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.