Cuttings from a Cinema Notebook

A collection of the Kemp family films.

The three Kemp children and their three dogs are the main 'stars.' The children are in the garden with two of the dogs, Peter, an American spaniel, and Rupert, an unruly puppy. Peter is on a garden wall with two of the children. Rupert is being fed anchored between the elder daughter's legs. The children have a snowball fight in winter, some balls are thrown towards the camera, but go over the top. At the river the children row a boat. The younger children row whilst the elder sister steers. They move over to the bank, alight and then play games. One is loosely based on cricket. They roll in the grass and the girls do handstands and turn cartwheels. On the beach they play on the sand and in the sea. These scenes are intercut with shots from the tennis club, the river and the garden. On the beach they have an inflatable, that resembles the Loch Ness Monster. Back at the house the children collect their shrimping nets. There are shots of the Greensward and clock tower and of hotels. There are brief shots of the crowd at the tennis club and of a game in progress. Back in the winter, the foundations are being dug for the building of a garden room. One small boy here stands out amongst a Girl Guides Camp. The Guides are shown collecting water, boiling the kettle, cooking and washing up. They dance in costume and act out a play. The next sequence is of a boy's school sports meeting. This shows the boys running, hurdling, taking part in a sack race and tackling the obstacle course. Back home in the garden, the children pick daffodils in an area that have naturalised and there is a lingering shot of the daffodil beds in the front garden by the road. There is a brief scene of some horse outside the house and of the Kemp's son sitting on a horse, before the scene switches back to the tennis club. Two fairly young girls play two bigger girls. Then they receive their prize. On a country lane covered with snow, the family walk along the lane towards the camera. The boy climbs a gate, although his sister feels that she can go one better and tries to jump it. The next shots show some more family members riding their horses along Third Avenue, Frinton. There are three cars parked in the street. The final shots are of Kemp junior playing ball with his dog on a recreation ground.

Keywords

Family life

Intertitles

The Long House Filmers Present some Extracts from their cinema records. The first volume is introduced by the magic brush. Good morning. Our first appearance on the 'movies' Feby 1929. Peter makes his bow - wow. And wags his tail. Our animated teddy bear 'Rupert the Greedy'. If winter comes.Summer follows. On the beach. The start of the Long House Garden Room, Jany 1929.

Background Information

Mr. Walter Lowther Kemp and his family lived at Long House, Third Avenue, Frinton. Mr. Kemp was a keen film-maker and traveller and made several films of his trips abroad. He was at one time Chairman of Frinton Urban District Council