Leon D. Britton

(b. Boston, 10/12/188* – d. **/**/1966?). Producer, sales executive. While in 1919 Leon Britton had joined the newly formed Hallmark Pictures Corporation, it was not long afterwards that he became well-known as a producer of films providing exciting records of notable boxing matches, from Jack Dempsey vs. Jess Willard (1919) to Max Schmeling vs. Jack Sharkey (1930). In the absence of television, these screenings drew large audiences all over the United States and elsewhere. During this time he also made a film of the rodeo staged by Tex Austin at the newly opened Wembley Stadium (1924). His only link with South Africa seems to have been his work as production manager on Swallow and the ship’s manifest of the Balmoral Castle records that in 1920 he, director Leander De Cordova and cameraman Edward C. Earle were all on the ship headed for East London.

Early in the 1930’s he embarked upon a long relationship with filmmaking in the Far East when he launched a film studio in Shanghai, hoping to make both features and documentary shorts and sending an expedition to Mongolia, Tibet and Turkestan. His presence in Shanghai also resulted in him obtaining footage of the 1932 conflict between China and Japan. In 1936 he was with the Peacock Motion Picture Co. and in 1939 he became the General Manager for RKO in the Far East. World War II resulted in him have to leave China and in 1942 RKO sent him to represent the company in Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay. However, after the war he returned to his old stamping grounds, working for RKO and then for Seven Arts Productions. Later he served with Associated Artists Productions and finally with United Artists Television.

(Notes: There seems to be some confusion about his date of birth. Documents recording his entries into the United States give it variously as 1886, 1887, 1888 and 1889. There is also a record of “Leon Britton, a British engineer” bringing the first sound films to the Philippines in October 1929. However, the Leon Britton who came to South Africa was definitely American, as was the RKO representative. There is an obituary for him in the Variety of 19 January 1966 which we have not yet been able to access.) (FO)

Sources

The Film Daily, 16 October 1919

The Film Daily, 13 August 1932

The Film Daily, 4 June 1942

The Film Daily, 14 September 1945

International Television Almanac 1964

Steible, Dan - Fight pictures: a history of boxing and early cinema

http://nlpdl.nlp.gov.ph:9000/shares/finders/CC01/NLP00VM052mcd/v8/v2.pdf

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