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'Progress Films' arrived in Shoreham By Sea, having made the decision to uproot from their native Manchester, and was responsible for the leading 'Bungalow Town' films, proving, in fact, the only provincial firm to be in any way successful.
The success of 'Progress' lay largely in the fact that its films were directed by Sidney Morgan, the only producer of any stature outside of London. The company also had at it's disposal, Morgan's daughter Joan, a talentedactress and leading lady, later head-hunted by by Hollywood moguls, and the multi-faceted Stanley Munsford, an experienced and talented cameraman who could also turn his hand to directing, editing, film developing and scenery painting.
Mostly, the films made by 'Progress' were adaptations, such as 'Little Dorrit' and 'A Lowland Cinderella', and this was perhaps, in hindsight, one of Morgan's downfalls, in that he should have maybe concentrated more on original material.
However, the growth and modest success of Shoreham's 'Bungalow Town' was no fluke occurence. It had many assets in it's favour, a reason 'Progress' moved down South in the first place and it was these assets that sustained it for longer than most of it's provincial counterparts. Firstly, a ready made pool of talent existed within 'Bungalow Town's' immediate vicinity. Actors and technicians either already lived in thr town or could easily stay there for the duration of a film production. Shoreham also harboured a wealth of people willing and able to oblige as extras in the attractive surroundings and both these factors obviously kept costs to a minimum within an industry notorious for overspending.
Costs were also kept down by the ability and, perhaps more importantly, the wilingness of the film crews to turn their hands to whatever task was at hand. Duties were far less compartmentalised than they are today. Admittedly, technology was far simpler but neverteless, as demonstrated by Stanley Munsford, it was not unusual for someone to handle a camera one minute and contribute to scenery construction the next. It was even known for someone to write the script, select the actors and then direct the production, having already arranged costumes and set designs.
