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Title: LITTLE GREATHEART

Reference number: 1663

Date: 1949

Director: filmed by Frank M. Marshall

Production company: [ Fidelity Film Unit with Rev Merricks Arnott]

Sound: silent

Original format: 16mm

Colour: col

Fiction: fiction

Running time: 36.20 mins

Description: Elaborate dramatised morality tale about ten year old Morag, who comes to live in Glasgow with her uncle and aunt. She is tormented by two juvenile delinquent sons of a taxi driver, but eventually saves their lives in a fire. The boys realise the error of their ways, convert to Christianity, and the two families become friends.

Entered in the Scottish Amateur Film Festival 1950. Andrew Buchanan Cup - for Scottish Film. John Robertson Memorial Prize -£5 - see paper archives held at National Library of Scotland Moving Image Archive for press coverage.

Credits: camera Frank M. Marshall
Cast Orma McCallum
Cast Sandy Bell
Cast Duncan White
Cast Florence Henderson
Cast Jack Brownlie
Cast Helen Brownlie
Cast Diane Brownlie
Cast I B Allan
Cast Chrissie E Marshall
Cast Baby Vivien Arnott

Shotlist: [shotlisted from 16mm film viewing copy 1 - actual running time is 36.20mins]

Fidelity Presents - title & credits - shots of dog sitting on rock and young girl Morag and cow on road (0.44) shots of girl milking cow and taking pail of milk down road, feeding calf and lamb in field, picking flowers on return to house (2.14) shots of girl and grandmother eating porridge by fire and grandmother lighting paraffin lamp (2.39) girl puts wood in stove, and helps grandmother to attach her shawl with a brooch (3.08) c/u shot of Celtic brooch, grandmother opening family bible, inscribed 'John McKenzie, Garvelloch, his family bible' - grandmother reads family members' names in bible, then bible passage (4.09) Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil - shot of girl watching flames in stove, and image of Christ appears (4.34) shots of girl praying with grandmother, brooch and clouds (4.49) shots of girl writing grandmother's death in bible (5.17) details on telegram sent to inform relation in Glasgow (5.21) shots of McKenzies' house in Keir Street, Glasgow, and milkmen delivering from horse wagon (5.40) shots of Mr. and Mrs. McKenzie getting out of bed early (6.06) shots of him shaving and her preparing breakfast (6.16) daughter collects milk from front door and spills one bottle, father cuts himself shaving, takes crying baby and answers phone, mother makes tea and comforts daughter (7.01) shots of man and boy repairing and cleaning taxi - boy stops work to read magazine and gets a row from man (7.36) shots of clerk and driver in taxi office with note for 7am pick-up (7.57) shots of McKenzie family at breakfast, and father getting ready to leave (8.39) taxi arrives at house and father leaves, family wave goodbye (9.25) mother sits and looks sadly at photo of Morag (9.47) shots of father arriving at St. Enoch Station (9.56) shots of dates on calendar and Morag reading names in bible, getting into bed (10.46) shots of daughter and Morag waking mother and father on wedding anniversary morning, bringing them breakfast in bed (12.10) shot of Morag washing dishes, children at shops and in park (12.55) children buying ice cream from bicycle ice cream cart (13.17) gvs of Princes Street, Edinburgh (13.35) shots of McKenzies entering restaurant in Edinburgh and swapping anniversary presents (14.25) shots of the children playing in house, dressed as bride and groom (14.46) boy in taxi office steals some money and is seen coming out of billiard hall with clerk - clerk goes into Rogano Bar and boy walks past Embassy Cinema, Shawlands, stops at bookie's shop and is thrown out of clothes shop (16.28) Morag gets on to 14 bus (16.47) shots of boy walking along street, steals purse dropped by woman - Morag sees this from bus, gets off, alerts woman, catches boy and returns purse to woman - boy and clerk follow Morag back to Keir Street and attack her in close and steal her brooch - dog alerts Mr. McKenzie, who chases and catches boy and Morag retrieves brooch (20.30) The way of the transgressor is hard - Mr. McKenzie takes boy to taxi office, where his father gives him a 'leathering' (21.16) shots of taxi driver outside Ivanhoe Hotel in cab, reading about Garvelloch smallholding for sale (22.09) taxi driver phones to make offer for smallholding (22.20) shots of boy stealing fire extinguisher, which goes off and soaks him - Morag watches and laughs, boy tramples her flower garden (23.22) boy goes into Embassy Cinema (23.40) drunk clerk in taxi office opens parcel of whisky with thank you note from gangsters, then siphons petrol from truck outside (25.11) shots of boy watching comedy film in cinema (26.24) shots of girls praying before bedtime (26.45) Forgive us out trespasses as we forgive them that trespass against us - Mrs McKenzie puts daughter to bed (27.02) Morag goes out to post letter, boy steals her dog and tries to tie firework to it - dog escapes, but firework ignites spilt petrol and taxi office goes on fire with drunk clerk and concussed boy inside (28.44) Morag climbs in window to save them (29.02) passers-by raise the alarm - Morag goes back into burning office to save boy (29.49) fire engine arrives as Morag and boy trapped inside (30.24) Lo I am with you alway even unto the end - Morag and clerk lift boy and get into lorry outside, crash it through the gate to safety, where they are rescued by fire men and taxi driver (32.07) firemen put out the blaze (32.13) July 6th on calendar (32.17) shots of sea at Garvelloch smallholding, men in boat and boy playing with rifle in field - boy runs down road to meet McKenzie family and Morag, joined by clerk (33.28) welcomed into the house by the taxi driver, now the house owner (33.44) Happy are ye, if ye know these things and do them (33.49) shots of everyone sitting together and reading from bible (34.20) image of Christ again appears to Morag in the fire - Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world - Morag smiles - The End (34.50)