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Title: SAVING OF A SHABBY COAT

Reference number: 1495

Date: 1930c

Director: d. Ronald L. Jay

Production company: Jay's Film Service

Sound: silent

Original format: 35mm

Colour: bw

Fiction: non-fiction

Running time: 10 mins

Description: Dramatised account of how the 'Franco Barbie' method of cleaning transforms old garments into new. The film was shot inside Castlebank dye works.

Orig. 35mm master material never located. See also ref. 0423 and 0424. See Paper Archive series 4/22.

Digitisation funded by British Film Institute 'Unlocking Film Heritage', awarding funds from the National Lottery.

Shotlist: [Title missing] "How smart you look, Betty! I wish I could afford a new coat". Shot of two women in a house (0.04); "Glad you like it Jean, but it's not new" Shot of the two women looking at an old coat (0.21); "I'm sure they can" - Off to Castlebank, the home of 'France Barbe' (0.32); Exterior shot of Castlebank Laundry (0.52); Receiving the soiled garments (0.59); General views of trunks of clothes arriving at Castlebank and shots of girls sorting them in to various bundles (1.41); Your own mark is typed on tape. Shot of same (1.48); - and stitched to coat. Shot of same, (1.59); Then - to the Franco-Barbe cleaning department. General views of the cleaning department, including shot of a man loading a machine (2.57); The soiled articles are bathed for one and a half hours in successive waves of hot spirit (3.05); Hot spirit is the Unique features of Franco-Barbe and gives the finest cleaning (3.10); The Franco-Barbe process is exclusive to Castlebank. Shot of a man unloading a machine. (3.24); Magically cleaned and sterilized. Shot of man unloading machine (3.53); - and stubborn stains receive special attention by skilled spotters. Shots of the spotters at work (4.32); "Voila" (4.33); Shots of spotters at work (4.38); All raincoats are then reproofed. Even your tweed coat can be made weatherproof if desired (4.41); It is done this way. Shot of a girl spraying an overcoat (5.07); To the tailoring department for minor repairs. General views in the tailoring department, mostly female workers and older men (5.22); The torn hanger attended to free of charge. Close-up of same (5.41); To the first pressing. Shots of girls pressing various garments (6.06); - and - to the final tailor pressing - setting of collar, lapels, etc. Shot of same (6.30); Then - to the packing department where the coat is carefully folded to avoid creases (6.35); General views in packing department with close-up of girl packing a coat (7.40); Then - to the despatch. General shots in despatch department (7.59); - and home (8.07); Shot of the two women in house (8.14); "What a transformation, Betty! Thanks (8.23); "You'd never think it was the same coat". (8.26); Shot of the two women (8.35)