Sky Clearbrook has been in touch again about the issue of bay windows in early Corrie. Were they joined in pairs (apart from Albert's) or single? We know that originally they were joined - see here. But Sky has sent the screen cap of Ida Barlow's 1961 funeral to illustrate the point he is making.I know it doesn't conclusively prove my point (I'll have to trawl through some of those old episodes to source some screen grabs), but I just know there some examples to support my argument. I believe this funeral scene is indoors - the cobbles and pavement are painted on the studio floor by the looks of it. Having said that, the fact they've got it raining in this scene is a harder one to explain away, but either they're pouring water indoors or they're super-imposing another piece of film with rain!
Fascinating, Sky! And the pillar box looks wet, doesn't it? I suppose the set was joggled around at times in the early days, but at the time of Ena and Elsie's classic poison pen confrontation in 1961, the bay windows were still joined, as they were on 9 December 1960 for the very first episode (although establishing shots, in reality Archie Street, showed single bays). Albert's disappearing bay window I think occurred at some point during the first thirteen episodes, in a scene involving Harry Hewitt and Concepta Riley. There suddenly seemed to be an alley beside the Rovers!
See Ena, Elsie and the 1961 joined bay windows below in a classic clip from YouTube.
4 comments:
Hi Andy,
I remember reading in one of the many Street books that the Barlow hearse scene was indeed shot indoors at Granada and was very tricky to film. If I remember rightly, it involved greasing the studio floor heavily with lard (or something) and pulling/pushing the car VERY carefully...
I too noticed the joined up bay windows in this episode and was completely confused. This episode is the only time I have seen the bays unconnected, but it's clear to see that there are only about three or four 'houses' as a result! Check the episode out, the set looks very odd in this one.
Fantastic blog, by the way - love reading your postings!
Nick
Cheers, Nick! It is interesting. Did you also notice that the "roofs" on the bay windows look very tall! It clearly isn't Archie Street - and the pavement and cobbles do look painted. I wonder if it was a temporary set that could be made wet by the "rain" and then disposed of? Although that doesn't explain the sudden Archie Street style single bays.
Don't forget that the alley or ginnel was added between Albert's house and the pub because people feared that the toilets in the Rovers led straight into Albert's house! Mind you, i don't know why they just didn't say the toilets were downstairs by the beer cellar. There's an awful lot of pubs in the UK where the toilets are up or down a flight of steps
That's right, Tvor - although the alley was added in 1982, and the missing bay window of Albert's happened in 1960/1961! The Rovers loos were on the same level as the pub in 1976, when a drunken "escapologist" got locked in one of them during a street party. The pubs I frequent in England (I can't speak for Scotland and Wales!) have the loos on the same level as the bar, although I have heard of a few that don't, I think these are actually pretty rare.
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