Girl Barge Smasher (1957)

Kew Bridge, London. M/S of a woman walking towards the camera, camera tilts up to a sign which reads: “Strand on the Green.“ Narration begins: “For the benefit of old fashioned types that still cling to the belief that women are the weaker sex, let’s introduce Ivy Wiggans an attractive young housewife who’ll soon put an end to that nonsense.“ There then follows lots of shots of Ivy at work. She works at her husband’s boatyard, smashing up old boats and barges. Shots include Ivy swinging a sledgehammer and throwing around bits of wood. She breaks up a barge that was built in 1878. Narration has comparisons between Ivy and lesser mortals - men. Ivy has no coal bills as she burns wood from the wreck. If the timber is in good condition, it is sold. Ivy has to cope with the usual household chores and two growing youngsters as well as this demanding job. Ivy puts on a pair of welding goggles and uses an electric welder to break up part of the boat. Her husband Jack hangs up a compulsory navigatio