Is it me or are the weeks flowing past at a rate of knots but on the positive side bringing closer the days when I can sit in the garden and read a good film biography?

This week we look back to 1954, when Borehamwood was awash with Hollywood legends and home-grown stars. At Elstree Studios they were filming the classic The Dam Busters, which cemented the stardom of under-contract Richard Todd. There has been talk of a remake but I am not sure that is a good idea. Certainly the special effects would be improved but not the atmosphere or the wonderful theme tune.

Gregory Peck was also at the studio, strapped to the back of a mechanical whale on the backlot tank built by Warner Bros especially for the film Moby Dick. When I was the chairing the campaign to save the studio in the 1990s, Greg kindly sent me a supporting note and an enscribed photo signed 'an Elstree veteran'.

In more recent years the tank was used for a scene for Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade and lastly as the base for the Big Brother house.

Anna Neagle and Errol Flynn were the unlikely pairing for Lilacs In The Spring. Alas Errol was drunk most of the time and often his scenes were shot in the morning. Veteran Doug Scott told me an amusing story. Errol was caught short in his dressing room and urinated in an empty champagne bottle - he then replaced the cork. That evening a cleaner pinched the bottle. I wonder if she thought that is the way champagne usually tasted.

Just down the road Lana Turner, Liz Taylor and Jane Russell were bringing a touch of glamour to filming at MGM. Errol also made use of the standing Ivanhoe castle on the backlot for The Dark Avenger, one of his last swashbuckler movies. Although only 45 he was way past his halcyon 1930s athletic days due to drink and drugs and had to be assisted to get on a horse. Sadly he was to die only five years later.

Stewart Granger arrived to film Beau Brummell displaying his usual arrogant style and declaring that crews resented stars and their union rules were ruining the business. He caused a fuss about the colour of his costumes and wanting the sets built to favour his best profile. To placate the crew he agreed to pay for the daily tea trolley that visited the set during filming breaks. However, he soon got annoyed when the lads started ordering cakes, sandwiches and other items. The head steward resolved the issue by telling the crew to stop it but in return Stewart had to agree to pay them a tip each at the end of filming.

It is amazing to think of the many stars over the decades who have been driven along Shenley Road and Elstree Way and have been seen in local restaurants, pubs and locations. From Clark Gable to Michael Jackson, not to mention Charlie Chaplin, The Beatles, Take That and John Wayne, to name just a handful. I first visited Elstree Studios as a youngster in 1960 to get the autograph of Gary Cooper, which I still have. I never imagined the number of stars I would meet in the forthcoming decades. That is the magic of Borehamwood. I have lived here for 68 years and would never move. Until next time, take care and remember: nostalgia never dies.

Paul Welsh MBE is a Borehamwood writer and historian of Elstree Studios