Chronology of Bamforth films

BAMFORTH FILMS
This page is part of a project to index the films produced by Bamforth and Co. Ltd of Holmfirth.

The following table contains a list of known Bamforth films ordered by release date. Only those marked in green are known to have survived.

An exact date indicates the release date advertised by the distributor in cinema trade journals. Otherwise, the best guess of the release month is given. When neither is known, (T) indicates the first advertised trade screening by the distributor and (C) indicates the first screening found in the newspaper archives.

A small number of films have an unknown release date (or were never released commercially) and are listed below the table.

release date title director production company distributor
??/???/1898 Weary Willie (1898) James Bamforth(?) RAB Films
??/Nov/1898[1] The Honeymoon (1898) James Bamforth(?) RAB Films
??/Dec/1898[2] The Kiss in the Tunnel (1898) James Bamforth(?) RAB Films
??/???/1899 Catching the Milk Thief (1899) RAB Films
??/???/1899 Chokee Bill and the Whitewash (1899) RAB Films
??/???/1899 The Tramp and the Baby's Bottle (1899) James Bamforth(?) RAB Films
??/???/1899 Women's Rights (1899) James Bamforth(?) RAB Films
15/Jun/1914 Winky Learns a Lesson in Honesty (1914) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Sales Agency
18/Jun/1914 Kill That Fly! (1914) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Sales Agency
22/Jun/1914 Winky and the Gorgonzola Cheese (1914) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Sales Agency
25/Jun/1914 Winky and the Leopard (1914) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Sales Agency
29/Jun/1914 Winky Causes a Panic (1914) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Sales Agency
06/Jul/1914 Winky Dons the Petticoats (1914) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Sales Agency
13/Jul/1914 The Muddletown Fire Brigade (1914) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Sales Agency
20/Jul/1914 Winky's Guilty Conscience (1914) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Sales Agency
27/Jul/1914 Winky, the Tally Man (1914) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Sales Agency
30/Jul/1914 Love and the Boxing Gloves (1914) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Sales Agency
03/Aug/1914 Winky's Ruse (1914) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Sales Agency
06/Aug/1914 George's River, New South Wales (1914) Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Sales Agency
10/Aug/1914 (C) Winky's Insurance Policy (1914) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Sales Agency
20/Aug/1914 A Game of Bluff (1914) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Sales Agency
24/Aug/1914 Winky, the Park Policeman (1914) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Sales Agency
31/Aug/1914 Winky Goes Camping (1914) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Sales Agency
03/Sep/1914 Winky Causes a Smallpox Panic (1914) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Sales Agency
07/Sep/1914 Winky Diddles the Hawker (1914) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Sales Agency
10/Sep/1914 Winky's Week End (1914) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Sales Agency
14/Sep/1914 Winky's Nextdoor Neighbour (1914) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Sales Agency
17/Sep/1914 Winky Takes to Farming (1914) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Sales Agency
21/Sep/1914 Winky as a Suffragette (1914) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Sales Agency
24/Sep/1914 Winky Gets "Spotted" (1914) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Sales Agency
28/Sep/1914 Winky Gets Puffed Up (1914) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Sales Agency
01/Oct/1914 Winky Waggles the Wicked Widow (1914) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Sales Agency
05/Oct/1914 Winky's Lifeboat (1914) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Sales Agency
08/Oct/1914 Winky is Accused of a 'Orrible Crime (1914) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Sales Agency
12/Oct/1914 Winky and the Cannibal Chief (1914) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Sales Agency
15/Oct/1914 Winky Becomes a Family Man (1914) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Sales Agency
19/Oct/1914 Winky Goes Spy Catching (1914) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Sales Agency
22/Oct/1914 Winky's Mother-in-Law (1914) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Sales Agency
26/Oct/1914 Winky Wins (1914) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Cine Co. Ltd.
29/Oct/1914 Winky Tries Chicken Raising (1914) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Cine Co. Ltd.
16/Nov/1914 Winky's Fireworks (1914) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Cine Co. Ltd.
19/Nov/1914 War Cartoons (1914) Douglas Tempest Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Cine Co. Ltd.
03/Dec/1914 British War Sketches (1914) Douglas Tempest Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Cine Co. Ltd.
07/Dec/1914 Winky's Strategem (1914) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Cine Co. Ltd.
07/Dec/1914 Xmas War Sketches (1914) Douglas Tempest Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Cine Co. Ltd.
10/Dec/1914 Winky Goes to the Front (1914) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Cine Co. Ltd.
21/Dec/1914 Winky's Jealousy (1914) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Cine Co. Ltd.
24/Dec/1914 Winky: Bigamist (1914) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Cine Co. Ltd.
28/Dec/1914 Winky and the Cannibal Chief (1914) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Cine Co. Ltd.
31/Dec/1914 How Winky Fought for a Bride (1914) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Cine Co. Ltd.
04/Jan/1915 Winky's Cat (1915) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Cine Co. Ltd.
07/Jan/1915 Winky's Invisible Ink (1915) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Cine Co. Ltd.
11/Jan/1915 Winky's Carving Knife (1915) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Cine Co. Ltd.
14/Jan/1915 Merry War Jottings (1915) Douglas Tempest Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Cine Co. Ltd.
21/Jan/1915 Winky Becomes a Family Man (1915) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Cine Co. Ltd.
24/Jan/1915 Birds of a Feather Plot Together (1915) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Cine Co. Ltd.
28/Jan/1915 Papa's Little Weakness (1915) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Cine Co. Ltd.
01/Feb/1915 Winky Goes Spy Catching (1915) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Cine Co. Ltd.
04/Feb/1915 Peppering His Own Porridge (1915) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Cine Co. Ltd.
08/Feb/1915 Who's Which? (1915) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Cine Co. Ltd.
15/Feb/1915 Winky: Photographer (1915) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Cine Co. Ltd.
18/Feb/1915 Winky's Blue Diamond (1915) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Cine Co. Ltd.
25/Feb/1915 Oh! My! (1915) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Cine Co. Ltd.
04/Mar/1915 The Troubles of a Hypochondriac (1915) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Cine Co. Ltd.
22/Apr/1915 A Good Little Pal (1915) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Cine Co. Ltd.
26/Apr/1915 Always Tell Your Husband (1915) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Cine Co. Ltd.
29/Apr/1915 Winky is the Long and Short of It (1915) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Cine Co. Ltd.
03/May/1915 And That's How the Row Began (1915) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Cine Co. Ltd.
06/May/1915 Love and a Legacy (1915) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Cine Co. Ltd.
10/May/1915 Venus and the Knuts (1915) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Cine Co. Ltd.
13/May/1915 Artful, not 'Alf (1915) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Cine Co. Ltd.
17/May/1915 What the ---? (1915) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Cine Co. Ltd.
20/May/1915 That's Done It! (1915) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Cine Co. Ltd.
24/May/1915 Love and Cameras (1915) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Cine Co. Ltd.
27/May/1915 There's Hair! (1915) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Cine Co. Ltd.
31/May/1915 Moonstruck! (1915) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Cine Co. Ltd.
03/Jun/1915 Never Again! (1915) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Cine Co. Ltd.
07/Jun/1915 Foul Play (1915) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Cine Co. Ltd.
10/Jun/1915 Always Love Your Neighbours (1915) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Cine Co. Ltd.
17/Jun/1915 Hilda Routs the Enemy (1915) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Cine Co. Ltd.
21/Jun/1915 Mamma's Dear (1915) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Cine Co. Ltd.
24/Jun/1915 Dr. Violet Dearing (1915) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Cine Co. Ltd.
28/Jun/1915 Scottie Turns the Handle (1915) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Cine Co. Ltd.
01/Jul/1915 Papa Scores (1915) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Cine Co. Ltd.
05/Jul/1915 A Pair of Stars (1915) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Cine Co. Ltd.
08/Jul/1915 The Man in Possession (1915) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Cine Co. Ltd.
12/Jul/1915 What Scottie Heard (1915) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Cine Co. Ltd.
15/Jul/1915 Tommy's Freezing Spray (1915) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Cine Co. Ltd.
22/Jul/1915 A Comedy of Errors (1915) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Cine Co. Ltd.
26/Jul/1915 Lily, Tomboy (1915) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Cine Co. Ltd.
05/Aug/1915 Hilda's Busy Day (1915) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Cine Co. Ltd.
12/Aug/1915 Don't Jump to Conclusions (1915) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Cine Co. Ltd.
19/Aug/1915 Scottie and the Frogs (1915) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Cine Co. Ltd.
23/Aug/1915 Sharps and Flats (1915) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Cine Co. Ltd.
26/Aug/1915 Lily's Birthday (1915) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Cine Co. Ltd.
30/Aug/1915 Scottie Loves Ice Cream (1915) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Cine Co. Ltd.
02/Sep/1915 Bertie's Holiday (1915) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Cine Co. Ltd.
06/Sep/1915 'Igh Art (1915) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Cine Co. Ltd.
09/Sep/1915 One on Ikey (1915) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Cine Co. Ltd.
13/Sep/1915 Pin Pricks (1915) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Cine Co. Ltd.
16/Sep/1915 What's in a Name? (1915) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Cine Co. Ltd.
20/Sep/1915 A Pair of Dummies (1915) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Cine Co. Ltd.
20/Sep/1915 Is America Ready? (1915) Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Cine Co. Ltd.
23/Sep/1915 Scottie's Day Out (1915) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Cine Co. Ltd.
27/Sep/1915 Never Despair (1915) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Cine Co. Ltd.
30/Sep/1915 What a Picnic (1915) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Cine Co. Ltd.
04/Oct/1915 A Bachelor's Babies (1915) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Cine Co. Ltd.
07/Oct/1915 Have Some More Meat? (1915) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Cine Co. Ltd.
11/Oct/1915 Cod-fish and Aloes (1915) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Cine Co. Ltd.
14/Oct/1915 No Fool Like an Old Fool (1915) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Cine Co. Ltd.
21/Oct/1915 Who Were You With Last Night (1915) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Cine Co. Ltd.
25/Oct/1915 Once Upon a Time (1915) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Cine Co. Ltd.
28/Oct/1915 Putting on the 'Fluence (1915) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Cine Co. Ltd.
04/Nov/1915 The Tell-Tale Crystal Globe (1915) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Cine Co. Ltd.
08/Nov/1915 A Bid for a Bounty (1915) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Cine Co. Ltd.
11/Nov/1915 The Counterfeit Cowboy (1915) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Cine Co. Ltd.
18/Nov/1915 Won by a Fluke (1915) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Cine Co. Ltd.
22/Nov/1915 Miss Madcap May (1915) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Cine Co. Ltd.
25/Nov/1915 Getting on His Nerves (1915) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Cine Co. Ltd.
02/Dec/1915 Monty's Monocle (1915) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Cine Co. Ltd.
09/Dec/1915 What a Find! (1915) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Cine Co. Ltd.
13/Dec/1915 Culture and Kultur in Belgium (1915) Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Cine Co. Ltd.
16/Dec/1915 Bumble's Blunder (1915) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Cine Co. Ltd.
23/Dec/1915 A Mushroom Stew (1915) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Cine Co. Ltd.
27/Dec/1915 A Wife on Loan (1915) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Cine Co. Ltd.
30/Dec/1915 Ever Been Had? (1915) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Cine Co. Ltd.
31/Dec/1915 White Star (1915) Bertram Phillips Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Cine Co. Ltd.
10/Jan/1916 Peace at Any Price (1916) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Cine Co. Ltd.
13/Jan/1916 The Green-Eyed Monster (1916) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Cine Co. Ltd.
17/Jan/1916 The White Hand (1916) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Cine Co. Ltd.
??/Apr/1916 (T) Frills (1916) Bertram Phillips Holmfirth Producing Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Cine Co. Ltd.
??/Apr/1916 (T) Paula (1916) Cecil Birch Holmfirth Producing Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Cine Co. Ltd.
??/May/1916 Love and 'Fluence (1916) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Cine Co. Ltd.
??/May/1916 My Wife's Husband (1916) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Cine Co. Ltd.
??/May/1916 Starve a Fever (1916) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Cine Co. Ltd.
??/May/1916 Stormy is Misunderstood (1916) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Cine Co. Ltd.
??/May/1916 Telling the Tale (1916) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Cine Co. Ltd.
??/May/1916 The Better Bet (1916) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Cine Co. Ltd.
??/May/1916 The Scarecrow (1916) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Cine Co. Ltd.
??/May/1916 Zepps of London (1916) Cecil Birch Bamforth & Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Cine Co. Ltd.
??/Sep/1916 (C) Won by Losing (1916) Bertram Phillips Holmfirth Producing Co. Ltd. Yorkshire Cine Co. Ltd.
14/Feb/1917 (T) The Chance of a Lifetime (1916) Bertram Phillips Holmfirth Producing Co. Ltd. Pathé
02/May/1917 (T) Ye Wooing of Peggy (1917) Bertram Phillips Holmfirth Producing Co. Ltd. Pathé
30/Sep/1917 (T) A Man the Army Made (1917) Bertram Phillips Holmfirth Producing Co. Ltd. Pathé
13/Feb/1918 (T) Meg o' the Woods (1918) Bertram Phillips Holmfirth Producing Co. Ltd. Butcher’s Film Service

Unknown Release Dates

  • The Mystic Glove, Jessie and Finding His Counterpart are surviving films that were recovered from a collection acquired by the British Film Institute in 1965. No evidence has been found as to when they were made or if they were ever released commercially, although they date from Bamforth's second period of film productions (1914-18). Finding His Counterpart is comprised of unedited rushes, and lacks titles and intertitles.
  • Itching Powder, Winky and the "Dwarf (?)" and The Mighty Atom are surviving films (possibly all "Winky" titles) that the BFI states were made or released in 1914, but no references could be found in contemporary trade journals or newspaper cinema listings. It may be that these film were never released but were recovered from the films acquired by the British Film Institute in 1965. Footage of Winky and the "Dwarf (?)" was included in the 2006 BBC documentary Holmfirth Hollywood.

Research Notes

  • The completion of the first Holmfirth Producing Co. Ltd. drama productions in early 1916 led to a small flurry of Bamforth releases by the Yorkshire Cine Co. Ltd. in around May 1916. These received mostly negative reviews in the trade journals, so were perhaps shorts that hadn't been deemed worthy of a release before?
  • The BFI Database also lists Something in the Wind (1916) with the synopsis "an ostler fights an ostentatious man for the affections of a shopkeeper's daughter" and starring Queenie Thomas, but no reference to this release was found in the contemporary trade journals. Since Bertram Phillips directed a film called Straws in the Wind (1924) starring Queenie Thomas, perhaps the film was abandoned in pre-production only for Phillips to revive the idea nearly a decade later? Contemporary trade journals suggest that Straws in the Wind was originally titled Why?, so possibly Phillips half-recalled the earlier film's title?
  • The Huddersfield Examiner (29/Aug/1914) page 7 includes a mention of "Winky as a packman" screening at the Holme Valley Theatre — it is uncertain if this is an unknown film or the incorrect title of a known film.

Notes and References

  1. Although often listed as 1899, there is compelling evidence this was screened as early as November 1898.
  2. Although often listed as 1899, there is compelling evidence this was screened as early as December 1898.