William Symon ("Bill")

Bill Symon was a cutter with Pathe, whose first credit is for cutting Pathe News No.56/13 of February 1956. Symon cut over a hundred and fifty stories before his last surviving credit for Pathe News No.56/103 of December 1956, but by January 1957 he was appearing in front of the camera - his first credit being for ‘SALES SCRAMBLE’ in Pathe News No.57/2 of January 1957. This was a comic item on the winter sales which the Pathe story card describes as showing ‘Bill Symon coming out of shop carrying nude dummy and he turns off to walk up street’ - the reaction shot featuring Charlie Chart [qv]. In the next issue of the Pathe News Symon appeared again, this time as the interviewer in ‘DOCTORS DEMAND A FAIR DEAL.' Symon became a regular Pathe interviewer, and in No.58/94 of November 1958 interviewed the Home Secretary for ‘BIG ROBBERIES ALARM AUTHORITIES.' His final credit as interviewer is for ‘WHAT DO THE STARS FORETELL FOR YOU?' in Pathe News No.59/2 of January 1959. He seems to have left Pathe for Movietone soon afterwards, as Symon was credited as the commentator for British Movietone News No.1629A of August 1960. According to Peter Hampton [qv], Symon also worked as a film editor at Movietone.

Sources

Information from Peter Hampton, March 1999.