C/U panning along three shelves holding piles of dolls' heads in different sizes and colours. M/S showing two young girls, Katherine (elder) and Bridget (younger) Masters, with the doll repairer, Barry Elder, in his workshop, as he takes a doll with no arms (or clothes!) and sparse hair out of a bag (it could be a talking doll as she seems to have a small circular speaker coming out of her stomach); C/U as BE takes the doll's arms out of the bag; C/U of Bridget watching.
C/Us of the doll and BE as he fixes the arms, twisting some cord into position with some pliers, attaches it to one of the arms, threads it through the doll's torso and attaches it to the other arm on the other side; C/Us of the two girls watching. Commentator says "At this dolls' hospital in Hammersmith, London, 'Doctor' Barry Elder's healing hands are in such demand that he works round the clock".
M/S of BE and the girls at the worktable as he moves the doll's arms to show they are fixed and back to normal; then he tries out a white wig on the doll; Bridget shakes her head. Commentator says "Surgery hours are from 9am to 6pm, but as an experienced child psychologist, Mr Elder doesn't let children see the apparently more serious operations, and often works until 2 in the morning". C/U of Bridget and BE as he tries out an unsuitable blonde wig, then a dark wig; Bridget looks at her sister who nods approval.
C/U of Bridget and the doll as BE sandpapers the doll's head then spreads some glue over it; CU of Katherine watching; BE attaches the dark wig to the doll, brushes and trims it. Commentator says "This surgeon has actually 'cured' one [a doll] that came to him in 37 pieces. Mind you, at the present rate of progress in modern surgery, they'll be able to do that with humans pretty soon!" BE hands the doll back to Bridget who cradles it in her arms and holds it to her.
Note: a sweet little story about Barry Elder, Dolls' Surgeon - what a nice man! News article about him on file.
FILM ID:105.23
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