Betty Box facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Betty Box
Box in 1959
Born	Betty Evelyn Box (1915-09-25)25 September 1915 Beckenham, Kent, England
Died	15 January 1999(1999-01-15) (aged 83) Chiltern, Buckinghamshire, England
Occupation	Film producer
Spouse(s)	Peter Rogers (m. 1948–1999; her death)

Betty Evelyn Box (born September 25, 1915 – died January 15, 1999) was a very successful British film producer. She was known for making many popular movies. She was often called Betty E. Box.

Betty Box's Early Life and Start in Movies

Betty Box was born in Beckenham, England. She first wanted to be an artist or a journalist. But in 1942, she joined the movie world. She worked with her brother Sydney and his wife, director Muriel Box, at Verity Films. There, she helped make over 200 short films during World War II. These films were made to help the war effort.

Betty said that her brother asked her to work for him because she didn't like sitting around. He made training and recruitment films. She started as a "general dogsbody," which means she did all sorts of small jobs. As more men went to war, Betty got more chances to learn. She worked long hours, from 7 AM until late at night. She felt she learned more in two years during the war than she would have in ten years during peacetime.

After World War II, Betty easily moved into making longer movies, called feature films. Her first one was The Years Between in 1946.

Becoming a Head of Production

In 1946, her brother Sydney took charge of Gainsborough Pictures. He made Betty the Head of Production at their studio in Hoxton. Over the next two years, she produced ten films there. Some of these movies had small budgets and tight schedules, which made them harder to make perfectly. However, others, like When the Bough Breaks (1947), were very interesting for their time.

In 1947, Betty joked that every story she had involved a murder. This made people call her "Bloodthirsty Box." She also produced three popular films about a family called the Huggetts. These were Here Come the Huggetts (1948), Vote for Huggett, and The Huggetts Abroad (1949).

Working with The Rank Organisation

In 1949, the Gainsborough studios closed. Betty Box then moved to Pinewood Studios. There, she worked with director Ralph Thomas on about 30 movies. They first made exciting thrillers, like Venetian Bird (1952). But soon, they focused on making comedies.

Their biggest success was the "Doctor" film series. This series had seven movies, starting with Doctor in the House (1954) and ending with Doctor in Trouble (1970). These comedies were very funny and a bit silly. Audiences loved them, and they helped make young actors like Dirk Bogarde and Donald Sinden famous.

Towards the end of her career, Betty said she liked making comedies the most. She explained that you can tell if a comedy is good by hearing people laugh. She found joy in making movies, but hearing laughter from the audience was "great." She said comedies are hard to make because they need a special touch. Adventure stories are easier if you have money, good actors, and a good story. But comedy, she felt, was more about instinct.

Betty Box's Personal Life

Betty Box married Peter Rogers on December 24, 1948. Peter Rogers was also a famous producer, known for the Carry On movie series. They were married until Betty's death in 1999. This was Betty's second marriage. Her first marriage, to a pilot during the war, ended earlier.

Betty and Peter decided not to have children. In 1973, Betty said, "I don't think I would have made a very good mother." She compared making a movie to having a baby, saying it takes eight weeks to film and nine months to produce.

In 1958, Betty Box was given an award called the OBE. This award recognizes people who have made great contributions to the UK.

Betty Box passed away in Chiltern, England, in 1999. She was 83 years old and died from cancer.

After she died, a book about her life was published in 2000. It was called Lifting the Lid: The Autobiography of Film Producer Betty Box.

Selected Films Produced by Betty Box

Gainsborough Films

Rank Organisation Films

Welbeck Films

• Doctor in Trouble (1970)
• Percy (1971)
• Anyone for ...? (1973)
• Percy's Progress (1974)

Other Films

• The Olive Tree (1975) (TV movie)