Teddy Bear Man (1961)

Bradford-on-Avon, Wiltshire. M/S of 77-year old Mr C E Palmer in his garden, shovelling cement from a wheelbarrow onto a mould set up on a wide bench; further along the bench are five cement teddy bears. C/Us of him pressing the cement into the mould and patting it into the bear shape; Mr Palmer looks quite smart in a brown felt hat and green apron. He takes two bear eyes from a glass and puts them in place on the bear’s head. Mr Palmer moves to the right of his work area and picks up a hardened concrete teddy bear that he’d prepared earlier, shaking off any loose dirt. He takes this bear to an old tin bath, where it is given a brush over with a cream coloured wash. He then takes it to join many other cement bears he has made that are displayed in a rockery in his gardens. Most are just in sitting positions, but some are standing, some are dancing, and a few others are reading from books. C/Us of some of the bears (Mr Palmer has made sixty in total); one seems to be saluting or scratching h