News on Screen

David Samuelson joined Movietone in 1941, working first as a projectionist. One of his jobs was to project film for the military and naval censors, including Hilton Craig [qv], and to cut out the shots to which they objected. As he later recalled, ‘Lieutenant Craig and I would sit through all these films and whenever there was something like that happening he’d say: ‘That’s out, that’s out, that’s out’...I then went back to the cutting room and took out that piece of negative.' In 1942 Samuelson was transferred to the Movietone cutting room. In 1944 he joined the RAF, but he returned to Movietone in 1947 as a cameraman, his first credited story being ‘ALAMEIN REUNION 1947’ in British Movietone News No.960A of October 1947. In November 1947 he was in the camera team that filmed ‘THE ROYAL WEDDING’ for British Movietone News No.964. In July 1949 Samuelson was one of the Movietone cameramen sent to cover the dock strike, and his footage appeared in British Movietone News No.1049A as ‘DOCK STRIKE - SERIOUS DEVELOPMENTS.' According to the shot list this story begins with shots of ‘newspaper boys shouting out Royal Proclamation - Emergency proclamation, etc. various shots.' However, the magazine Impact denounced this as a ‘highly dangerous distortion of news,' revealing that when Movietone discovered that the newsboys were not shouting about the crisis, ‘cameraman Samuelson manned the breach, grabbed a stack of papers and yelled full into the conveniently placed Movietone camera, ‘Proclamation signed...read all about it!'' Samuelson’s expenses form shows that this fake cost 2s 6d in ‘Tip to news boy for loan of papers and pitch.'

In 1950 Samuelson filmed with the RAF display team, using an Eymo camera. In 1952 he managed to film the final sinking of the ‘Flying Enterprise,' being the only cameraman to get footage, and in June 1953 he was posted in Westminster Abbey to film material for ‘THE CORONATION’ in British Movietone News No.1252A. Samuelson appeared on camera in ‘GIANT CRANE’ in No.1288 of February 1954, the shotlist noting that it shows how ‘David Samuelson fixes remote control camera to bucket.' Samuelson remained on the staff of Movietone until 1960, his last credit being for ‘HENLEY REGATTA’ in No.1622 of June 1960. After 1960 Samuelson did occasional freelance work for Movietone, principally on major Royal events. He left the company in 1981. Samuelson also worked with his brothers as a director of Samuelson Film Services Ltd.

Sources

P. Sheridan ‘British Movietone Choose,' Impact, Summer 1949, p.15: D. W. Samuelson ‘From Movietone’s cameraman,' Cine-Technician, July-August 1950, pp.111-112: BUFVC, British Paramount News files, Issue Number 2293 (D.W. Samuelson rota dopesheet, 13/2/1953): J. Ballantyne (ed) ‘Researcher’s Guide to British Newsreels: Vol.II’ (1988), p.34: C. Jeavons et al (eds) ''The Story of the Century!': An International Newsfilm Conference’ (London, 1998), p.29, ‘Newsreel Veterans’.