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Betty Box
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{{Short description|British film producer (1915–1999)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} {{Infobox person |name = Betty Box | honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|OBE}} |image = Betty_Box_1959.jpg |caption = Box in 1959 |birth_name = Betty Evelyn Box |birth_date = {{Birth date|1915|9|25|df=y}} |birth_place = [[Beckenham]], [[Kent]], England |death_date = {{Death date and age|1999|1|15|1915|9|25|df=y}} |death_place = [[Chiltern District|Chiltern]], [[Buckinghamshire]], England |spouse = [[Peter Rogers]]<br />(m. 1948–1999; her death) |other_names = |known_for = |occupation = [[Film producer]] }} '''Betty Evelyn Box''' (25 September 1915 – 15 January 1999) was a British film producer, usually credited as Betty E. Box. ==Early life and career== Born in [[Beckenham]], Kent, England, Betty Box initially planned to be a commercial artist or journalist.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article50611106 |title=FEW OTHER WOMEN DO HER JOB. |newspaper=[[The Courier-Mail]] |location=Brisbane |date=20 September 1954 |access-date=17 December 2015 |page=8 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> She entered the motion picture industry in 1942, joining her brother [[Sydney Box|Sydney]] and his wife, director [[Muriel Box]] at [[Verity Films]], where she helped produce more than 200 wartime [[propaganda]] shorts.<ref name="box">{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article204960423 |title=She Still Governs the Stars. |newspaper=[[The Age]] |location=Melbourne |date=10 February 1951 |access-date=17 December 2015 |page=9 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> She said:<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article58527447 |title=A BOX OFFICE SUCCESS. |newspaper=[[The Australian Women's Weekly]] | date=11 April 1973 |access-date=17 December 2015 |page=55 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> {{blockquote|Sitting around was no good for me, my brother said, and he asked me to work for him. He was running an organisation that made training and recruitment films. I went along as a general dogsbody, and as more men were called up, there were more opportunities for me. We worked from 7 a.m. until 10 or 11 at night. I learnt more in those two years than I would in ten years in peacetime.}} Following World War II, she made an easy transition to feature films, beginning with ''[[The Years Between (film)|The Years Between]]'' (1946). When her brother assumed control of [[Gainsborough Pictures]] that year, he named her Head of Production at the Poole Street, [[Hoxton]] studio, where she produced ten films during the next two years.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article51389240 |title=Producers run in Box family. |newspaper=[[The Australian Women's Weekly]] | date=29 March 1947 |access-date=17 December 2015 |page=32 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Sydney Box; Betty Evelyn Box (Mrs P.E. Rogers); Muriel Box - National Portrait Gallery |url=https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw170151/Sydney-Box-Betty-Evelyn-Box-Mrs-PE-Rogers-Muriel-Box |access-date=2023-02-19 |website=www.npg.org.uk |language=en}}</ref> While tight budgets and shooting schedules compromised the quality of some of them, others – such as ''[[When the Bough Breaks (1947 film)|When the Bough Breaks]]'' (1947) – proved to be among the most politically interesting films of the period. "Every story I have at the moment has a murder in it", she said in 1947. "It's no wonder I'm being called 'Bloodthirsty Box'."<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article26395616 |title=Top-Line British Film Producer Is A Woman. |newspaper=[[The Mercury (Hobart)|The Mercury]] |location=Hobart, Tasmania |date=21 January 1947 |access-date=17 December 2015 |page=10 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> She was also known for the trio of popular ''[[The Huggetts (film series)|Huggetts]]'' films, starting with ''[[Here Come the Huggetts]]'' (1948) and followed by ''[[Vote for Huggett]]'' and ''[[The Huggetts Abroad]]'' (1949).<ref name="box"/> ==The Rank Organisation== When the Gainsborough studios were closed by [[Rank Organisation|Rank]] in 1949, Box moved to [[Pinewood Studios]], where she collaborated with director [[Ralph Thomas]] on some 30-odd films. They began by making thrillers such as ''[[Venetian Bird]]'' (1952) but then concentrated on comedy. The biggest success of their career commercially was the seven-film ''[[Doctor Series|Doctor]]'' series, beginning with ''[[Doctor in the House (film)|Doctor in the House]]'' (1954) and ending with ''[[Doctor in Trouble]]'' (1970).<ref>{{cite news|title=THE LONDON FILM SCENE: Prize-Winning Movie a Problem to Its Producer -- Money-Maker -- Addenda|author=STEPHEN WATTS LONDON|work=New York Times|date=16 May 1954|page=X5}}</ref><ref name="group">{{cite magazine|magazine=Filmink|date=30 May 2025|access-date=30 May 2025|first=Stephen|last=Vagg|url=https://www.filmink.com.au/forgotten-british-studios-group-film-productions|title=Forgotten British Studios: Group Film Productions}}</ref> The comedies contained a wacky irreverence which clearly struck a chord with contemporary audiences and helped to make stars of the young [[Dirk Bogarde]] and [[Donald Sinden]].<ref name=MorleyS-DBRO>Morley, Sheridan (1999). ''Dirk Bogarde: Rank Outsider''. Bloomsbury (London) (second edition). {{ISBN|978-0-7475-4698-6}}.</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article58104457 |title=NOW SHE IS BETTY BOX OFFICE. |newspaper=[[The Mail (Adelaide)|The Mail]] |location=Adelaide |date=24 July 1954 |access-date=17 December 2015 |page=6 Supplement: SUNDAY MAGAZINE |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.screenonline.org.uk/people/id/479395/ |title=BFI Screenonline: Box, Betty (1915-1999) Biography |publisher=Screenonline.org.uk |date=1915-09-25 |access-date=2014-07-04}}</ref> Towards the end of her career, Box said the genre she preferred was comedy: {{blockquote|You can assess laughter. I get pleasure out of making a movie, but to listen to people laughing at what we have made – this is great. I'm a natural pessimist. Comedies are difficult. You can make a good adventure story if you have the money, good actors, and a good story (more often than not a best-selling book), and you'll know the film will please. Comedy is more of an instinctive thing.}} ==Personal life== Betty Box was married to [[Peter Rogers]], producer of the ''[[Carry On films|Carry On]]'' film series, from 24 December 1948 until her death.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article55927666 |title=MOVIE MARRIAGES—1. |newspaper=[[The Mail (Adelaide)|The Mail]] |location=Adelaide |date=8 January 1949 |access-date=17 December 2015 |page=2 Supplement: SUNDAY MAGAZINE |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> It was her second marriage; her first, to a pilot during the war, ended in divorce. Box and Rogers did not have any children; "We made the choice not to have children", said Box in 1973. "I don't think I would have made a very good mother. You know making a movie is like having a baby – it takes eight weeks to film and nine months to produce." She was godmother to Donald Sinden's youngest son [[Marc Sinden]]. Box was appointed [[Order of the British Empire|OBE]] in 1958. She died in [[Chiltern District|Chiltern]], [[Buckinghamshire]], aged 83 from cancer in 1999.<ref>[http://www.findmypast.com/BirthsMarriagesDeaths.jsp] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090220163304/http://www.findmypast.com/BirthsMarriagesDeaths.jsp|date=February 20, 2009}}</ref> A posthumous autobiography ''Lifting the Lid: The Autobiography of Film Producer Betty Box'' was published in 2000.<ref>{{cite book |last=Box |first=Betty Evelyn |date=October 2000 |title=Lifting the Lid: The Autobiography of Film Producer, Betty Box, OBE |publisher=Book Guild Ltd |isbn=978-1-85776-489-5 }}</ref> ==Selected filmography== ===Gainsborough=== {{Div col}} *''[[29 Acacia Avenue]]'' (1945) (associate producer) *''[[The Seventh Veil]]'' (1946) (associate producer) *''[[A Girl in a Million]]'' (1946) (associate producer) *''[[The Years Between (film)|The Years Between]]'' (1946) (associate producer – uncredited) *''[[Dear Murderer]]'' (1947) *''[[The Upturned Glass]]'' (1947) (associate producer) *''[[When the Bough Breaks (1947 film)|When the Bough Breaks]]'' (1947) *''[[Here Come the Huggetts]]'' (1948) *''[[Daybreak (1948 film)|Daybreak]]'' (1948) (associate producer) *''[[The Blind Goddess (1948 film)|The Blind Goddess]]'' (1948) (executive producer) *''[[Miranda (1948 film)|Miranda]]'' (1948) *''[[Vote for Huggett]]'' (1949) *''[[Marry Me! (1949 film)|Marry Me!]]'' (1949) aka ''I Want to Get Married'' *''[[Christopher Columbus (1949 film)|Christopher Columbus]]'' (1949) * ''[[It's Not Cricket (1949 film)|It's Not Cricket]]'' (1949) *''[[The Huggetts Abroad]]'' (1949) {{div col end}} ===Rank=== {{Div col}} *''[[Don't Ever Leave Me]]'' (1949) *''[[So Long at the Fair]]'' (1950) *''[[The Clouded Yellow]]'' (1950) *''[[Appointment with Venus (film)|Appointment with Venus]]'' (1951) *''[[Venetian Bird]]'' (1952) aka ''The Assassin'' *''[[A Day to Remember (1953 film)|A Day To Remember]]'' (1953) *''[[Mad About Men]]'' (1954) *''[[Doctor in the House (film)|Doctor in the House]]'' (1954) *''[[Doctor at Sea (film)|Doctor at Sea]]'' (1955) *''[[The Iron Petticoat]]'' (1956) *''[[Checkpoint (1956 film)|Checkpoint]]'' (1956) *''[[Doctor at Large (film)|Doctor at Large]]'' (1957) *''[[Campbell's Kingdom]]'' (1957) *''[[True as a Turtle]]'' (1957) (uncredited) *''[[The Wind Cannot Read]]'' (1958) *''[[A Tale of Two Cities (1958 film)|A Tale of Two Cities]]'' (1958) *''[[The 39 Steps (1959 film)|The 39 Steps]]'' (1959) *''[[Upstairs and Downstairs]]'' (1959) *''[[Conspiracy of Hearts]]'' (1960) *''[[Doctor in Love]]'' (1960) *''[[No My Darling Daughter]]'' (1961) *''[[No Love for Johnnie]]'' (1961) *''[[A Pair of Briefs]]'' (1961) *''[[The Wild and the Willing]]'' (1962) *''[[Doctor in Distress (film)|Doctor in Distress]]'' (1963) *''[[Hot Enough for June]]'' (1964) *''[[The High Bright Sun]]'' (1965) *''[[Doctor in Clover]]'' (1966) *''[[Deadlier Than the Male]]'' (1967) *''[[Nobody Runs Forever]]'' (1968) *''[[Some Girls Do]]'' (1969) {{div col end}} ===Welbeck Films=== *''[[Doctor in Trouble]]'' (1970) *''[[Percy (1971 film)|Percy]]'' (1971) *''[[Anyone for Sex?]]'' (1973) (aka ''The Love Ban'') *''[[Percy's Progress]]'' (1974) ===Other=== *''[[The Olive Tree (1975 film)|The Olive Tree]]'' (1975) (TV movie) ===Unmade films=== *''Requiem for a Wren'' (1959) – story about World War two from a woman's point of view based on script by [[R. C. Sherriff]]<ref>{{cite news|title=BY WAY OF REPORT: Fox Buyers Eye O'Hara Novel -- Other Items|author=A. H. WEILER|work=New York Times|date=13 July 1958|page=X5}}</ref> ==References== {{Reflist}} ==Bibliography== ''Lifting the Lid'' by Betty Box, published posthumously in 2000, {{ISBN|978-1-85776-489-5}} ==External links== *{{IMDb name|0101490}} * {{Screenonline name|id=479395|name=Betty Box biography and credits}} {{Authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Box, Betty}} [[Category:1915 births]] [[Category:1999 deaths]] [[Category:Deaths from cancer in England]] [[Category:English film producers]] [[Category:Golden Globe Award–winning musicians]] [[Category:Officers of the Order of the British Empire]] [[Category:People from Beckenham]] [[Category:20th-century English businesspeople]]
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