny-by-penny thrift, peaking in a playful Norman McLaren passage where household furniture springs to life—selling the idea that “many a little makes a lot.”

Shows how hygiene can change the course of history and how it was a decisive factor in Britain's World War II victory. Commentary by Dr. Charles Hill.

Describes the many by-products resulting from the carbonisation of coal.

Government information film on how to get maximum wear from a man's suit, narrated by one such suit in the form of an autobiography.

Government information film on how to get maximum wear from a man's suit, narrated by one such suit in the form of an autobiography.

Richard Massingham's 'Uncle Bob' character helps his family move house.

“During the Second World War, blackout regulations were imposed to make it harder for enemy aircraft to find their targets over Britain. This plunged parts of the country into darkness and made travelling by road especially dangerous. It was hoped that the resulting increase in road accidents could be curtailed, by encouraging road users to follow some of the featured safety precautions.” - BFI

A short comedy about dentistry by the doctor and (at this point) amateur film-maker Richard Massingham.

A secretarial pool dream of the ideal civil servant to be their boss.

Showing the importance of a thorough induction.

“Catching up with gossip, inspecting new ducklings, clambering over gates, walking across meadows - the life of a postman appears idyllic, but this Devon postie has some startling ideas about improving efficiency... The inimitable Richard Massingham, a doctor turned actor and filmmaker, co-directed this film, and appears in it as the testy Mr Proctor. This film was produced by John Grierson, often hailed as the father of British documentary. It was made for the General Post Office (GPO) Film Unit, one of the most remarkable creative institutions that Britain has produced. It provided a springboard for many of the best-known and critically acclaimed figures in the British Documentary Movement.” - BFI

Comedy of the theft of a poodle by a villain and the chase after him.

Joe the Burglar explains how he goes about his job for the benefit of the audience, providing a lesson in how to avoid being broken into.

A road safety film on the dangers of playing in the roads of London in 1947.

A provoking film on the place of women.

A provoking film on the place of women.

A provoking film on the place of women.

Styles of architecture used in the 1951 South Bank Exhibition, London.

A man extols the enjoyment that can still be had in a bath restricted to the wartime allowance of five inches of hot water.

A man extols the enjoyment that can still be had in a bath restricted to the wartime allowance of five inches of hot water.

A man extols the enjoyment that can still be had in a bath restricted to the wartime allowance of five inches of hot water.

A comedy of a bachelor struggling to wake up and get to work, whilst living in a boarding house.

A comedy of a bachelor struggling to wake up and get to work, whilst living in a boarding house.

Documentary short film reporting on the activities of the American Red Cross and the useage made of contributed funds for the previous year. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2012.

No synopsis available yet.

The effortlessly comic abandons the stress of his city job to work on a farm.

The effortlessly comic abandons the stress of his city job to work on a farm.

The effortlessly comic abandons the stress of his city job to work on a farm.

An industrial film instructing employees in the then-new air travel industry how to deal with problem customers.

A narrative tour of different public houses around England.

An introduction to the famous and historic university town, showing the colleges, as well as the place itself.

A brief documentary about the history of the Royal Mail.

A brief documentary about the history of the Royal Mail.

Advice for post-war British holidaymakers on how to comply with new Treasury legislation on taking money abroad, presented in comic style by Richard Massingham.

Richard Massingham directs and stars in this medical short about a man going to any lengths to cure his lumbago.

This film explains how sneezing in public can spread disease, and shows how using a handkerchief can stop it.

No synopsis available yet.

Public health film, warning of the dangers of this airborne disease through sneezing.

Public health film, warning of the dangers of this airborne disease through sneezing.