Tony Tenser: Difference between revisions - Wikipedia

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{{Short description|English film producer (1920–2007)}}

{{EngvarB|date=October 2017}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2017}}

{{Infobox person

| name = Tony Tenser

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| caption =

| birth_name = Samuel Anthony Tenser

| birth_date = {{Birth date|df=yyes|1920|8|10}}

| birth_place =

| death_date = {{Death date and age|df=yyes|2007|12|5|1920|8|10}}

| death_place =

| nationality = [[United Kingdom|British]]

| death_cause =

| other_names =

| known_for =

| occupation =

| years_active = 1961-20071961–2007

}}

'''Samuel Anthony Tenser''' (10 August 1920 &ndash;– 5 December 2007)<ref name="Gaughan">Gavin Gaughan [httphttps://www.theguardian.com/culture/2008/mar/13/2 "Obituary: Tony Tenser"], ''The Guardian'', 13 March 2008</ref> was an [[England|English]]-born film producer of [[Lithuanian Jews|Lithuanian-Jewish]] descent. He began as the producer of low budget [[exploitation film]]s before moving into mainstream productions.

==Life and career==

Raised in a tenement in [[Shoreditch]], with the family doing piecework for local tailors, Tenser was one of seven children.<ref name="Sweet">Matthew Sweet [https://web.archive.org/web/20090608213835/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/the-lost-worlds-of-british-cinema-the-horror-525200.html "The lost worlds of British cinema: The horror"], ''The Independent'', 29 January 2006</ref> After war service as a technician in the [[Royal Air Force]], he became a trainee manager for the [[ABC Cinemas]] circuit.<ref name="Vallance">Tom Vallance [httphttps://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/tony-tenser-film-producer-and-distributor-who-dubbed-bardot-a-sex-kitten-766205.html "Tony Tenser: Film producer and distributor who dubbed Bardot a 'sex kitten'"], ''The Independent'', 20 December 2007</ref> Working as head of publicity for Miracle Films,<ref name=TNWOHM>{{cite web|title=The Naked World of Harrison Marks|url=http://pamela-green.com/essays/the-naked-world-of-harrison-marks/|website=pamela-green.com|access-date=24 January 2018}}</ref> Tenser coined the term "sex kitten" for the French movie star [[Brigitte Bardot]] when ''The Light Across the Street'' (''La lumière d'en face'', 1955) was released in the UK.<ref name="Vallance"/>

In 1960, with business partner [[Michael Klinger (producer)|Michael Klinger]], 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]]'' (1961), a nudist film.<ref name=TNWOHM/>

PersuadedTenser byand hisKlinger businessestablished partner inthe Compton Films,Group Michaelas Klinger.a Tenservehicle wasfor responsibletheir forfilm-making producingambitious, and amongst their early productions were ''[[Repulsion (film)|Repulsion]]'' (1965) and ''[[Cul-de-sac (1966 film)|Cul-de-sac]]'' (1966)., the first two films in English made by the Polish director [[Roman Polanski]]. HeTenser 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 (director)|Michael Reeves]]' two features ''[[The Sorcerers]]'' (1966) and ''[[Witchfinder General (film)|Witchfinder General]]'' (1967), as well as other horror films. After production of ''[[The Creeping Flesh]]'' (1973) concluded, Tenser resigned from Tigon.<ref name="Gaughan"/> Following his last film as executive producer, ''[[Frightmare (1974 film)|Frightmare]]'' (1974), he retired from the film industry.M<ref name="Vallance"/>

With his much younger third wife, he settled in Southport in 1978;<ref name="Gaughan"/> the couple later separated, and Tenser spent his last years in a care home opposite the house he had shared with his wife.<ref name="Sweet"/>

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]]'' and ''[[The Independent]]''. 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 (filmmaker)|Michael Armstrong]], [[Peter Sasdy]], [[Freddie Francis]] and [[Vernon Sewell]]; and actors [[Christopher Lee]], [[Spike Milligan]], [[Julie Ege]] and [[Norman Wisdom]]. Hamilton also had access to original production files and correspondence.

==Select Credits==

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*''[[Cul-de-sac (1966 film)|Cul-de-Sac]]'' (1966)

*''[[Secrets of a Windmill Girl]]'' (1966)

*''[[The Projected Man]]'' (19671966)

*''[[The Sorcerers]]'' (1967)

*''[[Witchfinder General (film)|Witchfinder General]]'' (1968)

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==Further reading==

*''Beasts in the Cellar : The exploitationExploitation film career of Tony Tenser.'' by John Hamilton, Fab Press, 2005.

*''Tigon: Blood on a Budget.'' John Hamilton, Hemlock Books 2015.
*''Naked as Nature Intended: The Epic Tale of a Nudist Picture''. Suffolk & Watt, 2013, {{ISBN |9780954598594}}.

==External links==

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{{Authority control}}

{{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]]. -->

| NAME = Tenser, Tony

| ALTERNATIVE NAMES =

| SHORT DESCRIPTION = British film producer

| DATE OF BIRTH = 10 August 1920

| PLACE OF BIRTH =

| DATE OF DEATH = 5 December 2007

| PLACE OF DEATH =

}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tenser, Tony}}

[[Category:1920 births]]

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[[Category:Royal Air Force personnel of World War II]]

[[Category:Royal Air Force airmen]]

[[Category:20th-century English businesspeople]]