Party Hats (1957)

Walthamstow, London.
High angle C/U of designer Harry Lamplough working on a design for a red 'bookie's' hat. C/U of Harry's face. C/U of Harry's brush being dipped in a pallet of paint. C/U of the paint being applied to the design. C/U of Harry. C/U of the design. M/S of Harry sitting at his desk working in a studio filled with papier mache hats. Harry's boss, Alan Bangham, takes a seat beside Harry. As Alan looks at the design, Harry produces a paper blower and blows it at Alan. Alan laughs - the narrator comments "this, by the way, is one place where you can do that to the boss and get away with it". Alan is managing director of a company which makes party hats.
C/U of sheets of wood pulp on the factory floor. Tilt up as a man picks up a sheet and feeds it into a pulping machine. C/U of the pulping machine in action. M/S of George Baker pouring a jug of red dye, followed by a jug of yellow, into a gigantic mixing machine. Close up of the gloopy papier mache mixture being stirred mechanically. C/U of a cowboy hat mould being dipped into the gloop. George Taylor uses a metal plate to lift the hat out of the mould. He takes it off the mould and wipes away any excess papier mache with his hand before placing the hat on a rack to dry. M/S of several men dipping moulds into papier mache. M/S of Bert Such making grey 'Ascot' top hats. Panning shot follows Bert as he places it on a rack to dry. The narrator quips "this must be the only Ascot topper in the world for one and sixpence - wonder how far you'd get with it in the member's enclosure?"
M/S of stacks of different brightly coloured hats being lifted into the drying ovens by Joyce Baker and another woman. C/U of red hats being unloaded from the ovens by Joyce. Panning shot follows her as she places the red hats on a pile of other hats. L/S of vast stacks of different kinds of party hats ready for dispatch. A man enters carrying another pile of cowboy hats on his head.
M/S of women in the workshop constructing paper hats. In the foreground, Florrie Perrin is making a 'dragoon' hat. C/U of the final pieces, including the brim, being added to the hat. C/U of Florrie holding the hat up to admire. The narrator points out that this company has beaten off competition from Germany and Japan - 40% of its produce is for export.
C/U of the paper spectacles being attached to false noses using a large stapler. M/S of Jean Smith testing 'blow-outs' (paper horns) using a special machine. C/U of Jean's hands' "testing by automation" the 'blow-outs'. C/U of Jean.
Top shot of a machine making paper trumpets. C/U of the trumpets passing through the machine. Top shot of the trumpets landing in a basket.
FILM ID:69.14
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