I recently managed to get hold of what I believe to be one of the few surviving Ad-Mag films still in existence. The film in question is called 'Setting Up Home: Is There A Bathroom In The House?' and comes across at first as more like a public information film than a commercial, although it is clearly shown to be 'An Advertising Magazine' in the opening credits. Made either in late 1959 or early 1960 this particular Ad-Mag is certainly full of useful information for the first time house-buyer and also quite representative of the type of 'sponsored programme' that was being made around that time. The film tells viewers what options are available to them and what type of local and government grants they can get in order to set up their own home for the first time.

Bearing in mind this was still a relatively short time after the war it was not uncommon for two up, two down properties to consist of a living room and kitchen downstairs and a couple of upstairs bedrooms but no bathroom or toilet -that particular neccesity normally being placed outside in the back yard - (the doors usually had a gap of about one foot above and one foot below the door which was not very pleasant in the middle of a cold winter).

During the war scarcely any new houses had been built, but half-a-million homes had been destroyed or made uninhabitable by bombs. The government's policy was that local authorities should lead the housing drive by building houses to rent, and that taxpayers should bear the brunt of the cost. [1] But the regeneration of property wasn't an immediate one following the war and Ernest Bevin's 1945 general election promise of building '5 million homes in quick time' proved far too over ambitious.

Our Ad-Mag takes up the story of a newly married couple. Joe (Glynn Houston) and Margie (Shirley Lawrence) are living with her mother and father until they could afford a place of their own. Joe is a draughstman at an engineering works while Margie is a typist. When the show opens Joe is talking about his frustration of having to share a house with Margie's parents and in particular having to wait every morning to take his turn getting into the bathroom after her father, or putting up with her mother's cooking which seems to be a diet of fish almost every night. However, while gainfully employed, the two of them have barely saved up £100.00 and so the chances of buying a property is remote, unless they move into a property that is not fully equipped with what Margie describes as a 'whatsit,' which she is not prepared to do.

At this point the scene cuts to presenter David Jacobs who tells us that Joe and Margie's situation is typical of that facing other newly-weds. But all is not lost. "On June 14th 1959 an Act of Parliament became effective called The House Purchase and Housing Act which quite simply states that if you own a house that doesn't have a bathroom or hot water supply, food store, wash basin or toilet, you can apply to your local council to have those things installed," says Jacobs.

He continues: "you can now get a mortgage of 95% to buy an old house and if the house you want to buy or have already built is without bathroom, hot water supply, food store, wash basin or WC, your local council will make a free gift to you of half of the first £310.00 you spend on installing them."

Jacobs recommends anyone interested should get hold of a booklet entitled 'Is There A Bathroom In The House?'

As Joe explains to Margie, "according to this booklet you can now get a £2,000 house for only a deposit of only £100.00.

The mortgage offer applied to houses built before 1919 and valued by a building society of not more than £2,500 or a little higher than that in London where property prices were more. But the offer to get the home imporovement grant applied to houses built before 1945.

In the end Joe and Margie go for a property that is worth £1,350 (the estate agent reckons they may get it for £1,200 so they would only have to put down a deposit of £60.00) although their is no plumbing for a bathroom. With half the conversion cost being paid for by the council and the other half being put on the mortgage, Joe is happy that he can have it paid off in 20 years!

Next it was off to a builders merchant to shop for new baths, and this is where the film ceases to be a public information one and becomes an advertisement - in this case for a company called Bilston Foundries Ltd. The salesman, in this case actor Geoffrey Palmer, explains to our couple all the different ranges that are available including colour schemes, prices and guarantees.

Prices starting from £20.00 with taps running out at approximately 90/- a pair (£4.50) with budget price taps costing just 62/- a pair. Mixer taps with shower attachment cost £9.00

The Cost of a boiler was £23.00 or £32.00 with radiators.

And so, with the hard sell over and our couple more than happy with what is avaialble to them the Ad-Mag closes with a scene of perfect domesticity as the picture fades on Joe and Margie happy in their new house with it's brand new modern bathroom.