Walter R. Hammond. Played for Gloucestershire as an amateur cricketer in 1920, and when he turned professional in 1923 scored over a thousand runs in his first season for that county. Afterwards, he played for England against Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and the West Indies.
John Berry Hobbs. Starting on the ground staff of Surrey County Cricket Club, he was eventually made a playing member and excelled as a batsman. By 1935, when he retired, he had made the then unsurpassed record of 197 centuries, including twelve in Tests against Australia. During his career he played many times for England.
Vorvolaka… This nightmare vampire was very much on the minds of the people in the time when Greece fought her war of 1912…A classy screenplay from RKO which features Boris Karloff, Ellen Drew, Marc Cramer, Katherine Emery, Helen Thimig, and Jason Robards. It was written by Ardel Wray and Josef Mischel, with masterly direction from Mark Robson. Not a run of the mill - ’blood and guts’ vampire movie… but a creative story with strong and convincing acting from the whole cast!
To the south of Kensington Gardens, high above the watchful, glittering towers of the grand Imperial Institute, wholesome breezes fell upon the narrow arboreal road leading to the quiet respectable villas of Dorset Square… Further to the south, the River Thames shone silvery, like the path of a passing snail, in the lowering moonlight… Black of night.
She was late. It had gone eleven. Her daughter was never this late. In the basement kitchen of number 10 Mrs Mansell – The Llewellyn’s cook, fussed over her single seed like a preventive hen. Her eyes darted angrily once more to the small window that looked out over the small stairwell running to the street above. She would know her daughter’s footsteps – she would know them well. She tied the leg of Canterbury Lamb for the tenth time, mindful in one last pull, and looked at the slowness of her mantle clock. It’s tick thundered in the emptiness of a kitchen hung high with large copper pots and wiped her hands in routine on a messy dark apron that clung tightly to her aging thighs. Her beloved was never this late… Never this inconsiderate… Never this… No good! Irene should never be out so late… It was now well past eleven! People could not be trusted in this new age – hungry-found freedoms in young men, were for the best part destructive. Since the war people were different, irresponsible and blameless… And some were damaged goods.
Then she heard those hurried footsteps, chattering and clattering down the worn stone steps, and the recognizable spell of cotton cloth that wisped the blade of window light and framed a thankful evidence. A tiny smile crossed the widow’s face, fractioned only for second or two, and then turned itself down deep into the crevices of her private thoughts. She was replenished, relief was her’s, it governed her once more, and lifted her again into the plateau of satisfied endeavor. At last, she was here… This girl was here!
The door opened slowly into the kitchen with a heavy wincing creak. Her daughter stood framed for a moment in the half light, its pale golden reflection touching and running tiny fingers through the swirls and curls of her chestnut hair. She stepped into the kitchen, her fine body before her… A roll of confidence in her manner. She was a child who was finding her womanhood.
Harry L. Hopkins was President Roosevelt’s closest friend and adviser and acted as his personal representative during the Second World War. He was given the responsibility of administering the Lend-Lease Bill and visited London and Moscow in 1941. He was formerly U.S.A Secretary of Commerce and born in 1890.
Sir Malcolm Sargent has been called “Britain’s Ambassador of Music” He has conducted all over the world and was Conductor in Chief of The Royal Choral Society from 1928, The Halle’ Orchestra 1939-43, The Liverpool Philharmonic 1942-8 and The Huddersfield Choral Society from 1932. He was born in 1895.
Bobby Howes was an English stage comedian, who began as a boy at the Battersea Palace. Later he was in a stage dancing team for two years, and with the Royal Gotham Quartette for three years. He served in the First World War and appeared in many revues and plays. He was born in 1895.
Maryon Park… London
The entrance to Maryon Park in Woolwich, London
In a stone’s throw from the busy and bustling Woolwich Road is the peaceful and picturesque Maryon Park. When you first enter you are soon aware of the sheer eloquent calm of the place, hardly a sound, but for a gentle breeze rustling the tops of it’s many tall trees or the occasional sound of a child’s laughter. My old Mamiya camera lent a sepia tone to the pictures I was to take there in 1998, and back in 1966 it was the setting for Michelangelo Antonioni’s cult film “Blow-Up” with it’s imortal characters played by David Hemmings and Vanessa Redgrave.
The Hoax began in 1917, or was it really a hoax? The cousins Elsie Wright (16) and Francis Griffiths (10) maintained throughout their lives, right up until old age, that they had clearly photographed fairies at a Beck in Yorkshire, England. Such was the supposed deception that their resulting pictures have fooled the very best experts in the photographic field, and the mighty Kodak Company would not give any sort of judgement as to the authenticity of the subjects within the plates, even Conan Doyle was convinced the photographs were genuine.
“At least Elsie [Wright] gave us a myth which has never harmed anyone and it looks like continuing to fascinate and entertain well into the future. How many professed photographers can claim to have equaled her achievement with the first photograph they ever took?” Geoffrey Crawley.
The story was turned into a movie in 1997 entitled FairyTale… A True Story, and boasts an all star cast with Florence Hoath as Elsie Wright and Elizabeth Earl as Francis Griffiths, with Paul McGann, Phoebe Nicholls, Harvey Keitel and Peter O’Toole as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
There is no man so friendless but what he can find a friend sincere enough to tell him disagreeable truths. Edward Bulwer-Lytton. 1803-73 British novelist.
Predictions can be very difficult – especially about the future. Niels Bohr 1885-1962 Danish physicist.
A garden is a lovesome thing. God wot! T.E. Brown. 1830-97 Manx schoolmaster.
Lord! we know what we are, but know not what we may be. William Shakespeare. 1564-1616 English dramatist.
A man enjoys the happiness he feels, a woman the happiness she gives. Pierre Choderlos de Laclos. 1741-1803 French soldier.
No one is born hating another person because of the colour of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite. Nelson Mandela. 1918- South African statesman.
Some of you have watched with interest the DVD of ‘Carnival of Souls’ 1962 after my recent blog, and emailed to say that you enjoyed it, but wondered if I knew anything about the creepy derelict Pavilion used in the movie.
The Pavilion was built in the 1800′s as a health spa on the edge of The Great Salt Lake in Utah. Thousands came to take to the waters that were heavily salted… the only creatures able to sustain life in it’s saline depths were tens of millions of Brine Shrimps, harvested today as pet fish food… In those days one could simply float without drowning in the water! The end of the Pavilion came as part of The Great Salt Lake began to dry, and by the time the movie ‘Carnival of Souls’ was made in 1962 The Saltair Pavilion was in a sorry state.
I hope that makes the film even more interesting for you… By the way, the director had seen the Moorish type Pavilion driving home one night across state, and seeing it at its most erie gave him the idea for the film.
Pop Larkin's Rolls Royce, the picture was taken at the Darling Buds of May Classic Car Rally held each year in Kent - The Garden of England! The famous TV series was set in 1953 in Kent, and portrays a rustic life of idyllic pleasure. It stars David Jason as Pop Larkin and Pam Ferris as Ma Larkin, and is one my fondest Television shows from 1991 to 1993. The TV series was based on the five books written by H.E.Bates.
WHISKY GALORE! It was in the summer of 1948 when the Ealing crew arrived on the beautiful Island of Barra in the Western Isles of Scotland. Michael Balcon, head of Ealing Studios had not been happy about the production, saying as he looked at the story board, he just did not understand it! “It holds few laughs” he was heard to comment. Based on a Compton Mackenzie novel, shooting almost entirely on location presented huge problems, everything, including cast and crew, and a huge amount of camera equipment, had to be shipped from mainland Scotland. Actors were billited with a number of the Islanders, and in fact, many of the inhabitants appear in the production. Their view of the film people was… That they were quite mad! Prefabricated sets were constructed at Ealing Studios in London then shipped for assembly on Barra. Under the brilliant direction of Alexander Mackendrick, an American born Scot, the film gently eases you into a world of warmth, gentility and innocent skulduggery. I think this was partly due to Mackendrick’s insistence on being present during every scene, however, this did push the budget over by 20,000, and in those days that was a lot of money…as Michael Balcon soon pointed out, and when he saw the rushes he hated it, and ordered the film to be cut and released as a B’ supporting picture! At this point, Mackendrick asked Charles Crichton, a top editor, if he would look at the negatives. He did… And Recut, and Recut… the result was a more acceptable product for the Ealing Studio boss. Being based on a true maritime sinking means that some facts had to be changed. The real sinking took place off the Isle of Eriskay, and the local Islanders did profit from their huge haul of ‘Scotch’… Unlike the movie that had to deal with the moral issue. In America the movie was given a new title and called “Tight Little Island” because a number of States were at the time ‘Temperance’ If one looks at the stills today Alexander Mackendrick is always there beside the camera operator, and I think, that is what made it such a lasting and enduring, warm and attractive film.
