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C. Aubrey Smith, a Most Familiar Face

One of the joys of watching (old) movies is the delight of recognizing familiar actors and actresses —  the ones who basically played the same character over and over in different films, in different costumes, in different historical settings, but essentially “That Guy.”

C. Aubrey Smith as the Earl of Dorincourt 
in Little Lord Fauntleroy, 1936
 
We’ve all seen Sir Charles Aubrey Smith (1863 – 1948) in many films over the years  One of my favorites is the classic Prisoner of Zenda with Ronald Coleman in the double role of the King and the Englishman, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. as the sword-wielding villain, making this a triple threat British historical epic.  Ignore the silly plot and enjoy the faces!  You’ll also see Madeleine Carroll, Mary Astor, David Niven, and Raymond Massey in the cast. Here is a clip from Turner Classic Movies.
(Sorry about the ad, but it can’t be helped I guess.) 
 
Smith, Coleman and Niven in The Prisoner of Zenda
 

Smith, who held a degree from Cambridge, was a championship Cricket player in Britain and South Africa.

He appeared frequently on the London stage and when he turned to film, moved to Hollywood.  He appeared in dozens of films, the perfect British officer, European aristocrat, grandfatherly gentleman, and sometimes even a villain.

Shirley Temple and Smith in Wee Willie Winkie, 1937

Rudyard Kipling’s story was the basis for this 1937 vehicle for Shirley Temple and her dimples.  Set in the 19th century British Raj in India, it co-starred Smith as the Colonel/grandfather.

As General Burroughs in Four Feathers, 1939
 
Based on the novel by A. E. W. Mason, Four Feathers is a well-known story of 19th century cowardice and heroism. It is renowned for its desert scenes filmed in the Sudan, often compared to the brilliance of Lawrence of Arabia.
 

  C. Aubrey Smith, C.B.E.

Smith played the role of the Chancellor of Oxford in The Adventures of Mark Twain, 1944, starring Frederic March in the title role.

Smith was named a commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1938; King George VI knighted Smith in 1944.

Smith and Margaret O’Brien in Little Women, 1949

Released after his death in 1948, Little Women was Smith’s last film. It was the top grossing film of the year.

 
 
 
During  his many years in Hollywood in the 1930’s and later, Smith organized popular cricket matches with teams drawn from some of the industry’s most famous British stars, such as Coleman,  Fairbanks, Niven, Laurence Olivier, Errol Flynn, Leslie Howard, Cary Grant, Nigel Bruce, Basil Rathbone, and writer P.G. Wodehouse.
Oddly enough, while a young man, Smith had settled in South Africa to prospect for gold in 1888-89. While there he developed pneumonia and was wrongly pronounced dead by doctors. Fifty years on, in 1948, Smith did actually succumb pneumonia. He died in Beverly Hills at age 85. 
 

A Taste of London in Florida

If Kristine and Victoria could not spend an afternoon with Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, with whom would they choose to meet up???

How about Sherlock Holmes???  Well, almost.  Recently we attended a performance of The Game’s Afoot at the Gulf Shore Playhouse in Naples, FL.  We laughed ourselves silly.  It’s about an actor who is known for playing the character of Sherlock Holmes on the stage.

 

 

Jeffrey Binder played the leading role, supported by an excellent cast well suited to the perfectly farcical nature of the play written  by Ken Ludwig,  winner of the Mystery Writers of America Edgar Allen Poe Award for Best Play of 2012. 

Jeffrey Binder
Set in 1936, action takes place in the opulent Connecticut castle of actor William Gillette (portrayed by Binder), who is renowned for his Broadway success as Sherlock Holmes.  On Christmas Eve, Gillette has invited the cast members of his recently concluded run to his lavish castle. Hostess for the event is Binder’s scatter-brained mother, played endearingly by Barbara Kinglsey.
Barbara Kingsley

The house party of two couples, all of whom were in the Holmes play on Broadway, is joined by spiteful theatre critic Daria Chase (Claire Brownell).

 Quoting the play’s synopsis “… when one of the guests is stabbed to death, the festivities in this isolated house of tricks and mirrors quickly turn dangerous. Then it’s up to Gillette himself, as he assumes the persona of his beloved Holmes, to track down the killer before the next victim appears.”

Ken Ludwig, the playwright, has many awards for his many plays, including Lend Me a Tenor, Moon Over Buffalo, and Crazy for You.  His book, How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare, came out in 2013 from Random House.  A full Bio is here.

Before the show, we had a lovely time at L’Angolo, complete with our favorite Italian bubbly.  Though one hubby had to work (sigh!), the other came along and loved the show!

Fifth Avenue S. is THE place to eat in Naples
PROSECCO!!!!
Kristine, Victoria, and Ed pre-theatre

The Duke of Wellington Tour – Video Highlights – Part Two

Part Two of our video tour of the sites we’ll be visiting during The Duke of Wellington Tour in September continues with more on our London stops. We hope you will sign up and come along to share our adventures. After leaving the Tower of London, its on to the Horse Guards and the Household Cavalry Museum.

From the Household Cavalry website:

Perhaps Horse Guards most illustrious tenant, the great Duke of Wellington, the Victor of Waterloo, had two stints at Horse Guards as Commander in Chief, a year from 1827-28 and the last ten years of his life from 1842. His office, formerly the Court Martial Room, is now the office of the Major-General Commanding the Household Division and General Officer Commanding London District. A print shows Wellington receiving visitors at the very same desk which is still in use today, and the decor of the room unchanged. The Duke also had quarters at Horse Guards and what is now an office was once his bedroom with the bed situated under the arch. He had an ensuite closet and a private stairway to the stables below, now blocked off, its entrance used as a cupboard. 

We’ve blogged about the Duke of Wellington’s connections to Horse Guards previously and you will find one of those posts by clicking here. You can read about Victoria’s previous visit to the Museum here, and one of Kristine’s visit to the site here.

You can take a peek inside the Museum here and you can read more about the history of the Household Cavalry here.

For a look at day in the life of a soldier in the Household Cavalry and the training and preparation involved, click here. And here’s the link to a stirring video of the Household Cavalry’s musical ride at Earls Court in 2012.

Click here to read the story of Sefton, one of the Cavalry’s most famous horses who survived an IRA bombing. And on the flip side, you can click here to see video of  the naughty Fenton, who led Guards on a merry chase down Whitehall during the wedding of William and Kate. Watch with the sound on so that you can hear a Guard repeatedly calling Fenton – to no avail. All came right in the end, however – Fenton was finally cornered at the Wellington Arch.

You’ll find the complete itinerary and further details for 

Help – I'm Addicted to Coronation Street!

CLASSIC CORRIE

I was trolling around YouTube a couple of weeks ago whilst looking for material for a Video Wednesday post and somehow came upon a vintage episode of Coronation Street – known as “Corrie” to it’s fans – from January 3, 1977. Having never actually watched the show, I made the mistake of clicking the link.  I watched the espisode and, Reader, I was hooked. Line and sinkered, too. I discovered that YouTube user Auntie Corrie has uploaded years of vintage Coronation Street, which you can find on her playlists. I’ve been watching episodes daily, which Victoria seems to think is hysterical, mainly because I’m watching episodes of a soap opera that are forty-odd years old.

Coronation Street debuted live on December 9, 1960 and is set in the fictional town of Weatherfield, located just outside of Manchester. What makes Coronation Street so special are it’s characters, who lead ordinary, every day lives, have human flaws and are, by turns, endearing, frustrating, snarky, like-able, utterly loathsome, timid, brash, sneaky, golden hearted and always fascinating to watch.

Perhaps the most important character on Coronation Street is the pub called The Rovers Return, usually referred to as The Rovers, which is the hub and heart of the Street.

The Rovers was owned by Annie Walker, below right, and staffed by everyone’s favorite barmaid and bottle blonde, Bet Lynch, at left.

The bar staff were rounded out by Betty and Fred, pictured below.

You’ll find a complete list of the Rover’s landlords and staff from 1960 till today here.

Other residents of the Street included Ena Sharples, who was the caretaker of the community center along with Albert Tatlock, and who spent much of her time criticising the activities of her neighbors. Mrs. Sharples was in the very first episode and spent the next twenty years as a regular cast member, making her final appearance in 1980. Actress Violet Carson received an OBE for her work in 1965.

Then there are Rita (a former exotic dancer) and Len Fairclough, who own a corner store called The Kabin.

Actress Barbara Knox is still playing Rita to this day. Rita was helped in the shop by the hapless, scatterbrained and unlucky in love Mavis Riley.

Also in the Street is the Corner Shop, owned by Renee Roberts

But the biggest employer in the Street has to be Mike Baldwin, factory and shop owner and local lothario

Comic relief is provided by Hilda and Stan, the always battling Ogdens. Stanley is a window washer, while Hilda cleans both at Mike’s factory and The Rovers.

In the background in the photo above can be seen Hilda’s “muriel,” of which she’s very proud. Geoffrey Hughes (Onslow in Keeping Up Appearances) played Stan’s mate and petty criminal Eddie Yeats. You can watch a compilation of Hilda and Stan clips here.

Of course, these are but a handful of the Street’s residents you’ll come to know and love if you should choose (dare?) to tune in. You might become a fan, as well. You’d be in good company – Benedict Cumberbatch is a huge fan of the show and discusses Corrie in this video clip made for the celebration of the show’s 50th Birthday. Even the Royals are apparently hooked on the Street. Here are some snaps taken when they visited the set.

Queen Elizabeth opened the new set in the 1982

Even Mrs. Thatcher stopped by The Rovers – and raised a glass with the cast

You can watch a montage of 50 years of Coronation Street here.

Click here to see an introduction to the new Corrie set, with a retrospective of the Street from the 1960’s through to today. And here’s an hour long special called Coronation Street: A Moving Story on how the residents of the Street felt about moving to the new studios and an in-depth, behind the scenes look at the building of the new set, as well as a retrospective of the past fifty years.

I’m off to watch another episode of classic Corrie – I’m up to March, 1980. Only thirty-four years to go!

At the Corcoran: Part One, European Works

Victoria here.  I recently visited the Corcoran Gallery in Washington D.C. which is facing some big changes in the future, including probable takeover of the collection by the National Gallery of Art and of the College of Art and Design by George Washington University. 

Victoria with one of the Lions guarding the entrance
Photo snapped bv Author Diane Gaston
 
 

I visited for the first time in many years because of the accounts I had read of the negotiations over the gallery’s collection, school, and building.  Back when I lived in Washington D.C., I went often so this was a sentimental return as well as curiosity about what is going on.  Author Diane Gaston and I walked over after a delicious Peruvian lunch at El Chalan with Julie Halperson, who sadly had to return to work after our chat and feast.

Julie, Diane and Vicky with a mural behind!
 
 
Diana and I explored the wonderful galleries and chatted with a few employees and students, all of whom expressed disappointment that the Corcoran would probably not be able to sustain its independence.  But nothing is etched into the marble as yet, and the proposed solution to the Corcoran’s continuing budget deficits will at least preserve most of the institution’s assets, if not its historic status. So the general mood was measured optimism. The Corcoran’s website is here. 
 
 
 
View  from 17th St, corner of  New York Ave. NW

Here are some shots I took of the European collection, starting in the Mantel Room. 

The Mantel Room, with Houdon busts and
paintings by Gainsborough (left two) and Reynolds, above

The Corcoran is primarily notable for its American paintings, about which I will also write later. But of course Diane and I were immediately drawn to the British and French works from the 18th and 19th centuries.  Observations on the mantel after which the room is named were written by art critic Blake Gopnik here. It apparently has a long and intercontinental history.

Gainsborough: Frances Susanna, Lady de Dunstanville, c. 1785
 
 
Gainsborough: Francis Basset, Lord de Dunstanville, c. 1786
 
 
Thomas Gainsborough (British, 1727-1788) painted this couple from Cornwall in his usual style.  Here is an interesting article about the paintings written by Blake Gopnik from the Washington Post several years ago.   
.
 

Reynolds: Annetta, Daughter of Edward Coke, Esq.;
wife of Lewis Cage, Esq. of Milgate, Kent, 1758.
 
 
I will write more about this painting too, as I have had quite an adventure trying to find out more about the subject and the actual painting itself. I will just ease you a bit by saying this lady shows up on the extended family tree of Jane Austen.
 
Giuseppe Croff (Italian, 1810–69) The Veiled Nun c. 1860 marble
 
For a period of time in the 19th century, sculptures of veiled women executed in marble were very popular.  The skills of the artists are obvious and the mysterious ladies always attract attention.  This bust was purchased by Gallery founder William Wilson Corcoran in Rome and was part of the gallery’s collection from its opening in 1874.
  
Elisabeth Vigée LeBrun, French (1755-1842) Madame du Barry 1782

Vigée LeBrun is a renowned painter, one of the few women artists to reach the height of fashion and excellence in her time.  She painted many French aristocrats (and those not better than they should be), especially the ill-fated Queen Marie Antoinette.  Vigée LeBrun fled France and traveled in Europe, to Russia and to Britain where she extended her popularity. Jeanne Bécu, comtesse du Barry (1743-1793), a mistress of Louis XV, was beheaded in the Reign of Terror.  Her story has been often told and re-told in print and in film.

Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot French (1796-1875) 
Le Repos (the Repose), 1860, re-worked 1865-70
 
Corot, whose beloved landscapes grace more museums than just about anyone’s, paints this nude as almost an accessory to the landscape. As the leader of the Barbizon movement, he was, in the words of Wikipedia “…a pivotal figure in landscape painting. His work simultaneously references the Neo-Classical tradition and anticipates the plein-air innovations of  Impressionism.”
 
 
Pierre-Auguste Renoir, French 1841-1919
View from Cap Martin of Monte Carlo, c. 1884
 
This landscape by Renoir is based on a sketch he made on a Riviera trip with Claude Monet in 1883.

Rembrandt van Rijn Dutch (1606-1669)
Man with a Sheet of Music, 1638
 
Sorry about the reflection on his hat, but a couldn’t find an angle to eliminate it.  Rembrandt’s work needs no description from me, but this painting is indicative, along with those above, of the kind of works collected by the founders of the collection.  Some might call them robber barons, but many of them, both in the U.S. and abroad, left us treasures we have to be thankful for.  I wonder of the billionaires of today will do the same for our grandchildren?
 
I will be blogging more about the Corcoran collections soon, including the American works, the Salon Doré, and the fate of the Gallery itself.