Cecil R. Snape

When William Jeapes [qv] launched the Empire News Bulletin in May 1926 the press release announced that its editor would be the novelist Gilbert Frankau [qv]. However, it seems that the actual editorial duties were carried out by Cecil Snape, and that when the Empire News Bulletin’s sound successor, the Universal Talking News, was launched in July 1930, he was made editor of that as well. The World Film News described Snape as a full-time editor who ‘has worked, eaten, played, slept, always within reach of a telephone.' Snape did not believe that the newsreel should be controversial, arguing in December 1930 that ‘the public gets enough of the turmoil of life outside the cinema, without having it thrust upon them in the places which built their popularity on a basis of restful entertainment.' In May 1937, when the Duke of Windsor married Wallace Simpson, Snape was thus one of the newsreel editors who met at the British Movietone News offices to formulate a policy. The others were G. F. Sanger [qv] of British Movietone News, R. S. Howard [qv] of Gaumont British News, Louis Behr [qv] of Pathe Gazette, and G. T. Cummins [qv] of British Paramount News. They agreed not to run the story.

In July 1937 it was announced that Snape was leaving Universal to be editor of a new newsreel called the National News, funded by Norman Loudon of the distributor Sound City, and with Victor Creer [qv] as executive manager. Snape had apparently completed his contract with the Universal Talking News. Unlike that newsreel, the National News would not create all of its sound in the studio, but would have its own fleet of sound trucks, and for the first time Snape would be able to edit natural sound. The publicity claimed that Snape had ‘personally supervised the production of more than 25,000 newsreel stories,' but this is plainly exaggerated. The commentator on the National News was to be Thomas Woodroffe [qv], and, as with E. V. H. Emmett [qv] at Gaumont British News, it was reported that he would ‘collaborate in the writing of scripts for stories before they are shot and is to work in close co-operation with the editor and cutters.' Snape’s place as editor of the Universal Talking News was taken by Cecil Jeapes [qv], with Brian Saveall [qv] as ‘joint editor.' The National News itself was launched in October 1937, but it was suspended soon afterwards, and finally folded in February 1938 when its camera gear was put up for sale. The World Film News noted that Snape had attempted to create some of the impact of the American March of Time, but that in fact ‘he failed completely to achieve even a faint impression of the American monthly’s combination of clarity with lightning speed.'

Snape eventually returned to Universal, where in 1947 he was credited as ‘news editor’ of the Universal News, under Clifford Jeapes [qv]. By 1948 Snape was once again credited as the reel’s editor, but this may simply have been a change of title, for in 1949 Jeapes was credited as the producer of the Universal News, with Snape and Leslie Murray [qv] as assistant editors.

Sources

Bioscope, 20/5/1926, p.43, ‘Empire News Bulletin’: BFI Library, ‘Official statement issued jointly by British Pictorial Productions and the European Motion Picture Company,' 3/11/1926: C. R. Snape ‘Colour in Topicals,' Bioscope, 31/12/1930, p.119: Motion Picture Herald, 12/6/1937, p.54, ‘Duke of Windsor’s wedding films banned in Britain by ‘agreement’': World Film News, July 1937, p.29, ‘Newsreel Rushes’: To-day’s Cinema, 6/7/1937, p. 1, ‘Sound City to launch news reel: National News to start in October’: World Film News, August 1937, p.31 ‘Newsreel rushes: notes by The Commentator’; October 1937, p.35, ‘Newsreel rushes: newsreel notes by The Commentator’: Cine-Technician, October-November 1937, p.146, ‘Newsreel’; March-April 1938, p.220, ‘Newsreel’: ‘Year Book of the Association of Cinematograph and Allied Technicians 1948/49,' p.54: P. Noble (ed) ‘British Film Yearbook 1949-50’ (London, 1949), p.275.