RIP. continued ...

January was indeed a cruel month: Bowie, Rickman, Frey (see RIP below) - and then on the last day of the month, news of the passing of Britain's best-loved broadcaster, another British veteran actor, and another American rock musician ....

Sir Terry Wogan (1938-2016), aged 77.Terry Wogan - where does one begin? The Limerick boy got into radio broadcasting and Irish television before his move to England, where he seemed part of the cultural fabric for decades: those radio shows, tv series like BLANKETY BLANK, his famous annual commenting on the EUROVISION song contest, and of course hosting the annual CHILDREN IN NEED charity marathon. He also continued with his radio shows and remained immensely popular and much-loved. We will miss Sir Terry and his twinkle a lot and that wit, affable good humour and that soothing Irish voice. His 1980s chat shows on the BBC - three times a week - were a must too, as the genial host got visiting stars talking - often without they having a book or movie to promote. These were an event before multi-channel television and endless talk shows with everyone having something to plug - Terry just chatted amiably to the likes of Loren, Bacall, Curtis, Hudson, Quentin Crisp, Fanny Craddock, Barbara Cartland and assorted eccentrics and celebrities, while the likes of Grace Jones (see below), Dolly Parton or Whitney Houston sang. Nice to see these re-run recently.  His 2012 travelogue on Ireland now was fascinating stuff too. 

Frank Finlay (1926-2016), aged 89. Finlay was another highly-regarded imposing actor from the National Theatre stable of the 1960s. He played Iago to Olivier's OTHELLO (for which he was Oscar-nominated), scored highly on television as CASANOVA in 1971 and the hit series A BOUQUET OF BARBED WIRE in 1976. A towering presence in his prime one could not mistake him for anyone else - I also passed him in the street once (- working in Central London as I did in Regent Street for 25 years one got used to seeing well-known people walking by...). He kept busy on stage, film and television for over 50 years - movie roles included ROBBERY, I'LL NEVER FORGET WHATSISNAME, CROMWELL, GUMSHOE, and Porthos in the Lester MUSKETEER films, and Polanski's THE PIANIST. I saw him on stage at the National in their successful run of the Italian comedy classic SATURDAY, SUNDAY, MONDAY. He was also a great Salieri in AMADEUS.

Ettore Scola  (1931-2016) aged 84. Well-regarded Italian director who helmed some favourites of mine; A SPECIAL DAY with Loren and Mastroianni in 1977, THE PIZZA TRIANGLE (JEALOUSY, ITALIAN STYLE) in 1971 with Vitti, Marcello again and Giancarlo Giannini. THAT NIGHT IN VARENNES is also a fascinating curiosity (Mastroianni as Casanova), He helped prepare the Criterion Blu-ray release of A SPECIAL DAY recently, which I got just before Christmas, where he is interviewed - reviewed recently, see below. 

Jacques Rivette (1928-2016), aged 88. Masterful French director of arthouse classics like CELINE AND JULIE GO BOATING, LA BELLE NOISEUSE, L'AMOUR FOU.

Paul Kantner (1941-2016), aged 74. American musician and songwriter, founder member of the 1960s counterculture group Jefferson Airplane (later Jefferson Starship) which he founded with Grace Slick and Marty Balin. They brought their psychedelic light show to London for that great 1968 all-nighter with The Doors at The Roundhouse in Camden, which I have written about here before, I was 22 and with my hippie friends, we were all bombed of course. I liked their album SURREALISTIC PILLOW.

Sheila Sim (1922-2016), aged 93. Actress wife of Richard Attenborough (who died in 2014 - see RIP-2 label, where I mention my meeting with the Attenboroughs at the BFI in 1970 as they were standing next to me as we waited for the Dirk Bogarde lecture .... and were so friendly). Her films include A CANTERBURY TALE and PANDORA AND THE FLYING DUTCHMAN.

RIP, continued

Richard Attenborough (1923-2014) aged 90, later Lord Attenborough. Who would have thought that the young actor playing his first role as the scared sailor in Lean and Coward's IN WHICH WE SERVE in 1942 would go on to have such an enduring career as actor, director, producer and represent the British film industry. Busy acting throughout the '40s, '50s and '60s - he is also one of the airmen in my favourite A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH. BRIGHTON ROCK is an enduring classic where his Pinky still chills - he and his wife Sheila Sim were established by the early '50s (both were in the first cast of THE MOUSETRAP, still runnng now) and he was one of those BOYS IN BROWN along with Dirk Bogarde, it was fun to catch up with that last year.. I liked his late '50s movies like SOS PACIFIC, JET STORM, I'M ALRIGHT JACK, THE LEAGUE OF GENTLEMEN. All the gushing tributes ignored all his acting roles in those '50s programmers. 
He went into production with pal Bryan Forbes as they formed Beaver Films setting up their own projects like THE ANGRY SILENCE (a good discovery this year), WHISTLE DOWN THE WIND, SEANCE ON A WET AFTERNOON (where he delivered another powerful peformance. He was in THE GREAT ESCAPE, GUNS AT BATASI, THE SAND PEBBLES and later 60s roles included DR DOLITTLE and two with Lee Remick (Inspector Trustcott in the dreadful film of Orton's LOOT, and A SEVERED HEAD from the Iris Murdoch hit), he was another chilling murderer in 10 RILLINGTON PLACE and in Satyajit Ray's THE CHESS PLAYERS. 

He then directed his first film OH WHAT A LOVELY WAR (one to re-visit) with that astonishing cast (Maggie Smith and Vanessa Redgrave were standouts) and powerful images - in those pre-computer graphic years all those white crosses at the end had to be placed by hand). GANDHI of course in 1982 brought him the Best Director Oscar and was best film, I am looking forward to seeing it on Blu-ray soon, and CRY FREEDOM, A BRIDGE TOO FAR, YOUNG WINSTON, MAGIC, SHADOWLANDS, were all successful - less so were his A CHORUS LINE and his film on Chaplin. 
Lord Attenborough was also very busy behind the scenes, being on the boards of many organisations like Channel 4, the BFI, and Chelsea Football Club, as well as lots of charitable organisations. He returned to acting for Spielberg in JURASSIC PARK. His enduring popularity ensured that he had, for over half a century, played an integral part in British cultural life. 
I found myself standing next to him and his wife at the BFI in 1970, as we waited for the Dirk Bogarde lecture, and he chatted away to me and signed my programme. In declining health in recent years, and having lost his daughter and grand-daughter in the 2004 tsunami, he and Sheila had moved to a retirement home. The BBC had prepared an hour long tribute which they screened this week, highlighting his varied careers and the affection and high regard in which he will continue to be held.  

Sandy Wilson, another 90 year old - English composter and lyricist, best known for his THE BOY FRIEND, that 1920s pastiche which has been very successful over the years (and which gave the young Julie Andrews her first success), and Ken Russell filmed it in 1971, though Wilson hated that version! Set in Mme Dubonnet’s finishing school on the French Riviera, The Boy Friend concerns a group of Bright Young Things intent on snaring “that certain thing called the boyfriend” — a lightweight plot which served mainly as aframework for a series of catchy songs, including It’s Never Too Late To Fall In Love, Won’t You Charleston With Me and I Could Be Happy With You.