Samuel Anthony Tenser (10 August 1920 – 5 December 2007)Gavin Gaugha
"Obituary: Tony Tenser"
''The Guardian'', 13 March 2008 was an English-born film producer of Lithuanian-Jewish descent. He began as the producer of low budget

exploitation film An exploitation film is a film that tries to succeed financially by exploiting current trends, niche genres, or lurid content. Exploitation films are generally low-quality "B movies", though some set trends, attract critical attention, become hi ...

s before moving into mainstream productions.

Life and career

Raised in a tenement in

Shoreditch Shoreditch is a district in the East End of London in England, and forms the southern part of the London Borough of Hackney. Neighbouring parts of Tower Hamlets are also perceived as part of the area. In the 16th century, Shoreditch was an imp ...

, with the family doing piecework for local tailors, Tenser was one of seven children.Matthew Swee
"The lost worlds of British cinema: The horror"
''The Independent'', 29 January 2006 After war service as a technician in the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...

, he became a trainee manager for the

ABC Cinemas ABC Cinemas (Associated British Cinemas) was a cinema chain in the United Kingdom. Originally a wholly owned subsidiary of Associated British Picture Corporation (ABPC), it operated between the 1930s and the 1980s. The brand name was reused in ...

circuit.Tom Vallanc
"Tony Tenser: Film producer and distributor who dubbed Bardot a 'sex kitten'"
''The Independent'', 20 December 2007 Working as head of publicity for Miracle Films, Tenser coined the term "sex kitten" for the French movie star

Brigitte Bardot Brigitte Anne-Marie Bardot ( ; ; born 28 September 1934), often referred to by her initials B.B., is a former French actress, singer and model. Famous for portraying sexually emancipated characters with hedonistic lifestyles, she was one of the ...

when ''The Light Across the Street'' (''La lumière d'en face'', 1955) was released in the UK. In 1960, with business partner

Michael Klinger Michael Klinger (born 4 July 1980) is an Australian former first-class cricketer, who held the record for the most runs scored in the Big Bash League when he retired in 2019. Until the 2008–09 season, Klinger played for Victoria and for ...

, he opened the Compton Cinema Club, a private members club. Initially the distributors of foreign films, they diversified into production in partnership with the owners of the Cameo chain of cinema, and founded Compton Cameo Films. The first film of the new company was ''

Naked as Nature Intended ''Naked as Nature Intended'' (released in the United States under the title ''As Nature Intended'') is a 1961 British nudist film produced and directed by George Harrison Marks and starring Pamela Green. It was the first film from producers Ton ...

'' (1961), a nudist film. Tenser and Klinger established the Compton Group as a vehicle for their film-making ambitious, and amongst their early productions were '' Repulsion'' (1965) and ''

Cul-de-sac A dead end, also known as a cul-de-sac (, from French for 'bag-bottom'), no through road or no exit road, is a street with only one inlet or outlet. The term "dead end" is understood in all varieties of English, but the official terminology ...

'' (1966), the first two films in English made by the Polish director

Roman Polanski Raymond Roman Thierry Polański , group=lower-alpha, name=note_a ( né Liebling; 18 August 1933) is a French-Polish film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. He is the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, tw ...

. Tenser left the Group in 1966 and founded his own production company Tigon British Film Productions in 1966, which made other mainstream films such as Michael Reeves' two features ''

The Sorcerers ''The Sorcerers'' is a 1967 British science fiction/horror film directed by Michael Reeves, starring Boris Karloff, Catherine Lacey, Ian Ogilvy, and Susan George. The original story and screenplay was conceived and written by John Burke. ...

'' (1966) and '' Witchfinder General'' (1967), as well as other horror films. After production of '' The Creeping Flesh'' (1973) concluded, Tenser resigned from Tigon. Following his last film as executive producer, '' Frightmare'' (1974), he retired from the film industry. With his much younger third wife, he settled in Southport in 1978; the couple later separated, and Tenser spent his last years in a care home opposite the house he had shared with his wife. Tenser's career as a film producer was extensively documented in the book ''Beasts in the Cellar: The Exploitation Film Career of Tony Tenser'' published by Fab Press in 2005 and well received by reviewers in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' and ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publish ...

''. The book was written by film critic John Hamilton, who conducted over 18 hours of taped conversations with Tenser, as well as exclusive interviews with many of the actors and craftsmen he employed, including: the directors Michael Armstrong, Peter Sasdy,

Freddie Francis Frederick William Francis (22 December 1917 – 17 March 2007) was an English cinematographer and film director. He achieved his greatest successes as a cinematographer. He started his career with British films such as Jack Cardiff's '' Sons and ...

and

Vernon Sewell Vernon Campbell Sewell (4 July 1903 – 21 June 2001) was a British film director, writer, producer and, briefly, an actor. Sewell was born in London, England, and was educated at Marlborough College. He directed more than 30 films during his ...

; and actors

Christopher Lee Sir Christopher Frank Carandini Lee (27 May 1922 – 7 June 2015) was an English actor and singer. In a long career spanning more than 60 years, Lee often portrayed villains, and appeared as Count Dracula in seven Hammer Horror films, ultim ...

Spike Milligan Terence Alan "Spike" Milligan (16 April 1918 – 27 February 2002) was an Irish actor, comedian, writer, musician, poet, and playwright. The son of an English mother and Irish father, he was born in British Colonial India, where he spent his ...

, Julie Ege and

Norman Wisdom Sir Norman Joseph Wisdom, (4 February 1915 – 4 October 2010) was an English actor, comedian, musician and singer best known for a series of comedy films produced between 1953 and 1966 featuring a hapless onscreen character often called Norman ...

. Hamilton also had access to original production files and correspondence.

Select Credits

*''

Naked - As Nature Intended ''Naked as Nature Intended'' (released in the United States under the title ''As Nature Intended'') is a 1961 British nudist film produced and directed by George Harrison Marks and starring Pamela Green. It was the first film from producers Tony T ...

'' (1961) *''

My Bare Lady ''My Bare Lady'' is a 2006 United Kingdom-based reality TV show that aired on the Fox Reality Channel. The series followed four American female pornographic stars as they took acting lessons and performed in scenes from classic drama alongsid ...

'' (1962) *''

That Kind of Girl ''That Kind of Girl'' is a British cult film and the directorial debut of Gerry O'Hara. Produced by Robert Hartford-Davis with a script by Jan Read, it was released in 1963. The film's subject is premarital sexual relationships and sexually tra ...

'' (1963) *''

The Yellow Teddybears ''The Yellow Teddy Bears'' (US: Gutter Girls and The Thrill Seekers) is a 1963 British drama film directed by Robert Hartford-Davis and starring Jacqueline Ellis, Iain Gregory, Raymond Huntley and Georgina Patterson. Premise The pupils at a g ...

'' (1963) *'' Saturday Night Out'' (1964) *''

The Black Torment ''The Black Torment'' (a.k.a. ''Estate of Insanity'') is a 1964 British gothic horror film directed by Robert Hartford-Davis and starring John Turner, Heather Sears and Ann Lynn. The film is set in 18th-century Devon and was scripted by brot ...

'' (1964) *''

London in the Raw ''London in the Raw'' is a 1964 British documentary about London nightlife.John Hamilton, ''Beasts in the Cellar: The Exploitation Film Career of Tony Tenser'', Fab Press, 2005 p 40-41 It was inspired by the success of ''Mondo Cane''.Simon Sherid ...

'' (1964) *''

The Pleasure Girls ''The Pleasure Girls'' is a 1965 British drama film directed by Gerry O'Hara and starring Francesca Annis, Ian McShane and Klaus Kinski. Plot When a beautiful young woman, Sally (Francesca Annis), moves to London to pursue a modelling career, ...

'' (1965) *''

Primitive London ''London in the Raw'' is a 1964 British documentary about London nightlife.John Hamilton, ''Beasts in the Cellar: The Exploitation Film Career of Tony Tenser'', Fab Press, 2005 p 40-41 It was inspired by the success of ''Mondo Cane''.Simon Sherid ...

'' (1965) *''

A Study in Terror ''A Study in Terror'' is a 1965 British thriller film directed by James Hill and starring John Neville as Sherlock Holmes and Donald Houston as Dr. Watson. It was filmed at Shepperton Studios, London, with some location work at Osterley Hou ...

'' (1965) *'' Repulsion'' (1965) *''

Cul-de-Sac A dead end, also known as a cul-de-sac (, from French for 'bag-bottom'), no through road or no exit road, is a street with only one inlet or outlet. The term "dead end" is understood in all varieties of English, but the official terminology ...

'' (1966) *''

Secrets of a Windmill Girl ''Secrets of a Windmill Girl'' is a 1966 British exploitation film directed by Arnold L. Miller. It recounts the road to ruin of a young woman (Pauline Collins) who becomes involved with the striptease scene after becoming a dancer at the Windmil ...

'' (1966) *''

The Projected Man ''The Projected Man'' is a 1966 British science fiction film directed by Ian Curteis, written by Peter Bryan, John C. Cooper, and Frank Quattrocchi, and starring Bryant Haliday, Mary Peach, Norman Wooland, Ronald Allen, and Derek Farr. It was r ...

'' (1967) *''

'' (1967) *'' Witchfinder General'' (1968) *''

The Blood Beast Terror ''The Blood Beast Terror'' is a 1968 British horror film directed by Vernon Sewell and starring Peter Cushing, Robert Flemyng and Wanda Ventham, released by Tigon in February 1968.John Hamilton, ''Beasts in the Cellar: The Exploitation Film Care ...

'' (1968) *''

Curse of the Crimson Altar ''Curse of the Crimson Altar'' is a 1968 British horror film directed by Vernon Sewell and starring Christopher Lee, Boris Karloff, Barbara Steele and Mark Eden. The film was produced by Louis M. Heyward for Tigon British Film Productions. The ...

'' (1968) *'' Love in Our Time'' (1968) *''

What's Good for the Goose ''What's Good For The Goose'', also known as ''Girl Trouble'', is a 1969 British comedy film directed by Menahem Golan and starring Norman Wisdom.John Hamilton, ''Beasts in the Cellar: The Exploitation Film Career of Tony Tenser'', Fab Press, 20 ...

'' (1968) *''

The Haunted House of Horror ''The Haunted House of Horror'', also titled ''Horror House'' and ''The Dark'', is a 1969 British horror film directed by Michael Armstrong and starring Frankie Avalon and Jill Haworth as young adults looking for a thrill by spending the night ...

'' (1968) *''

Zeta One ''Zeta One'' is a 1969 British comedy science fiction film directed by Michael Cort and starring James Robertson Justice, Charles Hawtrey and Dawn Addams. Plot A spy for Section 5, James Word, finds a secretary for the section waiting as he re ...

'' (1969) *''

The Body Stealers ''The Body Stealers'', also known as ''Thin Air'', is a 1969 British science fiction film directed by Gerry Levy, about the disappearance of British armed forces paratroopers in mid-air whilst on a routine jump. Two investigators try to figure ou ...

'' (1969) *''

Monique Monique is a female given name. It is the French form of the name Monica. The name has enjoyed some popularity in the United States since about 1955, and is less common in other English-speaking countries except for Canada although mostly use ...

'' (1970) *''

The Blood on Satan's Claw ''The Blood on Satan's Claw'' is a 1971 British supernatural horror film directed by Piers Haggard and starring Patrick Wymark, Linda Hayden, and Barry Andrews. Set in early 18th-century England, it follows the residents of a rural village wh ...

'' (1970) *''

Black Beauty ''Black Beauty: His Grooms and Companions, the Autobiography of a Horse'' is an 1877 novel by English author Anna Sewell. It was composed in the last years of her life, during which she was bedridden and seriously ill.Merriam-Webster (1995). ...

'' (1971) *'' Hannie Caulder'' (1971) *''

Doomwatch ''Doomwatch'' is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC, which ran on BBC1 between 1970 and 1972. The series was set in the then present day, and dealt with a scientific government agency led by Doctor Spencer Quist ...

'' (1972) *'' The Creeping Flesh'' (1973) *'' Not Now, Darling'' (1973) *'' Frightmare'' (1974)

References

External links

*
Detailed document on Tenser's careerTenser Biography at Allmovie.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tenser, Tony 1920 births 2007 deaths English film producers English Jews English people of Lithuanian-Jewish descent People from Shoreditch Royal Air Force personnel of World War II Royal Air Force airmen 20th-century English businesspeople

Life and career

Select Credits

References

Further reading

External links