ONCE again more locally-made films have been pointed out to us by our astute readers.

Former cinema projectionist John Yallop got in touch to alert us to the comedy The Bulldog Breed, which was partly filmed at Portland Dockyard in 1959 and starred Norman Wisdom.

John also remembers Petticoat Pirates starring Charlie Drake, also a comedy and also filmed at Portland Dockyard. Charlie was no stranger to the area as he was in Weymouth for the summer season performing at The Alexandra Gardens Theatre in 1958.

John recalls: "When film units were in town, they would use the local cinemas to show the rushes of the previous day's filming.

"This would have to be after the normal performances and we were able to earn overtime, paid for by the film company.

Among the films I remember showing rushes for were The Heroes of Telemark starring Kirk Douglas, the original Far From the Madding Crowd and Melody, which had been renamed S.W.A.L.K. by the time we showed the completed film a year or so later."

Thanks also to Mike Venning, of Weymouth, who remembers a film called You Know What Sailors Are being filmed locally.

A ship used for the filming, Salam, was hired from Harold Winzar from Castle Cove and played the part of a sailing dinghy which was used to deliver store to the ships and had Dolton's Delivery Service on the sail.

The second film Mike remembers was called Seven Waves Ahead.

He said: "It was made somewhere between 1951 and 1956 and was about a passenger ship which hit an old mine and sank and the passengers were adrift on a life raft and life boat.

"The life boat was supplied by Cosens & Co where I was an apprentice at the time and was based on Commercial Road, some of the filming was done in the bay and also at red crane at Portland Bill."

*Thank you to all of our Looking Back readers who have helped make our series of film reminiscences so enjoyable.