For many years I had read that a way into the film business was through the post room of one of London’s leading advertising agencies. Trust me, I was that soppy back in my early 20s that I actually considered getting a job in Saatchi & Saatchi or similar in the hope that one day, the boss man would say ‘Bax, here ya son. Here’s 5 million go and make a Mod related feature film.’
Fanciful, naive nonsense of course
Only…
My subject today, was one of the names that are often mentioned going through that very route. His is a name that has long fascinated me and it was his appearance on a BBC ‘My London’ show presented by Gary Crowley that finally helped produce what you are about to read.
David Terence Puttnam was of the ‘war baby’ generation, born at the height of the Blitz of 1941 in Southgate, North London to Jewish mum Marie and Christian father Leonard. Dad a war photographer, who the young David didn’t meet till Leonard’s return from the War.
Young Puttnam was a bright kid and attended Minchenden Grammar school. However he left school with poor academic results at 16 and so entered the world of advertising as a messenger with three
O – Levels under his belt, at Collet Dickenson Pearce.
He decided to attend night school to improve himself academically and it worked. By 22 he was head of a group at another agency with Charles Saatchi and Alan Parker as writers and Ridley Scott as their director. Whatever did happen to those three by the way?
By the age of 25 he was a manager there.
He was a sufficient ‘mover and shaker’ to make an appearance in the 1965 book ‘A Box of Pin Ups’ by David Bailey and he met the Beatles for the first time at the photo shoot. He later became an agent for Bailey and fellow photographers, Brian Duffy and Richard Avedon.
By 1968 he was looking to branch out into the movies and decided to become a producer and joined Goodtimes Enterprises headed by Sandy Lieberson. The first film he produced is one my personal favourites, namely ‘Melody’ (or S.W.A.L.K as it was first called)
It starred Jack Wild and Mark Lester, fresh from their time together in the film ‘Oliver’, along with Tracy Hyde as Lester’s love interest. His old advertising colleague Alan Parker, who also handled the second unit direction on the film, wrote the script. The story of innocent childhood romance is set in and around the streets of Kennington, with a soundtrack featuring tracks by the Bee Gees and Crosby, Stills Nash and Young. Only a minor hit here in the UK, it faired better abroad in South America and was a massive success in Japan.
Puttnam then made ‘Glastonbury Fayre’ in 1972, which looked the early days of the Glastonbury Festival, as we would know it today, directed by Nic Roeg.
His first real feature film success was ‘That’ll be The Day’ in 1973, which starred David Essex, alongside Ringo Starr, Keith Moon and Billy Fury. David and Sandy then followed that with ‘Stardust ‘ in 1974, with Essex reprising his role as Jim Maclaine, this time starring with Adam Faith.
His next big hit was the much-loved musical ‘Bugsy Malone,’ written and directed this time, by Alan Parker. Puttnam then left Goodtimes and set up his own production company, namely Enigma Films. He named it that, because when he left school at 16, his final report read, ‘this boy is a total enigma.’
Early films there included ‘The Duellists’ in 1977 and ‘Midnight Express’ in 1978. Then things went global for Putnam, with his 1981 film ‘Chariots of Fire’ directed by first timer Hugh Hudson.
An early pitch of the film to execs at Warner had resulted in the script being thrown in a waste paper bin, so it must have be a very sweet moment when the film became a worldwide hit and picked up the Oscar for Best Picture.
On each of his films, Puttnam set up a trust fund for actors who work more than two weeks and crewmembers who worked eight weeks. He then shared the movie’s profits among them. On ‘Chariots of Fire’ there were 163 members of the trust.
His parent company Enigma TV produced the likes of “P’Tang Yang Kipperbang’ and ‘Those Glory Glory Days’ in the early 80s.
On the film front, he was once again successful with ‘Local Hero’ written and directed by Bill Forsyth in 1983 and ‘The Killing Fields’ in 1984 directed by Roland Joffe.
A turbulent year followed as CEO of Columbia Pictures from 1986 to 1987 He left due to differences with the commercial team and he also began to notice the first signs of ME, the chronic fatigue syndrome, which can be brought on by stress. Before he left the company, he ‘green lit’ the following productions, among others, but wasn’t around to see the come to fruition under his stewardship.
The Big Easy’ in 1986 and ‘Someone to Watch Over Me’, Hope and Glory, and ‘The Last Emperor all in 1987. He then returned to producing films, including ‘The Memphis Belle’ in 1990.
Outside the world of film, he was knighted in 1995 and became Baron Puttnam of Queensgate in 1997, sitting on the labour benches.
For 10 years he was chairman of the National Film and Television School, as well as UK president of UNICEF from 2002 – 2009 and where remains an ambassador.
He has sat on numerous boards as head or chairman, including, Open University, and other educational bodies.
He was awarded the BAFTA fellowship in 2006 and he is the recipient of over 50 honorary degrees and fellowships from the UK and overseas. His films have won 10 Oscars, 25 BAFTAs and the Palme d’Or at Cannes. Not bad for a load with 3 O-Levels.
He married his wife Patsy in 1961 and he is the father of two children, Sacha and Deborah. He and Patsy live in Cork in Ireland.
The Mumper of SE5
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