News on Screen

George Stevens was born in Bedhampton, Hampshire, and entered films in 1926 as camera assistant on Paddy the Next Best Thing. In 1931 he joined Gaumont British at Lime Grove Studios, where he worked as a cameraman on feature films until 1944, when he joined Pathe as chief cameraman ‘working on locations in India, Africa, Canada, Portugal, Malta, France, Italy.' Stevens was also lighting cameraman for the Pathe Studios, and the Pathe archive includes ‘various shots of George Stevens and John Corbett [qv] using the studio camera in the studio, 103 Wardour Street.' Stevens also did occasional news filming, and in April 1945 he was in the Pathe camera team with Ben Vettrano [qv], Jock Gemmell [qv], Frank Bassill [qv], and Gene Werner [qv], which filmed the enthronement of the Archbishop of Canterbury for ‘1945 PILGRIMAGE TO CANTERBURY’ in Pathe Gazette No.45/34. In February 1952 he was credited in the Pathe camera teams for ‘THE KING COMES HOME’ in Pathe News No.52/14, and ‘THE LAST JOURNEY (KING’S FUNERAL)' in No.52/15, where filmed at Richmond Terrace and the Cenotaph. Stevens was also in the Pathe camera teams which covered the Boat Race in 1952 and 1953, and in June 1953 he worked on the ‘CORONATION DERBY’ story for Pathe News No.53/42. In November 1954 Stevens also covered ‘MPS GIFT TO SIR WINSTON’ for Pathe News No.54/91. In 1956 he worked on Film Fanfare for ABC Television. He filmed just two later stories ' THE DERBY- EPSOM - WON BY PARTHIA’ in Pathe News No.59/45 of June 1959 and ‘ALPINE RALLY’in Pathe News No.65/62 of August 1965.

Sources

BUFVC, British Paramount News files, Number 1477 (annotated Order of Service, 19/4/1945): P. Noble (ed) ‘British Film Yearbook 1949-50’ (London, 1949), p.685: P. Noble (ed) ‘British Film and Television Year Book 1956/57’ (London, 1956), p.287: NoS Number 108655; Pathe News Number 59/45; Date released 4/6/1959: NoS Number 111703; Pathe News Number 65/62; Date released 2/8/1965.