Showing posts with label Britain. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Britain. Show all posts

Friday, October 8, 2010

Week's End - John in Black & White


The Beatles are in the middle of recording Strawberry Fields Forever, when John makes a guest appearance in a sketch for the Peter Cook and Dudley Moore Christmas show of Not Only But Also... John plays the doorman of a 'members only' gents lavatory. The outside shots were filmed in Broadwick St, London W1. (from The Beatles/Unseen Archives, compiled by Tim Hill & Marie Clayton, Parragon Publishing, Bath, UK; my crummy scans from the book.)

I cannot find the photographer for these stills, so if anyone knows, let me know. We're lucky there's anything at all left of Not Only...because the BBC re-used so much film stock from it. (Though Peter Cook reportedly offered to pay for it). This was not John's first guest appearance on the show but the video available is the clearest for this sketch. He's quite funny in it, too. This bewilders many YouTube Youth. (Yes, actually. I can imagine John at 70.) (Update - click here for GG's post & the link to Imagine Peace website where you can leave birthday wishes.) Another update: From crivens, jings and help ma blog (yea, that's in Scotland:) - Alistair has posted a wonderful video of genius Peter Sellers interpreting A Hard Day's Night. If we couldn't laugh....

As Peter Cook would say, no matter the time, Good Evening.

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Spooky Sunday - Falling Darkness


It's Halloween in Oxford, and mischief is in the air — and, as it happens, murder. A woman is found dead, a stake through her heart, a bulb of garlic in her mouth. It's a surreal crime...Inspector Lewis final episode of season. Falling Darkness. (via PBS Mystery website) Jane Austen World's review. Love these. Boo!

(photographs via Jane Austen World & OldUKPhotos (dot) com)

Friday, October 16, 2009

Week's End - Don't Shoot the Piano Player

"Please do not shoot the pianist. He is doing his best."

Laughed out loud this morning when reminded of Oscar Wilde's reaction to an American saloon sign as "the only rational method of art criticism I have ever come across." Thanks to Garrison Keillor's Writer's Almanac.

Happy 155th Birthday, Oscar. You don't look a day over 30, darling. Never l'esprit d'escalier for you.

[Oscar Wilde in his favourite coat. New York. Picture by Napoleon Sarony(1821-1896) via Library of Congress.]