This charming film clip from 1953 is of an audition for a black cat to perform on the West End stage. The role isn’t very demanding and there are no lines to learn. The pay is £3 per week plus food and milk. The turnout of hopefuls would match any human casting!
Thanks for visiting my blog today.
You might also like:
Accessories for cats 1960s style
Book of the Day
You might also like #OnThisDay in 1934 Maggie Smith was born.
and
Book of the Day at http://www.spurwing-ebooks.com/
The show has become one of the most enduring musical theatre hits, with four Broadway revivals and international success. It was also made into the 1969 film Hello Dolly! that was nominated for seven Academy Awards, and won three.
So a couple of years into the Hello Dolly! run.
It’s an amazing bit of film and the cinematographer certainly had an eye for a good shot.
No connection to Hello, Dolly! but a great film clip!
Thanks for reading my blog today.
You might also like The longest running British stage play opened in London #OnThisDay in 1952.
and
Book of the Day at http://www.spurwing-ebooks.com/ with details of a free Kindle download.
The Mousetrap opened in London’s West End on 25th November 1952 and has been running continuously since then.
Agatha Christie herself did not expect The Mousetrap to run for such a long time.
In her autobiography, Christie reports a conversation that she had with Peter Saunders, the theatre impresario and producer of the show. Saunders thought the show would run for about fourteen months. To which Christie replied, “It won’t run that long. Eight months perhaps. Yes, I think eight months.”
The original West End cast included Richard Attenborough as Detective Sergeant Trotter and his wife Sheila Sim as Mollie Ralston. They took a 10% profit-participation in the production, which was paid for out of their combined weekly salary.
The murderer’s identity is divulged near the end of the play in a twist ending. By tradition, at the end of each performance, audiences are asked not to reveal the identity of the killer to anyone outside the theatre, to ensure that the end of the play is not spoilt for future audiences.
Thanks for reading my blog today.
You might also enjoy Stately Homes in Fiction and Films on Cabbage and Semolina Blog.
Please check out my Book of the Day.
Hope you have a great day! 🙂
Yes, we have Prime and a subscription to Netflix and are overwhelmed with choice. But there was something about Love Film which made it special.
We rarely used it for trying to view recent films. It was the back catalogue we particularly liked.
Storey’s modern classic took audiences by storm and established him as one of the country’s most powerful playwrights.
The film’s director, Lindsay Anderson, also directed the stage play at The Royal Court Theatre in London.
The cast of the film is the same as the cast of the stage play.
Not strictly autobiographical, but rooted in the playwright’s Nottinghamshire mining background, “In Celebration” is set in a family home on the night three grown-up sons return somewhat reluctantly to celebrate their parents’ wedding anniversary.
The film stars Alan Bates and was shot in the Derbyshire mining town of Langwith. The Shaws (Bill Owen, Constance Chapman) are celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary and their three sons have returned home to take them for a night out at an expensive restaurant. Mr. Shaw is a coal miner of 49 years, who married a woman from a higher social class. He’s only one year off retirement. Mrs. Shaw urged her sons to abandon their father’s mining heritage in pursuit of corporate careers, but the results have not been positive. Andy (Alan Bates), the oldest, became a solicitor, but abandoned the work to pursue painting. Colin (James Bolam) was a former Communist party member, who has come to enjoy material (but not emotional) success as a labour negotiator for an automobile company. The youngest brother Steven (Brian Cox) is a teacher, married with four children of his own, who is writing a book, but has not produced any notable published works. The film examines the tensions which develop as the family reunite over the course of one evening.
The film was produced and released as part of the American Film Theatre, which adapted theatrical works for a subscription-driven cinema series. The play was re-rehearsed for three weeks before shooting and location scenes were filmed in the colliery town.
The sound quality of the film is flaky now but the acting is strong and powerful. The themes of the play still resonate strongly today and overall, we enjoyed the film adaptation of an excellent drama. Michael actually saw the original production at The Royal Court and was fascinated to watch the film and revive his memories of the original production.
We’d got several old films on our Love Film waiting list and hopefully we’ll be able to track them down on one of the streaming services.
You might also enjoy BBC, BBC and BBC on Cabbage and Semolina Blog.
Please check out my Book of the Day.
Have a good day! 🙂
