Ben R. Hart

Ben Hart was born in London, and entered the film industry in 1926 as assistant director to Harry B. Parkinson. He subsequently worked as assistant director in a number of British studios, before joining Paramount Pictures, where he spent fourteen years as director of photography. Paul Wyand [qv] of Movietone remembered Hart as working for Paramount in 1934, when he helped to pirate the Test series from Movietone and Gaumont British, who held the rights. Hart was involved in pirating a number of similar events, and on one occasion ‘Paramount smuggled him into a closed boxing match, sitting in a wheel chair with a clockwork camera concealed beneath a rug.' A similar feat was ascribed to Jimmy Gemmell [qv]. Hart’s first surviving credit is in the camera team for ‘LORD MAYOR’S SHOW’ in British Paramount News No.491 of November 1935, after which he is one of the Paramount cameramen most frequently credited.

In 1936 Hart was one of the cameramen sent to film the Spanish Civil War, and in July 1936 he filmed George Bernard Shaw for ''GBS’ 80 NOT OUT’ in British Paramount News No.566. The shotlist notes that Hart appears on film, moving Shaw to face the camera and saying ‘Put your face that way,' at which point Shaw makes a humorous comment about being photographed. Hart was still working for Paramount when war broke out in September 1939, continuing to work with them as a war correspondent. In November 1940 some of Hart’s film taken in the Mediterranean on HMS Illustrious was released in No.1011 as ‘NAVY SMASH MASS RAID.' According to the shotlist Hart was knocked off his feet by a bomb whilst filming this, but his cameraman’s report does not mention it. However, in December 1940 Hart was filming in Turkey, and his dope sheet notes that ‘camera has behaved badly since it was blown up and smothered in salt water.' The item appeared as ‘TURKISH STRENGTH IS CHECK ON NAZIS’ in No.1023.

By February 1941 Hart was working in Greece, and provided ‘GREEKS MOURN METAXAS BUT RESUME ATTACK’ for British Paramount News No.1043. In June 1941 he worked with Norman Fisher [qv] of Movietone to film ‘STOP PRESS - Four hundred persons are killed in air blitz on Alexandria’ in British Paramount News No.1080 of July 1941. Hart continued to work in the Middle East, and in January 1942 British Paramount News No.1136 carried an item entitled ‘INSIDE NEUTRAL TURKEY...Photo-Report by Ben Hart.' However, on a surviving ‘Daily Assignment Sheet’ for British Paramount News from October 1943 Hart’s printed name has been crossed out, as though he was no longer with the company. After demobilisation Hart returned to films as director of photography on ‘Journey Ahead’ (1947) and ‘Holidays with Pay’ (1948), and he continued to work in films and television.

However, in July 1947 Hart featured as ‘Professor Samson’ in a comic sequence at the end of the weight-lifting item ‘GIRLS, THESE MEN ARE WHAT DOCTOR ORDERED,' in British Paramount News No.1709. In January 1952 Hart apparently covered at least one story for Alf Tunwell [qv] and Telenews, but in February 1952 ‘Mr. Hart’ was listed on the British Paramount News ‘Daily Assignment Sheet’ for coverage of the funeral of George VI, setting up gear in London. In June 1953 Hart was also in the Paramount camera team that filmed ‘THE CORONATION’ for British Paramount News No.2323, filming from the Embankment. In July 1956 he was at Ascot to help film ‘RIBOT THE WONDER HORSE’ for British Paramount News No.2651. In November 1961 ‘B. Hart’ was credited in the camera team that filmed ‘HONG KONG WELCOMES THE PRINCESS’ for Pathe News No.61/90, and this may have been Ben Hart.

Sources

P. Noble (ed) ‘British Film and Television Year Book 1956/57’ (London, 1956), p.152: P. Wyand ‘Useless if Delayed’ (London, 1959), p.56: J. Ballantyne (ed) ‘Researcher’s Guide to British Newsreels: Vol.III’ (1993), pp.26, 75: BUFVC, British Paramount News files, Issue Number 1080 (B. R. Hart rota dopesheet, c.June 1941), Number 1563 (Paramount ‘Daily Assignment Sheet,' 12/10/1943), Number 2323 (Paramount memo, 28/5/1953), Number 2329 ('Daily Assignment Sheet,' 14/2/1952), Number 2368 (Len Dudley dopesheet, 7/1/1952).