Pub will star in movie about Communist MP Bull Inn is to feature in new biopic of Paisley’s famous son,Willie Gallacher
Paisley’s historic Bull Inn is to play a star role in a film about one of the town’s most famous sons.
As revealed in the Express, film maker Alex Cathcart is making a feature about Willie Gallacher, who rose to become Britain’s first Communist MP.
Filming at the New Street pub will take place on August 14, and will be a key scene in the biopic.
Mr Cathcart said: “William Gallacher never really entered a pub in his life, to be honest.
“But what we’re trying to do with the scene in the Bull Inn is tell a lot of his distaste for alcohol because it killed his father and it killed his older brother.
“He says in his books his mother loved his older brother more than she loved any other member of the family.
“And it was really heartbreaking for her when he also died of alcohol.
“So what we are trying to do in that scene is basically convey the distaste that he had for alcohol by having him come in looking for his brother, and then two lads will have an expository discourse about the Gallachers and his father.”
When young Willie, who will be played by well known Scots actor Steven Duffy, leaves the pub there will be a scene in New Street involving his mother.
“We’re having a woman, Mrs Gallacher, coming down the wynd with her washboard, because she had to take up employment as a washerwoman to earn money to keep the family,” Mr Cathcart said.
“And they have a wee discourse that helps us move the story along.”
The Bull Inn will not be the only historic venue to be used in the film.
The choir stall of Paisley Abbey will be used as a double for the Houses of Parliament for the occasions when Gallacher made important speeches.
“The idea of using the abbey – credit for that must be given to Richard Weeks [of Renfrewshire Council] who suggested that that might be possible,” Mr Cathcart said.
“And I spoke to the Rev Birss, he was very helpful. One of the speeches made by Gallacher was his resolution to Parliament that would install pithead baths in all the mines throughout Britain, which was passed.
“And then the second speech that we’re going to do is the speech that he made when Chamberlain went to Parliament on the eve of the war saying it looks like we’re going to go to war.
“He received a telegram from Hitler – it was passed along the ranks to him – and the telegram was in invitation from Hitler to go to talk peace.
“Everybody loved this – except for Churchill and Gallacher.
“And Gallacher made a speech there and then against the din.”
Mr Cathcart was keen to point out that his film is very much part of the heritage of the Paisley 2021 bid to become UK City of Culture.
He said: “One of the thrust of this whole things is to keep the momentum of the 2021 thing going, particularly in the arena of film.”
It is expected that the film will be premiered at Paisley Town Hall in November.
What we are trying to do in the scene is basically convey Willie’s distaste for alcohol Alex Cathcart