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Almost A Miracle

1937 , St Neots (Cambridgeshire)

Cat no. 649

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Scenes of the Quads at bath time, attended by their nurses. Shots of Anne and Michael in the bath. Paul and Ernest are being dried by the nurses. They have a special large square bath. Anne tries to wash Michael's face and succeeds in knocking him backwards. The film moves back to November 1935 when the quads were born, prematurely and weighing an average of 3 1/2 pounds. There is a shot of all four of them wrapped in white blankets and then one is weighed. They are wiped with warm olive oil and then fed on sterilised water. The nurses wear face masks. At four months old Mrs. Miles takes them for a trip into town in a double ended pram. She is holding the hand of a toddler, perhaps about three years old.On their first birthday, the quads play indoors on a roundabout. They sit in their chairs eating and then sit in a group around their cake. They are shown playing in their cots, Anne hitting one of her brothers. The Quads learn to walk and are filmed negotiating the step out of the French windows into the garden. In the garden, Paul and Michael play in a toy car, Ernest plays with a ball. Anne is filmed brushing her hair.The final sequence shows the Quads, aged two, in the nursery about to go to bed. Mrs. Miles nurses Ernest with Paul nearby. Anne and Michael play with the gramophone. Sister Harden says `Thank heaven for Cow & Gate'.

Keywords

Baby food products; Child healthcare; Children's hospitals

Intertitles

It is Bath Night in St. Neots, Huntingdonshire, and Britain's most famous babies are having the time of their lives. Here is Anne with brother Michael. Brother Ernest prefers to be warm and dry. At the age of two they are the perfect picture of enchanting babyhood. Now we meet brother Paul who is glad he is out of the water, because - Sister Anne is a trifle playful at times! Their devoted nurses often think of the past... Nurse Harden sometimes says: 'Do you remember November 1935? The Quads were born prematurely and it was realised that it would be a struggle to save them. Their average weight was only 3 1/2 pounds. At first they were fed on sterilised water and bathed in warm olive oil. The anxious days went by. Would the tiny mites survive? After four months it seemed that almost a miracle had been achieved.An enormous difference was noticeable, thanks to unremitting care and scientific feeding. A proud day for Mrs. Miles - the quads first outing. Great progress followed. Here they are on the day they were christened ... first, Anne, with a well fed look- - next Michael. Note the apple cheeks. Now for Paul with the stand up hair- - and lastly Ernest with the friendly grin. November 1936 - the Quads first birthday. The undersized weaklings have been transformed into something like super-children. What's all the excitement about? Even at this early age the Quads were taught that you can't eat your cake and have it. Birthday Number One comes to a close with high jinks in their cots. Anne is still playful. And so the months rolled by, until one day the Quads discovered that they could walk. Almost A Miracle. That step is a bit of a nuisance, but their motto is Never Say Die! Paul wants to be a racing motorist. Michael apparently wants to be an AA scout. Ernest is a would be athlete and has invented a new kind of game. Paul and Michael will get their licenses endorsed if they don't look out. How do you like our new prams? Anne makes a speech with a few hints on hairdressing.And now, after our peep into the past, we come back to the present day.The Quads night-cap consists of the same milk-food that helped them to survive and brought them to healthy, happy babyhood. And so to bed. Ernest perches on his mothers knee while Paul says his simple prayers. God bless Michael. God bless Ernest. God bless Anne. Their devoted nurse adds a fervent blessing to these baby prayers - And thank heaven for Cow and Gate. Cow & Gate Milk-Food. The food that saved Quads.

Background Information

The Miles Quads were born on November 29th, 1935. There wasn't enough room for them in the Miles council house, so they were taken to the home of Dr. Ernest Harrison, their G.P. A few days after they were born, they received the King's Bounty from the Privy Purse - a cheque for £4.00! In 1936, the family moved into a house bought by public subscription. During 1937, people would queue to see them at a shilling a time. The publicity was to go on into their teens. In 1949 their father refused permission for them to appear in any more advertisements. Gaumont British News filmed the Quads on Christmas Day, 1935. It was one of the hardest films they had attempted. The room had to be kept at a temperature of 75 degrees (Fahrenheit) and they couldn't risk exhausting the oxygen. Filming was only possible for a few minutes at a time. They filmed the babies being oiled and weighed, dressed and fed. (See: The Daily Film Renter and Moving Picture News, Monday, December 30th, 1935.)

  • Sponsor : Cow & Gate

  • Production company : G.B. Screen Services Productions

Manifestations

Almost A Miracle

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