Alvin T. Willis

Alvin Willis was a cameraman who is known to have filmed for Topical Budget at Llandudno in 1920, although his material does not seem to have been used in the reel. He may have been working with Hutchins [qv] and Parry [qv] to film Lloyd George’s speech for Topical Budget No.476-2 of October 1920. Willis seems to have been based in the north-west, and was also credited as the cameraman for ‘PRINCESS MARY’S VISIT TO PRESTON’ in Pathe Gazette No.G1214 of August 1925. He was later regularly credited for Liverpool and Manchester stories on the Pathe Super Sound Gazette, beginning with ‘FOR THE 130TH TIME’ in No.31/43 of May 1931. He also covered some stories in Northern Ireland, such as ‘FIERCEST ROAD RACE IN HISTORY’ in Super Sound Gazette No.33/67 of August 1933. His last credit for Pathe was ‘AGAIN KING COAL TAKES TOLL,' in Super Sound Gazette No.33/94 of November 1933.

Willis later worked for the Gaumont British News, being remembered as its ‘North West representative for many years.' Willis is known to have provided two unused stories - ‘DONKEY’ in Gaumont British News No.615 of November 1939, and ‘AIRCRAFT PRODUCTION AT LIVERPOOL’ in No.619 of December 1939. He continued to work for Gaumont British News during the war, and in June 1941 Willis and Henry Hawkins [qv] filmed ‘RAF CHIEF SIR CHARLES PORTAL INSPECTS NEW WARPLANES’ for Gaumont British News No.780. By 1949 Willis was working in documentaries.

Sources

BUFVC, British Paramount News files, Number 1077, rota dopesheet c.June 1941: Cine Technician, July-August 1949, p.111: L. Pontecorvo ‘The British Newsreel Companies: Staffing 1910-1945,' in J. Ballantyne (ed) ‘Researcher’s Guide to British Newsreels’ (BUFVC, 1983), p.93, and amendments in J. Ballantyne (ed) ‘Researcher’s Guide to British Newsreels: Vol.II’ (1988), p.32.