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What is the alcoholic beverage similar to cider which is made from fermented pears? | Pear cider - definition of Pear cider by The Free Dictionary
Pear cider - definition of Pear cider by The Free Dictionary
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Pear+cider
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per·ry
n. pl. per·ries
A fermented, often effervescent beverage made from pears.
[Middle English pere, from Old French pere, from Vulgar Latin *pirātum : Latin pirum, pear; see pear + Latin -ātum, n. suff. (from neuter of -ātus, -ate).]
perry
(Brewing) alcoholic drink made of pears, similar in taste to cider
[C14 pereye, from Old French peré, ultimately from Latin pirum pear]
Perry
(ˈpɛrɪ)
n
1. (Biography) Fred(erick John). 1909–95, English tennis and table-tennis player; world singles table-tennis champion (1929); as a tennis player he won eight Grand Slam singles titles including the US Open three times (1933–34, 1936) and Wimbledon three times (1934–36)
2. (Biography) Grayson. born 1960, English potter, embroiderer, and film-maker; won the Turner Prize (2003).
3. (Biography) Matthew Calbraith. 1794–1858, US naval officer, who led a naval expedition to Japan that obtained a treaty (1854) opening up Japan to western trade
4. (Biography) his brother, Oliver Hazard. 1785–1819, US naval officer. His defeat of a British squadron on Lake Erie (1813) was the turning point in the War of 1812, leading to the recapture of Detroit
Per•ry
| Perry |
What former monetary unit was equal to a quarter of an old penny? | Sweet ciders | Article about sweet ciders by The Free Dictionary
Sweet ciders | Article about sweet ciders by The Free Dictionary
http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/sweet+ciders
Also found in: Dictionary , Thesaurus .
cider,
in Europe, fermented juice of apples; in the United States, unfermented apple juice, unless allowed to ferment, in which case it is known as hard cider. Selected apples are grated in a mill, and the juice is expressed and, for hard cider, fermented and filtered. The commercial product is usually pasteurized or treated with preservatives and is frequently blended to balance the chief constituents, sugar, malic acid, and tannin. In France cider is made principally in Normandy and Brittany. It is at its best after a year or two in cask. English cider from the southern and western counties is noted and rivals beer as a popular alcoholic beverage. Cider is popular also in Germany, Spain, and Switzerland. Perry is a similar beverage made from pears.
Cider
a low-alcohol (5–7 percent by volume) fruit wine obtained by the fermentation of apple juice. The characteristic qualities of cider are attributable to the taste and aroma of apples and to the saturation of the fermented beverage with carbon dioxide. Cider is generally made from late-season apples and may be sweet (sugar content, 10 g/l), semisweet (5 g/l), and dry (sugarless).
Cider originated in northern France, where it is the name given to any alcoholic beverage made from apples. It is consumed widely in Austria, Switzerland, Great Britain, and other countries. In the USSR, cider is produced in the RSFSR, Byelorussia, Ukraine, and Kazakhstan.
cider
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What is the name of the pig in Animal Farm? | Animal Farm Characters | GradeSaver
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Benjamin
The donkey. He is the oldest animal on the farm and stereotypically stubborn and crotchety. He is also intelligent, being the only animal (aside from the pigs) that can read fluently. He never laughs, preferring to make cynical comments, especially the cryptic line, “donkeys live a long time.” Despite Benjamin’s unfriendly nature, he has a special affinity for Boxer. The Rebellion does not change Benjamin’s personality, although he eventually helps the animals read the lettering on the side of the van and the maxim that replaces the Seven Commandments. Benjamin represents the human (and also stereotypically Russian) tendency towards apathy; he holds fast to the idea that life is inherently hard and that efforts for change are futile. Benjamin bears a similarity to Orwell himself. Over the course of his career, Orwell became politically pessimistic and predicted the overtake of the West by totalitarian governments.
Bluebell, Jessie, and Pincher
The dogs. When Bluebell and Jessie give birth to puppies, Napoleon confiscates them and secludes them in a loft, where he transforms them into fierce, elitist guard dogs.
Boxer
The male of the two horses on the farm. He is “an enormous beast, nearly eighteen hands high, and as strong as any two ordinary horses put together. A white stripe down his nose gave him a somewhat stupid appearance, and in fact he was not of first-rate intelligence, but he was universally respected for his steadiness of character and tremendous powers of work” (26). Boxer has a special affinity for Benjamin. With his determination to be a good public servant and his penchant for hard work, Boxer becomes Napoleon’s greatest supporter. He works tirelessly for the cause of Animal Farm, operating under his personal maxims, “I will work harder” and “Napoleon is always right.” The only time Boxer doubts propaganda is when Squealer tries to rewrite the story of Snowball’s valor at the Battle of the Cowshed, a “treachery” for which he is nearly executed. But Boxer recants his doubts when he learns that the altered story of the battle is directly from Napoleon. After Boxer is injured while defending the farm in the Battle of the Windmill, Napoleon sends him to be slaughtered for profit. The pigs use the money from the slaughter to buy themselves a case of whisky. Boxer is not pugnacious despite his name, but he is as strong as his name implies. In this way, Boxer is a painfully ironic character. He is strong enough to kill another animal, even a human, with a single blow from his hoof, and the dogs cannot manage to overpower him in Chapter VII. Still, Boxer lacks the intelligence and the nerve to sense that he is being used. Boxer represents the peasant or working class, a faction of humanity with a great combined strength--enough to overthrow a manipulative government--but which is uneducated enough to take propaganda to heart and believe unconditionally in the government’s cause.
the Cat
The only cat on Manor Farm. She is lazy and indifferent, but she does participate in the Battle of the Cowshed.
Clover
The female of the two horses on the farm. She is “a stout motherly mare approaching middle life, who had never quite got her figure back after her fourth foal.” Clover is Boxer’s faithful companion as well as a motherly figure to the other animals. Like Boxer, Clover is not intelligent enough to read, so she enlists Muriel to read the altered Seven Commandments to her. She sees the incongruities in the government’s policies and actions, but she is not smart or defiant enough to fight for the restoration of justice. Clover represents those people who remember a time before the Revolution and therefore half-realize that the government is lying about its success and adherence to its principles, but are helpless to change anything.
the Dogs
Nine puppies, which Napoleon confiscates and secludes in a loft. Napoleon rears them into fierce, elitist dogs that act as his security guards. The dogs are the only animals other than the pigs that are given special privileges. They also act as executioners, tearing out the throats of animals that confess to treachery. The dogs represent the NKVD and more specifically the KGB, agencies Joseph Stalin fostered and used to terrorize and commit atrocities upon the Soviet Union’s populace.
Frederick
The owner of Pinchfield, the small farm adjacent to Manor Farm. He is a hard-nosed individual who is known for his frequent legal troubles and demanding business style. He cheats the animals out of their timber by paying for it with fake banknotes. Frederick represents Adolf Hitler. Rumors of the exotic and cruel animal tortures Frederick enacts on his farm are meant to echo the horror stories emerging from Nazi Germany. Frederick’s agreement to buy the timber represents the Nazi-Soviet non-aggression treaty, and his subsequent betrayal of the pact and invasion of Animal Farm represents the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union.
Jones
The owner of Manor Farm and a drunkard. His animals overthrow him in the Rebellion. When he tries to recapture his property, they defeat him, steal his gun, and drive him off again. Mr. Jones dies in a home for alcoholics in another part of the country. He represents the kind of corrupt and fatally flawed government that results in discontent and revolution among the populace. More specifically, Jones represents the latter days of imperial Russia and its last leader, the wealthy but ineffective Czar Nicholas II.
Minimus
A pig with “a remarkable gift for composing songs and poems.” Under Napoleon’s rule, Minimus sits with him and Squealer on the barn platform during meetings. Minimus composes propaganda songs and poems under Napoleon’s rule. Though we never hear Minimus complain about his duties as propaganda writer, he represents the Soviet Union’s artists, who were forced to use their talents to glorify communism rather than express their personal feelings or beliefs.
Mollie
The white mare that draws Mr. Jones’s trap. Her personality is superficial and adolescent. For example, when she arrives at the big meeting in Chapter 1, Orwell writes, “Mollie … Came mincing daintily in, chewing a lump of sugar. She took a place near the front and began flirting her white mane, hoping to draw attention to the red ribbons it was plaited with” (27). Mollie is the only animal not to fight in the Battle of the Cowshed, instead hiding in her stall. She eventually flees the farm and is last seen, bedecked in ribbons, eating sugar and letting her new owner stroke her nose. Mollie represents the class of nobles who, unwilling to conform to the new regime, fled Russia after the Revolution.
Moses
A tame raven that is Mr. Jones’s “especial pet.” He is a spy, a gossip, and a “clever talker” (37). He is also the only animal not present for Old Major’s meeting. Moses gets in the way of the pigs’ efforts to spread Animalism by inventing a story about an animal heaven called Sugarcandy Mountain. Moses disappears for several years during Napoleon’s rule. When he returns, he still insists on the existence of Sugarcandy Mountain. Moses represents religion, which gives people hope of a better life in heaven. His name connects him to the Judeo-Christian religions specifically, but he can be said to represent the spiritual alternative in general. The pigs dislike Moses’s stories of Sugarcandy Mountain, just as the Soviet government opposed religion, not wanting its people to subscribe to a system of belief outside of communism. Though the Soviet government suppressed religion aggressively, the pigs on Animal Farm let Moses come and go as he pleases and even give him a ration of beer when he returns from his long absence.
Muriel
The white goat. Muriel can read fairly well and helps Clover decipher the alterations to the Seven Commandments. Muriel is not opinionated, but she represents a subtle, revelatory influence because of her willingness to help bring things to light (as opposed to Benjamin).
Napoleon
One of the leaders among the pigs, Napoleon is a “large, rather fierce-looking Berkshire boar” that is up for sale. He is the only Berkshire boar on the farm. He is “not much of a talker” and has “a reputation for getting his own way” (35). Napoleon expels Snowball from the farm and takes over. He modifies his opinions and policies and rewrites history continually to benefit the pigs. Napoleon awards special privileges to the pigs and especially to himself. For example, he dines on Mr. Jones’s fine china, wears Mr. Jones’s dress clothes, and smokes a pipe. As time goes on, Napoleon becomes a figure in the shadows, increasingly secluding himself and making few public appearances. Eventually, Napoleon holds a conciliatory meeting with the neighboring human farmers and effectively takes over Mr. Jones’s position as dictator. Napoleon represents the type of dictator or tyrant who shirks the common good, instead seeking more and more power in order to create his own regime. Orwell reflects Napoleon’s greed for power with a name that invokes Napoleon Bonaparte, the very successful French leader who became “Emperor” and brashly invaded Russia before being defeated by Russia. But Napoleon the pig more directly represents Stalin in his constantly changing policies and actions, his secret activities, his intentional deception and manipulation of the populace, and his use of fear tactics and atrocities.
Old Major
A prize Middle White boar that the Joneses exhibited under the name “Willingdon Beauty.” He is, “stout … But still a majestic-looking pig, with a wise and benevolent appearance” (26). In addition to his laurels in the exhibition world, Major is highly respected among his fellow farm animals. His age is twelve years, which makes him a senior among them, and he also claims to have had over four hundred children. He is the one who calls the meeting in the first chapter to discuss his strange dream. Major claims to “understand the nature of life on this earth as well as any animal now living” (28). Months after his death, the pigs disinter his skull and place it at the base of the flagpole beside the gun. Major symbolizes two historical figures. First, he represents Karl Marx, the father of Marxism. Marx’s political hypotheses about working-class consciousness and division of labor worked infinitely better in theory than in practice, especially when corrupt leaders twisted them for their personal gain. Second, Major represents Vladimir Lenin, the foremost of the three authors of the Russian Revolution and the formation of the Soviet Union. Lenin died during the Soviet Union’s early years, leaving Trotsky (Snowball) and Stalin (Napoleon) to vie for his leadership position.
Pilkington
The owner of Foxwood, the large, unkempt farm adjacent to Manor Farm. He is an easy-going man who prefers pursuing his hobbies to maintaining his land. At the book’s end, Mr. Pilkington offers a toast to the future cooperation between human farms and Animal Farm. He also says he plans to emulate Animal Farm’s low rations and long work hours. Pilkington can be seen to represent the Allies. Allied countries explored the possibility of trade with the Soviet Union in the years leading up to World War II but kept a watchful distance. Ominously, as Friedrich Hayek points out in The Road to Serfdom (1944), communist principles had strong proponents among many Allied nations as well. Pilkington’s unwillingness to save Animal Farm from Frederick and his men parodies the Allies’ initial hesitance to enter the War. Napoleon’s and Pilkington’s poker game at the end of the book suggests the beginnings of a power struggle that would later become the Cold War.
Pinkeye
| Napoleon |
What was David Bowie's real name? | Animal Farm Summary - eNotes.com
Animal Farm Summary
Trivia
Animal Farm Summary
In Animal Farm, Old Major convinces the animals of Manor Farm to rebel against their farm’s owner. After Old Major's death, the pigs take control of the farm animals, to disastrous results.
Animal Farm summary key points:
Old Major dies and is succeeded by pigs Snowball and Napoleon, who rally the animals and drive all the humans off the farm.
The pigs produce seven commandments to ensure equality on Animal Farm, but soon begin to award themselves special privileges.
After a power struggle, Napoleon drives Snowball off the farm. He relies on fear and propaganda to keep the animals working on the windmill project.
Life for all animals but pigs becomes brutal; the pigs kill dissenting animals, stand on two legs, drink alcohol, and move into Mr. Jones’s house.
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Summary of the Novel
The animals of Manor Farm have always been miserable under Mr. Jones and his men. They have come to accept their difficult lives as part of the natural order of things. It is Old Major, a prize-winning boar, who shares his dreams with the other animals. He tells them that the cause of all their suffering is man. With man gone, the animals would enjoy the abundance the land provides and build a new society based on equality. He says that Jones has no concern for the animals—that he uses them until they are no longer productive. He butchers the pigs and drowns the dogs when they get old. Old Major predicts that Jones will even sell Boxer, the horse, and the hardest and most faithful worker on the farm, to the slaughterhouse once he is no longer able to work. He encourages the animals to work for this revolution. He warns them never to become like man and to always treat each other as equals.
Three nights later, Old Major dies, and the task of preparing the animals for the revolution falls to the pigs, who are smarter than the others and who later teach themselves to read. Three young pigs, the intellectual Snowball, the domineering Napoleon and the eloquent Squealer, organize Old Major’s dream of the future into a political philosophy called Animalism.
When the drunken Mr. Jones fails to feed the animals one night, the animals drive him and his men off the farm. They change the name to “Animal Farm,” and the pigs, who seem to have assumed leadership, write the principles of Animalism, reduced to Seven Commandments, on the barn wall. These are to be the unalterable rules by which the animals will live ever after:
1. Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy.
2. Whatever goes upon four legs, or has wings, is a friend.
3. No animal shall wear clothes.
4. No animal shall sleep in a bed.
5. No animal shall drink alcohol.
6. No animal shall kill any other animal.
7. All animals are equal.
At first the revolution seems to be a success. All of the animals, directed and supervised by the pigs, work hard to bring in the harvest. But there are indications from the beginning that the pigs treat themselves specially. They remain the supervisors, doing no physical labor, and they take extra food (mild and windfall apples) for themselves instead of sharing with the others. Meanwhile Jones, with the aid of his neighbors, tries to retake the farm. They are driven off at the “Battle of the Cowshed” by the military tactics of Snowball and the strength of Boxer. Both are decorated as heroes for their roles in the victory.
A power struggle for control of Animal Farm develops between Snowball and Napoleon, and it culminates with the building of a windmill. When the animals seem about to vote in favor of the project, Napoleon, who opposes the plan, unleashes nine dogs he has been training secretly to follow his orders without question. Snowball is chased off the farm, barely escaping the jaws of the dogs. In a turnabout, Napoleon orders that work on the windmill begin. The work is difficult, and the animals suffer in the process. When a storm blows the windmill down, Napoleon blames the exiled Snowball and condemns him as an enemy. Napoleon exploits the animals’ fear that Jones will return and their fear of his fierce dogs to consolidate his power. He uses Squealer to lie to the animals and convince them that things aren’t what they seem. As work on the second windmill begins, Napoleon and the pigs become more and more corrupt. They change the commandments, move into Jones’s house, and drink whisky. Napoleon even kills other animals who dare to stand up to his authority.
The second windmill is blown up in an attack by Frederick, after he steals wood from Animal Farm, by paying for it with counterfeit money. But Napoleon pronounces this defeat to be a great victory, and work begins on a third attempt to build a windmill. None of the promises of leisure time and comfort come true—no heat or electricity in the barn, no machines to do their hard work. In fact, life grows harder for all of the animals, except the pigs, and food is scarcer. When Boxer, the hardest worker on the farm, is hurt, Napoleon sells him to the horse slaughterer. Squealer convinces the others that Boxer died in the hospital after getting the best treatment. Old Major’s prediction about Boxer has come true, but it is Napoleon who is the villain.
In the end, the pigs completely subvert the ideals of Animalism. They are the new masters. They walk on two legs. They violate and change each of the Seven Commandments. Ultimately, these commandments are erased and replaced with only one: “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.” In the final scene, Mr. Pilkington comes for a tour and Napoleon announces some changes. The name is changed back to “Manor Farm,” and a new level of understanding is reached between pig and man. The book ends when someone cheats in a card game. The animals, watching from outside, cannot tell the difference between the pigs and the men.
The Life and Work of George Orwell
George Orwell was born Eric Hugh Blair in 1903 in Motihari, Bengal, India. He was the second of three children, and the only boy, born to Richard and Ida Blair. His elder sister, Marjorie, and his younger sister, Avril, completed this middle-class Anglo-Indian family. His dour, discouraging father was an agent in the Opium Department of the British Civil Service. As was the custom with such middle-class children born abroad, he was sent back to England for his education. His mother, a modern, rather left-wing woman and militant suffragette, accompanied him.
Orwell attended the best English schools, including Eton College (1917-1921), a school that epitomized “traditional” British education. Poorer than the other students and feeling insecure about himself, he never quite fit in with the rest of his classmates. Politically, he had difficulty accepting the world of British imperialism that surrounded him. These feelings of being an “outsider,” coupled with Orwell’s firm belief (which he expressed early in his life to friends and family) that he felt fated to become a “great writer,” affected the course of his entire life. Influenced by his mother’s “revolutionary” politics and charged by his own political ideas, Orwell ultimately turned to a writing career.
However, when he graduated from Eton College in 1921, Orwell briefly followed the family tradition and entered civil service as a member of the Indian Imperial Police in Burma. He served in this position from 1922 to 1927, gathering material for his two most famous essays, “On Shooting an Elephant” and “A Hanging.” During these five years, he witnessed and participated in the British policies of colonialism. A Socialist at heart, Orwell came to the conclusion that British imperialism was futile and destined to come to an end.
Orwell returned to England to devote his time to writing and supported himself in this period of fairly severe poverty with a series of temporary jobs and journalistic writing assignments. An account of these difficult years was recorded in his first book, Down and Out in Paris and London (1933). His novel Burmese Days (1934) came from his Far East experiences. It was followed by A Clergyman’s Daughter (1935) and Keep the Aspidistra Flying (1936), which expressed his negative attitudes toward British society. An assignment covering the lives of the miners of northern England enabled Orwell to share the experiences and hardships of these working-class people.
Orwell married Eileen O’Shaughnessy in the summer of 1936. At the end of that year, he and his new wife left for Spain where he joined a “Trotskyist” unit of the militia and fought in the Spanish Civil War. What he witnessed there shook his Socialist ideals. He was appalled by the brutal tactics employed by the Communists who were armed by the Soviet Union and turned loose against Stalin’s political enemies in Spain. Orwell was wounded in Spain and diagnosed with tuberculosis upon his return to England. An account of his Spanish experiences is the subject of Homage to Catalonia (1938), an autobiographical work.
During World War II, Orwell was kept out of active service because of his worsening health. He continued to contribute to the war effort through his writing and his broadcasts to India over the BBC. When his wife died in 1943 during a minor operation, Orwell left London and went to the Hebrides Islands with his adopted son. From November 1943 to January 1944, he worked on Animal Farm, which he published in 1945 as the war was coming to an end. His tuberculosis grew worse but his writing continued. He completed 1984, a political novel which he began in 1948 and saw published in 1949, just six months before his death on January 21, 1950, at the age of 46.
Estimated Reading Time
Animal Farm is a relatively short book of about 130 pages in 10 chapters. Each chapter is approximately 12 pages long. By breaking your reading time into five half-hour segments, two chapters at a sitting, you can read the book in three hours.
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Which sports commentator wrote the autobiography Unless I'm Very Much Mistaken? | Murray Walker: Unless I'm Very Much Mistaken - Books | WHSmith
Murray Walker: Unless I'm Very Much Mistaken
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The voice of motor racing and much loved public figure - and the man responsible for introducing millions of viewers to the previously inaccessible world of Formula 1 - tells the story of his incident-packed life, with a brand new chapter on his globetrotting adventures since retirement. Murray Walker is a national treasure. When the man who made famous the catch phrase 'Unless I'm very much mistaken...I AM very much mistaken!!!' announced that he was retiring as ITV's Grand Prix commentator, the media reacted as if the sport itself was losing one of its biggest stars. His reputation for mistakes was the making of Walker. He was the fan who happened to be given the keys to the commentary box - and never wanted to give them back. His high-octane delivery kept viewers on the edge of their seats, while his passion for talking about the sport he loved was matched by an all-encompassing knowledge gained through hours of painstaking research before every race. In his book he writes about his childhood and the influence that his father, British motorcycle champion Graham Walker, had on his career. Failing to match his father's achievements on the track after active service in World War II, he made a successful career for himself in advertising which catapulted him to the top of his profession. An offer from the BBC to take over the commentary seat for their F1 broadcasts was too good to turn down, and it wasn't long before the infamous 'Murrayisms' enlivened a sport which until then had been shrouded in a cloak of unfathomable technical jargon and mind-numbing statistics. He also talks about the biggest changes in the sport over the last 50 years, in particular the safety issues which came to the fore after the tragic death of Ayrton Senna, which he witnessed first hand. His partnership with James Hunt behind the microphone is the subject of some hilarious anecdotes, while his views on drivers past and present such as Stirling Moss, Jackie Stewart, Damon Hill and Michael Schumacher make for fascinating reading.
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About Author
Murray Walker was born in Birmingham in 1923. His father, Graham was a motorcycle TT champion and Walker jnr saw his first race when he was two. After active service in World War II, he forged a succeesful career as an advertising executive, handling the accounts of blue-chip firms such as Mars, Esso and the Co-op. His debut as a sports commentator came in 1949, when he covered the British GP at Silverstone for BBC Radio. He has since spent more than 50 years commentating on motor racing and in particular F1, initially for the BBC before switching to ITV in 1997. He is the author of 14 books on motor racing.
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| Murray Walker |
Who replaced Anneka Rice in the TV programme Treasure Hunt? | Murray Walker: Unless I'm Very Much Mistaken: Murray Walker: 9780007126972: Amazon.com: Books
By Tina Morris on December 26, 2002
Format: Hardcover|Verified Purchase
...and that's a good thing! This book is for all of us who miss his charismatic, knowledgable and breathless commentary of all things motorsport, but particularly Formula One. A national institution in Britain, Murray Walker was the voice of Formula One first on the BBC and later on ITV, and the sale of television feed globally made him known throughout the world. When he retired at the US Grand Prix at Indianapolis in 2001 he left millions of fans sad to see him go. His autobiography comes as a concentrated dose of Murray that will make you laugh out loud many times but will also let you pause at marvel at a life so full of wonderul experiences. The real meat on F1 starts about halfway through the book, but racing fanatics: don't spring forward and miss the fantastic account of Murray's childhood, his introduction to motorsports and broadcasting by his motorcycling enthusiast father and his account of his WWII experience. The book is a thoroughly entertaining read and an absolute must for every motorsport fan.
By Robert D. Crane on July 3, 2010
Format: Hardcover
What I probably enjoyed most about this book was learning about the early part of Murray's life. I was amazed that he served in World War II and how success he was in his advertising career before Formula 1.
I found much of the story after this a little repetitive and hap-hazard in way that it was presented. I also felt it was also drawn out in many ways which was disappointing. The information about the growth in popularity and the behind the scenes of Formula 1 was certainly of interest to me being fan but as I said a little drawn out.
If you are a fan of Murray and are interested in how he came to be the voice of Formula 1 then I'd recommend you have a read. If you are looking for an insiders look at one of the biggest sports in the world I'd suggest another book maybe more appealing.
By The Cross on March 27, 2003
Format: Hardcover
An amazing book about an amazing chap! Sadly, being an American fan, I never had the privilege of hearing Muzza commentate. I've never seen one race he called, but I knew that he had to be something special judging by the Brit's rant about him. I grew to respect him over the years by reading all of my British F1 magazine subscriptions and when I heard this was coming out, I searched frantically to find it. I knew it was released but could not find it in the states. My wife ordered it from Amazon.co.UK in September 2002 for my birthday and I couldn't have been happier. What a great book about a great man. It's not chocked full of the intricate F1 details that you might suspect. Rather, a delightful tale of a man's life and how blessed he has been. Murray is certainly humble about his life and yet keenly aware of his brand equity and respect in the industry. This is not a tell all book about F1 but it is a story about a man who's life orbited a sport so dear to many people's heart's. If you are looking for a tell-all about Jos the Boss or a blow-by-blow about the constantly growing accomplishments of the "great" Senna, this is not that type of book. It takes you from childhood through the war and on to his greatest passion....that's right...motorcycles! I know, thought it would have been F1 didn't you? Well, that how charming this book is. You would never know Muzza was having an affair with F1, so dedicated was his work.
I highly recommend this book to any one wanting to learn how to live a life of success free from ego and pretense. To anyone who loves the sport of motor racing and the glory of the sport as it evolved. To anyone who wants to hear from the man who called every lap of motor racings evolution over all these years.
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Which is England's highest mountain? | What is England's Highest Mountain? - Geolounge
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The highest mountain in England is called Scafell Pike. Found at 978 metres (3,209 ft) above sea level, Scafell Pike is located in Lake District National Park in Cumbria.
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The mountain is comprised of igneous rock. The shattered rock debris, thought to be from weathering such as frost action, that covers the plateau makes Scafell Pike the highest altitude example of a summit boulder field in England.
Scafell Pike also lays claim to the highest standing water in England. Broad Crag Tarn is found 820 m (2,700 ft), a quarter of a mile south of the summit.
View of the Scafell range in the English Lake District, looking west from Crinkle Crags. Original photograph taken by Mick Knapton
National Three Peaks Challenge
Scafell Pike is one of three mountains that is part of the National Three Peaks Challenge. For this challenge, participants must climb all three peaks within 24 hours. The three mountains are: Ben Nevis (at 1,344 m or 4,409 ft it is the highest mountain in Scotland), Snowdon / Yr Wyddfa (which at 1,085 m or 3,560 ft is the highest mountain in Wales), and Scafell Pike.
Location of the three mountains that make up the Three Peaks Challenge.
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| Scafell Pike |
During the 1980s, which drink was promoted with the advertising slogan, 'the totally tropical taste'? | England's highest mountain - Scafell Pike Mountain, Seathwaite Traveller Reviews - TripAdvisor
“Probably the toughest hike I have ever done”
Reviewed 10 January 2012
Scafell Pike is the tallest mountain in England, and I began my ascent from the farm at Seathwaite. Seathwaite and the surrounding area has the largest rainfall in England, and although it was not raining when I arrived, it clearly had tipped it down as the roads and paths could be mistaken for streams.
I arrived at 9.30am, and there were already many cars parked. Any later and I would have struggled to park. The beginning of the walk is quite pleasant but it is at the bottom of a deep valley. After walking for about an hour and you have climbed 'a few feet' things get more scenic. I enjoyed the walk along 'the corridor' and after turning left at the tarn the climb gets steeper, but is still very pleasant. It was the approach to Scafell when I started to loose momentum, especially when the realisation kicks in that Scafell is not Scafell Pike, but it is also some distance from Scafell Pike. The route from Scafell to the Pike is over huge boulders, following cairns as best you can. This I found very difficult and very frustrating, having to keep stopping not to catch my breath, but to work out the easiest route over the boulders.
The last hurdle is as you are in sight of the Pike, the path then descends rapidly only to be followed by a scramble up to more boulders then onto the pike. (I nearly gave up at this point - something I have never done before or since). I did continue, and as I reached the Pike the cloud came down and I could see nothing!
I am determined to return and give it another go - maybe another route, but it is definitely much more challenging than Snowdon or Ben Nevis. The return journey (excluding boulder mountaineering) was very pleasant, and I finally returned to the car at 6.00pm.
Visited June 2011
“Hard going but well worth it!”
Reviewed 30 August 2011
Our hike began at a farm in Seathwaite (Borrowdale); parking is free but it does get rather busy. There are toilets at the farm if you want to go before the long hike but they're a bit smelly! We were a group of 25-35 year olds with varying levels of fitness and we had a great guide who led us up and down in 7 exhausting but brilliant hours.
Our ascent via the corridor route was quite tough in places but there were plenty of flatter parts in between which allowed you to get your breath back. We were lucky that we had a clear, sunny day, so stopping for the less fitter members of the group meant that we got to take lots of photos of the amazing views!
The last scramble up to the top was pretty exhausting as we were famished by then. It was brilliant to sit on the summit and eat lunch whilst looking out toward the Irish Sea. We could just about make out Blackpool Tower. Sellafield Nuclear Plant was much clearer but a lot less nice to look at! The views were magnificent in general, especially the lakes. It was pretty busy on the summit and you notice the drop in temperature once you've been sitting down for 10 minutes or so.
Our descent began via what seemed like never ended boulder fields, hopping from one to another towards Esk Hause. Eventually we came to a path and everything started looking more green again. Going down is much less tiring but can be very hard on your ankles, knees and hips, so bear that in mind!
As it was such a hot day our water supplies ran out not long into our descent. Our guide pointed out the source of the river Esk, from which we filled our water bottles. It was the clearest, crispest, coldest water I have ever had the pleasure to drink!
If you've never been hiking before, make sure you have the right equipment, and if you're unsure, take an experienced guide with you as we did. And Kendal mint cake is a necessity!! Excellent for a burst of energy when you're starting to feel worn out.
Visited July 2011
“pot luck with the weather”
Reviewed 15 August 2011
Walked this with 8 friends starting off from Seathwaite farm... weather was damp with low cloud. We had booked and planned back in January so nothing we could do at all.
There had been a lot of rain over the previous days and this had made just the start of the walk from farm to Stockey Bridge like a stream and that seemed to be theme for the day, a lot of water lol.
Having walked Nevis and Snowdon this was defintely the most challenging, there was a lot of scrambles (we went Corridor route coming down other side Esk House). Going the corridor route meant that we had a lot of climbing up and down before even reach the summit. There were some hairy moments mainly because it was wet and slippy :(.
Also because of the low cloud we couldnt see the summit until we were almost right on top of it and it seemed like the never ending walk not being able to see a goal.
Had no trouble finding our way down mainly because we had watched Julia Bradbury and sort of came up by the plaque and there are also cairns to follow.
The summit and Esk Hause way down is full of boulder fields and a hard slippy sramble down not for the faint hearted and horrible in the damp.
All in all the walk took a very long time indeed but that was mainly due to one of our groups knees but the weather didnt help.
Make sure you pack waterproofs, a compass, decent maps, warm fleece and glow sticks and a camera for those little moments when the sun makes an appearance. I loved the walk, very challenging and would love to go back on a cold crisp dry sunny day :D
Visited August 2011
I decided to start my climb to Scafell Pike from Wasdale Head car park.
There are two main routes up Scafell Pike,1.)Wasdale Head, 2.)Seathwaite in Borrowdale.
Scafell Pike is 3,281ft and is England"s highest mountain,the distance is approximately 6 miles and it takes 5 hours to walk.
From the car park turn left and walk along the road you will soon see a concrete bridge on your left that crosses over Lingmell Beck,cross the bridge and continue on the path ahead of you to the right hand side of the gill.
The route soon enters a shady hollow where you will see the rocks and boulders of Scafell and Scafell Pike,the path goes over a wooden bridge and you will steadily start to climb.
You will soon have to cross a stream with boulders,take care at this point as they are slippery when they are wet.
The path is clear and easy to follow as it gradually climbs steeply through the hollow stones and you will soon see the path that goes between Scafell and Scafell Pike,the path is known as Mickledore and great care has to be taken as it climbs steeply and consists of loose scree.
At the top of the scree you will scramble up Mickledore chimney,as it is known,once at the top of Mickledore you turn left and you will pass a mountain rescue emergency box,continue on and clamber over the boulder strewn slopes until you finally reach the summit of Scafell Pike.From the summit trig you will get fantastic views of Great Gable,Bowfell and Pillar.
After having a well earned rest and taking in the views,decend West and follow the path carefully down and across to Lingmell with stunning views,once at the summit of this mountain you will get fantastic views of Wastwater,Great Gable and Wasdale Head.
Leave the summit of Lingmell,keeping Great Gable and Wasdale Head to your right,you will eventually climb a stile and the path leads obviously down into Wasdale Head itself.
From here,go into Wasdale Head Inn and enjoy a pint and some good hot or cold bar food.
When climbing this mountain,wear correct outdoor clothing & walking/hiking boots.
This is a hard walk.DO NOT attempt this mountain during Winter season unless your a experienced climber.During Winter,crampons maybe required.
This was a enjoyable walking/hiking day with great views.The weather was good this day but be aware the weather conditions can change very quickly.
There is a (National Trust) campsite near Wasdale Head Inn.Also small campsite in country lane opposite Wasdale Head Inn.
Helpful?
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Which 70s band that has recently been reformed by lead singer Les McKeown? | Les McKeown Archives - Towleroad
Towleroad
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| Bay City Rollers |
What creature is carved into the handle of Mary Poppins' umbrella? | The Bay City Rollers History
Tam Paton become BCR's manager.
Mike Ellison retired from the group.
1969
Keith Norman joined the group.
Dave Pettigrew, Greg Ellison and Keith Norman retired from the BCR.
Dave Paton and Billy Lyall joined the group .
1970
Eric Manclark joind BCR (a six man group now).
This group contacted Dick Leahy, who was President of Bell Records.
October
Dave Paton retired. Neil Henderson joined the Rollers.
The Rollers made a contract with Bell records.
1971
Billy Lyall retired. Archie Marr joined the group.
September 18
The first single 'Keep on dancing' entered the UK charts . It finaly reached number 9.
November
'We can make music' was released in England.
Neil Henderson and Archie Marr retired.
Eric Faulkner and John Devine joined the group.
September 22
'Manana' was released in England.
October 19
With 'Manana' the Rollers won the 4th Radio Luxemburg Grand Prix International at the Nouveau Theatre in Luxemburg.
November 27
'Manana' is the first single in the german charts. The highest position was number 9.
1973
'Saturday night' was released in England.
November
Nobby Clark retired. Leslie McKeown joined.
November 28
'Remember' was released in England.
1974
John Devine retired. Stuart Wood joined the Rollers.
January 9
First appearance on TV in the english Show 'Lift off'
February 9
Remember entered the UK charts. Highest position was #6.
April 1
'Shang-A-Lang' was released in England.
April 27
'Shang-A-Lang' entered the UK charts. Highest position was #2.
July 27
'Summerlove Sensation' entered the UK charts. Highest position was #3.
October 12
The first album ' Rollin' ' entered the UK charts. It reached #1 and stayed at the charts for 62 weeks ! (It was released on september 6th)
October 12
'All of me loves all of you' entered the UK charts. Highest position was #4.
October 18
UK-Tour begins (till november 17th)
December 19
First concert in germany (Hamburger Musikhalle)
1975
First issue of the official Bay City Rollers Magazine.
March 8
'Bye Bye Baby' entered the UK charts. The Rollers first number 1 !
April 1
The TV-Show 'Shang-A-Lang' starts.(20 shows)
April 11
Second album ' Once upon a star was released in the UK.
April 27
Second UK-Tour begins (till june 9th)
April 30
First appearance on TV in germany (Musikladen)
May 3
'Once upon a star' entered the UK charts. It reaches #1 and stayed on the charts for 37 weeks.
May 3
US-Manager Sid Bernstein takes BCR under contract.
July 12
'Give a little love' entered the UK charts. The BCRs second number 1.
September 15
'Saturday night' released in the USA.
September 20
Performance on Howard Cosell Show(TV) in USA(Or was it october 4th ?)
September 30
BCR landing on the New York Kennedy Airport. Promotional activities in the US for one week.
October
'It's a game' entered the UK charts. Highest position was #16.
May 9
Begin of US-Tour (till june 1st)
July 8th
Pat's first single 'She'd rather be with me' was released in germany.
July 9
Alan Longmuir released 'I'm confessing' in germany.
July 25
Begin of 3rd US-Tour.
July 30
'You made me belive in magic' entered the UK charts. Highest position was #34. This was the last Rollers single in the UK charts.
August 13
The album ' It's a game ' entered the UK charts. Highest position was #16. This was the last Rollers album in the UK charts.
August 24
Visit of the town Bay City.
September 17
The Rollers second album is released in Germany and Japan. It is titeled ' Voxx '.
1981
Early in the year, US and UK music magazines report, that the Rollers change their label to CBS.
Summer
The Rollers release their first CBS album, ' Ricochet '.
At the same time they release two singles from that album, 'Life on the radio' and 'No doubt about it' only in UK.
Fall
1982
May
Eric Faulkner and Leslie McKeown, who had been singing solo, met at a concert and discussed reforming the group.
They finaly reformed the Bay City Rollers together with Stuart Wood, Derek Longmuir and Alan Longmuir.
August
They released the album ' Breakout' in Japan.George Spencer on drums.
July 13
They come to Japan for the 6th time. Concert at Hihiyayagai Daiongokudo in Tokyo. The concert was titled 'Back to the Rollers, 1985'. Derek didn't come to Japan.
July/August
The Bay City Rollers tour Australia (Eric, Ian, Pat, Les, Woody and George Spencer)
This tour ends with Eric leaving the others to finish the tour without him.
(
Information provided by Lisa Theiss
)
'When you find out' was released in Japan.
Fall
Eric Faulkner and Alan Longmuir separated from the group.
1986
April 26
They returned to Japan the 7th time, performing at Hibiyayagai Daiongokuda. It was a special concert because it was their 10th anniversary of coming to Japan. Members were: Leslie, Woody, Ian, Pat and a drummer.
1987
Eric Faulkner formed a new band with his girlfriend Kass(backing vocals), Chris Ellen(bass), Kevin Peach(Keyboards) and Barry Roberts(drums). The name of the band is ' The New Rollers '
The New Rollers released a tape called ' Bay City Take 2 ' (Fan Club only)
1988
The New Rollers released their first 7" single called 'Party Harty' in England. On that single you can hear the new members Mark Roberts(drums), Simon Stuart(guitar) and Andy Boaks(bass).
May 9
Les McKeowns solo single 'She's a lady' entered the german charts. The single stayed 16 weeks at the charts !
For the first time the Bay City Rollers songs are available on CD. The Compilation was released in germany and the titel is 'Starke Zeiten'. It was released on The ARISTA/BMG Label and contained 16 songs.
October
US-Tour of the New Bay City Rollers (till december)
December 12
Les McKeowns solo single 'Love is just a breath away' entered the german charts.
1989
The New Rollers released a tape called ' Life is a wasteland ' (Fan Club only). This tape was recorded during the christmas period of 1988 and contains 10 new songswritten by Eric and Kass.
The New Rollers changed their name to 'The Rollers'. Andy Boakes left the group and was replaced by Karl Murphy(bass). Jason Medvec(guitar) also joind the group.
April 21
The compilation CD 'Memorial' was released in Japan.
April 24
Les McKeowns solo single 'It's a game' entered the german charts.
June 17
The Rollers did a concert in the Meadow Bank Stadium in Edinburgh(1500 people).
July 24
Les McKeowns solo single 'Love hurts and love heals' entered the german charts.
August
Stuart 'Woody' Wood joined the Rollers. Now that two original members are in the band they changed the bands name to 'Bay City Rollers'.
September 9
The Bay City Rollers did a one month tour through australia.
1990
Billy Lyall dies of aids
Febuary
Alan Longmuir joined the Bay City Rollers. The Band said goodbye to Andy Boakes and Mark Roberts. The linup is now: Eric Faulkner, Stuart Wood, Kass & Alan Longmuir.
March
Les McKeown is one of the finalists for 'Song For Europe'. He performed the song 'Ball & Chain' at a BBC TV-Show. He came fourth out of eight.
March 21
An 8 CD-Box Set was released in Japan. It contains all the albums from Rollin' to Voxx.
August 17
First Bay City Rollers concert in germany since the late 70s. Phil Watts is the drummer in Bielefeld in front of an audience of 4000 people.
1991
April
The Bay City Rollers released a tape with 6 live songs called ' M62 ' (Fan Club only)
Mai 18
The Bay City Rollers concert in Bad Segeberg(Germany) was filmed for TV and was shown on SAT1 in germany on june 15th.
August 26
A show at the 'Concet Bowl' in Chelmsford,Essex in front of aprox. 18000 people !
The CD ' Bye Bye Baby ' was released in europe. It contains 7 rerecorded 70s hits and 6 new songs written by Eric, Stuart and Kass.
November 17
The Bay City Rollers filmed the video for the single 'Flower of Scotland' at a south London studio.
November 22
The Bay City Rollers released the double A-side single 'Flower of Scotland/Bye Bye Baby'
Andy Boakes has rejoined the Rollers. Andy playes bass and Alan switches to accoustic guitar and keyboards.
1992
Febuary 1
Les McKeown does a concert under the name of 'Bay City Rollers' in Duisburg(Germany). Ian Mitchell was also in the lineup !
Febuary
Phil Watts left the Bay City Rollers. Mark Roberts(drums) rejoined the band.
Febuary 7
The rollers performed unplugged in the kitchen of Adrian Seviour during a Surprise Show 'The Word' on Channel 4/UK.
The Bay City Rollers released a CD/Cassette called ' Greatest Hits ' with rerecordings of 11 70s hits.
March 18
'Showcase' at the Camden Underworld in London.
March 31
Les McKeown did an Oldie Express Tour through german till april 19th. He sung live with a playback/without a band.
The Bay City Rollers took legal actions against their former lead singer Les McKeown. They reached an agreement under that Les McKeown is permitted to use the name 'Bay City Rollers' only in conjunction with certain references to his historical connection with the band(such as "ex", "70s", "former")
June
The Bay City Rollers did a Scandinavian tour.
Andy Boakes left the Rollers. Woody will play bass in the future. Simon Stewart rejoines the band.
November
There was a statement in the November Newsletter of the Bay City Rollers, that Derek Longmuir(former drummer) and Tam Paton(former manager) fully support the band(Eric,Stuart,Alan & Kass). The band use some other musicians Mark Roberts(drums) and Simon Stewart(drums) .
1993
The Bay City Rollers are on tour in USA/Canada.
September
The Bay City Rollers are on tour in Japan .
Les McKeown's 70's Bay City Rollers released a CD in europe called ' Greatest Hits '. 11 rerecorded songs from the 70's plus a Megamix.
November 19
Les McKeown's 70's Bay City Rollers released a CD in japan called ' Loveletter '. 7 rerecorded songs from the 70s, 2 karaoke versions and 3 new songs.
December
Les McKeown's 70's Bay City Rollers did a japan tour followed by an east german tour.
1994
March
' The Collection ' is available via the Les McKeown's 70's Bay City Rollers-Fan Club. This is a double CD with songs from Les four solo albums.
March
The Bay City Rollers did a german tour.
1995
| i don't know |
There have been 12 prime ministers during the queen's reign. How many of them were Conservative? | Queen Elizabeth and her 12 Prime Ministers | History of government
Queen Elizabeth and her 12 Prime Ministers
— No 10 guest historian series , Prime Ministers and No. 10 , The Monarchy
On her 21st birthday in 1947 Princess Elizabeth broadcast from Cape Town in South Africa:
I declare before you all that my whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great Imperial country to which we all belong…God help me to make good my vow and God bless all of you who are willing to share it.
The Queen’s relationship with her 12 Prime Ministers (eight Conservative and four Labour) over the past 60 years demonstrates how she has fulfilled that vow.
Churchill was a formidable presence for the young Queen, who remained in awe of the great war leader. At their first audience, Churchill told the Queen he could advise her from a lifetime of experience, but the time would come when she would advise Prime Ministers younger than herself from a similar standpoint. So it has proved. The first of the 12 Prime Ministers younger than the Queen was John Major . Tony Blair and David Cameron were not even born when she acceded to the throne.
The central assertion about the rights of a constitutional monarch, as defined by Walter Bagehot in 1867, remains as true as ever: ‘the sovereign has under a constitutional monarchy such as ours, three rights – the right to be consulted, the right to encourage, the right to warn.’
The Queen has exercised all three rights. An early example was the issue of live television coverage of the Coronation in June 1953. Churchill opposed it, and, initially, the Queen was also doubtful. Eventually, the Queen’s view that the benefits would outweigh the disadvantages prevailed. Asked by an old court favourite whether Churchill was attempting to mentor her, as Melbourne had mentored the young Queen Victoria , she replied, ‘Not at all, I find him very obstinate.’ Nevertheless, she learned much from the old warrior.
The weekly audience between monarch and Prime Minister remained a fixed point of contact. At these audiences, the Queen found her second Prime Minister, Anthony Eden , a sympathetic listener to her concerns. Dominating their early meetings was discussion of Princess Margaret’s possible marriage to the divorced Group Captain Peter Townsend. The Suez crisis in 1956 led to much speculation about the Queen’s views and what she knew of unfolding events. Eden believed that informing the Queen was of supreme importance and all the Suez papers were sent to her, the first time she was to be shown secret government papers. Their relationship was one of impeccable constitutional propriety and confidences were maintained. The Queen was able to draw on these experiences at later audiences with Margaret Thatcher during the Falklands War.
The Queen has two prerogatives, to choose, or now to confirm, a new Prime Minister in office and to grant a dissolution of Parliament, triggering a general election. The first prerogative was exercised in 1957 and in 1963 when the leadership of the Conservative party became vacant between general elections. After taking advice from senior Conservatives, the Queen invited Harold Macmillan to become her third Prime Minister, a process repeated in October 1963 when Sir Alec Douglas-Home was appointed.
At first, the Queen did not find Macmillan easy to deal with. He was unsure whether the Prime Minister’s annual visit to Balmoral was a social occasion, with ‘talking shop’ relegated to the margins, or a Highlands version of his weekly audiences at Buckingham Palace. However, it was not long before they were on the same wavelength. Indeed, the Queen soon came to rely on Macmillan to offer wise counsel, both while in office and after his retirement in 1963. They discussed issues including the inauguration of the memorial to President Kennedy at Runnymede in 1965, and the 250th anniversary of 10 Downing Street in 1985. Crucially, the Queen also sought his advice following the uncertain General Election outcomes of February and October 1974, when he advised on historical precedents.
When Macmillan resigned in October 1963, accusations were made that the Queen had colluded with his supposed blocking of the Deputy Prime Minister, Rab Butler, as his successor, leading to the controversial appointment of Alec Douglas-Home as the new Prime Minister. In fact, the Queen had distanced herself from the process, both physically – by staying out of London, at Windsor Castle – and personally – ensuring that her Assistant Private Secretary Sir Edward Ford was the conduit between the Palace and the Prime Minister’s Office. The Palace made it clear that the choice of a new leader should be for the Conservative Party alone, a process known as ‘You Choose, We Send For’. Far from colluding, the Queen maintained the monarchy’s political impartiality, waiting for a name to be brought to her.
Subsequent events eroded the Queen’s prerogative. From July 1965 onwards, the Conservative Party elected its leader, as the Labour Party had done since 1922. Today it would be highly unusual if the Queen invited anyone to become Prime Minister who was not the acknowledged leader of the party commanding a majority in the House of Commons. Outgoing Prime Ministers in mid-term have made things easier for the Queen by staying-on until their party has elected a successor, including Harold Wilson in 1976 and Margaret Thatcher in 1990.
When Sir Alec Douglas-Home became Prime Minister in October 1963, for the first time the Queen had a Prime Minister whom she already knew as a friend, Home having been a childhood friend of the Queen Mother . She was now in the unusual situation of having to formalise a relationship that had always been informal. When Home went to Balmoral for his first Prime Ministerial visit, he heard for the first time the sound of the Queen’s official bagpiper before breakfast, an experience he would not have had on his previous visits as a family friend. Over the years, Home often helped the Queen to name royal horses. After hearing the Balmoral bagpiper, Home suggested the names ‘Blessed Relief’ [by] ‘Bagpipes’ [out of] ‘Earshot’ for her three new foals!
James Callaghan observed that that the Queen provided friendliness, not friendship to her Prime Ministers. Wilson and Callaghan, her first two Labour Prime Ministers, both got on famously with the Queen. Wilson enjoyed the informality of helping with the washing-up after the Balmoral barbecues, unlike Thatcher for whom these weekends interrupted work. Wilson noted that the Queen respected those who had served in the armed forces, which made her relationship with Callaghan, who had been in the Royal Navy , so relaxed. The relationship with Edward Heath was not always easy, as his world-view differed sharply from that of the Queen. European integration was Heath’s vision. The Queen, however, saw her role as Head of the Commonwealth to be of supreme importance. For this reason she lamented the loss, in 1997, of the Royal Yacht Britannia (a decision wrongly ascribed to Tony Blair, but in fact inherited from the Major government), which had enabled her to visit the smaller, more remote Commonwealth countries.
Much attention has been paid to the Queen’s first prerogative, the right to appoint a Prime Minister, but little to the second, the dissolution of Parliaments. So far in the Queen’s reign there have been 15 such dissolutions, the two, indecisive elections in 1974 being potentially the most difficult. Returning from Australia in February 1974, the Queen’s role proved invaluable in a volatile and uncertain political climate. However, the recent Fixed Term Act , setting a statutory, five-year parliament, has in effect removed that prerogative, except in the most unlikely of circumstances. In 1952 when she came to the throne, the Queen could choose the Prime Minister, and could grant, or not grant, a dissolution of parliament. Now, in effect, she can do neither. The party commanding a majority in the House of Commons presents its accepted leader to the Queen after a General Election or a change of party leadership in the governing party. The next General Election is already determined for May 2015, unless two-thirds of the Commons decides otherwise. These changes do not weaken the Queen’s ‘dignified’ position; on the contrary they remove her entirely from the political arena.
David Cameron is the youngest of the Queen’s Prime Ministers . His most important dealing with the Queen so far in his Premiership is one of the most significant in a thousand years of monarchy: the proposed change in the law regarding primogeniture, which will enable any future daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to become Queen before any younger brothers, a change agreed by the Queen, the Prime Minister and the Commonwealth Prime Ministers . The evolution of a modern monarchy continues.
| eight |
When asked where should one wear perfume, who replied "Wherever one wants to be kissed" | Female world leaders currently in power
FEMALE WORLD LEADERS CURRENTLY IN POWER
The following is a list of female presidents, prime ministers, and other heads of state who are presently in power as of January 22, 2015.
All data comes care of Rulers.org , WorldStatesmen.org , or Regnal Chronologies .
CURRENT TOTAL: 22
We are currently living under a record-high number of simultanious female world leaders.
For several years now, the stable status quo has been around 20 female world leaders at any given time. For much of 2014, the number was 22 — a record high.
#
President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner
Dec. 10, 2007 -
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed
Jan. 6, 2009 -
Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller
Jan. 5, 2012 -
Feb. 18, 2015 -
elected
"Elected" refers to women leaders who were elected in democratic elections, including both direct election and parliamentary election.
"Succeeded" refers to leaders who automatically assumed their position following the resignation or impeachment of a predecessor, and were thus not specifically elected to their post.
"Appointed" refers to leaders who were appointed to office by a ruling party or executive, and were thus not specifically elected to their post.
"Coup" refers to a leader who staged a coup or revolution to take office through force.
Sometimes leaders who were originally appointed to office managed to win election. In such cases both dates are noted.
NOTE: the "head of state" issue
In colloquial speech, a "head of state" is simply a world leader; be she a president, a prime minister, a ruling monarch, or in rare cases, some other office entirely. However, political scientists — and indeed, many national constitutions — define this term in a more narrow sense, with the "head of state" being the person who symbolically "embodies" the nation as its highest legal authority and highest-ranking ceremonial representative. A person who actually "runs" the government, in contrast, is called the "head of government." In many countries, the head of state and head of government is the same person, but in many other countries, the "head of state" is a symbolic president or monarch while the prime minister is the "head of government."
Identifying "heads of state" in this sense is a complicated matter I am not interested in here. Let it merely be noted that the women listed below consist simply of people who could be accurately described as "world leaders" of one sort or another, but some might regard it as technically incorrect to describe them as all "heads of state."
Queens or Vice-Regal Females in power
A few countries have reining female queens, or, if they are a member of the British Commonwealth, a female governor general representing Queen Elizabeth as head of state. As they are merely symbolic figureheads chosen to represent the actual head of state, they are not usually counted as "full" world leaders.
#
Sep. 5, 2008 -
All countries with female presidents, past and present
A president is either the executive leader of a country, or a ceremonial figurehead chosen to "represent the nation" but not exercise any real political power.
Country
Jul. 1, 1974 - Mar. 24, 1976
succeeded, wife
Aug. 1, 1980 - Jul. 31, 1996
elected
Feb. 15, 1982 - Feb. 15, 1987
elected
Feb. 25, 1986 - Jun. 30, 1992
elected, wife*
Apr. 25, 1990 - Jan. 10, 1997
elected
Dec, 3, 1990 - Sep. 12, 1997
elected
Nov. 12, 1994 - Nov. 19, 2005
elected, daughter
Nov. 11, 1997 - Nov. 11, 2011
elected
Dec. 19, 1997 - Aug. 11, 1999
elected, wife
Jan. 1, 1999 - Dec. 31, 1999
appointed
Jul. 8, 1999 - Jul. 8, 2007
elected
Sep. 1, 1999 - Sep. 1, 2004
elected, wife
Jan. 20, 2001 - June 30, 2010
succeeded 2001, elected 2004, daughter
Indonesia
Jul. 23, 2001 - Oct. 20, 2004
succeeded, daughter
Dec. 30, 2002 - Jan. 27, 2004
appointed
Mar. 11, 2006 - Mar. 11, 2010
elected
Jan. 1, 2007 - Dec. 31, 2007
appointed
Feb. 22, 2007 - Mar. 17, 2011
elected
Jul. 25, 2007 - Jul. 25, 2012
elected
President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner
Dec. 10, 2007 -
Jan. 1, 2010 - Dec. 31, 2011
appointed
Apr. 7, 2010 - Dec. 1, 2011
coup
May 8, 2010 - May 8, 2014
elected
Jan. 1, 2011 - Dec. 31, 2011
appointed
Jan. 1, 2012 - Dec. 31, 2013
appointed
Apr. 7, 2012 - May 31, 2014
succeeded
"Wife" indicates leaders whose husband was also president at one time.
"Daughter" indicates leaders whose father was also president at one time.
* though not a wife of a president, Ms. Aquino's political career was largely the result of her marriage to a very prominent senator, who was later assasinated. Her son, interestingly, would also later serve as president.
Less than a year in power (acting, interim leaders, etc)
The following female leaders all assumed office on some sort of interim basis and cannot be properly regarded as a "full" president. They often held the presidency while simultaniously holding some other office of government, usually speaker of parliament..
Country
Sep. 23, 1953 - Jul. 7, 1954
Bolivia
Nov. 17, 1980 - Jul. 18, 1980
Guinea-Bissau
May 14, 1984 - May 16, 1984
Haiti
Mar. 13, 1990 - Jan. 7, 1991
East Germany
Apr. 5, 1990 - Oct. 2, 1990
Liberia
Sep. 3, 1996 - Aug. 2, 1997
Ecuador
Feb. 9, 1997 - Feb. 11, 1997
Georgia (1st time)
Nov. 23, 2003 - Jan. 25, 2004
Georgia (2nd time)
Nov. 25, 2007 - Jan. 20, 2008
Israel
Jan. 25, 2007 - Jul. 15, 2007
South Africa
Jun. 10, 2009 - Oct. 16, 2009
Mauritius
Mar. 31, 2012 - Jul. 21. 2012
Serbia
Apr. 4, 2012 - May 31, 2012
All countries with female prime ministers, past and present
A prime minister is, in most circumstances, the leader of the national parliament. How much power she exercises can vary greatly based on the country, and how strong the president (or in some cases, monarch) that sits above her is.
Country
Jul. 21, 1960 - Mar. 27, 1965
elected, wife
Jan. 19, 1966 - Mar. 24, 1977
elected, daughter
Mar. 17, 1969 - Jun. 3, 1974
appointed 1969, elected 1971
May 29, 1970 - Jul. 23, 1977
"
Jan. 2, 1975 - Apr. 7, 1976
appointed*
May 4, 1979 - Nov. 28, 1990
elected
Jan. 14, 1980 - Oct. 31, 1984
"
Prime Minister Dame Eugenia Charles
Jul. 21, 1980 - Jun. 14, 1995
elected
Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland
Feb. 4, 1981 - Oct. 14, 1981
elected
May 16, 1982 - May 15, 1986
appointed*
Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland
May 9, 1986 - Oct. 16, 1989
"
Dec. 2, 1988 - Aug. 6, 1990
elected, daughter
Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland
Nov. 3, 1990 - Oct. 25, 1996
"
Mar. 20, 1991 - Mar. 30, 1996
elected, daughter
Jul. 8, 1992 - Oct. 26, 1993
appointed
Jun. 25, 1992 - Mar. 6, 1996
appointed
Oct. 19, 1993 - Nov. 5, 1996
"
Nov. 14, 1994 - Aug. 10, 2000
"
Dec. 8, 1997 - Dec. 10, 1999
appointed
Dec. 10, 1999 - Nov. 19, 2008
elected
Prime Minister Mame Madior Boye
Mar. 2, 2001 - Nov. 4, 2002
appointed
Oct. 10, 2001 - Oct. 29. 2006
"
Prime Minister Maria das Neves
Oct. 7, 2002 - Sep. 18, 2004
appointed
Feb. 17, 2004 - Jan. 16, 2010
appointed 2004, elected 2009
Jan. 24, 2005 - Sep. 8, 2005
elected
Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller
Mar. 30, 2006 - Sep. 11, 2007
appointed
Prime Minister Han Myung Sook
Ap. 19, 2006 - Mar. 7, 2007
appointed
Dec. 18, 2007 - Mar. 11, 2010
"
Sep. 5, 2008 - Nov. 11, 2009
appointed
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed
Jan. 6, 2009 -
Feb. 1, 2009 - May 23, 2013
appointed 2009, elected 2009
Jul. 6, 2009 - Dec. 2011
appointed
Jun. 24, 2010 - Jun. 27, 2013
appointed 2010, elected 2010
Jun. 22, 2010 - Jun. 22, 2011
appointed
Jul. 8, 2010 - Apr. 4, 2012
elected
Aug. 8, 2011 - May 7, 2014
elected
Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller
Jan. 5, 2012 -
Mar. 20, 2013 - Sep. 18, 2014
elected
Less than a year in power (acting, interim leaders, etc)
Country
Prime Minister Maria de Lurdes Pintassilgo
Aug. 1, 1979 - Jan. 3, 1980
Lithuania (1st time)
Mar. 17, 1990 - Jan. 10, 1991
France
May 15, 1991 - Apr. 2, 1992
Burundi
Jul. 10, 1993 - Feb. 7, 1994
Canada
Jun. 25, 1993 - Nov. 4, 1993
Rwanda
Jul. 18, 1993 - Apr. 7, 1994
Bulgaria
Oct. 17, 1994 - Jan. 25, 1995
Sri Lanka
Aug. 19, 1994 - Nov. 12, 1994
Haiti
Nov. 7, 1995 - Mar. 6, 1996
Guyana
Mar. 17, 1997 - Dec. 22, 1997
Lithuania (2nd time)
May 4, 1999 - May 18, 1999
Lithuania (3rd time)
Oct. 27, 1999 - Nov. 3, 1999
Mongolia
Jul. 22, 1999 - Jul. 30, 1999
South Korea
Jul. 11, 2002 - Jul. 31, 2002
Finland
Apr. 17, 2003 - Jun. 24, 2003
Peru (1st time)
June 28, 2003 - Dec. 15, 2003
Macedonia (1st time)
May 12, 2004 - Jun. 2, 2004
Macedonia (2nd time)
Nov. 18, 2004 - Dec. 17, 2004
São Tomé and Príncipe
Prime Minister Maria do Carmo Silveira
Jun. 8, 2005 - Apr. 21, 2006
Moldova
Mar. 31, 2008 - Sep. 14, 2009
Madagascar
Dec. 18, 2009 - Dec. 20, 2009
Peru (2nd time)
Mar. 19, 2011 - Jul. 28, 2011
Mali
Prime Minister Cissé Mariam Kaïdama Sidibé
Apr. 3, 2011 - March 22, 2012
Cyprus (North)
Jun. 13, 2013 - Sep. 2, 2013
Senegal (2nd time)
Sep. 3, 2013 - Jul. 14, 2014
All countries with female governor-generals
In a Commonwealth country, a governor general is a politician appointed by the prime minister to serve as "acting" head of state on behalf of the British monarch, the legal chief of state.
Canada (1st time)
May 14, 1984 - Jan. 29, 1990
Barbados
Jun. 6, 1990 - Dec. 19, 1995
New Zealand (1st time)
Nov. 20, 1990 - Mar. 21, 1996
Saint Lucia
Oct. 7, 1999 - Sep. 27, 2005
New Zealand (2nd time)
Apr. 4, 2001 - Aug. 23, 2006
Bahamas
Nov. 13, 2001 - Nov. 25, 2005
Canada (3rd time)
Sep. 27, 2005 - Oct. 1, 2010
Antigua and Barbuda
Jul. 17, 2007 - Aug. 13, 2004
Australia
Sep. 5, 2008 - Mar. 28, 2014
Historic female monarchs
Historically speaking, the principle of heritary monarchism has tended to supercede the principle of gender discrimantion, meaning even very sexually regressive socieites have allowed female monarchs to rule them from time to time, if that's how the monarchical birth lottery goes. Here are all the historic female monarchs of countries that still exist in some form today.
Denmark (1st time)
Aug. 10, 1387 - Jan. 23, 1396
Portugal (1st time)
Oct. 22, 1383 - Apr. 6, 1385
Spain (1st time)
Queen Isabella I of Castile
Dec. 11, 1474 - Nov. 26, 1504
Spain (2nd time)
Nov. 26, 1504 - Apr. 12, 1555
England (1st time)
Jul. 6, 1553 - Jul. 19, 1553
England (2nd time)
Jul. 19, 1553 - Nov. 17, 1558
England (3rd time)
Nov. 17, 1558 - Mar. 24, 1603
Sweden (1st time)
Nov. 16, 1632 - Jun. 16, 1654
England (4th time)
Feb. 23, 1689 - Jan. 7, 1695
England (4th time)
Mar. 19, 1702 - Aug. 12, 1714
Sweden (2nd time)
Feb. 2, 1719 - Apr. 4, 1720
Russia (2nd time)
Feb. 8 1725 - May 17, 1727
Russia (3rd time)
Feb. 13, 1730 - Oct. 28, 1740
Russia (4th time)
Dec. 6, 1741 - Jan. 5, 1762
Russia (5th time)
Tsar Catherine II the Great
Jul. 8, 1762 - Nov. 17, 1796
Portugal and Brazil (2nd time)
Queen Maria
Feb. 24, 1777 - Mar. 20, 1816
Portgual (3rd time)
Queen Maria II the Great
Mar. 3, 1828 - Nov. 15, 1853
England (5th time)
Queen Empress Victoria the Good
Jun. 20, 1837 - Jan. 22, 1901
China
Feb. 25, 1875 - Mar. 4, 1889
Netherlands (1st time)
Dec. 8, 1890 - Aug. 31, 1898
Netherlands (2nd time)
Aug. 31, 1898 - Sep. 4, 1948
Luxembourg (1st time)
Feb. 25, 1912 - Jan. 15, 1919
Luxembourg (2nd time)
Jan. 15, 1919 - Nov. 12, 1964
Netherlands (3rd time)
Sep. 4, 1948 - Apr. 30, 1980
Netherlands (4th time)
Apr. 30, 1980 - Apr. 30, 2013
Special cases
Switzerland has one of the world's most unusual political systems, with the nation's highest political authority vested in a "federal council" comprised of seven members of parliament. The chair of the council serves as president of Switzerland, but the position rotates every year. Since the federal council always contains at least one women, Switzerland has a higher than one-in-seven chance of having a female president in any given year, which explains Switzerland's unusually high tally in this regard.
The tiny European nation of San Marino elects two members of parliament to serve as "campaigns regent" for a six-month term. San Marino law (the nation has no constitution) declares that these captains serve "jointly" as head of state. Maria Lea Pedini Angelini served as San Marino's first female captain regent in 1981; since then there have been 15 others. I have elected not to include a full list of San Marino's post-1981 female captains partially ensure this most unusual of offices in this most minuscule of nations does not clutter the lists above.
Countries that have had more than one female leader (includes acting, interim leaders etc)
Switzerland (6)
One president, two prime ministers
Haiti (3)
One president, two prime ministers
Finland (3)
One president, two prime ministers
South Korea (3)
Two prime ministers, one president
Lithuania (3)
One president, two prime ministers
Argentina (2)
One president, one prime minister
Guyana (2)
One president, one prime minister*
Iceland (2)
One president, one prime minister
India (2)
One president, one prime minister
Ireland (2)
One president, one prime minister
Liberia (2)
São Tomé and Príncipe (2)
Two prime ministers
Sengal (2)
Two prime ministers
*Switzerland has seen six female presidential terms, though two of those were held by the same woman. Guyana's tally is also debatable, since their female prime minister and female president were the same person.
Historic firsts
Sükhbaataryn Yanjmaa of Mongolia (1953-1954)
World's first female (acting) president
Sirimavo Bandaranaike of Sri Lanka (1960-1965)
World's first female prime minister
Isabel Peron of Argentina (1974-1976)
World's first female (non-acting) president
Margaret Thatcher of the United Kingdom (1979-1990)
World's first female prime minister who was elected without being either an incumbent or a relative of a male leader.
Vigdís Finnbogadóttir of Iceland (1980-1996)
World's first female elected president, and first female president who was elected without being either an incumbent or a relative of a male leader.
Mary McAleese of Ireland (1997- 2011)
First time that a female president directly succeed another female president.
Sri Lanka (1994-2000)
First time that a nation possessed a female prime minister and a female president simultaneously. Sri Lanka in 1994 also marked the first time a female prime minister directly succeeded another female prime minister.
Jóhanna Sigurdardóttir of Iceland (2009-2013)
World's first lesbian world leader, first female world leader to wed a same-sex partner while in office.
History's most important female world leaders
Prime Minister Golda Meir of Israel (1969-1974)
b. 1898 - d. 1978
Born in Russia but raised in the United States, Golda Meir was one of many young Jews who emigrated to the British colony of Palestine in the early 20th century. A leading Zionist and labor activist, she was one of the signatories of Israel's 1948 declaration of independence. In 1949 she was elected as a Labor Party delegate to the first Israeli parliament, and served in a number of cabinet positions under prime ministers David Ben-Gurion and Levi Eshkol, before succeeding to the office of prime minister herself, following Eshkol's 1969 death.
As prime minister, Meir's term was dominated by the so-called "Yom Kippur War" of 1973, in which Israel was unexpectedly invaded by Egypt and Syria. Though the war severely tested Meir's leadership, Israel was ultimately victorious, once again demonstrating the country's military strength in the face of hostile neighbors.
Prime Minister Indira Gandhi of India (1966-1977, 1980-1984)
b. 1917 - d. 1984
Though not related to the famed Indian independence leader Mahatma Gandhi, Indira was the daughter of India's first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru and was elected to lead his political party, the Indian National Congress in 1960, following his death. After serving in the cabinet of Prime Minister Bahadur Shastri, she in turn succeeded to the office of prime minister following his death in 1966.
Gandhi's two terms were tumultuous and eventful, and saw episodes such as a 1971 war with Pakistan over the disputed territory of Kashmir, the development of an Indian nuclear weapons program, and a so-called "Green Revolution" in farming that transformed the country's agriculture. Her tenure was not a positive time for civil liberties, however, and for much of her rule parliamentary democracy was all but suspended. She was assassinated in 1984.
Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher of the United Kingdom (1979-1990)
b. 1925 - d. 2013
The daughter of a shopkeeper, Margaret Thatcher was elected to the British Parliament in 1959, and served in the cabinet of Conservative Prime Minister Edward Heath from 1970 to 1974. In 1975 she was elected leader of the Conservatives, and was elected Britain's first female prime minister in 1979. Re-elected twice before resigning in 1990, she remains one of the longest-serving female world leaders of all time.
Fiercely ideological, Thatcher was best known for steering her political party and country sharply to the right through an aggressive agenda of tax cuts, privatizations, union-busting, and cuts to government spending. In 1982 she led her country in a brief, successful war against Argentina to liberate Britain's Falkland Islands from foreign invasion.
President Corazon Aquino of the Philippines (1986-1992)
b. 1933 - d. 2009
Corazon Aquino rose to prominence as the wife of Benigno Aquino, a leading opposition politician under the long dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos. Following her husband's assassination in 1983, she assumed the leadership of the anti-Marcos opposition, eventually emerging as the leading opposition candidate in the 1986 presidential election, which she won, despite massive fraud from the Marcos campaign. Her inspirational story earned her the title of TIME magazine's 1986 "Person of the Year."
As president, Aquino led a highly reformist government that introduced a new, democratic constitution and removed the various political restrictions that had contributed to the repression of the Marcos years.
Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto of Pakistan (1988-1990, 1993-1996)
b. 1953 - d. 2007
Educated in England, Benazir Bhutto assumed the leadership of the Pakistan People's Party in 1979, following the execution of her father, former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. A leading opposition figure under the dictatorship of Gen. Zia-ul-Haq, she was elected prime minister of a coalition government in 1988 after his death.
Bhutto's two terms in office helped democratize Pakistan after years of dictatorship, but her government was also accused of widespread corruption. After losing office a second time in 1996, she spent much of her later life once again in opposition, this time to the new dictatorship of Gen. Pervez Musharraf. After a period of exile, she was assassinated in 2007, shortly after returning to the country. Her husband was then elected president in her place.
Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany (2005- )
b. 1954
Merkel grew up in East Germany where she worked as a chemist. She became active in politics following the reunification of east and west Germany, and in 1991 she was elected to the unified parliament under the conservative Christian Democratic Party and served as a cabinet minister under the government of Helmut Kohl. In 2000, she became head of the party and in 2005 was elected chancellor (prime minister).
Following the crippling worldwide economic recession of 2008, Merkel has emerged as one of the world's most powerful leaders, due to her tight command of the Europe Union's largest economy. Though her government has been financially generous towards some of Europe's more troubled nations, she has also pressed hard for austerity reforms to play a prominent role in any plan for long-term economic recovery, both at home and abroad.
President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia (2006 - )
b. 1938
An economist by profession, Sirleaf was educated in the United States before returning to Liberia to serve in the government of President William Tolbert, until his overthrow in 1980. Living mostly in exile, for the next 25 years she would make numerous attempts at a political comeback, but routinely faced jail terms and charges of treason for her activities. In 2005 she assumed the leadership of the united opposition to new dictator Charles Taylor and in 2006 was elected president following his exile.
Sirleaf's presidency has focused mostly on rebuilding Liberia's democratic institutions and fostering national reconciliation after decades of civil war and oppression, as well as helping modernize the country's economy. In 2011 she became the first-ever female world leader to be awarded a Nobel Peace Prize.
Has there ever been a female dictator?
Most observers would probably say no, though it does depend somewhat on how you define "dictator." There has certainly never been a female equivalent of someone like Saddam Hussein or Kim Jong Il, which is to say, an all-powerful tyrant who led a totalitarian regime of extreme murder and oppression. There have been, however, a few women who served as prime ministers in undemocratic regimes, came to power through undemocratic means, or ran governments that can be fairly described as "authoritarian."
Élisabeth Domitién (1925-2005) served as prime minister of the Central African Republic for little over a year under the government of President Jean-Bédel Bokassa. Bokassa — who would later declare himself emperor — was a mad and eccentric tyrant often considered one of Africa's worst dictators, and is associated with many horrific human rights abuses. Prime Minister Domitién was certainly aware of these, but the prime minister's office was extraordinarily weak under Bokassa, so it is probably unfair to consider her too culpable in his crimes — particularly given her short tenure.
Milka Planinc (1924-2010) served as prime minister of Yugoslavia from 1982 to 1986, at a time when it was still a Communist republic. Following the death of longtime dictator Joseph Broz Tito in 1980, the presidency of Yugoslavia reverted back to a collective, with a chairmanship that rotated every year. This increased the power of the prime ministership, and Planinc was unquestionably the most powerful politician in the country during this time. Her regime was moderate, but committed to the Communist system. It would be fair to consider her a dictator, if perhaps not a particularly flashy one.
Biljana Plavsi (b. 1930) became president of the Serb Republic within the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1996. Bosnia and Herzegovina had declared itself independent from Yugoslavia in 1992, and the Serb Republic was declared around the same time. The Republic's first president was the infamous Radovan Karadzic, who waged a vicious war of "ethnic cleansing" against non-Serbs in the region. When he was forced to resign amid western pressure in 1996, Vice President Plavsi took over, and largely continued her predecessors' brutal policies. Both were eventually charged with crimes against humanity. Though Plavsi is perhaps the most infamous female politician of modern times, her regime was at least nominally democratic. The Bosnian "Serb Republic" (not to be confused with the Republic of Serbia) is also not a sovereign country, though it considered itself independent during the Yugoslav civil war.
Sabine Bergmann-Pohl (b. 1946) in her capacity as head of the East German parliament, served the final, acting head of state of Communist East Germany for a few months in 1990 at a time when the country was in the process of being incorporated into West Germany. Though she was nominally in charge of a Communist regime, her caretaker rule was too short and transient to be seriously considered here.
Rosa Otunbayeva (b. 1950) became president of Kyrgyzstan in the spring of 2010, following an uprising against dictator Kurmanbek Bakiev. Though characterized as a "revolution," like most revolutions it was in practice a coup, with Bakiev being driven from the capital during a state of violent chaos. Otunbayeva, the former foreign minister, declared herself head of a transitory regime, and she made good on the promise, helping introduce a more democratic constitution that lessened the power of the presidency. She resigned in December of 2011.
Indira Gandhi (1917-1984) served two non-consecutive terms as prime minister of India that overlapped significant portions of the 1960s, 70s, and 80s. Though India is a parliamentary democracy with constitutionally-protected civil rights, in 1975 Gandhi took advantage of a worsening political climate to declared a state of emergency that gave her office sweeping powers to crackdown on dissent, including the censorship of media and the arrest of political opponents. Many consider India's "emergency rule" phase to be akin to a sort of dictatorship, though it is worth noting that public backlash to the move resulted in it eventually being lifted, and Gandhi was voted out of office and arrested shortly thereafter.
MAP SUMMARY:
| i don't know |
Which sit com actor went on to play the original Phantom in the West End and Broadway? | Top Ten Actors Playing the Phantom of the Opera
says:
March 17, 2012 at 1:29 am
Who made up this list? Someone’s who’s deaf? Butler can’t sing AT ALL. And how completely irresponsible of you to omit Hugh Panaro. Hugh is the BEST BROADWAY Phantom ever.
Shame on you.
says:
March 17, 2012 at 1:57 am
I think the reason they probably posted Gerard Butler up there, is that I’m sure his role in the 2004 movie peaked a lot of interest in PotO in people that didn’t already have interest in it. Which, I think is a good thing. And, I wouldn’t say his singing was bad, it just wasn’t classically trained as everybody expected it to be.
I used to really think that nobody could and would ever outdo Michael Crawford, but I do have to admit I’m entirely smitten with Ramin’s take on the Phantom. He puts so much emotion into that role, as they say, I’m surprised he has any left after each show. His singing actually makes my heart ache at the sad parts.
Wondeful job to all the Phantoms on the list, especially my dear favorites ranked #1 and #2.
Katherine
says:
March 17, 2012 at 12:09 pm
Michael Crawford will always be my favorite. I never even got to see him on stage because the show came out when I was both (haha) but the amount of emotion I can hear just from the CD tells me he was amazing. But I definitely agree Hugh Panaro should be on the list! I finally got to see it in Broadway and his performance blew me away.
Even the description for Butler you guys put for him describes why he shouldn’t be on this list. All of these Phantoms are experienced in their art and Butler didn’t even sing before the movie. He did decent, but definitely not on the top ten.
Lindsay
says:
March 18, 2012 at 12:05 am
Colm Wilkinson definitely deserved a top three spot, but I am SO happy to see you put Ramin up there in second… he deserves it!! Aside from his absolutely stunning voice, he has been one of the very few who managed to re-define the character (so well)!
Katie
says:
March 18, 2012 at 1:19 am
What about Davis Gaines?? He played the role both in LA and NY and totaled more performances than Michael himself. Having seen Michael, Davis and now Ramin, my top 3 are Ramin, Davis and Michael.
Monique Hennessy
says:
March 18, 2012 at 1:45 am
How is Gerard Butler 3rd and Anthony Warlow on 9th??!! What the?? Why is Gerard Butler even on this list?
Kay
says:
March 18, 2012 at 3:03 am
Come on, the favorite Phantom could be the acting as well as the singing. I think Gerard Butler was very good in the style of the original, Steve Harley. This was originally a “rocker” part until Crawford changed it up. Doing it on the big screen with closeups is a lot different than the stage versions so acting wise, I think Gerard excelled at bringing the “sexy” back and making most of us choose Phantom over Raoul. I know all the arguments, he was supposed to be a lot older, etc. but the fans of Ramin can’t agree with that. I thought Ramin did a great job of the stage version. I haven’t seen JOJ do the part on stage, but his voice in the 25th anniversary “blew me away”!
Bobbie
March 18, 2012 at 3:07 am
Why has JOJ been left out and he’s much better than Gerry Butler
Haley
says:
March 19, 2012 at 4:33 am
Okay, I am pretty content with this list. Except for the addition of Bowman and Butler. Really, I never liked Bowman as Chris, and I didn’t even know he at one point even played Phantom, really he is not nearly as liked as other Phantoms. Gerard, really?!? I give him the benefit that his acting was pretty good, and that he gave international awareness to the musical, but really not top 10 material. I do say we need to have some more Broadway Phantoms up there! I would also switch Ramin with JOJ, even though I believe they are almost as equally good! But at least they got the basic and the most important thing right on this list, and that is making Michael Crawford #1! He created the role, and he embodied the Phantom with his voice, his acting, and his soul! Pretty good list overall!
Gabrielle
says:
March 21, 2012 at 1:01 am
Gerard beat John Owen Jones and Earl Carpenter. Tisk Tisk. And I personally do not like Micheal Crawford. Ramin should of been 1 hands down.
Natty
says:
March 21, 2012 at 1:37 am
really hoped John Cudia would be on this list as like #3 (he’s one of my favourites!) I do agree with most of this list though.. (:
Christine Daae
March 21, 2012 at 6:35 am
Davis Gaines!!!
March 22, 2012 at 2:44 pm
What’s wrong with this ranking?
Barbara
says:
March 22, 2012 at 2:47 pm
Oh my ……as a non-English audience, I have to say that there must have some mistakes and misunderstandings in this list.
I don’t think this list is fair and objective. First of all, how can you put actors of musicals and movies together to compare ? What they needs of performance are very different.!!! And, what’s the basement of this rank? The acting? Or singing? I just think that some actors not deserve the ranking. As other comment said, this list miss some better actors, especially the Broadway’s.
POTO is not a musical that you can write a review in a casual way. I think this article’s writer should tell that why he ranked like this.
Ed
says:
April 8, 2012 at 3:00 pm
Scott Davies should be on the top 10 list, as should Mark Mckerracher. You can get rid off Ramin Karimloo, he should never have been cast in the role, and John Owen Jones, he was a good Jean Valjean in the early days – late 90’s, but over time became complacent and stale. His portrayal of the Phantom is vocally powerful, but that’s the only positive.
DottieV
says:
April 13, 2012 at 11:01 pm
You are all wrong. Dave Willetts who took over not long after Michael Crawford in London was the best phantom ever. His voice and portrayal of Phantom through his voice and acting was brilliant. He also played Jean Valjean in Les Mis. Anyone out there agree?
Dominic Bartolone
says:
April 23, 2012 at 4:55 am
I was able to see your #1, #3, and #10 selections perform the Phantom. I must say none of the other performers have anything on Anthony Crivello. He performed the role of Phantom with memorable grace and elegance. Also I do not think you should compare a movie actor’s role to a live performer. Again Anthony’s performance (acting and singing) was every bit as moving and more entertaining than even your #1 choice Michael Crawford.
Duffy Tarantino
says:
April 23, 2012 at 3:38 pm
I saw #1 and #10 an I loved both. I nust say you cannot understand how good a job they did until you see another performer do this role as i did when Anthony Crivello was out sick. Then you realize the difference of a top ten performer and some who is just ok. I agree that while I loved the movie Gerard Butler doesn’t belong on ANY list of Phantoms.
vincent jerosa
says:
April 24, 2012 at 2:43 am
Really?! I mean really?! You listed Anthony Crivello as number ten! Are you kidding? Or, did you not proof read the numerical order before you posted your list? I’ll tell you what, with no disrespect to the many actor’s who have played the role, I believe a more accurate list would be Anthony Crivello (first place).
Michael Crawford (second place).
the remaining actor’s are tied for third place.
Mr. Crivello, mastered the role of the Phantom. When he is on stage you can’t help but to give him all of your focus. His movements on stage are precise and with emotion. His voice is impeccable. He is the reason many audience members see the show multiple times!
Sally
says:
April 25, 2012 at 9:43 pm
No list of 10 can include all of the fine, deserving Phantom actors, but to have Gerard Butler in the place of one of them is ridiculous.
Billie Eaton
says:
April 26, 2012 at 9:08 pm
Gerard Butler should not be on the list. Michael Crawford, THE BEST is rightly #1. When we saw Anthony Crivello in Vegas we sat in the front row. His grimacing and teeth gnashing were iritating-not good theatre, in my opinion. BTW, when we were in the hotel and also outside in the parking area, whose singing did we hear? Michael’s POTO’s cd, not Anthony!
Mike Heisler
says:
May 20, 2012 at 4:57 am
I have not heard all of these Phantoms so I cannot really say if most of them deserve to be on the list, but one thing I can say is that Anthony Crivello should not be at the bottom of the list, more towards the top of the list. Anthony has the intensity that role needs, not to mention an amazing singing voice.
I put Anthony Crivello at number one since it was his performance that made me the Phan I am today in addition to that of all the ones I have seen, he is the most believable in that role.
And my guess the reason you hear the recording from Michael Crawford is that was the only recording at the time the play opened.
Erin
says:
May 20, 2012 at 8:01 pm
See Anthony Crivello this year before the Vegas show closes. You are in for the treat of your life! His voice is perfectly suited for one playing the role of an angel of music and the passion and emotion he brings to the role is unequaled! He is definitely the number one talent on this list.
S. Kate
November 9, 2012 at 11:13 pm
Gerard Butler should not be on this list, let alone ranked above John Owen Jones.
Uncool.
Definitely approve of the top 2. Have only heard Michael Crawford sing, as opposed to watching Karimloo. Very different voices. They both win.
CarolLynn
says:
July 30, 2013 at 3:03 am
Davis Gaines was only mentioned one other time in all these postings?!! Wow. He really belong somewhere on this list. He was excellent in L.A. and I understand he did a great job as Raoul in New York. I was a Michael Crawford snob when I bought The Phantom DVD. It took a while but you ride Butler kind of grew on me but he doesn’t belong here. How about making a Top-20 list and just leave room for more great singers?
pony
says:
August 11, 2013 at 12:45 pm
brad little should be in. he is precise on the words when singing with lots of emotion
Bob Raab
January 3, 2014 at 4:03 am
I attended only 17 performances of Phantom in Los Angelas.
I heard an interview with a woman who has attended 135 and that was two years before Phantom closed in LA. Michael Crawford was, well, enthralling. Robert Guillaume was an interesting Phantom but, for me, didn’t have the voice or the passion. Then came Davis Gaines. He had the voice. He had the passion. Wow, did he have the passion. The final scene, when Christine has left with Rouel, and the Phantom is in agony. Well, I saw it 5 or 6 times and it brought tears to my eyes. It was the heart break we have all experienced at the end of a love that we wanted to keep forever. I have watched videos of other Phantoms, none come close to Davis Gaines. But then that opinion comes from my life experiences.
JACK
says:
January 20, 2014 at 8:03 am
DAVIS GAINES IS THE BEST I HAVE SEEN…HE MOVED ME TO TEARS……& A GREAT SINGER & ACTOR…….JACK ENGLISH…HOLLYWOOD
guest
says:
February 27, 2014 at 10:23 pm
Okay I honestly have to ask this for the people that have seen a fair amount of different versions of the Phantom. I’ve only seen the 2004 movie and the Royal Albert Hall performance. So why do people hate so much on Gerard? I personally liked his portrayal and his singing voice is my favorite of all the Phantoms I’ve heard sing (which is about 5 of the portrayals.. yeah. small amount, I know). It’s not as operatic. I find his voice really moving and it takes me out of reality whenever I listen to the 2004 soundtrack. I also really enjoy Ramin’s performance. 🙂
Kent
says:
May 20, 2014 at 7:44 pm
How many Phantoms have you seen? If hundereds of actors have played the role, how many do you need to see to be even mildly qualified to pass judgement?
We saw Colm Wilkinson in Toronto, and he was marvelous. He ranks well ahead of the (unknown, but good) actor on the first(?) tour, and ahead of Gerard Butler.
Brian
says:
June 16, 2014 at 7:15 pm
The list needs to be updated as Cooper Grodin is performing as the phantom on the traveling Broadway tour. He is without a doubt, in the top 10.
Maria E
says:
June 21, 2014 at 4:59 am
Where is Hugh Panaro’s name? Is this list a joke? He’s is undoubtedly the best Phantom.
Hannah R
says:
June 29, 2014 at 5:21 am
Ramin is the best phantom ever!!! Have you seen him on broadway? He’s gorgeous , he’s an amazing singer and , he just IS the phantom! I love him so awesome!
Kevin
says:
July 24, 2014 at 5:23 am
How did you miss Frank D’Ambosio. Was the Phantom in the San Francisco cast for its entire run…at one point, he was the longest running Phantom and one of the best.
Stan
July 26, 2014 at 9:32 am
How about James Romick?
says:
July 28, 2014 at 9:34 pm
I personally believe that Gerard Butler should be taken off this list completely, putting Ramin Karimloo as the best, and I think there are brilliant phantoms (that aren’t at famous as the ones in this list) that have been left out, for example: Gary Mauer is a brilliant phantom, as is Geronimo Rauch.
Jorge
says:
September 14, 2014 at 4:53 am
I’m just glad Crivello is in the top ten. I saw him around 10 times (i know, not very impressive) during his tenure in Vegas, I even saw him in the last week he played the Phantom (yes, he was worth it) and he brought tears to my my eyes every single time during the All I ask of you reprise. Crawford deserves the top spot and I agree Panaro was snubbed, but Crivello is a great actor/singer and deserved at least the tenth spot. He is the reason I’ve traveled all the way to Broadway to watch TPOTO.
Mark Sinning
says:
October 26, 2014 at 5:28 am
Brad Little is the best Phantom I have heard. His deep baritone but amazingly high range gave the Phantom a sinister but seductive presence that is unique. He gets my got as the best
Dean
says:
November 1, 2014 at 4:18 pm
Gerard butler should not be on there. Can’t act, can’t sing. Hugh panaro was rightly left out, his singing style is boring and his acting is just bland, also he seems really arrogant. Best phantom by far is Ramin Karimloo. He can sing, he can act, and he’s the only actor whose performance has made me cry. He changed the role, which no other actor has done, and people who say that he’s terrible clearly don’t see how he is playing the role. Michael Crawford should be #2, and John Owen Jones should be #3.
margaret yosub
says:
November 26, 2014 at 7:51 am
Just saw Phantom on Broadway with the greatest Phantom ever – Norm Lewis. His performance was breathtaking, fantastic, and most enjoyable singing I have ever heard and seen.
Brian Harms
says:
November 28, 2014 at 12:28 am
Jeff Hyslop should be on there. He was in the Vancouver production and was excellent, although I doubt virtually all people reading this would have even heard of him. I’m so happy that Robert Guillaume didn’t make the list – he was terrible. I couldn’t believe A.L.Webber cast him in the role. What was he thinking?..
Dan
says:
November 30, 2014 at 7:02 pm
Geronimo Rauch surely makes the top ten. Peter Karrie is the best I’ve seen, and the late Martin Smith who struggled with the role during his short stint was scintillating when it all clicked for him. To be honest it’s not really possible to create a list of the top ten because there have been so many phantoms, wonderful for many different reasons.
LSG
January 3, 2015 at 10:48 pm
I agree with the other posters- take Gerard Butler off the list completely.
For God’s sake, add Hugh Panaro and Davis Gaines.
Annie
says:
January 5, 2015 at 1:46 am
I threw up in my mouth a little when I saw Gerry Butler ranked over JOJ. I personally think JOJ and Ramin Karimloo should tie for first – JOJ for voice and Ramin for acting.
Lucy
says:
February 28, 2015 at 1:49 pm
Geronimo Rauch and Hugh Panaro deserve to be on this list, Gerard Butler needs to be kicked off. Ramin is my personal favourite, but I love Michael Crawford too.
Michael Yates
says:
March 6, 2015 at 7:46 pm
While I would agree that Gerard Butler is nowhere near the best singing Phantom, his portrayal was more believable to me than some that I’ve seen. So whether or not he deserves to be on a top 10, he certainly was not a bad Phantom. That said, can’t believe John Cudia, Hugh Panaro and Howard McGillin aren’t on this list. I’d also like to give honorable mention to Gary Mauer, Jonathan Roxmouth, and Norm Lewis. I’m also rather excited to see James Barbour in the role later this month.
MJB
says:
March 7, 2015 at 11:13 pm
I’ve seen The Phantom 10 times – San Francisco, NY, London, Las Vegas, LA, Orange County, etc. to put Gerard Butler even into the top 100 is a disgrace. The role is for a singing actor – Butler does not qualify as a singer, and barely qualifies as an actor. The only thing I can say to his credit is that he didn’t try to sing it – he talked it. For my money, the incredible Davis Gaines deserved to be near the top of the list. Right alongside with Michael Crawford.
Barrie
March 20, 2015 at 1:35 am
What about the best of them all – the late Rob Guest
nicole
March 22, 2015 at 10:48 pm
Colin Wilkinson. Hands down.absolutely. transcending. Awakening. Love him as phantom!
Nenny
March 26, 2015 at 1:01 am
Ra-MIN! Ra-Min! Ra-MIN! Deliciously tormented interpretation! Bravo, Ramin, Bravo!
HughPanaroPhantomLover
says:
April 1, 2015 at 10:52 pm
How can you leave out Hugh Panaro!?!?!?!?! Best Broadway Phantom next to Michael Crawford! Don’t hate on Gerard, he only had 4 weeks of singing lessons and he isn’t a broadway professional singer. Don’t hate.
HughPanaroPhantomLover
April 1, 2015 at 10:52 pm
PHANTOM FOREVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!
April 1, 2015 at 10:55 pm
And what about Peter Joback? What, no love for Peter?
Gwyneth
says:
May 14, 2015 at 1:47 am
Colm Wilkison is my personal favorite, I am really happy he made this list, kind of bummed he didn’t get 3rd and that Gerard was on this list. Besides that I think it is pretty good! Would love to see Norm Lewis added and Hugh Panaro but you can’t simply name the top ten phantoms they are so many great ones!
Justen
says:
July 22, 2015 at 10:03 am
Gerard Butler may not have the greatest singing voice out of anybody who has portrayed the phantom, but I believe that his voice brought a darkness to the story. The darkness that a murder/ phantom should have. Gerard was never even musically trained and still sounds better then just about everybody who is giving him crap. He may not be my favorite but he definitely deserves some recognition for what he did with the role.
Ginny
July 24, 2015 at 3:19 pm
I loved Gerard Butler’s sensitiv portrait of the Phantom. Good voice too
Jessica
says:
July 28, 2015 at 10:56 am
I am going to be honest as much as I loved Michael Crawford I am going to have to DISAGREE with all of you and say Gerard Butler does deserve his place at number 3 he is the only phantom that I would have actually choose over Raoul and I loved the rawness of his voice. His voice isn’t “classically trained” but let’s not forget this is a musical and NOT an opera and when Webber was casting he wanted a Phantom with no classical training. I grew up listening to the MC and SB POTO CD over and over but I can appreciate what twist the movie had and I have actually retired the original soundtrack with the one from the movie because I LOVE Gerard Butler and Emmy Rossums voice. Say what you want but you want but POTO is not an OPERA it is a MUSICAL!
Cathy
August 13, 2015 at 4:24 pm
Cieran Sheehan should have been #2 behind Michael Crawford
Karen Powell
September 20, 2015 at 11:15 am
John Owen – Jones wins hands down for me
Max
September 28, 2015 at 7:25 pm
Colm Wilkinson is lucky to be on this list.
He was by far the worst Phantom to have ever been cast!
With a terrible singing voice and the most “hammy” acting I have ever seen.
I’m glad that someone mentioned Jeff Hyslop, from the original Canadian Touring Production. He also performed the role in the final months of the original Toronto Production’s run. I saw him in Vancouver after working on the original Toronto Production, (starring Colm Wilkinson), for a year and a half. When I saw it with Jeff, I didn’t have high expectations. But he and the entire show was incredible. He made it very real. Especially after being saddled with seeing/hearing Colm repeatedly torturing the role and the entire show nightly.
But I should say that I’m quite surprised that no one has brought up even an “honourable mention” for Paul Stanley of KISS who replaced Jeff as the FINAL Phantom in the record-breaking 10 year Toronto run.
He was better than I expected and not nearly as appreciated in the role as I feel he should be. It’s just to bad his run was so limited.
But at least he has now been ‘mentioned’.
Alex
October 16, 2015 at 9:12 am
Gerald Butler number 3 ? Seriously ?
JOJ is top 3.
October 23, 2015 at 7:39 am
It’s got to be the original-Steve Harley, just ask Sarah Brightman!
Ann
says:
November 6, 2015 at 11:36 am
I agree with Dottie V the best phantom is Dave Willetts his voice his acting and interpretation,are brilliant Crawfords voice was not up to it and G Butler should never have got on the big screen as the phantom.
Cindy
says:
November 12, 2015 at 4:33 am
I too agree that Michael Crawford is hands down the best Phantom. Although Gerard Butler was not the greatest, you all must remember that his version was meant for HOLLYWOOD. TELEVISION. NOT BROADWAY, therefore his role was entirely different and directed toward an entirely different audience. He performed as soundly as I think he could have based on that.
Ramin is also extremely amazing.
Michael J. Lazzeri
says:
November 18, 2015 at 1:50 am
Well ! If nothing else, I get to be the ” fly in the ointment”, the ” pain in the backside” here because having seen the play 4 times with differing Phantoms, I have to say : 1. I was awed by Gerard Butler’s performance & singing. 2. I see a real snobbery here in some comments but for me, Butler was awesome. 3. On stage, Franc D’Ambrosio / Davis Gaines / Brad Little. I saw Mr. D’Ambrosio twice–he was just amazing. M. J. Lazzeri
Janine
says:
December 9, 2015 at 8:17 pm
Michael Crawford forever. I’ve listened to so many Phantoms and absolutely no one can compare. He’s the only one that’s made me cry and still continues to do so. No need to see his acting, no need for a “handsome” face – his magical voice says it all. Ramin is a powerful singer but I didn’t like his interpretation at all and he over-emotes and over-sings at every chance. No comment on Gerard. I was drawn to the Crawford’s Phantom before I knew anything of what he looked like because THAT’S WHAT THE PHANTOM IS ABOUT, PEOPLE – the voice, and what that voice can do alone, in the dark, behind a mask, behind a disfigured man. Michael Crawford will live on as the most haunting, tragic, beloved Phantom of all time.
Sherry
says:
December 15, 2015 at 2:49 am
Shame on you for not putting Michael Gaines in at least #2 spot. He moved me in his performance in L.A. like no other. Butler was good but Gaines was great. I’ve heard Michael Crawford and have seen the performance in N.Y. as well. I love Davis Gaines.
RedHun
says:
December 25, 2015 at 1:46 am
Colm wilkinson is by far the best phantom in my opinion. I think he should be at least in the top 3.
Carol Kears
December 31, 2015 at 4:42 am
Michael Crawford’s interpretation so freakin’
beautiful only he could be #1 – n Norm Lewis deserving
of a placement b/c he was fantastic in the role n made
me fall in love with The Phantom all over again!
And kudos to ALW for the best musical EVER!
Eomund
says:
January 12, 2016 at 11:16 pm
The hey?!?!?! Gerard Butler definitely deserved a part on this list. He’s one of my top 5 favorite Phantoms.-
David Valois
January 23, 2016 at 5:28 am
Colm Wilkinson was, is and will always be the BEST POTO!
Anne c
January 25, 2016 at 8:48 am
I would love to see rhydian Roberts play phantom
nicholas win
says:
January 28, 2016 at 5:43 am
i wish that these guys could give great advice on how i could play this most memorable role in the greatest Andrew Lloyd webber musical as long as it will still remain to be London’s greatest love story and the brilliant original these actors are amazing bravo good on you mates
| Michael Crawford |
Which 80s pop act had their Grammy revoked for not singing the vocals on their album? | Phantom of the Opera Original Cast: Where are they now? - Cheap Theatre Tickets
Phantom of the Opera Original Cast: Where are they now?
The Original Phantom and Christine
When the original London production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s ‘ The Phantom of the Opera ‘ opened in 1986 it quickly became a worldwide phenomenon. Produced by Cameron Mackintosh, the show was one of the ‘mega-musicals’ of the 1980s and inspired productions all over the world. The show is now the longest running Broadway musical and has entered its 26th year at Her Majesty’s Theatre in London. The show’s success has not been repeated, and the reason for its domination is not exactly known. The original production created much hype due to the casting of the lead roles. Andrew Lloyd Webber’s wife Sarah Brightman took on the role of chorus-girl-come-star Christine Daae; a move which lead many people to draw parallels with the author and the chief protagonist. Written as a star vehicle for Brightman, the score included notes which would show off her fantastic range, propelling her into stardom. Rather than take on the role of the Phantom himself, the production team cast Michael Crawford in the lead role, in a move that raised many eyebrows in the theatrical world.
Perhaps the success of the show stems from the unlikely pairing of these two stars. Twenty Six years on, we wondered what had become of the original cast and wanted to know if creating these iconic roles helped propell them into musical theatre stardom…
Michael Crawford
Crawford was no stranger to the stage when he was picked to be part of the original Phantom cast, although he was most famous for portraying the delightfully camp Frank Spencer in the BBC sitcom ‘Some Mother’s Do ‘Ave ’em’ The show was initially produced between 1973 and 1975 and quickly became one of the channel’s most watched programs. Crawford admired the famous comics of the past, and was committed to doing all of his own physical comedy and stunts himself. On the back of this success he was invited to star as the lead character in ‘Billy’ a musical based on the novel ‘Billy Liar’. The show opened at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, and it was from this production that Crawford began to get more serious about his vocal studies. From this he went to star in the British premiere of ‘Barnum’ at the London Palladium, which ran for 655 performances and was one of the most successful musicals of the season. His reputation began to build as a singer and entertainer, especially onstage.
Sheer coincidence introduced Crawford to Andrew Lloyd Webber, who had already begun working on ‘Phantom’ alongside his then wife Sarah Brightman. Brightman shared a vocal coach with Crawford, and it was at a chance overlap that Lloyd Webber heard Crawford sing, and began to pursue him for the lead in his next musical. After a lot of persuading, Crawford took the role despite many sceptics questioning his emotional ability to handle such a challenging part. Crawford began performances in 1986 at the Her Majesty’s Theatre, before transferring with the show to Broadway in 1988 followed by Los Angeles a year later. During his 1,300 performance stint he clocked up an impressive Olivier Award, Tony Award, Drama Desk Award and Drama Critics Circle Award, finally leaving the show on April 29th 1991.
After working on a number of albums and solo concert appearances, Crawford’s next full stage show was EFX at the MGM Hotel in Las Vegas, which opened in 1995. When the show began performances, it was billed as the largest and most expensive theatre installation in the world. Early into the run, Crawford was injured during one of the stunts and had to withdraw from the show. The production cost a record $70million to produce and ran for seven years featuring a host of different stars. Crawford gave it a few years before returning to Broadway in a short lived flop musical ‘Dance of the Vampires’ which featured music by rock legend Jim Steinman. The show had been a huge hit in Germany, although on Broadway it was a miserable failure, closing after 56 performances. Crawford received $30,000 a week to play the lead role, with fans of the show blaming him for its failure.
He sprung back onto the West End in 2004 with Andrew Lloyd Webber’s new musical ‘The Woman in White’ where he played the obese villain Count Fosco opposite Maria Friedman. The show was a critical and commercial disaster, and Crawford was forced to withdraw early due to illness brought on by wearing a fat suit at every performance. He moved to New Zealand to recover from the disease and be near to his family. It was Andrew Lloyd Webber once again that kept him in work, offering him the role of The Wizard in the 2011 revival of ‘The Wizard of Oz’ at the London Palladium. Starring alongside Danielle Hope, the winner of the BBC Talent search ‘Over the Rainbow’ Crawford played a number of roles throughout the musical, as well as performing two new numbers written especially for the new show. In October 2011 he joined the 25th Anniversary production of ‘Phantom of the Opera’ at the Royal Albert Hall to celebrate onstage with other members of the original cast and crew – the show that solidified his star status still at the centre of his career.
Sarah Brightman
Despite starring in the original production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s ‘Cats’, the chorus girl went unknown to the composer for some time. It was not until she took on a number of smaller roles in other musicals that he spotted her vocal potential, writing the song ‘Pie Jesu’ for her, which sold 25,000 copies on the day of release and peaked at number 3 in the UK charts. Brightman married Lloyd Webber in 1984 and the duo seemed unstoppable, taking over the classical charts and the West End stage. The role of Christine was written specifically for her, and she opened the production alongside Michael Crawford in 1986 at Her Majesty’s Theatre. After initial problems with American Equity, Lloyd Webber demanded she star in the original Broadway production, and she transferred to the Majestic Theatre, helping the show take in excess of $17million in pre-sale tickets. After leaving the show she toured internationally singing classical and musical theatre repertoire, releasing albums all over the world. In 1990 she split from Lloyd Webber, but was still cast as the lead in his new show ‘Aspects of Love’ which failed to capture the public’s attention like the previous hit.
After breaking from the composer who had thrust her into the limelight, Brightman was anxious to develop her career herself. She sang on a number of world stages, the most iconic being at the closing of the Barcelona Olympics in 1992. Singing with Jose Carreras they engaged a worldwide audience of over 3 billion with the song ‘Amigos Para Siempre’ or ‘Friends Forever’. Her second classical collaboration ‘Time to Say Goodbye’ with Andrea Bocelli was a tribute to Henry Maske and became an international hit, selling over 3 million copies in Germany alone. The song has more recently been known as one of Brightman’s signature songs.
In 1998 she had her own PBS special filmed at the Royal Albert Hall, solidifying her presence in the Classical charts. She also guest starred in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s 50th Birthday Celebration singing alongside Antonio Banderas and Michael Ball. Guest appearances and concerts ranged from the 2007 Concert for Diana to Live Earth, along with countless Football cup finals and Royal engagements. She became one of the biggest cross over artists of the 20th century, alongside Charlotte Church and Russell Watson.
More recently she has performed at the opening of the Beijing Olympics, broadening her fan base to Latin America and Asia. She has won a string of global awards and has been given the key of the city to both Chicago and Istanbul. Although she has not returned to musical theatre, she remains heavily associated with the musicals of Andrew Lloyd Webber – especially Phantom of the Opera. She regularly sings music from the show in concert and it remains in her most popular repertoire. She is currently the world’s richest female classical performer boasting a fortune of over £30million. For full biography information and to find out where Sarah will be performing next, visit her official website.
| i don't know |
Which book published in 1988 and winner of the Whitbread Award, was the centre of a major international controversy? | Midnight's Children - Salman Rushdie - Author Biography
• Education—M.A., King's College, Cambridge, UK
• Awards—Booker Prize, 1981 (named the best novel to win
the Booker Prize in its first twenty-five years in 1993);
Whitbread Prize, 1988 and 1995
• Currently—lives in New York, New York
Sir Ahmed Salman Rushdie is a British Indian novelist and essayist. His second novel, Midnight's Children (1981), won the Booker Prize in 1981. Much of his fiction is set on the Indian subcontinent. He is said to combine magical realism with historical fiction; his work is concerned with the many connections, disruptions and migrations between East and West.
His fourth novel, The Satanic Verses (1988), was the centre of a major controversy, provoking protests from Muslims in several countries, some violent. Death threats were made against him, including a fatwa issued by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the Supreme Leader of Iran, on February 14, 1989.
Rushdie was appointed Commandeur de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres of France in January 1999. In June 2007, Queen Elizabeth II knighted him for his services to literature. In 2008, The Times ranked him thirteenth on its list of the fifty greatest British writers since 1945.
Since 2000, Rushdie has lived in the United States, where he has worked at the Emory University and was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters. His most recent book is Joseph Anton: A Memoir, an account of his life in the wake of the Satanic Verses controversy.
Career
Rushdie's first career was as a copywriter, working for the advertising agency Ogilvy & Mather, where he came up with "irresistibubble" for Aero and "Naughty but Nice" for cream cakes, and for the agency Ayer Barker, for whom he wrote the memorable line "That'll do nicely" for American Express. It was while he was at Ogilvy that he wrote Midnight's Children, before becoming a full-time writer. John Hegarty of Bartle Bogle Hegarty has criticised Rushdie for not referring to his copywriting past frequently enough, although conceding: "He did write crap ads...admittedly."
His first novel, Grimus, a part-science fiction tale, was generally ignored by the public and literary critics. His next novel, Midnight's Children, catapulted him to literary notability. This work won the 1981 Booker Prize and, in 1993 and 2008, was awarded the Best of the Bookers as the best novel to have received the prize during its first 25 and 40 years. Midnight's Children follows the life of a child, born at the stroke of midnight as India gained its independence, who is endowed with special powers and a connection to other children born at the dawn of a new and tumultuous age in the history of the Indian sub-continent and the birth of the modern nation of India. The character of Saleem Sinai has been compared to Rushdie. However, the author has refuted the idea of having written any of his characters as autobiographical, stating...
People assume that because certain things in the character are drawn from your own experience, it just becomes you. In that sense, I’ve never felt that I’ve written an autobiographical character.
After Midnight's Children, Rushdie wrote Shame, in which he depicts the political turmoil in Pakistan, basing his characters on Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq. Shame won France's Prix du Meilleur Livre Étranger (Best Foreign Book) and was a close runner-up for the Booker Prize. Both these works of postcolonial literature are characterised by a style of magic realism and the immigrant outlook that Rushdie is very conscious of as a member of the Indian diaspora.
Rushdie wrote a non-fiction book about Nicaragua in 1987 called The Jaguar Smile. This book has a political focus and is based on his first-hand experiences and research at the scene of Sandinista political experiments.
His most controversial work, The Satanic Verses, was published in 1988 (see below). Rushdie has published many short stories, including those collected in East, West (1994). The Moor's Last Sigh, a family epic ranging over some 100 years of India's history was published in 1995. The Ground Beneath Her Feet presents an alternative history of modern rock music. The song of the same name by U2 is one of many song lyrics included in the book, hence Rushdie is credited as the lyricist. He also wrote Haroun and the Sea of Stories in 1990.
Rushdie has had a string of commercially successful and critically acclaimed novels. His 2005 novel Shalimar the Clown received, in India, the prestigious Hutch Crossword Book Award, and was, in Britain, a finalist for the Whitbread Book Awards. It was shortlisted for the 2007 International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award.
In his 2002 non-fiction collection Step Across This Line, he professes his admiration for the Italian writer Italo Calvino and the American writer Thomas Pynchon, among others. His early influences included James Joyce, Günter Grass, Jorge Luis Borges, Mikhail Bulgakov, and Lewis Carroll. Rushdie was a personal friend of Angela Carter and praised her highly in the foreword for her collection Burning your Boats.
His latest novel is Luka and the Fire of Life, published in November 2010. Earlier in the same year, he announced that he was writing his memoirs, entitled Joseph Anton: A Memoir, which was published in September 2012.
In 2012, Salman Rushdie became one of the first major authors to embrace Booktrack (a company that synchronises ebooks with customised soundtracks) when he published his short story "In the South" on the platform.
Other Activities
Rushdie has quietly mentored younger Indian (and ethnic-Indian) writers, influenced an entire generation of Indo-Anglian writers, and is an influential writer in postcolonial literature in general. He has received many plaudits for his writings, including the European Union's Aristeion Prize for Literature, the Premio Grinzane Cavour (Italy), and the Writer of the Year Award in Germany and many of literature's highest honours. Rushdie was the President of PEN American Center from 2004 to 2006 and founder of the PEN World Voices Festival.
He opposed the British government's introduction of the Racial and Religious Hatred Act, something he writes about in his contribution to Free Expression Is No Offence, a collection of essays by several writers.
In 2007 he began a five-year term as Distinguished Writer in Residence at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, where he has also deposited his archives.
In May 2008 he was elected a Foreign Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
Though he enjoys writing, Salman Rushdie says that he would have become an actor if his writing career had not been successful. Even from early childhood, he dreamed of appearing in Hollywood movies (which he later realised in his frequent cameo appearances).
Rushdie includes fictional television and movie characters in some of his writings. He had a cameo appearance in the film Bridget Jones's Diary based on the book of the same name, which is itself full of literary in-jokes. On May 12, 2006, Rushdie was a guest host on The Charlie Rose Show, where he interviewed Indo-Canadian filmmaker Deepa Mehta, whose 2005 film, Water, faced violent protests. He appears in the role of Helen Hunt's obstetrician-gynecologist in the film adaptation of Elinor Lipman's novel Then She Found Me. In September 2008, and again in March 2009, he appeared as a panellist on the HBO program Real Time with Bill Maher.
Rushdie is currently collaborating on the screenplay for the cinematic adaptation of his novel Midnight's Children with director Deepa Mehta. The film will be released in October, 2012.
Rushdie is a member of the advisory board of The Lunchbox Fund, a non-profit organisation which provides daily meals to students of township schools in Soweto of South Africa. He is also a member of the advisory board of the Secular Coalition for America, an advocacy group representing the interests of atheistic and humanistic Americans in Washington, D.C. In November 2010 he became a founding patron of Ralston College, a new liberal arts college that has adopted as its motto a Latin translation of a phrase ("free speech is life itself") from an address he gave at Columbia University in 1991 to mark the two-hundredth anniversary of the first amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
The Satanic Verses and the fatwa
The publication of The Satanic Verses in September 1988 caused immediate controversy in the Islamic world because of what was perceived as an irreverent depiction of the prophet Muhammad. The title refers to a disputed Muslim tradition that is related in the book. According to this tradition, Muhammad (Mahound in the book) added verses (sura) to the Qur'an accepting three goddesses who used to be worshipped in Mecca as divine beings. According to the legend, Muhammad later revoked the verses, saying the devil tempted him to utter these lines to appease the Meccans (hence the "Satanic" verses). However, the narrator reveals to the reader that these disputed verses were actually from the mouth of the Archangel Gibreel. The book was banned in many countries with large Muslim communities.
On February 14, 1989, a fatwa requiring Rushdie's execution was proclaimed on Radio Tehran by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the spiritual leader of Iran at the time, calling the book "blasphemous against Islam." A bounty was offered for Rushdie's death, and he was thus forced to live under police protection for several years. On March 7, 1989, the United Kingdom and Iran broke diplomatic relations over the Rushdie controversy.
The publication of the book and the fatwa sparked violence around the world, with bookstores firebombed. Muslim communities in several nations in the West held public rallies, burning copies of the book. Several people associated with translating or publishing the book were attacked and even killed.
On September 24, 1998, as a precondition to the restoration of diplomatic relations with Britain, the Iranian government gave a public commitment that it would "neither support nor hinder assassination operations on Rushdie."
Hardliners in Iran have continued to reaffirm the death sentence. In early 2005, Khomeini's fatwa was reaffirmed by Iran's current spiritual leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in a message to Muslim pilgrims making the annual pilgrimage to Mecca. Additionally, the Revolutionary Guards have declared that the death sentence on him is still valid. Iran has rejected requests to withdraw the fatwa on the basis that only the person who issued it may withdraw it, and the person who issued it – Ayatollah Khomeini – has been dead since 1989.
Rushdie has reported that he still receives a "sort of Valentine's card" from Iran each year on February 14 letting him know the country has not forgotten the vow to kill him. He said, "It's reached the point where it's a piece of rhetoric rather than a real threat."
A memoir of his years of hiding, Joseph Anton, was published in 2012. Joseph Anton was Rushdie's secret alias.
In 2012, following uprisings over an anonymously posted YouTube video denigrating Muslims, a semi-official religious foundation in Iran increased the reward it had offered for the killing of Rushdie from $2.8 million to $3.3 million dollars. Their stated reason: "If the [1989] fatwa had been carried out, later insults in the form of caricature, articles and films that have continued would have not happened."
Knighthood
Rushdie was knighted for services to literature in the Queen's Birthday Honours on June 16, 2007. He remarked, "I am thrilled and humbled to receive this great honour, and am very grateful that my work has been recognised in this way." In response to his knighthood, many nations with Muslim majorities protested. Several called publicly for his death. Some non-Muslims expressed disappointment at Rushdie's knighthood, claiming that the writer did not merit such an honour and there were several other writers who deserved the knighthood more than Rushdie.
Al-Qaeda has condemned the Rushdie honour. The Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri is quoted as saying in an audio recording that Britain's award for Indian-born Rushdie was "an insult to Islam", and it was planning "a very precise response."
Religious Beliefs
Rushdie came from a Muslim family though he is an atheist now. In 1990, in the "hope that it would reduce the threat of Muslims acting on the fatwa to kill him," he issued a statement claiming he had renewed his Muslim faith, had repudiated the attacks on Islam in his novel and was committed to working for better understanding of the religion across the world. However, Rushdie later said that he was only "pretending".
Personal Life
Rushdie has been married four times. He was married to his first wife Clarissa Luard from 1976 to 1987 and fathered a son, Zafar (born 1980). His second wife was the American novelist Marianne Wiggins; they were married in 1988 and divorced in 1993. His third wife, from 1997 to 2004, was Elizabeth West; they have a son, Milan (born 1999). In 2004, he married the Indian American actress and model Padma Lakshmi, the host of the American reality-television show Top Chef. The marriage ended on July 2, 2007, with Lakshmi indicating that it was her desire to end the marriage.
In 1999 Rushdie had an operation to correct ptosis, a tendon condition that causes drooping eyelids and that, according to him, was making it increasingly difficult for him to open his eyes. "If I hadn't had an operation, in a couple of years from now I wouldn't have been able to open my eyes at all," he said.
Since 2000, Rushdie has "lived mostly near Union Square" in New York City. (Adapted from Wikipedia.)
| The Satanic Verses |
Where did the Ossis and the Wessis meet for the first time in 28 years, in 1989? | Salman Rushdie: Books, Affair, Biography, Controversy, Fatwa, History, Influences - Interview (2010) - YouTube
Salman Rushdie: Books, Affair, Biography, Controversy, Fatwa, History, Influences - Interview (2010)
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Published on Dec 29, 2013
His first novel, Grimus (1975), a part-science fiction tale, was generally ignored by the public and literary critics. His next novel, Midnight's Children (1981), catapulted him to literary notability. His books: https://www.amazon.com/gp/search?ie=U...
This work won the 1981 Booker Prize and, in 1993 and 2008, was awarded the Best of the Bookers as the best novel to have received the prize during its first 25 and 40 years.[16] Midnight's Children follows the life of a child, born at the stroke of midnight as India gained its independence, who is endowed with special powers and a connection to other children born at the dawn of a new and tumultuous age in the history of the Indian sub-continent and the birth of the modern nation of India. The character of Saleem Sinai has been compared to Rushdie.[17] However, the author has refuted the idea of having written any of his characters as autobiographical, stating, "People assume that because certain things in the character are drawn from your own experience, it just becomes you. In that sense, I've never felt that I've written an autobiographical character."[18]
After Midnight's Children, Rushdie wrote Shame (1983), in which he depicts the political turmoil in Pakistan, basing his characters on Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq. Shame won France's Prix du Meilleur Livre Étranger (Best Foreign Book) and was a close runner-up for the Booker Prize. Both these works of postcolonial literature are characterised by a style of magic realism and the immigrant outlook that Rushdie is very conscious of as a member of the Indian diaspora.
Rushdie wrote a non-fiction book about Nicaragua in 1987 called The Jaguar Smile. This book has a political focus and is based on his first-hand experiences and research at the scene of Sandinista political experiments.
His most controversial work, The Satanic Verses, was published in 1988 (see section below).
In addition to books, Rushdie has published many short stories, including those collected in East, West (1994). The Moor's Last Sigh, a family epic ranging over some 100 years of India's history was published in 1995. The Ground Beneath Her Feet (1999) presents an alternative history of modern rock music. The song of the same name by U2 is one of many song lyrics included in the book; hence Rushdie is credited as the lyricist. He also wrote Haroun and the Sea of Stories in 1990.
Rushdie has had a string of commercially successful and critically acclaimed novels. His 2005 novel Shalimar the Clown received, in India, the prestigious Hutch Crossword Book Award, and was, in Britain, a finalist for the Whitbread Book Awards. It was shortlisted for the 2007 International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award.[19]
In his 2002 non-fiction collection Step Across This Line, he professes his admiration for the Italian writer Italo Calvino and the American writer Thomas Pynchon, among others. His early influences included Jorge Luis Borges, Mikhail Bulgakov, Lewis Carroll, Günter Grass, and James Joyce. Rushdie was a personal friend of Angela Carter's and praised her highly in the foreword for her collection Burning your Boats.
His novel Luka and the Fire of Life was published in November 2010. Earlier that year, he announced that he was writing his memoirs,[20] entitled Joseph Anton: A Memoir, which was published in September 2012.
In 2012, Salman Rushdie became one of the first major authors to embrace Booktrack (a company that synchronises ebooks with customised soundtracks), when he published his short story "In the South" on the platform.
| i don't know |
Sue Johnston and Ricky Tomlinson play Jim and Barbara Royle in the Royle Family, but which other well known married couple did they play in the 80's? | Sue Johnston - Who is talking about Sue Johnston on FLICKR
www.youtube.com/watch?v=fm0CJtVSQD8
Brookside is a British soap opera set in Liverpool, England. The series began on the launch night of Channel 4 on 2 November 1982, and ran for 21 years until 4 November 2003. Originally intended to be called Meadowcroft, the series was produced by Mersey Television and it was conceived by Phil Redmond who also devised Grange Hill (1978–2008) and Hollyoaks (1995–present).
Brookside became very successful and was often Channel 4's highest rated programme for a number of years in the 1980s and early 1990s, with audiences regularly in excess of 8 million viewers. It is notable for its tackling of realistic and socially challenging storylines. From the mid-1990s it began raising more controversial subjects under the guidance of new producers such as Mal Young and Paul Marquess. It is especially well known for broadcasting the first pre-watershed lesbian kiss on British television in 1994, as well as a powerful domestic abuse storyline resulting in murder. In 1996, the series caused an uproar when it featured a storyline of a consensual incestuous sexual relationship between two sibling characters.
Brookside was also the first British soap to feature an openly gay character when Gordon Collins came out in 1985, and it was also the first to depict serious drug addiction with a number of different characters. Although the series had a long and successful run, by 2000 its viewing figures were in terminal decline and low ratings eventually led to its cancellation in 2003.
The final episode was broadcast on 4 November 2003 and was watched by around 2 million viewers.
The first episode of Brookside was repeated as part of Channel 4 at 25 on 1 October 2007. The episode aired on More4 in a season of celebratory Channel 4 programmes to mark the channel's first quarter century. Several classic episodes have also been available to view on 4oD, an online service, since 2009.
After years of campaigning by fans, a special DVD was released in November 2012, just over 30 years after the series originally began, titled Brookside Most Memorable Moments. It features clips and episodes from every year of the programme's 21-year history.
Brookside differed from other soap operas because it was filmed in real, brand-new houses, in a real cul-de-sac, situated off Deysbrook Lane in the North West city of Liverpool.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MvrrA7zv8s&list=PLHkDX58c6v3...
Built by Broseley Homes, the houses were custom built in an attempt by the producers to add to the show's realism. In early 1982, Mersey Television, with Phil Redmond at the helm, bought thirteen houses altogether, six of which would be seen on-screen as sets. The remaining seven properties housed administration, postproduction and canteen facilities for the cast and crew. Phil Redmond was particularly enthusiastic about purchasing an entire 'close' of houses, partly as a means of achieving the desired realism of Brookside, but also in order to maintain total control of his creation.
The Body Under the Patio plot
www.youtube.com/watch?v=uT5T5mBg2BU
One of Brookside's most famous storyline began in February 1993, with the story of wife beater and child abuser Trevor Jordache (Bryan Murray). His wife, Mandy (Sandra Maitland) and daughters Beth (Anna Friel) and Rachel (Tiffany Chapman) moved into number 10 under a shroud of mystery.
The house had been vacated by the remaining Corkhill clan and sold to a Mrs Shackleton; however, unbeknown to the residents of the close, she was acting as a representative for a charity supporting abused families, and had purchased the property as a safe house. After the Jordache family moved in some disturbing facts began to emerge. It transpired that not only had Mandy suffered years of mental and physical abuse, but also that Beth had been sexually abused by her father. Before long Trevor, who had recently been released from prison for GBH against Mandy, found them in Brookside Close. He persuaded Mandy to let him back into the family home pretending to have been changed by prison, but once in he quickly resumed his own ways, frequently beating Mandy.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5KMN_7k1rI
Things quickly escalated as Trevor began getting violent towards Beth also and began sexually abusing Rachel. As the abuse and torture got worse, Beth encouraged her mother Mandy to plot to kill Trevor. After several attempts by the pair to poison him failed, Mandy and Beth stabbed him in the kitchen of number 10 and, with the help of Sinbad, buried him underneath their patio, where his body remained until January 1995, when neighbour Eddie Banks (Paul Broughton) dug him up whilst investigating a leaking water pipe. Following the discovery, Sinbad, who had genuine feelings towards Mandy and had been totally supportive and sympathetic of her plight, took the family on the run to the Republic of Ireland.
This was depicted in a couple of episodes before they were arrested in Dublin as wanted suspects for murder. Subsequently, on return to Britain, Mandy and Beth were immediately charged with Trevor's murder, launching the Free the Jordache Two campaign and ratings soared with Brookside achieving its highest ever viewing figures of 9 million. The story was inspired by a real life case in Walsall, West Midlands, where a woman killed her abusive husband and buried his body under the patio of their house in 1990; it was discovered two years later.
When there’s a knock on the door, Lee Carroll knows exactly what it will be for.
And, chances are, it won’t be a neighbour calling for a chat but an excited fan wanting to look at his patio!
“I get at least one person a fortnight knocking at the door, asking to come in and looking around my house,” says Lee. “And they always want to go in my garden...”
For Lee, 32, is resident of what used to be one of Merseyside’s most famous addresses, Number 10 Brookside Close.
Former ‘home’ of the Corkhills, it was also the scene of what soap viewers voted one of the most dramatics story lines ever: the body under the patio.
Wife beater and child abuser Trevor Jordache (Bryan Murray) lay undetected there for two years before his body was discovered 20 years ago this month, in hit Mersey TV soap Brookside.
The last episode
In the extended final episode, screened at 22:40 and divided into three distinct parts, Brookside shocked the audience one last time with the remaining residents of Brookside Close taking a stand against Michaelson, lynching him from number 8's bedroom window.
Written by creator Phil Redmond, the final episode started exactly the same way episode one had begun 21 years previously, with a milkman delivering provisions to the residents of the Close. This time, however, he was greeted with the sight of Jack Michaelson's dead body hanging from his bedroom window. When the police started investigating, all of the residents on Brookside Close gave false alibis, thus protecting each other from prosecution over Michaelson's murder. As had been seen in Brookside before, the culprits of the lynching were not revealed, with several characters seen to have the same blue rope with which Michaelson was hanged. Encouraged by the return of Barry Grant, Tim, Steve, and the remaining Gordon lads were all seen contemplating killing Michaelson, and whilst Jimmy was also aware there was a plan, the only male resident in ignorance of what was happening was Ron Dixon. During the darkness of the night, three masked residents broke into Michaelson's house and suspended him from the front window, however, this is all that was revealed to the audience.
In the last part of the episode, Phil Redmond had his final say in a rebellious scripted rant criticising religion, urban migration, public ignorance and the prohibition of drugs, which was voiced by Brookside's longest-running character, Jimmy Corkhill, sat in an armchair on the front lawn of number 10. Jimmy was also the last resident of Brookside Close to leave their house. As a last act of defiance, he broke into the abandoned houses and left all the taps running, he then painted Game Over on the boarded-up windows of several houses, and drew an extra D on the Brookside Close sign, to spell Brookside Closed at the end of the episode. He then went to live with his daughter Lindsey, who had married Barry Grant off-screen, the two characters having returned especially for the final episode, watched by a peak of 2.27 million viewers.
In the closing narrative, Jimmy and Lindsey went to live in Newcastle in Barry's mansion. Tim moved in with Steve Murray, sharing a flat in Liverpool City Centre, as shown in the Unfinished Business feature. Nikki left for Brussels to live with her mother Margi. The orphaned Gordon children then left with their elder sister Ruth, and her husband Sean Smith, now reunited as head of the remaining Gordon family. Jan, Marty and Anthony Murray followed soon after, refusing to tell anyone where they were going. Bev and Ron Dixon then said their goodbyes to long-time neighbour and archenemy Jimmy Corkhill, with Ron remarking candidly; "I hope I never see you again".
The final shot in Brookside was a close-up of Jimmy Corkhill looking directly into the camera and, breaking the fourth wall, he winked to the audience. A caption states "The End of an Era...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=c28EFLkcPvg
2008 - Now more than 25 years after its television debut on Channel 4, Brookside Close has been sold for a bargain basement price of £735,000 at auction.
Overgrown and in need of refurbishment, the 13 red-brick houses in the Liverpool suburb of West Derby were sold to a construction boss from the local area.
2011 - The 13 properties that make up the street in West Derby have been completely restored with new brickwork, new timber, staircases, plumbing and wiring and are now ready to be lived in.
Brookside Close was sold to an anonymous purchaser at auction in December 2008 having spent years lying vacant after the previous developer, who bought the set from Mersey Television in 2005, went into administration.
Carol Corran from Sutton Kersh Lettings, said: "This is an incredibly rare and unique opportunity.
"Brookside Close is one of the most well-known cul-de-sacs in the country.
2016 - The show's creator Phil Redmond has opened up on the possibility of the former Channel 4 drama getting a revamp.
Some Brookside stars: Where are they now?
Jacqui Farnham (Alex Fletcher) 1990 - 2003 - The longest serving Brookside star became a qualified fitness instructor before joining the Hollyoaks cast as Diane O’Connor in 2010.
Fletcher, who has hosted the ECHO Mum of the Year awards three times, has a 10-year-old daughter, Yasmin.
Damon Grant (Simon O’Brien) 1982 - 1987 - After his Brookside departure O’Brien went on to be a children’s TV and football presenter before opening a vegetarian café and cycle shop in Liverpool.
O’Brien, an environmentalist, was appointed chair of the Green and Open Spaces Review Board last year, which scrutinise the use of the Liverpool’s green spaces.
Bobby Grant (Ricky Tomlinson) 1982 - 1988 - Tomlinson became a well-known comedian and went on to star in The Royle Family and a number of films including Mike Bassett: England Manager.
In May 2010, he opened the Green Room, a cabaret club on Duke Street. A long-time supporter of the Socialist Labour Party, Tomlinson has suffered two heart attacks and has campaigned for men to get free checks to combat the rise in heart disease.
Anthony Murray (Ray Quinn) 2000 - 2003 - Quinn’s fame skyrocketed after he was runner-up on The X-Factor in 2006.
He won the fourth series of Dancing on Ice in 2009, the All Stars series in 2014 and the first series of Get Your Act Together last year.
Terry Sullivan (Brian Regan) 1982 - 1997 - Regan’s acting career petered out after his Brookside departure and he plunged into a life of drug dealing and addiction.
In 2012 he was sentenced to five years in jail for lying to police over his role in the murder of Iranian doorman Bahman Faraji in Aigburth and for selling drugs.
Beth Jordache (Anna Friel) 1992 - 1994 - One of the more successful ex-Brookside stars, her role made headlines when she shared a lesbian kiss with Margaret.
The 39-year-old, who made her film debut in Land Girls in 1998 and took part in the first season of Celebrity Big Brother, will play the lead role in Marcella, an upcoming ITV crime drama.
Margaret Clemence (Nicola Stephenson) 1990–1994 - Stephenson's on-air kiss with Anna Friel was the first pre-watershed lesbian kiss to be broadcast on British television.
From 2015 to 2016, she played the part of Tess Harris in the soap-opera Emmerdale. Her four-month stint on the series came to a sudden end when her character was unexpectedly killed off in a hit-and-run incident.
Jerome Johnson (Leon Lopez)1999–2002 - Lopez has appeared in various theatre productions and recently went behind the camera, writing and directing feature film Soft Lad.
It was confirmed earlier this month that the 36-year-old is returning to soap after landing a small guest role on EastEnders.
Emily Shadwick (Jennifer Ellison) 1998–2003 - Ellison, a former model, singer, dancer and TV personality starred in the 2004 film adaptation of The Phantom of the Opera.
The mum-of-three, who has long battled with weight issues, appeared on ITV’s Lorraine last year, where she vowed “never to yo-yo diet again” after revealing she’d reached 14st.
The Liverpool actress needed medical attention after she went on a sugar-free crash diet while filming reality TV program Sugar Free Farm earlier this month.
Sheila Grant (Sue Johnston) 1982–1990 - After departing Brookside she starred in Walking the Dead, The Royle Family, Coronation Street and made guest appearances in the fifth series of Downtown Abbey.
She has been a vocal supporter of the Labour Party and has rallied for gay rights.
Thomas 'Sinbad' Sweeney (Michael Starke) 1984–2000 - Starke went on to star in ITV1 drama The Royal before joining the cast of Coronation Street in 2007.
He was axed from the show the following year and later revealed: “I never felt at home on the Street.”
Barry Grant (Paul Usher) 1982–1995, 1997–1998, 2003 - Usher appeared on numerous programs including Liverpool 1, London’s Burning and he played a lengthy role in The Bill.
In 2014, Usher’s 25-year-old son James fell ill on a ship in Scotland and later died in hospital.
Jimmy Corkhill (Dean Sullivan) 1986–2003 - In 2008 Sullivan reportedly wanted to buy 13 houses on Brookside Close because he wanted to revive the show.
In 2014, his brother, Barry, died after a cycling accident in Woolton.
Lindsey Corkhill (Claire Sweeney) 1991–1992, 1995–2001, 2002, 2003 - After a 10-year stint in Brookside, Sweeney appeared on Celebrity Big Brother and in the West End musical, Chicago.
She also appeared on TV programs Clocking Off, Mersey Beat and BBC comedy series Candy Cabs.
Jackie Corkhill (Sue Jenkins) 1991–2001 - Having Brookside and Coronation Street (she played Gloria Todd from 1985 to 1988) under her belt, Sue has continued working as an actress in both TV and theatre. Acting credits include Merseybeat, just like Claire Sweeney, who played her on-screen daughter Lindsey, Holby City, Dalziel & Pascoe, Heartbeat, Doctors, Emmerdale and even a presenting role on Loose Women and some theatre work.
Rachel Jordache (later known as Rachel Dixon) (Tiffany Chapman) 1993-2003 - Tiffany the daughter of former footballer and football manager Les Chapman who played around 1000 games for various clubs in the Football League.
Tiffany Chapman was named after Tiffany Welles, one of the lesser known Charlies Angels.
In June 2007 she starred as social worker Meg in the popular UK drama Hollyoaks.
In February 2008 she appeared as nurse Cindy Burton in the ITV1 soap Emmerdale
In 2016 she starred in an advert with Hanna Barbera's Top Cat animated character for Halifax Bank of Scotland.
Brookside Facts......
The first episode of Brookside was broadcast at 8:00pm on Channel 4's first night, 2 November 1982.
The first words ever spoken on Brookside were by extra John Whitehall, who portrayed the Close's milkman on and off for over 10 years.
Executive producer Phil Redmond's first taste of showbiz success came when he sold a comedy sketch to Harry Secombe.
Before joining Brookie, Dean Sullivan (Jimmy Corkhill) was a supply teacher between acting jobs. He only intended to appear for just six episodes back in 1986, but proved such a hit that he was eventually given a permanent contract.
The facial piercings sported by Louise Hope (Lisa Faulkner) were fake and had to be applied by the make-up artists.
Brookside has twice taken some of its characters into separate but related mini-series, first with Damon and Debbie in 1987, then with Tracy Corkhill running away to London in South in 1988.
The name Brookside came about because the cul-de-sac in which the series was based had a brook running next to it.
Brookie was the first ever British soap to have each week's episodes repeated in a weekend omnibus edition.
When Bobby and Sheila Grant went to Rome in 1987, scenes were filmed in St Peter's Square, some even showing the Pope on his balcony.
Claire Sweeney's (Lindsey Corkhill) first job was in her dad's butcher's shop.
The Full Monty star Paul Barber appeared in 1994 as ex-convict Greg Salter.
Mark Moraghan's (Greg Shadwick) first job was in his cousin's polythene bag factory. Two years later he won his first acting-related job, working with handicapped children at a theatre company.
Only six of the 10 houses on the Close are featured in the show. The others are used as a canteen, a make-up and wardrobe department and a production room.
Louis Emerick had to undertake an extensive weight-training programme in 1996 when his character Mick Johnson was involved in a steroid abuse storyline.
Peter Phelan's ex-girlfriend was played by actor Sam Kane's real-life wife, former model Linda Lusardi.
Brookie is a family affair for actor Paul Byatt (Mike Dixon). His brother Liam and sisters Sharon and Michelle have all had roles in the show.
Michael Starke (Sinbad) didn't start acting until he was 26, and previously worked as a chef and a roadsweeper.
In 1990, the actors playing the Rogers family went to the House of Commons to help launch the British Dyslexia Society's Awareness Week on the back of the story of Geoff Roger's learning difficulties.
When the residents of an estate in Bradford were consulted about how they wanted their estate to look after redevelopment, they opted for a copy of Brookside Close.
The most-watched episode so far went out on 31 January 1995. Some 8.96 million watched as Eddie Banks made the gruesome discovery of Trevor Jordache's body.
Over 200 viewers complained to Channel 4 when one episode ended with Barry Grant apparently on the verge of chopping off a dog's head.
In 1991, Kevin Carson asked if his character Geoff Rogers could be killed off. As Sue and Danny had already died that year, the producers decided he should leave on a happy note, and had the footballer join Torquay United.
Vince Earl (Ron Dixon) competed on New Faces in 1975 with his band. He was beaten by Roger DeCourcey and Nookie Bear.
Max Farnham wasn't actor Steven Pinder's first stab at soap stardom. Back in the early 1980's he played hapless fitness instructor and corner shop owner Roy Lambert in Crossroads.
Ricky Tomlinson, who played trade unionist Bobby Grant, was one of the 'Shrewsbury Three', who were jailed in the 1970's for their part in the building workers' strike.
Sue Jenkins (Jackie Corkhill) is one of a small band of actors to take major roles in two different soaps. Back in the mid-1980's she played barmaid Gloria Todd in Coronation Street.
Irene Marot, who played DD Dixon originally auditioned for the role of Billy Corkhill's wife Doreen.
Brookside Parade was opened in the 1000th episode on 9 October 1991 - the same day Sue and Danny Sullivan were murdered.
Alex Fletcher (Jacqui Dixon) trained under acting coach Nikki Lindsay - sister of Rachael, who played Sammy Rogers.
Tiffany Chapman (Rachel Jordache) was named after Tiffany Welles, one of the lesser known Charlies Angels.
Philip Olivier originally auditioned for the role of Lee Banks before being cast as Tim O'Leary.
Clive Moore, who played priest Derek O'Farrell, trained as a dentist before turning to acting.
Although the Parade is supposed to be a short walk from the Close, the two locations are actually five miles apart.
Brookside is filmed six weeks before transmission. It takes six 10-hour days to make three episodes.
Brookside employs three gardeners to ensure that the plants and flowers seen in episodes are correct for the time of year they are broadcast.
All the Close's houses have actual hot and cold running water, and fully-functioning central heating, fridges, cookers and washing machines.
The deaths of Matthew and Emily Farnham came about because producers wanted a surrogacy storyline.
The role of Fee Phelan, eventually taken by Jackie Downey, was meant to be played by Cheryl Murray, Corrie's Suzie Birchall.
Phil Redmond bought the original nine houses in Brookside Close for £25,000 each.
Letitia Dean and Malandra Burrows had minor roles in Brookside before finding greater soap fame in Eastenders and Emmerdale respectively.
Andrew Fillis, who played Lindsey Corkhill's abusive husband Gary Stanlow, originally auditioned for the role of Carl Banks.
Paul Usher (Barry Grant) was a Bluecoat at Pontins.
The late Gladys Ambrose, who played Julia Brogan, previously appeared in a comedy acrobatic act alongside her husband Johannes.
Three different versions of the murder of Sue and Danny Sullivan were filmed in 1991, with Barry Grant, Terry Sullivan and Graeme Curtis each seen pushing them off scaffolding.
Carol Connor who played Carmel O'Leary, is the sister of singer Sonia and sang backing vocals when she competed in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1993.
Phil Redmond's determination to keep Brookside realistic caused uproar when early episodes had characters swearing. He eventually caved in to public opinion and toned down the language.
Sue Johnston and Ricky Tomlinson, (Sheila and Bobby Grant) raised money for miners' families during the 1985 strike, and were honoured by the National Union of Mineworkers.
Sue Jenkins' (Jackie Corkhill) husband is actor David Fleeshman, who played Emmerdale's crooked councillor Charlie Aindow. David also made a fleeting appearance in Brookie, and was served by Jackie in Ron Dixon's shop.
The Broadcasting Standards Council forced Channel 4 to broadcast an apology in 1996 for showing brother and sister Nat and Georgia Simpson in bed together.
The swimming pool in the Health Club is the same one that is used in the college leisure centre in Hollyoaks. It is split diagonally through the middle with the Brookie Decor on one half and Hollyoaks' on the other.
Steven Pinner, who played Jonathan Gordon-Davies, now acts under his real name, Steven Finch, in order to avoid confusion with ex-Brookside actor Steven Pinder (Max Farnham).
Alan Rothwell, who played Heather Haversham's heroin-addicted husband Nicholas Black, was one of the original stars of Coronation Street, playing Ken Barlow's brother David.
It was no coincidence that Debbie McGrath named her newborn son Simon - it was after Simon O'Brien, who played his late father Damon Grant.
There was another first in Brookside in February 1999 when Susannah breastfed her baby in Bar Brookie. The scene used a real-life mother and baby for the shots and was the first time a soap had broken the taboo.
The British Meningitis Trust commended the programme in 1990 for the thoroughness of its research in the storyline where Danny Sullivan contracted the illness.
There have been two crossover plots between Brookside and fellow Mersey Television show Hollyoaks: Jacqui and Katie saw actors from the latter in Chester 1998, while Jessie Shadwick and Alec O'Brien popped into the Hollyoaks pub The Dog In The Pond for a swift half in May 1999.
Former Neighbours and Home and Away star Richard Norton appeared in 1995 as a fictional Aussie soap star called Shane Cochran, who died after taking heroin sold to him by Gary Stanlow.
When Laura Gordon-Davies was electrocuted in 1987, she was in a coma for three months - the producers' revenge on actress Jane Cunliffe, who caused them problems by quitting the show.
Bryan Murray, who was well-known for his comedy roles such as Shifty in the sitcom Bread, was deliberately cast as evil Trevor Jordache to fool people into thinking he was a nice character.
Harry Cross was originally meant to die from a heart attack after three months, but the character was so popular that he stayed for five years.
Eileen O'Brien, who played Mick's terminally ill mother-in-law Gladys Charlton, was previously punk Mary Smith's mother in Eastenders.
When Paul Usher (Barry Grant) left the show suddenly in 1993, scripts had to be hastily rewritten. Most of his dialogue was given to Mick, while a disembodied hand was seen packing a suitcase.
Award-winning writer Jimmy McGovern, famous for Cracker, Hillsborough and The Lakes, wrote some of Brooksides early episodes.
Tricia Penrose, who plays barmaid Gina Ward in Heartbeat, appeared in 1988 as Emma Reid, a WPC with whom Rod Corkhill had a steamy affair.
Suzanne Packer, who played Mick Johnson's errant wife Josie, is the sister of Olympic hurdler Colin Jackson.
Ricky Tomlinson (Bobby Grant) was once in a country and western band alongside future co-star Tony Scoggo, who played Bobby's best friend Matty Nolan.
The entire Collins family had to be written out in 1990 when Doreen Sloane, who played matriarch Annabelle, tragically died of cancer.
Recent Updated: 8 months ago - Created by brizzle born and bred - View
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The cast includes Bernard Hill, Virginia McKenna, Sue Johnston, Alun Armstrong, Simon Callow, Una Stubbs, Phil Davies and Brad Moore!
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Tags: family woman white beautiful sunglasses hair kent long sitting legs market candid daughters auburn mature sue marketplace staring afternoontea johnston guildhall cornexchange faversham greatlegs photographiccompetition longauburnhair
BEST SEEN LARGE as indeed all my pictures are.
Just a beautiful blonde woman staring at me as I take a picture of her and her friends/family taking tea on a sunny afternoon in Faversham Market. I was trying to take a picture of the Guildhall behind them but decided she was far more interesting. She didn't seem to object to my taking her picture so hope she doesn't object if and when she sees herself on Flickr. Anyway I needed some more pictures for my new set called 'Cafe Culture' and this one fits nicely in it I think you will agree.
The woman might not thank me for saying this but she did remind me of a young Sue Johnston of Brookside and The Royle Family fame.
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Old West Building 1954 Miss Lillian Knox teacher
From Beverly Hadler Grimes
I have the names of some of the first grade class of Miss Knox. The rows run together so I will do my best. First row. Beverly Niles, Larry Filler, Karin Minary, Marilyn Collicott, Evelyn Collicott. Row Two. .?,?, Thomas Christine, John Henry, Judy Letzler, Janet VanOsdall. Row Three and Four Jim Small,? Jim Grimes, Pat Osting,?,Ron Redington, Maurice Amy, Alan Armstrong, Dave Phelps, Bobby Ray, ?. Row Five. Jane Smyser, Nita Kanouse, Beverly Hadler, Sue Johnston,?, Beverly Ruble,Dorothy?, ?, Linda Bowling,Edith Edmondson,Connie King,and Cheryl Martin.
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Tags: video policeawards sirpeterfahy policestaffemployeeoftheyear geofflingard chiefconstablesexcellenceawards2014 greatermanchesterpoliceawards
This year's winner of the Chief Constable's Excellence Award for Police Staff Employee of the year is Geoff Lingard.
Greater Manchester’s finest police officers, staff and volunteers gathered at The Midland Hotel in Manchester on Friday 27 June for Chief Constable Sir Peter Fahy’s annual Excellence Awards.
The sponsored evening was a celebration of the fantastic work and achievements within Greater Manchester Police (GMP) during the last year.
Salford-born, Geoff’s career with GMP spans nearly 30 years and has seen him work at the Force’s Sedgley Park training centre and at headquarters.
Geoff has trained generations of police officers in the use of video to capture evidence in a range of situations.
He also spent many years producing the videos used as training aids for officers and staff.
He currently works in the Force’s Corporate Communications Branch producing videos aimed at getting the Force’s message about safety and security to the general public.
Full of ideas, innovation and creativity, recent examples of his work include the ‘Dicing with Death’ series on aspects of road safety and a series of ’60 Second Security’ films aimed at keeping people and property safe and secure.
During his career, Geoff has worked with a range of well known faces from the world of drama and comedy such as Dame Thora Hird, Robert Powell, Jason Manford and Sue Johnston and a host of television news reporters and presenters.
Geoff is a true professional who brings something new and fresh to each project he undertakes.
Greater Manchester Police Chief Constable Sir Peter Fahy said: “The Excellence Awards recognise success, innovation, problem solving and the contribution that all GMP staff make to policing in Greater Manchester. The difficulty for me is choosing a winner for each award when so many staff make such a tremendous difference to the lives of our communities”
To find out more about Greater Manchester Police please visit our website.
www.gmp.police.uk
You should call 101, the new national non-emergency number, to report crime and other concerns that do not require an emergency response.
Always call 999 in an emergency, such as when a crime is in progress, violence is being used or threatened or where there is danger to life.
You can also call anonymously with information about crime to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Crimestoppers is an independent charity who will not want your name, just your information. Your call will not be traced or recorded and you do not have to go to court or give a statement.
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Sue Johnston arriving at The Women in TV and Film Awards 2009, Hilton Hotel, London.
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Tags: copyright amanda liverpool tv soap theatre redmond actress actor drama burton brookside thespian towner rickytomlinson finchlane everymantheatre amandaburton suejohnston philredmond townerimages
This picture is from my set featuring some of the most famous actors from the early cast of the popular and sometimes ground breaking Channel 4 soap opera “Brookside”. The pictures were taken during their rehearsals for a version of the show to be staged at the Everyman Theatre to raise funds for a local charity. I was invited along to meet them and photograph the proceedings (provided I did not use flash). This was around the Christmas period 1984. The venue, the Finch Lane Club in Dovecot, Liverpool, had been provided by my father who was a friend of Bill Dean, who played Harry Cross in the soap. At that time “Brookside” was providing a great opportunity for people entering the profession and some of the actors have duly gone on to have illustrious careers in the business. Others later left the profession or are sadly no longer with us. Watching and photographing the performers during their work was really enlightening and entertaining and they were all without exception very friendly and approachable.
The pictures were taken indoors in poor lighting conditions without flash and have lost detail and texture during digitisation, so really they are only here for their rarity value.
The cast members present were : Amanda Burton (playing Heather Huntington), Sue Johnston (Sheila Grant), Ricky Tomlinson (Bobby Grant), Paul Usher (Barry Grant), Simon O’Brien (Damon Grant), Bill Dean (Harry Cross), Betty Alberge (Edna Cross), Anna Keaveney (Marie Jackson), Jim Wiggins (Paul Collins), Doreen Sloane (Annabelle Collins), Nigel Crowley (Gordon Collins), Dicken Ashworth (Alan Partridge), Brian Regan (Terry Sullivan), Robbie Cullen (Gizmo Hawkins) and Tracey Jay (Michelle Jones) along with Phil Redmond and director Chris Clough.
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Tags: copyright amanda liverpool tv soap theatre actress actor drama burton brookside towner rickytomlinson finchlane everymantheatre amandaburton keaveney suejohnston philredmond townerimages
This picture is from my set featuring some of the most famous actors from the early cast of the popular and sometimes ground breaking Channel 4 soap opera “Brookside”. The pictures were taken during their rehearsals for a version of the show to be staged at the Everyman Theatre to raise funds for a local charity. I was invited along to meet them and photograph the proceedings (provided I did not use flash). This was around the Christmas period 1984. The venue, the Finch Lane Club in Dovecot, Liverpool, had been provided by my father who was a friend of Bill Dean, who played Harry Cross in the soap. At that time “Brookside” was providing a great opportunity for people entering the profession and some of the actors here have duly gone on to have illustrious careers in the business. Others later left the profession or are sadly no longer with us. Watching and photographing the performers during their work was really enlightening and entertaining and they were all without exception very friendly and approachable.
The pictures were taken indoors in poor lighting conditions without flash and have lost detail and texture during digitisation, so really they are only here for their rarity value.
The cast members present were : Amanda Burton (playing Heather Huntington), Sue Johnston (Sheila Grant), Ricky Tomlinson (Bobby Grant), Paul Usher (Barry Grant), Simon O’Brien (Damon Grant), Bill Dean (Harry Cross), Betty Alberge (Edna Cross), Anna Keaveney (Marie Jackson), Jim Wiggins (Paul Collins), Doreen Sloane (Annabelle Collins), Nigel Crowley (Gordon Collins), Dicken Ashworth (Alan Partridge), Brian Regan (Terry Sullivan), Robbie Cullen (Gizmo Hawkins) and Tracey Jay (Michelle Jones) along with Phil Redmond and director Chris Clough.
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Tags: copyright liverpool tv soap theatre obrien redmond actor drama usher brookside towner rickytomlinson finchlane everymantheatre amandaburton suejohnston philredmond townerimages
This picture is from my set featuring some of the most famous actors from the early cast of the popular and sometimes ground breaking Channel 4 soap opera “Brookside”. The pictures were taken during their rehearsals for a version of the show to be staged at the Everyman Theatre to raise funds for a local charity. I was invited along to meet them and photograph the proceedings (provided I did not use flash). This was around the Christmas period 1984. The venue, the Finch Lane Club in Dovecot, Liverpool, had been provided by my father who was a friend of Bill Dean, who played Harry Cross in the soap. At that time “Brookside” was providing a great opportunity for people entering the profession and some of the actors here have duly gone on to have illustrious careers in the business. Others later left the profession or are sadly no longer with us. Watching and photographing the performers during their work was really enlightening and entertaining and they were all without exception very friendly and approachable.
The pictures were taken indoors in poor lighting conditions without flash and have lost detail and texture during digitisation, so really they are only here for their rarity value.
The cast members present were : Amanda Burton (playing Heather Huntington), Sue Johnston (Sheila Grant), Ricky Tomlinson (Bobby Grant), Paul Usher (Barry Grant), Simon O’Brien (Damon Grant), Bill Dean (Harry Cross), Betty Alberge (Edna Cross), Anna Keaveney (Marie Jackson), Jim Wiggins (Paul Collins), Doreen Sloane (Annabelle Collins), Nigel Crowley (Gordon Collins), Dicken Ashworth (Alan Partridge), Brian Regan (Terry Sullivan), Robbie Cullen (Gizmo Hawkins) and Tracey Jay (Michelle Jones) along with Phil Redmond and director Chris Clough.
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Tags: copyright liverpool tv soap theatre stage redmond actress actor drama brookside scouse towner rickytomlinson finchlane everymantheatre amandaburton suejohnston philredmond townerimages
This picture is from my set featuring some of the most famous actors from the early cast of the popular and sometimes ground breaking Channel 4 soap opera “Brookside”. The pictures were taken during their rehearsals for a version of the show to be staged at the Everyman Theatre to raise funds for a local charity. I was invited along to meet them and photograph the proceedings (provided I did not use flash). This was around the Christmas period 1984. The venue, the Finch Lane Club in Dovecot, Liverpool, had been provided by my father who was a friend of Bill Dean, who played Harry Cross in the soap. At that time “Brookside” was providing a great opportunity for people entering the profession and some of the actors here have duly gone on to have illustrious careers in the business. Others later left the profession or are sadly no longer with us. Watching and photographing the performers during their work was really enlightening and entertaining and they were all without exception very friendly and approachable.
The pictures were taken indoors in poor lighting conditions without flash and have lost detail and texture during digitisation, so really they are only here for their rarity value.
The cast members present were : Amanda Burton (playing Heather Huntington), Sue Johnston (Sheila Grant), Ricky Tomlinson (Bobby Grant), Paul Usher (Barry Grant), Simon O’Brien (Damon Grant), Bill Dean (Harry Cross), Betty Alberge (Edna Cross), Anna Keaveney (Marie Jackson), Jim Wiggins (Paul Collins), Doreen Sloane (Annabelle Collins), Nigel Crowley (Gordon Collins), Dicken Ashworth (Alan Partridge), Brian Regan (Terry Sullivan), Robbie Cullen (Gizmo Hawkins) and Tracey Jay (Michelle Jones) along with Phil Redmond and director Chris Clough.
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DVD Who Do You Think You Are UK Seasons 1 - 4
w15,000. As new. Region 2/multi region DVD or PC.
Series One: Bill Oddie, Amanda Redman, Sue Johnston, Jeremy Clarkson, Ian Hislop, Moira Stuart, David Baddiel, Lesley Garrett, Meera Syal, Vic Reeves
Series Two: Jeremy Paxman, Sheila Hancock, Stephen Fry, Julian Clary, Jane Horrocks, Gurinder Chadha
Series Three: Barbara Windsor, Robert Lindsay, Colin Jackson, David Tennant, David Dickinson, Nigella Lawson, Jeremy Irons, Julia Sawalha, Nicky Campbell
Series Four: Natasha Kaplinsky, John Hurt, Griff Rhys Jones, Carol Vorderman, Alistair McGowan, Graham Norton, Sir Matthew Pinsent
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Tags: london unitedkingdom greaterlondon ln07
London, UNITED KINGDOM: (FromLtoR) Ricky Tomlinson, Sue Johnston and Craig Cash of comedy programme "The Royal Family" hold their awards for Best Situation Comedy at the The British Academy Television Awards 2007 at the Palladium, London, 20th May 2007. AFP PHOTO/LEON NEAL (Photo credit should read Leon Neal/AFP/Getty Images)
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The 'Other' Royals
LONDON - MAY 07: (NOT FOR PUBLICATION IN ANY MEDIUM UNTIL 21:30 GMT MAY 7, 2006.) Actors Ricky Tomlinson and Sue Johnston pose in the Awards Room at the Pioneer British Academy Television Awards 2006 at the Grosvenor House Hotel on May 7, 2006 in London, England. (Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)
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LONDON - MAY 10: Actress Sue Johnston in the pressroom at the 5th Annual British Soap Awards in London on May 10th 2003. Sue presented the Special Achievement award to her former Brookside co-star Dean Sullivan. (Photo by Steve Finn/Getty Images)
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Tags: london unitedkingdom greaterlondon ln07
London, UNITED KINGDOM: (FromLtoR) Ricky Tomlinson, Sue Johnston and Craig Cash of comedy programme "The Royal Family" hold their awards for Best Situation Comedy at the The British Academy Television Awards 2007 at the Palladium, London, 20th May 2007. AFP PHOTO/LEON NEAL (Photo credit should read Leon Neal/AFP/Getty Images)
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The Other 'Royals'
LONDON - MAY 07: (NOT FOR PUBLICATION IN ANY MEDIUM UNTIL 21:30 GMT MAY 7, 2006.) Actors Ricky Tomlinson and Sue Johnston pose in the Awards Room at the Pioneer British Academy Television Awards 2006 at the Grosvenor House Hotel on May 7, 2006 in London, England. (Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)
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Tags: aylmerontario aylmerfair elgincountyarchives stthomastimesjournal
Title: There was a record of 12 Aylmer Fair Queen contestants for the 1979 fair, and in the week before the fair, the judges picked who the lucky lady would be. The decision was to be announced at the fair. Here, from left to right (front row) are: Linda Wolf, 19, representing Saxonia Hall; Sue Johnston, 18, Springfield Women's Institute; Charlene Raynham, 1978 Aylmer Fair Queen; Cathy Geraci, 18, Optimist Club, Aylmer; (second row) Rosemary Nasswetter, 18, Corinth Women's Institute; Chris Falkenham, 18, Kinsmen and Kinnettes, Aylmer; Vicky Brennholt, 18, Merchants' Association; Cheryl Ingram, 17, Aylmer Rotary Club; (third row) Mary Pettit, 18, Kingsmill-Mapleton Women's Institute; Connie Driessen, 18, Calton Women's Institute; Linda Ungar, 18, Royal Canadian Legion, Aylmer; and Karin Neukamm, 18, Rebekah Lodge, Aylmer. Absent: Mary Ann Josten, Columbus Club.
Creator(s): St. Thomas Times-Journal
Bygone Days Publication Date: August 9, 2011
Original Publication Date: August 8, 1979
Reference No.: C8 Sh2 B2 F3 77
Credit: Elgin County Archives, St. Thomas Times-Journal fonds
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Tags: 1918 2011 bornapril18 diedapril9
Zanesville: Ellsworth Lynn Benning, 92, formerly of Springfield Ohio, died at the Cedar Hill Nursing Home in Zanesville on Saturday April 9, 2011 after a long fight with prostate cancer.
Ellsworth, affectionately called Uncle Benny, was born on April 18, 1918 to the late Edward L. Benning and Myrtle Payne in Springfield Ohio. Benning was married to the late Catherine [Hubbard] Wray for 42 years until her death in September 2002. He was also previously married to Sophia Austen and Mona Cordell.
Ellsworth participated in the Civilian Conservation Corps from April 19, 1937 through December 1, 1937 where he served in Rockbridge and Pedro, Ohio. He served in the US Army from June 25, 1941 through February 9, 1945 as a Duty Soldier III and was qualified as a Rifle Marksman. He last served in Macon Georgia prior to his discharge. He received the American Defense Service Ribbon and was entitled to a Good Conduct Ribbon.
After discharge from the Army, Ellsworth worked at Wright – Patterson Air Force base in the Flight Research Section as a truck driver for five years. He was also employed at Kelly Ford Motor Company in Springfield as an auto detailer. He also held employment as a cafeteria worker, material handler, and block layer. He last worked at Sheer Heart Dry Cleaner in Dayton as a presser and spotter in 1967. Ellsworth was proudest of completing the Frigidaire training in Rapid Dry Cleaning in 1962 and until recently would show anyone his certificate of completion.
Benning had an interest in homeopathic medicine and natural herbs which he sought help for his physical ailments. With his caring nature, he was always quick to suggest a nutritional supplement to help his friends. Ellsworth also enjoyed making photographs and loved to practice his skill at weddings. He also enjoyed baseball and watching golf on TV.
Although they had no children, Uncle Benny and Aunt Catherine had a special place in their hearts for their cat Tommy who is being gratefully cared for by Mark and Sue Johnston from Springfield.
Ellsworth was baptized as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses on May 1, 1948. He was previously associated with the West Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Springfield Ohio where he supported his wife in her full-time ministry until her death in 2002. Ellsworth loved Jehovah and believed in the Bible’s promise of being resurrected back to life on earth in an earthly paradise in the near future (Psalm 37:10, 11).
Ellsworth was preceded in death by his sisters and brother: Esther Coleman; Leroy E. Seldon; and Ruth Elizabeth Jackson all of Springfield; Martha Hernandez from Fresno California; and a niece Judy Melton and nephew Ronald Jackson both formerly of Cedarville, Ohio. He is survived by nieces Esther L. Ames of Springfield, Elizabeth L. Middendorf of Columbus, George Jackson of Urbana, Esther Jackson of Fort Worth, Texas and Ruth Jackson of Yellow Springs.
A memorial will be held at the West Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Springfield Ohio by Paul Graves on Saturday April 23, 2011 at 7:00 p.m. Additional information regarding Ellsworth’s resurrection hope can be found at www.jw.org .
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Front: Susan (Shears) Salzgeber, Lyle Luzum, Sue (Johnston) Luzum, Cathie (Striemer) Parten, Sharon (Zumdahl) Asp.
Back: Chip Salzgeber, David Runge, Karen (Hendrickson) Runge, Kathy (Olson) Potter, Mary (Ziemer) Nervig, Rolfe Nervig.
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Susan Johnston, Finalist, Large Business Innovation and Leadership
Sue Johnston, Director, Customer Service IT
priceline.com
For a full event recap, including profiles of each of the 2010 Women of Innovation, visit www.ct.org/WOI_2010.asp .
2010 Women of Innovation program sponsors:
Boehringer Ingelheim USA Corporation, Covidien Surgical Devices, Day Pitney LLP, First Experience Communications, GE, HABCO, Pitney Bowes, Inc.
priceline.com, Robert Half Technology, United Technologies Corporation (UTC)
About The Connecticut Technology Council (CTC):
CTC is the state’s industry association for the technology sector. By supporting innovation that leads to entrepreneurship and job creation in all size firms, CTC seeks to be "the catalyst for innovation and growth". Led by President and CEO Matthew Nemerson, CTC is a strong advocate for programs such as the Annual Women of Innovation Awards event which help to increase public understanding of Connecticut's need for a world class innovation environment.
For information about all CTC events and news on the latest technology trends in Connecticut, visit www.ct.org .
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Tags: camera museum loft canon lens scotland starwars aperture nikon university control fife photographic freak controls learning standrews uni fe society musa d300 theempirestrikesback yooni ghiribizzo universiity thatstoobigforaspacestation
A Saturday afternoon where 'I' get to really be - Il Ghiribizzo - the freak of control... hehehe.
Some of St.Andrews Photographic Society's newbies and some old hands helped me out with a 'Camera Controls' session today.
Here, Emily's in the hot seat looking along the tables towards an AT-ST Walker. (you all have one of those surely?) Using the shiny badgemaking blanks I found, I placed them along the table and we were seeing how the depth of field preview button could help us see what would be in focus in our pictures at different apertures set on the lens.
They all did very well, even if they were Canon owners... ;-)
The Learning Loft is in part of MUSA - the Museum of the University of St.Andrews. We are lucky in the StAPS to have another flickrite - Viche - who works with the Uni. who helped us have the opportunity to use the facilities here.
Plug in the ol' eeePC, projector on ceiling...lovely. Just the job. An ideal place to do this type of work.
Thanks Viche. :-)
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James "Jim" Royle [Ricky Tomlinson], Barbara Royle [Sue Johnston], David [Craig Cash], Denise Best [Caroline Aherne]
BBC ONE
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LITTLE DORRIT
(l-r) PAM FERRIS as Mrs General, BILL PATERSON as Mr Meagles, GEORGIA KING as Pet Meagles, ALEX WYNDHAM as Henry Gowan, RUTH JONES as Flora, JUDY PARFITT as Mrs Clennam, MATTHEW MACFADYEN as Arthur Clennam, ALUN ARMSTRONG as Flintwinch and SUE JOHNSTON as Affery.
www.bbc.co.uk/littledorrit/
BBC ONE
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LITTLE DORRIT
(l-r) MAXINE PEAKE as Miss Wade, FREEMA AGYEMAN as Tattycoram, AMANDA REDMAN as Mrs Merdle, ANTON LESSER as Mr Merdle, PAM FERRIS as Mrs General, BILL PATERSON as Mr Meagles, GEORGIA KING as Pet Meagles, ALEX WYNDHAM as Henry Gowan, RUTH JONES as Flora, JUDY PARFITT as Mrs Clennam, MATTHEW MACFADYEN as Arthur Clennam, ALUN ARMSTRONG as Flintwinch, SUE JOHNSTON as Affery, ANDY SERKIS as Rigaud, JASON THORPE as Cavalletto, SEBASTIAN ARMESTO as Edmund Sparkler, EMMA PIERSON as Fanny Dorrit, EDDIE MARSAN as Pancks, EVE MYLES as Maggy, RUSSELL TOVEY as John Chivery, RON COOK as Mr Chivery, CLAIRE FOY as Amy Dorrit, TOM COURTENAY as Mr William Dorrit, JAMES FLEET as Frederick Dorrit and ARTHUR DARVILL as Tip Dorrit.
www.bbc.co.uk/littledorrit/
BBC ONE
©BBC Use of this copyright image is subject to Terms of Use of BBC Digital Picture Service. Any use of this image on the internet or for any other purpose whatsoever, including advertising or other commercial uses, requires the prior written permission of the BBC.
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Tags: television liverpool four soap opera close phil redmond channel mersey brookside brookie religiouscult rickytomlinson westderby simonhowe brooksideclose auctioned sheilagrant suejohnston katierogers merseytelevision deysbrook philredmond barrygrant bobbygrant damongrant karengrant simonobrien soldon17thdecember2008
Possibly the most famous house of the lot, Brookside started with two of its most famous characters, Bobby and Sheila Grant (Ricky Tomlinson and Sue Johnston.) Years later the two actors would be husband and wife in the series The Royle Family.
Sheila Grant's rape in 1986 was at the time controversial but it was senstively handled, and it provided one of the best acting performances of the 1980s.
After leaving the house in 1989, the Rogers moved in. They stayed there until 1993, which saw Katie Rogers befriending Simon Howe, who unknown to her was the leader of a religious cult. The cult was smashed sensationally by Barry Grant in 1994, who then moved in for a year before Mick Johnson and family moved from number 7 into a larger house.
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Tags: vimeo running ultrarunning mountainrunning montrail nuun
For a Presentation I'm giving - coachingendurance.com/blog/2009/04/montrail-presentation....
sean meissner, karl meltzer, justin angle, ty draney, john stamstad, roch horton, ellen parker, krissy moehl, hal koerner, jay batchen, mike evans, chris lundberg, tom ederer, ashley nordell, chandler gehlhausen, aaron heidt, kurt parker, gary robbins, trevor garner, eric taft, melissa miller, coyote 4 players: Blake Wood, Dave Horton, Howard Cohen, Sue Johnston, Joe Clapper, Bruce Grant, Andy Kumeda
This is a frame from a video. You can watch it on Vimeo .
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Tags: running 2006 massanutten ultrarunning mmt100 vhtrc hundredmiler
Sue Johnston, from Waterford, VT, was the first woman to finish. Here, she is at the Edinburg Gap aid station, at mile 76. Her time was 23:14:43. She is the only woman to go under 24 hours at this race, and now she has done it twice.
----
I spent a weekend in the Massanutten Mountains shooting the Massanutten Mountain Trail 100 Mile Endurance Run (MMT, for short). Racers have 36 hours to cover 100 rugged miles through the mountains by foot. I can tell you from experience, no matter how tough you are, this race will kick you ass and call you Sally. More images are here .
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Sue Johnston, the first place woman, powering up Bird Knob. She is the only woman to finish MMT in under 24 hours, and did it again this year in 23:14.
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Sue Johnston in Downsville. She is a former JFK champ. She was fourth this year.
Recent Updated: 11 years ago - Created by vhtrc - View
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Tags: ring
Sue has had an incredible year, winning four 100-milers and setting the women's course record for each. She was only the second person to finish the TWOT 100 last weekend...and it led to tired legs at the Ring, so she decided to call it a night. She doesn't look too bummed, though!
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Ms. Effie Sue Johnston, aka "Sue Pritchett." This is my Grandmother on my Dad's side.
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Tags: copyright liverpool regan tv soap theatre grant redmond actor drama ricky brookside tomlinson scouse towner rickytomlinson finchlane everymantheatre amandaburton suejohnston philredmond townerimages
This picture is from my set featuring some of the most famous actors from the early cast of the popular and sometimes ground breaking Channel 4 soap opera “Brookside”. The pictures were taken during their rehearsals for a version of the show to be staged at the Everyman Theatre to raise funds for a local charity. I was invited along to meet them and photograph the proceedings (provided I did not use flash). This was around the Christmas period 1984. The venue, the Finch Lane Club in Dovecot, Liverpool, had been provided by my father who was a friend of Bill Dean, who played Harry Cross in the soap. At that time “Brookside” was providing a great opportunity for people entering the profession and some of the actors here have duly gone on to have illustrious careers in the business. Others later left the profession or are sadly no longer with us. Watching and photographing the performers during their work was really enlightening and entertaining and they were all without exception very friendly and approachable.
The pictures were taken indoors in poor lighting conditions without flash and have lost detail and texture during digitisation, so really they are only here for their rarity value.
The cast members present were : Amanda Burton (playing Heather Huntington), Sue Johnston (Sheila Grant), Ricky Tomlinson (Bobby Grant), Paul Usher (Barry Grant), Simon O’Brien (Damon Grant), Bill Dean (Harry Cross), Betty Alberge (Edna Cross), Anna Keaveney (Marie Jackson), Jim Wiggins (Paul Collins), Doreen Sloane (Annabelle Collins), Nigel Crowley (Gordon Collins), Dicken Ashworth (Alan Partridge), Brian Regan (Terry Sullivan), Robbie Cullen (Gizmo Hawkins) and Tracey Jay (Michelle Jones) along with Phil Redmond and director Chris Clough.
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Recent Updated: 13 years ago - Created by Towner Images - View
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Tags: copyright liverpool tv theatre actor drama brookside towner rickytomlinson finchlane everymantheatre amandaburton suejohnston philredmond townerimages
This picture is from my set featuring some of the most famous actors from the early cast of the popular and sometimes ground breaking Channel 4 soap opera “Brookside”. The pictures were taken during their rehearsals for a version of the show to be staged at the Everyman Theatre to raise funds for a local charity. I was invited along to meet them and photograph the proceedings (provided I did not use flash). This was around the Christmas period 1984. The venue, the Finch Lane Club in Dovecot, Liverpool, had been provided by my father who was a friend of Bill Dean, who played Harry Cross in the soap. At that time “Brookside” was providing a great opportunity for people entering the profession and some of the actors here have duly gone on to have illustrious careers in the business. Others later left the profession or are sadly no longer with us. Watching and photographing the performers during their work was really enlightening and entertaining and they were all without exception very friendly and approachable.
The pictures were taken indoors in poor lighting conditions without flash and have lost detail and texture during digitisation, so really they are only here for their rarity value.
The cast members present were : Amanda Burton (playing Heather Huntington), Sue Johnston (Sheila Grant), Ricky Tomlinson (Bobby Grant), Paul Usher (Barry Grant), Simon O’Brien (Damon Grant), Bill Dean (Harry Cross), Betty Alberge (Edna Cross), Anna Keaveney (Marie Jackson), Jim Wiggins (Paul Collins), Doreen Sloane (Annabelle Collins), Nigel Crowley (Gordon Collins), Dicken Ashworth (Alan Partridge), Brian Regan (Terry Sullivan), Robbie Cullen (Gizmo Hawkins) and Tracey Jay (Michelle Jones) along with Phil Redmond and director Chris Clough.
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Copyright and permission to use should be sought to the author - Towner Images
Tags: copyright liverpool tv theatre actor drama brookside towner rickytomlinson finchlane everymantheatre amandaburton suejohnston philredmond townerimages
This picture is from my set featuring some of the most famous actors from the early cast of the popular and sometimes ground breaking Channel 4 soap opera “Brookside”. The pictures were taken during their rehearsals for a version of the show to be staged at the Everyman Theatre to raise funds for a local charity. I was invited along to meet them and photograph the proceedings (provided I did not use flash). This was around the Christmas period 1984. The venue, the Finch Lane Club in Dovecot, Liverpool, had been provided by my father who was a friend of Bill Dean, who played Harry Cross in the soap. At that time “Brookside” was providing a great opportunity for people entering the profession and some of the actors here have duly gone on to have illustrious careers in the business. Others later left the profession or are sadly no longer with us. Watching and photographing the performers during their work was really enlightening and entertaining and they were all without exception very friendly and approachable.
The pictures were taken indoors in poor lighting conditions without flash and have lost detail and texture during digitisation, so really they are only here for their rarity value.
The cast members present were : Amanda Burton (playing Heather Huntington), Sue Johnston (Sheila Grant), Ricky Tomlinson (Bobby Grant), Paul Usher (Barry Grant), Simon O’Brien (Damon Grant), Bill Dean (Harry Cross), Betty Alberge (Edna Cross), Anna Keaveney (Marie Jackson), Jim Wiggins (Paul Collins), Doreen Sloane (Annabelle Collins), Nigel Crowley (Gordon Collins), Dicken Ashworth (Alan Partridge), Brian Regan (Terry Sullivan), Robbie Cullen (Gizmo Hawkins) and Tracey Jay (Michelle Jones) along with Phil Redmond and director Chris Clough.
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Tags: copyright liverpool tv soap theatre rehearsal stage performing redmond actress acting actor drama brookside scouse towner rickytomlinson finchlane everymantheatre amandaburton suejohnston philredmond townerimages
This picture is from my set featuring some of the most famous actors from the early cast of the popular and sometimes ground breaking Channel 4 soap opera “Brookside”. The pictures were taken during their rehearsals for a version of the show to be staged at the Everyman Theatre to raise funds for a local charity. I was invited along to meet them and photograph the proceedings (provided I did not use flash). This was around the Christmas period 1984. The venue, the Finch Lane Club in Dovecot, Liverpool, had been provided by my father who was a friend of Bill Dean, who played Harry Cross in the soap. At that time “Brookside” was providing a great opportunity for people entering the profession and some of the actors here have duly gone on to have illustrious careers in the business. Others later left the profession or are sadly no longer with us. Watching and photographing the performers during their work was really enlightening and entertaining and they were all without exception very friendly and approachable.
The pictures were taken indoors in poor lighting conditions without flash and have lost detail and texture during digitisation, so really they are only here for their rarity value.
The cast members present were : Amanda Burton (playing Heather Huntington), Sue Johnston (Sheila Grant), Ricky Tomlinson (Bobby Grant), Paul Usher (Barry Grant), Simon O’Brien (Damon Grant), Bill Dean (Harry Cross), Betty Alberge (Edna Cross), Anna Keaveney (Marie Jackson), Jim Wiggins (Paul Collins), Doreen Sloane (Annabelle Collins), Nigel Crowley (Gordon Collins), Dicken Ashworth (Alan Partridge), Brian Regan (Terry Sullivan), Robbie Cullen (Gizmo Hawkins) and Tracey Jay (Michelle Jones) along with Phil Redmond and director Chris Clough.
COPYRIGHT © Towner Images
Recent Updated: 13 years ago - Created by Towner Images - View
Copyright and permission to use should be sought to the author - Towner Images
Tags: copyright liverpool tv soap theatre stage redmond actress actor drama brookside scouse towner rickytomlinson finchlane everymantheatre amandaburton suejohnston philredmond townerimages
This picture is from my set featuring some of the most famous actors from the early cast of the popular and sometimes ground breaking Channel 4 soap opera “Brookside”. The pictures were taken during their rehearsals for a version of the show to be staged at the Everyman Theatre to raise funds for a local charity. I was invited along to meet them and photograph the proceedings (provided I did not use flash). This was around the Christmas period 1984. The venue, the Finch Lane Club in Dovecot, Liverpool, had been provided by my father who was a friend of Bill Dean, who played Harry Cross in the soap. At that time “Brookside” was providing a great opportunity for people entering the profession and some of the actors here have duly gone on to have illustrious careers in the business. Others later left the profession or are sadly no longer with us. Watching and photographing the performers during their work was really enlightening and entertaining and they were all without exception very friendly and approachable.
The pictures were taken indoors in poor lighting conditions without flash and have lost detail and texture during digitisation, so really they are only here for their rarity value.
The cast members present were : Amanda Burton (playing Heather Huntington), Sue Johnston (Sheila Grant), Ricky Tomlinson (Bobby Grant), Paul Usher (Barry Grant), Simon O’Brien (Damon Grant), Bill Dean (Harry Cross), Betty Alberge (Edna Cross), Anna Keaveney (Marie Jackson), Jim Wiggins (Paul Collins), Doreen Sloane (Annabelle Collins), Nigel Crowley (Gordon Collins), Dicken Ashworth (Alan Partridge), Brian Regan (Terry Sullivan), Robbie Cullen (Gizmo Hawkins) and Tracey Jay (Michelle Jones) along with Phil Redmond and director Chris Clough.
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| bobby and sheila grant |
Which 1981 song contains the lyrics " And I've lost my light. For I toss and turn, I can't sleep at night"? | Sue Johnston - Who is talking about Sue Johnston on FLICKR
www.youtube.com/watch?v=fm0CJtVSQD8
Brookside is a British soap opera set in Liverpool, England. The series began on the launch night of Channel 4 on 2 November 1982, and ran for 21 years until 4 November 2003. Originally intended to be called Meadowcroft, the series was produced by Mersey Television and it was conceived by Phil Redmond who also devised Grange Hill (1978–2008) and Hollyoaks (1995–present).
Brookside became very successful and was often Channel 4's highest rated programme for a number of years in the 1980s and early 1990s, with audiences regularly in excess of 8 million viewers. It is notable for its tackling of realistic and socially challenging storylines. From the mid-1990s it began raising more controversial subjects under the guidance of new producers such as Mal Young and Paul Marquess. It is especially well known for broadcasting the first pre-watershed lesbian kiss on British television in 1994, as well as a powerful domestic abuse storyline resulting in murder. In 1996, the series caused an uproar when it featured a storyline of a consensual incestuous sexual relationship between two sibling characters.
Brookside was also the first British soap to feature an openly gay character when Gordon Collins came out in 1985, and it was also the first to depict serious drug addiction with a number of different characters. Although the series had a long and successful run, by 2000 its viewing figures were in terminal decline and low ratings eventually led to its cancellation in 2003.
The final episode was broadcast on 4 November 2003 and was watched by around 2 million viewers.
The first episode of Brookside was repeated as part of Channel 4 at 25 on 1 October 2007. The episode aired on More4 in a season of celebratory Channel 4 programmes to mark the channel's first quarter century. Several classic episodes have also been available to view on 4oD, an online service, since 2009.
After years of campaigning by fans, a special DVD was released in November 2012, just over 30 years after the series originally began, titled Brookside Most Memorable Moments. It features clips and episodes from every year of the programme's 21-year history.
Brookside differed from other soap operas because it was filmed in real, brand-new houses, in a real cul-de-sac, situated off Deysbrook Lane in the North West city of Liverpool.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MvrrA7zv8s&list=PLHkDX58c6v3...
Built by Broseley Homes, the houses were custom built in an attempt by the producers to add to the show's realism. In early 1982, Mersey Television, with Phil Redmond at the helm, bought thirteen houses altogether, six of which would be seen on-screen as sets. The remaining seven properties housed administration, postproduction and canteen facilities for the cast and crew. Phil Redmond was particularly enthusiastic about purchasing an entire 'close' of houses, partly as a means of achieving the desired realism of Brookside, but also in order to maintain total control of his creation.
The Body Under the Patio plot
www.youtube.com/watch?v=uT5T5mBg2BU
One of Brookside's most famous storyline began in February 1993, with the story of wife beater and child abuser Trevor Jordache (Bryan Murray). His wife, Mandy (Sandra Maitland) and daughters Beth (Anna Friel) and Rachel (Tiffany Chapman) moved into number 10 under a shroud of mystery.
The house had been vacated by the remaining Corkhill clan and sold to a Mrs Shackleton; however, unbeknown to the residents of the close, she was acting as a representative for a charity supporting abused families, and had purchased the property as a safe house. After the Jordache family moved in some disturbing facts began to emerge. It transpired that not only had Mandy suffered years of mental and physical abuse, but also that Beth had been sexually abused by her father. Before long Trevor, who had recently been released from prison for GBH against Mandy, found them in Brookside Close. He persuaded Mandy to let him back into the family home pretending to have been changed by prison, but once in he quickly resumed his own ways, frequently beating Mandy.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5KMN_7k1rI
Things quickly escalated as Trevor began getting violent towards Beth also and began sexually abusing Rachel. As the abuse and torture got worse, Beth encouraged her mother Mandy to plot to kill Trevor. After several attempts by the pair to poison him failed, Mandy and Beth stabbed him in the kitchen of number 10 and, with the help of Sinbad, buried him underneath their patio, where his body remained until January 1995, when neighbour Eddie Banks (Paul Broughton) dug him up whilst investigating a leaking water pipe. Following the discovery, Sinbad, who had genuine feelings towards Mandy and had been totally supportive and sympathetic of her plight, took the family on the run to the Republic of Ireland.
This was depicted in a couple of episodes before they were arrested in Dublin as wanted suspects for murder. Subsequently, on return to Britain, Mandy and Beth were immediately charged with Trevor's murder, launching the Free the Jordache Two campaign and ratings soared with Brookside achieving its highest ever viewing figures of 9 million. The story was inspired by a real life case in Walsall, West Midlands, where a woman killed her abusive husband and buried his body under the patio of their house in 1990; it was discovered two years later.
When there’s a knock on the door, Lee Carroll knows exactly what it will be for.
And, chances are, it won’t be a neighbour calling for a chat but an excited fan wanting to look at his patio!
“I get at least one person a fortnight knocking at the door, asking to come in and looking around my house,” says Lee. “And they always want to go in my garden...”
For Lee, 32, is resident of what used to be one of Merseyside’s most famous addresses, Number 10 Brookside Close.
Former ‘home’ of the Corkhills, it was also the scene of what soap viewers voted one of the most dramatics story lines ever: the body under the patio.
Wife beater and child abuser Trevor Jordache (Bryan Murray) lay undetected there for two years before his body was discovered 20 years ago this month, in hit Mersey TV soap Brookside.
The last episode
In the extended final episode, screened at 22:40 and divided into three distinct parts, Brookside shocked the audience one last time with the remaining residents of Brookside Close taking a stand against Michaelson, lynching him from number 8's bedroom window.
Written by creator Phil Redmond, the final episode started exactly the same way episode one had begun 21 years previously, with a milkman delivering provisions to the residents of the Close. This time, however, he was greeted with the sight of Jack Michaelson's dead body hanging from his bedroom window. When the police started investigating, all of the residents on Brookside Close gave false alibis, thus protecting each other from prosecution over Michaelson's murder. As had been seen in Brookside before, the culprits of the lynching were not revealed, with several characters seen to have the same blue rope with which Michaelson was hanged. Encouraged by the return of Barry Grant, Tim, Steve, and the remaining Gordon lads were all seen contemplating killing Michaelson, and whilst Jimmy was also aware there was a plan, the only male resident in ignorance of what was happening was Ron Dixon. During the darkness of the night, three masked residents broke into Michaelson's house and suspended him from the front window, however, this is all that was revealed to the audience.
In the last part of the episode, Phil Redmond had his final say in a rebellious scripted rant criticising religion, urban migration, public ignorance and the prohibition of drugs, which was voiced by Brookside's longest-running character, Jimmy Corkhill, sat in an armchair on the front lawn of number 10. Jimmy was also the last resident of Brookside Close to leave their house. As a last act of defiance, he broke into the abandoned houses and left all the taps running, he then painted Game Over on the boarded-up windows of several houses, and drew an extra D on the Brookside Close sign, to spell Brookside Closed at the end of the episode. He then went to live with his daughter Lindsey, who had married Barry Grant off-screen, the two characters having returned especially for the final episode, watched by a peak of 2.27 million viewers.
In the closing narrative, Jimmy and Lindsey went to live in Newcastle in Barry's mansion. Tim moved in with Steve Murray, sharing a flat in Liverpool City Centre, as shown in the Unfinished Business feature. Nikki left for Brussels to live with her mother Margi. The orphaned Gordon children then left with their elder sister Ruth, and her husband Sean Smith, now reunited as head of the remaining Gordon family. Jan, Marty and Anthony Murray followed soon after, refusing to tell anyone where they were going. Bev and Ron Dixon then said their goodbyes to long-time neighbour and archenemy Jimmy Corkhill, with Ron remarking candidly; "I hope I never see you again".
The final shot in Brookside was a close-up of Jimmy Corkhill looking directly into the camera and, breaking the fourth wall, he winked to the audience. A caption states "The End of an Era...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=c28EFLkcPvg
2008 - Now more than 25 years after its television debut on Channel 4, Brookside Close has been sold for a bargain basement price of £735,000 at auction.
Overgrown and in need of refurbishment, the 13 red-brick houses in the Liverpool suburb of West Derby were sold to a construction boss from the local area.
2011 - The 13 properties that make up the street in West Derby have been completely restored with new brickwork, new timber, staircases, plumbing and wiring and are now ready to be lived in.
Brookside Close was sold to an anonymous purchaser at auction in December 2008 having spent years lying vacant after the previous developer, who bought the set from Mersey Television in 2005, went into administration.
Carol Corran from Sutton Kersh Lettings, said: "This is an incredibly rare and unique opportunity.
"Brookside Close is one of the most well-known cul-de-sacs in the country.
2016 - The show's creator Phil Redmond has opened up on the possibility of the former Channel 4 drama getting a revamp.
Some Brookside stars: Where are they now?
Jacqui Farnham (Alex Fletcher) 1990 - 2003 - The longest serving Brookside star became a qualified fitness instructor before joining the Hollyoaks cast as Diane O’Connor in 2010.
Fletcher, who has hosted the ECHO Mum of the Year awards three times, has a 10-year-old daughter, Yasmin.
Damon Grant (Simon O’Brien) 1982 - 1987 - After his Brookside departure O’Brien went on to be a children’s TV and football presenter before opening a vegetarian café and cycle shop in Liverpool.
O’Brien, an environmentalist, was appointed chair of the Green and Open Spaces Review Board last year, which scrutinise the use of the Liverpool’s green spaces.
Bobby Grant (Ricky Tomlinson) 1982 - 1988 - Tomlinson became a well-known comedian and went on to star in The Royle Family and a number of films including Mike Bassett: England Manager.
In May 2010, he opened the Green Room, a cabaret club on Duke Street. A long-time supporter of the Socialist Labour Party, Tomlinson has suffered two heart attacks and has campaigned for men to get free checks to combat the rise in heart disease.
Anthony Murray (Ray Quinn) 2000 - 2003 - Quinn’s fame skyrocketed after he was runner-up on The X-Factor in 2006.
He won the fourth series of Dancing on Ice in 2009, the All Stars series in 2014 and the first series of Get Your Act Together last year.
Terry Sullivan (Brian Regan) 1982 - 1997 - Regan’s acting career petered out after his Brookside departure and he plunged into a life of drug dealing and addiction.
In 2012 he was sentenced to five years in jail for lying to police over his role in the murder of Iranian doorman Bahman Faraji in Aigburth and for selling drugs.
Beth Jordache (Anna Friel) 1992 - 1994 - One of the more successful ex-Brookside stars, her role made headlines when she shared a lesbian kiss with Margaret.
The 39-year-old, who made her film debut in Land Girls in 1998 and took part in the first season of Celebrity Big Brother, will play the lead role in Marcella, an upcoming ITV crime drama.
Margaret Clemence (Nicola Stephenson) 1990–1994 - Stephenson's on-air kiss with Anna Friel was the first pre-watershed lesbian kiss to be broadcast on British television.
From 2015 to 2016, she played the part of Tess Harris in the soap-opera Emmerdale. Her four-month stint on the series came to a sudden end when her character was unexpectedly killed off in a hit-and-run incident.
Jerome Johnson (Leon Lopez)1999–2002 - Lopez has appeared in various theatre productions and recently went behind the camera, writing and directing feature film Soft Lad.
It was confirmed earlier this month that the 36-year-old is returning to soap after landing a small guest role on EastEnders.
Emily Shadwick (Jennifer Ellison) 1998–2003 - Ellison, a former model, singer, dancer and TV personality starred in the 2004 film adaptation of The Phantom of the Opera.
The mum-of-three, who has long battled with weight issues, appeared on ITV’s Lorraine last year, where she vowed “never to yo-yo diet again” after revealing she’d reached 14st.
The Liverpool actress needed medical attention after she went on a sugar-free crash diet while filming reality TV program Sugar Free Farm earlier this month.
Sheila Grant (Sue Johnston) 1982–1990 - After departing Brookside she starred in Walking the Dead, The Royle Family, Coronation Street and made guest appearances in the fifth series of Downtown Abbey.
She has been a vocal supporter of the Labour Party and has rallied for gay rights.
Thomas 'Sinbad' Sweeney (Michael Starke) 1984–2000 - Starke went on to star in ITV1 drama The Royal before joining the cast of Coronation Street in 2007.
He was axed from the show the following year and later revealed: “I never felt at home on the Street.”
Barry Grant (Paul Usher) 1982–1995, 1997–1998, 2003 - Usher appeared on numerous programs including Liverpool 1, London’s Burning and he played a lengthy role in The Bill.
In 2014, Usher’s 25-year-old son James fell ill on a ship in Scotland and later died in hospital.
Jimmy Corkhill (Dean Sullivan) 1986–2003 - In 2008 Sullivan reportedly wanted to buy 13 houses on Brookside Close because he wanted to revive the show.
In 2014, his brother, Barry, died after a cycling accident in Woolton.
Lindsey Corkhill (Claire Sweeney) 1991–1992, 1995–2001, 2002, 2003 - After a 10-year stint in Brookside, Sweeney appeared on Celebrity Big Brother and in the West End musical, Chicago.
She also appeared on TV programs Clocking Off, Mersey Beat and BBC comedy series Candy Cabs.
Jackie Corkhill (Sue Jenkins) 1991–2001 - Having Brookside and Coronation Street (she played Gloria Todd from 1985 to 1988) under her belt, Sue has continued working as an actress in both TV and theatre. Acting credits include Merseybeat, just like Claire Sweeney, who played her on-screen daughter Lindsey, Holby City, Dalziel & Pascoe, Heartbeat, Doctors, Emmerdale and even a presenting role on Loose Women and some theatre work.
Rachel Jordache (later known as Rachel Dixon) (Tiffany Chapman) 1993-2003 - Tiffany the daughter of former footballer and football manager Les Chapman who played around 1000 games for various clubs in the Football League.
Tiffany Chapman was named after Tiffany Welles, one of the lesser known Charlies Angels.
In June 2007 she starred as social worker Meg in the popular UK drama Hollyoaks.
In February 2008 she appeared as nurse Cindy Burton in the ITV1 soap Emmerdale
In 2016 she starred in an advert with Hanna Barbera's Top Cat animated character for Halifax Bank of Scotland.
Brookside Facts......
The first episode of Brookside was broadcast at 8:00pm on Channel 4's first night, 2 November 1982.
The first words ever spoken on Brookside were by extra John Whitehall, who portrayed the Close's milkman on and off for over 10 years.
Executive producer Phil Redmond's first taste of showbiz success came when he sold a comedy sketch to Harry Secombe.
Before joining Brookie, Dean Sullivan (Jimmy Corkhill) was a supply teacher between acting jobs. He only intended to appear for just six episodes back in 1986, but proved such a hit that he was eventually given a permanent contract.
The facial piercings sported by Louise Hope (Lisa Faulkner) were fake and had to be applied by the make-up artists.
Brookside has twice taken some of its characters into separate but related mini-series, first with Damon and Debbie in 1987, then with Tracy Corkhill running away to London in South in 1988.
The name Brookside came about because the cul-de-sac in which the series was based had a brook running next to it.
Brookie was the first ever British soap to have each week's episodes repeated in a weekend omnibus edition.
When Bobby and Sheila Grant went to Rome in 1987, scenes were filmed in St Peter's Square, some even showing the Pope on his balcony.
Claire Sweeney's (Lindsey Corkhill) first job was in her dad's butcher's shop.
The Full Monty star Paul Barber appeared in 1994 as ex-convict Greg Salter.
Mark Moraghan's (Greg Shadwick) first job was in his cousin's polythene bag factory. Two years later he won his first acting-related job, working with handicapped children at a theatre company.
Only six of the 10 houses on the Close are featured in the show. The others are used as a canteen, a make-up and wardrobe department and a production room.
Louis Emerick had to undertake an extensive weight-training programme in 1996 when his character Mick Johnson was involved in a steroid abuse storyline.
Peter Phelan's ex-girlfriend was played by actor Sam Kane's real-life wife, former model Linda Lusardi.
Brookie is a family affair for actor Paul Byatt (Mike Dixon). His brother Liam and sisters Sharon and Michelle have all had roles in the show.
Michael Starke (Sinbad) didn't start acting until he was 26, and previously worked as a chef and a roadsweeper.
In 1990, the actors playing the Rogers family went to the House of Commons to help launch the British Dyslexia Society's Awareness Week on the back of the story of Geoff Roger's learning difficulties.
When the residents of an estate in Bradford were consulted about how they wanted their estate to look after redevelopment, they opted for a copy of Brookside Close.
The most-watched episode so far went out on 31 January 1995. Some 8.96 million watched as Eddie Banks made the gruesome discovery of Trevor Jordache's body.
Over 200 viewers complained to Channel 4 when one episode ended with Barry Grant apparently on the verge of chopping off a dog's head.
In 1991, Kevin Carson asked if his character Geoff Rogers could be killed off. As Sue and Danny had already died that year, the producers decided he should leave on a happy note, and had the footballer join Torquay United.
Vince Earl (Ron Dixon) competed on New Faces in 1975 with his band. He was beaten by Roger DeCourcey and Nookie Bear.
Max Farnham wasn't actor Steven Pinder's first stab at soap stardom. Back in the early 1980's he played hapless fitness instructor and corner shop owner Roy Lambert in Crossroads.
Ricky Tomlinson, who played trade unionist Bobby Grant, was one of the 'Shrewsbury Three', who were jailed in the 1970's for their part in the building workers' strike.
Sue Jenkins (Jackie Corkhill) is one of a small band of actors to take major roles in two different soaps. Back in the mid-1980's she played barmaid Gloria Todd in Coronation Street.
Irene Marot, who played DD Dixon originally auditioned for the role of Billy Corkhill's wife Doreen.
Brookside Parade was opened in the 1000th episode on 9 October 1991 - the same day Sue and Danny Sullivan were murdered.
Alex Fletcher (Jacqui Dixon) trained under acting coach Nikki Lindsay - sister of Rachael, who played Sammy Rogers.
Tiffany Chapman (Rachel Jordache) was named after Tiffany Welles, one of the lesser known Charlies Angels.
Philip Olivier originally auditioned for the role of Lee Banks before being cast as Tim O'Leary.
Clive Moore, who played priest Derek O'Farrell, trained as a dentist before turning to acting.
Although the Parade is supposed to be a short walk from the Close, the two locations are actually five miles apart.
Brookside is filmed six weeks before transmission. It takes six 10-hour days to make three episodes.
Brookside employs three gardeners to ensure that the plants and flowers seen in episodes are correct for the time of year they are broadcast.
All the Close's houses have actual hot and cold running water, and fully-functioning central heating, fridges, cookers and washing machines.
The deaths of Matthew and Emily Farnham came about because producers wanted a surrogacy storyline.
The role of Fee Phelan, eventually taken by Jackie Downey, was meant to be played by Cheryl Murray, Corrie's Suzie Birchall.
Phil Redmond bought the original nine houses in Brookside Close for £25,000 each.
Letitia Dean and Malandra Burrows had minor roles in Brookside before finding greater soap fame in Eastenders and Emmerdale respectively.
Andrew Fillis, who played Lindsey Corkhill's abusive husband Gary Stanlow, originally auditioned for the role of Carl Banks.
Paul Usher (Barry Grant) was a Bluecoat at Pontins.
The late Gladys Ambrose, who played Julia Brogan, previously appeared in a comedy acrobatic act alongside her husband Johannes.
Three different versions of the murder of Sue and Danny Sullivan were filmed in 1991, with Barry Grant, Terry Sullivan and Graeme Curtis each seen pushing them off scaffolding.
Carol Connor who played Carmel O'Leary, is the sister of singer Sonia and sang backing vocals when she competed in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1993.
Phil Redmond's determination to keep Brookside realistic caused uproar when early episodes had characters swearing. He eventually caved in to public opinion and toned down the language.
Sue Johnston and Ricky Tomlinson, (Sheila and Bobby Grant) raised money for miners' families during the 1985 strike, and were honoured by the National Union of Mineworkers.
Sue Jenkins' (Jackie Corkhill) husband is actor David Fleeshman, who played Emmerdale's crooked councillor Charlie Aindow. David also made a fleeting appearance in Brookie, and was served by Jackie in Ron Dixon's shop.
The Broadcasting Standards Council forced Channel 4 to broadcast an apology in 1996 for showing brother and sister Nat and Georgia Simpson in bed together.
The swimming pool in the Health Club is the same one that is used in the college leisure centre in Hollyoaks. It is split diagonally through the middle with the Brookie Decor on one half and Hollyoaks' on the other.
Steven Pinner, who played Jonathan Gordon-Davies, now acts under his real name, Steven Finch, in order to avoid confusion with ex-Brookside actor Steven Pinder (Max Farnham).
Alan Rothwell, who played Heather Haversham's heroin-addicted husband Nicholas Black, was one of the original stars of Coronation Street, playing Ken Barlow's brother David.
It was no coincidence that Debbie McGrath named her newborn son Simon - it was after Simon O'Brien, who played his late father Damon Grant.
There was another first in Brookside in February 1999 when Susannah breastfed her baby in Bar Brookie. The scene used a real-life mother and baby for the shots and was the first time a soap had broken the taboo.
The British Meningitis Trust commended the programme in 1990 for the thoroughness of its research in the storyline where Danny Sullivan contracted the illness.
There have been two crossover plots between Brookside and fellow Mersey Television show Hollyoaks: Jacqui and Katie saw actors from the latter in Chester 1998, while Jessie Shadwick and Alec O'Brien popped into the Hollyoaks pub The Dog In The Pond for a swift half in May 1999.
Former Neighbours and Home and Away star Richard Norton appeared in 1995 as a fictional Aussie soap star called Shane Cochran, who died after taking heroin sold to him by Gary Stanlow.
When Laura Gordon-Davies was electrocuted in 1987, she was in a coma for three months - the producers' revenge on actress Jane Cunliffe, who caused them problems by quitting the show.
Bryan Murray, who was well-known for his comedy roles such as Shifty in the sitcom Bread, was deliberately cast as evil Trevor Jordache to fool people into thinking he was a nice character.
Harry Cross was originally meant to die from a heart attack after three months, but the character was so popular that he stayed for five years.
Eileen O'Brien, who played Mick's terminally ill mother-in-law Gladys Charlton, was previously punk Mary Smith's mother in Eastenders.
When Paul Usher (Barry Grant) left the show suddenly in 1993, scripts had to be hastily rewritten. Most of his dialogue was given to Mick, while a disembodied hand was seen packing a suitcase.
Award-winning writer Jimmy McGovern, famous for Cracker, Hillsborough and The Lakes, wrote some of Brooksides early episodes.
Tricia Penrose, who plays barmaid Gina Ward in Heartbeat, appeared in 1988 as Emma Reid, a WPC with whom Rod Corkhill had a steamy affair.
Suzanne Packer, who played Mick Johnson's errant wife Josie, is the sister of Olympic hurdler Colin Jackson.
Ricky Tomlinson (Bobby Grant) was once in a country and western band alongside future co-star Tony Scoggo, who played Bobby's best friend Matty Nolan.
The entire Collins family had to be written out in 1990 when Doreen Sloane, who played matriarch Annabelle, tragically died of cancer.
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The cast includes Bernard Hill, Virginia McKenna, Sue Johnston, Alun Armstrong, Simon Callow, Una Stubbs, Phil Davies and Brad Moore!
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Tags: family woman white beautiful sunglasses hair kent long sitting legs market candid daughters auburn mature sue marketplace staring afternoontea johnston guildhall cornexchange faversham greatlegs photographiccompetition longauburnhair
BEST SEEN LARGE as indeed all my pictures are.
Just a beautiful blonde woman staring at me as I take a picture of her and her friends/family taking tea on a sunny afternoon in Faversham Market. I was trying to take a picture of the Guildhall behind them but decided she was far more interesting. She didn't seem to object to my taking her picture so hope she doesn't object if and when she sees herself on Flickr. Anyway I needed some more pictures for my new set called 'Cafe Culture' and this one fits nicely in it I think you will agree.
The woman might not thank me for saying this but she did remind me of a young Sue Johnston of Brookside and The Royle Family fame.
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Old West Building 1954 Miss Lillian Knox teacher
From Beverly Hadler Grimes
I have the names of some of the first grade class of Miss Knox. The rows run together so I will do my best. First row. Beverly Niles, Larry Filler, Karin Minary, Marilyn Collicott, Evelyn Collicott. Row Two. .?,?, Thomas Christine, John Henry, Judy Letzler, Janet VanOsdall. Row Three and Four Jim Small,? Jim Grimes, Pat Osting,?,Ron Redington, Maurice Amy, Alan Armstrong, Dave Phelps, Bobby Ray, ?. Row Five. Jane Smyser, Nita Kanouse, Beverly Hadler, Sue Johnston,?, Beverly Ruble,Dorothy?, ?, Linda Bowling,Edith Edmondson,Connie King,and Cheryl Martin.
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Tags: video policeawards sirpeterfahy policestaffemployeeoftheyear geofflingard chiefconstablesexcellenceawards2014 greatermanchesterpoliceawards
This year's winner of the Chief Constable's Excellence Award for Police Staff Employee of the year is Geoff Lingard.
Greater Manchester’s finest police officers, staff and volunteers gathered at The Midland Hotel in Manchester on Friday 27 June for Chief Constable Sir Peter Fahy’s annual Excellence Awards.
The sponsored evening was a celebration of the fantastic work and achievements within Greater Manchester Police (GMP) during the last year.
Salford-born, Geoff’s career with GMP spans nearly 30 years and has seen him work at the Force’s Sedgley Park training centre and at headquarters.
Geoff has trained generations of police officers in the use of video to capture evidence in a range of situations.
He also spent many years producing the videos used as training aids for officers and staff.
He currently works in the Force’s Corporate Communications Branch producing videos aimed at getting the Force’s message about safety and security to the general public.
Full of ideas, innovation and creativity, recent examples of his work include the ‘Dicing with Death’ series on aspects of road safety and a series of ’60 Second Security’ films aimed at keeping people and property safe and secure.
During his career, Geoff has worked with a range of well known faces from the world of drama and comedy such as Dame Thora Hird, Robert Powell, Jason Manford and Sue Johnston and a host of television news reporters and presenters.
Geoff is a true professional who brings something new and fresh to each project he undertakes.
Greater Manchester Police Chief Constable Sir Peter Fahy said: “The Excellence Awards recognise success, innovation, problem solving and the contribution that all GMP staff make to policing in Greater Manchester. The difficulty for me is choosing a winner for each award when so many staff make such a tremendous difference to the lives of our communities”
To find out more about Greater Manchester Police please visit our website.
www.gmp.police.uk
You should call 101, the new national non-emergency number, to report crime and other concerns that do not require an emergency response.
Always call 999 in an emergency, such as when a crime is in progress, violence is being used or threatened or where there is danger to life.
You can also call anonymously with information about crime to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Crimestoppers is an independent charity who will not want your name, just your information. Your call will not be traced or recorded and you do not have to go to court or give a statement.
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Sue Johnston arriving at The Women in TV and Film Awards 2009, Hilton Hotel, London.
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Tags: copyright amanda liverpool tv soap theatre redmond actress actor drama burton brookside thespian towner rickytomlinson finchlane everymantheatre amandaburton suejohnston philredmond townerimages
This picture is from my set featuring some of the most famous actors from the early cast of the popular and sometimes ground breaking Channel 4 soap opera “Brookside”. The pictures were taken during their rehearsals for a version of the show to be staged at the Everyman Theatre to raise funds for a local charity. I was invited along to meet them and photograph the proceedings (provided I did not use flash). This was around the Christmas period 1984. The venue, the Finch Lane Club in Dovecot, Liverpool, had been provided by my father who was a friend of Bill Dean, who played Harry Cross in the soap. At that time “Brookside” was providing a great opportunity for people entering the profession and some of the actors have duly gone on to have illustrious careers in the business. Others later left the profession or are sadly no longer with us. Watching and photographing the performers during their work was really enlightening and entertaining and they were all without exception very friendly and approachable.
The pictures were taken indoors in poor lighting conditions without flash and have lost detail and texture during digitisation, so really they are only here for their rarity value.
The cast members present were : Amanda Burton (playing Heather Huntington), Sue Johnston (Sheila Grant), Ricky Tomlinson (Bobby Grant), Paul Usher (Barry Grant), Simon O’Brien (Damon Grant), Bill Dean (Harry Cross), Betty Alberge (Edna Cross), Anna Keaveney (Marie Jackson), Jim Wiggins (Paul Collins), Doreen Sloane (Annabelle Collins), Nigel Crowley (Gordon Collins), Dicken Ashworth (Alan Partridge), Brian Regan (Terry Sullivan), Robbie Cullen (Gizmo Hawkins) and Tracey Jay (Michelle Jones) along with Phil Redmond and director Chris Clough.
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Tags: copyright amanda liverpool tv soap theatre actress actor drama burton brookside towner rickytomlinson finchlane everymantheatre amandaburton keaveney suejohnston philredmond townerimages
This picture is from my set featuring some of the most famous actors from the early cast of the popular and sometimes ground breaking Channel 4 soap opera “Brookside”. The pictures were taken during their rehearsals for a version of the show to be staged at the Everyman Theatre to raise funds for a local charity. I was invited along to meet them and photograph the proceedings (provided I did not use flash). This was around the Christmas period 1984. The venue, the Finch Lane Club in Dovecot, Liverpool, had been provided by my father who was a friend of Bill Dean, who played Harry Cross in the soap. At that time “Brookside” was providing a great opportunity for people entering the profession and some of the actors here have duly gone on to have illustrious careers in the business. Others later left the profession or are sadly no longer with us. Watching and photographing the performers during their work was really enlightening and entertaining and they were all without exception very friendly and approachable.
The pictures were taken indoors in poor lighting conditions without flash and have lost detail and texture during digitisation, so really they are only here for their rarity value.
The cast members present were : Amanda Burton (playing Heather Huntington), Sue Johnston (Sheila Grant), Ricky Tomlinson (Bobby Grant), Paul Usher (Barry Grant), Simon O’Brien (Damon Grant), Bill Dean (Harry Cross), Betty Alberge (Edna Cross), Anna Keaveney (Marie Jackson), Jim Wiggins (Paul Collins), Doreen Sloane (Annabelle Collins), Nigel Crowley (Gordon Collins), Dicken Ashworth (Alan Partridge), Brian Regan (Terry Sullivan), Robbie Cullen (Gizmo Hawkins) and Tracey Jay (Michelle Jones) along with Phil Redmond and director Chris Clough.
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Tags: copyright liverpool tv soap theatre obrien redmond actor drama usher brookside towner rickytomlinson finchlane everymantheatre amandaburton suejohnston philredmond townerimages
This picture is from my set featuring some of the most famous actors from the early cast of the popular and sometimes ground breaking Channel 4 soap opera “Brookside”. The pictures were taken during their rehearsals for a version of the show to be staged at the Everyman Theatre to raise funds for a local charity. I was invited along to meet them and photograph the proceedings (provided I did not use flash). This was around the Christmas period 1984. The venue, the Finch Lane Club in Dovecot, Liverpool, had been provided by my father who was a friend of Bill Dean, who played Harry Cross in the soap. At that time “Brookside” was providing a great opportunity for people entering the profession and some of the actors here have duly gone on to have illustrious careers in the business. Others later left the profession or are sadly no longer with us. Watching and photographing the performers during their work was really enlightening and entertaining and they were all without exception very friendly and approachable.
The pictures were taken indoors in poor lighting conditions without flash and have lost detail and texture during digitisation, so really they are only here for their rarity value.
The cast members present were : Amanda Burton (playing Heather Huntington), Sue Johnston (Sheila Grant), Ricky Tomlinson (Bobby Grant), Paul Usher (Barry Grant), Simon O’Brien (Damon Grant), Bill Dean (Harry Cross), Betty Alberge (Edna Cross), Anna Keaveney (Marie Jackson), Jim Wiggins (Paul Collins), Doreen Sloane (Annabelle Collins), Nigel Crowley (Gordon Collins), Dicken Ashworth (Alan Partridge), Brian Regan (Terry Sullivan), Robbie Cullen (Gizmo Hawkins) and Tracey Jay (Michelle Jones) along with Phil Redmond and director Chris Clough.
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Tags: copyright liverpool tv soap theatre stage redmond actress actor drama brookside scouse towner rickytomlinson finchlane everymantheatre amandaburton suejohnston philredmond townerimages
This picture is from my set featuring some of the most famous actors from the early cast of the popular and sometimes ground breaking Channel 4 soap opera “Brookside”. The pictures were taken during their rehearsals for a version of the show to be staged at the Everyman Theatre to raise funds for a local charity. I was invited along to meet them and photograph the proceedings (provided I did not use flash). This was around the Christmas period 1984. The venue, the Finch Lane Club in Dovecot, Liverpool, had been provided by my father who was a friend of Bill Dean, who played Harry Cross in the soap. At that time “Brookside” was providing a great opportunity for people entering the profession and some of the actors here have duly gone on to have illustrious careers in the business. Others later left the profession or are sadly no longer with us. Watching and photographing the performers during their work was really enlightening and entertaining and they were all without exception very friendly and approachable.
The pictures were taken indoors in poor lighting conditions without flash and have lost detail and texture during digitisation, so really they are only here for their rarity value.
The cast members present were : Amanda Burton (playing Heather Huntington), Sue Johnston (Sheila Grant), Ricky Tomlinson (Bobby Grant), Paul Usher (Barry Grant), Simon O’Brien (Damon Grant), Bill Dean (Harry Cross), Betty Alberge (Edna Cross), Anna Keaveney (Marie Jackson), Jim Wiggins (Paul Collins), Doreen Sloane (Annabelle Collins), Nigel Crowley (Gordon Collins), Dicken Ashworth (Alan Partridge), Brian Regan (Terry Sullivan), Robbie Cullen (Gizmo Hawkins) and Tracey Jay (Michelle Jones) along with Phil Redmond and director Chris Clough.
COPYRIGHT © Towner Images
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DVD Who Do You Think You Are UK Seasons 1 - 4
w15,000. As new. Region 2/multi region DVD or PC.
Series One: Bill Oddie, Amanda Redman, Sue Johnston, Jeremy Clarkson, Ian Hislop, Moira Stuart, David Baddiel, Lesley Garrett, Meera Syal, Vic Reeves
Series Two: Jeremy Paxman, Sheila Hancock, Stephen Fry, Julian Clary, Jane Horrocks, Gurinder Chadha
Series Three: Barbara Windsor, Robert Lindsay, Colin Jackson, David Tennant, David Dickinson, Nigella Lawson, Jeremy Irons, Julia Sawalha, Nicky Campbell
Series Four: Natasha Kaplinsky, John Hurt, Griff Rhys Jones, Carol Vorderman, Alistair McGowan, Graham Norton, Sir Matthew Pinsent
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Tags: london unitedkingdom greaterlondon ln07
London, UNITED KINGDOM: (FromLtoR) Ricky Tomlinson, Sue Johnston and Craig Cash of comedy programme "The Royal Family" hold their awards for Best Situation Comedy at the The British Academy Television Awards 2007 at the Palladium, London, 20th May 2007. AFP PHOTO/LEON NEAL (Photo credit should read Leon Neal/AFP/Getty Images)
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The 'Other' Royals
LONDON - MAY 07: (NOT FOR PUBLICATION IN ANY MEDIUM UNTIL 21:30 GMT MAY 7, 2006.) Actors Ricky Tomlinson and Sue Johnston pose in the Awards Room at the Pioneer British Academy Television Awards 2006 at the Grosvenor House Hotel on May 7, 2006 in London, England. (Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)
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LONDON - MAY 10: Actress Sue Johnston in the pressroom at the 5th Annual British Soap Awards in London on May 10th 2003. Sue presented the Special Achievement award to her former Brookside co-star Dean Sullivan. (Photo by Steve Finn/Getty Images)
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Tags: london unitedkingdom greaterlondon ln07
London, UNITED KINGDOM: (FromLtoR) Ricky Tomlinson, Sue Johnston and Craig Cash of comedy programme "The Royal Family" hold their awards for Best Situation Comedy at the The British Academy Television Awards 2007 at the Palladium, London, 20th May 2007. AFP PHOTO/LEON NEAL (Photo credit should read Leon Neal/AFP/Getty Images)
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The Other 'Royals'
LONDON - MAY 07: (NOT FOR PUBLICATION IN ANY MEDIUM UNTIL 21:30 GMT MAY 7, 2006.) Actors Ricky Tomlinson and Sue Johnston pose in the Awards Room at the Pioneer British Academy Television Awards 2006 at the Grosvenor House Hotel on May 7, 2006 in London, England. (Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)
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Tags: aylmerontario aylmerfair elgincountyarchives stthomastimesjournal
Title: There was a record of 12 Aylmer Fair Queen contestants for the 1979 fair, and in the week before the fair, the judges picked who the lucky lady would be. The decision was to be announced at the fair. Here, from left to right (front row) are: Linda Wolf, 19, representing Saxonia Hall; Sue Johnston, 18, Springfield Women's Institute; Charlene Raynham, 1978 Aylmer Fair Queen; Cathy Geraci, 18, Optimist Club, Aylmer; (second row) Rosemary Nasswetter, 18, Corinth Women's Institute; Chris Falkenham, 18, Kinsmen and Kinnettes, Aylmer; Vicky Brennholt, 18, Merchants' Association; Cheryl Ingram, 17, Aylmer Rotary Club; (third row) Mary Pettit, 18, Kingsmill-Mapleton Women's Institute; Connie Driessen, 18, Calton Women's Institute; Linda Ungar, 18, Royal Canadian Legion, Aylmer; and Karin Neukamm, 18, Rebekah Lodge, Aylmer. Absent: Mary Ann Josten, Columbus Club.
Creator(s): St. Thomas Times-Journal
Bygone Days Publication Date: August 9, 2011
Original Publication Date: August 8, 1979
Reference No.: C8 Sh2 B2 F3 77
Credit: Elgin County Archives, St. Thomas Times-Journal fonds
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Tags: 1918 2011 bornapril18 diedapril9
Zanesville: Ellsworth Lynn Benning, 92, formerly of Springfield Ohio, died at the Cedar Hill Nursing Home in Zanesville on Saturday April 9, 2011 after a long fight with prostate cancer.
Ellsworth, affectionately called Uncle Benny, was born on April 18, 1918 to the late Edward L. Benning and Myrtle Payne in Springfield Ohio. Benning was married to the late Catherine [Hubbard] Wray for 42 years until her death in September 2002. He was also previously married to Sophia Austen and Mona Cordell.
Ellsworth participated in the Civilian Conservation Corps from April 19, 1937 through December 1, 1937 where he served in Rockbridge and Pedro, Ohio. He served in the US Army from June 25, 1941 through February 9, 1945 as a Duty Soldier III and was qualified as a Rifle Marksman. He last served in Macon Georgia prior to his discharge. He received the American Defense Service Ribbon and was entitled to a Good Conduct Ribbon.
After discharge from the Army, Ellsworth worked at Wright – Patterson Air Force base in the Flight Research Section as a truck driver for five years. He was also employed at Kelly Ford Motor Company in Springfield as an auto detailer. He also held employment as a cafeteria worker, material handler, and block layer. He last worked at Sheer Heart Dry Cleaner in Dayton as a presser and spotter in 1967. Ellsworth was proudest of completing the Frigidaire training in Rapid Dry Cleaning in 1962 and until recently would show anyone his certificate of completion.
Benning had an interest in homeopathic medicine and natural herbs which he sought help for his physical ailments. With his caring nature, he was always quick to suggest a nutritional supplement to help his friends. Ellsworth also enjoyed making photographs and loved to practice his skill at weddings. He also enjoyed baseball and watching golf on TV.
Although they had no children, Uncle Benny and Aunt Catherine had a special place in their hearts for their cat Tommy who is being gratefully cared for by Mark and Sue Johnston from Springfield.
Ellsworth was baptized as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses on May 1, 1948. He was previously associated with the West Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Springfield Ohio where he supported his wife in her full-time ministry until her death in 2002. Ellsworth loved Jehovah and believed in the Bible’s promise of being resurrected back to life on earth in an earthly paradise in the near future (Psalm 37:10, 11).
Ellsworth was preceded in death by his sisters and brother: Esther Coleman; Leroy E. Seldon; and Ruth Elizabeth Jackson all of Springfield; Martha Hernandez from Fresno California; and a niece Judy Melton and nephew Ronald Jackson both formerly of Cedarville, Ohio. He is survived by nieces Esther L. Ames of Springfield, Elizabeth L. Middendorf of Columbus, George Jackson of Urbana, Esther Jackson of Fort Worth, Texas and Ruth Jackson of Yellow Springs.
A memorial will be held at the West Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Springfield Ohio by Paul Graves on Saturday April 23, 2011 at 7:00 p.m. Additional information regarding Ellsworth’s resurrection hope can be found at www.jw.org .
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Front: Susan (Shears) Salzgeber, Lyle Luzum, Sue (Johnston) Luzum, Cathie (Striemer) Parten, Sharon (Zumdahl) Asp.
Back: Chip Salzgeber, David Runge, Karen (Hendrickson) Runge, Kathy (Olson) Potter, Mary (Ziemer) Nervig, Rolfe Nervig.
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Susan Johnston, Finalist, Large Business Innovation and Leadership
Sue Johnston, Director, Customer Service IT
priceline.com
For a full event recap, including profiles of each of the 2010 Women of Innovation, visit www.ct.org/WOI_2010.asp .
2010 Women of Innovation program sponsors:
Boehringer Ingelheim USA Corporation, Covidien Surgical Devices, Day Pitney LLP, First Experience Communications, GE, HABCO, Pitney Bowes, Inc.
priceline.com, Robert Half Technology, United Technologies Corporation (UTC)
About The Connecticut Technology Council (CTC):
CTC is the state’s industry association for the technology sector. By supporting innovation that leads to entrepreneurship and job creation in all size firms, CTC seeks to be "the catalyst for innovation and growth". Led by President and CEO Matthew Nemerson, CTC is a strong advocate for programs such as the Annual Women of Innovation Awards event which help to increase public understanding of Connecticut's need for a world class innovation environment.
For information about all CTC events and news on the latest technology trends in Connecticut, visit www.ct.org .
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Tags: camera museum loft canon lens scotland starwars aperture nikon university control fife photographic freak controls learning standrews uni fe society musa d300 theempirestrikesback yooni ghiribizzo universiity thatstoobigforaspacestation
A Saturday afternoon where 'I' get to really be - Il Ghiribizzo - the freak of control... hehehe.
Some of St.Andrews Photographic Society's newbies and some old hands helped me out with a 'Camera Controls' session today.
Here, Emily's in the hot seat looking along the tables towards an AT-ST Walker. (you all have one of those surely?) Using the shiny badgemaking blanks I found, I placed them along the table and we were seeing how the depth of field preview button could help us see what would be in focus in our pictures at different apertures set on the lens.
They all did very well, even if they were Canon owners... ;-)
The Learning Loft is in part of MUSA - the Museum of the University of St.Andrews. We are lucky in the StAPS to have another flickrite - Viche - who works with the Uni. who helped us have the opportunity to use the facilities here.
Plug in the ol' eeePC, projector on ceiling...lovely. Just the job. An ideal place to do this type of work.
Thanks Viche. :-)
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James "Jim" Royle [Ricky Tomlinson], Barbara Royle [Sue Johnston], David [Craig Cash], Denise Best [Caroline Aherne]
BBC ONE
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LITTLE DORRIT
(l-r) PAM FERRIS as Mrs General, BILL PATERSON as Mr Meagles, GEORGIA KING as Pet Meagles, ALEX WYNDHAM as Henry Gowan, RUTH JONES as Flora, JUDY PARFITT as Mrs Clennam, MATTHEW MACFADYEN as Arthur Clennam, ALUN ARMSTRONG as Flintwinch and SUE JOHNSTON as Affery.
www.bbc.co.uk/littledorrit/
BBC ONE
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LITTLE DORRIT
(l-r) MAXINE PEAKE as Miss Wade, FREEMA AGYEMAN as Tattycoram, AMANDA REDMAN as Mrs Merdle, ANTON LESSER as Mr Merdle, PAM FERRIS as Mrs General, BILL PATERSON as Mr Meagles, GEORGIA KING as Pet Meagles, ALEX WYNDHAM as Henry Gowan, RUTH JONES as Flora, JUDY PARFITT as Mrs Clennam, MATTHEW MACFADYEN as Arthur Clennam, ALUN ARMSTRONG as Flintwinch, SUE JOHNSTON as Affery, ANDY SERKIS as Rigaud, JASON THORPE as Cavalletto, SEBASTIAN ARMESTO as Edmund Sparkler, EMMA PIERSON as Fanny Dorrit, EDDIE MARSAN as Pancks, EVE MYLES as Maggy, RUSSELL TOVEY as John Chivery, RON COOK as Mr Chivery, CLAIRE FOY as Amy Dorrit, TOM COURTENAY as Mr William Dorrit, JAMES FLEET as Frederick Dorrit and ARTHUR DARVILL as Tip Dorrit.
www.bbc.co.uk/littledorrit/
BBC ONE
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Tags: television liverpool four soap opera close phil redmond channel mersey brookside brookie religiouscult rickytomlinson westderby simonhowe brooksideclose auctioned sheilagrant suejohnston katierogers merseytelevision deysbrook philredmond barrygrant bobbygrant damongrant karengrant simonobrien soldon17thdecember2008
Possibly the most famous house of the lot, Brookside started with two of its most famous characters, Bobby and Sheila Grant (Ricky Tomlinson and Sue Johnston.) Years later the two actors would be husband and wife in the series The Royle Family.
Sheila Grant's rape in 1986 was at the time controversial but it was senstively handled, and it provided one of the best acting performances of the 1980s.
After leaving the house in 1989, the Rogers moved in. They stayed there until 1993, which saw Katie Rogers befriending Simon Howe, who unknown to her was the leader of a religious cult. The cult was smashed sensationally by Barry Grant in 1994, who then moved in for a year before Mick Johnson and family moved from number 7 into a larger house.
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Tags: vimeo running ultrarunning mountainrunning montrail nuun
For a Presentation I'm giving - coachingendurance.com/blog/2009/04/montrail-presentation....
sean meissner, karl meltzer, justin angle, ty draney, john stamstad, roch horton, ellen parker, krissy moehl, hal koerner, jay batchen, mike evans, chris lundberg, tom ederer, ashley nordell, chandler gehlhausen, aaron heidt, kurt parker, gary robbins, trevor garner, eric taft, melissa miller, coyote 4 players: Blake Wood, Dave Horton, Howard Cohen, Sue Johnston, Joe Clapper, Bruce Grant, Andy Kumeda
This is a frame from a video. You can watch it on Vimeo .
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Tags: running 2006 massanutten ultrarunning mmt100 vhtrc hundredmiler
Sue Johnston, from Waterford, VT, was the first woman to finish. Here, she is at the Edinburg Gap aid station, at mile 76. Her time was 23:14:43. She is the only woman to go under 24 hours at this race, and now she has done it twice.
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I spent a weekend in the Massanutten Mountains shooting the Massanutten Mountain Trail 100 Mile Endurance Run (MMT, for short). Racers have 36 hours to cover 100 rugged miles through the mountains by foot. I can tell you from experience, no matter how tough you are, this race will kick you ass and call you Sally. More images are here .
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Sue Johnston, the first place woman, powering up Bird Knob. She is the only woman to finish MMT in under 24 hours, and did it again this year in 23:14.
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Sue Johnston in Downsville. She is a former JFK champ. She was fourth this year.
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Tags: ring
Sue has had an incredible year, winning four 100-milers and setting the women's course record for each. She was only the second person to finish the TWOT 100 last weekend...and it led to tired legs at the Ring, so she decided to call it a night. She doesn't look too bummed, though!
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Ms. Effie Sue Johnston, aka "Sue Pritchett." This is my Grandmother on my Dad's side.
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Tags: copyright liverpool regan tv soap theatre grant redmond actor drama ricky brookside tomlinson scouse towner rickytomlinson finchlane everymantheatre amandaburton suejohnston philredmond townerimages
This picture is from my set featuring some of the most famous actors from the early cast of the popular and sometimes ground breaking Channel 4 soap opera “Brookside”. The pictures were taken during their rehearsals for a version of the show to be staged at the Everyman Theatre to raise funds for a local charity. I was invited along to meet them and photograph the proceedings (provided I did not use flash). This was around the Christmas period 1984. The venue, the Finch Lane Club in Dovecot, Liverpool, had been provided by my father who was a friend of Bill Dean, who played Harry Cross in the soap. At that time “Brookside” was providing a great opportunity for people entering the profession and some of the actors here have duly gone on to have illustrious careers in the business. Others later left the profession or are sadly no longer with us. Watching and photographing the performers during their work was really enlightening and entertaining and they were all without exception very friendly and approachable.
The pictures were taken indoors in poor lighting conditions without flash and have lost detail and texture during digitisation, so really they are only here for their rarity value.
The cast members present were : Amanda Burton (playing Heather Huntington), Sue Johnston (Sheila Grant), Ricky Tomlinson (Bobby Grant), Paul Usher (Barry Grant), Simon O’Brien (Damon Grant), Bill Dean (Harry Cross), Betty Alberge (Edna Cross), Anna Keaveney (Marie Jackson), Jim Wiggins (Paul Collins), Doreen Sloane (Annabelle Collins), Nigel Crowley (Gordon Collins), Dicken Ashworth (Alan Partridge), Brian Regan (Terry Sullivan), Robbie Cullen (Gizmo Hawkins) and Tracey Jay (Michelle Jones) along with Phil Redmond and director Chris Clough.
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Tags: copyright liverpool tv theatre actor drama brookside towner rickytomlinson finchlane everymantheatre amandaburton suejohnston philredmond townerimages
This picture is from my set featuring some of the most famous actors from the early cast of the popular and sometimes ground breaking Channel 4 soap opera “Brookside”. The pictures were taken during their rehearsals for a version of the show to be staged at the Everyman Theatre to raise funds for a local charity. I was invited along to meet them and photograph the proceedings (provided I did not use flash). This was around the Christmas period 1984. The venue, the Finch Lane Club in Dovecot, Liverpool, had been provided by my father who was a friend of Bill Dean, who played Harry Cross in the soap. At that time “Brookside” was providing a great opportunity for people entering the profession and some of the actors here have duly gone on to have illustrious careers in the business. Others later left the profession or are sadly no longer with us. Watching and photographing the performers during their work was really enlightening and entertaining and they were all without exception very friendly and approachable.
The pictures were taken indoors in poor lighting conditions without flash and have lost detail and texture during digitisation, so really they are only here for their rarity value.
The cast members present were : Amanda Burton (playing Heather Huntington), Sue Johnston (Sheila Grant), Ricky Tomlinson (Bobby Grant), Paul Usher (Barry Grant), Simon O’Brien (Damon Grant), Bill Dean (Harry Cross), Betty Alberge (Edna Cross), Anna Keaveney (Marie Jackson), Jim Wiggins (Paul Collins), Doreen Sloane (Annabelle Collins), Nigel Crowley (Gordon Collins), Dicken Ashworth (Alan Partridge), Brian Regan (Terry Sullivan), Robbie Cullen (Gizmo Hawkins) and Tracey Jay (Michelle Jones) along with Phil Redmond and director Chris Clough.
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Tags: copyright liverpool tv theatre actor drama brookside towner rickytomlinson finchlane everymantheatre amandaburton suejohnston philredmond townerimages
This picture is from my set featuring some of the most famous actors from the early cast of the popular and sometimes ground breaking Channel 4 soap opera “Brookside”. The pictures were taken during their rehearsals for a version of the show to be staged at the Everyman Theatre to raise funds for a local charity. I was invited along to meet them and photograph the proceedings (provided I did not use flash). This was around the Christmas period 1984. The venue, the Finch Lane Club in Dovecot, Liverpool, had been provided by my father who was a friend of Bill Dean, who played Harry Cross in the soap. At that time “Brookside” was providing a great opportunity for people entering the profession and some of the actors here have duly gone on to have illustrious careers in the business. Others later left the profession or are sadly no longer with us. Watching and photographing the performers during their work was really enlightening and entertaining and they were all without exception very friendly and approachable.
The pictures were taken indoors in poor lighting conditions without flash and have lost detail and texture during digitisation, so really they are only here for their rarity value.
The cast members present were : Amanda Burton (playing Heather Huntington), Sue Johnston (Sheila Grant), Ricky Tomlinson (Bobby Grant), Paul Usher (Barry Grant), Simon O’Brien (Damon Grant), Bill Dean (Harry Cross), Betty Alberge (Edna Cross), Anna Keaveney (Marie Jackson), Jim Wiggins (Paul Collins), Doreen Sloane (Annabelle Collins), Nigel Crowley (Gordon Collins), Dicken Ashworth (Alan Partridge), Brian Regan (Terry Sullivan), Robbie Cullen (Gizmo Hawkins) and Tracey Jay (Michelle Jones) along with Phil Redmond and director Chris Clough.
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Tags: copyright liverpool tv soap theatre rehearsal stage performing redmond actress acting actor drama brookside scouse towner rickytomlinson finchlane everymantheatre amandaburton suejohnston philredmond townerimages
This picture is from my set featuring some of the most famous actors from the early cast of the popular and sometimes ground breaking Channel 4 soap opera “Brookside”. The pictures were taken during their rehearsals for a version of the show to be staged at the Everyman Theatre to raise funds for a local charity. I was invited along to meet them and photograph the proceedings (provided I did not use flash). This was around the Christmas period 1984. The venue, the Finch Lane Club in Dovecot, Liverpool, had been provided by my father who was a friend of Bill Dean, who played Harry Cross in the soap. At that time “Brookside” was providing a great opportunity for people entering the profession and some of the actors here have duly gone on to have illustrious careers in the business. Others later left the profession or are sadly no longer with us. Watching and photographing the performers during their work was really enlightening and entertaining and they were all without exception very friendly and approachable.
The pictures were taken indoors in poor lighting conditions without flash and have lost detail and texture during digitisation, so really they are only here for their rarity value.
The cast members present were : Amanda Burton (playing Heather Huntington), Sue Johnston (Sheila Grant), Ricky Tomlinson (Bobby Grant), Paul Usher (Barry Grant), Simon O’Brien (Damon Grant), Bill Dean (Harry Cross), Betty Alberge (Edna Cross), Anna Keaveney (Marie Jackson), Jim Wiggins (Paul Collins), Doreen Sloane (Annabelle Collins), Nigel Crowley (Gordon Collins), Dicken Ashworth (Alan Partridge), Brian Regan (Terry Sullivan), Robbie Cullen (Gizmo Hawkins) and Tracey Jay (Michelle Jones) along with Phil Redmond and director Chris Clough.
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Tags: copyright liverpool tv soap theatre stage redmond actress actor drama brookside scouse towner rickytomlinson finchlane everymantheatre amandaburton suejohnston philredmond townerimages
This picture is from my set featuring some of the most famous actors from the early cast of the popular and sometimes ground breaking Channel 4 soap opera “Brookside”. The pictures were taken during their rehearsals for a version of the show to be staged at the Everyman Theatre to raise funds for a local charity. I was invited along to meet them and photograph the proceedings (provided I did not use flash). This was around the Christmas period 1984. The venue, the Finch Lane Club in Dovecot, Liverpool, had been provided by my father who was a friend of Bill Dean, who played Harry Cross in the soap. At that time “Brookside” was providing a great opportunity for people entering the profession and some of the actors here have duly gone on to have illustrious careers in the business. Others later left the profession or are sadly no longer with us. Watching and photographing the performers during their work was really enlightening and entertaining and they were all without exception very friendly and approachable.
The pictures were taken indoors in poor lighting conditions without flash and have lost detail and texture during digitisation, so really they are only here for their rarity value.
The cast members present were : Amanda Burton (playing Heather Huntington), Sue Johnston (Sheila Grant), Ricky Tomlinson (Bobby Grant), Paul Usher (Barry Grant), Simon O’Brien (Damon Grant), Bill Dean (Harry Cross), Betty Alberge (Edna Cross), Anna Keaveney (Marie Jackson), Jim Wiggins (Paul Collins), Doreen Sloane (Annabelle Collins), Nigel Crowley (Gordon Collins), Dicken Ashworth (Alan Partridge), Brian Regan (Terry Sullivan), Robbie Cullen (Gizmo Hawkins) and Tracey Jay (Michelle Jones) along with Phil Redmond and director Chris Clough.
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Charlotte, Desiree and Rooster are varieties of which type of vegetable? | Potatoes
Potatoes
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Potatoes
Potatoes were first introduced to Ireland, and then to Britain, from America in the late 16th century and are now one of the most popular staple foods in the world. They are a valuable source of nutrition, particularly for their vitamin C, carbohydrate and fibre content, especially when they are cooked and eaten in their skins. Varieties such as King Edward and Maris Piper are best eaten this way. Varieties such as Desiree, Wilja and Estima are good all-round cooking potatoes.
Potatoes are generally divided into two categories - waxy or floury (see below), if you are unsure of the variety of potato you have and want to know before cooking, mix one part salt to 11 parts water in a measuring jug and add the potato. A floury one will almost always sink to the bottom of the jug, while a waxy one will float. When it comes to seasonal availability, different varieties are available at different times of the year.
Uses: Potatoes are extremely versatile and can be boiled, steamed, baked, roasted, fried and mashed.
To store: It is essential that potatoes are stored in a cool, dark area away from sunlight and in a frost-free, airy place preferably in a brown paper sack. If potatoes are exposed to light they may turn green (which can be poisonous) or start sprouting. Small amounts of green can be removed but very green potatoes should be discarded. Do take potatoes out of the plastic bag that they are usually sold in - the potatoes are likely to go mouldy if kept in plastic. Potatoes should not be stored in the fridge. New potatoes should be eaten within 2-3 days of purchase, while old potatoes can, if stored correctly be kept for several months.
Charlotte
These long oval potatoes have a firm waxy texture and a subtle nutty flavour. They have a light yellow skin and a yellow flesh.
Uses: Suitable for boiling, baking or salads.
To prepare: Scrub thoroughly under cold running water or peel.
Desiree
One of the most popular red-skinned potatoes Desirees have a smooth skin and a creamy yellow flesh. They have a firm texture.
Uses: Especially good cooked as wedges or roasted, because they hold their shape. Also suitable for boiling, mashing and chipping.
To prepare: Scrub thoroughly under cold running water or peel.
Estima
A light yellow-skinned potato with a firm, moist texture and a mild flavour. They are usually oval-shaped with a yellowy flesh.
Uses: Boiling, mashing and especially good for baking.
To prepare: Peel and chop for boiling and chipping or scrub thoroughly for baking.
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Floury
A type rather than a variety, floury potatoes are especially popular in Britain. They are suitable for baking, mashing and chipping as they have a soft, dry texture when cooked. They are not suitable for boiling, however because they tend to disintegrate. Popular varieties of floury potato include King Edward and Maris Piper.
King Edward
King Edwards have pinky red skins and distinctively flavoured creamy white flesh that's packed with carbohydrates, fibre, iron and vitamins, including folate. Cooking them in their skins provides the most nutritional value.
Uses: Good for boiling, baking, chipping or roasting.
To prepare: Rinse in cold water and peel for boiling, chipping and roasting. If necessary, cut out any bruises or green parts.
New potatoes
These are available all year round and the different varieties encompass a range of skin and flesh colours. They are small, waxy, oval-shaped potatoes. Buy little and often for the best flavour.
Uses: Best boiled whole in their skins and delicious served warm or cold, with spring lamb, salmon and salads.
To prepare: Rinse in cold water and cook whole or sliced. To obtain the most nutritional value, leave their skins on. If preferred, remove the skin by gently rubbing it away with your fingers.
To cook: Place in a pan, add enough water to cover. Bring to the boil, cover, and simmer gently for 20 minutes for whole potatoes, 15 minutes for sliced potatoes. Drain, add a knob of butter and serve.
Red Duke of York
With a light yellow flesh and a distinctive red skin these potatoes have a firm cooked texture.
Uses: Duke of York potatoes are best for boiling.
To prepare: Peel and rinse thoroughly in cold water before boiling.
Romano
A round to oval red skinned potato with a creamy coloured flesh and a soft, dry texture. Romano potatoes have a mild nutty flavour. The red skin tends to fade during cooking to an attractive pale rusty beige shade.Seasonal availability: All year.
Uses: Romanos are suitable for baking, roasting and mashing.
To prepare: Rinse thoroughly in cold water and scrub or peel before cooking.
Sweet potatoes
They have a sweet flavour similar to that of roast chestnuts or squash. Although not related to ordinary potatoes, they can be prepared in similar ways. There are two types: the pale variety has a thin, light yellow skin and flesh while the darker one has thicker, dark orange skin and bright orange flesh.
Uses: Bake, mash or roast.
To store: Store in a cool, dark place and use within a week.
To prepare: Scrub, peel and slice or cut into chunks.
To cook: Cook in boiling salted water for 15-20 minutes until tender. Sweet potatoes can also be mashed or cooked as chips. Alternatively scrub the skins and bake them in their jackets.
| Potato |
What rebellious event was organised in 1773 by the Sons of Liberty as a protest against taxation without representation? | Seed Potato Collection 8kg | Jersey Plants Direct
Bargain Seed Potatoes Collection Offer 8kg
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Bargain Seed Potato Collection - SAVE 59%!
You will receive 1kg of each of our 8 best-selling varieties for the bargain price of £12.99, usually £31.92, saving you 59%!
Growing your own spuds is one of the easiest gardening projects you will ever undertake. Picking your own fresh potatoes is so satisfying. One kg of seed potatoes will produce up to 10kg of delicious spuds and because each variety harvests at different times, you are guaranteed fresh potatoes on a regular basis all year.
Collection Varieties
Arran Pilot, Casablanca, Charlotte, Desiree, Kestral, King Edward, Maris Piper and Pentland Javelin
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What is the spirit that is used in the cocktails Mai Tai and Daiquiri? | Cocktail Recipe: Mai Tai
.5 oz Orgeat
.25 oz Simple Syrup
Mix all ingredients and shake with ice. Strain over crushed ice, garnish with a lime shell and a sprig of mint.
I know what you’re thinking. You’re wondering how many times I think I can get away with posting the recipe for the Mai Tai and consider it a new post. It’s not my fault this time though.
You see, Kevin Langmack at Beers in the Shower is hosting this month’s Mixology Monday and called for “Money Drinks.” If you aren’t sure what a “Money Drink” is, allow Kevin to explain:
I feel a “Money” drink is something you can put in front of anyone, regardless of tastes or distastes about the spirits involved. Come up with a drink or a list based on spirits about drinks that would appeal to anyone. example: turning someone onto a Corpse Reviver #2 when they like lemon drops.
I know just about everyone that preaches the gospel according to Saint Cocktail has their own special Money Drink. For some I’m sure that’s a perfect Manhattan. Others might serve the crispest Martini or the most sumptuous Last Word ever known. Any such drink, if made well, could convert someone to cocktails.
I’m sort of into rum . As such, I tend to try to convert people to my favorite spirit quite often, and I can tell you that I have had success with no drink like I have with the Mai Tai.
A true Bergeronistic Mai Tai is tart and refreshing with the wonderful notes of mint, orange, lime, and almond dancing on top of the deep, funky flavors within the rum. It’s a drink that defies seasons, despite its tropical nature. And I would know, I have had one or two Mai Tais in my time.
I’ve even been known to up the ante on the Mai Tai by upgrading the basic spirits (I usually use Appleton Estate 12 and Clement VSOP ) to their top-shelf brethren, much like Paul Clarke suggested as an alternate expression of a “Money Drink:”
Along with what you mentioned, I’m thinking it could include stuff along the lines of “there are some drinks that really prompt you to break out the good stuff”, including ways people upgrade drinks for special occasions — having old friends over, birthday drinks, etc, for example mixing your regular Sazerac, but breaking out the Red Hook Rye and the Jade Edouard absinthe for a Sazerac capable of breaking the sound barrier.” – the only rule to this one is you actually have to make it –
Not a problem for me, as I’ve already taken the Mai Tai and the One Hundred Dollar Mai Tai and turned the knob all the way to eleven once before :
$300 Mai Tai
.75 oz Lime Juice
1 tsp Simple Syrup
Combine all ingredients in a shaker, shake with ice, strain into a glass filled with crushed ice. Garnish with sprigs of mint and a wedge of lime, and a hundred dollar bill
I know it might seem a bit crazy to put such expensive rums into a cocktail, but when you consider that the original Mai Tai called specifically for Wray & Nephew 17 Year Old Rum, and that today that rum goes for about $60,000US, you’d have to say that the $300 Mai Tai is a real bargain, right?
Question of the Day:
What’s your go-to, Money Drink that no one can say “no” to and keeps people coming back for more?
You might also like (automatically generated):
Paul Etter December 23, 2009 at 1:57 pm
I was playing around with black strap trying to come up with a suitably dark and scary tiki drink inspired by Martin Denny’s “Similau” and wound up with a cocktail I’m calling the Stone God. So far, I haven’t found anyone who’s asked for their proverbial “money” back. Dim the lights, throw on some exotica and conjure up a Stone God.
Of course, this is just the $10 job. You could certainly up the ante by using Appleton Reserve, 12 Yr, 21 Yr or Master Blender’s Legacy.
Stone God
Paul Etter January 4, 2010 at 8:21 pm
Ruben, to approximate the black strap, you might try adding in just a drop or two of mild unsulphered molasses. The hint of molasses is one of the underlying flavors that really makes this drink interesting. That, and the ginger syrup. That’s easy enough to make by thinly slicing a 2-inch long peice of ginger and placing it in a saucepan with 1 cup of sugar and 1 cup of water. Bring it to a boil while stirring to disolve the sugar. Lower the heat, cover the saucepan and let it simmer for two minutes. Remove from heat with the lid on and allow to sit for two hours before straining and bottling. I hope you like it!
| Rum |
Which biennial sporting fixture was cancelled due to 9/11? | Daiquiri Drink Recipes | Daiquiri Cocktails | thebar.com
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THE DAIQUIRI
Many have claimed to invent this drink—from an American mining engineer to a Cuban barman. And whoever did invent this, created a classic cocktail recipe that combines sugar, lime and rum
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The rights to which children's book were bequeathed to the Great Ormond Street Hospital in 1929? | History | Great Ormond Street Hospital Children's Charity
Barrie requested that the amount raised from Peter Pan should never be revealed, and the hospital has always honoured his wishes.
Legacy
Although he and his wife were childless, Barrie loved children and had supported Great Ormond Street Hospital for many years.
In 1929 he was approached to sit on a committee to help buy some land so that the hospital could build a much needed new wing. Barrie declined to serve on the committee but said that he "hoped to find another way to help".
Two months later, the hospital board was stunned to learn that Sir James had handed over all his rights to Peter Pan.
At a Guildhall dinner later that year Barrie, as host, claimed that Peter Pan had been a patient in Great Ormond Street Hospital and that "it was he who put me up to the little thing I did for the hospital".
JM Barrie dedication plaque
So began the enduring link between the author and the children of Great Ormond Street Hospital.
On 14 December 1929, at Barrie’s suggestion, the cast of a London production of Peter Pan came to the hospital and they played out the nursery scene for the children, the first of a long tradition.
Peter Pan archives and memorials
Peter Pan and memorials to J M Barrie can be found throughout the hospital, for example:
A bronze statue of Peter Pan and Tinker Bell outside the hospital entrance.
A plaque dedicated to Barrie in the hospital chapel (unveiled in 1938 by J B Priestley).
Tinker Bell play area in Octav Botnar Wing.
A tiled mural created and donated by the art students of the University of Wolverhampton.
You can view some of these archives and memorials in our Peter Pan photo gallery .
Please note that the hospital is not a public place and some of the memorials are not accessible to the general public.
| Peter Pan |
Kopi Luwak, produced mainly in Indonesia, and a waste product of the civet, is the most expensive variety of what? | Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children | Exploring London
Famous Londoners – Dr Richard Mead…
December 8, 2014
Eighteenth century physician Dr Richard Mead is noted not only for his attendance on the rich and famous of his time – including royalty – but also for his philanthropy, his expansive collections and, importantly, his contributions in the field of medicine.
Born in Stepney, London, on the 11th August, 1673, as the 11th of 13 children of nonconforming minister Matthew Mead, Mead studied both Utrecht and Leiden before receiving his MD in Italy. Returning to England in 1696, he founded his own medical practice in Stepney.
He married Ruth Marsh in 1699 and together the couple had at least eight children, several of whom died young, before her death in 1720 (he subsequently married again, this time to Anne, daughter of a Bedfordshire knight, Sir Rowland Alston).
Having published the then seminal text – A Mechanical Account of Poisons – in 1702, the following year Mead was admitted to the Royal Society. He also took up a post as a physician at St Thomas’ Hospital, a job which saw him move to a property in Crutched Friars in the City – his home until 1711, when he relocated to Austin Friars.
It was after this that he become friends with eminent physician John Radcliffe who chose Mead as his successor and, on his death in 1714, bequeathed him his practice and his Bloomsbury home (not to mention his gold-topped cane, now on display at the Foundling Museum – see note below).
Following Radcliffe’s death, in August of that year Dr Mead attended Queen Anne on her deathbed. Other distinguished patients over his career included King George I, his son Prince George and daughter-in-law Princess Caroline – in fact he was appointed as official physician to the former prince when elevated to the throne as King George II – as well as Sir Isaac Newton, lexicographer Dr Samuel Johnson, Alexander Pope, Sir Robert Walpole and painter Antoine Watteau.
Mead, who had been named a governor of St Thomas’ in 1715 and elected a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians in 1716, was over the years recognised as an expert in a range of medical fields – including, as well as poisons, smallpox, scurvy and even the transmission of the plague.
Among the many more curious stories about Dr Mead is one concerning a ‘duel’ (or fistfight) he apparently fought with rival Dr John Woodward outside Gresham College in 1719 over their differences in tackling smallpox and others which concern experiments he conducted with venomous snakes to further his knowledge of venom before writing his text on poisons.
Dr Mead was also known for his philanthropy and became one of the founding governors of the Foundling Hospital (as well as being its medical advisor) – a portrait of him by artist Allan Ramsay (for whom he was a patron), currently hangs at the museum.
Dr Mead, who by this stage lived in Great Ormond Street in Bloomsbury (the property, which backed onto the grounds of the Foundling Museum and which Mead had moved into after his first wife’s death, later formed the basis of the Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children), is also noted for the large collection he gathered of paintings – including works by Dürer, Holbein, Rembrandt, and Canaletto, a library of more than 10,000 books, antiquities and classical sculpture as well as coins and jewels, all of which scholars and artists could access at his home (it took some 56 days to sell it all after his death).
While Dr Mead – who died on 16th February, 1754 – was buried in the Temple Church, there is a monument to him – including a bust by Peter Scheemakers – in the north aisle of Westminster Abbey.
Dr Mead is currently being honoured in an exhibition at the Foundling Museum – The Generous Georgian: Dr Richard Mead – which runs until 4th January. There’s an accompanying blog here which provides more information on his life and legacy.
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10 fictional character addresses in London – 8. The Darling’s House…
December 18, 2013
In JM Barrie’s 1911 novel, Peter and Wendy (based on the stage play Peter Pan; or, the Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up), the adventure begins when Peter Pan visits the home of the Darling family.
He secretly listens in – via an open window – while Mrs Darling tells bedtime stories to her children – Wendy, John and Michael – but during one visit loses his shadow and it’s on returning to claim it that he meets Wendy and, well, you know the rest…
Peter Pan is most famously associated with Kensington Gardens – it’s here that we are first introduced to the character of Peter in the book Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens (in fact there’s a rather famous statue of him there to this day, pictured above) – it’s most often assumed that the Darling’s house must be nearby.
But, in fact, the book Peter and Wendy never states where the Darlings’ house is located exactly – just that it is at number 14 in the street in which they live – while in the 1904 play the address is given as “a rather depressed street” in Bloomsbury. Barrie explains that he placed the Darlings’ house in Bloomsbury because Mr Roget (of Thesaurus fame) once lived there and “we whom he has helped to wend our way through life have always wanted to pay him a little compliment”.
Worth noting, however, is a property at 31 Kensington Park Gardens. Once the home of the Llewellyn Davies family, family friend Barrie was a frequent visitor here and in fact went on to adopt the five Llewellyn Davies children following the death of their parents in the early 1900s. The property, which is divided into a series of flats, is, as a result, said to have been something of a model for the Darling’s house.
Barrie, himself, meanwhile, owned a house at 100 Bayswater Road – not far from Kensington Gardens where he first meet the Llewellyn Davies family – but, interestingly, had previously lived in Bloomsbury. The house is marked with a blue plaque.
Another Peter Pan-related address we have to mention is that of the Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children to which Barrie gave the rights to receive royalties from Peter Pan in perpetuity. You can arrange for a tour of the hospital’s Peter Pan-related memorabilia.
For more on the story behind the writing of Peter Pan, see Andrew Birkin’s book, J.M.Barrie and the Lost Boys
.
Treasures of London – Peter Pan statue, Kensington Gardens
August 5, 2011
It’s now one of the most popular statues in London – the diminuative “boy who wouldn’t grow up”. But few people today are aware of its somewhat unusual origins.
Located about half-way along the western shore of the Long Water in Kensington Gardens, the bronze statue first “appeared” in the park in 1912. The story goes that author JM Barrie, who published his first story about Peter Pan – The Little White Bird – in 1902, chose the location of the statue based on it being the place where, in the story, Peter Pan landed after flying out of the nursery window of his home.
Peter Pan first appeared on stage two years later in 1904 in the play Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up, and this was later expanded into a novel by Barrie, Peter and Wendy. He’s since appeared in numerous film and stage adaptations – including sequels and prequels to the original tales.
Barrie had apparently been thinking about the statue for some time prior to its appearance – in 1906 he went so far as to take a series of photographs of six-year-old Michael Llewelyn Davies wearing a Peter Pan costume (it was Barrie’s relationship with the Llewelyn Davies family which is said to have inspired Peter Pan’s creation).
Six years later Barrie commissioned Sir George Frampton to create the statue – interestingly, in what was a cause of some friction between the artist and patron, Sir George modelled his figure not on Llewelyn Davies but on another boy. Peter is seen playing on some pipes and is surrounded by small animals and fairies. There’s no sign of Captain Hook.
On the 1st of May, the statue simply appeared in its current position after being taken into the park under the cover of darkness. Barrie announced what he called his “May Day gift” to the children of London in The Times newspaper, describing it as “delightfully conceived”.
There was apparently some initially concerns raised among MPs about the appropriateness of an author erecting a statue to promote his own work but it has since become an iconic symbol of the gardens (and undergone some repairs – including after an incident in 1952 when Peter’s pipes were stolen).
So popular has the statue proved, that copies of the Peter Pan statue – created using Sir George’s mould – can now be found in Liverpool as well as in countries including Canada, Brussels, Australia and the US. There are others (not copies) in Kirriemuir, Scotland (Barrie’s birthplace) and another of him with Tinkerbell outside Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children (which holds the copyright to the character).
WHERE: Peter Pan statue (nearest Tube station is Lancaster Gate); WHEN: 6am to dusk daily; COST: Free; WEBSITE: www.royalparks.gov.uk/Kensington-Gardens.aspx
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Who had a hit song in the late 60s with Hazy Shade Of Winter? | Bangles - Hazy Shade Of Winter - 1987 - Music Videos,Lyrics
Bangles - Hazy Shade Of Winter - 1987 Lyrics
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Bangles - Hazy Shade Of Winter - 1987
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Some trivia about Bangles - Hazy Shade Of Winter - 1987
"A Hazy Shade of Winter" is a song written by Paul Simon, recorded and released by Simon & Garfunkel in 1966, and then included on their 1968 album, Bookends (although it also appeared on their Live from New York City, 1967). It peaked at #13 on the Billboard Hot 100 making it the second highest-charting song on the album after "Mrs. Robinson", which reached #1 when it was released on the back of its inclusion on the soundtrack of The Graduate.
In 1987, The Bangles were approached to record a song for the soundtrack of the film Less Than Zero. They chose to record a cover of "A Hazy Shade of Winter," a song they had been performing since their early days as a band.
Their cover, simply titled "Hazy Shade of Winter," was vastly different from the original, turning it into a harder-edged rock song, and removing most of the bridge section [1]
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Winterfell is the house of what family in Game of Thrones? | A Hazy Shade of Winter by Bangles Songfacts
A Hazy Shade of Winter by Bangles Songfacts
Songfacts
"A Hazy Shade of Winter" was written by Paul Simon, originally recorded by Simon & Garfunkel for their 1966 album Bookends, and released as a single with " For Emily, Whenever I May Find Her ." It made #13 on the Billboard Hot 100; the Bangles cover did much better, being one of the few cases where a cover of a Simon & Garfunkel song did better than the original.
As Bangles' singles go, this one was only beaten for chart performance by " Manic Monday " and " Eternal Flame ." If you check out the Simon & Garfunkel version, the Bangles really improved on the song, as if it should have been written for them all along.
The Bangles recorded this for the soundtrack to the 1987 movie Less Than Zero, a film about rich Los Angeles yuppies struggling with drugs. It does make a connection with that culture: the Bangles are from Los Angeles and were generally a hit with Southern Californians from the first album.
Speaking of Southern California music culture, the Bangles as good as minted the "Paisley Underground" movement, which is part of "jangle pop." This musical sub-genre included groups like Dream Syndicate, Green on Red, and The Long Ryders, amongst others. The movement was a backlash against the anger and nihilism of punk rock and heavy metal, recalling instead an updated version of the positive hippie music of the '60s. Indeed, these were the very first children of the Baby Boomers, getting nostalgic for mon 'n' dad's Love Generation and looking to cultivate that in the '80s, but also updating it with power pop and garage rock. Notable artists such as Prince would approve and contribute.
AM Radio fans almost can't hear this song without thinking of flying saucers and ghosts; the Bangles' version serves as bumper music for Coast to Coast AM, a radio talk show running through the wee hours of the morning which focuses on paranormal discussion. Coast to Coast AM, started by Art Bell in the mid-'80s, was initially a call-in political discussion show, before Bell tired of the genre and switched it gradually over to paranormal discussion. The show is now an (anti-)intellectual carnival of the occult, conspiracy theories, Bigfoot sightings, Doomsday predictions, and all manner of niche speculation.
Here's a bit of movie trivia: A young Brad Pitt was an extra in Less Than Zero (Partygoer/Preppie Kid At Fight). He earned $38 for his appearance.
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What cocktail's original recipe contains the spirits tequila, vodka, light rum, triple sec, and gin, and has an alcohol content of 22%? | The Long Island Iced Tea Recipe and Variations
Garnish with a lemon wedge .
Making a Better Long Island Iced Tea
The problem with the Long Island is that it is often made too strong. Many bartenders (professional and amateur alike) will over-pour the liquors . This not only makes the drink stronger, it also knocks the taste out of balance and reaches that point of too much booze (yes, there is such a thing).
On the other hand, if this drink is treated with respect and the person pouring keeps in mind that taste is more important than potency, the Long Island Iced Tea is a good drink.
Who Created the Long Island Iced Tea?
The story of the LIIT is as sordid as its ingredient list and the disputes in the stories may be clouded by the drink itself.
The 1970's credit for this concoction could go to Robert Bott, a bartender from Long Island.
The Prohibition-era story credits Charles Bishop, a 1930's moonshiner in (then dry) Tennessee.
Then there is the tale that the Long Island was an original drink of the T.G.I. Friday's franchise.
The truth is that we may never know the truth. It is entirely possible that Bishop made it and the drink was forgotten for a few decades until Bott remade it. At some point, the restaurant probably caught wind of it and claimed it as their own (it's been known to happen). Again, we just don't know.
Long Island Iced Tea Variations
Once you learn how to make the Long Island, you may want to try one of the many recipes that followed it.
They are all very similar and constructed in the same manner, they simple replace an ingredient here or there.
Bartenders should know that a number of these drinks are just as popular as the Long Island. It will serve you well to at least have an understanding of what goes into each. They really are easy to remember if you do a little word association between the name and the ingredients.
Long Beach Tea - Everything in the Long Island, but the cola is replaced with cranberry juice.
Miami Iced Tea - Peach schnapps is added to the Long Beach, the tequila is dropped, and lemon-lime soda adds a bit of sparkle.
Hawaiian Iced Tea - Using the Long Island recipe, top this drink with pineapple juice and skip the cola.
Electric Iced Tea - Blue curacao replaces the triple sec and the soda is switched out to lemon-lime soda. It's a brilliant blue drink.
Texas Tea - Simply add bourbon to the Long Island for an even more potent mix. Some people mistakenly refer to this as a Long Island, but whiskey is not included in the original (or accepted) recipe.
Raspberry Long Island Iced Tea - The original LIIT with raspberry rum and vodka and lemon-lime soda instead of cola.
Tip: The same theory can apply to any flavored spirits available. Pair like infusions (ie. vanilla vodka and rum with cola, passion fruit vodka and tequila with citrus soda) and don’t be afraid to use your own infusions . The possibilities are endless.
A few notes to help your memory:
Think “5 white spirits” then adapt the drinks to fit the descriptive name.
Sour mix is essential in most recipes.
Lemon-lime soda (7-Up, Sprite, etc.) is used in those with fruit.
The Long Beach and the Hawaiian are the only two without soda (I associate that with the “healthy" lifestyle of both locations).
The Miami is the only one to drop one of the 4 base liquors (in this case, tequila).
How Strong is the Long Island Iced Tea?
The Long Island is actually a deceptive cocktail. The six liquors make it seem like it would be a strong drink, but if you do the math, they add up to just 2 1/2 ounces total.
If we were to use 80-proof liquors, a 60-proof triple sec, and top it with 2 ounces of soda, then it would be a relatively mild 16% ABV (32 proof) drink . That is about the same as a strong Rum & Coke .
The Problem Is the Over Pour
That is not to say that the LIIT cannot be a strong drink. If we get a zealous bartender who pours 1 ounce of each of the spirits and tops it with 1 ounce of cola (remember that ice takes up a lot of room ), the drink would be 21% ABV (42 proof).
To put this into perspective, that is close to the average Corpse Reviver , a cocktail known for "waking the dead." Consider, too, that those cocktails average about 4 ounces and we've estimated our Long Island to be double that. You're drinking the equivalent of two Corpse Revivers in an hour (or less)!
The math proves that the Long Island can be a strong drink. This is also not taking into account the effect that so many types of liquor can have on your body. And people wonder why this drink is notorious for creating the worst hangovers !
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How many flakes of snow have to fall in the 24 hours of the 25th December anywhere in the UK to be classified as a White christmas? | The 10 most alcoholic cocktails in the world revealed | Daily Mail Online
They are the easy-to-drink cocktails that come in pretty colours and sweet flavours.
But don't be fooled by their innocent appearance.
These drinks often contain high amounts of alcohol and drinking too many of them can leave your head spinning... or worse.
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Colourful cocktails are deceptively easy to drink but can sometimes contain vast quantities of alcohol
The Zombie is a fruity cocktail made from three different types of rum, lime juice, falernum, Angostura bitters, Pernod, grenadine, cinnamon syrup and grapefruit juice
Made with high-proof alcohol and hardly any mixers, these ten cocktails are sure to floor even the hardiest of drinker.
From Jungle Juice and Caribou Lou to Negroni, Death In The Afternoon and Sazerac, Femail reveals the 10 most alcoholic cocktails in the world.
According to drinkaware.co.uk, men should not regularly drink more than three to four units of alcohol a day. Women should not regularly drink more than two to three units a day. One alcohol unit equals one 25ml single measure of spirits.
1. Zombie
A smooth, fruity cocktail originally served heated, the Zombie was concocted in the 1930s by Donn Beach, a restaurant owner in Hollywood. The cocktail's ingredients were a heavily guarded secret.
However, according to the original recipe, published in drinks book Sippin' Safari, the drink was made from three different kinds of rum, lime juice, falernum, Angostura bitters, Pernod, grenadine, and 'Don's Mix,' a combination of cinnamon syrup and grapefruit juice.
The cocktail is so strong that Don The Beachcomber restaurants limit their customers to two Zombies apiece.
What makes this so alcoholic?
Three types of rum: 40 per cent ABV
Pernod: 40 per cent ABV
Angostura bitters: 44.7 per cent ABV
2. Jungle Juice
This cocktail is made fresh fruits which have been steeped overnight in an entirely bottle of grain alcohol before being served up, in the style of punch, to unsuspecting drinkers.
The recipe for this particular drink comes from The Bartender’s Black Book by Stephen Kittredge Cunningham.
To bring down the alcohol levels, you can add a mixer like lemonade although this is frowned upon.
Connoisseurs say that when it is made correctly it doesn't taste anything like alcohol at all.
What makes this so alcoholic?
1 litre bottle of grain alcohol: 95 per cent ABV
3. Death In The Afternoon
A classic concoction of champagne and absinthe, this luxe cocktail was invented by Ernest Hemingway and is also called Hemingway Champagne.
Relatively simple to make, the recipe's original instructions appear in 1935 cocktail book and were contributed by Hemingway himself, who wrote: 'Pour one jigger absinthe into a champagne glass. Add iced champagne until it attains the proper opalescent milkiness. Drink three to five of these slowly.'
The drink rarely appears on menus but can be ordered from bartenders.
What makes this so alcoholic?
Absinthe: 45 per cent ABV
Champagne: 12 per cent alcohol
Jungle Juice (left) is made by steeping fruits overnight in 100 per cent grain alcohol. This Negroni (right) contains equal parts gin, Campari and sweet vermouth
4. Aunt Roberta
Considered by some to be the strongest cocktail in the world, this drink contains 100 per cent alcohol, with absolutely no mixers.
Gin, vodka, absinthe, brandy and blackberry liquor are mixed together in equal parts for a dastardly drink that will certainly pack a punch.
According to folklore, the drink was created by the mixed-race daughter of a slave owner in 1800s Alabama.
Roberta was said to have fled her abusive home before turning to prostitution. She then moved on to the moonshine business where she used to sell this drink to her customers looking to drown their sorrows.
What makes this so alcoholic
Gin: 40 per cent alcohol
Vodka: 40 per cent alcohol
Brandy: 40 per cent alcohol
Blackberry liquor: 40 per cent alcohol
Absinthe: 45 per cent alcohol
5. Nicolashka
Typically an after-dinner drink, the Russian Nicolashka comprises a double shot of vodka, espresso powder, lemon and sugar.
The concoction is consumed by first putting the lemon, sugar and coffee in the mouth, before taking one shot of vodka. The mixture is kept in the mouth and slowly chewed before being swallowed. The second shot of vodka comes swiftly after.
It's a relatively simple drink but is strong, with drinkers claiming that keeping the alcohol in the mouth allows it to be absorbed faster into the blood stream. And while booze itself is said to slow the circulation, caffeine from the espresso, together with the vitamin C from the lemon, combine with the sugar to increase blood circulation, making the alcohol reach the brain swiftly.
What makes this so alcoholic
Vodka: 40 per cent ABV
6. Sazerac
There are various ways to make Sazerac but once again the best recipe is in the drink bible The Bartender’s Black Book.
The recipe here calls for between two to four ounces of Peychaud’s Bitters and two ounces of rye whiskey, with one cube of sugar.
But what elevates this cocktail is the coating of absinthe on the inside of the chilled glass, which adds extra potency to the drink.
The higher the alcohol content of the whisky you use, the more lethal the drink becomes.
What makes this so alcoholic
Rye whiskey: 80 per cent ABV
A Bone Dry Martini, also known as Pass the Bottle, is made with pure gin or vodka and no vermouth
7. Caribou Lou
A surprisingly pleasant tasting drink made from 151 rum, pineapple juice and Malibu, this may not be the most alcoholic cocktail on the list but as it’s incredibly easy to drink, it makes it dangerous because you can put quite a few away without realising it. 151 rum has a high alcohol content which can sneak up on you when mixed with pineapple juice, rendering you drunk before you even know it.
What makes this so alcoholic?
151 Rum: 75.5 per cent ABV
Malibu: 35 per cent ABV
8. Long Island Ice Tea
The sour mix and helping of Cola disguise this college favourite’s potency. Made with five types of alcohol – gin, vodka, tequila, rum and triple sec – this unbelievably alcoholic drink is made palatable by the addition of sweet soda and sour mix (typically made from equal parts lemon juice and sugar syrup).
What makes this so alcoholic?
Gin: 40 per cent ABV
Vodka: 40 per cent ABV
Tequila: 40 per cent ABV
Rum: 40 per cent ABV
Triple Sec: 40 per cent ABV
Caribou Lou (left) made from 151 rum, pineapple juice and Malibu. The higher the alcohol content of the whisky you use in a Sazarac (right) the more lethal the drink becomes
Death in the Afternoon is a Champagne and Absinthe cocktail created by Ernest Hemingway
9. Bone Dry Martini
One of the oldest cocktails around, a martini is made using either gin or vodka with the addition of vermouth, a fortified wine which has a low alcohol content. Removing the vermouth from this mix makes this drink bone dry; possibly one of the most alcoholic drinks you can get as it's made with 100 per cent alcohol. The drink is also known as Pass the Bottle.
What makes this so alcoholic?
Gin: 40 per cent ABV
Vodka: 40 per cent ABV
10. Negroni
This classic Italian cocktail made with gin, Campari and sweet vermouth. It's a mind-blowing drink which can tip you over the edge if you have more than one. The only non-alcoholic addition to this cocktail is its orange garnish, which adds a zesty zing to the pleasantly bitter taste.
What makes this so alcoholic?
Gin: 40 per cent ABV
Campari: 25 per cent ABV
Vermouth: 15 per cent ABV
A variation of The Zombie, this Cuban Zombie (left) is made with three types of aged rum and passion fruit syrup. A Long Island Ice Tea has five types of alcohol - gin, vodka, tequila, rum and triple sec - in it
THREE COCKTAILS TO MAKE AT HOME
Negroni with an orange twist garnish
Sazerac
Ingredients: You have three base alcohol choices - 30ml Bourbon and 30ml brandy or 60ml Bourbon or 60ml rye whiskey; 15ml sugar syrup, three dashes Creole Bitters and 5ml absinthe.
Method: Choose your base alcohol then mix with the sugar syrup, Creole bitters. Rinse the glass with absinthe before pouring out your drink. Twist a lemon peel over the drink before discarding.
Negroni
Ingredients: 25ml gin; 25ml sweet vermouth; 25ml Campari; orange wedge or peel to garnish
Method: Shake all the ingredients together before serving in a chilled glass. Garnish with an orange wedge.
Long Island Iced Tea
Ingredients: 15ml vodka; 15ml rum; 15ml gin; 15ml Triple Sec; 30ml lemon juice; 15ml sugar syrup; dash of Cola; Lemon wedge
Method: Shake all the alcohol in a glass, top with the sour mix (lemon juice and sugar syrup) and dash of cola. Garnish with a lemon wedge.
You could make variations of this classic drink by swapping gin for Bourbon (Kentucky) or Midori for Triple Sec (Japanese)
Cuban Zombie
Ingredients: 25ml Havana Especial; 25ml Havana 3 year; 25ml Havana 7 year; 10ml Maraschino Liqueur; 10ml passionfruit syrup; 10ml grenadine; 15ml lime juice; 45ml pineapple juice; dash aromatic bitter; two barspoons Havana de Maestros rum to float on top; mint sprig and half a passionfruit to garnish.
Method: Mix all the ingredients in a shaker (except for the barspoons of Havana de Maestros). Pour into glass before topping with the two barspoons of rum you set aside. Garnish with a mint sprig and passion fruit.
Recipes contributed by Be At One cocktail bar.
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Which book was made into a 26 minute animated TV special in 1982, and had David Bowie as the narrator in the US version? | the snowman : definition of the snowman and synonyms of the snowman (English)
Language
English
The Snowman is a children's book without words by English author Raymond Briggs , first published in 1978 by Hamish Hamilton in the U.K., and by Random House in the U.S. that November. In the U.S. it received a Lewis Carroll Shelf Award in 1979.
The Snowman was adapted as a 26-minute animated film by Dianne Jackson for the fledgling British public-service Channel 4 . It was first telecast late on Christmas Eve in 1982 and was an immediate success. It was nominated for the 1982 Academy Award for Animated Short Film and it has been shown every year, becoming part of British and international popular culture at Christmas .
The film story is told through pictures, action and music, scored by Howard Blake . It is wordless like the book, except for the song " Walking in the Air ". In addition to the orchestral score, performed in the film by the Sinfonia of London , Blake composed the music and lyrics of the song, performed by a St Paul's Cathedral choirboy Peter Auty .
The film ranks 71 on the 100 Greatest British Television Programmes , a year 2000 list drawn up by the British Film Institute , based on a vote by industry professionals. It was voted number 4 in UKTV Gold 's Greatest TV Christmas Moments.
Contents
9 External links
Plot of the film
The Snowman is the tale of a boy who builds a snowman one winter's day. That night, at the stroke of twelve, the snowman comes to life. The first part of the story deals with the snowman's attempts to understand the appliances, toys and other bric-a-brac in the boy's house, all while keeping quiet enough not to wake the boy's parents. The two then venture back outside and go for a ride on a motorcycle, disturbing many animals: pheasants, rabbits, a barn owl, a fox and a brown horse.
In the second part of the story, the boy and the snowman take flight — the song "Walking in the Air" appears at this point. They fly over the boy's town, over houses and large public buildings before flying past the Royal Pavilion in Brighton and West Pier and then out into the ocean. They continue through an arctic landscape and fly past many sights and animals such as penguins . Flying into the aurora they reach their destination.
The two wander hand-in-hand into a snow-covered forest and attend a snowmen's party, at which the boy is the only human. They meet Father Christmas and his reindeer, and the boy is given a scarf with a snowman pattern.
The story ends after the return journey. However, the sun has come out the next morning and the boy wakes up to find the snowman has melted. The boy begins to wonder if the night's events were all a dream, but he discovers that he still has the snowman scarf given to him by Father Christmas. Realising the night's events were real, as the credits play, the boy mourns the loss of his friend.
Plot of the book
Pages
30 pp
The original book has a slightly different plot. While the first half of the story remains the same, the boy and the snowman do not visit Father Christmas. In fact, all of the Christmas elements of the film were not present in the story. Notably, the boy's family does not have a Christmas tree in the house. After the snowman comes to life, they proceed to explore the boy's house. After they see the family car and play with the lights, the boy prepares a feast that the two eat by candlelight. Here the snowman takes the boy outside again, and they begin to fly. Once the boy and the snowman take flight, they only fly as far as the pier seen in the film. They stop there and wait for the sunrise. They hurry back, as the sun is rising, and the boy hurries inside again, like the film. The finale does not show James finding the scarf in his pocket, as they never made the trip to Father Christmas, but he finds the snowman melted in the same fashion.
Alternative beginnings
After the initial showing on Channel 4, and in its initial showings on U.S. television, an alternative introduction was sometimes used. Instead of Raymond Briggs describing how much it had snowed the winter he made The Snowman, while walking through the field that morphed into the animation of the same landscape, David Bowie was shown reciting the same speech after walking into the attic of 'his' childhood home and discovering a scarf in a drawer. This scarf closely resembles the one given to the boy towards the end of the film. The Universal DVD The Snowman & Father Christmas (902 030 - 11), released in the UK in 2000, uses the Bowie opening. (The Bowie intro is actually missing on some Sony DVDs, despite being featured on the packaging.) [1]
To celebrate the film's 20th anniversary, Channel 4 used an alternate opening directed by Roger Mainwood, with Raymond Briggs' interpretation of Father Christmas recounting how he met the boy. Father Christmas is voiced by comedian Mel Smith . Channel 4 have used this opening since 2002. This version is also cropped to 16:9 widescreen .
Production notes
The song " Walking in the Air " is sung in the film by chorister Peter Auty , [2] who was not credited in the original version. He was given a credit on the 20th anniversary version. The song was covered several years later by Welsh chorister Aled Jones in a single which reached number 5 in the UK charts. Jones is sometimes incorrectly credited with having sung the song in the film. [3]
Though the boy in the book is unnamed, in the film he is named "James". This is clear on the tag for the present he receives from Father Christmas. The name was added by Joanna Harrison, one of the animators, as it was her boyfriend's (later her husband) name. [4] Additionally, Raymond Briggs' version of Father Christmas mentions the boy's name in the 20th anniversary opening.
In the film, the boy's home seems to be in the South Downs of England, near to Brighton ; he and Snowman fly over what appears to be Brighton; the Royal Pavilion and Palace Pier are clearly depicted. Later in the film, the tag on his present confirms this.
The film was produced using traditional animation techniques, consisting of pastels, crayons and other colouring tools drawn on pieces of celluloid, which were traced over hand drawn frames. For continuity purposes, the background artwork was painted using the same tools.
Stage version
The Snowman has also been made into a stage show. It was first produced by Contact Theatre , Manchester in 1986. [5] The Contact Theatre production was adapted and produced by Anthony Clark. It had a full script and used Howard Blake's music and lyrics. In 1993, Birmingham Repertory Company produced a version, with music and lyrics by Howard Blake, scenario by Blake, with Bill Alexander and choreography by Robert North. Since 1997 Sadler's Wells has presented it every year as the Christmas Show at the Peacock Theatre . As in the book and the film, there are no words, apart from the lyrics of the song "Walking in the Air". The story is told through images and movement. Special effects include the Snowman and boy flying high over the stage (with assistance of wires and harnesses) and ‘snow’ falling in part of the auditorium. The production has had several revisions – the most extensive happening in 2000, when major changes were made to the second act, introducing new characters: The Ice Princess and Jack Frost.
New version
A 23-minute new version titled The Snowman 2 will air on Christmas 2012 on Channel 4 to celebrate 30th anniversary of the original short and Channel 4. Produced at the London based animation company Lupus Films, with many of the original team returning, the sequel will be made in the same traditional techniques as the first film, and it will feature the Snowman, a new little boy, and a snow dog, flying over international landmarks. [6]
See also
Granpa , Dianne Jackson's second animated film for Channel 4, with music by Howard Blake.
Father Christmas – Briggs' earlier two works Father Christmas and Father Christmas Goes on Holiday were combined into a film which was released in 1991. It features an altered version of the snowmen's party at the North Pole from this film. The young boy and the snowman from this film are seen in the background during this segment.
The Bear - another book by Raymond Briggs which was also adapted into a 26-minute animated version.
Notes
| The Snowman |
Which 1983 film starring Glen Close, Jeff Goldbloom, Kevin Kline and Tom Berenger was nominated for 3 Oscars, including Best Picture? | David Bowie (Music) - TV Tropes
David Bowie
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Bowie at his most normal.
"Do you have one really freaky sequin space suit, man? Or do you have several ch-ch-ch-ch-changes? Do you smoke grass out in space, man? Or do they smoke astroturf? Oh yeah, oh, it's such an artificial high!"
— Flight of the Conchords , " Bowie.
"
David Robert Jones, better known as David Bowie (8 January 1947 � 10 January 2016) was one of rock music's most influential figures. He went by many names , many sounds , and many visual styles throughout his career.
Although his recording career began in 1964 — he released numerous singles (which are collected on the 1991 compilation Early On) and an album during the middle years of The '60s — David Bowie first caught the eye and ear of the public in the autumn of 1969, when his space-age mini-melodrama "Space Oddity" (from David Bowie — now better known as Space Oddity ) reached the top five of the UK singles chart. After a three-year period of experimentation he re-emerged in 1972 during the glam rock era as the flamboyant, androgynous alter ego Ziggy Stardust, spearheaded by the hit single "Starman" and the album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars . The relatively short-lived Ziggy persona (about eighteen months) epitomised a career often marked by musical innovation, re-invention and striking visual presentation. He also produced Lou Reed 's album Transformer around the same time.
In 1975, Bowie achieved his first major American crossover success with the number-one single "Fame" and the hit album Young Americans , which the singer identified as "plastic soul "; it was during this period that he became one of the few white performers invited to play Soul Train . The sound constituted a radical shift in style that initially alienated many of his UK devotees. After this, he had his first major film role with The Man Who Fell to Earth .
Not entirely sure what to do next, he spent about a year continuing his funk-influenced act (while, at the same time, starting to show some influences from German bands like Kraftwerk and Neu! ) with his last "character", The Thin White Duke (showcased on his critically and commercially successful album Station to Station ), a bizarre, thin, well-dressed European aristocrat who — much as Bowie himself did at this point — survived primarily on "red peppers, cocaine, and milk." He then confounded the expectations of both his record label and his American audiences by recording the minimalist album Low in 1977 — the first of three collaborations with Brian Eno and Tony Visconti over the next two years. (The other two being " Heroes " later in '77 and Lodger in 1979.) Arguably his most experimental works (until his last album, anyway), the so-called "Berlin Trilogy" albums (named for his place of residence during this period as he pulled himself out of addiction, although significant portions of Low and Lodger were actually recorded elsewhere) all reached the UK Top Five, though their overall critical and commercial success was uneven ("Heroes" was well-regarded by critics at the time; the other two were not). The albums have since become Vindicated by History and are regarded as some of Bowie's strongest works. Around the same time he also produced The Stooges ' Raw Power from 1973 and Iggy Pop 's solo albums The Idiot and Lust for Life , both from 1977, all of which have been canonised as classics.
Bowie had UK number ones with the 1980 single "Ashes to Ashes" and its parent album, Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) . He paired with Queen for the 1981 UK chart-topper "Under Pressure", but consolidated his commercial — and, until then, most profitable — sound in 1983 with the album Let's Dance , which yielded the hit singles "Let's Dance", "China Girl" (a cover of an Iggy Pop song from The Idiot which he co-wrote), and "Modern Love".
1983 was also marked by The Hunger and Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence , further establishing his side career as an actor. His best-known role after The Man Who Fell to Earth would be Jareth, the Goblin King in 1986's Labyrinth (which has gotten quite the reputation for gratuitous crotch shots in the process of becoming a Cult Classic ). Ranging from supporting roles to cameos, his acting work covers everything from The Last Temptation of Christ to a voiceover role in SpongeBob SquarePants .
He stayed with the commercial sound of Let's Dance for two more albums: 1984's Tonight and 1987's Never Let Me Down. Although both were successful commercially, they were unpopular critically speaking. Eventually Bowie, dissatisfied with the results , moved on to front the (ahem) short-lived rock band Tin Machine. Since then the following albums were released to increasing critical acclaim as the Turn of the Millennium arrived.
In The '90s , Bowie returned to solo work with 1993's Black Tie White Noise, an electronic / jazz / house hybrid album which yielded another Top 10 single in "Jump They Say". At the end of the year he would go to provide the music for the BBC mini-series The Buddha of Suburbia, which was also released as an album. 1994-5 saw Bowie reunite with Eno to produce 1. Outside , a much Darker and Edgier Industrial Rock Opera which explored the concept of death by art. Slated to have two follow-ups, 1997 saw Bowie issue Earthling , which explored Drum N Bass . The song "I'm Afraid of Americans" was notable for being remixed by Nine Inch Nails and issued as a single. Trent Reznor also featured in the video as a stalker tracking down a paranoid Bowie.
After successfully embracing a variety a of different genres. 1999's ' hours ...' , saw Bowie settle into his "neo-classicist" phase. He planned to release an album covering his sixties period in 2001. Termed Toy, issues with his record company led to the project being shelved, with a couple of new songs finding their way onto 2002's Heathen instead. Heathen also reunited Bowie with Tony Visconti, with the team going on to produce the rest of his albums. Reality was released in 2003, which saw Bowie embark on a major worldwide tour. However, emergency heart surgery in 2004 forced him to cut the tour short, resulting in him making fewer and fewer concert, film, etc. appearances.
By The New '10s he was an apparently-retired Reclusive Artist , until January 8 2013 (his 66th birthday), when he announced a new album ( The Next Day ) and presented its first song and video online. He no longer performed live or granted interviews by that stage. While he would not appear onstage, his next major project Lazarus (a musical stage play co-written with Enda Walsh, Inspired By the source novel for The Man Who Fell to Earth) was set to debut off-Broadway in late 2015. It was followed by what would turn out to be his final studio album, ★ note pronounced Blackstar , released on his 69th birthday in January 2016. Two days after its release, Bowie passed away after an eighteen-month battle with liver cancer. Two weeks later NASA immediately discovered a planet in some other galaxy. You do the math.
As soon as the world learned of Bowie's death, crowds and TV crews from throughout the world gathered at the "Aladdin Sane" mural opposite Brixton Station in south London
, which immediately became a shrine and remains so to this day.
Bowie and his work have been referenced , parodied , and otherwise in a colourful variety of works. The 1998 film Velvet Goldmine presents a No Celebrities Were Harmed take on Bowie's glam rock years. He's portrayed as a shape-shifting anti-villain in The Venture Bros. , the Doctor Who story "The Waters of Mars" has a Bowie Base One on the Red Planet, the villains of one My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic episode are known as Diamond Dogs, etc. Two of his songs informed, and became the titles of, a very successful BBC series and its follow-up in the new millennium (namely, Life on Mars and Ashes to Ashes ). At the 2012 Olympic Games in London, the closing stretch of the opening ceremony's Parade of Nations had Great Britain's team marching to ""Heroes"", which became the team's unofficial theme song. And he's a popular subject for Real Person Fic , while his various characters turn up in fics of their own.
Notable for keeping his political opinions to himself and concentrating on entertainment. (Well, except during his drug-induced Creator Breakdown in The '70s , when he dabbled in fascism — as Rick James once said, " Cocaine is a hell of a drug. ") He married Somalian supermodel-actress Iman in 1992, and the couple had a daughter, Alexandria Zahra Jones, in 2000. Via his first marriage to Angela Barnett in The '70s , he is also the father of Zowie Bowie, better known these days as Duncan Jones , who made a name for himself as the director of 2009 sci-fi masterpiece Moon and the 2011 techno-thriller Source Code .
The Onion 's A.V. Club has an excellent Primer
article that runs down his musical career, and Radio Soulwax 's short film Dave
is an excellent introduction to Bowie as well, with the audio consisting solely of numerous songs by Bowie and the visuals recreating his album covers and music videos.
Parts of David Bowie's package, known only as " The Area ", have its own cult known as "Areaology" devoted to it.
He ended at #29 in One Hundred Greatest Britons .
Studio Discography:
1980 - Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)
1981 - Christiane F. note Compilation soundtrack
1982 - Baal note Tie-in to the BBC production of the play, with fully orchestrated versions of the songs
1986 - Labyrinth note Soundtrack, songs only
1987 - Never Let Me Down
2016 - ★ ( Blackstar )
2017 - No Plan note A four-track online-only EP, featuring music intended for the "Lazarus" musical, released on what would have been his 70th birthday. With the exception of Lazarus, the three tracks (No Plan, Killing A Little Time and When I Met You) are said to be "the three last known songs Bowie recorded" before his death.
Live Discography:
1983 - Ziggy Stardust: The Motion Picture
1999 - LiveAndWell.com
2005 - Live EP (Live at Fashion Rocks) note A collaboration with Arcade Fire
2009 - Live Santa Monica '72 note Formerly a bootleg
2009 - VH-1 Storytellers
2010 - A Reality Tour
2010 - Live Nassau Coliseum 1976 note Formerly a bootleg; included only with Special / Deluxe Editions of Station to Station
Discography with Tin Machine:
1992 - Tin Machine Live: Oy Vey, Baby
"Are there Tropes on Mars?" (Note: See the individual album pages for their specific tropes)
Aborted Arc : 1. Outside was intended as the first of a trilogy, but since it became an Orphaned Series , the world shall never know what was to become of its characters.
Adam Westing : His appearance on Extras has become a small classic ("Little fat man who sold his soul..."), but years before that there was the long-form video / Short Film Jazzin' for Blue Jean (1984). One of his two characters , flamboyant but snotty Screamin' Lord Byron, is a sendup of his '70s personas and excesses.
A.I. is a Crapshoot : The plot of his song "Saviour Machine".
Alas, Poor Yorick : Parodied in the live performances of "Cracked Actor" on his 1974 and '83 tours — as per the song's title, he was dressed as a hybrid of Hamlet and a Hollywood star and "filmed" as he sang to a prop skull. The segment climaxed with him French-kissing it in '74; in '83 he tried to do so but his stagehands stepped in to stop that nonsense.
"Future Legend", an Opening Narration , on Diamond Dogs .
"Leon Takes Us Outside", an instrumental piece with cryptic spoken-word phrases on top of it, on 1. Outside.
All-Loving Hero : The "Wild Eyed Boy from Freecloud". The protagonist of "We Are Hungry Men" thinks he's this.
Alter Ego Acting : His 1970's stage personas, most famously Ziggy Stardust and The Thin White Duke, are examples of Type 3 (see Secret Identity Identity below).
Ambiguously Bi : Some of his identities have been bi, but the man himself? He was probably at least bicurious, but it's complicated
, especially due to Bowie's repeated Flip-Flop of God on the matter.
American Title : Of the ironic variety with Young Americans and its title track, a rather cynical portrait of ennui and disappointment in America in The '70s .
Anachronic Order : 1. Outside; applies to both the liner notes' short story and the arrangement of songs and spoken-word segues on the album itself.
Animated Music Video : "When the Wind Blows" with an animated Bowie silhouette among clips from the movie.
Anti-Love Song : "Up the Hill Backwards" is his best example of this.
Award Bait Song : "Absolute Beginners", from the film of the same name .
Ax-Crazy : "Running Gun Blues" is sung from the viewpoint of a soldier who no longer has a war to fight and goes on to "promote oblivion" on his own ("I've cut twenty-three down since Friday"), the young woman who's the subject of "Day-In Day-Out" becomes one by the end of the song after years of struggling to get by, and "Valentine's Day" is about a man with a voice in his head ordering him to kill. This trope also applies to Bowie's character in the Italian-produced Western Il mio West (Gunslinger's Revenge in the U.S.), a psychotic outlaw who practically paralyzes a town with his and his equally mad gang's presence.
Bishōnen : Western performer, but oh, yes. If not a direct inspiration for many a bishōnen, he's often the example people cite as the most analogous example in Western media.
Disney's Kickin' It did a '70s parody episode with a Ziggy Stardust Expy ; the actor was fourteen. Bowie himself
◊
was in his early / mid-'20s in that phase. The kid pulled it off.
Blind Seer : One of Bowie's characters in ★.
Blipvert : In the video for "Underground", as Bowie descends an invisible staircase in an alley, a closeup of his face is suddenly interrupted by a blipvert of Match Cut closeups of him through the years (including stage personas and movie characters). It switches back to the normal-time closeup, but just as quickly launches into another, lengthier blipvert of still more close-ups that finally slows down to focus on an animated one, and it's this Bowie that the video follows through the first chorus.
Bookends :
Scary Monsters opens and closes with "It's No Game"; the respective tracks are parenthetically titled Part 1 and Part 2.
The opening track of Black Tie White Noise is the mostly-instrumental "The Wedding"; the closing track is "The Wedding Song", which adds a full set of lyrics to the music. This also allows the album to open and close with the peals of church bells.
Assuming "Tired of My Life" is actually his first written song (as one of his collaborators claims) and Reality is last album, then "Tired of My Life" and the thematically similar "Bring Me The Disco King" formed this work for his entire discography � until 2013 and The Next Day came along.
Book Worm : He couldn't bear to travel in The '70s without at least a trunk full of books, and once put a list up at Bowienet of his favorite recently-read / re-read books... With 51 titles on it!
In 2013 he posted to his Facebook a list
of 100 of his favourite books. Some of them are well-known titles you'd expect to see ( Nineteen Eighty-Four , A Clockwork Orange , The Great Gatsby ), but some of them are quite obscure. What may also surprise people is the diversity of his reading — it's unlikely that many people would have expected titles like Howard Zinn's A People's History of the United States or John Cage 's Silence: Lectures and Writing to be on his list, but there you are.
Bowdlerise
The Saturday Night Live performance of "Boys Keep Swinging" muted the second line of the couplet "When you're a boy / Other boys check you out"; in fact, the song wasn't released as a U.S. single on the basis of that line (though the video couldn't have helped its chances either — it caused a small stir in the U.K.).
The steamy Homage to From Here to Eternity at the end of the video for "China Girl" was graphic enough that it had to be recut; the only home video release that includes the original version is the David Bowie — Video 45 VHS from 1983.
In the "Loving the Alien" video, during the second chorus Bowie suddenly has a nosebleed on the line "They break the sky in two". An alternate version that dropped the nosebleed is the one commonly screened now (and on the Best of Bowie DVD set), but the original turned up on two VHS compilations, one of which also had...
The original video for "Day-In Day-Out". In the revised version, the baby's blocks at the end of the video spell out mom, food, and luck. In the original, that last word wasn't luck, though it rhymes with it...
Breaking the Fourth Wall : Jazzin' for Blue Jean starts with Bowie (as Vic) narrating the camera directions. In a wonderful callback, it also ends with Vic trying to direct what happens in the final scene, which doesn't work, so Bowie breaks character and argues with (real-life) director Julien Temple.
Breather Episode : "Strangers When We Meet", the closing track to Outside , is considerably Lighter and Softer than the rest of the album. One website describes it as "...like a boarded-up window being pried open to let in the sunlight."
Briefer Than They Think : His starmaking Ziggy Stardust stage persona (and Aladdin Sane Expy ) lasted less than two years and only covers two albums, one tour, and the 1980 Floor Show TV special. The Ziggy look persisted into early 1974, as can be seen on the cover of Diamond Dogs , but by the time he toured for that album it was gone too.
Brilliant, but Lazy : On some albums he is known for just providing the songs and letting the musicians and producers do most of the work (The Man Who Sold the World where he left writing the lyrics and vocal melodies to the last possible moment and Let's Dance where producer Nile Rodgers claimed that Bowie just lay on the sofa while he made his album).
Call Back : In chronological order...
Major Tom, the protagonist of "Space Oddity", is revisited in "Ashes to Ashes" (Scary Monsters), and is referenced again in the Pet Shop Boys remix of "Hallo Spaceboy" (1. Outside).
The border surrounding then-present day Bowie in the video for "Fame '90" consists of a bunch of little screens. Several of them are showing looped montages of stills of Bowie over the years (both his music and acting careers) or clips from previous videos and TV appearances. In fact, one screen simply runs Bowie's 1975 performance of "Fame" on Cher's variety show!
The filmed-but-unreleased Concept Video for "The Pretty Things Are Going to Hell" — the title of which combines Hunky Dory 's "Oh! You Pretty Things" and Iggy and the Stooges ' "Your Pretty Face is Going to Hell" from Raw Power — was based around Bowie encountering four of his "past selves" (The Man Who Sold the World, Ziggy Stardust, The Thin White Duke, and Pierrot) as played by life-sized, mannequin-like puppets. See below for more...
The packaging for The Next Day
◊
is literally the packaging for "Heroes"
◊
with the original title crossed out and a white box with the new title pasted over his face on the front, and a similar white box on the back for the track listing. The first released track, "Where Are We Now?", references several Berlin landmarks.
In the video for "The Stars (Are Out Tonight)", one of the new neighbors looks and sometimes dresses like Thomas Jerome Newton, and that's not the only reference to The Man Who Fell to Earth in the clip (look at the cover of the tabloid magazine early on)...
The penultimate track on The Next Day, "You Feel So Lonely You Could Die", ends with the opening drums from "Five Years".
The Hello Steve Reich remix of "Love is Lost" quotes "Ashes to Ashes". The first and shorter of the two videos made for it features the puppet versions of The Thin White Duke and Pierrot from the aforementioned, unreleased "The Pretty Things Are Going to Hell" video.
The harmonica in "I Can't Give Everything Away" is (no doubt intentionally) quite reminiscent of the harmonica in "A New Career in a New Town". Fans have also cited similarities in the song to "Never Let Me Down", "Soul Love", and "Thursday's Child".
Camp : Ziggy Stardust is only the most famous example of this in his work.
Canon Discontinuity : His early singles and first album, though he revisited some of those songs for the Toy project. There's also the odd case of "Too Dizzy", which was dropped from all reissues of Never Let Me Down.
Can't Get Away with Nuthin' : The old woman in "God Knows I'm Good" (Space Oddity) decides just this once to shoplift — and merely "a tin of stewing steak" at that — figuring that God will overlook the crime. When she's caught and stopped before she can leave the shop, the apparent divine judgment causes her to collapse in fright.
Celebrity Endorsement : He's done quite a few of these, perhaps inevitably as he did commercial work before he was a celebrity, appearing in an ad for Luv ice cream pops in The '60s .
When "Space Oddity" was released, he endorsed the Stylophone he played on the record in a print ad campaign.
He participated in several of the original "I Want My MTV" promos starting in 1983.
He shilled for Pepsi in 1987 (the ad teamed him up with Tina Turner ); in turn the soda company sponsored the Glass Spider Tour.
He appeared in two ads for XM Satellite Radio at the Turn of the Millennium . In the second one, he steals Snoop Dogg 's bling and gets away with it.
He became the "face" of fashion house Louis Vuitton in late 2013.
See also Japandering below.
Celebrity Is Overrated : The point of "Fame" and "The Stars (Are Out Tonight)".
Celebrity Paradox : Played with in the short story that accompanies 1. Outside, which is written as the diary of Detective Nathan Adler. Briefly recounting the history of the shocking performance art that paved the way for the "art-crime" fad, he notes that in The '70s "Bowie the singer remarked on a coupla goons who frequented the Berlin bars wearing dull surgery regalia: Caps, aprons, rubber gloves and masks." No first name is given...
Charity Motivation Song : He was supposed to sing on Band Aid's "Do They Know It's Christmas?" but couldn't make the recording session; he did record a brief B-side spoken-word message and, later, an introduction for the video's debut on Top of the Pops . He finally got to sing the song with his fellow Live Aid performers the following year.
Christmas Songs : The "Peace on Earth" / "Little Drummer Boy" counterpoint duet he performed with Bing Crosby for the latter's 1977 Christmas Special still gets airplay today, and is loved both for itself and as kitsch.
Christmas Special : Besides Bing Crosby's Merrie Olde Christmas, he played the narrator in a new introductory sequence for The Snowman in 1983. While the VHS and DVD releases use the original Raymond Briggs intro, most American viewers probably saw the Bowie version first, as this was what HBO aired.
Chronically Killed Actor : He isn't hesitant to kill off his own characters in his music — poor Ziggy Stardust dies at the hands of his fans, and the protagonist in the "Jump They Say" video is Driven to Suicide . A significant number of his film and TV characters are hustled off by The Grim Reaper as well. (In fact, Mr. Rice's Secret starts with his character dying and he's only seen in flashbacks throughout.) And if they live, it probably won't be to enjoy a Happy Ending ...
Continuity Nod :
On the Diamond Dogs Tour (1974), Bowie performed "Space Oddity" in a chair that was lifted by a cherrypicker over the audience; he sang the song into a telephone. Thirteen years later, the Glass Spider Tour opened with Bowie again in a chair, this time lowered onto the stage by wires as he recited the Opening Narration of "Glass Spider" into a telephone.
Bits and pieces of the cover art for Aladdin Sane and the Berlin Trilogy albums appear on the back cover of Scary Monsters.
"Fame '90" was the "new" song included on Changesbowie, a 1990 Greatest Hits Album . The title refers back to the greatest hits albums Bowie released in 1976 and '81, respectively — Changesonebowie and Changestwobowie — which this one superseded. The cover has a photo montage of bits of Bowie's studio album covers from 1969-80 surrounding the close-up of him that Changesonebowie used. From there, the Sound+Vision Tour program's cover features a photo montage patterned after the Changesbowie cover — but all the photos are of then-present day Bowie, and in the central photo he approximates his '76 pose.
The ending of "The Buddha of Suburbia" revives that of "All the Madmen" (see Gratuitous Foreign Language below), and shortly before that, the guitar break from "Space Oddity" is quoted.
The "Little Wonder" video incorporates a Ziggy Stardust lookalike into its action, while in a more subtle example the young fellow in the Union Jack coat looks suspiciously like Bowie did when he first started recording in the mid-1960's.
Cool Old Guy : Given things like his embrace of new technologies (composing the soundtrack for Omikron: The Nomad Soul being an obvious example), collaborations with younger artists, and continuing to produce new music right up to his death, he certainly qualified.
Corpsing : Towards the end of "The Laughing Gnome", Bowie starts cracking up.
Costume Porn : His Glam Rock period had a lot of this, but it turns up later too — from his Pierrot outfit in the "Ashes to Ashes" video to his Unlimited Wardrobe in Labyrinth to his Earthling-era, Alexander McQueen-designed frock coats. In-story, Screamin' Lord Byron's onstage look in Jazzin' for Blue Jean is all about this.
The Cover Changes the Meaning : The title track of Tonight is a cover of an Iggy Pop number he co-wrote... Minus the opening that establishes that the sweetheart the singer is addressing is dying of a drug overdose, turning it from a teenage death song into a straightforward, optimistic love song (and duet with Tina Turner ).
Let's Dance — "China Girl" (Iggy Pop, from The Idiot ), "Criminal World" (Metro)
Tonight — "Neighborhood Threat" and "Tonight" (Iggy Pop), "God Only Knows" ( The Beach Boys ), "I Keep Forgettin'" (Chuck Jackson) note the high number of covers was the result of writer's block on Bowie's part
Never Let Me Down — "Bang Bang" (Iggy Pop)
Tin Machine — "Working Class Hero" ( John Lennon , from John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band )
Tin Machine II — "If There is Something" ( Roxy Music )
Black Tie White Noise — "I Feel Free" ( Cream ), "Don't Let Me Down and Down" (Tarha), "I Know It's Gonna Happen Someday" (Morrissey) note Bowie noticed the song's similarities with Ziggy Stardust's "Rock 'N' Roll Suicide" and decided it would be fun to perform the song as he would have back in the '70s , "Nite Flights" (Scott Walker)
Heathen — "Cactus" ( The Pixies ), "I've Been Waiting for You" ( Neil Young ), "I Took a Trip on a Gemini Spaceship" (The Legendary Stardust Cowboy)
Reality — "Pablo Picasso" (The Modern Lovers) and "Try Some, Buy Some" ( George Harrison ). During this period he also released "Love Missile F1-11" (Sigue Sigue Sputnik) as a b-side for "New Killer Star".
He frequently covered The Velvet Underground 's White Light/White Heat " and/or "Waiting for the Man" in concert. Jacques Brel's "My Death", a staple of Ziggy Stardust-era shows, was brought back for the Outside Summer Festivals Tour and the Earthling Tour.
At the Concert for New York, given a month after the attacks of 9/11/2011, Bowie did a remarkable minimalist cover of "America" by Simon & Garfunkel .
He collaborated with Massive Attack to cover Nat King Cole 's "Nature Boy" for the Moulin Rouge! soundtrack.
Crapsack World : "Hunger City", the setting for the Diamond Dogs album, was this — not surprising as much of the material on it was originally intended for a musical version of 1984 . If one sticks to a Bowie-verse, this setting may or may not be as a result of the catastrophe predicted in Ziggy Stardust's "Five Years".
Other Crapsack Worlds appear in the songs "Scream Like a Baby", "Bombers", "Oh! You Pretty Things", "Sons of the Silent Age" (the lyrics that aren't a Silly Love Song ) and the album 1. Outside, and possibly "All the Madmen," though that one's subject to Ambiguous Situation (is the narrator mad or the outside world?).
Creator Thumbprint : Apocalypses, dystopias, cocaine, mental instability, alienation, celestial imagery, and science fiction imagery / subject matter turn up again and again. The Onion 's article " NASA Launches David Bowie Concept Mission
" is built around references to his "spacier" work, and mentions other common subjects of his when it notes that "the mission will primarily study paranoia, decadence, and the fluidity of sexual identity in a zero-gravity environment". There is also a reflective, often melancholy bent to his work from hours... through Reality.
Darker and Edgier / Lighter and Softer : His albums alternate between these a lot. Space Oddity -> The Man Who Sold The World -> Hunky Dory is one example — though Hunky Dory only counts as lighter musically, as lyrically it's incredibly dark.
The Buddha of Suburbia -> Outside -> Earthling -> hours... would be another example.
Lodger is also Lighter and Softer than its two predecessors.
As is Let's Dance in comparison to Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps).
With regards to his stage personas in The '70s , the flamboyant, messianic Ziggy Stardust was followed by the variants of Aladdin Sane and Halloween Jack ( Diamond Dogs )... And then came the depths of darkness with The Thin White Duke.
Ground Control to Major Tom
Your circuit's dead, there's something wrong
Can you hear me, Major Tom?
Deliberately Monochrome : "Wild is the Wind", "The Drowned Girl", most of the non-film clip portions of "Absolute Beginners" and "As the World Falls Down", and "Sue (Or in a Season of Crime)". "China Girl" and "Loving the Alien" alternate between color and black-and-white scenes.
Domestic Abuser : "Repetition" is about a bitter man who verbally and physically abuses his wife.
Doorstop Baby : The protagonist of "Day-In Day-Out" starts this way... And life does not, it is strongly implied can not, get better for her as an adult unless she indulges in shady behavior. Even then, happiness is only fleeting.
Double Meaning Title : "D.J." has a notorious one — the letters can stand for deejay... Or David Jones. Realizing this makes the song and its video, about the breakdown of a Stepford Smiler who has no life beyond what he plays, that much more disturbing.
Drag Queen : Certainly not full-time, but he posed in a "man's dress" for the original album cover of The Man Who Sold the World, wore a stewardess uniform for his Saturday Night Live performance of "TVC15", and in the video for "Boys Keep Swinging" his three "backup singers" are all him in drag (and get their own Fashion Show at the end, complete with the first two whipping off their wigs and smearing their lipstick).
Driven to Suicide : The protagonist of the song and video "Jump They Say".
Drugs Are Bad : The point of "Crack City" (Tin Machine).
Dude Looks Like a Lady : In the very late '60s / early '70s, thanks to his long, flowing locks. See the aforementioned The Man Who Sold the World cover and the back cover of Hunky Dory.
'80s Hair : Just look at Labyrinth , the Never Let Me Down videos, and the Glass Spider Tour. Of course, he knew the power of a nice mullet back in The '70s as Ziggy Stardust...
He was rockin' that 80s Hair through out the 70s! He never looked like the average or stereotypical 1970s-Person.
Eldritch Abomination : More prominent in his earlier works than later on in his career. "The Width of a Circle" features Bowie having sex with one while "The Supermen" describes them as "guardians of a loveless isle". Both songs are from The Man Who Sold the World .
Elvis Has Left the Planet : News of his death was met with comments such as "Ziggy has gone back to Mars" and " Jareth has returned to his kingdom".
Epic Instrumental Opener : The title track of Station to Station starts with over a minute of train sound effects, then over two minutes of instrumental rocking before the singing kicks in. (In live performances, the band approximated the train effect.) On the same album, the instrumental opening of "Stay" takes over a minute.
Epic Rocking : "Cygnet Committee", "The Width of a Circle", "Time", "Sweet Thing/Candidate/Sweet Thing (Reprise)", "John, I'm Only Dancing (Again)", "Station to Station" from Station to Station , "" Heroes "" (the album version), "Dead Man Walking", "★".
God-Is-Love Songs : "Word on a Wing" from Station to Station .
Grand Finale : ★ has some of his longest and most ambitious songs (plus, in the case of the title track a very elaborate video) in ages, with the final two tracks seeming to be spelling out his death...and he died two days after it was released. Producer Tony Visconti confirmed it was intended as this trope all along
.
Somewhat subverted when Visconti revealed that Bowie kept working after he finished Blackstar and made demo recordings of five additional songs. Bowie called Visconti a week before his death saying that he wanted to make another album. It's quite likely that these demo recordings will become one of the most painful What Could Have Beens in music history.
Grandma, What Massive Hotness You Have : Was almost seventy when he died; was dashingly handsome to the very end and didn't look his age at all.
Gratuitous Foreign Language : Japanese on "It's No Game Part 1" and French on "All the Madmen" and "The Buddha of Suburbia." The former is the Japanese translation of the English lyrics, and the latter translates to "Open the dog."
Greatest Hits Album : Unlike a lot of musical artists, Bowie is actually very open to the concept of compilations. This and his frequent label swapping has resulted in 46 of these over the past four decades. 2002's Best of Bowie is notable for how much work was put into making it complete; see the other wiki
for more details.
The Grim Reaper : "Look Back in Anger" is about an encounter with a tired, bored Angel of Death.
Heavy Meta : "Hang on to Yourself" is perhaps the best example of this from Ziggy Stardust.
He's Back : The announcement of The Next Day (and release of its first single/video) when virtually everyone in his fanbase and in the music press was sure he'd retired over (among other things) his health issues.
Homage : In his music videos...
"Look Back in Anger" is a variant on The Picture of Dorian Gray .
"China Girl" ends with a steamier take on the lovers-in-the-surf scene from From Here to Eternity .
The framing device for the film clips in Absolute Beginners comes from a vintage British cigarette commercial. The brand and its slogan — "You're never alone with a Strand" — are quoted by Bowie's character in the film.
The experiments conducted on his character in "Jump They Say" are based on those conducted on the protagonist of the French sci-fi short La Jetee. ( The Criterion Collection 's DVD of the short includes an excerpt from a French TV program about this video and its homage.)
Horror Host : The function of his character Julian Priest in the second season of the horror anthology The Hunger (yes, inspired by/named after the movie he starred in years before). His Mad Artist backstory is complex enough that the season opener "Sanctuary" is devoted to telling it, and he doesn't address the audience until the final sequence, but subsequent episodes feature him in bookends to each story in classic horror host style.
Iconic Outfit
The lightning bolt makeup he wore for the Aladdin Sane cover and inner sleeve is probably his single most-referenced "look" in pop culture. This look has been immortalised in the David Bowie Mural
on the side of Morleys department store in Brixton, south London (in a pedestrian area, but can just barely be seen on Google Street View from the right position).
The eyepatch he wore (due to conjunctivitis) during a Dutch television appearance in 1974 is forever tied to his character Halloween Jack from Diamond Dogs, which he was promoting at the time.
Impractically Fancy Outfit : His glam rock period, in particular, featured a lot of these.
Intergenerational Friendship : The plot of the early song "Little Bombardier": a lonely old veteran strikes up a friendship with some little kids, but his intentions are taken the wrong way by the local authorities.
Isn't It Ironic? : Dating back to TheBBC using "Space Oddity" (which has a Downer Ending ) as part of its moon landing coverage in 1969, several of his songs have been subject to this trope over the years. "Fame" may be the most frequent victim of this, often being used to celebrate glamour and the celebrity life when it's actually about the hollowness of those things. And Iggy Pop's " Lust for Life ", which Bowie wrote the music for, is not the most appropriate choice for advertising Royal Caribbean Cruise Line...
Parodied by The Onion (of course) with " Song About Heroin Used to Advertise Bank
".
Japandering : Twice — in Japan for Jun Rock sake in 1980 (with an instrumental that became an A-side there and a B-side in the U.K.), and in Italy for Vittel bottled water in 2003. The latter, a cheeky spot in which Bowie shares a house with most of his 1970-80 personas, was re-edited with a different song and turned into the U.S. ad for Reality.
Kubrick Stare : The video for "Valentine's Day" — which, in another case of Lyrical Dissonance , is a pleasant-sounding song about mass murder — is effectively one big Kubrick Stare for Bowie.
Large Ham : Yes, he's capable of subtlety and delicacy as both a singer and an actor, but he has rarely (if ever) passed up an opportunity to be hammy if that's what's called for. Two of his videos from Lodger are good
, as is the original soundtrack version of "Cat People (Putting Out Fire)" (which is — more or less — the lament of a lovelorn Reluctant Monster ).
Last Note Nightmare : "Space Oddity" has a particularly nasty one.
Leave the Camera Running / Throw It In : The closing track of Diamond Dogs ("Chant of the Ever-Circling Skeletal Family") ends with a tape loop, the result of a blunder in the studio that Bowie and company decided to keep in
.
Limited Special Collector's Ultimate Edition : Several of his albums have received this treatment, but none more so than Station to Station in 2010 — the Special Edition included an additional two discs containing his much-bootlegged Nassau Coliseum concert from '76. The Deluxe Edition... oh my
...all for an album that has a less-than-40-minute runtime and six songs.
Loads and Loads of Roles : On 1. Outside, he gives voice to a 52-year-old detective, a 14-year-old female murder victim, mad artists of both genders, a 78-year-old shopkeeper, etc. (There are pictures of most of them in the booklet, via the magic of makeup, costume, and image manipulation.)
A Load of Bull : One of the mad artists in 1. Outside, pictured in the booklet, is known only as "The Minotaur" and conceals his face beneath an elaborate bull head mask. Bowie wears a similar mask in the video for the album's first single, "The Heart's Filthy Lesson", in which a cabal of other bizarre artists create a minotaur of their own (as Bowie explained in an interview. He's also a painter in Real Life and has created several works featuring minotaurs).
Lost in Character : Station to Station is always cool but this is him at pretty much his worst. In 1975 his cocaine use turned into addiction, and he was paranoid and sort of believed he was his character The Thin White Duke and was saying crazy things. His relationship with his manager was deteriorating. It is why he moved to Berlin "I moved from the cocaine capital of the world (Los Angeles) to the smack capital of the world (West Berlin)..." He goes on to say that fortunately he had no feel for smack and cocaine was hard to get in Berlin, so he cleaned up as he worked on what would become known as his Berlin Trilogy. There's a very good documentary following him during this period, filmed in 1974, called Cracked Actor (it's on YouTube ). His diet at the time consisted of only milk, red peppers, and cocaine—the essential food pyramid! He got down to 85 lbs. (He was 5 foot 10.)
Loudness War : Some of his recent work has gotten hit badly by this trope. ★ is probably the worst example; it comes in at DR5.
Love Before First Sight : The plot of the video "As the World Falls Down", and it applies to both people in the "relationship".
Lucky Charms Title : The 2016 album ★, pronounced Blackstar, and its title track.
Lyrical Dissonance : Songs such as "Janine", "Cygnet Committee", "Bombers", "Oh! You Pretty Things", "Young Americans", "Fantastic Voyage", and "Day-In Day-Out" set lyrics on such topics as love martyrdom , the apocalypse, troubled youth, and so on to deceptively upbeat music. The Tin Machine II track "Shopping for Girls" takes this trope to the limit. A jaunty tropical guitar number on the surface, its lyrics are an uncomfortably intimate look at the child sex trade.
1. Outside is based around a mystery involving mad artists.
Julian Priest, his Horror Host character in The Hunger TV series.
Messianic Archetype : Ziggy Stardust, who is worshiped to the point that he believes the hype about him by the time he dies at the hands of his fans. Thomas Jerome Newton in The Man Who Fell to Earth undergoes a similar journey to save his people, but his sacrifices, betrayal, and suffering tragically amount to nothing.
Mind Screw : Bowie loves surrealism and it shows. Particularly good examples include:
"Width of a Circle" (The Man Who Sold the World)
"Life on Mars?" and "Quicksand" ( Hunky Dory )
The video for "Ashes to Ashes"
1. Outside (A mind screw about mind screws)
Mohs Scale of Lyrical Hardness : The bulk of his work ranges from 4 ("Let's Dance", "Modern Love", etc.) to 8 ("The Heart's Filthy Lesson", "The Next Day", Tin Machine's "Shopping for Girls", etc.). The world his songs chronicle isn't the most optimistic at its best, and at its worst it's a tragically-portrayed dystopia. His worldview is summed up surprisingly well in the liner notes of his first album — the one released when he was just 19 — which were written by then-manager Kenneth Pitt:
"It [Bowie's "line of vision"] sees the bitterness of humanity, but rarely bitterly. It sees the humor of our failings, the pathos of our virtues. David writes and sings what he sees to be the truth, and the truth is rarely an ode to the moon and to June. His moon is pock marked and grey. June is not for brides, it is for the birds — if it isn't raining."
Mood Whiplash
"Rebel Rebel" is much more upbeat than most of the rest of the songs on Diamond Dogs .
"Boys Keep Swinging" is a joyfully Camp tune; on Lodger it comes between "Look Back in Anger" and "Repetition" — which are about The Grim Reaper and Domestic Abuse , respectively.
The Movie Buff : Was a considerable as he admitted in a French interview
. When asked for his favorite films, he said "All...from Truffaut to Fassbinder . But the kind of film I really like is the old German Expressionist films of Fritz Lang , Murnau and Pabst." His own music videos are filled with references to many films, famous and obscure. Ashes to Ashes refers to Federico Fellini 's I Clowns while another refers to Chris Marker's La Jetee.
Music Is Politics : Faced this issue more than once with managerial and money problems in the mid-1970s and record labels wanting an old sound rather than a new one in the '70s (RCA wanted him to do more blue-eyed soul as opposed to Low ) and the turn of The '90s (he left EMI over their reservations about a second Tin Machine album).
Must Have Nicotine : During an Italian TV appearance in 1999, he admitted "I can ask for cigarettes in every language!" He finally kicked this habit at the Turn of the Millennium .
Neoclassical Punk Zydeco Rockabilly : As one example, David Live captures the transition from Diamond Dogs (the album the tour was supporting) to Young Americans via a mostly- Glam Rock setlist with horn-heavy, soul-influenced arrangements; this approach became even more pronounced later in the tour, which introduced some of the Young Americans songs.
New Media Are Evil : Averted; Bowie was one of the first "old guard" rock stars to embrace the internet and use it to promote his work, communicate with fans, etc. He also composed the soundtrack for the video game Omikron: The Nomad Soul and voiced its main character.
New Sound Album : All the time. His first full-length album was typical of 1960s British pop with touches of music hall, and then he moved on to...
Hard Rock with Tin Machine
Soul, dance and R&B with Black Tie White Noise
Industrial and electronic with 1. Outside
Mainstream alt-rock with Reality
Avant-garde jazz and Progressive Rock with ★
No Celebrities Were Harmed : At the Video Game Lookalikes website, he warrants a separate page due to the surprising number of characters who resemble him, including several from the Final Fantasy franchise. There's even a Pok�mon , Zangoose, who resembles Bowie's famous Aladdin Sane cover!
Castor in TRON: Legacy is based heavily on Ziggy Stardust.
There's a fan theory that a large number of major Metal Gear Solid characters are actually David Bowie.
◊
Even females.
Non-Actor Vehicle : Made a side career out of this in conjunction with One-Scene Wonder .
Non-Appearing Title : In chronological order: "Space Oddity", "Letter To Hermione", "Cygnet Committee", "Memory Of A Free Festival", "The Width of a Circle", "Eight Line Poem", "Song For Bob Dylan", "Queen Bitch", "Ziggy Stardust", "Cracked Actor", "Future Legend", "Sweet Thing (Reprise)", "Chant Of The Ever Circling Skeletal Family", "Repetition", "The Wedding Song", "Pallas Athena", "The Buddha Of Suburbia", "Untitled No. 1", "A Small Plot Of Land", "The Motel", "Battle For Britain (The Letter)", "Seven Years In Tibet", "Law (Earthlings On Fire)", "Sunday", "Heathen (The Rays)", "Heat", "The Informer", "Lazarus"
Not What It Looks Like : The infamous " Victoria Station incident
◊
" of 1976, in which Bowie was photographed appearing to give a Nazi salute to the English fans who had gathered for his return to the country. Bowie has always maintained that the photographer merely caught him in mid-wave. Gary Numan , who was in the crowd at the time, confirms Bowie's account. It looked worse because he was wearing a plain black shirt and trousers and standing upright in the back of a drophead Mercedes , and his interest in Nazism and Fascist ideology had been well-covered in the press...however one slices it, this was the public low point of his Creator Breakdown .
On a Soundstage All Along : Jazzin' for Blue Jean ends this way, albeit on a city street rather than a soundstage.
One Man Song : Jean Genie, Aladdin Sane, Ziggy Stardust, John, I'm Only Dancing,...
One-Word Title : Besides Tonight, he had two stretches of one word titles for his albums — first with the Berlin Trilogy and Stage, then with all his studio albums from Earthling through ★ ( The Next Day being the exception, as ★ has been written out as Blackstar in press releases.)
Opening Narration : "Future Legend", the Album Intro Track of Diamond Dogs , is this; "Glass Spider" is a song that opens with spoken-word narration.
Orphaned Series : 1. Outside was supposed to have two follow-ups.
Backwards Action: "Let's Dance" and "China Girl" both have brief segments involving this.
Band from Mundania:
Both 'hours...' videos put Bowie in domestic settings and then ease in fantasy elements. In "Thursday's Child", he and his current lover are getting ready for bed when in the bathroom mirror he sees a reflection of his younger self and an old lover. In "Survive", he broods alone in a cluttered kitchen over a romantic breakup — and then gravity goes askew.
In "The Stars (Are Out Tonight)" (The Next Day), Bowie and Tilda Swinton play an ordinary, happy suburban couple who get their world turned upside down by some unsettling, younger newcomers (a celebrity couple known for their tabloid troubles, to be precise).
Dance Hall Daze: "Never Let Me Down" is set at a dance marathon.
Dancing in the Streets: Though "Dancing in the Street" would better qualify as this if there were more than just him and Mick Jagger gadding about.
Monochrome Background: "Life on Mars?" and "Be My Wife" take place against all-white backdrops.
Movie Tie-In Music Video: "Underground" and "As the World Falls Down". Impressively, given the source film , only the latter incorporates film clips.
Performance Video : All his promo clips up through 1977's ""Heroes""; after this, the bulk of them are either surreal or concept-based. "Modern Love", which was shot on the Serious Moonlight Tour, is the best-known of his post-'77 solo performance vids. The Tin Machine videos are all performance-based.
Piet� Plagiarism : Three times!
In the video for "The Heart's Filthy Lesson" (1. Outside), Bowie can be seen "cradled" by a mutilated mannequin in a few shots.
The album cover for 'hours...' has an older long-haired Bowie cradling a (slightly!) younger short-haired version of himself.
In the "Love Is Lost" video, The Thin White Duke cradles a faceless "Ashes to Ashes" Pierrot. Both are actually life-sized puppets.
Postmodernism : Bowie identified himself as part of this movement. He stated in The Complete David Bowie:
David Bowie: I don�t think there�s one truth, one absolute. It�s an idea that I have always felt instinctively, but it was reinforced by the first thing I read on postmodernism, a book by George Steiner called In Bluebeard�s Castle. That book just confirmed for me that there was actually some kind of theory behind what I was doing with my work � realizing that I could like artists as disparate as Anthony Newley and Little Richard, and that it was not wrong to like both at the same time. Or that I can like Igor Stravinsky and The Incredible String Band, or The Velvet Underground and Gustav Mahler. That all just made sense to me.
Precision F-Strike : "Girl Loves Me" from ★.
Where the fuck did Monday go?
And, more recently, "Killing A Little Time" from the No Plan EP.
I've got a handful of songs to sing to stain your soul, to fuck you over!
Quiet Cry for Help : The refrain to ''Killing A Little Time" could be construed as this.
I'm falling, man..! I'm choking, man..! I'm fading, man..! Just killin' a little time..!
Radio Friendliness : Suffered in the U.S. thanks to this trope — once he abandoned his Let's Dance-era sound, that was pretty much the end of radio support for his work there. Before that, Low and " Heroes " were radio-unfriendly everywhere, only yielding three singles between them.
Rearrange the Song : Often. Aside from many concert rearrangements, examples include:
"John, I'm Only Dancing" (1972) was given a funky revamp and some new lyrics as "John, I'm Only Dancing (Again)" in 1975.
"Space Oddity" was remade as an acoustic number in 1979, as a prelude of sorts to Scary Monsters's follow-up song "Ashes to Ashes".
"Cat People (Putting Out Fire)" was given a poppier arrangement for Let's Dance.
"Fame '90" was this for "Fame" (1975).
The never-formally released Toy (it was leaked online in 2011) featured new takes on his mid-1960s work.
Record Producer : In The '70s , he gave a helping hand to some of his influences when he produced Transformer for Lou Reed , Raw Power for The Stooges , and The Idiot and Lust for Life for Iggy Pop .
Red Eyes, Take Warning : In "Cat People (Putting Out Fire)", the singer's eyes start as green as he warns his inamorata of his dangerous need for her...in verse two, they turn red, and he mentions that "Those who feel me near/Pull the blinds and change their minds".
Refrain from Assuming : It's called "Space Oddity," not "Major Tom". Although there is a song called "Major Tom (Coming Home)" by Peter Schilling that is about the same character.
Invoked with "Jump They Say" - the way it is sung in the chorus makes it sound like "They Say Jump".
Repurposed Pop Song : Several of his songs have been used for advertisements (see Isn't It Ironic? above), though the most elaborate case was the 1987 Pepsi ad he did with Tina Turner , which featured a rewritten version of "Modern Love".
Retraux : The "Wild Is the Wind" video's visuals mimic the look of American jazz programs of The '50s .
Ripped from the Headlines :
"God Knows I'm Good" (see Can't Get Away with Nuthin' above) was inspired by a newspaper article.
"Joe the Lion" (" Heroes ") is the No Celebrities Were Harmed version of Chris Burden, an artist who once had himself crucified on a Volkswagen ("Nail me to my car/And I'll tell you who you are"). Burden and this incident are directly mentioned in the liner notes of 1. Outside.
Rock Band : Songs of his that appeared in this series:
Original game: "Suffragette City"
Track Pack Vol. 1: "Moonage Daydream" (also appeared on Bowie Pack 01)
Rock Band 3: "Space Oddity"
Lego Rock Band: "Let's Dance"...in a segment complete with his own Lego avatar
Bowie Pack 01: "Queen Bitch", ""Heroes""
Queen download pack: "Under Pressure"
Bowie Pack 02: "Ziggy Stardust", "Young Americans", "Fame", "Modern Love", "Blue Jean"
Rock Opera : 1. Outside is much more specific about its storyline and characters than his concept albums.
The Rock Star : A perfect Real Life example — his exploration of the trope, particularly with the Ziggy Stardust persona, helped pave the path to him living it as completely as anyone ever has. A critic interviewed for the Biography episode on Bowie actually argues (though not in tropes ) that he is the Trope Codifier .
Sanity Slippage Song : "Breaking Glass" from Low , which came at a point when Bowie's sanity had indeed slipped.
Scenery Porn : His rock-meets-theater aesthetic made him one of the first to use this in concerts. The first two examples below are Great Balls of Fire without the flame.
The "Hunger City" set of the 1974 Diamond Dogs Tour was not only elaborate, but hid all the musicians and backup singers from view. The second half of the tour dropped this, in part because it was just too expensive.
The stage of the Glass Spider Tour of 1987 was dominated by an 80-foot-tall representation of the titular creature; Bowie made his grand entrance in a chair that descended from its belly.
1990's Sound+Vision featured huge projections of Bowie and others as backdrops and counterpoints to the live performers.
Averted with his 1976 and '78 tours, which eschewed setpieces and elaborate effects in favor of focusing on lighting to set the mood (to the point that the '76 tour was nicknamed the "White Light Tour").
Secret Identity Identity : Struggled with this issue in The '70s where his characters were concerned, in particular Ziggy Stardust and The Thin White Duke. The threat of the heartless, Fascistic Duke, who was partly inspired and "aided" by Bowie's substance abuse problems, consuming him was the primary reason he stopped creating and assuming such stage personas.
Sequel Song : "Ashes to Ashes" (to "Space Oddity").
Self-Backing Vocalist : Frequently does his own backup vocals, but not always.
Self-Deprecation : Jazzin' for Blue Jean features the hapless Vic insulting Screamin' Lord Byron (an obvious parody of Bowie's alter egos) with "You conniving, randy, bogus-Oriental old queen! Your record sleeves are better than your songs!"
Self-Titled Album : Actually ended up with about 4 of these. His debut album, his second album (which was also known as Man of Words, Man of Music in America; it would later be re-released as Space Oddity ), and then Tin Machine and Tin Machine II, named after the hard rock band that he fronted.
Seven Deadly Sins : All seven are called out by name in "That's Motivation" ( Absolute Beginners ), a Villain Recruitment Song that promises the target that they will be free to indulge in them with no fear of punishment if they join up.
The '70s and The '80s : A vital part of pop culture in both decades.
Sex, Drugs and Rock & Roll : Lived this trope hard in The '70s , as did his stage personas of Ziggy Stardust, the Thin White Duke, etc. Songs on the subject include "Ziggy Stardust" and "Ashes to Ashes" (the latter of which looks back on this period).
Sharp-Dressed Man : Just look at the page image! He's been this often and iconically enough that this is how he is portrayed in The Venture Bros. Specific examples include...
The Thin White Duke was famous for his Waistcoat of Style in '76; his look was created via some of the actual costumes Bowie wore in The Man Who Fell To Earth.
The famous pastel suits of the Serious Moonlight Tour.
Self-parody in Jazzin' for Blue Jean, as Vic attempts to be this by borrowing one of his roommate's suits.
His Live Aid outfit.
Vendice Partners in Absolute Beginners, being an advertising executive who knows the power of style over substance, dresses in stylish suits.
The album cover of Tin Machine; extends to the music videos he did with the group.
The black-and-white duds of the Sound+Vision Tour could be seen as a kinder, gentler version of the Duke's look (sometimes his shirts had lacy cuffs).
All his videos and TV appearances over 1993 when he was promoting Black Tie White Noise.
The cover of Heathen and the inner booklet of Reality.
Shout-Out : Truth be told, even giving a separate page over to Bowie's shout outs would probably not be enough room for them all. But here are some representative ones.
The title of "Space Oddity" .
The chord sequence to "Life on Mars?" is identical to that of "My Way". Bowie was asked to write the original English lyrics for that song, but his version ("Even a Fool Learns to Love") was ignored in favour of Paul Anka's. Bowie notes on the Hunky Dory back cover that the song is "Inspired by Frankie" — Sinatra , that is, since he popularized "My Way".
From the same album ( Hunky Dory ), "Queen Bitch" sounds so much like "Sweet Jane" that it's annotated "Some VU White Light returned, with thanks".
A Clockwork Orange was a key visual inspiration for Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, and the term "droogie" is dropped in "Suffragette City". The influence shows up again in "Girl Loves Me", which is sung mostly in Nadsat and Polari slang (the latter is from the gay subculture of London in The '70s ).
Aleister Crowley is referenced in both "Quicksand" and " Station to Station ".
The title of Heroes is a shout out to Neu! 's "Hero", as it was one of the bands Bowie was influenced by during his "Berlin phase", alongside Kraftwerk . Kraftwerk itself is given a shout out with another track on the album — "V-2 [Florian] Schneider".
The "You remind me of the babe" patter in "Magic Dance" is a paraphrase of the closing exchange in the film The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer.
Bowies and jaggers are both kinds of knives. He chose "David Bowie" as a shout-out to Mick Jagger .
"Under the God" (Tin Machine) references The Ramones ' "Beat on the Brat" via the line "Beating on blacks with a baseball bat."
"Black Tie White Noise", a song about racial discord written in the wake of the Rodney King riots, references Marvin Gaye 's " What's Going On " by dropping the title into the lyrics. (" We Are The World " is also mentioned, but sarcastically, as Bowie's point is that finding solutions to problems will not be nearly as easy as songs like that make it sound.)
Shown Their Work : The Bowie-penned short story that makes up the bulk of the liner notes for 1. Outside not only establishes the album's storyline and characters, but also weaves in stories of the grisly "precursors" of the art-crime movement. These are mostly Real Life 20th century artists of the True Art Is Incomprehensible school, and often particularly grisly ones at that: Hermann Nitsch, Chris Burden, Damien Hirst, Ron Athey, and Guy Bourdin. (Burden had previously inspired the "Heroes" song "Joe the Lion".)
Bowie first did this on his 1966 single "Can't Help Thinking About Me": "My girl calls my name/'Hi, Dave'..."
From "Teenage Wildlife": "And you'll take me aside and say/David, what shall I do?"
The bridge of his cover of "Cactus".
Stage Name / One Steve Limit : His real name is David Jones , and took the name David Bowie to avoid confusion with Davy Jones of The Monkees .
Stalker with a Crush : At least two songs feature one as the singing character.
The early song "Love You Till Tuesday" has one with a fleeting crush, since he fell for the lady in question on a Sunday.
"Too Dizzy", from Never Let Me Down, has the singer demanding that the object of his affections reciprocate, never mind that she already has a lover. This song was cut on later editions of the album, with Bowie historian Nicholas Pegg theorizing that he became aware of, and embarrassed by, the Unfortunate Implications it brought up (i.e. that it could be interpreted as a stalker's, even rapist's, monologue).
Stepford Smiler : "D.J." is about/sung by a radio deejay who is a male version of Type B ("I am what I play"); the video especially suggests he's turning into a Type C.
Storyboard : Bowie drew these up for the videos he did with director David Mallet at the turn of The '80s .
Stylistic Suck : "Boys Keep Swinging"'s rough sound, the result of Bowie having the members of his backing band switch instruments to perform it.
Subverted Rhyme Every Occasion : One of Bowie's lyrical trademarks is his use of blank verse, though he doesn't write exclusively in that style.
Surreal Music Video : Many, including "Fashion", "Loving the Alien", "Miracle Goodnight", "Hallo Spaceboy", and "Little Wonder".
Suspiciously Similar Substitute : A variant with "Fashion": it reworks the melody of "Golden Years", only louder , Darker and Edgier .
Studio Chatter : The ringing phone that's answered at the end of "Life on Mars?" is probably the first example of this from his work that springs to mind.
10-Minute Retirement : For his bigger hit songs, rather than himself, during the Tin Machine period. The solo Sound+Vision Tour in 1990 was hyped as the final tour in which he'd perform them
in concert, as he wanted to move on from them. This stuck until 1996's Outside Summer Festivals Tour reintroduced "Heroes" to his set lists, and most of the "big" songs have since returned to the stage.
Bowie himself had one after the last Ziggy Stardust concert when he announced: "Not only is it the last show of the tour, it's the last show we'll ever do." He meant it was his last show as the character Ziggy Stardust, but the audience didn't know that at the time.
Three Chords and the Truth : Perhaps not just three chords, but many of his songs are built around fairly simple chord progressions (""Heroes"", for example).
Title Track : 21 of his albums have some form of this—and that's not counting the soundtrack album for The Buddha of Suburbia or Tin Machine's self-titled debut album , which has a song called "Tin Machine".
Translated Cover Version :
Bowie's song '"Heroes"' has been covered in French as '"Heros"' and in German as '"Helden."'
Also, "Ragazzo Solo, Ragazza Sola," a love song to the tune of "Space Oddity" (which Bowie hated; he thought he was singing a direct translation).
He also recorded a Mandarin version of Earthling's "Seven Years in Tibet."
The movie The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou features performances of Bowie songs in Portuguese.
Trickster : One never knew quite what the new Bowie album would be like for most of his career or, in The '70s , which persona it would be... And even after you got it, there was guaranteed to be enough Lyrical Dissonance to keep you scratching your head wondering what it really meant for years. The visual presentation of his work (concerts, videos, live TV performances) varies wildly from period to period as well. He freely courted controversy and flaunted unconventional ways in The '70s , and though he did mellow out come The '80s , he never lost the strong sense of humor that served him well both on and offstage. And while the man himself is mellow, he is still capable of creating works of alarming darkness and grotesquerie.
Trope Overdosed : There are more than 350 references to him on TV Tropes. Might be due to his constant ch-ch-ch-ch-changes?
20 Minutes into the Future : 1995's 1. Outside as the main action starts on December 31, 1999.
�bermensch : A recurring theme in several early songs, including "The Supermen," "Quicksand," and "Oh! You Pretty Things" from Hunky Dory .
Uncanny Valley Makeup : A lot in his younger days, and the illustrations of the 1. Outside booklet. Arguably, Bowie is somewhat in the Uncanny Valley even without a specific makeup...
Subverted in the video for "Thursday's Child," where a separate actor was used for the younger Bowie.
Uncommon Time : Used this occasionally. "Soul Love," from The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars , has the first two measures of each of its verses in 7/4. "Win," from Young Americans , contains passages in 5/4. "Chant of the Ever Circling Skeletal Family," from Diamond Dogs alternated between 5/4 and 6/4.
"Untitled" Title : "Untitled No. 1" from The Buddha of Suburbia.
Video Full of Film Clips : Several — "This is Not America" (The Falcon and the Snowman), "Absolute Beginners," "As the World Falls Down" (Labyrinth; crosses over with Movie Tie-In Music Video), " When the Wind Blows ," "Real Cool World ," and "The Buddha of Suburbia." He doesn't appear onscreen in any way, shape, or form in the first and fifth examples.
Video Inside, Film Outside : The video for "D.J." uses this with the side effect of furthering the song and clip's premise: In the filmed city streets he's cheery and confident and surrounded by fans, but in the videotaped studio — where he's presumably alone — he's coming unhinged.
Villainous Cheekbones : His angular cheeks served him well as The Thin White Duke (which came at a time when he was downright bony) and such film villains as Jareth.
He slips back into his old voice from time to time, though. It's nice glimpse into the past. This live version of "Rock 'n' Roll Suicide" is a pretty good example.
Wait until the "They're so natural" bit.
Waistcoat of Style : The Thin White Duke's black one was vital to the character's look; as himself, Bowie would wear one for the Sound+Vision tour as well.
War Is Hell : This theme appears in songs as early as "Running Gun Blues" ( The Man Who Sold the World ) and as late as "I'd Rather Be High" and "How Does the Grass Grow" (The Next Day).
Wham Line : "Ground Control to Major Tom / Your circuit's dead; there's something wrong..."
Wholesome Crossdresser : Engaged in this occasionally, starting with the album cover for The Man Who Sold the World .
Who Names Their Kid "Dude"? : Or in this case, "Zowie." Thankfully, Bowie saw fit to give his son the full name "Duncan Zowie Heywood Jones" on his birth certificate, in case young Zowie Bowie ended up hating his name and wanted to change to something more normal. He did, and is now famous in his own right as director Duncan Jones.
Word Salad Lyrics / Word Salad Title : Bowie utilizes the "cut-up" technique often, resulting in some strange lyrical products that usually fall into The Walrus Was Paul territory. 1. Outside not only has examples of cut-up lyrics, but the technique is actually used in-story — in the liner notes' "The Diary of Nathan Adler," Adler takes computer database information on people who knew the victim of the art-murder and feeds it into a randomiser "that re-strings real life facts as improbable virtual fact" with the hopes of finding "a lead or two."
I know something is very wrong
The pulse returns for prodigal sons
The blackout's hearts with flowered news
With skull designs upon my shoes
I can't give everything
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A famous guitarist, or an young attendant upon a person of rank? | Top 10 Greatest Guitar Players (Famous Guitarists) - Toptenz.net
Toptenz.net
Posted by Shell Harris on
September 14, 2008
in Music , People | 135,814 Views | 559 Responses
From guitar faces to the different kinds of axes, here is the Top 10 Greatest Guitar Players. Squeezing the talent that’s blessed our ears for all these years into a list of 10 is just as difficult as choosing which limbs to lose or keep. The list is by no means definitive, but it’s an accurate representation for the uniqueness of the music the guitarist has made. In short, these famous guitar players have played the melodies that have made grown men cry, and probably gave you a taste of how your guitar face would look like pretending to play that solo. Of course many great guitarists may not have made this top 10 list, but feel free to add your own favorites in the comments.
10. Tom Morello
The guitar player who makes his guitar sound anything but a guitar. Helicopter rudders, disc scratching, and his use of the kill switch for staccato like guitar riffs has made him probably the most innovative guitar player of our time. He is a guitarist who can take feedback, and ground hum from his own body into coherent music. Be it Rage Against The Machine , or Audioslave you can always see Morello’s signature licks shining through.
9. John Mayer
Whoa whoa wait, what? This pop artist? A guitar player? If all you’ve ever heard from Mayer is Your Body Is Wonderland, or Daughters, then you’ve got to give his album Continuum a listen to. He is no Shakespeare , but his guitar playing speaks to your soul. His songs will make most glorified tough guys miss their old girlfriend, and the rest just go to a corner and cry. If you think that his songs are all too depressing, then watch some videos of him playing. His guitar face is priceless.
8. Jack White
Mr. White is an incredibly underrated guitarist. His singles (From the White Stripes) always span with just three to four chords and his simplistic blues rhythm and picking styles have him overlooked most of the time. However, his masterful use of the Digitech Whammy and is erratic playing make for some of the most memorable guitar solos ever. Check out Ball and a Biscuit and try not to like that solo. One of my favorite Jack White moments was during the 2004 Grammys , where he took 7 Nation Army and went into a cover of Son House’s Death Letter (another artist who I had to unwillingly cut out of the list). In an awards show celebrating Justin Timberlake and Missy Eliot, Jack White took time to give a salute to where things got started, to an artist born a century ago.
7. Jimmy Page
Admit it. You’ve slow danced to Stairway To Heaven before. Page’s playing have influenced so many guitar players of today, and Led Zeppelin revolutionized Rock and Roll blending acoustic guitars, banjos , and mandolins while still staying with the same gritty rock image. His guitar riffs are forever etched into Rock and Roll’s hall of fame. How influential was he? Step into a guitar store, and you’ll see. Thousands of 12 year old kids across the globe are playing the intro to Stairway. Now that’s how you know you’ve made it.
6. BB King
Yeah. He may have to sit down when he plays, but he’ll have you on your feet when he does. BB’s creamy yet piercing tone, his unique vibrato and his absolute flawless ability to express his emotions through the guitar earn him a spot in the top ten. King’s years of fame haven’t gone to his head. He is still as humble as ever giving front row seat tickets to fans waiting in a cold parking lot just to have a glimpse of him. BB King can’t play chords. Nor does he sing and play at the same time. But he has worldwide recognition of his accomplishments as an artist. That’s a mark of a truly great guitarist.
5. David Gilmour
Gilmour was made famous by his haunting guitar scores in Pink Floyd. This “replacement” guitarist surpassed expectations and helped shape Pink Floyd’s unique sound. You can always expect hairs at the back of your neck to stand whenever you hear one of his solos – be it for the first or hundredth time you’re listening to it. All the emotion that Gilmour’s poured into his guitar work lives on in the music and is channeled through anyone who’s ever wanted to cover a Pink Floyd song. I know several guitar players (myself included) who whenever playing the Comfortably Numb solo – whether they are alone in their bedrooms or on stage – have always been unwillingly brought to tears , near the point of crying. How could you not expect things to get esoteric and mystical when it comes to music?
4. John Frusciante
Let’s get it straight. Froo – Shawn – Tey. If you don’t know him, he’s the lead guitarist of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Frusciante is the author of the brilliant chord progression on Under the Bridge, the haunting intro to Californication and the simplistic solo and riff on Otherside. If you’re the casual listener of the Chili Peppers, then you may wonder why John has made it so far up this list. But a tad of a closer look will reveal that his simple catchy riffs are the tip of the ice berg. One can catch a glimpse at his technical skill in the Dani California solo. A bit deeper and you’ll run into Lyon 06.06.06 in one of the B Sides. John takes his influences (Page, Hendrix) and mixes his own nuances into a sound that’s pleasantly different, but melodically having the same effects on you. A track to look out for on his solo work – Ramparts – showcasing four or so guitars layered upon each other in an introspective orchestra.
3. Stevie Ray Vaughan
Now if this house is rocking, don’t bother knockin. Famous words by Stevie. Many people perhaps know him for Hendrix covers, but where Jimi left off Stevie continued, and continued he did. The elements of Hendrix were alive and plain to see in SRV, but with it, he also mixed in his own influences such as Albert King and his own soul to make it his sound a trademark spot on his songs. I vaguely remember a car commercial where I spotted Stevie’s playing (Pride and Joy) in a Nissan ad. That was much before I really got into Vaughan’s work. SRV was an artist who could play while absolutely stoned face. And when he did sober up, he actually played better. His newfound health and love for life and music are showcased on In Step his last album before his death a year later. Stevie’s footprints will always be in the air and in our hearts.
2. Jimi Hendrix
Hendrix was known for a lot of things.The beautiful chord embellishments on Little Wing, the grit of the solo in Voodoo Child screaming off of his strat pickups , his cover of the Dylan song All Along The Watchtower, and the backwards solo in Castles Made of Sand, but known as a great innovative guitar player over and over again. His short but explosive career influenced numerous artists for many years past his death and continues to influence musicians today. To make such a difference in such a short amount of time truly earns Jimi a spot as number two. But…then you may ask, “Who is deserving of number one?!”
1. Robert Johnson
Bobby Jo is number one on this list. Every artist has unknowingly been influenced by him. Starting in the Mississippi Delta, Johnson’s life is rife with myths, and allegory. His deal with the devil and death are full of folklore and mysticism, and it only adds to his haunting voice and groundbreaking guitar playing. His songs are just a pure expression of emotion with no bars held. He led the groundwork for early blues to be filled in and worked upon by all the artists on this list. He also worked on breaking down social barriers. A black man in the early 20th century was not exactly the best place to be. But his music was to add interest by white musicians and help the civil movements of the sixties. Politically or musically, Robert Johnson is deserving of number one on this list.
written by Clarence F.
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Anyone without the skills and ability to shred well technically should not be on a top list ever. Any top list without Buckethead is incomplete since he has the highest ability. Anyone that says Buckethead can not play with soul/feel/emotion/blah blah blah are misinformed and have not listened to enough of him them self. Buckethead has over 50 albums so it is hard to find the good stuff since a lot of his work is experimental, but his good stuff is the best stuff. Oh wow just before pushing post I just found yet another awesome older Buckethead song… Brazos.
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If your voting on pure guitarist and no particular style then jose felicano is Number one.The worlds greatest living guitarist. also The worlds greatest blind guitarist.
I always say that Jose Feliciano? is indeed one of the greatest guitarists that’s ever lived. Flamenco, latin, bolero, classical, rock ect ect…. You name it and Jose can play it. Why he’s not on Rolling Stone’s 100 greatest guitarist of all time, is beyond anyone’s guess. dont believe me look up on youtube purple haze, the thrill is gone, flight of the bumble bee, Malagueña under Jose Feliciano. the guy can play anything and make it his own.
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Leaving aside guitarists whose relative fame is debatable (such as Steve Hillage or Terje Rypdal), how can you have a wannabe like John Mayer on your list, but not Dr. Brian May, Jerry Garcia or Jeff Beck? And I’d have also swapped out Tom Morello in favor of Adrian Belew. Belew was making his guitar sound like “everything but a guitar” more than a decade before anyone had heard of Morello. Adrian played with Talking Heads, Joan Armatrading, David Bowie (that’s him playing the crazy solos on DJ and Boys Keep Swinging), and King Crimson back in thee late 70’s and early 80’s. And his song Oooh Daddy at least grants him one hit wonder status, as far as “fame” goes.
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Ronnie Barker in Open All Hours, or a craftsman who produced wooden chests? | Roman Emperors - DIR Marcus Aurelius
Emory University
Introduction and Sources
The Vita of the emperor in the collection known as the Historia Augusta identifies him in its heading as Marcus Antoninus Philosophus, "Marcus Antoninus the Philosopher." Toward the end of the work, the following is reported about him, sententia Platonis semper in ore illius fuit, florere civitates si aut philosophi imperarent aut imperantes philosopharentur (27.7), "Plato's judgment was always on his lips, that states flourished if philosophers ruled or rulers were philosophers." It is this quality of Marcus' character which has made him a unique figure in Roman history, since he was the first emperor whose life was molded by, and devoted to, philosophy (Julian was the second and last). His reign was long and troubled, and in some ways showed the weaknesses of empire which ultimately led to the "Decline and Fall," yet his personal reputation, indeed his sanctity, have never failed of admirers. Contributing to his fame and reputation is a slender volume of Stoic philosophy which served as a kind of diary while he was involved in military campaigns, the Meditations, a book which can be described as an aureus libellus, a little golden book.
The sources for understanding Marcus and his reign are varied but generally disappointing. There is no major historian. The chief literary sources are the biography in the Historia Augusta, as well as those of Hadrian , Antoninus , Verus , and Avidius Cassius. Debate about this collection of imperial biographies has been heated and contentious for more than a century. In all likelihood, it is the work of a single author writing in the last years of the fourth-century. The information offered ranges from the precisely accurate to the wildly imaginative.
Cassius Dio, who wrote in the decade of the 230s, produced a long history of the empire which has survived, for our period, only in an abbreviated version. Fourth century historians, such as Aurelius Victor and Eutropius, occasionally furnish bits of information. Marcus' teacher, Fronto, a distinguished orator and rhetorician, is extremely useful. Papyri, inscriptions, coins, legal writings, and some of the church writers, such as Tertullian, Eusebius, and Orosius, are very important. Archaeology and art history, with their interpretation of monuments, make the history of Marcus' principate literally visible and offer important clues for understanding the context of his actions..
Early Life
He was born M. Annius Verus on April 26, 121, the scion of a distinguished family of Spanish origin (PIR2 A697). His father was Annius Verus (PIR2 A696), his mother Domitia Lucilla (PIR2 D183). His grandfather held his second consulate in that year and went on to reach a third in 126, a rare distinction in the entire history of the principate, and also served Hadrian as city prefect. [[1]] The youth's education embraced both rhetoric and philosophy; his manner was serious, his intellectual pursuits deep and devoted, so that the emperor Hadrian took an interest in him and called him "Verissimus," "Most truthful," by punning on his name. [[2]] He received public honors from an early age and seems to have long been in Hadrian's mind as a potential successor. When Hadrian's first choice as successor, L. Ceionius Commodus, died before his adoptive father, the second choice proved more fruitful. The distinguished senator T. Aurelius Fulvus Boionius Arrius Antoninus, from Cisalpine Gaul, did succeed Hadrian , whose arrangements for the succession planned for the next generation as well. He required Antoninus to adopt the young Verus, now to be known as M. Aelius Aurelius Verus, as well as Commodus' son, henceforth known as L. Aelius Aurelius Commodus (PIR2 C606). The former was a bit more than seventeen years old, the latter was eight.
Career under Antoninus Pius
The long tenure of Antoninus Pius proved one of the most peaceful and prosperous in Roman history. The emperor himself was disinclined to military undertakings and never left Italy during his reign. Disturbances to the pax Romana occurred on the fringes of empire. Responses were decisive and successful, with legates in charge in the provinces. As a consequence, neither Caesar gained military experience nor was shown to the armies, a failing which later could have proved decisive and disastrous. Marcus rose steadily through the cursus honorum, holding consulates in 140 and 145, combining magistracies with priesthoods. He received the tribunicia potestas in 147, and perhaps also imperium proconsulare. Yet he never neglected the artes liberales. His closest contacts were with Fronto (c.95-c.160), the distinguished rhetorician and orator. [[3]] His acquaintance included many other distinguished thinkers, such as Herodes Atticus (c.95-177), the Athenian millionaire and sophist, [[4]] and Aelius Aristides (117-c.181), two of whose great speeches have survived and which reveal much of the mood and beliefs of the age. [[5]] Yet it was Epictetus (c.50-c.120) who had the greatest philosophical impact [[6]] and made him a firm Stoic. [[7]] In the year 161 Marcus celebrated his fortieth birthday, a figure of noble appearance and unblemished character. He was leading a life which gave him as much honor and glory as he could have desired, probably much more than his private nature enjoyed, yet his life, and that of the empire, was soon to change. The emperor died on March 7, but not before clearly indicating to magistrates and senate alike his desire that Marcus succeed him by having the statue of Fortuna, which had been in his bedroom, transferred to Marcus. [[8]] There was no opposition, no contrary voice, to his succession. He immediately chose his brother as co-emperor, as Hadrian had planned. From the beginning of the year they were joint consuls and held office for the entire year. Their official titulature was now Imperator Caesar M. Aurelius Antoninus Augustus and Imperator Caesar L. Aurelius Verus Augustus. The military qualities adumbrated by the word Imperator were soon much in demand, for the empire was under pressure in the year 161 in Britain, in Raetia, and in the east, where Parthia once again posed a significant danger. [[9]]
The Parthian War (161-166)
The incursion in northern Britain and the difficulties along the Danube were soon satisfactorily managed by legates. The danger in the East was of a different magnitude. Tensions between Rome and Parthia had intensified in the last years of Antoninus' reign over control of Armenia, the vast buffer state which had often aroused enmity between the two powers, since each wished to be able to impose a king favorable to its interests. With Antoninus' death and the uncertainty attendant upon a new emperor (in this case two, a dyarchy, for the first time in Rome's history), the Parthian monarch, Vologaeses III, struck rapidly, placed his own candidate upon the Armenian throne, and inflicted severe setbacks upon the Roman forces sent to oppose him. Marcus decided to send his colleague Lucius Verus , whose imperial prestige would underscore the seriousness of the empire's response. Verus lacked military experience and was sorely lacking in the attributes of leadership and command; further, he was notorious for being chiefly interested in amusements and luxury. But Marcus surrounded him with several of the best generals at the empire's disposal, chief among them Avidius Cassius (c.130-175)(PIR2 A1402). From 162 on, Rome's successes and conquests were extensive and decisive. Most of Parthia's significant cities and strongholds, such as Seleucia and Ctesiphon, were stormed and destroyed, and the army's movements eastward recalled the movements of Alexander the Great some five centuries earlier. By 166, Parthia had capitulated and a Roman nominee sat on the Armenian throne. The victory appeared to be the most decisive since Trajan's conquest of Dacia, but, when Verus returned to Italy with his triumphant army, there came also a devastating plague, which had enormous effect on all provinces.
As is the case with all ancient diseases, it is almost impossible to identify this one. In all likelihood, however, it was smallpox; how severe the toll was is debated. [[10]] Clearly, it cast a pall over the triumph celebrated by the two emperors, who were honored with the titles Armeniacus and Parthicus. The last years of this decade were dominated by efforts to overcome the plague and provide succour to its victims. But already in 166, the German tribes smashed the Danubian limes, threatening the empire's stability and even existence,more than Parthia had ever done. From the north had come a far greater threat to the empire's stability, indeed existence, than that of Parthia had been. The first campaigns were punctuated by the death of Verus in 169, leaving Marcus as sole emperor. And so began the most difficult period of his life.
The German Wars
Early in 169, the Marcomanni and Quadi crossed the Danube, penetrated the intervening provinces, and entered Italy. The culmination of their onslaught was a siege of Aquileia. The effect upon the inhabitants of the peninsula was frightful. This was the first invasion of Italy since the late second century B.C., when the Cimbri and Teutones had been separately crushed by Marius. Perhaps more vivid in the collective imagination was the sack of Rome by the Gauls in 387, when the city was saved only by the payment of ransom.
The two emperors hastened north, after a rapid mobilization of forces, which included the drafting of slaves, since the manpower potential of the empire had been so impaired by the consequences of the plague and the losses and troop commitments in the East. Verus died while in the north; [[11]] Marcus returned to Rome with the body and gave his brother full honors. He then turned north again and began his counterattacks against the barbarians. He did not know it at the time, but he was destined to spend most of his remaining years on the northern frontier. The only interlude was caused by revolt in the east.
We have no record of Marcus' ultimate intentions in these campaigns, yet the various stages were clear. First and foremost, the enemy had to be driven out of Italy and then into their own territory beyond the Danube. He strove to isolate the tribes and then defeat them individually, so that the ultimate manpower superiority of the empire and its greater skill in warfare and logistics could more easily be brought to bear. It was a successful strategy, as one tribe after another suffered defeat and reestablished ties with Rome. But it was a time-consuming and expensive operation, requiring the recruitment of two new legions, II Italica and III Italica, the construction of many new camps, such as the legionary fortress at Regensburg, with success accruing year by year. He intended to create two new provinces, Marcomannia and Sarmatia, thereby eliminating the Hungarian Plain and the headwaters of the Elbe as staging areas for invasion. [[12]]
This steady, slow progress was interrupted in 175 by the action of the distinguished general Avidius Cassius, governor of Syria, who claimed the empire for himself. [[13]] Whether he responded to a rumor of Marcus' death or, as gossip had it, conspired with Marcus' wife, the emperor's response was quick and decisive. Leaving the northern wars, he traveled to the East, but Avidius was killed before Marcus arrived in the region. After spending time settling affairs and showing himself to some of the provinces, with particular attention shown to Athens, where he was initiated into the Eleusinian mysteries, as Hadrian and Verus had been. He returned to Italy and soon answered the call to duty once more on the northern frontier. He took with him as colleague his son Commodus , now merely sixteen years old but already long since marked out as his father's intended successor. The military campaigns proved successful, but in the spring of 180, when Marcus died, at least one more year of warfare was necessary for the attainment of the grand enterprise. Marcus recommended to Commodus continuation of the war, but the new emperor was eager to return to Rome and the ease and luxury of the imperial court and entered into a peace agreement. Never again was Rome to hold the upper hand in its dealings with the Germanic tribes beyond the now reestablished borders of the empire.
Administrative and Religious Policy
Marcus was a conscientious and careful administrator who devoted much attention to judicial matters. [[14]] His appointments to major administrative positions were for the most part admirable. Difficult tasks were put in the charge of the most capable men; he was not afraid of comparison with his subordinates. Social mobility continued as it had been under his predecessors, with men from the provinces advancing into the upper echelons of the Roman aristocracy. Those of humble birth could make a good career; such a one was Pertinax (126-193) [[15]] , a gifted general, who in early 193 became emperor for a space of less than three months.
The judicial administration of Italy was put in the hands of iuridici, who represented the emperor and thus spoke with his authority. This was a practice which had been established by Hadrian but had been allowed to lapse by Antoninus . The centralization of government continued apace. The imperial finances were sorely stretched by the almost continuous wars. Trajan had brought great wealth, Decebalus' treasure, into the empire after his conquest of Dacia. No such profit awaited Marcus. When preparing for the northern wars, he auctioned off much of the imperial palace's valuables. [[16]] In spite of the enormous expenses of war, Commodus found ample funds upon his accession as sole emperor for his expenditures and amusements.
Although Marcus was a devoted thinker and philosopher, he was deeply religious, at least outwardly. The state cult received full honor, and he recognized the validity of other people's beliefs, so that the variety of religions in the vast extent of the empire caused no difficulties for inhabitants or government, with one significant exception. The Christians were not hampered by any official policy; indeed the impact of the church spread enormously in the second century. Yet their availability as scapegoats for local crises made them subject to abuse or worse. There was violence against them in 167, and perhaps the worst stain on Marcus' principate stemmed from the pogrom of Christians in Lugdunum in southern France in 177. He did not cause it, nor, on the other hand, did he or his officials move to stop it. Indeed, Tertullian called him a friend of Christianity. Yet the events were a precursor of what would come in the century and a quarter which followed. [[17]]
Building Programs and Monuments
Many of Marcus' predecessors transformed the face of the capital with their building programs, either by the vast range of their undertaking or by the extraordinary significance of individual monuments. Others did very little to leave a tangible mark. Marcus fell into the latter group. There is record of very few monuments for which he and his brother were responsible. Very early in their reign they honored the deceased Antoninus with a column in the Campus Martius, no longer in situ but largely surviving. The shaft, which seems not to have been sculpted, was used for the restoration of Augustus' obelisk, now in Piazza Montecitorio, in the eighteenth century. The base, which was sculpted on all four sides, is now on display in the Vatican Museum. The chief feature is the apotheosis of the emperor and his long deceased wife, the elder Faustina, as they are borne to heaven. Also presented on this relief are two eagles and personifications of the goddess Roma and of the Campus Martius, represented as a young male figure.
There were three arches which commemorated the military achievements of the two emperors. No trace has been found of an early monument to Verus. Two arches later honored Marcus, both of which have disappeared but have left significant sculptural remains. The eight rectangular reliefs preserved on the Arch of Constantine came from one arch. Similarly, the three reliefs displayed in the stairwell of the Conservatori Museum on the Capitoline Hill came from another. One relief has disappeared from the latter monument.
Certainly the best known monument of Marcus' principate is the column, which rises from Piazza Colonna. It is twin to Trajan's column in height and design, although the artistic craftsmanship of the reliefs which envelop the shaft is much inferior. The subject is Marcus' campaigns against the Marcomanni and Sarmati in the years 172-75. The most interesting panel represents the famous rainstorm, when the army, overwhelmed by drought, was suddenly saved by the divine intervention of rain. [[18]] Although begun in the latter part of the decade, the column was not completed until 193, when Septimius Severus had become emperor.
The famous equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius, which survived the centuries near San Giovanni in Laterano because the rider was identified as Constantine , no longer greets the visitor to the Capitoline, where Michelangelo had placed it in the sixteenth century. It was removed in the 1980s because pollution was destroying it. After careful treatment and restoration, it is now displayed within the museum, with a replica placed in the center of the piazza.
Although outside Rome, mention should be made of the monumental frieze commemorating Lucius Verus' victory over the Parthians in 165. It was an ornament of the city of Ephesus; the extensive sculptural remains are now in the Ephesus Museum in Vienna.
Family
As part of Hadrian's plans for his succession, when Ceionius Commodus was his choice, Marcus was betrothed to the latter's daughter. But when Ceionius died and Antoninus became Hadrian's successor, that arrangement was nullified and Marcus was chosen for the Emperor's daughter, the younger Faustina (PIR2 A716). She had been born in 129, was hence eight years younger than he. They were married in 145; the marriage endured for thirty years. She bore him thirteen children, of whom several died young; the most important were a daughter, Lucilla, and a son Commodus . Lucilla was deployed for political purposes, married first to Lucius Verus in 164, when she was seventeen, and then, after his death, to Claudius Pompeianus Quintianus of Antioch, a much older man who was an important associate of her father (PIR2 C973). [[19]] Commodus became joint-emperor with his father in 177 and three years later ruled alone.
Faustina's reputation suffered much abuse. She was accused of employing poison and of murdering people, as well as being free with her favors with gladiators, sailors, and also men of rank, particularly Avidius Cassius . Yet Marcus trusted her implicitly and defended her vigorously. She accompanied him on several campaigns and was honored with the title mater castrorum. She was with him in camp at Halala in southern Cappadocia in the winter of 175 when she died in an accident. Marcus dedicated a temple to her honor and had the name of the city changed to Faustinopolis. [[20]]
Death and Succession
In early 180, while Marcus and Commodus were fighting in the north, Marcus became ill. Which disease carried him off we do not know, but for some days Marcus took no food or drink, being now eager to die. [[21]] He died on March 17, in the city of Vindobona, although one source reports that it was in Sirmium. His ashes were brought to Rome and placed in Hadrian's mausoleum. Commodus succeeded to all power without opposition, and soon withdrew from the war, thereby stymieing his father's designs and ambitions. It was a change of rulers that proved disastrous for people and empire. Dio called the succession a change from a golden kingdom to one of iron and rust. [[22]]
Reputation
Gibbon called Marcus "that philosophic monarch," [[23]] a combination of adjective and noun which sets Marcus apart from all other Roman emperors. His renown has, in subsequent centuries, suffered little, although he was by no means a "perfect" person. He was perhaps too tolerant of other people's failings, [[24]] he himself used opium. [[25]] The abundance of children whom his wife bore him included, alas, a male who was to prove one of Rome's worst rulers. How much better it would have been if Marcus had had no son and had chosen a successor by adoption, so that the line of the five good emperors, Nerva , Trajan , Hadrian , Antoninus , Marcus, could have been extended. It was not to be, and for that Marcus must accept some responsibility.
Yet he was a man of ability and a sense of duty who sacrificed his own delights and interests to the well-being of the state. He was capax imperii, he did his best, and history has been kind to him. As Hamlet said to Horatio, when awaiting the appearance of the ghost of his father,
"He was a man! Take him for all in all, I shall not look upon his like again." (I 2, 187-88)
His memory remains vivid and tactile because of the famous column, the equestrian statue, and his slender volume of thoughts, written in Greek, the Meditations, [[26]] from which I choose two quotations with which to conclude:
"If mind is common to us, then also the reason, whereby we are reasoning beings, is common. If this be so, then also the reason which enjoins what is to be done or left undone is common. If this be so, law also is common; if this be so, we are citizens; if this be so, we are partakers in one constitution; if this be so, the Universe is a kind of Commonwealth." (4.4)
"At dawn of day, when you dislike being called, have this thought ready: 'I am called to man's labour; why then do I make a difficulty if I am going out to do what I was born to do and what I was brought into the world for?'" (5.1; both in Farquharson's translation)
Bibliography
Africa, T.W., "The Opium Addiction of Marcus Aurelius," JHI 22 (1961) 97-102.
____________, "The Philosopher - Marcus Aurelius," in his Rome of the Caesars (New York, 1965) 190-206.
Asmis, E., "The Stoicism of Marcus Aurelius," in ANRW II 36.3 (Berlin/New York, 1989) 2228-52.
Becatti, G., La Colonna di Marco Aurelio (Milan, 1957).
Birley, A., Lives of the Later Caesars: The First Part of the Augustan History with Newly Compiled Lives of Nerva and Trajan (London, 1976).
__________, Marcus Aurelius (London, 19872).
Bowersock, G.W., Greek Sophists in the Roman Empire (Oxford, 1969)
Brunt, P.A., "M. Aurelius and His Meditations," JRS 64 (1974) 1-20.
___________, "Stoicism and the Principate," PBSR 43 (1975) 7-35.
___________, "Marcus Aurelius and the Christians," in C. Deroux, ed., Studies in Latin Literature and Roman History (Collection Latomus 64; Brussels 1979) 483-520.
Champlin, E., Fronto and Antonine Rome (Cambridge, MA, 1980).
Eck, W., "Marcus Aurelius," in Der Neue Pauly, 7 (1999) cols. 870-75.
________. "Avidius Cassius," in Der Neue Pauly 2 (1997) 370.
Farquharson, A.S.L., trans., The Meditations of Marcus
Aurelius Antoninus, and a Selection from the Letters of Marcus and Fronto, trans. R.B. Rutherford (Oxford, 1989).
Garzetti, A., From Tiberius to the Antonines (translated by J.R Foster, London, 1974).
Gibbon, E., The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, vol. 1 (London, 1776).
Gilliam, J.F., "The Plague under Marcus Aurelius," AJP 82 (1961) 225-51.
Grant., M., The Antonines: The Roman Empire in Transition (London and New York, 1994).
Grimal, P., Marc Aurèle (Paris, 1991).
Halfmann, H., Itinera principum (Stuttgart, 1986).
Hammond, M. The Antonine Monarchy (Rome, 1959).
Hendrickx, B., "Once again: Marcus Aurelius, Emperor and Philosopher," Historia 23 (1974) 254-56
Keresztes, P., "The Massacre at Lugdunum in 177 A.D.," Historia 16 (1967) 75-86.
_____________, "Marcus Aurelius a Persecutor?," HTR 61 (1968) 321-41.
Klein, R., ed., Marc Aurel (Darmstadt, 1979).
Knauer, E.R., Das Reiterstandbild des Kaisers Marc Aurel (Stuttgart, 1968).
Littman, R.J. and M.L., "Galen and the Antonine Plague," AJP 94 (1973) 243-55
Long, A.A., "Epictetus and Marcus Aurelius," in T.J. Luce, ed., Ancient Writers II (New York, 1982) 985-1002.
Marco Aurelio - Mostra di Cantiere (Rome 1984).
Millar, F., A Study of Cassius Dio (Oxford, 1964).
__________, The Emperor in the Roman World (Ithaca, NY, 1977).
Nash, E., Pictorial Dictionary of Ancient Rome, two volumes, (London, 1961-62).
Oliver, J.H. and R.E.A. Palmer, "Minutes of an Act of the Roman Senate," Hesperia 24 (1955) 320-49.
Oliver, J.H., Marcus Aurelius. Aspects of Civic and Cultural Policy in the East (American School of Classical Studies, Princeton: Hesperia Supplement XIII, 1970).
Perowne, S., Caesars and Saints (London 1962.)
___________, The Caesars' Wives - above suspicion? (London, 1974).
Raepsaet-Charlier, M.-T., Prosopographie des Femmes de l'Ordre Sénatorial (Ier-IIe siècles) (Louvain, 1987).
Rosen, K., "Sanctus Marcus Aurelius," in Historiae Augustae Colloquium Argentoratense (Bari, 1998) 285-96.
Rutherford, R.B., The Meditations of M. Aurelius: A Study (Oxford, 1989).
Ryberg, I.S., Panel Reliefs of Marcus Aurelius (New York, 1967).
de Serviez, J.R., tr. B. Molesworth, The Roman Empresses (London, 1752; New York 1913) II 47-91.
Stanton, G.R., "Marcus Aurelius, Emperor and Philosopher," Historia 18 (1969) 570-87.
_____________, "Marcus Aurelius, Lucius Verus, and Commodus: 1962-1972," in ANRW II 2 (Berlin/New York, 1975) 478-549.
Steinby, E.M., Lexicon Topographicum Urbis Romae, six vols., (Rome, 1993-2000).
Syme, R. "Avidius Cassius: His Rank, Age, and Quality," in Roman Papers V (Oxford, 1988) 689-701
Talbert, R.J.A., The Senate of Imperial Rome (Princeton, 1984).
Vogel, L., The Column of Antoninus Pius (Cambridge, MA, 1973).
Weber, W., "The Antonines," in CAH XI (Cambridge, 1936) 325-92 (a new edition of this volume is expected shortly).
Footnotes
[[2]] HA Marcus 1.10; Dio 69.21.2.
[[3]] See Champlin.
[[4]] See H.C. Rutledge, "Herodes the Great: Citizen of the World," CJ 56 (1960-61) 97-109; W. Ameling, Herodes Atticus (Hildesheim, 1983).
[[5]] See J.H. Oliver, The Ruling Power (Philadelphia, 1953), and The Civilizing Power (Philadelphia, 1968).
[[6]] Epictetus, a former slave, died before Marcus was born. Marcus borrowed a copy of Epictetus' works, as they had been recorded by Arrian, from his teacher Rusticus (Meditations 1.7).
[[7]] See Long, 987: "the Stoics taught that nothing is of ultimate value to a man except his moral integrity."
[[8]] HA Marcus 7.3.
[[9]] HA Marcus 8.6-7.
[[10]] See Littman and Littman for smallpox. Mortality estimates vary widely; Gilliam claims 1-2%, the Littmans 7-10%. The latter state that the plague was not a decisive event in Roman history (255).
[[11]] Dio 71.3.1 reports that he was poisoned after having been discovered to have plotted against Marcus; HA Marcus 15.5-6.
[[12]] HA Marcus 24.5, 27.10.
[[13]] Dio 71.22.2ff; Avidius Cassius was suffect consul about 166 and became governor of Syria in the same year. In 172 he was given an imperium over all the eastern provinces. See R. Syme, "Avidius Cassius: His Rank, Age, and Quality," in Roman Papers V (Oxford, 1988) 689-701 and W. Eck, "Avidius Cassius," in Der Neue Pauly 2 (1997) 370.
[[14]] Dio 71.6.1.
[[17]] See Oliver and Palmer, Keresztes, Hendrickx.
[[18]] Dio 71.8-10; HA Marcus 24.4; Aurelius Victor 16; Orosius, Adversus Paganos 7.15.8-9, among many.
[[19]] He is called grandaevus (HA Marcus 20.6).
[[20]] Dio 71.10.5; HA Marcus 26.8-9.
[[21]] Dio 71.21.1 reports that Commodus had physicians end his father's life.
[[22]] Dio 71.36.4. The comment of the author of the HA is intriguing (Marcus 18.4), qui (Marcus), si felix fuisset, filium non reliquisset.
[[23]] Page 8 in the Modern Library edition (n.d.).
[[24]] Dio 71.26.2-4, 30.3-4.
[[25]] See Africa, "Opium."
[[26]] See Long, 996: "In origin the Meditations appear to be thoughts and memoranda that the emperor wrote in his own hand for his self-improvement and guidance."
Copyright (C) 2001, Herbert W. Benario. This file may be copied on the condition that the entire contents, including the header and this copyright notice, remain intact.
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This character lived at 11 Coronation Street, and is also the name of a leather maker? | "Coronation Street" Reviews & Ratings - IMDb
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23 out of 24 people found the following review useful:
Corrie on regardless
from York
30 November 2000
TV is a fickle business and never more so than in one of its dramatic mainstays - the humble soap.
Getting the balance between comedy and drama can be a tricky affair, not to mention having (and keeping) a cast of likeable characters who make you want to tune in for more week after week.
While Eldorado and Albion Market failed to capture the imagination of the nation, there are others that manage to shrug off the birth pangs, cope with a difficult adolesence and settle down while seizing the heart of the nation.
In case you didn't know it, Corrie is 40 this year and as one of the world's longest running soaps it has earned its place in the record books.
It began not with a bang but with a whimper.
The opening scenes are still etched in the mind of creator Tony Warren, who developed the show while still a mere slip of a lad. Mrs Lappin slipped a coin into a bubblegum machine outside her corner shop, and Ena Sharples, scowling like a bulldog beneath THAT hairnet, demanded: "Are those fancies today's? I'll take half a dozen - and no eclairs. NO eclairs."
Lest we forget, the show gave rise to some of the best actors and writers in the business, including Joanna Lumley, Ben Kingsley and The Royle Family's much loved mate, Twiggy (Geoffrey Hughes).
Scriptwriters like Jack Rosenthal (Yentl, London's Burning) and Frank Cottrell Boyce (Jude, Hillary and Jackie) gave us dialogue and scenes that went above and beyond the realms of most shows while it enlivened many a dull night's TV by its very presence alone.
Over the years, we have relished the clashes between Ena (Violet Carson) and Elsie (Pat Phoenix), thrown soft furnishings at the TV while dithery Derek (Peter Baldwin) and Mavis (Thelma Barlow) tested the patience of saints and wept buckets as Judy Mallett (Gaynor Faye), Des Barnes (Phil Middlemiss) and most of Ken Barlow's (William Roache) wives became another statistic in the suspiciously high list of Weatherfield residents who met their maker far too early.
This year has been as unmissable as any in its four decade history with the Tony Horrocks murder and the 'Martn' (Sean Wilson) and Rebecca (Jill Halfpenny) affair coming to a head, not to mention Jez (the excellent Lee Boardman) and Alison (Naomi Radcliffe) reaching a sticky end as polar opposite characters both cut short by some brutal scripting.
The Street has become so ingrained in people's hearts that, over the years, many have lost sight of that thin line between fact and fiction.
When Elsie Tanner was lying unidentified in a London hospital after being knocked down by a taxi, viewers wrote to her husband to tell him where she was.
Dozens of women took up their knitting needles to make dustman Eddie Yates a new woolly hat when his own was shredded in the washing machine, and when Ena lost her post as secretary of the Glad Tidings mission, the job offers flooded in.
People have even tried to book Christmas parties at the Rovers Return and rent the houses which become vacant in Britain's most celebrated terraced street. Former producer Bill Podmore once said: 'All over the country, old terraces like Coronation Street are disappearing, but a change in the Street could destroy the roots of the programme, because the architecture is as much a part of its character as the people.'
But it was regular script writer Harry Kershaw who summed up it's enduring popularity and extraordinary success both at home and abroad. 'Coronation Street is about life,' he said, 'and life has its universal situations, its problems and laughter; therefore it has an international appeal.'
We have laughed, cried and run screaming by the sight of hamster-faced Gail (Helen Worth) and the haircut from Hell, poodle-haired Liz (Beverley Callard) dressing like a woman half her age and Mike Baldwin (Johnny Briggs) working his way through the Street's female residents. How long can all this go on?
Well, as long as Granada keep hiring some of the best cast and crew in the business while putting a fresh spin on age old stories of love, lust, infidelity and, in Fred Elliott's case, fine meat products, let's hope it never ends.
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13 out of 15 people found the following review useful:
A television classic! The best television soap ever
from Birmingham
16 February 2007
I was four years old when i first viewed Coronation Street (the episode being Stan and Hilda's second honeymoon in 1977) and immediately (even at such a young age) I hoped that this show would run forever (and by the looks of it, it will!). Im 33 now and during the past nearly 3 decades I have witnessed many changes to the soap. characters have gone (Annie Walker, Elsie Tanner and Hilda and Stan Ogden to name but few) but despite many more adult story lines one key thing remains the same and thats that essentially this is a programme about a huge nucleus of people living in the same community dealing with their own problems and being there for each other (a good example of this is the relationship between the Barlow's and Emily Bishop who is always there for them).
Sure it shows the negative side of life as there have been many baddies walk the weatherfield cobbles (Alan Bradley, Charlie Stubbs and of course Richard Hillman amongst others) but mixed with that is plenty of humour like when Jack (Vera's husband) tried dating several years ago only for Vera's to find out of bet lynch and use her handbag to clobber him out of the rovers return.
The rovers return is the focal point of the programme. Everybody meets here and it is here that some of Corrie's finest acting moments have took place. There have been many fights in the rovers but the best ones have to be the fights between Ken Barlow and Mike Baldwin. Mike had an affair with Ken's wife Deidrie in 1983 and right up to Mikes death last year Ken never really forgave him. Story lines like this are what keeps Corrie firmly stuck in reality and may it be part of our reality for many years to come. God bless Corrie.
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13 out of 19 people found the following review useful:
Can't miss it
from North Bay, Ontario Canada
23 May 2004
My mother was Scottish and my dad was British, so I was raised on watching Coronation Street. For the last 35 years (at least) not a week has gone by with catching up at the Rover's return. Unfortunately, here in Canada we seem to be quite behind the times, we are at the stage where Peter is revealed as a bigamist, Martin admits to the affair with Katie etc...etc... But I will continue to watch C.S.loyally. I'm addicted, and so is my wife of 10 years. She wasn't to fussy at the beginning but after watching now, it would be instant death if I didn't get her up at 8 a.m. for our 2 hour Sunday constitutional.
Our next trip to England we hope maybe for a tour of the set. It would be the icing on the cake, if I could surprise her with this holiday treat. Thanks for allowing me this moment to reflect on the great time we've had watching and will continue to watch our favorite show
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17 out of 28 people found the following review useful:
British TV at it's Best
from Milton Keynes, England
9 August 2003
If you want to see British TV at it's best then look no further, This is a high class soap opera which has won many awards, The performances in this show sometimes outshine those that have won Oscars. The premise of the series is the following of lives in an old terraced street in Manchester. Each resident is different, it would be boring if they were. The Street is famous for it's comic humour, in the midst of a dramatic scene you are always guaranteed a laugh. It is a must see programme. It is the top rated programme in the UK.
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3 out of 3 people found the following review useful:
Been on way too long
27 July 2013
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
Firstly for the benefit of readers outside of Britain, although Coronation St has a cult following in Canada, Coronation St( often shortened to Corrie by its fans) is the longest running soap in Britain based on a fictional street in Manchester, which in its heyday in the late seventies had 17 million viewers. 8 million still watch now, but the overkill with episodes, spin off shows and omnibuses has wrecked to me what was once a great Northern institution with believable and likable characters.
Now I know dear old Corrie's fans hate criticism of their beloved soap, but the soap should have gone in the mid eighties when well loved characters like the Ogdens, Annie Walker and Albert Tatlock were written out and the soap's ratings took a dip. Instead it has lurched on, with now five episodes a week and omnibuses on ITV2, and become as miserable and far fetched Eastenders. Having watched part of an episode recently, I have never seen such cheap sets, hammy acting and an air of gloom and doom in my life, except maybe in Cell Block H. How 8 million people sit through this every week beats me as a once charming, entertaining show has become just like every other soap, depressing and boring. I really do think television would be better off without this show and other charmless soaps like Eastenders and Holby City.
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4 out of 5 people found the following review useful:
Stan & Hilda - A Tribute
25 June 2006
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
My 10/10 rating is for the sterling work that Jean Alexander and Bernard Youens put into 'Coronation Street'. For two decades, they played to perfection the warring Ogdens. So good were they in these roles that many became convinced they really existed. When Stan got into debt, for example, offers of financial help flooded into the Granada offices. You may think that amusing, but it shows how much the public took the Ogdens to heart.
The Ogdens were Stan, an obese layabout who cleaned windows for a living ( when he was not feeding his face with bacon sandwiches or swilling pints of Newton & Ridley's ), and Hilda, a head-scarved harridan with a fondness for gossip, not to say singing out of tune. They lived in less than opulent surroundings. Who can forget those plaster ducks on the 'muriel' ( mural )?
In spite of their constant quarrelling, there was genuine affection between the couple. They brought humour, warmth and pathos to the show.
To celebrate the Silver Jubilee in 1977, the Street's residents decided to ride around on a lorry dressed as characters from British history - Annie Walker as Queen Elisabeth 1, Len Fairclough as Sir Francis Drake, and Ena Sharples as Queen Victoria, and so on. Only Stan would be so stupid as to leave the lorry's lights on all night, hence the next morning the battery was dead!
In one lovely episode, the Ogdens won a weekend at a luxury hotel, and to see them living the high life was an absolute joy. The deflated look on Hilda's face as they returned home spoke volumes about the sort of humdrum lives they led.
The Ogdens helped make 'Coronation Street' ( I refuse to refer to it as 'Corrie' ) one of the best programmes of the '60's and '70's. Youens died on 27/8/84. Of course Stan had to die too. It presented the writers with a problem as Albert Tatlock had recently been written out because of the sad demise of Jack Howarth. Not wishing to kill Stan off so soon after, they pretended he was still alive but confined to bed. Several weeks later, Hilda discovered his lifeless body. An icon of 'Coronation Street' was no more.
I do not watch 'Coronation Street' these days. It is a different programme now, aimed at a much younger audience. I doubt whether Stan and Hilda would feel at home in the Street these days. As Granada Plus's repeats showed, the Ogdens were simply irreplaceable.
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7 out of 11 people found the following review useful:
As far as soaps go this is by far my all time favorite
from Ireland
21 September 2006
Coronation Street is now nearing its 50th birthday and even today it remains one of Britain's most popular series. The reason for its continuous popularity is very simple. It has good story lines, humor and wit, drama and tension, colorful characters, excellent lightning and direction, simple locations and it evokes the majority's emotions on a weekly basis.
These things are very simple and most soap operas incorporate them but Coronation Street has the upper hand continuously because they juggle all them in every episode and there is never central focus on any particular theme it is all dealt with equality of division.
The star of the show is not the actors or the story lines but the characters. When people tune in they do not do so to watch Bruce Jones who plays Les Battersby but they do so to watch Les Battersby. Les Battersby and the other characters have become as real as the actors that are playing them and in most cases more famous. The characters are wonderfully written and in most cases portrayed by very talented individuals who seldom over act but are willing. They successfully cover a wide spectrum of human emotions and their acting ability should be honored considering that being an actor on Coronation Street could sometimes mean story lines that require 24:7 attendances on the set.
The story lines are very good also and they always have two to three separate story lines going at all times. But there will always be a major theme covered over a pro-longed period. At the moment they are dealing with Post-Natal Depression a topic that has been touched upon before in many soaps but not as vividly as it has been done in Coronation Street. Not only is it a hooking storyline but also it is very educational on it can manifest itself in different people and the adverse effect it can have on the families and friends that are involved.
Coronation Street has consistently been the publics favorite for many years because of it's down to earth approach to characters and story lines but it only loses out to other soaps because it has a reluctance to over do it with crime or natural disaster stories. It does from time to time have larger than life story lines consisting of serial killers or murders but these are few and far between. Unfortunately it's attempts to keep with up with rival soaps means that it is transmitted four times a week also means that this provides me with my only fault and this is viewers can be over exposed to heavy story lines and this can be quite daunting even for the most hardcore fan. Other than this I would say you could do a lot worse.
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2 out of 2 people found the following review useful:
Down the Rovers
from United Kingdom
24 September 2015
Corrie really is the nations soap and is so ingrained in our minds that everyone probably has a favourite character, moment of line.
Yes, it's probably on too many days of the week and the plots at times verge of ridiculous but what I love about Corrie is that of all the soaps it maintains that balance between humour and drama and that is what makes it so endearing.
While Eastenders may win more awards I think Corrie is loved more by the public and that is why the characters remain in our hearts so long after they have left.
With another good live episode out of the way recently the only way for Corrie seems to be up.
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3 out of 4 people found the following review useful:
Comfort Television
from New Zealand
28 February 2008
I have watched this, irregularly for the first ten years , but for the last 30 years have rarely missed an episode. It is part of Tuesdays & Thursdays. I usually have a crossword or sudoku at the same time, but it is something to look forward to. Nobody phones at that time.
I admit that Coronation Street does vary in quality from time to time. There are far more unlikeable characters now - Charlie, Tracy, Cilla and David for example, & some of the story lines drag on and on, but there are so many moments of brilliant dialogue, such as Rita's put downs of Norris, and some of the discussion between Kirk & the lovely Fizz. We are a year behind in New Zealand but it doesn't seem to matter if you read of what's happening in English magazines or the Internet. Here's to another 30 years!
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3 out of 5 people found the following review useful:
great soap
from manchester england
20 December 2009
I like Coronation street I have watched it since I was five back in 1979 and really like it, and its been going nearly 50 years its a shame they never get best soap anymore.. as its the longest running soap, and they seem to get knocked out of the running in the national TV awards, its about time they changed that as eastenders who have not been going near as long seem to win every time.. so it would be nice for coronation street to be best, soap or longest running to win for a change..the soap has had good story lines in the past and present and they put some humour into it as well not like some other soaps I could mention, and do not keep brining back more and more old characters as well..
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Which British mathematician created a basic computer in 1835? | Coronation Street, Weatherfield | Coronation Street Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia
Businesses currently operating in Coronation Street are the Rovers pub, D&S Alahan Corner Shop , newsagent The Kabin , knicker factory Underworld , Websters' Auto Centre garage and Audrey's Hair and Beauty Salon .
Contents
History
Construction
By the turn of the century, Sir Humphrey Swinton 's vision of new Weatherfield was taking shape. Tenements were being cleared and demolished, and replaced by modern working class housing. Two of the last streets to be constructed were Mawdsley Street and Albert Street, two rows of terraced houses built in the shadow of Hardcastle's Mill , a major centre of employment since 1882 . The new houses were partially intended as accommodation for the mill's workers, and Charles Hardcastle was involved in their planning. Upon Swinton's death in 1900 , his mistress Mabel Grimshaw saw his plans to completion.
In keeping with most local streets, the houses in Swinton's streets were typical two-up-two-down terraces. Each of the seven houses in Albert Street consisted of a front room, a living/dining room with a coal fire for heating and an adjoining scullery on the ground floors and three bedrooms on the upper floors. They contained no indoor lavatories, with outdoor toilets installed in the backyards. The Street also included a Corner Shop at the Viaduct Street end, and the Rovers Return Inn at the opposite end. The shop contained its own accommodation and flat, while the Rovers (initially named "The Rover's Return"), owned by brewery Newton, Ridley & Oakes , was built with living space for its tenants. Although technically part of Victoria Street, the Glad Tidings Mission Hall was built at the same time as Albert Street, servicing the residents' religious needs. The Mission's vestry had an entrance on Coronation Street, used by the resident caretaker.
Construction of the terraces was completed on 8th August 1902 , one day before the coronation of King Edward VII. In honour of his succession, the Street's name was changed to Coronation Street, and the first families started moving into their new houses on the day of the coronation.
Development
After World War II , areas of Weatherfield started being re-developed, with demands for more housing resulting in Victorian terraces being emptied and demolished and replaced with tower blocks or other modern structures. In 1961 , a rumour spread among the residents that Coronation Street was to be among those pulled down, although it was safe on this occasion as Ena Sharples had actually misread a notice about Coronation Terrace .
Nevertheless, the Street did face re-development in 1968 when the council bought the Glad Tidings Hall and factory with a compulsory purchase order and demolished them both, to make way for a new block of council-owned maisonettes to be built on the site. The building consisted of three one bedroom, single storey OAP flats and four two-storey maisonettes above them. The maisonettes were not a success - they were cheaply built and were damp, and several lay empty. In 1971 , Valerie Barlow , who lived in the maisonettes at No.14 , died when she was electrocuted by a faulty plug socket, leading to a fire. Although the flats were saved, the council decided to demolish them after deciding that they were not safe to live in.
Further rebuilding took place on the site following the fire. At the viaduct end of the Street, a Community Centre was built, complete with a small flat for a caretaker. Next to the Centre, a warehouse was erected, despite protests from local residents. The warehouse was bought by Mark Brittain , a mail order catalogue company, which used the premises until the building was gutted by fire in 1975 . The following year, Mike Baldwin , a London businessman, bought the building, renovated it and opened a denim factory called Baldwin's Casuals .
In 1989 , deciding that the locals no longer needed the Community Centre, the council sold the site to Maurice Jones , a local property developer. Jones also approached Mike Baldwin and made an offer to buy the factory, and Baldwin agreed to sell. The buildings were demolished on 20th September 1989 and in their place came a whole new development of homes and businesses.
Coronation Street as it appeared in the 1990s
The Jones development was comprised of three houses, four shop units and three flats. The new houses were larger than the terraces on the other side of the street, and each had a small back garden. Two shop units were situated at Nos 2 and 10 , each with a flat above, numbered 2a and 10a respectively. Since 1992 , No.2 has been a hairdressing salon and No.10 has housed newsagent the Kabin , moved from its Rosamund Street premises in 1990 . Flat No.12 was adjacent to Flat 10a.
No.16 was a garage unit, bought by Mike Baldwin in 1992, his first business venture in the Street since the sale of the factory, but it wasn't until 1997 that he opened lingerie factory Underworld in No.14 , the largest business unit in the Street. Unit 14 was first used by Phil Jennings as the headquarters of PJ Promotions in 1991 .
The new south side of the Street also contained some greenery, including a tree and bushes, lending Coronation Street some rare visual splendour. In 2003 , a bench was placed between the salon and bushes, dedicated to the memory of murder victim Maxine Peacock .
Despite the many changes made to the south side of the Street, the north side remains relatively unchanged, although modifications and improvements have been made to individual houses both inside and outside, and the middle house, No.7 , was rebuilt in 1982 after collapsing in 1965 as a result of a shift in the mine workings upon which the street was built.
The original cobbles on the Street still remain in place. Weatherfield Council intended to dig them up and replace them with tarmac, but a campaign to save the cobbles was set up by the residents in December 2000 which resulted in their preservation owing to the road not being a major thoroughfare.
Wide shot of Coronation Street at night in 2010
More recently, Coronation Street was the site of a major disaster when on 6th December 2010 , an explosion at the Joinery bar in Viaduct Street caused a tram to de-rail from the viaduct and crash into Coronation Street, causing damage to the Corner Shop, the Kabin and the flats above and injuring many people. The residents pulled together to help each other out in the incident, but the destruction claimed the lives of butcher Ashley Peacock , Corner Shop worker Molly Dobbs and an unfortunate Cab Driver passing by.
List of buildings in Coronation Street
North side
North side of Coronation Street, from the Rovers
The Rovers Return Inn (or simply The Rovers) pub is situated at the corner of Coronation and Rosamund Streets and is the central meeting place of the residents. Originally subdivided into the Public, Snug and Select bars, the Rovers was refurbished in 1986 after a fire gutted the pub. The Snug and Select were removed and Public expanded in a significant modernisation of the pub. The living area of the Rovers comprises a sitting/dining room and kitchen on the ground floor (mainly used as a staff rest room).
Owners Newton & Ridley sold the pub to Jack and Vera Duckworth in 1995 and since then it has been privately owned, although the brewery continues to supply the pub's ale. The current owner and landlord is Steve McDonald , along with his mother Liz McDonald and girlfriend Michelle Connor as co-owners and co-landladies. Past tenants and licensees include Annie and Jack Walker , Bet and Alec Gilroy , Fred Elliott , Shelley Unwin , and Stella and Gloria Price . Once again in 2013 , another fire gutted the pub leaving £90,000 worth of damage.
1 Coronation Street is the leftmost terraced house and is adjacent to the Rovers. Albert Tatlock lived there from 1918 until his death in 1984 , and the house is currently the home of Ken , Tracy , her daughter Amy and Tracy's ex-husband Robert Preston . Ken's wife Deirdre died in July 2015 whilst staying with good friend Bev Unwin . In 1981 , the front parlour was converted into a bedroom for Albert. The room has since housed the late Blanche Hunt and is now Amy's bedroom.
3 Coronation Street , next door to No.1, is home to Emily Bishop and Norris Cole . Emily has lived there since her marriage to Ernest Bishop in 1972 . Aside from the renovation of one of the bedrooms into a bathroom, no major improvements have been made to the house. In the summer of 2013 , Norris bought the house off Emily.
5 Coronation Street is the next house along and has been lived in by the Langtons , the Tilsleys and the Battersbys . When Mike Baldwin bought the house in 1976 , he had the wall between the front parlour and the living room knocked away, giving No.5 the first open plan living room in the Street. Chesney Brown , his girlfriend Sinead Tinker , Kirk and Beth Sutherland and Craig Tinker are the current residents.
7 Coronation Street in its current form was built by Len Fairclough in 1982. The original frontage of No.7 was demolished in 1965 after a faulty beam caused major damage which the owner, Edward Wormold , deemed too costly to be worth repair. The space was occupied by a bench for most of the intervening years. As a result, the brickwork of the house is newer than its neighbours. Dev Alahan currently owns the house. Widower Dev and his children Aadi and Asha are the current occupants. Previous residents have included Rita Fairclough , Curly Watts , Danny , Frankie , Jamie and Warren Baldwin , and Maria Connor . The downstairs of No.7 was also made open plan at some point in the 2000s .
9 Coronation Street is the home of Tyrone Dobbs , who bought the house from Jack Duckworth in 2008 , his daughter Ruby , his partner Fiz , and her daughter Hope . Aside from a brief spell at the Rovers, Jack lived there with his wife Vera from 1983 until Vera's death in 2008. In an effort to make the house look better than its neighbours and increase its value, Vera had the front stone-clad in 1989 and renamed it "The Old Rectory" in 2002 , although her efforts actually had the opposite effect. Previous occupants include Ken , Valerie , Susan and Peter Barlow , Jerry Booth , Len and Rita Fairclough , and Gary and Judy Mallett .
11 Coronation Street was the longstanding home of the Tanner family and later Alf and Audrey Roberts , and the Webster and McDonald families. Eileen , Jason Grimshaw and Todd Grimshaw currently live there with lodger Sean Tully , who sleeps in the front parlour, which has been converted into a bedsit.
13 Coronation Street is the rightmost house of the terrace and is owned by Kevin Webster after purchasing the property from Steve McDonald . The Ogdens lived there from 1964 to 1987 , and the Websters from 1986 to 2008 . The Ogdens left their mark on the house with a home-made serving hatch from the dining room to the front room, and a mural covering an entire wall in the back room (since painted over). The house was damaged in a fire in the December 2010 tram crash and lay empty after then-owners the Peacocks moved out. Sophie Webster also lives there.
The Corner Shop at No.15 borders Viaduct Street, and owned by Dev Alahan and the shop banner reads "D&S Alahan" (as in Dev and Sunita ). The shop has been refurbished several times, most notably in 1985 when owner Alf Roberts converted it into a self-service mini-mart, converting much of the space taken up by the shop accommodation to extend the shop space. Prior to 1985, the Shop's owners generally lived in the ground floor accommodation. The shop was also refurbished in 2004 after a major fire caused by Maya Sharma . On 6th December 2010, the shop was reduced to rubble after being struck by a derailed tram. Molly Dobbs died in the wreckage. The shop was rebuilt and is now open for business again.
15a Coronation Street is the flat above the Corner Shop. Although most shop owners have rented it out, some have chosen to use it for storage or live there themselves. The entrance to the flat is in Viaduct Street although its address is Coronation Street. It was damaged after the 2010 tram crash but was rebuilt and it is currently owned by Dev Alahan . Previous occupants include Bet Lynch , Ken Barlow and Tim Metcalfe .
South side
2 Coronation Street is a business unit, built as part of the Street redevelopment in 1989 . The premises was first used as a charity shop run by Emily Bishop but in 1992 Denise Osbourne opened a salon there. The business was taken over by Fiona Middleton in 1996 and the current salon, Audrey's , is owned and managed by Audrey Roberts . Maria Connor and David and Kylie Platt are employed at the salon.
2a Coronation Street is an upper-level flat situated above the salon. Maria Connor and her son Liam are the flat's occupants.
4 Coronation Street is the rightmost house on the south side of the Street, built in 1989, and home of the Websters since 2008. Sally Webster currently lives there with her partner Tim Metcalfe . Past residents include Mavis and Derek Wilton and the Peacocks . The house was gutted by a fire in 2007 and extensively refurbished afterwards. The house is also notorious for being the scene of Richard Hillman 's 2003 attack which left Maxine Peacock dead and Emily Bishop seriously wounded.
6 Coronation Street is the middle house on the Street's south side. Its first residents were Des and Steph Barnes , and over the years it has also been home to the Harrises and the Mortons . In 2007, Tracy Barlow killed boyfriend Charlie Stubbs in the house. Anna Windass , her boyfriend Owen Armstrong and Anna's adopted daughter Faye lived here from 2008 to 2014. It is now home to Yasmeen Nazir , her husband Sharif and their grandchildren Alya and Zeedan .
8 Coronation Street is the leftmost house in the south side of Coronation Street and original occupant Gail Rodwell still lives there with son David, now the owner, and his wife Kylie, her son Max and their daughter Lily . It is the only house in the Street with a garage attached.
The Kabin at No.10 is a newsagent owned and managed by Norris Cole . The Kabin was opened in Coronation Street in 1990 by Rita Fairclough, who relocated the business from its Rosamund Street premises and managed it until her retirement in 2009 , although it was briefly owned by Sharon Gaskell in 1999 . In 2000 , Rita opened a post office in the shop, although it has since been closed. The Kabin also underwent major rebuilding work following the tram crash in 2010.
10a Coronation Street is the flat above The Kabin. Rita Tanner has lived there, with a few breaks, since opening the shop in 1990. Rita lives there alone.
12 Coronation Street is a second-level flat adjacent to 10a, which currently vacant. When Alec Gilroy lived there in 1998 , he built a door between the two flats which was removed at some point after he moved out. Previous residents have included Ken Barlow, Reg and Maureen Holdsworth , Steve and Karen McDonald , Chris Gray , Jason Grimshaw, Tina McIntyre , Tommy Duckworth , Brian Packham and Julie Carp .
16 Coronation Street is a business unit, originally used as the premises for MVB Motors . Kevin Webster owns and manages Websters' Auto Centre , with Tyrone Dobbs as partner and Luke Britton as a mechanic.
Underworld is a lingerie-making business, occupying the largest building in Coronation Street. Phil Jennings was the first to use the unit, as a headquarters for PJ Promotions . Mike Baldwin bought it to house print shop MVB Print , which later became Dun 2 A T , operated by Steve McDonald . In 1997 , Mike launched Underworld on the site in partnership with Angie Freeman . Underworld stayed in the Baldwin family until Mike's sons Danny Baldwin and Adam Barlow sold their shares to Liam and Paul Connor in 2006 . Paul's widow, Carla Connor , currently owns and manages the factory and employs several of the Street's residents as machinists and packers. In 2010 , following an explosion inside the factory caused by Tony Gordon , much of the infrastructure was rebuilt.
Demolished buildings
Elliston's Raincoat Factory was originally Hardcastle's Mill , which was opened in 1882 (before the rest of the Street was built) by Charles Hardcastle . The business survived until 1931 , by which time there was much less demand for cotton wear. The mill was one of the many businesses in the country to close in the early years of the Depression. The following year, the four-storey unit was bought by Jack Elliston , who completely refurbished and modernised the interior and re-opened it as a maker of raincoats. The factory's output was changed to PVC hats and coats in 1966 , but poor management resulted in Jocky Elliston deciding to close it for good in 1967 . The unit was sold to the council, which at the time was seeking to redevelop the area.
The Glad Tidings Mission Hall was a community hall used by a Christian evangelical movement. It was an important part of the lives of the Street residents early in the Street's history, but congregations thinned in number in later years and in 1965 it faced closure until it was merged with the Bold Street Mission . Ena Sharples was the Mission's caretaker from 1937 and lived in the Vestry, although she resigned when the Mission was used as a Community Centre in 1966 , only returning when the Centre closed. The Mission was closed for good in 1968 when it was purchased by the council, which pulled it down shortly thereafter.
The Maisonettes were a block of two-storey apartments that were built by the council in 1968 . Their architecture was in keeping with the brutalist style that was fashionable at the time. Home to Ena Sharples, Ken and Val Barlow and Effie Spicer , the flats were demolished when an electrical fault in the wiring resulted in the death of Valerie Barlow, and the council deemed them unsafe.
The Community Centre was owned by the council and was built in 1971. For much of that time, Ken Barlow served as Community Development Officer. The Centre was used for a variety of functions including wedding receptions, clubs, discos, parties, and meetings, the last such building providing such facilities to exist in Coronation Street (other than the Rovers). Ena Sharples worked as caretaker for the centre and lived in an adjacent flat , which had its own entrance onto Coronation Street. The flat was later lived in by Percy Sugden . Property developer Maurice Jones purchased the Centre from the council in 1989, and demolished it in readiness for his Street redevelopment.
The Mark Brittain Warehouse was operated by a mail-order firm owned by Sir Julius Berlin , and built after the maisonettes were torn down in 1971. Ken Barlow also worked there as staff supervisor, and Gail Potter, Tricia Hopkins , Ivy Tilsley and Edna Gee were employed there. When a fire gutted the warehouse in 1975, the business folded. The following year, it was renovated and became Baldwin's Casuals , owned by Mike Baldwin. The denim-making business ran until 1989 when Mike sold it, at a high price, to Maurice Jones. Machinists included Ivy Tilsley, Vera Duckworth and Ida Clough .
Community
As a Street with many places for the residents to meet and gossip, Coronation Street is a close-knit community, with most residents on friendly terms with their neighbours. This was especially true in the 1960s, when there were fewer houses and many of the residents had lived in their homes for many years - Albert Tatlock, Ena Sharples, Elsie Tanner and the Walkers all had roots in the Street dating back to the 1930s, and they were cornerstones of the community, although for different reasons: the Walkers were respected due to their lengthy service in the Rovers, Albert was the Street's oldest and longest standing resident, Ena was Mission caretaker and primary gossip of the Street, and divorcee and single mother Elsie was the usual subject of the gossip due to her tendency to get involved with married men.
Although they did not always get along, the Street residents all knew each other very well and it was not an uncommon occurrence for them to walk into each other's houses without knocking. Coach trips took place every so often in the 1960s, with most Street residents going along to places including Blackpool on two occasions in 1961 , the Blue John Mines in 1965 and the Lake District in 1969 . They also acted together in plays or pantomimes performed in the Glad Tidings Hall or the Community Centre.
By the 1960s, however, things were already starting to change. Kenneth Barlow, a student at Manchester University , was a young radical who had been brought up at No.3 but had grown dissatisfied with the working class way of life, considering his neighbours starved of culture and politically ignorant, concerned only with themselves and their immediate surroundings. In 1962 , he wrote and article which was published in Survival magazine criticising the working class, and his neighbours took it as a personal attack against them and their way of life. Ironically, despite his intentions to break away from his roots, Ken has now lived in Coronation Street even longer than Albert did.
In the 1970s and 1980s , familiar faces gradually left the Street and new families moved in. A notable event which put Coronation Street on the map occurred in 1973 when Councillor Alf Roberts was chosen as the new Mayor of Weatherfield . His opponent, Len Fairclough , lived in the Street, and Alf also had strong connections to the Street through his work at the Community Centre, and his Mayoress was Rovers landlady Annie Walker. Alf was elected Mayor again in 1994 and the following year was awarded the OBE. At one stage, Coronation Street's name was to be changed to Alfred Roberts Place in honour of Alf.
Coronation Street also narrowly avoided a name change in 1962 when the council decided to rename all but one of the Coronation Streets in the area, and this Coronation Street was to be given the name Florida Street. Ena Sharples wrote to Prince Philip to enlist his help, and he ensured the Street kept its name.
Organised excursions and plays fell by the wayside in the late 1970s. Although the Community Centre was a focal point of the community, the community it serviced enveloped much more than Coronation Street, and as a result events were better attended than any such events held at the Mission had been. Since 1989, the Street has not had a Community Centre although the abundance of meeting points, workplaces and long-standing residents has meant families of the Street still interact with each other frequently, usually helping each other in times of distress or lending a sympathetic ear when required.
Significant incidents
On 1st February 1961 , the residents were evacuated to the Mission when a gas main exploded behind Coronation Street. They were evacuated again on 9th September 1964 , this time to the Mission's cellar, when an unexploded bomb was found in No.1's yard, and most recently on 26th February 2007 when a bomb was found in No.4's garden.
On 10th May 1967, a train crashed through the viaduct onto Coronation Street, resulting in a frantic rescue operation for anyone trapped under the rubble. Len Fairclough, Jerry Booth and David Barlow searched through the rubble for survivors. The search turned up Sonia Peters , who was already dead, and Ena Sharples, who was found just in time to be saved.
On 7th March 1979 , a timber lorry lost control while driving through Rosamund Street and crashed into the Rovers, injuring Alf Roberts, Len Fairclough, Mike Baldwin and Betty Turpin and killing the driver. Concern was raised for Tracy Langton , who had been left in her pram outside the Rovers while her mum Deirdre went inside for a minute to speak to Annie. Deirdre was convinced Tracy was dead but Tracy had actually been taken away by Sally Norton before the lorry hit.
On 8th February 1993 , Lisa Duckworth was hit by a car in the Street and later died in hospital. Since the council had imposed a one-way traffic system in the Oakhill district of Weatherfield, many road users had been using Coronation Street as a shortcut and traffic in the Street had increased 500%.
In 2004, Maya Sharma tried to kill Dev and Sunita Alahan as revenge for Dev dumping her for Sunita. She tied them up in the Corner Shop flat and set fire to it, and waiting in her car across the Street to watch. Fortunately, the neighbours noticed the smoke coming from the shop and they were rescued by Charlie Stubbs and Ciaran McCarthy . Furious, Maya accelerated and tried to knock them over with her car but crashed into the viaduct.
On 12th January 2007, Tracy Barlow murdered Charlie Stubbs in No.6, as revenge for his affair with Maria Sutherland . Other murders in the Street include Des Barnes, who was beaten up by drug dealers in the same house in 1998, Ernie Bishop , wages clerk at Baldwin's Casuals who was shot during a robbery in January 1978 , Tommy Harris , who was killed by his daughter Katy in a moment of rage in 2005. On 8th October 1997 , Don Brennan died when he drove his car into the viaduct. From 2001 to 2003, financial adviser Richard Hillman lived in the Street at No.8, and resorted to desperate measures to gain control of the assets of several residents while being married to an oblivious Gail Platt. One of his actions included the murder of Maxine Peacock at No.4, although his crimes were discovered by Gail shortly afterwards. In March 2012 , Frank Foster was murdered by his mother Anne during an argument over his rape of Carla Connor .
Many other deaths, from natural causes, illness or suicide, have also taken place in Coronation Street.
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Background information
The architecture of Coronation Street was based on Archie Street in Salford, although Archie Street differed slightly from its fictional counterpart. See that article for more information.
Five sets have represented Coronation Street since the programme's 1960 debut. The first set was erected within the studio at Granada and was used until 1968 . The Grape Street set , the original outdoor set, was situated on the Granada backlot and was used from 1968 to 1982 . At Grape Street, the wooden studio frontage was used initially but the street was re-built in brick in 1969 in readiness for colour television . The purpose-built outdoor set at Granada Studios, constructed in 1982, was eventually extended to include parts of Rosamund Street, Victoria Street and a small part of Viaduct Street. Filming transferred to the current set at Media City Studios on 9th January 2014 .
Coronation Street was added to Google Street View on 2nd December 2009 [1] . It is no longer available on Google Maps.
The postcode of Coronation Street is M10 9KC.
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Of what is Selenology the study? | Selenologist - definition of selenologist by The Free Dictionary
Selenologist - definition of selenologist by The Free Dictionary
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/selenologist
Also found in: Thesaurus , Encyclopedia .
sel·e·nol·o·gy
(sĕl′ə-nŏl′ə-jē)
The astronomical study of the moon.
sel′e·no·log′i·cal (-nə-lŏj′ĭ-kəl) adj.
sel′e·nol′o·gist n.
selenology
(Astronomy) the branch of astronomy concerned with the moon, its physical characteristics, nature, origin, etc
selenological adj
sel•e•nol•o•gy
(ˌsɛl əˈnɒl ə dʒi)
n.
the branch of astronomy that deals with the nature and origin of the physical features of the moon.
[1815–25]
se•le•no•log•i•cal (səˌlin lˈɒdʒ ɪ kəl) adj.
sel`e•nol′o•gist, n.
selenology
The astronomical study of the moon.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
1.
selenology - the branch of astronomy that deals with the moon
astronomy , uranology - the branch of physics that studies celestial bodies and the universe as a whole
Translations
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Which is the oldest theatre in current use in London? | Selenology | Define Selenology at Dictionary.com
selenology
[sel-uh-nol-uh-jee] /ˌsɛl əˈnɒl ə dʒi/
Spell
noun
1.
the branch of astronomy that deals with the nature and origin of the physical features of the moon.
Origin of selenology
[suh-leen-l-oj-i-kuh l] /səˌlin lˈɒdʒ ɪ kəl/ (Show IPA), adjective
selenologist, noun
British Dictionary definitions for selenology
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the branch of astronomy concerned with the moon, its physical characteristics, nature, origin, etc
Derived Forms
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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What is produced in a ginnery? | 1. What is made using soda, lime and silica? - Jade Wright - Liverpool Echo
1. What is made using soda, lime and silica?
2. What type of material is produced in a ginnery?
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2. What type of material is produced in a ginnery?
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10. Which song contains the line “Spare him his life from this monstrosity”?
1. Glass; 2. Cotton; 3. Dawn French; 4. Jane Fonda; 5. Nose bleed; 6. Maureen O`Sullivan in Tarzan The Ape Man; 7. CQD - CQ was a general call to all ships and D signalled Distress; 8. Jimmy Wales; 9. Basset hound; 10. Bohemian Rhapsody
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Which English Queen had 17 children and outlived all of them? | BBB Business Profile | Cochran Oil Mill & Ginnery
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Which Carry-On actor starred in Bless This House? | Sidney James - IMDb
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17 January 2017 4:34 PM, UTC
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Actor | Soundtrack
The star of the Carry On series of films, Sid James originally came to prominence as sidekick to the ground breaking British comedy actor Tony Hancock, on both radio and then television. Born in Johannesburg, South Africa and named Solomon Joel Cohen, James arrived in England in 1946, second wife in tow, having served with the South African Army ... See full bio »
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What is the name for small round pieces of lamb, or chocolates with hazelnuts? | Carry On Blogging!: From the Archive: Sid's Sitcom Successes - Bless This House
Tuesday, 26 April 2016
From the Archive: Sid's Sitcom Successes - Bless This House
On the fortieth anniversary of Sid's death, here's another chance to read my blog celebrating his greatest small screen success, that wonderful 70s sitcom Bless This House.
I have been writing about some of our favourite Carry On stars on the small screen, and more specifically focussing on some of their well known sitcom roles. I have previously looked at Hattie Jacques' contribution to Sykes and Joan Sims' part in the success of On The Up. Today I'm going to write about Sid James.
The trouble is that Sid starred in so many situation comedies over the years that it's impossible to condense them all down into one blog. There will be more to come, however today I am going to start with his last and probably best remembered series, Bless This House.
Bless This House ran for six series on ITV from early 1971 right up until Sid's sad death in 1976. So popular was the series that a seventh lot of thirteen episodes was already in the pipeline before the current series had come to an end. Broadcast on Monday nights, it was regularly the most popular show in the time slot and even spawned a feature film, produced and directed by Peter Rogers and Gerald Thomas and co-starring the likes of Terry Scott, Peter Butterworth and June Whitfield.
The sitcom format of Bless This House was nothing particularly original, however the main casting was. By the early 1970s, Sid the character actor had become Sid the star and Sid was primarily the star of the bawdy Carry On films. Sid's persona was one of a lecherous wide boy, forever chasing younger, glamorous women. As Sidney Abbott, he was allowed to play away from all those on screen antics and settle down with his television family. For the first time, the younger generation (in the form of Robin Stewart and Sally Geeson as his teenage children) are running rings around him and are often more worldly wise than their dad.
Sid plays it respectable as the suburban father, occasionally henpecked by his wife Jean (Diana Coupland) and stressed out by his life as a salesman. Yes, he still likes the odd drink and a smoke down the pub with his best mate Trevor, but it's still far removed from his big screen womanising personality. The role of Sidney Abbott fitted James like a glove - it was probably the one role that most closely represented the man himself. Interestingly, as Bless This House became increasingly popular, the family man pipe and cardigan image began to appear in the Carry Ons - Sid Plummer may have spent the entire film chasing Chloe Moore but at heart he was a family man in At Your Convenience.
Bless This House was very much of its time. It was light, frothy and farcical. It also replicated what was no doubt happening across Britain at the time. The older, post-war generation were now struggling to understand their teenage children who were very obviously benefiting from the liberal 1960s. Sid's character runs the gamut of free love, birth control and adventurous fashions, struggling to take it all in and keep up. Interestingly, Jean, although from the same generation as her husband, has no such trouble with the changing face and quickening pace of the 1970s youth.
At the heart of Bless This House was a wonderfully warm, funny and believable husband and wife double act between Sid and Diana Coupland. Diana was a brilliant foil for Sid, always coming out on top. You could tell they got on and enjoyed working together. Sid also had terrific chemistry with Robin Stewart and Sally Geeson and his friendship with Anthony Jackson as Trevor was on the money too. Throw in a semi-regular role for Carry On favourite Patsy Rowlands and you have one hell of a show! Incidentally, apparently Sid recommended Patsy for the role as his neighbour Betty in Bless This House as he had enjoyed working with her in the Carry On series.
The series also had some excellent writers, including Harry Driver, Vince Powell, Dave Freeman, Carla Lane and Myra Taylor. Driver was a regular contributor to Coronation Street while Dave Freeman worked with the likes of Benny Hill and later wrote Carry On Behind. Lane worked on Bless This House years before her hit comedies Butterflies and Bread.
So there you have it. Bless This House is a wonderful example of the classic 1970s sitcom that British television used to do so well. It is also a fitting legacy for the tremendous Sidney James. It brought out a side of Sid audiences may have found unfamiliar at the time but it showed once again just what a gifted comedy actor our Sidney was.
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Who narrated the Mr Men series? | Mr. Men (TV Series 1974– ) - IMDb
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The Mr Men are a whole host of brightly colored characters that live in Misterland. All of them have names like Mr Happy, Mr Clumsy and Mr Greedy and their appearance and personality match their name. Narrated by Arthur Lowe.
Creator:
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Button Moon (TV Series 1980)
Family
Mr Spoon and his family live on Junk Planet. He travels in his baked bean tin spaceship across blanket sky to Button Moon. There he meets many strange characters and watches stories unfold on other planets using his telescope.
Stars: Robin Parkinson
The Wombles (TV Series 1973)
Animation | Family
The misadventures of a fantasy folk community dedicated to cleaning up litter and put it to their own use.
Stars: Bernard Cribbins, Dieter Hallervorden
The life of the Mr Men and little Misses presented in short skits.
Stars: Alicyn Packard, Joey D'Auria, Paul Greenberg
Children's puppet programme featuring music and stories.
Stars: Geoffrey Hayes, Roy Skelton, Stanley Bates
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 8.5/10 X
A team of 6 contestants play a series of physical, mental, skill and mystery games across 4 themed zones gaining as many crystals as possible which determine how many seconds they get as they attempt to win a prize inside the Crystal Dome.
Stars: Richard O'Brien, Edward Tudor-Pole, Sandra Caron
Dungeons and Dragons-style show that lets contestants explore a computer-generated fantasy world, with wicked special effects and cunning puzzles.
Stars: Hugo Myatt, David Learner, John Woodnutt
The adventures of Spot, a little yellow puppy and his family and friends.
Stars: Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Paul Nicholas, Peter Hawkins
A man runs a shop in Manchester with fun, mischievous puppets Sooty, Sweep, Soo and Little Cousin Scampi.
Stars: Matthew Corbett, Brenda Longman, John Bird
In a toy factory, after being made, a teddy bear is put in a storeroom after being deposed. The teddy bear is found by a cosmic being from outer space known as Spotty Man, and Spotty Man ... See full summary »
Stars: Derek Griffiths, Peter Hawkins, Jon Pertwee
Popular British children's animation series, repeated almost constantly since 1971. Mr Benn is the ordinary, bowler-hatted office worker who lives in the ordinary suburban street of Festive... See full summary »
Stars: Ray Brooks
The Trap Door (TV Series 1984)
Animation | Adventure | Comedy
3D plasticine animation, featuring Berk, a blue creature who lives as servant to the unseen 'Thing Upstairs' in an old dark house. Every time the trap door opens a new adventure begins for ... See full summary »
Stars: William Rushton
| Arthur Lowe |
Mick Robertson and Jenny Handley presented which Children's TV Programme? | Toonhound - The Mr Men (1974-1976)
"What a lot of Mr Men there are.
I wonder which one we'll be meeting next.
Can you guess...?"
Roger Hargreaves' Mister Men characters have been with us for more than
30 years. Their design is elegantly simple; bright geometric shapes with little
hands and feet. Sometimes there are boots and maybe a simple hat as well.
But most importantly, there is a quirk, an oddity or speciality about each
individual that gives rise to their name. And it's not just limited to the men.
In 1981, the Little Misses were born to accompany them, and there is
now a Mister Man or Little Miss for every facet of human nature. Everyone
has their own particular favourite - be it Mr Bounce, Mr Messy, Mr Noisy,
little Miss Trouble or Scattterbrain, Mr Lazy, Mr Greedy, Mr Silly or any
other members of the 80+ gang of characters.
In the beginning, however, there were just 7 Mr Men. They were "born"
in 1971 when Roger's young son Adam asked him what a Tickle looked like.
Joining Mr Tickle in the original line-up were Mr Bump, Mr Sneeze, Mr Happy,
Mr Nosey, Mr Greedy and Mr Snow. The small 14x12.5cm books were an
instant collectible hit and the format has remained the same ever since.
Sadly, Roger Hargreaves passed away in 1988, but the characters remain
in the hands of the Hargreaves estate with Adam himself now holding
the pen.
Over the years we've a lot more introductions, further books based on the
existing Mr Men and Little Misses, regular annuals and large format editions
and even special new arrivals and stories, like the seasonal Mr Christmas,
a Little Miss Sunshine hair care promotion book and Mr Cheeky, who was
inspired by a Mr Men 30th anniversary competition winner. Over 100m
Mister Men books have been sold to date, making the late Roger Hargreaves
the second most successful author in the UK, after J K Rowling.
As for the tv Mister Men, well, they first appeared on UK screens four
years after their initial publication, in 1975. The animated series was produced
by Terry Ward's Flicks Films and it stuck faithfully to the original format, both
in look and story. The films were narrated by Dad's Army star, Mr Uppity
himself Arthur Lowe, and his unique indignant jollity suited the tone of
the series perfectly. So perfectly, in fact, that many folks still consider
this to be the definitive adaptation...
Initially the BBC aired seven individual Mr Men stories as standalone
episodes. But this latterly gave way to a doublebill format in which two
Mr Men stories were told, back-to-back, with a memorable interlude
sandwiched between them. Arthur Lowe would ask us which Mr Man
we might care to meet next, and he would thrump and bumble through
the theme tune casually as we waited.
Incidentally, the BBC released at least two collections of Lowe's Mr Men
recordings in the late 1970s and they're well worth tracking down.
Over the years, the 28 films have been repeated ad-infinitum by the
BBC. A bunch have also been separated again and attached to the
Little Miss films. So, for the record:
The single episodes premiered with "Mr Happy" on 31st December 1974,
on BBC1.
They were then followed by the doublebill broadcasts, which started
their run on 4th July 1976, again on BBC1. You'll notice that the previously
aired episodes were included in the new line-up...
Singular episodes Doublebills
Mr Happy Mr Mean & Mr Tickle
Mr Topsy-Turvy Mr Bounce & Mr Silly
Mr Bump Mr Chatterbox & Mr Topsy-Turvy
Mr Tickle Mr Jelly & Mr Nosey
Mr Silly Mr Impossible & Mr Small
Mr Snow Mr Muddle & Mr Daydream
Mr Daydream Mr Strong & Mr Happy
Mr Greedy Mr Forgetful & Mr Uppity
Mr Happy Mr Fussy & Mr Snow
Mr Noisy & Mr Sneeze
Time has seen lots of developments with the Mister Men. Most notably,
their appearance has changed. Originally they were very neat, felt pen
creations. You could even see the in-fill marks where Roger Hargreaves
had worked the colours around the page. When Adam took over he brought
a looser style with him. He added additional 'smiling' eye lines, mouth lines
and movement strokes on the characters, and each is now filled with bright
blocks of colour.
The other major change has involved the stories. The gang have moved
on from their introductory tales and have now been granted lots more
adventures abroad, around their Misterland home. It's these further
adventures which formed the backbone to a second tv series. "Mr Men
& Little Miss" was produced in 1995 by Darguad-Marina. It ran to 104
episodes and lead on to a 1999 Christmas Special called "The Christmas
Letter". And in 2008 we got a whole bunch more, thanks to yet another
animated outing. The currents rights holders, Chorion recently put
together The Mr Men Show with Renegade Animation, and alongside
all their even newer new stories are some radical redesigns for
a number of our stars...
Mr Men prints for sale... New Mr Men coming...
Here are all the Mister Men who've appeared in the UK over the years,
together with the date of their arrival. Officially - that is, as of March 2010 -
we are told there are 47 Mister Men. But as you can see, the list below
gives us a tally of 50. Plus we mustn't forget Mr GOSH, created as a
special promotional character for The Great Ormond Street Wishing
Well appeal, back in the late '80s. So, technically, it might be argued
there are 51 misters to track down, in various guises....
1971 1978
There are 10 prints in this particular range, each depicting a doublepage
spread that's lifted straight from the original Mr Men stories, so you have
the text on one side, and an illustration on t'other. The prints measure
20"x12", and they're restricted to just 200 editions... and they're fab...
and choosing between them all is bloomin' impossible... *sigh*...
And just to make matters worse, The Animation Art Gallery have also
brought us 3 Little Misses , a big selection of miniature etchings , and a
special signed anniversary edition , which have transformed this particular
fan into Mr Completely Spoilt For Choice!...
The Mister Men on DVD
All 28 original episodes are available on UK DVD.
Here they are in a standalone edition:
Region 2 / all 28 episodes / Delta Music / October 2003
But you may still prefer to collect the two series singularly:
Region 2 / 13 episodes / Delta Music / June 2003
Region 2 / 15 episodes / Delta Music / August 2003
And then, the options widen:
This two disc release features all 28 original episodes,
plus all 13 of the original Little Miss stories...
And this two disc set also features all 28 original episodes,
only now they're packaged with the newer 1999 Christmas
Special...
| i don't know |
In Sex in the City, what was Carrie's last name? | HBO: Sex and the City: Homepage
Sex and the City
Watch Sex and the City
NOW & GOAvailable
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Spend a Girls Night in: Sex and the City Is Streaming NOW
Are you Team Aiden or Team Mr. Big? Ponder life's big questions with Carrie Bradshaw. Every episode of Sex and the City is available on HBO NOW. Start your free trial today.
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HBO is home to the most talked about programs on television - from groundbreaking series, films, documentaries and sports to the biggest blockbuster movies available anywhere. And it's never been easier to watch HBO programs - when you want, where you want.
Order HBO from your service provider.
| Bradshaw |
What was Coronation Street originally to be called? | The "Sex and the City" Movie: Real Estate Heaven - Hooked on Houses
Hooked on Houses
Are you hooked? Take my quiz to find out. If you love houses as much as I do, then I bet you can't click just one! - Julia
9.20.09
The “Sex and the City” Movie: Real Estate Heaven
The second Sex and the City movie is being filmed in NYC right now, so I thought it would be fun to revisit the first one. The movie brought Carrie, Miranda, Samantha, and Charlotte back together four years after the HBO television series went off the air. Whether you loved the movie or found it lacking (reviews were mixed), I think we all agreed that the clothes and the sets made for some pretty fabulous eye candy.
When we meet up with them again, Carrie is planning her wedding to Mr. Big; Miranda finds out husband Steve is cheating; Samantha lives in LA with her boyfriend Smith; and Charlotte is happily married to Harry.
The interior sets were mostly filmed in Queens at the Silvercup Studios, where the HBO series was. Before we get to Carrie Bradshaw’s apartment, let’s take a look at where the other girls–and Mr. Big–live.
Miranda’s House in Brooklyn
Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) lives here with her husband Steve (David Eigenberg) and son Brady. We don’t see much of her place, but I love this corner of their kitchen.
Samantha’s Malibu Beach House:
Samantha’s boyfriend, Jerry “Smith” Jerrod, coming in the front door:
Samantha (Kim Cattrall) works on a special sushi dinner for Valentine’s Day. Things don’t go quite as she planned, however (I’ll spare you photos of that)…
Remember the flower ring that Smith buys for Samantha? It was worth about $50,000.
Charlotte’s Place:
The night before the wedding, the girls gather at Charlotte’s house:
Carrie emerges from the bedroom in her wedding gown:
After the wedding doesn’t happen, Carrie returns to Charlotte’s house. She has given up her apartment and has nowhere else to go.
Lily’s sweet pink room:
Mr. Big’s Apartment:
Producer Michael Patrick King says, “Big’s apartment had to be chic enough that you’d want to be there, but small enough that they couldn’t live there together.” He adds that they referred to it as “Big’s sublet apartment” because it was a temporary space. “His heart wasn’t there.”
In the series’ finale, we learned that Mr. Big’s real name is John James Preston.
Big and Carrie’s New Penthouse Apartment (“Real Estate Heaven”)
When they step into the lobby of the apartment building, Carrie is holding an Eiffel-Tower purse (according to the special features commentary on the DVD, this is a reference to Paris, where we last saw her and Big on the TV show).
When Carrie walks into the penthouse apartment, she says, “I think I died and went to real estate heaven!”
Producer Michael Patrick King says that Carrie knows the apartment isn’t her style, but she gets addicted to the idea of who they can be together as a couple living there.
The master closet is so tiny that Big builds her a new one. “The closet is the ultimate expression of love Big has for Carrie,” Michael Patrick King says. “He understands her well enough to know how important it is to her. It’s his way of saying I love you.”
A pair of electric-blue Manolos are the first things to go in it:
It seems fitting that Big and Carrie reunite in this closet at the end of the film and this is where he asks her (again) to marry him:
Carrie’s Apartment:
Her official address: 245 E. 73rd Street. The exterior shots were actually filmed in the Village, however, on Perry Street.
They had to rebuild all of the sets from scratch because they’d been destroyed when the TV series ended.
The girls come to help Carrie pack up her apartment, bearing champagne.
Carrie’s closet as it looked in the TV series (via HBO.com):
The closet as it appeared in the movie, with her Vivienne Westwood wedding gown hanging in it:
Carrie’s bathroom (via HBO.com):
The kitchen that we rarely saw:
Carrie leaves her long-time apartment:
When she moves back into her apartment, Carrie gives it a makeover. King says, “She decides to try to make her life better by changing her environment.”
A photo of her new bedroom that appeared in Traditional Home magazine:
From the movie:
The movie-makeover of Carrie’s apartment was hotly debated in the blogosphere when the movie came out. Some design bloggers felt like it no longer reflected her personality. It looked too slick and “decorated” for her character. What do you think? Did you like the “after”?
The wall color is similar to Benjamin Moore’s Electric Blue (but was custom mixed for the set). In this shot you can see how she uses the wall unit for storage:
The LOVE wall hanging (by Paul Smith) next to the front door was interesting, especially in light of the fact that she was just dumped at the altar. Seems like she’d be more likely to hang a picture of a heart with an “x” through it or something. Ha.
Here’s a closeup:
| i don't know |
Who starred alongside Polly James in the first series of The Liver Birds? | BBC - Comedy - The Liver Birds
The Liver Birds
The Liver Birds
The Liver Birds began life as a Comedy Playhouse pilot. Created by friends Carla Lane and Myra Taylor (who'd met at a writers' workshop), the show - their first contribution to television - was very much based on their own lives in Liverpool.
With the BBC keen to develop the production into a series, the duo were assigned experienced writer Len Schwarz as a mentor during the early years, with Eric Idle on script-editing duties.
The first series followed the exploits of Dawn and Beryl sharing a flat on Liverpool's Huskisson Street. With women beginning to enjoy new freedoms at the start of the 1970s, the show followed the friends as they hit the dating scene, partied and generally tried to improve their lot in life.
After the first run, Pauline Collins left, to be replaced by Nerys Hughes as Sandra. It was here The Liver Birds' golden era dawned - the newcomer proving to be a refined foil to the outgoing Beryl.
More change followed at the end of series four. With Polly James now deciding to move on, Beryl was married off, and in came scatty Carol. She brought with her an extended family - the Boswells.
Clearly the inspiration for Lane's 1980s series Bread, this incarnation of the clan included rabbit-loving brother Lucien and God-fearing parents.
The series came to a conclusion 1979, but that wasn't the end of the story.
In 1996, The Liver Birds return for a seven-part, continuity-mangling reprise. Set 20 years on, the show's golden pairing of Sandra and Beryl were back together again, contemplating life after divorce. Lucien was now Beryl's sibling, while Carmel McSharry played her mother, Mrs Hennessy.
Cast
| Pauline Collins |
What was the name of the character played by Frances de la Tour in Rising Damp? | Liver Birds, The
Liver Birds, The
1 9 6 9 - 1 9 7 9 (UK)
1 9 9 6 (UK)
87 x 30 minute episodes
What's got four legs, walks peculiar?
Talks with all the choicest words?
What's got four arms, loves to grab ya?
Answer is two Liver birds
The Liver Birds - the key word rhymes with "saliva" - was the distaff answer to The Likely Lads charting the exploits of two oestrogen-charged dolly-birds with more loon pants than sense, sharing a flat on Huskisson Street, and hell bent on pulling all the "gear" guys on Merseyside.
The city was still, just, exuding a certain glamour from the boom period that followed the success of The Beatles and other pop groups earlier in the 1960s (indeed the series' theme song was sung by The Scaffold , a pop/poetry trio that included Paul McCartney 's brother, Mike).
The series' title originated in the name given to two sculpted birds perched atop the Royal Liver Building at the city's Pier Head.
Originally the two 'liver birds' were Dawn (Pauline Collins) and Beryl (Polly James), but after five episodes Dawn moved on (or, rather, moved out) and was replaced by Sandra (Nerys Hughes), a pairing that resulted in the series' most popular period.
At the end of the fourth series James left the cast (Beryl got married) and she was replaced by Carol (Elizabeth Estensen) who stayed throughout the remaining 1970s episodes.
Launched as a Comedy Playhouse pilot, The Liver Birds was the creation of first-time writers Carla Lane and Myra Taylor, Liverpool housewives who loosely based the characters and storylines upon their own experiences.
The BBC initially teamed them with veteran writer Lew Schwarz, whose mission was to explain sitcom-writing technique, and then employed Eric Idle as script editor, but from the third series the women were left alone; Taylor then departed soon after and Lane took sole charge of the writing.
The episodes concentrated on the relationship between the two lead players as they went about their everyday life, dealing with boyfriends, jobs, parents, lack of money and the quest for a more comfortable standard of living.
This was a breakthrough period for young, single women following centuries of repression - they had independence, both sexual and financial, and the opportunity to live life as they wanted it, and Carla Lane's scripts reflected this admirably, as well as sketching the uncertainties and philosophies of being single when everyone else seemed to be married.
The Liver Birds was only the start of Lane's remarkable sitcom career, but her ability to conjure laughs out of pathos and, as she called them, 'little tragedies', was apparent even here.
During its heyday, with Beryl and Sandra, there was a robust energy about the desperation in which the girls went to parties, trawled for 'talent' and threw themselves into relationships.
Beryl was the more common one, spontaneous, scatty and with a voice so staggeringly piercing that you could hear it on the other channel; Sandra was quieter, more cautious, optimistic and refined, mainly thanks to the influence of her snobbish and overbearing mother (played in exaggerated music-hall style by Mollie Sugden).
In hindsight, however, the series seems to have made as much impression for its reflections of fashion trends as for its humour, the young women wearing everything from caftans, maxi-coats and mini-skirts to trouser suits , hot pants and platform shoes . Carol, who replaced Beryl, dressed particularly loudly.
The arrival of scatty Carol was also used to introduce a wider circle of characters, including her larger-than-life Catholic parents and rabbit-obsessed brother Lucien. (Their family name, Boswell, reappeared in Carla Lane's 1980s series Bread .)
The Liver Birds continued much as before until the eighth series, when the women worked as kennel maids and Sandra became romantically involved with a vet, Derek Paynton. They eventually married, and Derek narrowly avoided having to move to Africa to study wildlife.
In the ninth series, Sandra fell pregnant and Carol returned to live with her parents, but after the Boswells were evicted from their home she moved in with Sandra and her husband.
That should have been the end of it, for by this time the format had moved far away from the concept of two wacky young women sharing a flat, and with the greater emphasis on the fringe characters and Carol's family, The Liver Birds was moving closer to the area that Carla Lane would explore in the extended-family sitcom Bread .
Although fondly remembered, the series did not age well and (apart from screenings on cable/satellite nostalgia channels) has never enjoyed the mainstream re-run appeal of, say, Dad's Army or Are You Being Served?
But in the 1990s, following the US trend of resurrecting old sitcoms, the BBC recommissioned three former hits for a new generation of viewers: the Doctor series (Doctor At The Top) , Reginald Perrin (The Legacy Of Reginald Perrin) and The Liver Birds.
Back came Polly James and Nerys Hughes from the show's golden period, playing their characters nearly 20 years on.
There was some liberty taken with continuity (Lucien, who had been Carol's brother, was now Beryl's brother; and Carmen McSharry, who had played Carol's mother Mrs Boswell, now appeared as Beryl's mother Mrs Hennessey) but the two lead characters were believable developments of their earlier selves: wiser, sadder, perhaps even more desperate - but both bouncing back from failed relationships and marriages to throw themselves into the maelstrom of middle-aged single life.
The new series was not a great success, however - while the public might nostalgically reminisce about old television comedies, it rarely takes to updated revivals.
TRIVIA
Nerys Hughes and Polly James appeared in The Last Waltz, a specially scripted celebration that brought together the key characters from four Carla Lane series - The Liver Birds, Bread , Solo and Butterflies - screened by BBC1 on 10 March 1989 as part of Comic Relief .
Beryl Hennessey
| i don't know |
1313 Webfoot Walk, Duckburg, Calisota | Getting Ready for the 1940 Census
This article appeared in the Association of Professional Genealogists Quarterly (December 2011).
Background
The US census has been taken every ten years starting in 1790.� In 1942, all censuses up to and including the 1870 census were made available to the public.� And since then, each census has been made available to the public 72 years after the census was taken (73 years in the case of the 1900 census).� As of this writing (October 2011), the last census that has been made available is the 1930 census.
The pages of each of these censuses (with the exception of the 1890 census, most of which was destroyed due to a fire) have been scanned and placed online at various free and pay websites.� And the names of all people in these censuses have been indexed, making it possible to search for people in the census by name.
Opening Day for the 1940 Census
The census day for the 1940 census was April 1, 1940.� That doesn�t mean that the census taker knocked on the door on April 1 and took down the information.� He probably came a few days after April 1.� But the questions he asked pertained to April 1.� Uncle Sam wanted to get a snapshot of the nation as it existed on April 1.
Since the census is sealed for 72 years, opening day for the 1940 census should be April 1, 2012.� But it will be delayed to April 2 since April 1 falls on a Sunday, and the National Archives is closed on Sundays.
In previous years, the release of each census involved making microfilm copies of the master census microfilms (the original census pages have long since been destroyed).� These microfilm copies were then made available to various archives and libraries.� It was from these microfilm copies that several companies and organizations scanned the census images and placed them online.
That will not be the case for the 1940 census.� The master microfilm will not be copied onto distribution microfilm.� Instead it will be scanned and put directly online. �That will make it available to anyone with Internet access on opening day.� Furthermore, it will be accessible to all for free.
But a complete name index will not exist until at least six months (best guess at this time) after opening day.� That means that the only way to access the census initially will be by location.� However the census is not organized by address but rather by the Enumeration District (ED).� So to access the census, you will need to obtain the Enumeration District of your desired location.
Enumeration Districts
An Enumeration District is an area that can be canvassed by a single census taker (enumerator) in a census period.� Since 1880, all information in the census is arranged by Enumeration District.� If you do not know the Enumeration District, you cannot access the census by location!
Each Enumeration District within a state has a unique number.� In 1930 and 1940, the number consists of two parts, such as 31-1518.� The first part is a prefix number assigned to each county (usually alphabetical) and the second part is a district number within the county.� In 1940 (but not in 1930) some of the larger cities have their own prefix number.� Such city prefix numbers come after the last county prefix.
As an example, in 1930 the prefixes in California in 1930 went from 1 (Alameda County) to 58 (Yuba County).� Los Angeles County was somewhere in the middle with prefix number 19.� Long Beach City is in Los Angeles County, so in 1930 it too had prefix 19.� But in 1940 it was given its own prefix, namely 59.� It was followed by Los Angeles City (60), Oakland City (61) and San Diego City (62).
Now that you know what an Enumeration District is, you�ll need to know how to obtain the Enumeration District for the location you are interested in.
Where did the family live?
Before you can determine the family�s Enumeration District, you�ll have to know where they were located.� If you don�t already have their address, here are several ways of finding it.
Address books
An old family address book might list the addresses not only of the family but of family friends as well.
Birth / Marriage / Death certificates
Often vital records give the address at which the family resided.� A birth certificate might list the residence of the mother.� If the birth was a home birth, the certificate would list the family�s residence as the location of the birth.� A marriage license would usually list the address of both the bride and the groom.� And a death certificate would give the last address of the deceased.
�
City directories
City directories are like phone books but without the phone numbers, and are a good source of addresses.� They exist for many cities.� Of course phone books themselves are another good source, but phones were still relatively rare back in 1940.
Old scrapbooks are certainly a good source of obtaining the family�s address.
Social Security Applications
Since social security started in 1936, there�s a good chance that some of the family members applied for social security cards in the years around 1940, and those application would list the address.
World War II Draft Registration
World War II registrations occurred in the first half of the 1940s, so the address listed on the registration would likely be the address that the family lived at in 1940.
Information on the Census
What can you expect to find in the census?� For the most part, it will be the same sorts of things that you are probably familiar with from previous census years.� That includes things like street and house number, house owned or rented, house value or monthly rent, name of each person in household, relation of each person to the head of household, sex, color or race, age, marital status, place of birth, citizenship, current occupation, and industry.
In addition, there were several new and interesting questions in 1940.� Some examples are name of informant (so you can see if the information was provided by someone knowledgeable), highest school grade completed (to see if education level affected whether or not person had a job in this recessionary period),� country of birth as of 1937 borders (because the borders of Europe were changing fast and furiously in 1940), place of residence in 1935 (to see how migratory the population was due to the recession and great dust bowl of the 1930s), and income.
Furthermore, sampling was used for the first time on the census.� Those people who happened to fall on one of two designated lines on the page (out of a total of 40 lines) were asked about the birthplace of their parents, their mother tongue, whether they were a veteran and of which war, whether they had a social security card, and their usual occupation and industry.� That last question differed from the current occupation/industry question asked of everybody, and was intended to see if the recession caused people to work at jobs other than what they were trained to do.� And if the person sampled happened to be a married woman, she was asked if she was ever married before, her age at first marriage, and number of children born alive.
There were many more questions that were considered for the census but were rejected.� Examples of some of the rejected questions are whether you owned a bible, whether you are over six feet tall, your hair color, whether you owned a burial plot, and how many dogs you had.
or what do Donald Duck, Superboy, ET, and Rockefeller have in common?
The largest collection of tools for converting location information to Enumeration District is found on the One-Step website ( http://stevemorse.org ).� And they are all free.� But the number of census tools found there can be daunting.� To simplify things, a Tutorial Quiz was developed whereby you will be asked a sequence of questions, and based on your answers you will be directed to the most appropriate One-Step tool or tools for your situation.� The Tutorial Quiz is another tool on the One-Step website.
If you indicate that the family you are looking for lived in a large urban area, you will probably be directed to the One-Step Large City ED Finder.�� If they lived in a rural area, you will probably be directed to the One-Step ED Definition Tool.� If the family hadn�t moved since 1930 and you know the 1930 ED, you will probably be directed to the One-Step 1930 / 1940 ED Converter.
In addition, you might be directed to other One-Step resources for a second opinion to make sure that the ED number that you found is correct.� Some of these additional resources include the One-Step Census Tracts Tool, the One-Step ED descriptions as appearing on the NARA microfilms, the One-Step ED Street List Tool, the One-Step ED Maps Tool, the One-Step Changed-Street-Names Tool, and the One-Step Census Image tool.
Let�s look at some specific examples using the Tutorial Quiz.� It will be shown as a dialog between you and the computer.
Computer: Do you know where your family lived on April 1, 1940?
You: I have no idea
Computer: Look for any of the following:
At this point the computer will present you with a list of sources for finding the address.� These sources were discussed in a previous section.� One of the items on the list is �local newspapers / books.�� Well for Donald there are lots of books � comic books that is.� And in the March 1954 issue of �Uncle Scrooge� is a story titled �Secrets of Atlantis.�� That story shows Donald going to his house at 1313 Webfoot Walk in Duckburg Calisota.� If Donald didn�t move around too often, there�s a good chance he will be at that address in 1940.
�
So Donald had the mystical house number of 1313.� He was in good company, sharing that house number with none other than the Munsters at 1313 Mockingbird Lane, the new Addams family at 1313 Cemetery Lane, the Life of Riley at 1313 Blueview Terrace, and, most importantly, the writer of this paper (and that�s not a joke).
Note above that we cited our source for obtaining Donals�s address.� It is important to do so when obtaining genealogical information so that others can check on your work and make sure that you didn�t overlook anything.
You: Yes, now I have the address
Computer: What kind of an area did they live in?
You: A large urban area
Duckburg was indeed large.� According to Wikipedia, it had a population of around 300,000, but of course many of the inhabitants were anthropomorphized animals.
Computer: Use the One-Step Large City ED Finder
Now go to the Large City Enumeration District Finder and select the state of Calisota.� That�s a fictional Disney state of course, and is a cross between California and Minnesota.
After selecting Calisota, a list of the cities in Calisota appears.� Select Duckburg.
Upon selecting Duckburg, a list of the streets in Duckburg appears.� Select Webfoot Walk.
At this point a list of Enumeration Districts appears � these are the Enumeration Districts that Webfoot Walk passes through.� And the instructions say to select a cross street in order to narrow down the list of potential Enumeration Districts.� A map of Duckburg shows that 1313 Webfoot Walk is at the corner of Webfoot and Quack.� So select Quack Street, and the list of Enumeration Districts is reduced to just one � namely 5-38.
Now that you have the Enumeration District, you are ready to view the census images for that district.� There�s a One-Step Census Image tool that lets you do that of course!� You start at the first page of the Enumeration District and look at the left margin for Webfoot Walk.� Keep going, page by page, until you find it. �Then look in the next column for 1313.� When you find that, you will have Donald�s census record.
The 1940 census has not yet been made public, so I shouldn�t be showing you any of the information that is in it.� But it seems innocent enough for me to show you Donald�s record, although I must ask you not to tell anyone that I�ve shown it to you.� Here it is:
Note that Donald is the head of household, and he is living with his concubine Daisy (no, they never got married) and his three nephews.� There is a circled X next to Donald�s name.� That indicates that he was the informant.� Donald rented the house, and his rent was $25 a month.
Example 2: Superboy
We all know that Superboy lived in Smallville, but I wonder how many know that Smallville is in Kansas.
�The CW Television Network
Computer: Do you know where your family lived in 1940?
You: Yes, in Smallville Kansas
Computer: What kind of an area did they live in?
Computer: Use the One-Step ED Definition tool
So go to the One-Step ED Definition tool, select the state of Kansas, and enter Smallville as a keyword to be searched for.
This will result in a search of the definitions of all the EDs in Kansas, looking for any that contains the keyword Smallville.� There are two such EDs.
We can assume that Superboy was not living in the Smallville Jail, so that narrows it down to ED 15-3.
Example 3: Uncle Harry
Next let�s find Uncle Harry in the 1940 census.� Harry lived in Roswell New Mexico.� In fact, Harry was an illegal alien.� He entered the country by flying in, using a saucer-shaped flying machine.� He lived in the same home in Roswell for many years, and he flew in and out many times.� But in 1947 he had a tragic accident -- his flying machine crashed at what is known as area 51, and Uncle Harry was killed.
Computer: Do you know where your family lived on April 1, 1940?
You: Yes, in Roswell New Mexico
Did the family move between 1930 and 1940?
Computer: Use the 1930 / 1940 ED Converter!
The ED converter takes a 1930 ED as input, and shows which 1940 ED or EDs cover the same area.
Note that the 1930 ED and 1940 ED are the same in this case � namely 3-6.� That will often be true for rural areas in which there were not many changes.� But it will not be the case for large cities, as shown in the next example.
Example 4: John D Rockefeller, Jr.
I have traced the Rockefeller family through the census from 1910 to 1930.� In 1910 John Jr. lived with his family at 13 West 54th Street, Manhattan, and that was in ED 1180.� However this address is suspicious since it follows 8 West 54th Street.� We would have expected the census taker to do several houses on the same side of the street, so following 8 should probably be 10 and not 13.
Review
That covers a lot of ground, so it is time for a review.� Here are the major One-Step tools for determining EDs in the 1940 census, and the situations in which you would use each one.
Large Cities: Use the One-Step Large City ED Finder
Rural Areas: Use the One-Step ED Definition tool
Know 1930 ED: Use the One- Step ED Converter tool
It�s not quite that simple, and the Tutorial Quiz will guide you through some of the subtleties.
Other Resources (Second Opinions)
Before running to view the census images, it would be a good idea to verify that the ED found is indeed correct.� It could take a considerable amount of time to step through every page of an ED looking for the family, and it would be a shame to go through an entire ED only to later learn that it was the wrong ED.
So let�s look at some examples of getting a second opinion.
Example 5: John D Rockefeller, Jr again
Computer: Congratulations, you�ve found your ED.� Would you like a second opinion?
Computer: Use the One-Step Census Tracts tool!
You: Got it.� It�s census tract 104
Computer: Enter that into the One-Step ED Definition Tool.
So enter �tract 104� as a keyword in the One-Step ED Definition tool and do the search.
The results show that there are four EDs in tract 104, namely 31-831, 31-832, 31-833, and 31-834.� The latter two were the two EDs obtained previously.� This confirms that those EDs are valid candidates.
But it would be nice to narrow it down to a single ED.� So continue with the quiz and see if there is another second opinion.
Computer: Would you like another second opinion?
You: Yes
Computer: Go back to the One-Step ED Definition tool and click on link to view T1224
Doing so brings up the ED definition found on NARA microfilm series T1224, which is sometimes more complete than the abbreviated description displayed by the One-Step ED Definition tool.
These descriptions indicate that each of the two EDs includes a part of the city block bounded by W 54th Street, 5th Avenue, W 55th Street, and 6th Avenue� That block is split by a diagonal line into two triangles, with one triangle in each ED.� The triangle with W 54th Street belongs to ED 31-1392.� So the desired ED is 31-1392.
�
But that description was very hard to follow.� An easier way to see this would be from an ED map of the area. Another tool on the One-Step website lets us look at the maps for the various EDs.� So use the One-Step ED Maps tool to bring up the map image that contains the two EDs in question.
Wanted still more confirmation?� Another tool on the One-Step website shows the streets in any ED in a large city.� It is the One-Step ED Street List tool.� Applying that tool to ED 31-1392 in New York gives the following:
Street Missing
The One-Step tools for dealing with large cities involve selecting specific streets from a list of streets.� But sometimes the desired streets or cross-streets are not in the list..� That�s because the cross-streets might have been determined by using contemporary maps of the area whereas the streets listed in the One-Step tools are the streets that were there in 1940.� Sometimes streets change names over the years, sometimes they no longer exist, and sometimes house numbers change.� To help in such situations, there is a One-Step tool that deals with changed street names and changed house numbers.� It consists of a list of about 250 cities, and shows the old street names and the corresponding new names for each.
Search by Name
After a while a name index will be produced for the 1940 census, and when that happens it will be much simpler to find people in that census.� Two questions come to mind when a 1940 name index becomes available:
1. Will the One-Step website support the 1940 name index?
The One-Step site contains a search form for searching for people in prior census years, and that form will be expanded to include 1940 as well.� The One-Step name search will involve accessing the name index on other websites, so you might wonder why you shouldn�t simply go to those websites directly.� That�s because the One-Step search form will include features not found when you go to the underlying site directly.
One example is that there is a single One-Step name search form that lets you search in any particular year.� Suppose you have just found your ancestor in the 1920 census and now want to search for him in the 1930 census.� His name hasn�t changed.� His year and place of birth haven�t changed.� And he probably has other attributes that have remained the same from one census year to the next.� Yet from many of the commercial sites that have a search-by-name capability, you are required to leave the 1920 search form, go up several levels through their site to get out of 1920, then come down several level in 1930 before you get to their 1930 search form.� Then you have to enter your information again.� From the One-Step search-by-name form you simply change the year, which is one of the fields on the form, and repeat the search with all the other values left in tact.
There are more advantages to using the One-Step name-search form.� It will probably contain more search fields than will be found on the underlying websites (it already has more fields for the earlier census years).� Another advantage is that the One-Step site will provide name search and location search all on the same site.� And there will probably be other advantages as well.
�
2. Will the One-Step 1940 location tools become obsolete?
The One-Step site contains location tools for the years 1900 to 1930, and these are not obsolete even though name indexes exist for these years.� And the reason the location tools are not obsolete is because not everyone can be found by doing a name search.� To understand why, consider the way the census takers did their job.
The census taker arrived at your ancestor�s door with his census book in hand.� He didn�t say �Here is the census book, please write your name in it.�� Instead he probably said that the book was government property, and not only couldn�t your ancestor write in it, he couldn�t even look at it.� That was because the book contained confidential information on his neighbors.� So the census taker asked your ancestor to say his name and the census taker would write it down.� Your ancestor might have been an immigrant who spoke with a thick accent.� In that case, the census taker would take his best guess as to what your ancestor said, and he would write down what he thought he heard.� Seventy two years later, commercial websites are going to create a name index.� They will do so by having transcribers read the census records and type in what the census takers wrote down.� The census takers were not known for having excellent handwritings.� So the transcriber will need to make his best guesses as to what the census taker wrote down, which would be the census taker�s best guess as to what your ancestor said.�
However it�s not as bleak as all that, and in most cases there will be no trouble doing a name search.� But there will be a non-insignificant number of cases in which it will not be possible to find a person by name, and in those cases the location tools will still be necessary.
Moral
.
There�s more than one way to skin a cat. �The trick is to try several of the One-Step tools and see if you get the same ED.� The Tutorial Quiz can help determine a strategy.
Here�s the One-Step toolbox of 1940 census tools.
One-Step Large City ED Finder
One-Step ED Definition tool
One-Step 1930 / 1940 ED Conversion tool
One-Step Street List tool
One-Step Search-By-Name tool (available after name indexes become available)
And perhaps the most important is the One-Step Tutorial Quiz tool that will help you determine which of the above tools to use.� And there is one more tool for those of you who want to just jump right in and not be bothered answering a lot of questions.� That�s the One-Step Unified ED Finder tool, described in the next section.
A Unified Approach
So far you have been presented with the choice of figuring out which of the many One-Step ED tools is right for you, or of answering a series of questions that will help you determine which tool to use.� But if you don�t have the time to do either of those, and simply want to enter your location and get the ED, then the One-Step Unified ED Finder is the tool you want.� This unified tool provides access to the three most popular One-Step ED tools � namely the Large City ED Finder, the ED Definition tool, and the 1930/1940 Conversion tool.� If the city you enter on the unified form is one of those supported by the Large City ED finder, it will take you directly to that tool with your state, city, street, and even house number prefilled.� If you�ve entered a 1930 ED number on the unified form, it will take you directly to the results of the 1930/1940 ED conversion.� And if neither of those apply, it will take you to the results that you would have gotten from the ED Definitions tool.
Expect the Unexpected
There are several anomalies in the 1940 census that were not present in previous census years.� You�ll need to know about them so that you don�t get confused when searching in the census.� These are the so-called Census Minute, and the Page Numbering gaps.
The Census Minute (or why am I not in the census?)
In previous years there was an enumeration day and a census day.� The enumeration day was the day that the census taker knocked on your ancestor�s door.� The census day (April 1) was the day to which your ancestor�s answers apply.� A person born on April 1 was to be counted and one born on April 2 was not to be counted.� Similarly a person who died on April 1 was to be counted, but one who died on March 31 was not to be counted.
In 1940 there was a census minute instead of a census day.� That minute was 12:01 AM on April 1.� A person born on April 1 but after 12:01 AM was not to be counted and will not appear in the census.� In previous years, such a person would have appeared in the census.
The Numbering Gap (or why are so many pages missing?)
In previous years, all pages were numbered consecutively starting at 1A.� The next page would be 1B, then 2A, then 2B, etc.� If the census taker finished visiting all the homes in the district and went back to try to get people he might have missed, those people would appear on pages numbered immediately after the last page of the first set of visits.� Since the census taker was being paid by the name, he was very motivated to find more people.
In 1940, his instructions were to start the second set of visits on page 61A, regardless of the page number on which the first set of visits ended.� This assumes that the last page number of the first set of visits was less than 61A.� Furthermore, on April 8th and 9th he was supposed to visit hotels and flop houses looking for transients, and those visits were to start on page 81A.
Assume that the first set of visits ended on page 40B.� The second set of visits would start on 61A, and the pages from 41A to 60B will appear to be missing.� But they aren�t missing � they never existed.
So just because we see these numbering gaps, we shouldn�t use them as an excuse for not being able to find our family in the census.� True numbering gaps can be easily detected because each of the A pages (1A, 2A, etc) has a second number, which is stamped on the top rather than being handwritten.� Those stamped numbers should not have any gaps.
What does NARA have to say?
The National Archives and Records Administration website ( http://www.archives.gov/research/census/1940/ ) currently has a section on how to find� people in the 1940 census.� In that section are several references to the One-Step website.� Specifically, on their main page on 1940 Census Records, in part 3 Finding Aids, they state �Find Census Enumeration Districts using Stephen P. Morse�s Search Engines� and they give a link to the One-Step site.� And in their section on �What you can do now in preparation for the opening of the 1940 Census� they say �Use the Search Utilities at http://stevemorse.org/census/ .�
Conclusion
On opening day for the 1940 census, April 2, 2012, there will be no name index.� The only way to access the census will be by knowing the Enumeration District, and the easiest way to determine the Enumeration District will be by using the tools on the One-Step website ( http://stevemorse.org ).� There is no charge for using the One-Step tools.� So the One-Step website should be one of the first sites you visit on opening day.
Acknowledgement
None of the One-Step census tools would have been possible without the help of Joel Weintraub.� He had the original idea of developing location tools for finding people in the 1930 census.� He is also responsible for all of the tables used in all the One-Step census location tools.� He developed many of the tables himself, and he supervised a team of volunteers to develop the remaining tables.
| Donald Duck |
Apt 56B, Whitehaven Mansions, Sandhurst Sq, London | Uncategorized | ObjectCoder
Uncategorized
Solution to Exercise 3, Chapter 3: Programming Erlang by Joe Armstrong
The problem: From page 42, Exercise 3, Chapter 3, Programming Erlang by Joe Armstrong
Try representing a house using a tuple and a street using a list of houses. Make sure you can pack and unpack the data in the representations.
This is a very simple problem. Each house is a tuple, and the street is a list of tuples (houses). We create 4 houses that belongs to 4 famous fictional characters with varying reputation 🙂 Batman, Donald Duck, Sherlock Holmes and Spongebob Squarepants. We pack them in the street list (line 1) and then unpack them. First we get Batman’s house (line 2), then the resident (line 4).
Erlang/OTP 17 [erts-6.3] [64-bit] [smp:8:8] [async-threads:10] [hipe] [kernel-poll:false] [dtrace] Eshell V6.3 (abort with ^G) 1> Street = [{house, {resident, "Batman"},{address, "Wayne Manor, Gotham City"}}, {house, {resident, "Donald Duck"}, {address, "1313 Webfoot Walk, Duckburg, Calisota"}}, {house, {resident, "Sherlock Holmes"}, {address, "221B Baker Street"}}, {house, {resident, "Spongebob SquarePants"}, {address, "124 Conch Street, Bikini Bottom"}}]. [{house,{resident,"Batman"}, {address,"Wayne Manor, Gotham City"}}, {house,{resident,"Donald Duck"}, {address,"1313 Webfoot Walk, Duckburg, Calisota"}}, {house,{resident,"Sherlock Holmes"}, {address,"221B Baker Street"}}, {house,{resident,"Spongebob SquarePants"}, {address,"124 Conch Street, Bikini Bottom"}}] 2> [HouseBatman,_,_,_] = Street. [{house,{resident,"Batman"}, {address,"Wayne Manor, Gotham City"}}, {house,{resident,"Donald Duck"}, {address,"1313 Webfoot Walk, Duckburg, Calisota"}}, {house,{resident,"Sherlock Holmes"}, {address,"221B Baker Street"}}, {house,{resident,"Spongebob SquarePants"}, {address,"124 Conch Street, Bikini Bottom"}}] 3> HouseBatman. {house,{resident,"Batman"}, {address,"Wayne Manor, Gotham City"}} 4> {_,HouseBatmanResident,_} = HouseBatman. {house,{resident,"Batman"}, {address,"Wayne Manor, Gotham City"}} 5> HouseBatmanResident. {resident,"Batman"} 6>
| i don't know |
52 Festive Road, Putney, London | Festing Road SW15 Residents Honour Their Doppelganger Festive Road
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On Saturday author David McKee unveiled the commerative paving stone to him and his creation the cartoon character Mr Benn. This happened in Festing Road, Putney which he renamed Festive Road for the series.
In the series Mr Benn leaves his terrace house and goes to a dressing up shop and from there into different adventures. On the day nearly twenty Mr Benn's and their families dressed as Mr Benn characters-clowns, chefs, knights, pirates, cavemen not to mention the distinctive shop keeper in his fez and coloured waistcoat �all turned up to celebrate.
Nearly 100 turned up for the event which was filmed by ITV News and well as an independent film crew. Councillor ex Wandsworth mayor Jim Madden said a few words but the day belonged to David McKee and the present residents of Festing Road . The author personally drew Mr Benn in the dozen or so books which had been donated by the publishers as prizes for the children's fancy dress. Special mention must go to Ben Nicholson (wizard) and Zac Hyner (caveman).
After the unveiling the party went back to no 52(Mr Benn's house in the series) and enjoyed refreshment and a specially made cake shaped as the distinctive bowler.
Street resident and organiser Hugh Thompson said:
�It was a wonderful day for the street and fans came from all over London, quite incredible. David was an absolute saint, such a modest genius. All Mr Benn stories end with the world being a better place and this one was no exception .Deeper friendships and a stronger sense of community have been achieved in the street and the world now has a permanent
Residents dressed up as characters from Mr Benn's adventures
reminder of one of its favourite cartoon characters".
Current residents clubbed together to purchase the paving stone as a tribute to author & illustrator and ex-resident David.
In 1965 When David McKee purchased his house on Festing Road he paid £4,200 - to buy it today would cost over £800,000!
November 30, 2009
| Mr Benn |
1313 Mockingbird Lane, Mockingbird Heights, USA. | 52 Festive Road | In reality - Festing Road, Putney. Mr Benn… | Flickr
diamond geezer By: diamond geezer
52 Festive Road
In reality - Festing Road, Putney. Mr Benn's house is the one on the left (next to 54 where his author David McKee lived)
Done
| i don't know |
What name was given to privateers, authorized to conduct raids on shipping of a nation at war with France, on behalf of the French crown? | The Last Corsaire by Frank Leguen - YouTube
The Last Corsaire by Frank Leguen
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Published on Jul 2, 2014
Corsairs (French: corsaire) were privateers, authorized to conduct raids on shipping of a nation at war with France, on behalf of the French crown. Seized vessels and cargo were sold at auction, with the corsair captain entitled to a portion of the proceeds. Although not French Navy personnel, corsairs were considered legitimate combatants in France (and allied nations), provided the commanding officer of the vessel was in possession of a valid Letter of Marque (Lettre de Marque or Lettre de Course, the latter giving corsairs their name), and the officers and crew conducted themselves according to contemporary admiralty law. By acting on behalf of the French Crown, if captured by the enemy, they could claim treatment as prisoners of war, instead of being considered pirates. Because corsairs gained a swashbuckling reputation, the word "corsair" is also used generically as a more romantic or flamboyant way of referring to privateers, or even to pirates. The Breton town of St Malo is famous for its Corsairs and this song is about my three times great-grandfather reputed to be the "Last Corsair of St Malo". Having fought the English during the Napoleonic wars, he later teamed up with his English brother-in-law in a number of commercial enterprises, not least opening up China to the opium trade something which would be frowned upon today but was considered a fine initiative at the time! As fate would have it most of his descendants ended up living in England although there are still a number in France and even Belgium! The song is written, performed and produced by Frank Leguen and published by TuneCore publishing (c) 2014
Category
| Corsair |
In 2002, who filed for divorce from his wife Lisa Marie Presley after being married for just three months? | Privateer | Open Access articles | Open Access journals | Conference Proceedings | Editors | Authors | Reviewers | scientific events
East Indiaman Kent battling Confiance, a privateer vessel commanded by French corsair Robert Surcouf in October 1800, as depicted in a painting by Ambroise Louis Garneray .
A privateer (sometimes called corsair or buccaneer ) was a private person or ship authorized by a government by letters of marque to attack foreign vessels during wartime. Privateering was a way of mobilizing armed ships and sailors without having vessels be commissioned into regular service as warships. The crew of a privateer might be treated as prisoners of war by the enemy country if captured.
Historically, the distinction between a privateer and a pirate has been subjective, often depending on the source as to which label was correct in a particular circumstance. [1] The actual work of a pirate and a privateer is generally the same (raiding and plundering ships); it is, therefore, the authorization and perceived legality of the actions that form the distinction. At various times, governments indiscriminately granted authorization for privateering to a variety of ships, so much so that would-be pirates could easily operate under a veil of legitimacy.
Contents
Main article: Paris Declaration Respecting Maritime Law
Being privately owned and run, privateers did not take orders from the Naval command. The letter of marque of a privateer would typically limit activity to a specific area and to the ships of specific nations. Typically, the owners or captain would be required to post a performance bond against breaching these conditions, or they might be liable to pay damages to an injured party. In the United Kingdom , letters of marque were revoked for various offences.
File:Triton-Hasard-stitched.jpg
Boarding of the Triton (a British East Indiaman) by the French corsair Hasard
Conditions on board privateers varied widely. Some crews were treated as harshly as naval crews of the time, while others followed the comparatively relaxed rules of merchant ships. Some crews were made up of professional merchant seamen, others of pirates , debtors, and convicts . Some privateers ended up becoming pirates, not just in the eyes of their enemies but also of their own nations. William Kidd , for instance, began as a legitimate British privateer but was later hanged for piracy.
The Paris Declaration Respecting Maritime Law of 16 April 1856 was issued to abolish privateering. It regulated the relationship between neutral and belligerent and shipping on the high seas introducing new prize rules . [2]
Ships
Entrepreneurs converted many different types of vessels into privateers, including obsolete warships and refitted merchant ships. The investors would arm the vessels and recruit large crews, much larger than a merchantman or a naval vessel would carry, in order to crew the prizes they captured. Privateers generally cruised independently, but it was not unknown for them to form squadrons, or to co-operate with the regular navy. A number of privateers were part of the English fleet that opposed the Spanish Armada in 1588. Privateers generally avoided encounters with warships, as such encounters would be at best unprofitable. Still, such encounters did occur. For instance, in 1815 Chasseur encountered HMS St Lawrence , herself a former American privateer, mistaking her for a merchantman until too late; in this instance, the privateer prevailed.
The United States used mixed squadrons of frigates and privateers in the American Revolutionary War . Following the French Revolution , French privateers became a menace to British and American shipping in the western Atlantic and the Caribbean, resulting in the Quasi-War , a brief conflict between France and the United States, fought largely at sea, and to the Royal Navy's procuring Bermuda sloops to combat the French privateers. [3]
Overall history
File:16th century Portuguese Spanish trade routes.png
16th century trade routes prey to privateering: Spanish treasure fleets linking the Caribbean to Seville , Manila-Acapulco galleons started in 1568 (white) and rival Portuguese India Armadas of 1498-1640 (blue)
England , and later the United Kingdom , used privateers to great effect and suffered much from other nations' privateering. During the 15th century, "piracy became an increasing problem and merchant communities such as Bristol began to resort to self-help, arming and equipping ships at their own expense to protect commerce." [4] These privately owned merchant ships, licensed by the crown, could legitimately take vessels that were deemed pirates. This constituted a "revolution in naval strategy" and helped fill the need for protection that the current administration was unable to provide as it "lacked an institutional structure and coordinated finance." [5] [6]
The increase in competition for crews on armed merchant vessels and privateers was due, in a large part, because of the chance for a considerable payoff. "Whereas a seaman who shipped on a naval vessel was paid a wage and provided with victuals, the mariner on a merchantman or privateer was paid with an agreed share of the takings." [5] This proved to be a far more attractive prospect and privateering flourished as a result.
During Queen Elizabeth's reign, she "encouraged the development of this supplementary navy." [7] Over the course of her rule, she had "allowed Anglo-Spanish relations to deteriorate" to the point where one could argue that a war with the Spanish was inevitable. [8] By using privateers, if the Spanish were to take offense at the plundering of their ships, Queen Elizabeth could always deny she had anything to do with the actions of such independents. Some of the most famous privateers that later fought in the Anglo-Spanish War (1585–1604) included the Sea Dogs .
In the late 16th century, English ships cruised in the Caribbean and off the coast of Spain, trying to intercept treasure fleets from the Spanish Main . At this early stage the idea of a regular navy (the Royal Navy , as distinct from the Merchant Navy ) was not present, so there is little to distinguish the activity of English privateers from regular naval warfare. Attacking Spanish ships, even during peacetime, was part of a policy of military and economic competition with Spain - which had been monopolizing the maritime trade routes along with the Portuguese helping to provoke the first Anglo-Spanish War .[ citation needed ] Capturing a Spanish treasure ship would enrich the Crown as well as strike a practical blow against Spanish domination of America. Piet Pieterszoon Hein was a brilliantly successful Dutch privateer who captured a Spanish treasure fleet. Magnus Heinason was another privateer who served the Dutch against the Spanish. While their and others' attacks brought home a great deal of money, they hardly dented the flow of gold and silver from Mexico to Spain.
Elizabeth was succeeded by the first Stuart monarchs, James I and Charles I , who did not permit privateering. There were a number of unilateral and bilateral declarations limiting privateering between 1785 and 1823. However, the breakthrough came in 1856 when the Declaration of Paris , signed by all major European powers, stated that "Privateering is and remains abolished". The USA did not sign because a stronger amendment, protecting all private property from capture at sea, was not accepted. In the 19th century many nations passed laws forbidding their nationals from accepting commissions as privateers for other nations. The last major power to flirt with privateering was Prussia in the 1870 Franco-Prussian War , when Prussia announced the creation of a 'volunteer navy' of ships privately owned and manned and eligible for prize money. The only difference between this and privateering was that these volunteer ships were under the discipline of the regular navy.
CSS Savannah, a Confederate privateer.
17th, 18th and 19th centuries
Privateers were a large part of the total military force at sea during the 17th and 18th centuries. In the first Anglo-Dutch War , English privateers attacked the trade on which the United Provinces entirely depended, capturing over 1,000 Dutch merchant ships. During the subsequent war with Spain , Spanish and Flemish privateers in the service of the Spanish Crown, including the notorious Dunkirkers , captured 1,500 English merchant ships, helping to restore Dutch international trade. [9] British trade, whether coastal, Atlantic, or Mediterranean, was also attacked by Dutch privateers and others in the Second and Third Anglo-Dutch wars.
During King George's War , approximately 36,000 Americans served aboard privateers at one time or another. [10] During the Nine Years War , the French adopted a policy of strongly encouraging privateers, including the famous Jean Bart , to attack English and Dutch shipping. England lost roughly 4,000 merchant ships during the war. [10] In the following War of Spanish Succession , privateer attacks continued, Britain losing 3,250 merchant ships. [11] Parliament passed an updated Cruisers and Convoys Act in 1708 allocating regular warships to the defence of trade.
In the subsequent conflict, the War of Austrian Succession , the Royal Navy was able to concentrate more on defending British ships. Britain lost 3,238 merchantmen, a smaller fraction of her merchant marine than the enemy losses of 3,434. [10] While French losses were proportionally severe, the smaller but better protected Spanish trade suffered the least and it was Spanish privateers who enjoyed much of the best allied plunder of British trade, particularly in the West Indies.
During the American Civil War privateering took on several forms, including blockade running while privateering in general occurred in the interests of both the North and the South. Letters of marque would often be issued to private shipping companies and other private owners of ships, authorizing them to engage vessels deemed to be unfriendly to the issuing government. Crews of ships were awarded the cargo and other prizes aboard any captured vessel as an incentive to search far and wide for ships attempting to supply the Confederacy, or aid the Union, as the case may be.
Britain
File:Privateer Captain Woodes Rogers.jpg
Woodes Rogers ' men search Spanish ladies for their jewels in Guayaquil , Ecuador, 1709
England and Scotland practiced privateering both separately and together after they united to create the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. It was a way to gain for themselves some of the wealth the Spanish and Portuguese were taking from the New World before beginning their own trans-Atlantic settlement, and a way to assert naval power before a strong Royal Navy emerged.
Sir Andrew Barton , Lord High Admiral of Scotland , followed the example of his father, who had been issued with letters of marque by James III of Scotland to prey upon English and Portuguese shipping in 1485; the letters in due course were reissued to the son. Barton was killed following an encounter with the English in 1511.
Sir Francis Drake , who had close contact with the sovereign, was responsible for some damage to Spanish shipping, as well as attacks on Spanish settlements in the Americas in the 16th century. He participated in the successful English defence against the Spanish Armada in 1588, though he was also partly responsible for the failure of the English Armada against Spain in 1589.
Sir George Clifford, 3rd Earl of Cumberland was a successful privateer against Spanish shipping in the Caribbean . He is also famous for his short-lived 1598 capture of Fort San Felipe del Morro , the citadel protecting San Juan, Puerto Rico . He arrived in Puerto Rico on June 15, 1598, but by November of that year Clifford and his men had fled the island due to fierce civilian resistance. He gained sufficient prestige from his naval exploits to be named the official Champion of Queen Elizabeth I . Clifford became extremely wealthy through his buccaneering, but lost most of his money gambling on horse races.
File:Willem van de Velde de Jonge - Een actie van een Engels schip en schepen van de Barbarijse zeerovers.jpg
An action between an English ship and vessels of the Barbary corsairs
Captain Christopher Newport led more attacks on Spanish shipping and settlements than any other English privateer. As a young man, Newport sailed with Sir Francis Drake in the attack on the Spanish fleet at Cadiz and participated in England’s defeat of the Spanish Armada. During the war with Spain, Newport seized fortunes of Spanish and Portuguese treasure in fierce sea battles in the West Indies as a privateer for Queen Elizabeth I. In 1592, Newport captured the Portuguese carrack Madre de Deus (Mother of God), valued at £500,000.
Sir Henry Morgan was a successful privateer. Operating out of Jamaica , he carried on a war against Spanish interests in the region, often using cunning tactics. His operation was prone to cruelty against those he captured, including torture to gain information about booty, and in one case using priests as human shields . Despite reproaches for some of his excesses, he was generally protected by Sir Thomas Modyford , the governor of Jamaica. He took an enormous amount of booty, as well as landing his privateers ashore and attacking land fortifications, including the sack of the city of Panama with only 1,400 crew[ citation needed ].
Other British privateers of note include Fortunatus Wright , Edward Collier , Sir John Hawkins , his son Sir Richard Hawkins , Michael Geare , and Sir Christopher Myngs . Notable British colonial privateers in Nova Scotia include Alexander Godfrey of the brig Rover and Joseph Barss of the schooner Liverpool Packet . The latter schooner captured over 50 American vessels during the War of 1812 .
Spain and its colonies
File:Bermuda sloop - privateer.jpg
A Bermuda sloop engaged as a privateer.
The English colony of Bermuda (or the Somers Isles), settled accidentally in 1609, was used as a base for English privateers from the time it officially became part of the territory of the Virginia Company in 1612. Many Bermudians were employed as crew aboard privateers throughout the century, although the colony was primarily devoted to farming cash crops 'til turning from its failed agricultural economy to the sea after the 1684 dissolution of the Somers Isles Company (a spin-off of the Virginia Company which had overseen the colony since 1615). With a total area of Script error: No such module "convert". and lacking any natural resources other than the Bermuda cedar , the colonists applied themselves fully to the maritime trades, developing the speedy Bermuda sloop , which was well suited both to commerce and to commerce raiding. Bermudian merchant vessels turned to privateering at every opportunity in the 18th century, preying on the shipping of Spain, France, and other nations during a series of wars, including: the 1688 to 1697 Nine Years' War ( King William's War ); the 1702 to 1713 Queen Anne's War ; [13] [14] the 1739 to 1748 War of Jenkins' Ear ; the 1740 to 1748 War of the Austrian Succession ( King George's War ); the 1754 to 1763 Seven Years' War (known in the United States as the French and Indian War , this conflict was devastating for the colony's merchant fleet. Fifteen privateers operated from Bermuda during the war, but losses exceeded captures); the 1775 to 1783 American War of Independence ; and the 1796 to 1808 Anglo-Spanish War . [15] [16] By the middle of the Eighteenth Century, Bermuda was sending twice as many privateers to sea as any of the continental colonies. They typically left Bermuda with very large crews. This advantage in manpower was vital in overpowering the crews of larger vessels, which themselves often lacked sufficient crewmembers to put up a strong defence. The extra crewmen were also useful as prize crews for returning captured vessels.
The Bahamas , which had been depopulated of its indigenous inhabitants by the Spanish, had been settled by England, beginning with the Eleutheran Adventurers , dissident Puritans driven out of Bermuda during the English Civil War . Spanish and French attacks destroyed New Providence in 1703, creating a stronghold for pirates, and it became a thorn in the side of British merchant trade through the area. In 1718, Britain appointed Woodes Rogers as Governor of the Bahamas , and sent him at the head of a force to reclaim the settlement. Before his arrival, however, the pirates had been forced to surrender by a force of Bermudian privateers who had been issued letters of marque by the Governor of Bermuda.
File:Bermuda Gazette - 12 November 1796.jpg
Bermuda Gazette of 12 November 1796, calling for privateering against Spain and its allies during the 1796 to 1808 Anglo-Spanish War , and with advertisements for crew for two privateer vessels.
Bermuda was in de facto control of the Turks Islands , with their lucrative salt industry, from the late 17th century to the early 19th. The Bahamas made perpetual attempts to claim the Turks for itself. On several occasions, this involved seizing the vessels of Bermudian salt traders. A virtual state of war was said to exist between Bermudian and Bahamian vessels for much of the 18th Century. When the Bermudian sloop Seaflower was seized by the Bahamians in 1701, the response of the Governor of Bermuda Governor, Captain Benjamin Bennett, was to issue letters of marque to Bermudian vessels. In 1706, Spanish and French forces ousted the Bermudians, but were driven out themselves three years later by the Bermudian privateer Captain Lewis Middleton . His ship, the Rose, attacked a Spanish and a French privateer holding a captive English vessel. Defeating the two enemy vessels, the Rose then cleared out the thirty-man garrison left by the Spanish and French. [17]
Despite strong sentiments in support of the rebels, especially in the early stages, Bermudian privateers turned as aggressively on American shipping during the American War of Independence . The importance of privateering to the Bermudian economy had been increased not only by the loss of most of Bermuda's continental trade, but also by the Palliser Act , which forbade Bermudian vessels from fishing the Grand Banks . Bermudian trade with the rebellious American colonies actually carried on throughout the war. Some historians credit the large number of Bermuda sloops (reckoned at over a thousand) built in Bermuda as privateers and sold illegally to the Americans as enabling the rebellious colonies to win their independence. [18] Also, the Americans were dependent on Turks salt, and one hundred barrels of gunpowder were stolen from a Bermudian magazine and supplied to the rebels at the request of George Washington , in exchange for which the Continental Congress authorised the sale of supplies to Bermuda, which was dependent on American produce. The realities of this interdependence did nothing to dampen the enthusiasm with which Bermudian privateers turned on their erstwhile countrymen.
An American naval captain, ordered to take his ship out of Boston Harbor to eliminate a pair of Bermudian privateering vessels that had been picking off vessels missed by the Royal Navy, returned frustrated, saying, "the Bermudians sailed their ships two feet for every one of ours". [19] Around 10,000 Bermudians emigrated in the years prior to American independence, mostly to the American colonies. Many Bermudians occupied prominent positions in American seaports, from where they continued their maritime trades (Bermudian merchants controlled much of the trade through ports like Charleston, South Carolina , and Bermudian shipbuilders influenced the development of American vessels, like the Chesapeake Bay schooner ), [15] [20] [21] and in the Revolution they used their knowledge of Bermudians and of Bermuda, as well as their vessels, for the rebels' cause. In the 1777 Battle of Wreck Hill, brothers Charles and Francis Morgan, members of a large Bermudian enclave that had dominated Charleston, South Carolina and its environs since settlement, [22] [23] captaining two sloops (the Fair American and the Expirement, respectively), carried out the only attack on Bermuda during the war. The target was a fort that guarded a little used passage through the encompassing reefline. After the soldiers manning the fort were forced to abandon it, they spiked its guns and fled themselves before reinforcements could arrive. [24]
When the Americans captured the Bermudian privateer Regulator, they discovered that virtually all of her crew were black slaves. Authorities in Boston offered these men their freedom, but all 70 elected to be treated as prisoners of war . Sent as such to New York on the sloop Duxbury, they seized the vessel and sailed it back to Bermuda. [25]
The War of 1812 saw an encore of Bermudian privateering, which had died out after the 1790s. The decline of Bermudian privateering was due partly to the buildup of the naval base in Bermuda , which reduced the Admiralty's reliance on privateers in the western Atlantic, and partly to successful American legal suits and claims for damages pressed against British privateers, a large portion of which were aimed squarely at the Bermudians. [26] During the course of the War of 1812, Bermudian privateers captured 298 ships, some 19% of the 1,593 vessels captured by British naval and privateering vessels between the Great Lakes and the West Indies. [27]
Amongst the better known (native-born and immigrant) Bermudian privateers were Hezekiah Frith , Bridger Goodrich, [28] Henry Jennings , Thomas Hewetson, [29] and Thomas Tew .
Providence Island colony
Bermudians were also involved in privateering from the short-lived English colony on Isla de Providencia , off the coast of Nicaragua . This colony was initially settled largely via Bermuda, with about eighty Bermudians moved to Providence in 1631. Although it was intended that the colony be used to grow cash crops, its location in the heart of the Spanish controlled territory ensured that it quickly became a base for privateeering.
Bermuda-based privateer Daniel Elfrith , while on a privateering expedition with Captain Sussex Camock of the bark Somer Ilands in 1625, discovered two islands off the coast of Nicaragua, 50 miles apart from each other. Camock stayed with 30 of his men to explore one of the islands, San Andrés, while Elfrith took the Warwicke back to Bermuda bringing news of Providence Island. Bermuda Governor Bell wrote on behalf of Elfrith to Sir Nathaniel Rich, a businessman and cousin of the Earl of Warwick, who presented a proposal for colonizing the island noting its strategic location "lying in the heart of the Indies & the mouth of the Spaniards". Elfrith was appointed admiral of the colony's military forces in 1631, remaining the overall military commander for over seven years. During this time, Elfrith served as a guide to other privateers and sea captains arriving in the Caribbean. Elfrith invited the well-known privateer Diego el Mulato to the island. Samuel Axe, one of the military leaders, also accepted letters of marque from the Dutch authorizing privateering.
The Spanish did not hear of the Providence Island colony until 1635, when they captured some Englishmen in Portobelo , on the Isthmus of Panama . Francisco de Murga , Governor and Captain General of Cartagena , dispatched Captain Gregorio de Castellar y Mantilla and engineer Juan de Somovilla Texada to destroy the colony. [30] The Spanish were repelled and forced to retreat "in haste and disorder". [31] After the attack, King Charles I of England issued letters of marque to the Providence Island Company on 21 December 1635 authorizing raids on the Spanish in retaliation for a raid that had destroyed the English colony on Tortuga earlier in 1635 ( Tortuga had come under the protection of the Providence Island Company. In 1635 a Spanish fleet raided Tortuga. 195 colonists were hung and 39 prisoners and 30 slaves were captured). The company could in turn issue letters of marque to subcontracting privateers who used the island as a base, for a fee. This soon became an important source of profit. Thus the Company made an agreement with the merchant Maurice Thompson under which Thompson could use the island as a base in return for 20% of the booty. [32]
In March 1636 the Company dispatched Captain Robert Hunt on the Blessing to assume the governorship of what was now viewed as a base for privateering. [33] Depredations continued, leading to growing tension between England and Spain, which were still technically at peace.
On 11 July 1640 the Spanish Ambassador in London complained again, saying he
understands that there is lately brought in at the Isle of Wight by one, Captain James Reskinner [ James Reiskimmer ], a ship very richly laden with silver, gold, diamonds, pearls, jewels, and many other precious commodities taken by him in virtue of a commission of the said Earl [of Warwick] from the subjects of his Catholic Majesty ... to the infinite wrong and dishonour of his Catholic Majesty, to find himself thus injured and violated, and his subjects thus spoiled, robbed, impoverished and murdered in the highest time of peace, league and amity with your Majesty. [34]
Nathaniel Butler , formerly Governor of Bermuda, was the last full governor of Providence Island, replacing Robert Hunt in 1638. Butler returned to England in 1640, satisfied that the fortifications were adequate, deputizing the governorship to Captain Andrew Carter. [35]
In 1640, don Melchor de Aguilera , Governor and Captain-General of Cartagena, resolved to remove the intolerable infestation of pirates on the island. Taking advantage of having infantry from Castile and Portugal wintering in his port, he dispatched six hundred armed Spaniards from the fleet and the presidio, and two hundred black and mulatto militiamen under the leadership of don Antonio Maldonado y Tejada , his Sergeant Major, in six small frigates and a galleon. [36] The troops were landed on the island, and a fierce fight ensued. The Spanish were forced to withdraw when a gale blew up and threatened their ships. Carter had the Spanish prisoners executed. When the Puritan leaders protested against this brutality, Carter sent four of them home in chains. [37]
Main article: Spanish capture of Providencia
The Spanish acted decisively to avenge their defeat. General Francisco Díaz Pimienta was given orders by King Philip IV of Spain , and sailed from Cartagena to Providence with seven large ships, four pinnaces , 1,400 soldiers and 600 seamen, arriving on 19 May 1641. At first Pimienta planned to attack the poorly defended east side, and the English rushed there to improvise defenses. With the winds against him, Pimienta changed plans and made for the main New Westminster harbor and launched his attack on 24 May. He held back his large ships to avoid damage, and used the pinnaces to attack the forts. The Spanish troops quickly gained control, and once the forts saw the Spanish flag flying over the governor's house, they began negotiations for surrender. [38]
On 25 May 1641, Pimienta formally took possession and celebrated mass in the church. The Spanish took sixty guns, and captured the 350 settlers who remained on the island – others had escaped to the Mosquito coast. They took the prisoners to Cartagena. [39] The women and children were given a passage back to England. The Spanish found gold, indigo, cochineal and six hundred black slaves on the island, worth a total of 500,000 ducats, some of the accumulated booty from the English raids. [40] Rather than destroy the defenses, as instructed, Pimienta left a small garrison of 150 men to hold the island and prevent occupation by the Dutch. [39] Later that year, Captain John Humphrey , who had been chosen to succeed Captain Butler as governor, arrived with a large group of dissatisfied settlers from New England. He found the Spanish in occupation. [41] Pimienta's decision to occupy the island was approved in 1643 and he was made a knight of the Order of Santiago . [39]
France
Main article: French corsairs
Corsairs ( French : corsaire) were privateers, authorized to conduct raids on shipping of a nation at war with France , on behalf of the French Crown. Seized vessels and cargo were sold at auction, with the corsair captain entitled to a portion of the proceeds. Although not French Navy personnel, corsairs were considered legitimate combatants in France (and allied nations), provided the commanding officer of the vessel was in possession of a valid Letter of Marque (fr. Lettre de Marque or Lettre de Course), and the officers and crew conducted themselves according to contemporary admiralty law . By acting on behalf of the French Crown, if captured by the enemy, they could claim treatment as prisoners of war , instead of being considered pirates . Because corsairs gained a swashbuckling reputation, the word "corsair" is also used generically as a more romantic or flamboyant way of referring to privateers, or even to pirates. The Barbary pirates of North Africa as well as Ottomans were sometimes called "Turkish corsairs".
United States
Pride of Baltimore II , replica United States topsail schooner , favored by privateers for its speed and ability to sail close to the wind .
During the American Revolutionary War , the Continental Congress , and some state governments (on their own initiative), issued privateering licenses, authorizing "legal piracy", to merchant captains in an effort to take prizes from the British Navy and Tory (Loyalist) privateers. This was done due to the relatively small number of commissioned American naval vessels and the pressing need for prisoner exchange .
About 55,000 American seamen served aboard the privateers. [42] They quickly sold their prizes, dividing their profits with the financier (persons or company) and the state (colony). Long Island Sound became a hornets' nest of privateering activity during the American Revolution (1775–1783), as most transports to and from New York went through the Sound. New London, Connecticut was a chief privateering port for the American colonies, leading to the British Navy blockading it in 1778-1779. Chief financiers of privateering included Thomas & Nathaniel Shaw of New London and John McCurdy of Lyme . In the months before the British raid on New London and Groton, a New London privateer took Hannah in what is regarded as the largest prize taken by any American privateer during the war. Retribution was likely part of Gov. Clinton's (NY) motivation for Arnold's Raid , as the Hannah had carried many of his most cherished items.
Naval battle off Halifax , Nova Scotia
American privateers are thought to have seized up to 300 British ships during the war. One of the more successful of these ships was the Prince de Neufchatel , which once captured nine British prizes in swift succession in the English Channel .[ citation needed ] The British ship Jack was captured and turned into an American privateer, only to be captured again by the British in the naval battle off Halifax , Nova Scotia . American privateers not only fought naval battles but also raided numerous communities in British colonies, such as the Raid on Lunenburg, Nova Scotia (1782) .
The United States Constitution authorized the U.S. Congress to grant letters of marque and reprisal. Between the end of the Revolutionary War and 1812, less than 30 years, Britain, France , Naples , the Barbary States , Spain , and the Netherlands seized approximately 2,500 American ships. [43] Payments in ransom and tribute to the Barbary states amounted to 20% of United States government annual revenues in 1800 [44] and would lead the United States to fight the Barbary states in the First Barbary War and Second Barbary Wars .
During the War of 1812 , the British attacked Essex, Connecticut, and burned the ships in the harbor , due to the construction there of a number of privateers. This was the greatest financial loss of the entire War of 1812 suffered by the Americans. However, the private fleet of James De Wolf , which sailed under the flag of the American government in 1812, was most likely a key factor in the naval campaign of the war. De Wolf's ship, the Yankee, was possibly the most financially successful ship of the war. Privateers proved to be far more successful than their US Navy counterparts, claiming three quarters of the 1600 British merchant ships taken during the war (although a third of these were recaptured prior to making landfall). Whilst apparently successful the privateer campaign was ultimately a failure. British convoy systems honed during the Napoleonic Wars limited losses to singleton ships, and the effective blockade of American and continental ports prevented captured ships being taken in for sale. This ultimately led to orders forbidding US privateers from attempting to bring their prizes in to port, with captured ships instead having to be burnt. Over 200 American privateer ships were captured by the Royal Navy, many of which were turned on their former owners and used by the British blockading forces.
Jean Lafitte and his privateers aided US General Andrew Jackson in the defeat of the British in the Battle of New Orleans in order to receive full pardons for their previous crimes. [45] [46] [47] [48] [49] Jackson formally requested clemency for Lafitte and the men who had served under him, and the US government granted them all a full pardon on February 6, 1815. [50] [51]
James De Wolf
The US was not one of the initial signatories of the 1856 Declaration of Paris which outlawed privateering, and the Confederate Constitution authorized use of privateers. However, the USA did offer to adopt the terms of the Declaration during the American Civil War , when the Confederates sent several privateers to sea before putting their main effort in the more effective commissioned raiders.
During the Civil War Confederate President Jefferson Davis issued letters of marque to anyone who would employ their ship to either attack Union shipping or bring badly needed supplies through the Union blockade into southern ports. Many of the supplies brought into the Confederacy were carried aboard privately owned vessels. When word came about that the Confederacy was willing to pay almost any price for military supplies various interested parties designed and built specially designed light weight seagoing steamers, blockade runners specifically designed and built to outrun Union ships on blockade patrol. [52] [53]
No letter of marque has been legitimately issued by the United States since the nineteenth century. The status of submarine hunting Goodyear airships in the early days of the second world war has created significant confusion. According to one story, the United States Navy issued a Letter of Marque to the Airship Resolute on the West Coast of the United States at the beginning of World War II , making it the first time the US Navy commissioned a privateer since the War of 1812. [54] However, this story, along with various other accounts referring to the airships Resolute and Volunteer as operating under a "privateer status", is highly dubious. Since neither the Congress nor the President appears to have authorized a privateer during the war, the Navy would not have had the authority to do so by itself. [55]
Latin America
Coggeshall, George (1856). History of the American privateers, and letters-of-marque: ...
G.Coggeshall; C.T.Evans, Agent. New York. pp. 438. Url
Faye Kert, Prize and Prejudice Privateering and Naval Prize in Atlantic Canada in the War of 1812. Research in maritime history, no. 11. St. John's, Nfld: International Maritime Economic History Association, 1997.
Nichols, A. Bryant Jr., Captain Christopher Newport: Admiral of Virginia, Sea Venture, 2007
Smith, Joshua M., Battle for the Bay: The Naval War of 1812
Goose Lane Editions, Fredericton, NB2011.
Ross, Nicholas, "The Provision of Naval Defense in the Early American Republic: A Comparison of the U.S. Navy and Privateers, 1789–1815." The Independent Review 16, no. 3 (Winter), 2011.
Lemnitzer, Jan (2014), Power, Law and the End of Privateering.
External links
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What was the original name of Wembley Stadium? | Old 1923 Wembley Stadium - England | Football Tripper
Capacity: 82,000
Opened: 1923
The original Wembley Stadium officially went by the name of Empire Stadium but fans of the iconic sporting venue almost never referred to the ground by this name.
Stadium Guide
History
England’s Wembley Stadium first opened in 1923 under the grandiose yet horribly colonial sounding title of “British Empire Exhibition Stadium”. Constructed by Sir Robert McAlpine and costing £750,000, the stadium was ready to be demolished after the end of the exhibition but it managed to survive and become a fully fledged football stadium at the suggestion of Sir James Stevenson who was the Chairman of the organising committee for the Empire Exhibition.
Following a period immediately after construction when Wembley’s ownership changed hands, Wembley really came into its own as the original piece of “Hallowed Turf” after World War 2 when the popularity of Football exploded. With the F.A Cup final held each season at the iconic venue, The Twin Towers became synonymous with English football and part of history as the F.A Cup was then regarded as one of the most prestigious tournaments back in the 20th Century.
Outside of Britain, Wembley Stadium gained a famous reputation by hosting the 1966 World Cup with legendary Brazilian footballer Pele calling it “The cathedral of football. It is the capital of football and it is the heart of football”. For English fans, the only thing better than hosting the World Cup would be winning it, and the three lions managed to do this in their own backyard, by defeating West Germany 4-2 in extra time in an event which we haven’t managed to shut up about ever since.
30 years later England hosted Euro 1996 , and the Germans got their revenge when they defeated England in a penalty shoot-out after a 1-1 draw. Once again Wembley Stadium hosted the final as well as all of England’s home matches, and further weaved it’s way into Britain’s footballing history. The final game at Wembley was held on the 7th October once again against rivals Germany, with Dietmar Hamann scoring the winner in a narrow 1 nil defeat.
New Wembley Stadium opened 7 years later in 2007 with a slightly larger capacity of 90,000 seats.
Stands
The Original Wembley Stadium consisted of four stands: North, East, South and West.
Click the thumbnails above to enlarge an image of each stand.
By Football Tripper
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Charles-Ădouard Jeanneret-Gris was better known as who? | Stats and Facts | Wembley Stadium
Stats and Facts
General Stadium Facts
The famous twin towers have made way for an iconic arch over the stadium, which has been totally rebuilt and is now one of the most modern and breathtaking arenas in the world
The new Wembley reopened its doors in 2007
The stadium is now once again home to the England national side, as well as the FA Cup Final and Semi Finals, The Football League Cup Final, The FA Community Shield, The Football League Play Off Finals and The Rugby Football League Challenge Cup Final. The stadium also regularly hosts other major sporting events including a regular season NFL game and epic music concerts
The original Wembley Stadium was known as the Empire Stadium, and was built as the centrepiece of a British Empire Exhibition at the end of the First World War
Though not officially opened by King George V until 23 April 1924, the stadium hosted its first FA Cup final the previous year, when an estimated 200,000 people crammed in to watch Bolton Wanderers FC defeat West Ham United FC 2-0. That match famously became known as the 'White Horse final', as a mounted policeman took to the pitch to keep fans at bay
The old stadium, named after the north London suburb in which it is located, would serve as the focal point of English football from then until it was demolished in 2003 to make way for the current structure
Wembley hosted the 1948 Olympic Games and also the final of EURO '96 but, from an English perspective, unquestionably its finest hour came on 30 July 1966, when Geoff Hurst scored a hat-trick to inspire England to a 4-2 extra-time win against West Germany in the final of the FIFA World Cup
The stadium has a circumference of 1 km
There are 107 steps in the trophy presentation route – the old stadium had 39 steps
The new Wembley encloses 4,000,000 m³ inside its walls and under its roof. This is the equivalent of 25,000 double-decker buses or 7 billion pints of milk
The deepest of the piles that form the foundations, at 35 metres, is as deep as the Twin Towers were tall
The new pitch is four metres lower than the previous pitch
The stadium’s pitch is enhanced by desso technology which combines synthetic grass with the real Wembley grass to strengthen the surface
This system provides a consistently high standard playing surface at Wembley and enables the multi use venue to host football, rugby, American football and music events
The pitch is covered by specially designed protective panels for rock concerts which creates space for up 25,000 fans to stand
Each of the two giant screens in new stadium is the size of 600 domestic television sets
The total length of the escalators is the same as a 400 metre running track
At Wembley trophies are presented to the winning team from the Royal Box rather than on the pitch
The Royal Box is in the traditional position - in the middle of the north stand - as in the old Wembley Stadium
Food and Drink
The Stadium has 34 bars, 8 restaurants, 98 kitchens and 688 food and drink service points
Approximately 10,500 seated meals can be be served at any one event
The soft drink dispensers can pour 30,000 cups in a little over 10 minutes
Approximately 40,000 pints of beer can be served during half time in a football/rugby league match
The Arch and the Roof
The most striking, highly visible feature of the stadium is 133 metre tall arch that sits above the north stand
With a span of 315 metres, the arch is the longest single span roof structure in the world and is visible right across London
With a diameter of 7.4 metres the arch is wide enough for a Channel Tunnel train to run through
A representative from every county in England was involved in the construction of the arch
The stadium roof rises to 52 metres above the pitch. This compares to the 35 metres tall Twin Towers of the old stadium
The roof is over 11 acres, of which four of the acres are retractable
The stadium has a sliding roof design which allows the pitch to be exposed to direct sunlight and ventilation whilst ensuring that spectators are covered
The arch supports all of the weight of the north roof and 60 per cent of the weight of the southern side
The arch ensures that there are no pillars in the new stadium which could obstruct the views of fans
The Seats
The stadium has 90,000 seats with NO obstructed views
There are 310 wheelchair spaces and 400 press seats
The rows of seating, if placed end to end, would stretch 54 kilometres
There is more leg room in every seat in Wembley Stadium than there was in the Royal Box of the old stadium
The seats are spread over three tiers: lower 34,303, middle 16,532 and upper 39,165
The stadium was designed with stands that are higher and closer to the pitch than the original stadium and with better uninterrupted views
The rows of seating, if placed end to end, would stretch 54 kilometres
There is more leg room in every seat in Wembley Stadium than there was in the Royal Box of the old stadium
Transport
Almost 40,000 people come through Wembley Park station on an event day
100 trains an hour will go through the three Wembley stations servicing the Stadium
Almost 40,000 people come through Wembley Park station on an event day 100 trains an hour will go through the three Wembley stations servicing the Stadium
Wembley in Numbers
688 food and drink service points
98 kitchens
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Which British aircraft manufacturer produced the Spitfire? | Spitfire | British aircraft | Britannica.com
British aircraft
R.J. Mitchell
Spitfire, also called Supermarine Spitfire, the most widely produced and strategically important British single-seat fighter of World War II . The Spitfire, renowned for winning victory laurels in the Battle of Britain (1940–41) along with the Hawker Hurricane , served in every theatre of the war and was produced in more variants than any other British aircraft.
Supermarine Spitfire, Britain’s premier fighter plane from 1938 through World War II.
Quadrant/Flight
The Spitfire was designed by Reginald Mitchell of Supermarine Ltd., in response to a 1934 Air Ministry specification calling for a high-performance fighter with an armament of eight wing-mounted 0.303-inch (7.7-mm) machine guns . The airplane was a direct descendant of a series of floatplanes designed by Mitchell to compete for the coveted Schneider Trophy in the 1920s. One of these racers, the S.6, set a world speed record of 357 miles (574 km) per hour in 1929. Designed around a 1,000-horsepower, 12-cylinder, liquid-cooled Rolls-Royce PV-12 engine (later dubbed the Merlin), the Spitfire first flew in March 1935. It had superb performance and flight characteristics, and deliveries to operational Royal Air Force (RAF) squadrons commenced in the summer of 1938. A more radical design than the Hurricane, the Spitfire had a stressed-skin aluminum structure and a graceful elliptical wing with a thin airfoil that, in combination with the Merlin’s efficient two-stage supercharger , gave it exceptional performance at high altitudes.
The version of the Spitfire that fought in the Battle of Britain was powered by a Merlin engine of 1,030 horsepower . The plane had a wingspan of 36 feet 10 inches (11.2 metres), was 29 feet 11 inches (9.1 metres) long, and reached a maximum speed of 360 miles (580 km) per hour and a ceiling of 34,000 feet (10,400 metres). Faster than its formidable German opponent the Bf 109 at altitudes above 15,000 feet (4,600 metres) and just as maneuverable, Spitfires were sent by preference to engage German fighters while the slower Hurricanes went for the bombers. More Hurricanes than Spitfires served in the Battle of Britain, and they were credited with more “kills,” but it can be argued that the Spitfire’s superior high-altitude performance provided the margin of victory.
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F-16
Meanwhile, Supermarine was developing more-capable versions of the Spitfire driven by progressively more-powerful Merlins. The eight 0.303-inch machine guns gave way to four 0.8-inch (20-mm) automatic cannons, and by war’s end the Spitfire had been produced in more than 20 fighter versions alone, powered by Merlins of up to 1,760 horsepower. Though outperformed by the German Fw 190 upon that aircraft’s introduction in 1941, the Spitfire restored parity the following year and eventually regained the advantage. It remained a first-line air-to-air fighter throughout the war. Spitfires were used in the defense of Malta , in North Africa and Italy , and, fitted with tail hooks and strengthened tail sections, as Seafires from Royal Navy aircraft carriers from June 1942. Spitfires helped to provide air superiority over the Sicily , Italy, and Normandy beachheads and served in the Far East from the spring of 1943. Fighter-bomber versions could carry a 250- or 500-pound (115- or 230-kg) bomb beneath the fuselage and a 250-pound bomb under each wing.
One of the Spitfire’s most important contributions to Allied victory was as a photo-reconnaissance aircraft from early 1941. Superior high-altitude performance rendered it all but immune from interception, and the fuel tanks that replaced wing-mounted machine guns and ammunition bays gave it sufficient range to probe western Germany from British bases.
In late 1943 Spitfires powered by Rolls-Royce Griffon engines developing as much as 2,050 horsepower began entering service. Capable of top speeds of 440 miles (710 km) per hour and ceilings of 40,000 feet (12,200 metres), these were used to shoot down V-1 “buzz bombs.” During World War II, Spitfires were exported in small numbers to Portugal , Turkey , and the Soviet Union , and they were flown by the U.S. Army Air Forces in Europe. When production ceased in 1947, 20,334 Spitfires of all versions had been produced, 2,053 of them Griffon-powered versions.
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Who said When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life? | Why have we never honoured man who invented the Spitfire? - Telegraph
Why have we never honoured man who invented the Spitfire?
By Ben Fenton
The sculpture of RJ Mitchell commissioned by Sidney Frank
Image 1 of 3
The Spitfire's graceful lines and astonishing handling made it the love of the pilots that flew her
Sidney Frank:‘I am a marketing man and now I am marketing R J Mitchell’
12:01AM BST 15 Sep 2005
The forgotten hero of the Battle of Britain will be commemorated today at the beginning of a campaign to raise awareness of a man who did as much as any to keep Hitler at bay 65 years ago.
R J Mitchell did not live to see his country threatened with invasion in 1940, but the aeroplane he designed did more than any other to defeat the Nazi assault on our skies.
Piloted by that band of wild spirits immortalised by Sir Winston Churchill as "The Few", Mitchell's Supermarine Spitfire allowed the RAF to defeat the Luftwaffe over southern England in the anxious summer months when a German invasion force massed on the far side of the Channel.
In tandem with the Hawker Hurricane, the Mk I Spitfire shot down enough enemy bombers and fighters to persuade Hitler that he could never win air supremacy over the narrow stretch of sea his army had to cross to defeat Britain.
But unlike the Hurricane's designer, Sidney Camm, knighted in 1953, Mitchell did not receive the public acclamation that many experts believe he deserved.
He was appointed CBE in 1932 for his services to high-speed aeronautics after his seaplanes designed for the Supermarine company of Southampton won the prestigious Schneider Trophy three times in a row between 1927 and 1931, retaining the cup permanently for Britain.
But he died of cancer in 1937 when the Spitfire had been proven as a breakthrough design in fighter aircraft, and only a prototype had ever flown.
For years, Mitchell's son Gordon, now 85, fought for a knighthood for his father, but honours are not awarded posthumously in this country.
But his campaign was not wasted, because this time last year he came to the attention of Sidney Frank.
Mr Frank, also 85, is a quite extraordinary man and quite extraordinarily wealthy.
Born in poverty in Norwich, Connecticut, he joined the aviation industry just before the 1939-45 war, working for the engine makers Pratt & Whitney, travelling to Britain and all over the world in their service.
But the cigar-chewing billionaire, fond of brightly coloured satin jackets and passionate about golf, made his money in booze.
He became a marketing man and an importer and relatively late in life began to make a lot of money from bringing a liqueur called Jägermeister to America.
Mr Frank's big bird though, landed when he came up with the idea for a French-made vodka that he decided to call Grey Goose. He invented it in 1995, when he was 10 years past the normal retirement age.
It proved such an enormous success in America that not only was it de rigueur to mention it on television programmes such as Sex in the City, but Mr Frank found he could sell the brand alone to Bacardi for $2 billion.
Suddenly, at 84, he found himself with a great deal of money to spend. He had never lost his love of aviation, his love of Britain and his love of history.
In his Claridges suite yesterday, a full-length, custom-made Davidoff cigar in his hand, he said: "I knew about the Spitfire and how important it was in winning the Battle of Britain and also what a beautiful aircraft it was. I began to wonder what happened to the guy who designed it.
"When I found out about R J Mitchell and that he had not got a knighthood and he wasn't even on the BBC's list of most famous Britons, I couldn't believe it.
"I mean, this was a guy who, after Churchill, was the most important man in winning the Battle of Britain and if that had been lost, well…" he took a deep breath and whistled. "We would've been fighting the Nazis from across the Atlantic."
Mr Frank, who counts Bill Clinton and Donald Trump among his many friends, explained: "I thought I would draw RJ Mitchell to people's attention over here. I am a billionaire and I am able to do things like that."
He hired Lord Bell, Lady Thatcher's former public relations consultant, to raise the Mitchell profile and has so far, including commissioning a stunning statue by Stephen Kettle, made out of 400,000 pieces of Welsh slate, spent more than $1 million on the project.
He tried, via President Clinton, to influence Tony Blair into granting Mitchell a posthumous knighthood and even approached the Queen.
"But I guess that just can't be done, so I am settling for marketing him. I am a marketing man and now I am marketing R J Mitchell.
"He was steadfast and he would work all night to get things right. You need people like that in the world. Like me, he was a backroom boy and he should be remembered and if I can even get him included on that BBC list, that will be fine."
Mr Frank and his team had little trouble persuading eight of the 10 living Defence Secretaries to write a letter, published here for the first time, endorsing the contribution to victory in the 1939-45 war by the designer of the all-conquering Spitfire.
R J Mitchell was born in 1895, the son of a printer in the Potteries. But he trained as an engineer and designer and won a job at the Supermarine aircraft factory in Southampton.
Mr Frank's charity has also paid for the current exhibition, Inside the Spitfire, at the Science Museum in London which concentrates on the fighter's contribution to winning the Battle of Britain.
A stripped-down plane on loan from the RAF Museum in Hendon, north London, gives visitors the chance to see the inner workings of one of the most extraordinary machines ever built.
The Supermarine Spitfire prototype, K5054, first flew in March 1936, and three months later the Government ordered 310 of them to be built, then the largest single aircraft order in history.
It was revolutionary in many ways, not least of which being the retractable undercarriage, which caused numerous accidents as pilots new to the aircraft tried to land without remembering to lower the wheels.
Further orders followed and production was increased by the building of a new plant in the Midlands, at Castle Bromwich. By the outbreak of war in September 1939, 2,143 Spitfires had been ordered. But only nine squadrons were fully equipped by the beginning of the war and 19 by the outbreak of the Battle.
Although a faster, more powerful Mk II was first delivered in June 1940, it was the Mark I, 1,583 of which were made, that bore the brunt of the Battle of Britain.
Its graceful lines and astonishing handling made it the love of both pilots and public, making it more famous than the slightly more pedestrian Hawker Hurricane.
In all, 20,531 Spitfires in 40 different modifications, or Marks, were built. It is not known exactly how many are still airworthy, but it is almost certainly fewer than 20, all in private hands or with the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight.
During the Battle, the Spitfire consistently outran and outmanoeuvred its German opponents.
Asked by Hermann Goering, his supreme commander, what he needed to win the Battle of Britain, Adolf Galland, the Luftwaffe's leading ace, replied: "Spitfires".
The fastest version built was the XISZ, a reconnaissance model, which had a speed of almost 460 mph. The last Spitfire rolled off the production line in 1947 and flew in combat as a marine version, the Seafire, for the final time during the Korean War in the early 1950s.
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What was Marble Arch in London originally designed to be? | Pastscape - Detailed Result: MARBLE ARCH
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Triumphal arch designed in 1828 by John Nash who was inspired by Percier and Fontaine's Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel, and modelled on the Arc of Constantine in Rome. Originally the arch was intended to commemorate the victories of Trafalgar and Waterloo but was changed with panels representing the Spirit of England inspiring Youth, Valour, Virtue, Peace and Plenty, with much of this work executed by Flaxman, Westmacott, Rossi and Baily. The arch was originally designed as the grand forecourt gateway to Buckingham Palace but was finished by Edward Blore without much of its intended sculpture, for example the equestrian statue of George IV which now stands in Trafalgar Square. It is constructed of Seravezza marble and comprises three archways flanked by Corinthian columns rising from plinths. The bronze gates were by Samuel Parker.
The arch was moved to present position, the north east entrance to Hyde Park in 1851 but is now isolated from the park on a
roundabout. (1-2)
The arch was designed by John Nash in 1825 and was originally intended as a national memorial to British Military and naval triumphs during the Napoleonic Wars (1799-1815) and would bear trophies and commemorative sculptures. It was also the formal, ceremonial entrance to Buckingham Palace.
John Flaxman was commissioned for the commemorative sculpture. The east front and north end would depict a record of the Battle of Waterloo, the west front and south end the Battle of Trafalgar. The top of the arch would have an equestrian statue of the king. However, following Flaxman's death in 1826 several sculptors were commissioned; Sir Richard Westmacott was offered the principal frieze around the attic level of the arch comprising a continous panel of the Battle of Waterloo, and three sections depicting Nelson's life and a low relief of Fame displaying Britain's recent military and naval triumphs. He was also to be responsible for the east side of the arch which depicted the Battle of Waterloo - which included two reliefs, three keystones, six victories and four warrior statues to surmount columns on the Waterloo side. Edward Hodges Bailey was commissioned work on the Trafalgar side of the arch - four statues for the columns, two panels, and for the attic pedestal - a relief of Britannia supporting a medallion of Nelson flanked by a lion and a unicorn. The attic pedestal would also have a Victory at each corner. John Charles Rossi was commissioned to undertake the relief on the other side of the pedestal comprising Europe seated on a horse and Asia on a camel, supporting a medallion bearing the head of the Duke of Wellington. Francis Chantrey designed the equestrian statue for the summit of the arch.
Construction started in 1827 and was undertaken by Joseph Browne. However, due to rising construction costs work ceased in 1830 and Nash was replaced by Edward Blore. A much simplified plan of the arch which excluded the attic stage, much of its sculpture and equestrian statue was imposed in 1832 and work was completed in 1833. The gates at the centre of the arch, originally designed by Samuel Parker, were made by the firm Bramah and Prestage and erected in 1837.
Pieces of the unused sculpture including parts of Westmacott's frieze of Waterloo and Nelson panels were used at Buckingham Palace. His victory statues and Rossi's relief of Europe and Asia were used at the National Gallery. In 1843 the equestrian statue was installed on one of the granite pedestals in Trafalgar Square.
Due to expansion of Buckingham Palace the arch was dismantled by Thomas Cubitt in the autumn of 1850 and rebuilt at Cumberland Gate as a ceremonial entrance in the northeast corner of Hyde Park following a decision by Decimus Burton and W A Nesfield. The rebuilding of the arch was by Thomas Cubitt, who incorporated three internal rooms, was completed in March 1851. From December 1851 the arch was used by the Metropolitan Police as a Police Station.
The arch measures 18.3 metres east-west by 9.1 metres north-south. It is faced in white Carrara marble and follows Nash's original design up to the principal cornice, the attic level is Blore's design. (3)
SOURCE TEXT
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Winner in a poll of Classic FM's most popular piece of music in 2016, which composer also wrote A London Symphony | A boutique luxury hotel in Marble Arch
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A boutique luxury hotel in Marble Arch
One of the most notable, historic and famous areas in London, Marble Arch is situated on the north east corner of Hyde Park, close to Speakers’ Corner. This dramatic 19th Century triumphal arch was originally designed to be the state entrance to Buckingham Palace and now stands in pride of place just down the road from The Arch Hotel.
Visitors can view this important piece of architecture up close, enjoying the beautiful carvings in the white marble, as designed by iconic British architect John Nash.
The Area
As a neighbourhood, the Marble Arch area is fast becoming known as home to some of the world’s most affluent and famous. Situated on the West side of Oxford Street, Marble Arch is a buzzing area seeing huge investment and growth, with new developments being planned all the time.
Attractions
You needn’t go far to find world class attractions. The Wallace Collection is well worth a visit for lovers of fine art, and afterwards you’ll be spoiled for choice with great places to dine, thanks to a huge selection of restaurants and bars nearby – in addition to The Arch’s wonderful Hunter 486.
Travel
Marble Arch is conveniently located where it is easy to reach most of London in a reasonable time. Popular nearby attractions such as Shepherd Market and Oxford Street are just minutes away by train or by taxi. Meanwhile the City of London, otherwise known as the financial district or Square Mile, is a short train journey away.
The main underground station, Marble Arch, is on the Central Line of the London Underground, opening the whole of London to your whim.
Getting there
Marble Arch is just a four minute stroll away from The Arch Hotel. Simply turn left on Great Cumberland Place; at the end of the road you’ll see Marble Arch directly opposite.
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Canary Wharf is in what London borough? | Canary Wharf | London Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia
HSBC World Headquarters and One Canada Square, from the western end of West India Quay
Canary Wharf in the evening
Canary Wharf is built on the site of the old West India Docks on the Isle of Dogs. From 1802 to 1980, the area was one of the busiest docks in the world, with at one point 50,000 employed.
During World War II, the docks area was bombed heavily and nearly all the original warehouses were destroyed or badly damaged. After a brief recovery in the 1950s, the port industry began to decline. Containerisation, a limit of 6,000 long tons (6,096 MT) imposed by the dock gates, and a lack of flexibility made the upstream docks less viable than the Port of London dock at Tilbury, and by 1980 these docks were closed. Many traditional local industries closed, with thousands out of work and the 295 acres (1.2 km2) West India Docks lay derelict, and largely unused.
The project to revitalise the 8 square miles (21 km2) of derelict London docklands began in 1981 with the establishment of the London Docklands Development Corporation by the Conservative government of Margaret Thatcher. Initially regeneration of the area was focused on small-scale, light industrial schemes. This inward investment was encouraged by low rents, and a remission from business rates.
Canary Wharf itself takes its name from No. 10 Warehouse (30 Shed) of the South Quay Import Dock. This was built in 1952 for Fruit Lines Ltd, a subsidiary of Fred Olsen Lines for the Mediterranean and Canary Island fruit trade. At their request, the quay and warehouse were given the name Canary Wharf. The company moved to Millwall Docks, in 1970. Between 1981–89 this warehouse was converted to television studios, known as Limehouse Studios. At one time this was the largest single project within the LDDC. These were sold to Olympia and York in 1988 for £25m to expand their own development at One Canada Square to the west of the Docklands Light Railway.
The origins of the idea for Canary Wharf
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Canary Wharf, from a high-level walkway on Tower Bridge
In 1984 the restaurateurs the Roux Brothers were looking for several thousand square feet of space to prepare pre-cooked meals. The late Michael von Clemm, chairman of Credit Suisse First Boston (CSFB) and also chairman of Roux Restaurants, was invited for lunch by the London Docklands Development Corporation (LDDC) on the boat Res Nova moored alongside Shed 31 at Canary Wharf, to promote the idea of this food packaging factory being based on the Isle of Dogs. Von Clemm came from Boston and when he looked through the porthole at Shed 31, a simple brick-concrete infill, he commented that it reminded him of the warehouses in Boston harbour which had been converted into back offices and small business premises. Reg Ward, at the time LDDC Chief Executive, remembers him suddenly leaning back and saying: "I do not know why we do not go for a shed like 31 as a 200,000 sq ft (20,000 m2) back office."
This led on to discussions at CSFB's offices, during which their American property adviser G Ware Travelstead, said: "We're asking ourselves the wrong question. Of course we can take Shed 31 and convert it into a back office, but we have spent the last five years courting at the Court of the City of London for a new site for a new configuration of building without success. The question is: 'Can we move our front office to the Isle of Dogs?'."
This idea came from a basic need. The Big Bang deregulation of financial services in London had radically changed the way merchant banks operated. Instead of the small, corridor and office based buildings occupied in the traditional square mile, the demand was now for large floor-plate, open plan space which could be used as a trading floor. The Corporation of the City of London had been resisting such development, preferring instead to conserve its historical architecture and views. So banks like CSFB had spent years trying without success to locate suitable space close to the financial heart of London.
At the meeting, Travelstead's idea provoked dissent. Reg Ward, however, agreed with Travelstead and pointed out that Citibank had successfully moved into mid-town New York and had also moved from the central business district in Hong Kong, drawing other users with it. (Eventually it would do the same in Docklands, constructing its own building, Citigroup Centre at Canary Wharf). So Von Clemm and Travelstead decided to take this idea on, committing CSFB to both fund and occupy the new development, and persuading another US Bank with the same issues about space, Morgan Stanley, to join them.
Travelstead managed to persuade the LDDC and the Government of Margaret Thatcher that a new financial services district of ten million square feet, located at the old West India Docks, was viable. He was the first to propose a single main tower, which later became One Canada Square. He proposed building the project as part of a consortium led by his own company The Travelstead Group, together with CSFB and Morgan Stanley. He also brought in Canadian developer Olympia and York, who had recently completed the World Financial Center and Battery Park developments in New York. However, Travelstead was unable to fund his project and in late 1986, CSFB and Morgan Stanley pulled out of the consortium, effectively pulling the plug. However, they remained interested in occupying the development if someone else were to build it.
On 17 July 1987, Olympia and York Canary Wharf Investments and the LDDC signed the Master Building Agreement for a (1.2 million sq.m (12.2 million sq ft) £3 billion international financial centre. The price paid for the 20 acres (81,000 m2) of the 71-acre (290,000 m2) site which the LDDC owned was equivalent to £1 million an acre of which £8 million was payable in cash and £12 million was represented by the developer's commitment to various site works of public benefit.
Local opposition to the development
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The idea of a new financial services district was not popular with local residents or their representatives on the Isle of Dogs. Residents' groups including the Association of Island Communities led by individuals such as Ted Johns did not feel that they had been part of the consultation process and did not see that local people would gain any benefit from the development. The expectation was that the development would provide no local jobs or transport improvements. However, over the course of the development relations with the local community have improved and more than 7,000 local (Tower Hamlets) residents now work at Canary Wharf.
During a bitter campaign against the LDDC's plans, the residents made their voices heard and gained concessions. One memorable stunt took place at the ground-breaking ceremony for Canary Wharf. With dignitaries and government ministers in attendance the developers were launching their plans. Local campaigners released a flock of sheep from Mudchute Farm into the audience, followed by thousands of live bees. The result was dramatic and local residents' demands were given attention.
In 1997, some residents living on the Isle of Dogs launched a lawsuit against Canary Wharf Ltd. which reached the House of Lords (Hunter v. Canary Wharf 1997 AC 665). They sued for private nuisance because the tower caused interference with television signals from the BBC transmitter in Crystal Palace until a relay transmitter was built to overcome these problems. The court found against the appellants (Hunter and others) as private nuisance generally lies for things emanating from a land, not the blocking of something.
Phase one: 1988–91
Docklands Light Railway and entrance to underground station
Construction of Canary Wharf began in 1988, with phase one completed in 1991. Critically, Olympia and York agreed to meet half the cost of the proposed Jubilee Line extension, seen as vital to the long-term viability of the project. When topped out in 1990, One Canada Square became the UK's tallest building and a powerful symbol of the regeneration of Docklands.
The other buildings completed in Phase one include those around Westferry Circus and Cabot Square, and two either side of One Canada Square, now housing the Financial Services Authority and Thomson Reuters.
Property market collapse
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The London commercial property market collapsed in the early 1990s, and Olympia and York Canary Wharf Limited filed for bankruptcy in May 1992. Tenant demand evaporated despite the availability of special rent concessions for early occupiers and Jubilee Line work had not started yet, leaving the development accessible only by the under-specified Docklands Light Railway. The scheme went into administration.
One Canada Square stood with its top half in darkness, symbolic of the difficulties that had befallen not only Canary Wharf, but also the entire UK commercial property market.
Rescue and recovery
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Canary Wharf construction in October 2000
In December 1995 an international consortium, backed by the former owners of Olympia & York and other investors, bought the scheme. The new company was called Canary Wharf Limited, and later became Canary Wharf Group, which listed on the London Stock Exchange and later rose to become one of the UK's largest property companies. Paul Reichmann became Chairman again. At the time Canary Wharf came out of administration, its working population was around 13,000 and well over half the office space was empty.
However, recovery in the property market generally, coupled with continuing demand for high floor-plate grade A office accommodation, slowly improved the level of interest in the estate. A critical event in the recovery of Canary Wharf was the much-delayed start of work on the Jubilee Line, which the government wanted ready for the Millennium celebrations. In 1998 the Financial Services Authority moved to Canary Wharf, signalling a shift in the centre of gravity within the financial services sector.
From this point on tenants and workers began to see Canary Wharf as an alternative to traditional office locations. Not only were the remaining phases completed, but new phases were built.
Phase two: 1997–2002
Edit
Phase two of Canary Wharf consisted of the construction of the HSBC Tower and Citigroup Centre headquarters buildings, followed by Heron Quays.
From 15,000 in 1999 just before the opening of the Jubilee Line, its working population in 2004 had more than quadrupled to 63,000. Around this time Canary Wharf Group, the scheme's owner became, briefly, the UK's largest property company.
In March 2004 Canary Wharf Group plc was taken over by a consortium of investors led by Morgan Stanley using a vehicle named Songbird Estates. Songbird is now listed on the London Stock Exchange's AIM rather than on the Main Market.
Present day
Entry to the shopping mall
Jubilee Place
Jubilee Park
Canary Wharf tenants include major banks, such as Credit Suisse, HSBC, Citigroup, Lehman Brothers, Morgan Stanley, Bank of America, Northern Trust, and Barclays, law firms such as Clifford Chance, as well as major news media and service firms, including Thomson Reuters, and the Daily Mirror. It has some technology companies, too, including Infosys. It has also gained more tenants from the public sector including the Financial Services Authority and 2012 Olympic Games organisers LOCOG and the ODA.
At the end of 2006 the official number of people employed on the estate was 90,302, of whom around 25% live in the surrounding five boroughs. Increasingly Canary Wharf is becoming a shopping destination, particularly with the opening of the Jubilee Place shopping centre in 2004, taking the total number of shops to more than 200 and increasing employment in retail to around 4,500. About 500,000 people each week shop at Canary Wharf.
A panoramic view of Canary Wharf from Stave Hill.
A panoramic view of Canary Wharf, seen late evening from the London Docklands Hilton.
The future
Canary Wharf showing Morgan Stanley in the foreground and Citibank in the background.
In 2008 Canary Wharf is surrounded by towers
Canary Wharf at twilight
Plans are well underway for Canary Wharf to more than double in size again.
In 2006 the company announced that State Street Corporation, KPMG, and Bear Stearns had signed deals to move to new HQ buildings on the estate. In 2007 they were joined by FIMALAC, the parent company of Fitch the ratings agency who took the building next to KPMG. The new State Street, Bear Stearns, Fitch and KPMG Headquarters buildings are currently under construction with work expected to complete in 2009.
Planning permission has been granted for the Riverside South development of two towers and a large floor-plate central building linking them, designed by Richard Rogers Partnership (work began in April 2007) and
In March 2008 Canary Wharf obtained planning permission for a large building of 40 storeys also designed by Richard Rogers Partnership at Heron Quays West. The site is currently occupied by a low-level 1980s development of small office buildings.
Both Riverside South and Heron Quays West are designed for occupation by large banking tenants.
Canary Wharf still has planning permission under the old enterprise zone for one additional building of approx 15 storeys next to State Street at Churchill Place, although a larger building might be possible on this site.
Additionally there is planning permission for two large towers and a mid-rise building designed by Cesar Pelli at North Quay, although this site will have to wait until the Crossrail project is completed.
Along with the development of the 7,000,000 sq ft (650,000 m2) Wood Wharf project to the east, in which Canary Wharf is a partner (with Ballymore and British Waterways) and neighbouring future sites, these represent another potential 15,000,000 square feet (1,400,000 m2) of development, doubling the existing area of the estate.
The SkyscraperNews website describes some of the new building projects underway with a 3d Google Earth model. The number of people working in Canary Wharf is set to rise to 100,000 by 2009 (CWG estimate) and to 200,000 by 2025 (according to the Mayor's London Plan and DCLG's Thames Gateway Interim Development Plan).
Around Canary Wharf, there is also significant commercial and residential development in other Docklands areas such as Silvertown Quays, Greenwich Peninsula, and on the Isle of Dogs at Arrowhead Quay, Crossharbour and Millharbour.
Tallest under construction, approved and proposed
This is a list of Towers U/C, approved and proposed in Canary Wharf
Name
Canary Wharf DLR Station
Canary Wharf is a major transport hub for connections to central London and elsewhere.
Docklands Light Railway runs services from Canary Wharf DLR station, opened in 1991, and Heron Quays DLR station.
Canary Wharf tube station opened on the newly extended Jubilee Line in 2000, providing London Underground services to central London and Stratford.
River boat connections from Canary Wharf Pier are managed by London River Services and operated by Thames Clipper. Services include a regular commuter catamaran which goes to Greenwich and the O2 in the east, and to the City of London and Embankment, as well as a frequent ferry service to Rotherhithe.
London City Airport is a few miles further to the east and can be accessed by bus, taxi and, since December 2005, DLR.
The sustainable transport charity Sustrans has proposed the construction of a bicycle and pedestrian swing bridge from Canary Wharf to Rotherhithe, and a feasibility study is underway.
Canary Wharf is one of the most important stations on the proposed Crossrail project, which would link the estate with Heathrow in the West and the Thames Gateway in the East. The Crossrail station, if built, will be situated in the North Dock and linked to the underground malls.
Significance
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One Canada Square from inside the adjacent shopping centre (2003)
The most immediate impact of Canary Wharf has been to substantially increase land values in the surrounding area. This means that the Isle of Dogs, which had previously been seen as suited only for low density light industrial development, has been up-rated. Projects like South Quay Plaza and West India Quay are a direct consequence of this. More recently, Canary Wharf has opened the path for other developments in East London such as Stratford City and Greenwich Peninsula. It has given fresh impetus to already well established residential construction, especially of owner occupier apartments and townhouses.
At the metropolitan level, Canary Wharf was, and remains, a direct challenge to the primacy of the City of London as the UK's principal centre for the finance industry. Relations between Canary Wharf and the City of London Corporation have frequently been strained, with the City accusing Canary Wharf of poaching tenants, and Canary Wharf accusing the City of not catering to occupier needs.
Canary Wharf's national significance comes from what it replaces: the former docks were, as recently as 1961, the busiest in the world. They served huge industrial areas of east London and beyond. Both the docks and much of that industrial capacity are gone, with employment shifting to the kind of service industry accommodated in office buildings. In this respect, Canary Wharf could be cited as the strongest single symbol of the changed economic geography of the United Kingdom.
Its symbolic importance was demonstrated on 9 February 1996 when the IRA detonated a bomb near South Quay DLR station, killing two people, destroying part of the South Quay Plaza development and damaging several nearby buildings. The bomb ended a 17-month ceasefire.
In 2007, the project made headlines again when the tower at 8 Canada Place sold for £1.1 billion, setting a new record for commercial real estate in London.
Recently, Canary Wharf has gained unwelcome notoriety by banning a demonstration highlighting poor pay for office cleaners. Director Ken Loach, whose film Bread and Roses inspired the march, denounced the ban as "despicable".
External links
Edit
The website for Canary Wharf is [1] and the history page is [2]
| London Borough of Tower Hamlets |
Which battle of 1066 is also the name of a football ground? | Education + Schools - Canary Wharf Group
Canary Wharf Group
Accessing Opportunities
Education + Schools
A vital part of our community involvement is working with local schools and other education providers.
Education and schools
It is the skills and experience which local young people develop at school which will equip them to access the opportunities at Canary Wharf, whether that be getting a job on the Wharf itself, working for a company or organisation which supplies or supports Canary Wharf, or just living and working in an exciting and diverse borough like Tower Hamlets.
In addition to major ad-hoc projects, our educational work is divided into three main programmes: The Tower Hamlets and Canary Wharf Further Education Trust, The Canary Wharf Achievement Fund and our Schools Programme.
The Tower Hamlets and Canary Wharf Further Education Trust
At the very start of the Canary Wharf development in 1990, an endowment of £2.5m was set aside to fund grants for local people to access further and higher education. This Trust is now jointly administered by representatives of Canary Wharf Group and the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, paying approximately £250,000 each year to local people who need additional support to access college, university or professional courses. Thousands of local young people and adult learners have benefited over the last 20 years, and the Trust continues to grow so it can help more people every year.
The Canary Wharf Achievement Fund
The Canary Wharf Achievement Fund of £50,000 a year was set up in 1997 to support a series of initiatives designed to improve local educational results through innovative programmes. Under the guidance of Philippa Dodds John, our education consultant from 1997-2009, and working with experts in the local Borough, Central Government and the Institute of Education, the fund has pioneered work which has gone on to become national standard practice.
Among the exciting projects carried out through this programme have been:
After School Clubs – Canary Wharf started and funded a programme of after school clubs on the Isle of Dogs, involving children in after school sports and hobbies as well as providing a safe and quiet environment for homework. This helped inform national policy.
Getting Ready for Reading and Talking Time – we funded these two extremely effective programmes helping pre-school children to learn to read before they start school, and assisting with communication skills in school, both of these programmes are now recommended practice for the National Literacy Strategy. This year we have funded a pilot project supervised by Professor Christopher Donlan at UCL into the role of Language on Numeracy.
CommTAP.org – Canary Wharf Group helped develop and still supports TAP – a structured web based resource for Special Educational Needs Co-ordinators to support better inclusion for children with language & communication difficulties. More than half the Borough schools have used this resource which delivers teaching materials and lesson plans direct to the Co-ordinator’s desk.
Singing Playgrounds – The sound of music can now be heard in eleven primary school playgrounds in the Borough thanks to an innovative programme developed by Birmingham based choir Ex Cathedra and funded by Canary Wharf Group . Children take responsibility as Song Leaders to teach both staff and children traditional action songs and games which now enrich their playground environment as well as teaching everyone musical skills. The result is lots of fun for over 2000 children as well as lots of learning!
A special feature of the programme involves the leading children, some as young as 7 years old, in a very grown up role to ensure that solitary children find friends through the singing games. A teacher co-ordinator and lunchtime supervisors support the children and learn together.
Each summer, all 220 children will join together for a show case of their work at the East Wintergarden. We hope this choir will be the first of many such groups building up to a large Borough-wide children’s choir perhaps as large as a thousand voices.
The Schools Programme
In the very early days of the Canary Wharf project during the late 1980s, local groups of school children were brought on visits to the Wharf, learning about the dangers of the construction site and also about the future opportunities which the finished Wharf would provide. They were often accompanied on these visits by a young security guard named Dale Pile, who became one of the “friendly faces” of Canary Wharf.
In 2008 after a variety of jobs around the company, Dale Pile re-joined the Public Affairs team as our first dedicated Education Liaison Officer and re-started a programme of visits to Canary Wharf for local schools. Dale takes students around the estate and into the main Canary Wharf Group Boardroom for questions about what the future will bring, and offers advice to youngsters about their future employment and education choices.
Dale also goes out to visit local schools, giving talks about the Wharf and supporting individual school projects which develop the skills and aspirations of young people. In 2010 we published our first Schools Pack, including a specially commissioned short history book about the Docks and Canary Wharf, aimed at the 7-11 year old age group and a “Through The Ages” lesson plan which can be downloaded from this website.
Ad-hoc support for educational projects
Here are just a handful of the major projects we have supported over recent years:
Teach First – Canary Wharf Group helped set up this project which gives high-flying graduates from leading Universities the opportunity to teach for a fixed period before going on to other professional careers. From humble beginnings this is now a major national charity with hundreds of teachers and schools, which has attracted funding from central government. George Iacobescu was the joint founding Chairman and the Charity is still accommodated by Canary Wharf as an in-kind donation to their work.
Careers Academies UK – Canary Wharf Group has supported the development of Careers Academies. These specialist centres of high-level business education within schools and colleges are a project championed by Citi, the major international bank based on the Wharf. Each year we welcome 6 Careers Academy interns into our offices to see what we can teach them about business – and what they can teach us! We also host the Careers Academy school Conference each year.
London Enterprise Challenge – each year Canary Wharf plays hosts to the budding entrepreneurs of the future with the final of the London Enterprise Challenge, a schools business competition. School students from all over the capital battle it out for a prestigious prize and the chance to see their business ideas presented to senior executives.
Culloden Primary School – Canary Wharf Group contributed £120,000 towards a new building at the School along with expert construction and project management support, securing an additional £1m from government.
Bygrove Primary School – Canary Wharf supported an initiative by a pupil to put up a shelter in the playground for wet weather, so children have somewhere to stay dry but still have some fresh air.
George Green’s School Café Vert – The Canary Wharf Contractors Fund and Isle of Dogs Community Foundation came together to build a new £50,000 teaching kitchen and café for the students at George Green’s school on the Isle of Dogs. As well as providing space for after school activities and social events, the café is teaching young people about healthy eating and transferable skills in retail, cooking and restaurant management.
Eleanor Smith School – we have pledged to support this special needs school for 3-years on their “Moving Forward” programme. This programme aims to help students to move back into mainstream schools by working on areas such as improving social skills and managing feelings.
Give your car the day off – working in partnership with LBTH and supported by the Mayor of London and TFL, this project encouraged students to cycle to school promoting an environmentally friendly means of transport and the healthy benefits of exercise.
Canary Wharf Group have created three new projects to add to their already busy Education programme:
There is now a fund set up separately for all the special needs schools in Tower Hamlets and the odd special case outside of LBTH.
There are 6 special needs schools in Tower Hamlets and Canary Wharf Group sponsors all six, from after school clubs to school projects such as summer fetes and other events.
There is also a second schools booklet to join the already successful ‘Through the Ages’. This second booklet looks at ways schools can participate in helping their own school with environmental adjustments (turning off lights, recycling rubbish and turning off running taps) – this booklet is aimed at 11 plus.
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Statues of which political leader stand in Tavistock Square and Parliament Square? | London's New Gandhi Statue Represents Everything Gandhi Opposed - VICE
London's New Gandhi Statue Represents Everything Gandhi Opposed
Mahatma Gandhi, a man who dedicated his life to freeing India from the yoke of Westminster, is being put on a pedestal overlooking British Parliament.
The statue of Gandhi in London's Tavistock Square, not the one being unveiled in Westminster tomorrow. Photo by Fredda Brilliant via .
This article originally appeared on VICE UK.
Tomorrow morning, a nine-foot bronze statue of Mahatma Gandhi—the iconic nonviolent freedom fighter who led India's liberation from British rule—will be unveiled in Parliament Square.
It's a pretty big deal, with India's finance minister, Arun Jaitley, joining culture secretary Sajid Javid, UK Indian-diaspora champion Priti Patel, Lord Desai of the Gandhi Memorial Trust, and Bollywood superstar Amitabh "The Big B" Bachchan getting together to make the most of the photo opportunity. However, it seems slightly perverse that Gandhi—a man who dedicated his life to freeing India from the yoke of Westminster—is being put on a pedestal overlooking Parliament.
So why is Gandhi joining statesmen including Churchill, Disraeli, Abraham Lincoln and Nelson Mandela? And why now?
According to Jeremy Clarkson's mate David Cameron, the statue "will enrich the firm bond of friendship between the world's oldest democracy and its largest." However, it's more revealing that the statue was announced during Chancellor George Osborne and Foreign Secretary William Hague's high-profile trade visit to India in July of last year to brownnose India's new government and Prime Minister Modi, and to hustle for British businesses in India and Indian investment in Britain.
Osborne and Hague's editorial in the Times of India on July 7 last year makes no bones about it: "We want British firms who built the infrastructure for the London Olympics to help build the 100 new cities Prime Minister Modi is planning, our world-leading transport companies to help develop your new roads, railways, and ports, and our defense and aerospace companies to help bring India more cutting-edge technology, skills, and jobs."
Gandhi's great-grandson Tushar Gandhi, a social activist, peace campaigner, and author who runs the Gandhi Foundation in India, points out George Osborne announced the statue of the most celebrated advocate of nonviolent resistance in history the day after a $370 million arms deal between India and Britain had been secured. "The chancellor made the announcement about Bapu-ji's [Bapu means father and Gandhi, as the father of independent India is often called Bapu-ji] statue when he came to sell weapons to India, which I find amusing and hypocritical," he says.
Tushar feels it's "false worship" to use his grandfather's image to symbolize a brave new world of corporate trade between Britain and India, particularly when Gandhi rejected British goods in favor of Indian goods and actively cultivated and championed traditional industries in rural India.
"This statue represents the development of the haves, it does not care for have-nots—trade represents one of the biggest differences we have in India between the haves and have-nots," explains Tushar.
Indeed, the Gandhi Statue charity reveals the majority of the $1.5 million funding for the statue came from corporate donors, including Infosys founder N. R. Narayana Murthy ($300,000), Indian industrialist R. Bajaj ($300,000), multibillionaire steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal ($150,000)—whose Arcelor Mittal Orbit tower looms large in Stratford's Olympic Park—and UK businessmen Vivek Chadha ($150,000) and Rami Ranger ($150,000).
Considering that, after the unveiling, India's finance minister, Arun Jaitley, will meet with George Osborne to discuss closer UK-India ties and also meet top business leaders and investors , it's apparent that Gandhi is being cynically exploited. I repeatedly contacted the Department of Media, Culture, and Sport press office for comment on the problematic nature of the Gandhi statue, but my phone calls and emails weren't returned.
"Gandhi would probably find it incongruous that there's a statue of him being erected in Parliament Square, although he did acknowledge parliament as the mother of all parliaments," observes William Rhind of Britain's Gandhi Foundation. "Hopefully it will help people focus on what he stood for—non-violence and religious harmony. It's better than another statue of another general or military man."
There's also a stark contradiction with India's Hindu nationalist government making capital out of Gandhi and an inclusive, pluralistic attitude to religion when arson attacks on churches have dramatically escalated since the BJP came to power last summer, and this year a bridge was named after Gandhi's murderer , Hindu nationalist Nathuram Godse.
"When it comes to religious harmony Modi didn't cover himself in glory with 2002's riots in Gujarat [1,000 people died, 25,000 were displaced—mostly Muslim—in Hindu-Muslim violence when Modi was Chief Minister of Gujarat], and I've read about the recent rise of forced conversions to Hinduism and talk of putting up statues in India celebrating Gandhi's murderer, Godse. At least India's a vibrant democracy where these things can be discussed—that is something Gandhi would be proud of," says Rhind.
Both Tushar and William take on Gandhi's principle of seeing the best in people or in a bad situation. For example, rather than being riled by seeing Gandhi share Parliament Square with his arch-nemesis Winston Churchill, Tushar is sanguine.
Churchill notoriously said of Gandhi : "It is alarming and nauseating to see Mr. Gandhi, a seditious Middle Temple lawyer now posing as a fakir of type well known in the east, striding half naked up the steps of the Vice-Regal Palace while he is still organizing and conducting a campaign of civil disobedience to parlay on equal terms with the representative of the Emperor-King."
Tushar's take is: "It's nice to have Bapu and Churchill facing off in front of Parliament, but I would have preferred if the statue Churchill had to stare at was of the 'half-naked fakir' as he contemptuously dismissed him, rather than the photos of Bapu on the steps of No.10 that have been used for the sculpture."
To paraphrase Churchill, it is alarming and nauseating to see an anti-colonial icon celebrated globally for non-violent resistance, tolerance, humanity, religious harmony, and animal rights being re-appropriated and manipulated for cold, naked corporate money-making.
Tushar, however, is an optimist and looks for the positive. "I hope the statue will remind British MPs of their responsibilities to do what is right, not what is selfish," he says. "Hopefully the statue in such a prominent place is a reminder of the mistakes of the past and a lesson for the future—that's the only hope we can take from this statue."
When I remark to Tushar that he's a clearly a positive person to be able to see the silver lining, he says, laughing: "I think we have to clutch at straws."
He much prefers the Gandhi statue—sitting cross-legged, head bowed—we already have in Tavistock Square: "That is beautiful, it's been done in a very down-to-earth manner."
Unlike the $1.5 million, nie-foot bronze statue that seems to stand for everything Gandhi opposed.
| Mahatma Gandhi |
What is the name of London's largest underground river? | Top 5: Public Statues in London | MouthLondon
Top 5: Public Statues in London
Arts
London is littered with statues of the great and the grizzled. But what makes a statue worthy of its place in the city? Does it have to be a striking piece of art; a monument to celebrate greatness; an effective piece of propaganda? MouthLondon Arts presents you with our own Top 5 London Public Statues (and one stonking failure). All are central, out in the open air and easily accessible, so why don’t you pay them a visit and let us know if you agree with our choices.
5. Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens
Placed where Peter lands beside the Long Water in J.M. Barrie’s story, this statue appeared as if by magic one morning in the spring of 1912, eight years after the literary hit was published. Nonetheless, once the fairy dust has been wiped away, this garden ornament may have been nothing more than an interesting advertising ploy.
Barrie funded the entire project, prompting MPs to debate if marketing ploys by one author should be permitted within a public park. For a modern equivalent, try to imagine J.K. Rowling arranging a statue of Harry Potter to be erected in King’s Cross Station.
After all the fuss, the author was discontented with the statue anyway. Barrie later commented that the monument by Sir George Frampton “didn’t show the devil in Peter”.
4. Charles II in Soho Square
If generals sit upon steeds at Whitehall and politicians silently debate outside the House of Commons, it seems only natural that the life-size statue of “The Merry Monarch” should loiter amongst the hedonists of Soho Square. Created in 1681 by Caius Gabriel Cibber and positioned at a very touchable level, its now-weathered face suggests a man who’s enjoyed one too many shandygaffs and overdone the snuff.
The statue has enjoyed a past just as uncertain as its subject matter’s. It was removed and relocated to the middle of a lake in Harrow, only to be restored decades later in 1938, thereby allowing the king who witnessed the Great Fire of London to stand through the Blitz as well.
3. Shackleton on Exhibition Road
The Antarctic explorer may have a crater on the Moon and an entire mountain range named after him, but this 1932 statue by the architect Sir Edwin Lutyens is also a fitting tribute. It stands in an alcove on the headquarters of the Royal Geographical Society on Exhibition Road, Kensington.
Shackleton is depicted in his polar gear, an enormous coat with ice-shard creases and a thick knitted hat like the chainmail of a medieval knight’s helmet. This is a statue for the king of a kingless land.
2. George V in Old Palace Yard
George V was a small irritable man who was more at home in a chintz-filled cottage than a palace or war room. In this statue unveiled in 1947 however, the reluctant monarch is re-imagined as a glorious statesman, staring serenely towards the Parliament he helped to save.
The king stands tall upon a platform designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott (who would later go on to design the Tate Modern with a similar sense of aesthetic restraint). Carved from white limestone in his garter robes, George cuts a majestic figure, despite the reality.
Yet the current Queen’s “Grandpa England” was not unfamiliar with the importance of an image-change during his lifetime either: he was, afterall, the monarch responsible for rebranding a suspiciously Germanic royal family as the very English Windsors.
1. Gandhi in Tavistock Square
Amid all the improbably muscled generals and ruffled kings, one London statue depicts a wrinkled old man sitting in quiet meditation. The statue, like Ghandi himself, challenges preconceived notions of power. There are no horses, weapons or laurel wreaths here. Yet there is a raw human strength in the figure’s compact and sinewy body; and a silent determination in its deeply hooded, half-closed eyes.
Fredda Brilliant’s sculpture of Mahatma Ghandi was unveiled in 1968. It sits in the centre of the small “peace park” in Tavistock Square, which also includes a cherry tree planted in remembrance of the Hiroshima bombing. Despite the location’s emphasis on serenity, the statue became witness to the terrorist bombing of the number 30 bus, in Tavistock Square, on July 7 2005.
Arguably this statue’s most important function is as a destination of pilgrimage. People still journey from all over the world to place garlands around Ghandi’s neck.
AND THE WORST…
George II in Golden Square
Aside from the fact that the Neo-classical figure looks like an old woman dressed as a Roman emperor in a crop-top, more laughable is the possibility that the statue may not be of the king at all.
Originally made for Cannons in 1720, the stone sculpture was later bought anonymously at auction and erected in Soho as “George II”, irrespective of its original intention. It now stands as testament to the unreality of royal image and legacy.
Have any statues been unfairly overlooked? Please let us know.
Images courtesy of Louisa Hennessy and Leo Reynolds
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Which area of London is believed to derive its name from a former hunting cry? | How did Soho in London get its name? | Notes and Queries | guardian.co.uk
SEMANTIC ENIGMAS
How did Soho in London get its name?
THE ORIGIN is not well defined, but it is believed to have derived from a hunting cry. Before the Great Fire of London in 1666, Soho was almost entirely made up of fields (hence the name Soho Fields) with a few farm buildings. In 1650, there were only about sixty cottages in Soho, these were in the vicinity of Wardour Street, then named Coleman Hedge Lane. Hunting is rumoured to have been enjoyed in the area, hence the cry and the name.
(Dr.) Peter J. Gibbs, University College London ([email protected])
| Soho |
Which sea has no coast? | Origins of London borough names - snopes.com
Origins of London borough names
User Name
Join Date: 13 February 2003
Location: Phoenix, AZ
Posts: 11,628
Origins of London borough names
According to one of the tourist guides I picked up in England, Soho is an old hunting cry (like tally ho) that later became the name of a part of the city because it was built on former royal hunting grounds. Of course, those tourist guides you get can be very, very untruthful; your average tourist, after all, is primarily interested in a good story rather than the facts. So what's the etymology?
While we're at it, what about the origin of the word Piccadilly, as in Piccadilly Circus and the Piccadilly line on the underground? I've seen from more than one source that this is thought to be derived from the "picadil", a type of collar that was popular back in the day and that was manufactured around the Piccadilly area. I could just as easily see the accoutrement named after the part of the city, though (a la the tuxedo being named after Tuxedo Park). An alternate explanation offered by a tour guide - and this one sounds really dodgy to me - is that the Piccadilly area was once known for its daffodils, or its "dillies", and it was a good place to pick one. The fact that the spelling is terrible is not, of course, reason in and of itself to discount things. We are talking about England here. Still, it doesn't sound right.
Johnny Slick
Quote:
Originally Posted by Johnny Slick
While we're at it, what about the origin of the word Piccadilly, as in Piccadilly Circus and the Piccadilly line on the underground? I've seen from more than one source that this is thought to be derived from the "picadil", a type of collar that was popular back in the day and that was manufactured around the Piccadilly area. I could just as easily see the accoutrement named after the part of the city, though (a la the tuxedo being named after Tuxedo Park). An alternate explanation offered by a tour guide - and this one sounds really dodgy to me - is that the Piccadilly area was once known for its daffodils, or its "dillies", and it was a good place to pick one. The fact that the spelling is terrible is not, of course, reason in and of itself to discount things. We are talking about England here. Still, it doesn't sound right.
However, since starch for collars was often extracted from flower bulbs, the pickadil collar may be related to picking daffodils anyway. Apparently the manufacturer of said collars built himself a mansion on the site and named it in honour of the collars that made his fortune - Piccadilly House - and this then became the name of the surounding area.
llewtrah
Join Date: 22 April 2003
Location: Ware, Hertfordshire, England
Posts: 7,980
The name Soho almost certainly comes from the hunting cry 'So Ho'. This is according to the Oxford Dictionary of English place names which also states that its original name was So Ho, it first being mentioned in 1632. The enormous London Encyclopaedia edited by Ben Weinreb and Christopher Hibbert agree. They say that in mediaeval days the land was owned by a couple of monasteries. After the Dissolution of the Monasteries the land passed to Henry VIII who did indeed use it for hunting. (See pages 792-794 of my 1983 edition.)
Piccadilly, only being a street, is not mentioned by the Oxford dictionary of place names. According to the London Encyclopaedia it does indeed come from the sale of 'picadils' which were 'a kinde of stiff collar' then in vogue at the Court. Robert Baker had a shop down the street from where he sold these collars and he made a fortune. He used the money to buy some land, where Piccadilly Circus now stands. On the east side of the street he built himself a grand hall which was nicknamed Piccadilly Hall by the populous in derision to the source of his wealth.
More building then took place along the street and it was named Portugal Street in honour of Charles II's wife, Catherine of Braganza. However, the street was already known as Piccadilly, especially the eastern part around the hall built by Baker. By the middle of the eighteenth century the whole street was known by this name. (See pages 596 to 598.)
It appears you have a reliable guide book Johnny.
Andrew of Ware
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Which Royal dynasty followed the Normans? | The Norman Dynasties
The Norman Dynasties
Formation of the Duchy of Normandy [Normandie] in France (c.911).
In the eight and early ninth centuries, over population in the Scandinavian regions of what are today modern Norway and Denmark caused the inhabitants to seek other lands. These 'Northmen' or 'Vikings' launched different kinds of expeditions. The first of these were war-like reconnaissance raids along the sea routes of the North Atlantic and the Mediterranean. Whenever successful over the local defenders, these Northmen attempted to establish more permanent communities at some of the more desirable regions. The Northmen's most remarkable and enduring efforts were in northwestern France, which became the French province of 'Normandie'.
In the early ninth century, the Northmen's attempted settlements at Bordeaux and in the Charente regions failed. They concentrated their raids in the Seine valley, sacking Paris in 845 and 861, but being dramatically repulsed in 885. Failing to advance further into northern France, the Northmen consolidated their settlement around the ancient town of Bayeux, which had been a Roman town and an important episcopal city, that developed from an earlier Gaulish capital of the Bajocasses. Prior to the arrival of the Northmen, the region had been raided by Bretons and Saxons.
One of the last Carolingian kings of the Franks, Charles III 'the Simple' (893-922) designed to create a 'marche' in northwest border of his kingdom to defend against further waves of raids by the Northmen and Saxons. In 911, those Northmen already occupying much of the extreme northwest of France suffered a severe defeat by Richard 'le Justicier' duc de Bourgogne [Burgundy] near Chartes. Taking advantage of this set back, Charles III negotiated the Treaty of Saint-Clair-sur-Epte with the leader of the Northmen settlement, Rollo [Rollon; or Rolf 'the Walker' or 'the Ganger']. Rollo accepted Christanity and paid homage to Charles for the duchy of Normandy. Duke Rollo (911-927) married Popa, the daughter of Count B�ranger, governor of Bayeux. Rollo made the center of his duchy at Rouen. In 905, Rollo and Popa had a son, who became the next duke (927-942) as William 'Longsword'. William's son, Richard I 'the Fearless' followed as duke (942-996); and his son, Richard II 'the Good', was duke from 996 to 1027). By the end of the reign of duke Richard II, the population had stopped speaking Norse and spoke French 'in the vernacular' of the inhabitants of northwestern France.
Richard III, son of Richard II, was duke (1027-1028). Robert 'the Devil', another son of Richard II, was duke from 1028 to 1035. Duke Robert had a natural son, William, by a girl called Arlette. William, despite the status of his birth, was chosen by his relatives to succeed his father [who died on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land] as duke. William quickly demonstrated military prowess and established his clear claim as duke of Normandy [duc de Normandie] (1035-1087). In his claim, duke William was assisted by the French king, Henri I. William went on to win control of the counties of Maine and Brittany, during which he had to contend against the count of Anjou. William married Matilda, daughter of the count of Flanders.
French Norman Conquest of the English Kingdom (1066).
William would go on to be most famous as William 'the Conqueror' [Guillaume 'le Conqu�rant'] and founder of the Norman dynasty of English kings. There had developed close associations between the Normans in France and the rulers of Anglo-Saxon England. William was a cousin to Edward 'the Confessor', king of England who was childless. Edward spent considerable time in Normandy as a guest of duke William, who had been led to believe that he migh be heir to the English throne. When another Anglo-Saxon cousin, Harold of Wessex was shipwrecked on the Norman shore, William was credited as saving Harold and claimed to have extracted from Harold William's claim to succeed Edward's English crown.
Upon Edward's death in 1066, Harold claimed the English crown. William of Normandy led an invasion and defeated Harold at the Battle of Hastings (14 October 1066). Overcoming what little resistance remained in southeast England, William led his army to London, and was crowned king on Christmas Day. Although William immediately began to build and garrison castles around the country, he apparently hoped to maintain continuity of rule; many of the English nobility had fallen at Hastings, but most of those who survived were permitted to keep their lands for the time being. The English, however, did not so readily accept him as their king, and the Normans treated the conquest much like an occupation.
A detail of the famous 'Bayeux Tapestry' [held by the Museum of Bayeux, France] which depicts the Norman conquest of England. The work was comisioned by the duchess Matilda for her uncle, Odo, bishop of Bayeux. Contrary to legend, Matilda [William the Conqueror's wife] did not work on making the tapestry, which was likely made in England.
Formation of the Anglo-Norman Dynasty (1066-1135 [or 1154])
The victory of William I 'the Conqueror', now king of England (1066-1087) did not give him complete control of England. A series of rebellions broke out, and William suppressed them harshly, ravaging great sections of the country. Titles to the lands of the now decimated native nobility were called in and redistributed to the king's Norman followers. Castles were built by the Normans from France to control the English country (including a fortress at Windsor, and the White Tower at the Tower of London). The lands of defeated Saxon nobles were given to William's followers in return for military service by a certain number of knights, so that the tenants' foremost obligation was allegiance to the King. This firmly established the feudal system as practiced in France. By 1072 the adherents of Edgar Atheling and their Scottish and Danish allies had been defeated and the military part of the Norman Conquest virtually completed. In the only major rebellion that came thereafter (1075), the chief rebels were Normans.
In 1086, William commissioned the Domesday Book, to record land holdings for the assessment of taxes and other dues. William spent long periods in Normandy to maintain his authority there, dealing with rebellions and French invasions. William died in 1087 in Normandy, leaving his duchy to his eldest son, Robert, and England to his next surviving son, William Rufus. William 'the Conqueror' and his wife Matilda were buried at Caen, France, which they virtually made 'the capital' of their Norman Empire'. They were buried in the the two separate pre-gothic churches that each had constructed in Caen: William in the Abbaye-aux-Hommes, and Matilda in the Abbaye-aux-dames.
William II (known as William Rufus) was strong, outspoken and ruddy (hence his nickname 'Rufus'), William II (reigned 1087-1100) extended his father's policies, taking royal power to the far north of England. Ruthless in his relations with his brother Robert, William II extended his grip on the duchy of Normandy under an agreement between the brothers in 1091. (Robert went on crusade in 1096.) William II's relations with the Church were not easy; he took over Archbishop Lanfranc's revenues after the latter's death in 1089, kept other bishoprics vacant to make use of their revenues, and had numerous arguments with Lanfranc's popular successor Anselm. William II died on 2 August 1100, after being shot during a hunting expedition.
Henry I 'Beauclerc' (reigned 1100-35) succeeded to the throne. Henry I was William II's younger brother, and was present when William II was killed. Henry immediately rushed to London to claim the throne. Henry I was crowned three days after his brother's death. The eldest brother Robert, also claimed the English throne, but Henry I took the initiative and challenged his older brother for the duchy of Normandy. Henry I won the decisive battle of Tinchebrai (1106) in France, where he captured his brother Robert. Robert was destined to spend the last 28 years of his life as his brother's prisoner. During his captivity, Robert's son, William Clito, escaped and obtained aid from Louis VI 'the Fat', king of France (r.1108-1137). This involved Henry I in wars for the duchy of Normandy (1109-1113, 1116-1120). Henry I 'Beauclerc' formed an alliance with the German emperor Henry V (r.1106-1125). However, the emperor called off his invasion of France in 1121, when confronted by a large force under Louis VI at Rheims. William Clito died in 1128, and Henry I was able to complete his conquest of Normandy, returning the duchy to the dynasty on the Englsih throne.
An energetic, decisive and occasionally cruel ruler, Henry centralised the administration of England and Normandy in the royal court, using 'viceroys' in Normandy and a group of advisers in England to act on his behalf when he was absent across the Channel. Henry successfully sought to increase royal revenues, as shown by the official records of his exchequer (the Pipe Roll of 1130, the first exchequer account to survive). He established peaceful relations with Scotland, through his marriage to Mathilda of Scotland. Henry's name 'Beauclerc' denoted his good education (as the youngest son, his parents possibly expected that he would become a bishop); Henry was probably the first Norman king to be fluent in English. In 1120, his legitimate sons William and Richard drowned in the White Ship which sank in la Manche [the channel between Engalnd and France]. This posed a succession problem, as Henry never allowed any of his illegitimate children to expect succession to either England or Normandy. Henry had one legitimate daughter, Matilda. After she became widow of the German emperor Henry V, she married Geoffrey, comte d'Anjou, in France. However, Matilda's claim to the English throne and the duchy of Normandy was rejected by the Anglo-Norman barons, who mostly were opposed the idea of a female ruler. The barons elected Henry I's nephew, Stephen de Blois as king of England and duke of Normandy. Stephen was the son of William the Conqueror's daughter Adela.
Stephen versus Matilda (1135-1154).
Stephen's reign as king of England from 1135 to 1154, was a troubled one. He could neither control his friends nor subdue his enemies, despite the support of his brother Henry de Blois (Bishop of Winchester) and his able wife Matilda de Boulogne. Stephen's rule in England and in Normandy, france was challegned by warfare. Henry I's daughter Matilda invaded England in 1139 to claim the throne, and the country was plunged into civil war. Although anarchy never spread over the whole country, local feuds were pursued under the cover of the civil war; the bond between the King and the nobles broke down, and senior figures (including Stephen's brother Henry) freely changed allegiances as it suited them.
In 1141, Stephen was captured at Lincoln and his defeat seemed certain. However, Matilda's arrogant behaviour antagonised even her own supporters (Angevins and some Normans), and Stephen was released in exchange for her captured ally and illegitimate half-brother earl Robert of Gloucester. After the latter's death in 1147, Matilda retired to Normandy, which her husband, Geoffrey d'Anjou, had conquered in 1144. Stephen's English throne was still disputed. Matilda's eldest son Henry, who had been given Normandy by his father in 1150 and who had married the heiress Eleanor Duchess of Aquitaine, conducted military campaigns in England in 1149 and again in 1153. Stephen fought stubbornly against Henry; Stephen even attempted to ensure his son Eustace's succession by having him crowned in Stephen's lifetime. The Church refused (having quarrelled with king Stephen some years previously). Eustace's death later in 1153 helped lead to a negotiated peace (the treaty of Wallingford) under which Henry would inherit the throne after Stephen's death. The assumtion of Henru d'Anjou to the English throne essentially incorporated the Anglo-Norman England into the much large 'Angevin Empire'. [See Angevin Dynasties ]
In context of the ruling house holding the English crown, the pure 'Anglo-Norman' can be seen as having ended either with Stephen [introducing briefly an 'Anglo-Blois' dynasty], or most definitely with the Angevin 'conquest' of 1154. However, Henri II d'anjou, did not follow the example of the earlier French Norman conquest. Angevin nobles were not imported to replace the existing Anglo-Norman barons in England. The new Angevin king of England found the residual nobility of the earlier French imports to be quite compatable. So there remained among the broader, high nobility in Engalnd a true 'Anglo-Norman' elite, while the monarachy was 'Angevin' and in time, more correctly 'Plantagenet'.
THE MEDITERRANEAN NORMAN CONQUESTS
Normans in Southern Italy.
In the eleventh century, the three sons of Tancr�de de Hauteville, a small baron from the Coutances area in Normandy, aroused great enthusiasm. The eldest, Guillaume, known as 'Iron Arm', profited from the local imbroglio to chase away those who had summoned him to Italy, and became Guillaume d' Apulia in 1042. His two brothers, however, were the true founders of Norman power in the Mediterranean: Robert Guiscard de Hauteville (c.1015-1085) and, even more, his younger brother Roger I, who became the strongest of all Christian monarachs.
Robert Guiscard's sons allowed the duchy of Apulia to lapse into anarachy. Bohemund, another son of Guiscard, established himself [temporarly] as prince of Antioch. Guiscard died campaigning to regain the region in Greece that his son had lost.
Roger I count of Sicily (1072-1101), Guiscard's brother, completed the conquest of Sicily. After his death in 1101, his ministers governed effectively in the name of his infant sons.
Simon count of Sicily (1101�05). Son of Roger I.
Roger II count of Sicily (1105-1130), king of Sicily (r.1130-1154), second son of Roger I, surpassed all other in brilliance of display. By also acquiring the duchy of Apulia and became undisputed king of Sicily. He brought in a great era of civilization; multi- language culture; very liberal.
Guillaume I 'the Bad' (1154-1166), son of Roger II. Continued conquest of Roger II. Defeated Byzantine allies of Pope Adrian IV, compelling the pope to recognize Guillaume's titles in Sicily, Apulia, Naples, Amalfi and Salerno. He supported pope Alexander III agaisnt Emperor Fredericl II.
Guillaume II 'the Good' (1166-1189), son of Guillaume I.
Tancred of Lecce (1189-1194), [Langer says: 1190-1194] granson of Roger II. Purely Norman rule ended with him.
The last ("not pure line') Norman King of Sicily was Manfred. Manfred, the illegimate son of Frederick II, was made king of Sicily by the populace, who defied papal wishes. He was leader of the Ghibelline faction in Italy.
Pope Urban IV, a Frenchman, offered the crown of Sicily to Chalres of Anjou in 1261. Charles of Anjou led a military force to make good his claim and killed Manfred at the Battle of Benevento (1265). [This, like with England, is another occasion that the French Angevins follow a Norman dynasty in the 'overseas' kingdoms.]
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originally established 7 January 2002; revised 28 November 2002.
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Hans Riegel of Bonn, Germany, formed which confectionary company in 1920? | HISTORY OF FRANCE
Enjoy the Famous Daily
Vikings in France: 9th - 12th century
As elsewhere in northwest Europe, Viking raids on the coast of France gradually evolve into settlement. During the last decades of the 9th century, Danes are in possession of the territory round the lower reaches of the Seine. Early in the 10th century they are joined by a Norwegian who has already distinguished himself adventuring in Scotland and Ireland. His name is Hrölfr. He is known in western history as Rollo the Ganger.
Rollo becomes leader of the Seine Vikings and by 911 he is strong enough to besiege the French city of Chartres. The siege ends when the Frankish king, Charles III, agrees at St. Clair-sur-Epte to grant Rollo feudal rights over the territory round Rouen.
The Viking word for a Scandinavian is Northman, which in medieval French becomes Normand. Rollo the Viking and his successors, rapidly expanding their territory beyond his original feudal grant, are known therefore as Normans. Their dukedom, in its larger boundaries, becomes and remains Normandy.
Rollo's descendants rule Normandy for two centuries, until the male line dies out in 1135 with the death of Henry I . Meanwhile they have become keen Christians (Rollo is baptized, though his son William I is the first Norman duke fully committed to the religion). But they lose nothing of their Viking restlessness, which finds expression in adventures outside Normandy .
Feudal upstarts: 9th - 10th century
The external threat from marauding Vikings in the west and from Magyars in the east aggravates an already grave internal problem for the feudal dynasties of Charlemagne's descendants. Feudalism , with its decentralization of military and territorial power, has at the best of times a tendency to foster regional independence. In periods of crisis, when the regions need to be well armed if they are to repel invaders, it is almost inevitable that the feudal holders of large tracts of frontier territory grow in strength until they are capable of challenging their own king.
Baronial contenders upset the succession to the throne in the west Frankish kingdom from the late 9th century and in the eastern kingdom a few years later.
The main rival to the Carolingian kings in Francia Occidentalis is the family of Robert the Strong. Count of extensive territories around the Loire, he plays a leading part in the struggle against the Normans . His son, Eudes, adds Paris to his feudal domains and defends it successfully in 885-6 against a Norman siege.
When the west Frankish king dies in 888, the nobles elect Eudes in his place instead of a member of the Carolingian dynasty. Subsequently the crown returns to Carolingian monarchs, but by the mid-10th century they rule only with the support of the descendants of Robert the Strong. One of them, Hugh the Great, exemplifies the nature of a great nobleman's power base.
Part of Hugh's strength derives directly from his feudal lands; he is count of Paris, with large territories between the Seine and the Loire. He also acquires a title of romantic resonance, capable of inspiring a special kind of loyalty; from 937 he is called 'duke of the Franks'. And he has useful brothers-in-law; his first wife is sister of an Anglo-Saxon king of England, his second is sister of the emperor Otto I.
More surprisingly, Hugh is the lay abbot of at least four great monasteries, bringing him considerable wealth and a voice in the vast network of Benedictines . This astonishing portfolio, as early as the 10th century, reveals the peculiar blend of secular and religious power in European feudalism.
At different periods Hugh supports and opposes the Carolingian dynasty in the west Frankish kingdom, depending on where he considers the best interest of his own family to lie. When he dies in 956, succeeded by three sons, he has considerably extended his territory around Paris and has secured the important duchy of Burgundy for his descendants.
Some thirty years later, in 987, Hugh's eldest son - also Hugh - is elected king by the west Frankish nobles in preference to a Carolingian claimant. His nickname, because of the capa or 'cape' which he wears, is Hugh Capet. His descendants become known as the Capetians.
The Capetian kings of France: 987-1328
The choice of Hugh Capet as king in 987 is the moment at which the western half of the empire of the Franks unmistakably becomes France. By a happy accident Hugh and his descendants for twelve generations have sons by whom they are succeeded without conflict, in a direct line of kings of France ruling from Paris. The last of these kings has no living heir, but he is succeeded on the throne by two brothers - making a total of fifteen Capetian kings in what is called 'the direct line'.
Meanwhile the duchy of Burgundy , though a separate realm, is held by members of the same family, beginning with two brothers of Hugh Capet. They tend to act in alliance with their cousins on the throne of France.
In the early years of the Capetian dynasty, their feudal lands around Paris are not vast by comparison with the holdings of other powerful dukes and counts. The Capetians gradually extend their power (they have an advantage as kings, being able to claim various royal dues, rights and taxes all over France). But other great lords also strengthen their territories - enlarging them by warfare, securing them by the building of stone castles, calming them by the establishment of monasteries.
By far the greatest threat to the royal dynasty comes from the neighbouring counts of Anjou, who by judicious marriages become the Plantagenet rulers of England, Normandy and much of western France.
Lands across the Channel: 11th - 15th century
The Norman conquest of England introduces a new situation in northwest Europe. Lands on both sides of the English Channel are from this time under the control of a single dynasty. The kings of England are also the dukes of Normandy.
A Norman-French royal family crowned in Westminster seeks to extend its territories on the French side of the water. At the same time a Frankish-French royal family crowned in Reims strives to assert its authority over the whole geographical region of France . The result is a prolonged struggle, eventually spanning some four centuries, in which the identities of medieval Europe's two strongest kingdoms are gradually shaped.
The struggle is not just one of warfare and battles. It is a complex game of dynastic marriages and interconnecting obligations. William the Conqueror , king of England, is technically the king of France's vassal - in his other role as the duke of Normandy.
Even more dramatic is the case of William's great-grandson, Henry II . Though a vassal of the French king, his lands occupy a region of France which is larger than the royal domain. The French king rules a realm around Paris and Orleans in the north. Henry II inherits a broad swathe down the entire west of the country.
Henry receives Anjou from his father's family, and Normandy (together with England) through his mother. But his largest holding in continental Europe comes through his marriage to Eleanor of Aquitaine. Henry is her second husband. Her first was the king of France, Louis VII. Were it not for this matrimonial switch, Louis rather than Henry would have secured Eleanor's regions of Aquitaine and Gascony.
In such a manner, in feudal Europe , are territories gained or lost. The major players in this vast board game are the two French dynasties - the Norman French line in England and the Frankish (or Capetian ) line in France.
The princes of the two houses marry within the same limited circle, so western Europe becomes an interconnected web of French-speaking cousins - often with good claims to each other's territories. Louis VII and Henry II set a powerful example, as kings of France and England who marry the same heiress from Aquitaine. But the point can be made almost equally well among their successsors.
The kings who follow Henry II on the throne of England marry, in this sequence, daughters of the rulers of Navarre, Angouleme, Provence, Castile, France, Hainaut, Bohemia, Navarre, France and Avignon. During the same period kings of France marry daughters of Navarre, Provence, Castile and Hainaut.
In the long run the advantage lies with the French kings. Geography makes the Channel a natural boundary. A gradual trend away from patchwork feudal territories and towards the cohesive nation state means that eventually the proper place for the English must be north and west of this coastal boundary.
The process is a long one, not finally resolved until the end of the Hundred Years' War . The French first make major advances at the expense of the Norman English during the reign of Philip II.
Philip II and Louis IX: 1180-1270
The Capetian dynasty greatly extends its control in France during two reigns, of grandfather and grandson, who between them rule for a span of nearly ninety years.
The grandfather is Philip II. When he comes to the throne in 1180, the greater part of France owes allegiance not to Paris but to Westminster. Henry II , on the English throne, has among his hereditary possessions Normandy, Maine, Anjou, Touraine, Aquitaine (granted to his eldest son, Richard) and Brittany (granted to his second son, Geoffrey). Technically the English king is the feudal vassal of the French king in these territories. But between such powerful rulers this is little more than a nicety.
By the end of Philip's reign, in 1223, he has used a feudal pretext (the failure of the English king to present himself when summoned) as an excuse to seize Normandy, Maine, Touraine and Anjou. He completes this programme of armed acquisition in 1204-5. The territories form a convenient bloc with the royal heartland around Paris.
To the north Philip makes alliances which bring under his control Artois, Valois and parts of Flanders. In the last years of his reign the crusade against the Albigensians results in much of southern France being attached to the French crown.
Philip's son rules for only three years, as Louis VIII. His death in 1226 brings to the throne Philip's 12-year-old grandson, Louis IX. The contribution of Louis, in a reign which lasts until 1270, is to stabilize the newly extended Capetian inheritance.
It is a task for which he is well suited. His reputation among his contempories for wisdom and piety is not a mask for weakness. A measure of that reputation is the English acceptance of Louis as an arbitrator in 1264 between Henry III and his barons .
The piety of Saint Louis (he is canonized in 1297) is very much in the spirit of his time. He creates one of the most spectacular of Gothic buildings, the Sainte Chapelle , to house a relic - the supposed Crown of Thorns. And he twice goes on crusade to the Middle East, dying in north Africa during the second expedition.
Louis' domestic policy to some extent reflects this piety. Solemn edicts are issued against prostitution, gambling and blasphemy. But he also runs an honest and efficient administration, in which justice and legislation are subject to a new institution, that of parlement , with its own premises in the royal residence in Paris.
Centre of medieval Europe: 11th - 13th century
The Capetian kings preside over a French civilization which is a glittering source of inspiration within a rapidly developing Europe.
Monasteries are powerful forces in that development, and France is the home of the most significant new departures in monasticism. In the 11th century the reforms of Cluny offer an example widely copied throughout the west. In the late 12th century the two most influential new orders have their origins on French soil - the Carthusians in the Chartreuse region, the Cistercians at Cîteaux.
In intellectual matters Paris has a commanding reputation by the 12th century, with teaching carried out in schools attached to the cathedral of Notre Dame and to monasteries in the city. Early in the century Abelard employs his dialectic skills to stimulating and often controversial effect at both Notre Dame and Sainte-Geneviève.
In 1231 pope Gregory IX licences the Sorbonne, Paris's university, as an independent institution. It soon becomes Europe's most famous centre of education, attracting theological students from all over western Christendom. Thomas Aquinas teaches there from 1257.
France enjoys a similar lead in artistic fields. The Gothic style of architecture has its origins here, first in the royal church at St Denis and then in Chartres. Many of the greatest examples of Gothic cathedrals are in other French cities. Pioneering developments in sculpture and stained glass form part of the same burst of creativity.
Meanwhile French vernacular literature invents and elaborates the medieval theme of romance, in poems such as the chansons de geste and in the lyrics of the troubadours of Provence.
France and the papacy: 13th - 14th century
From the early 13th century the papacy develops a particularly intense relationship with France. An example is the joint response to the Catharist heresy; the crusade to stamp it out is conducted by French nobles and the French crown on behalf of the pope.
In mid-century, Rome has close links with the devotedly Christian monarch Louis IX , who goes twice on crusade to the east and is canonized twenty-seven years after his death. In 1263 it is a French pope, Urban IV, who selects Louis' younger brother Charles of Anjou to rule the kingdom of Naples and Sicily .
By the end of the century the relationship is even more intense, but it has turned sour. From 1296 Boniface VIII is involved in a struggle with Philip IV of France about whether the king has the right to tax and discipline clergy in his own realm without the pope's permission. This struggle for temporal power between church and state prolongs, in another form, the earlier tussle of the investiture controversy .
In 1302 Philip enlists the estates general in Paris in support of his cause. Then, claiming that there were irregularities in the election of Boniface, he sends an envoy to Italy with instructions to stir up insurrection against the pope.
Hearing in 1303 that Boniface is about to issue a bull excommunicating his royal master, Philip's envoy (Guillaume de Nogaret) takes a bold step. He raises a small armed force and surprises Boniface at his birthplace, Anagni. He arrests the pope and holds him prisoner for two days.
Boniface dies a month later in Rome. The prestige of the papacy is severely dented by this episode, while Philip IV's power seems enhanced. A few years later he even contrives to destroy the great order of the Templars , forcing a French pope, Clement V, to comply with his wishes. Clement formally suppresses the order in 1312.
For much of the 14th century France appears to have the papacy in its pocket, almost literally. Clement V is the first of seven French popes in an unbroken succession spanning seventy-three years, to 1378. From 1309 these popes are based not in Rome but on French soil, at Avignon.
Clement moves his headquarters to Avignon in 1309 to prepare for a council which he has called in central France, at Vienne, to discuss the king of France's charges against the Templars . The town is friendly, for it belongs to a papal protégé - the Angevin dynasty of Naples . When major extensions to the bishop's palace are undertaken, from 1316, it becomes evident that the papal residence in Avignon is to be a long one.
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In the Harry Potter books, what type of mythical creature is 'Fawkes'? | Fawkes | Harry Potter Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia
—Fawkes saving Harry from Salazar Slytherin's basilisk [src]
Fawkes attacks the Basilisk down in the chamber
In 1993 , Fawkes saved Harry Potter 's life from Salazar Slytherin's basilisk , blinding the serpent and dropping the Sorting Hat into Harry's lap, which in turn revealed Godric Gryffindor's Sword . Harry then used the sword to slay Slytherin's basilisk. Fawkes shed healing tears upon Harry's wounds, inflicted by the Basilisk before its death, and cured him of its venom. Fawkes then dropped Tom Riddle's Diary into Harry's lap, giving Harry the chance to destroy it with one of the basilisk's fangs .
Fawkes the phoenix carrying Harry , Ron , Ginny , and Lockhart out of the Chamber of Secrets
A phoenix can lift a great weight with its tail in flight; when Harry grasped Fawkes' tail in the Chamber of Secrets , he felt as if he were becoming weightless — which is saying something, as Ron , Ginny , and Gilderoy Lockhart were in turn hanging on to him. Later, in his office, Dumbledore revealed where Fawkes had come from — when the memory of Tom Riddle declared that he would go on to become the greatest sorcerer in the world, Harry responded that "Albus Dumbledore is the greatest wizard in the world!", and went on to ridicule Voldemort's supposed fear of Dumbledore during the First Wizarding War . This act of supreme loyalty was apparently enough to summon Fawkes to the Chamber.
Post-Tournament Comfort
After Harry witnessed Voldemort's resurrection and Cedric Diggory 's death, Fawkes was present when Harry told Dumbledore and Sirius Black what had taken place. During this conversation, Dumbledore revealed that Fawkes was the phoenix who had donated his tail feathers to Harry and Voldemort's wands, while Fawkes used his tears to heal the wound in Harry's leg that was caused by an acromantula in the third task of the tournament .
Order of the Phoenix
In late 1995 , Fawkes served as a means of communication between members of the Order and Dumbledore, after learning Arthur Weasley had been attacked by Voldemort's snake, Nagini , while Arthur was guarding The Prophecy .
In mid- 1996 , Fawkes departed from Hogwarts with Dumbledore when Cornelius Fudge , along with Dolores Umbridge , and John Dawlish tried to arrest the latter for supposedly planning to overthrow the Ministry , through Dumbledore's Army .
Battle of the Department of Mysteries
During Dumbledore's duel against Lord Voldemort in the ministry atrium in 1995 , Fawkes swallowed a Killing Curse intended for Dumbledore, thus giving Dumbledore time to defend himself against Voldemort's second oncoming attack. He burst into flame upon swallowing the curse and was later reborn from the ashes. He later returned to Dumbledore's office after Harry Potter was sent there, following his departure from the Ministry of Magic .
Departure
Fawkes flies away from Hogwarts
"Somewhere out in the darkness, a phoenix was singing in a way Harry had never heard before; a stricken lament of terrible beauty... They all fell silent. Fawkes's lament was still echoing over the dark grounds outside."
—The Phoenix Lament [src]
After Dumbledore died during the Battle of the Astronomy Tower in 1997 , Fawkes sang his Lament to the assembled mourners, affecting all with its beauty. Fawkes subsequently left Hogwarts.
Physical appearance
Fawkes has crimson feathers on his body and a golden tail as long as a peacock's. His claws and beak are gleaming gold and his eyes are black. The scarlet body feathers glow faintly in darkness, while the golden tail feathers are hot to the touch, though it is unknown if they are actually capable of burning someone as neither Harry — when Fawkes carried him from the Chamber of Secrets in 1993 — nor Dumbledore — when he escaped the Ministry officials with Fawkes's help in 1996 — were burned by his tail feathers, however it is possible that Fawkes can control the temperature of his tail feathers and chose not to burn them.
Personality and traits
Fawkes served as Albus Dumbledore 's messenger and his constant companion, forming a close bond with the old wizard. Fawkes was also affiliated with Harry Potter and the members of the Order of the Phoenix and was the inspiration for its name.
Fawkes was extremely loyal and courageous, as displayed by his attack on Salazar Slytherin's basilisk and his defence of Dumbledore during his duel with Voldemort . Considering he came back to life every time he died he didn't really have much reason to fear death and was therefore willing to sacrifice himself for people who won his loyalty.
He was also shown to be highly intelligent, being capable of understanding Dumbledore and bringing Harry the Sorting Hat and the diary when he needed them.
Magical abilities and skills
Phoenix tears have healing powers
Immortality : Like all phoenixes, Fawkes appeared to be immortal. He periodically died by bursting into flames (an event called a "Burning Day"), and was then reborn from the ashes. He was also immune to the gaze of a basilisk, making phoenixes the only known creatures to be unaffected by the deadly serpent's gaze. Additionally Fawkes was able to swallow Lord Voldemort's Killing Curse and was quickly reborn.
Healing powers : Fawkes was also able to heal most injuries simply by crying on them. Phoenix tears are the only known cure for basilisk venom.
Fawkes teleports Albus Dumbledore away from the officials of the Ministry of Magic who try to arrest him at Hogwarts .
Teleportation: Fawkes could also teleport at will, regardless of the anti- Apparition enchantments surrounding Hogwarts. When teleporting he would disappear and reappear in a flash of fire ; this may be due to Dumbledore being able to leave at will, as well. Fawkes can also take people with him when he teleports like the house-elves .
Phoenix song : Fawkes also possessed remarkable and soul-touching singing talents. A single note of his song was said to have effects similar to swallowing a drop of warming liquid, and instilling courage and calm. Phoenix song is reputed to increase the courage of the pure of heart and strike fear into the heart of the impure.
Super strength: As a phoenix, Fawkes can carry immensely heavy loads. For example, he carried the combined weight of Harry Potter , Ginny Weasley , Ron Weasley and Gilderoy Lockhart out of the Chamber of Secrets .
Physical Combat: Fawkes was able to blind the Basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets by gouging out its eyes.
Relationships
| Phoenix |
The songs 'Tell Me It's Not True' and 'Marilyn Monroe' come from which stage musical? | The Phoenix in Harry Potter: the Metaphoric Power of the Past by Edmund M. Kern
The Phoenix in Harry Potter: the Metaphoric Power of the Past
by Edmund M. Kern
Department of History, Lawrence University, Appleton, Wisconsin
Near the end of J. K. Rowling’s most-recent book, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, a number of characters experience a moment of sublime enchantment, rooting them in place as they find in their pain some release from it:
Somewhere out in the darkness, a phoenix was singing in a way Harry had never heard before: a stricken lament of terrible beauty. And Harry felt, as he had felt about phoenix song before, that the music was inside him, not without: It was his own grief turned magically to song that echoed across the grounds and through the castle windows.
How long they all stood there, listening, they did not know, nor why it seemed to ease their pain a little to listen to the sound of their mourning. (HPB – US 614-15)
For a while, at least, the song continues, passing in and out of Harry’s consciousness. Upon climbing into bed later, he first notices its significant absence:
As he lay there, he became aware suddenly that the grounds were silent. Fawkes had stopped singing.
And he knew, without knowing how he knew it, that the phoenix had gone, had left Hogwarts for good, just as Dumbledore had left the school, had left the world . . . had left Harry. (HPB – US 631-32)
Yet, I would argue, in the solitude and despair of that moment another phoenix begins more clearly to emerge: Harry Potter himself.
When considered historically, the symbolism of the phoenix has implied the reconciliation of counterbalancing realities: death and rebirth, destruction and re-creation, change and continuity. The phoenix was also the symbol of individual constancy, a symbol of the countless readjustments and renewals that a person required to survive so many setbacks and disappointments. For these reasons, the phoenix also represented the philosopher’s stone of medieval alchemy, the result of the ‘chemical wedding’ of opposites that produces pure love. It should come as no surprise, therefore, that in her Harry Potter books, Rowling has chosen to cast her hero as a kind of metaphorical phoenix: a reconciler of opposites and a bringer of hope out of despair. He is a hero who possesses love in abundance, ‘a force that is at once more wonderful and more terrible than death, than human intelligence, than forces of nature’ (OotP – US 843-44).
In this most striking of examples, the lament and disappearance of Fawkes, readers can glimpse the double meaning of my title, ‘The Phoenix in Harry Potter,’ and begin to asses how Harry’s adventures emerge from Rowling’s highly inventive uses of the past. Their hero is the product of a past, a hero who possesses the intellect to recognize history’s shaping influence upon the future. Yet its setting is a near-contemporary world that resembles our own. In addition, ancient symbols structure an age-old tale of good versus evil set within a near-contemporary present. Through this blending of past and present, Rowling performs her own literary alchemy, combining both to create something new.
In what follows, I shall rehearse some of the arguments advanced in my book, The Wisdom of Harry Potter, paying some special attention to developments in The Half-Blood Prince. I encourage you to think of Rowling’s sixth story as an extended history lesson (albeit an enjoyable one!) and as the fulfillment of Dumbledore’s promise at the end of Harry’s previous year at Hogwarts to tell him everything. As my opening observations suggest, I shall argue that through her uses of traditional notions of heroism and historical symbolism, Rowling has chosen to depict Harry as the culmination of historical forces extending well into the past: a phoenix born of troubled times but in control of his own future. As is so often the case in Harry’s adventures, Rowling paints him simultaneously as a victim of past circumstance and a hero free to shape his own destiny.
I would like to begin again by suggesting that Rowling takes up big issues rooted in the past and explores them in the present. Although she doesn’t treat history, legend, and myth as a historian would, she does use them in imaginative ways that are available to the novelist. She takes elements from very old tales, which have never really gone away, and reshapes them for a present-day audience, which is eager (if only unconsciously) to encounter them in new and contemporary contexts. In her expert hands, an archetypal hero comes to life in the late twentieth century.
In portraying both the familiar and the fantastic, Rowling draws extensively upon history, legend, and myth—in both prosaic and preposterous ways—to establish the features of her imagined world. In her highly imaginative uses of the past, Rowling is playing a double game. On the one hand, through her realistic presentation of fantastic elements taken from the past, she provides an alternative version of the world. On the other, through her realistic presentation of familiar elements taken from the past, she provides an ordinary version of the world. In an important sense, all writers of fiction who make use of the past play this same double game. They draw upon human history to comment upon the human condition. In doing so, they elaborate upon age-old themes and illustrate how they still inform today’s world.
This insight is just one of many offered by A. S. Byatt, the famed author of Possession and other works of fiction. Although she has famously criticized Harry’s adventures, in her assessment of him, as we shall she, she fails to follow her own signposts. In describing them as having ‘no place for the numinous’ and denouncing their magic as ‘ersatz’, she is curiously unable to see the metaphorical power of the past that she finds so important to story-telling (Byatt 2003 A13).
In a collection of essays titled On Histories and Stories, Byatt reviews the ‘uneasy and unsettled’ (10) boundaries between fiction and history and notes that both historians and writers of fiction construct the pasts they portray. Yet, in fiction, encounters with the past become opportunities not only for listening to what she calls ‘the voices of persistent ghosts or spirits’ (45) but also for situating them within an imagined present. For, as she asserts, ‘the writer of fiction is at liberty to invent—as the historian and the biographer are not’ (54). The process of inventing produces a kind of re-writing of the past, a process that excavates ‘recurring themes and patterns’ (107) for applications within new fictional contexts. For Byatt, old stories continue to inform the new.
Byatt also considers how authors use ‘tales, old, invented and reinvented, to charm, to entice, and to galvanise their readers in turn’ and how ‘old tales and forms have had a continued, metaphoric life’ (124). Her assessments of Roberto Calasso’s views are particularly insightful. Applying his ideas, she tells us that primal themes are organic and metaphoric in their ability to take on new forms. As Calasso states in The Marriage of Cadmus and Harmony, ‘Stories never live alone: they are the branches of a family that we have to trace back, and forward’ (10). What’s more, according to Byatt, these old stories, endlessly recounted in newer forms, possess a kind of truth in their basic simplicity. They challenge succeeding generations to consider what she labels ‘the fate of beauty and ugliness, fear and hope, chance and disaster’ (129). Returning once again to her own work on old stories, she reflects:
I understood that the tales had power because they were alive everywhere. A myth derives force from its endless repeatability. ‘Originality’ and ‘individuality’, those novelistic aesthetic necessities, were neither here nor there. (132)
Byatt’s explorations of the relationship between history and fiction strike me as particularly significant for an analysis of the Harry Potter books, despite her own claims about them. Granted, the books do contain a good bit of ‘whimsy’ (100), too much, obviously, for Byatt, whose tastes run in the opposite direction, but even a cursory reading of them reveals a dynamic relationship between past and present.
Rowling rewrites the past but in a way that builds upon considerable research. She charms, entices, and galvanizes her readers through the metaphoric power of the past, and she gives new life to historical, legendary, and mythical themes. Most important, her updated, fictional considerations of ‘beauty and ugliness, fear and hope, chance and disaster’, among still other tensions, rewrite the simple historical parables that Byatt and Calasso (along with millions of Harry’s fans) find so appealing.
Let’s examine how the past serves Rowling. In her fiction, she explicitly uses the past in roughly three different ways, which, I believe, make her stories all the more appealing. First, she employs simple and exotic elements of history, legend, and myth to give her magical world its form. In addition, she places each of her characters in a present that is the consequence of past events, and she gives them the intellect to recognize how those events continue to influence and shape the future. Finally, she draws upon a rich historical legacy of ethical problems and reasonable, essentially Stoic, solutions to them. To her readers’ delight, she embeds them within a new literary myth that displays a keen awareness of traditional patterns of heroism and ancient understandings of symbolism.
In taking up the first of these uses of the past, I need not belabor how aspects of history, legend, and myth simply give shape to Harry’s world. After all, it is an imagined world whose features correspond rather well with fantastic and familiar elements of the real human past. Nonetheless, these features are essential to Harry’s stories as fantasy fiction. Even though fantastic plot developments within the books might often seem merely incidental to larger moral questions, their tremendous ability to entertain and to instruct should not be underplayed. Such ‘old tales’ in ‘new forms’ bring readers into contact with issues that have not only long histories but contemporary significance as well.
Rowling accomplishes this trick most obviously in the ‘realistic’ feel of Harry Potter. Both the suburban qualities of Little Whinging and depictions of astrology, transfiguration, or potions take historically accurate forms, despite their inventive and parodic portrayals. At first glance, matter-of-fact historical allusions to such things as trials for witchcraft (real events) or goblin rebellions (made-up ones) might not seem to remind readers of their own circumstances, but upon reflection, these events do come to resemble forms of persecution and resistance against them in our own times. By employing the past in these ways, Harry’s adventures may gently encourage readers to see both themselves and important contemporary issues in light of historical developments.
Turning to Rowling’s second way of using the past, I’d like to note that the pronounced fatalism in Harry’s adventures serves to communicate the same message. Suffice it to say, the fact that Rowling’s characters are so clearly the products of past events and display an acute awareness of them should suggest to readers how important a historical sensibility is to her stories. Each subsequent book in the series carries the central story not only forward but backward as well. The more readers learn about the future, the more they learn about the past. As we are made keenly aware in The Half-Blood Prince, characters’ histories—and the futures they promise—are interconnected. With regard to this tendency, real historical antecedents are far less important than the age-old ‘recurring themes and patterns’ that some of us find so appealing—just like Byatt, even if she has some trouble identifying them at times. Rowling develops personal and collective histories for her characters, outlining the interplay of friendship and enmity, love and betrayal, wisdom and ignorance, and right and wrong. The more things change, the more they stay the same.
Because Rowling’s vision of Harry’s world is so fully realized, in a very basic way, significant events within it always emerge from earlier ones. For example, multiple hints and intimations serve to portray Voldemort’s agonistic struggle with Harry as only the most recent manifestation of similar animosities between Salazar Slytherin and the other founders of Hogwarts. What’s more, Rowling shows that her characters are cognizant of the workings of historical forces. Harry’s experiences with Dumbledore’s Pensieve are particularly revealing in this regard. Within this magical data base, the headmaster stores his memories for later retrieval, when, upon reflection, he may more easily recognize connections and significant patterns. Once he reconsiders events and communicates his thoughts to Harry, memory becomes history.
Again and again, Harry and other characters recognize the past’s potential to make itself felt in the present. Even before the arrival of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, I suggested that the trend would likely continue and intensify within subsequent volumes of Rowling’s series. The author promised as much in The Order of the Phoenix when she wrote,
Dumbledore lowered his hands and surveyed Harry through his half-moon glasses. ‘It is time,’ he said, ‘for me to tell you what I should have told you five years ago, Harry. Please sit down. I am going to tell you everything.’ (OotP – US 825)
In fact, it is largely Harry’s ignorance of the past that leads him to embark upon the rash actions that result in Sirius’s death. For unlike his earlier adventures, in this fifth book, Harry actually creates the dangerous situation in which he finds himself and places his friends.
In The Half-Blood Prince, Professor Dumbledore again and again invites Harry to comprehend the revelations of history, working diligently—as time presses—to correct his own earlier errors of judgment in choosing not to reveal the past to Harry. Given that Harry must prepare himself for a troubled future, Dumbledore’s pensieve, again, becomes the vehicle upon which important aspects of the past are conveyed. The headmaster prepares Harry by allowing him to witness events leading to the emergence of his archenemy and by allowing him to freely choose those steps that necessity dictates—in classic Stoic fashion.
As I argue in The Wisdom of Harry Potter, Dumbledore, much more than most characters, models Stoic moral behavior, and his uses of the past in The Half-Blood Prince follow the same basic pattern. The ancient Stoics paid a great deal of attention to the importance of education in their works. This emphasis stems from their cosmopolitanism, their egalitarian ethic, which insisted upon the dignity of reason in all people. Through education, they sought to foster the good in others. But teaching for the Stoics was a matter of inspiring independence, rather than a means of instilling doctrinaire prescriptions. Stoic teaching offered guidance but repudiated subservience. Others had to take charge of their own educations. Stoics did not promise perfection, but they did promise progress—if their pupils were willing to work. Their pedagogy offered students a freedom commensurate with their abilities, rather than an image of self-worth dependent upon status, reputation, or riches. In keeping with their emphasis upon individual freedom, the earliest Stoics often invoked a perfect (if also hypothetical) sage who modeled wise behavior. Although, in time, they abandoned their pursuit of such perfection, preferring to speak instead of an ‘apprenticeship to wisdom’ or ‘degrees of wisdom’, self-conscious imitation of the sage remained an important aspect of their message (Nussbaum 2001 6; 1994 344-47 and 353-54; 1997 28-35; ‘Stoicism’ 20).
In the Harry Potter books, we can see an imperfect sage at work in the character of Albus Dumbledore. He guides Harry without forcing an orthodoxy upon him. Dumbledore provides numerous examples of his preference for precise usage, accurate descriptions, and clear courses of action—even if his mentoring of Harry sometimes relies upon leaving things unsaid. The best instance of this approach is Dumbledore’s encouraging Harry to use Voldemort’s name, rather than the preferred euphemisms employed by most others in the wizarding world: ‘Call him Voldemort, Harry. Always use the proper name for things. Fear of a name increases fear of the thing itself’ (SS 298). His insistence that Harry describe—in detail—the painful events leading to and following upon Cedric’s death, before he can hope to recover from them, can be viewed in this light as well. He encourages Harry to confront immutable realities rather than ignoring them. The same moral is to be found in his forthright descriptions of Voldemort’s evil and the proper response to it, delivered to the assembled student body of Hogwarts. In each case, Dumbledore acts to diminish ambiguity. For Dumbledore and the Stoics, reason ultimately strikes the balance between individual desire and unrelenting reality. Ambiguities certainly persist, but it is an individuals own distinctive freedom to choose his or her attitudes towards them.
We find a perfect illustration of how the Stoics understand the relationship between desire and reality early in Harry’s adventures, when Dumbledore explains the powers of the Mirror of Erised:
‘Let me explain. The happiest man on earth would be able to use the Mirror of Erised like a normal mirror, that is, he would look into it and see himself exactly as he is. Does that help?’
Harry thought. Then he said slowly, ‘It shows us what we want ... whatever we want ...’
‘Yes and no,’ said Dumbledore quietly. ‘It shows us nothing more or less than the deepest, most desperate desire of our hearts .... However, this mirror will give us neither knowledge or [Sic] truth. Men have wasted away before it, entranced by what they have seen, or been driven mad, not knowing if what it shows is real or even possible.
‘The Mirror will be moved to a new home tomorrow, Harry, and I ask you not to go looking for it again. If you ever do run across it, you will now be prepared. It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live, remember that.’ (SS 213-14)
It is no mere coincidence that when Harry again sees himself in the Mirror, he sees himself as he is, exactly as he is, in possession of the Stone. For in exercising his distinctive freedom to choose his attitude towards fate, Harry is as unrelenting as the realities beyond his control. He finds the right thing to do when confronted with conditions that he cannot escape. Before the Mirror, in Voldemort’s malevolent presence, Harry accepts what is necessary, without denying what is possible. He strikes the Stoic balance, and not for the last time.
As becomes clear in The Half-Blood Prince, for both Dumbledore and Harry, history affords one of the best means for ascertaining the difference between what is necessary and what is possible. Readers can see this clearly in Dumbledore’s last ‘history lesson’:
‘In spite of all the temptation you have endured, all the suffering, you remain pure of heart, just as pure as you were at the age of eleven, when you stared into a mirror that reflected your heart’s desire, and it showed you only the way to thwart Lord Voldemort. . . . Harry, have you any idea how few wizards could have seen what you saw in that mirror?’ . . .
‘But, sir,’ said Harry . . . , ‘it all comes down to the same thing, doesn’t it? I’ve got to try and kill him, or—’
‘Got to?’ said Dumbledore. ‘Of course you’ve got to! But not because of the prophesy! Because you, yourself, will never rest until you’ve tried!’
. . . ‘In other words, you are free to choose your own way, quite free to turn your back on the prophesy.’ . . .
[Harry] understood at last what Dumbledore had been trying to tell him. It was, he thought, the difference between being dragged into the arena to face a battle to the death and walking into the arena with your head held high. Some people, perhaps, would say there was little to choose between the two ways, but Dumbledore knew—and so do I, thought Harry, with a rush of fierce pride, and so did my parents—that there was all the difference in the world. (HBP – US 511-12)
Thus, does Rowling put the metaphoric power of the past to work in a story whose morals an audience must infer: she paints her hero as someone caught between the demands of freedom and fate. How telling it is that Harry likens his experiences to that of a gladiator forced to enter the arena, but free to choose how he does so—a favored metaphor of the ancient Stoics.
If I turn now to Rowling’s third way of using the past, her elaboration of a moral system with deep historical roots, we can see even more clearly how she appeals to what Byatt calls the ‘endless repeatability’ of old tales. The most palpable aspect of this tendency emerges in the many resemblances Rowling’s hero has to other, age-old protagonists found within stories that have been around forever. But given the sheer scope of her project, we must conclude that she goes even further. In the final analysis, Rowling puts history, legend, and myth to work in what we might consider a literary myth, an epic fantasy conveying important moral lessons (Purtill). We can see why the books offer a good example of literary myth if we consider two of their chief features: they represent heroism in very traditional ways, and they often employ historically significant symbolism.
Turning first, and briefly, to traditional forms of heroism, I should note that more than a few scholars have chosen to interpret the Harry Potter books as an updated folktale, fairy tale, legend, or myth. Those who prefer to comprehend them in terms of epic fantasy invariable note their similarities to these popular genres as well. Regardless, Harry is often likened to Moses, Oedipus, King Arthur, Superman, or other manifestations of the heroic myth, which Joseph Campbell reintroduced to the public in the popular reprint of his book, The Hero with a Thousand Faces. Some writers have even chosen to interpret Harry’s stories as highly symbolic religious allegories, suggesting that Harry works very well as a Christ-figure (Grimes; Pharr).
Since Harry has so many of the traits associated with such heroes, we can read his adventures as an extended and updated allegory on historical forms of heroism. While remaining an ordinary boy, Harry nonetheless possesses the classic virtues of the traditional hero. Harry’s quest thus involves fear, suffering, struggle, and triumph over adversity. Ultimately, these features of his adventures offer children and adult readers vicarious pleasures and simple reassurances—what critics of Harry often denigrate as retrograde childhood fantasies (Grimes; Pharr). Yet, given the emphasis that folk tales, fairy tales, legends, and myths place upon cultivation of the self and service to others, we should not be surprised that their themes often relate to the Stoic virtues that I outline in The Wisdom of Harry Potter: constancy, endurance, perseverance, self-discipline, reason, solidarity, empathy, and sacrifice. Rowling’s new version of an old story becomes a literary myth communicating these same morals.
Also important to our understanding of Harry Potter as literary myth is the symbolism at work in the books. Once again, in the very old symbols Rowling deploys, we encounter another kind of ‘endless repeatability’—old ideas fashioned within a new context. Although it is tempting to view symbols as ‘universal’, I want to emphasize that their meanings are context-dependent. If readers have already gone through the available volumes of Harry Potter without recognizing Rowling’s many uses of symbolic meanings, they have already experienced what I’m talking about. In our own times, many symbols with impressive historical pedigrees go entirely unnoticed because they are unfamiliar. They take on new significance, however, within the context of Harry’s stories, which ask readers to suspend their disbelief of the fantastic. Symbols can certainly reflect human ideals, but they do not exist independently of how they are used
If we turn our attention to the many legendary creatures in Harry Potter, we can begin to get a sense of how Rowling uses symbols to communicate important moral lessons. Often enough, she simply drops these creatures into her stories to add vibrancy—or, crucially, comic potential. They nearly always appear for the first time in episodes that are humorous, but upon closer examination, even the humor associated with incidental creatures functions within the texts in ways that are significant. For example, a host of lesser folkloric creatures populates Harry’s day-to-day life. Rowling deploys, among still others, the English grindylow, the West Country hinkypunk, the Japanese kappa, the Cornish pixie, the German poltergeist, and the English red cap as only so many magical pests. Each is symbolic of the unexpected difficulties and uncertainties that life so indifferently places in an individual’s way. They are potentially dangerous but mostly frustrating, easily dealt with, if one remains patient and diligent and recognizes them for what they are (Kronzek and Kronzek; Colbert; Mack and Mack; Barber and Riches; Cirlot).
In contrast, other legendary creatures carry more symbolic weight—even when humor is present in their deployment. Let me briefly describe a few examples from the symbol-rich third volume, The Prisoner of Azkaban. The boggart Harry encounters well suits Rowling’s development of her hero’s growing maturity—a central theme in the book. A well known figure within northern English folklore, the boggart adopts the form of what individual people most fear. Upon learning that Harry most fears the dementors, Professor Lupin responds, ‘Well, well ... I’m impressed .... That suggests that what you fear most of all is—fear. Very wise, Harry’ (PoA 155). The boggart thus becomes a symbol for fear itself—and something the hero must overcome. Significantly, laughter renders the boggart harmless. A similar moral is conveyed by the grim, a common omen of death in the British Isles, which Harry repeatedly sees in the same book. The grim turns out to be Sirius, again, as a kind of ironic joke, but before Harry realizes this fact, he must come to grips with the threat of his own demise (repeated often enough by the fraudulent Professor Trelawney). True to form, he meets it with poise, having already done so on numerous occasions. In her portrayals of the boggart and grim, Rowling thus puts fear and the threat of death into symbolic form. Harry, of course, greets both with their opposites, courage and a life-affirming resolve. Of course, not all legendary creatures symbolize negative aspects of the human condition. The hippogriff, invented by the Italian author Ludovico Ariosto in his epic poem Orlando Furioso, might be read as a symbol of human potential or the pursuit of dreams. Churlishly taunting human beings, the Hippogriff becomes tame and loyal once mounted, capable of soaring quickly and to the highest altitudes. In the course of Harry’s adventures, the stand-offish Buckbeak literally becomes the vehicle upon which Harry and Hermione successfully pursue a hopeless cause. Eschewing faintheartedness, they need only dare to try (Kronzek and Kronzek; Colbert; Mack and Mack; Barber and Riches; Cirlot; Nigg).
Mythical creatures may also be read as symbols in the Potter books. Some ambiguously signal contrary tendencies and reflect the many tensions inherent within the human condition. We can certainly see this characteristic among the centaurs depicted, since they read the future in the stars except when they choose not to. They symbolize both instinct and wisdom, befitting their half-animal, half-human forms. Dragons are, perhaps, less ambiguous but still symbolize power in both its creative and destructive forms. It is telling that Harry must rescue an egg (another symbol) in the face of an extremely violent Hungarian Horntail. Hagrid likewise obtains a dragon’s egg, only to have the baby nearly set him and his hut on fire. In mythology, mermaids (especially) and mermen (less so) symbolize enchantment, temptation, and death. Again, it is telling that, under the lake, Harry avoids all three. He ultimately ignores the instructions of the merpeople, shows his moral fiber by refusing to leave any of the captives, and successfully escapes with Ron, Fleur’s sister, and his own life. The sphinx Harry encounters during the Triwizard Tournament rather unambiguously signals enigma and wit, but the same creature in ancient mythology could also symbolize royalty, fertility, and immortality (in Egypt) or death and destruction (in Mesopotamia). Less ambiguous creatures include manticores, which symbolize evil and malevolence, as well as unicorns, which symbolize innocence and the sacred. Fluffy, the three-headed dog who guards the forbidden corridor in The Philosopher’s Stone (Sorcerer’s Stone), is an allusion to Cerberus who guarded the gates of the underworld. He symbolizes evil genius, as well as death and decay. In Greek mythology, Hercules overcame him through physical strength alone in pursuit of immortality. Orpheus, in contrast, soothed him with music. Each of these creatures enrich Rowling’s tales (and offer Potter-maniacs ample opportunities to follow fresh leads); in an important sense, they also contribute to our understanding of her work as literary myth. They resurrect old ideas for those who care to look (Kronzek and Kronzek; Colbert; Mack and Mack; Barber and Riches; Cirlot; Nigg).
Even more significant, however, are two additional creatures drawn from legend and myth: the snake and the lion. Rowling uses the snake, along with its relative the basilisk, in a number of ways in her stories, most prominently as the symbol of Slytherin House and as the monster Harry must confront in The Chamber of Secrets. The lion, in contrast, appears only obliquely on the crest of Gryffindor House. Significantly, however, the lion’s relative, the half-eagle, half-lion griffin appears in the name of Godric Gryffindor and on the knocker to Dumbledore’s office. Although the meanings associated with snakes are many and contradictory, both positive and negative, when used symbolically, they tend to represent evil more often than not. Lions, in contrast, despite a reputation as violent and rapacious beasts, usually carry more positive associations. In mythology, the basilisk and the griffin share many similarities. They are both guardians of treasure, they are ‘kings’ of their respective realms, and they are equally dangerous. Nonetheless, the similarities end there, for they are also mortal enemies of one another. The basilisk is the deadliest of all creatures, while the griffin is the most noble. Of the basilisk, John Guillim writes in his seventeenth-century Display of Heraldry:
he seemeth to be a little king amongst serpents, not in regard to his quantity [size], but in respect of the infection of his pestiferous and poysonfull aspect, wherewith he poisoneth the aire.
Of the griffin, in contrast, he writes:
by reason he uniteth force and industry together .... having attained his full growth, [he] will never be taken alive; wherein he doth adumbrate [exhibit] or rather lively set forth the property of a valorous souldier, whose magnanimity is such as he had rather expose himselfe to all dangers, and even to death itself, than to become captive. (Nigg 208 and 209)
If we apply Guillim’s observations to Harry Potter, we can see why Rowling generally uses the snake or the basilisk to symbolize evil and the lion or the griffin to symbolize good. By placing the two related pairs in conflict, she structures the epic struggle at the core of Harry’s adventures. Salazar Slytherin and the school house that bears his name represent one set of values, while Godric Gryffindor (the ‘golden griffin’) and the house that bears his name, along with its lion crest, represent quite another. We already know that Voldemort is the heir of Slytherin; I think we might learn that Harry is the heir of Gryffindor. Yet, Rowling is not wholly unaware of the ambiguities surrounding the snake and the lion, the basilisk and the griffin, nor the many similarities that they share. After all, on the one hand, Harry is a parselmouth, and the Sorting Hat did consider placing him in Slytherin; on the other, Snape has acted with courage, and Dumbledore has consistently signaled his complete trust in him. Whether for good or for ill, we shall have to wait and see!
Complicating, but ultimately clarifying, matters is an additional mythical creature, the phoenix, which symbolizes, through its immolation at death and its rebirth from the ashes, both destruction and recreation. We can therefore understand Fawkes, Dumbledore’s pet phoenix, as a mediating symbol, one situated (in a sense) between good and evil to serve as a reminder that, in the midst of devastation, hope may be found. In this sense, the immortal Fawkes represents the dual realities of never-ending change and similarly persisting continuities. I have already signaled my own view of what we should make of Fawkes disappearance at the end of The Half-Blood Prince, but I don’t think we’ve seen the last of him.
We can see the contrary symbolism of continuity and change at work in many early works of literature. For example, in The Metamorphoses, the Roman poet Ovid reflects upon the ceaseless transformations of nature and the seeming permanence of the phoenix:
How many creatures walking on this earth
Have their first being in another form?
Yet one exists that is itself forever,
Reborn in ageless likeness through the years. (Nigg 55)
The fourth-century Egyptian Horapollo describes how his ancestors used the phoenix to symbolize both transformation and permanence (‘a long-enduring restoration’) in human endeavors: ‘When they wish to indicate a long-enduring restoration, they draw the phoenix. For when this bird is born, there is a renewal of things’ (Nigg 91). The symbolism of the phoenix, therefore, implies the reconciliation of counterbalancing realities: death and rebirth, destruction and re-creation, change and continuity. It should not surprise us, therefore, that the phoenix is also a symbol of individual constancy, perhaps the chief virtue of the Stoics, a symbol of the countless readjustments and renewals required to survive so many setbacks and disappointments. No less a person than Leonardo da Vinci interpreted the phoenix as such: ‘For constancy, the phoenix serves as a type; for understanding by nature its renewal, it is steadfast to endure the burning flames which consume it, and then it is reborn anew’ (Nigg 223).
Throughout Harry’s adventures, Rowling has portrayed her hero as possessing such constancy. It is no mere coincidence that in The Order of the Phoenix, she has him meet likeminded individuals who are both personally and politically dedicated to the same virtue. Nor, I shall offer, is it coincidental that Dumbledore is taken from Harry at the end of The Half-Blood Prince. It must be so, not merely because traditional heroes always lose their mentors, but because Dumbledore’s death is necessary for Harry’s emergence into a new life. (Dare I say, the headmaster’s classically Stoic, self-imposed and sacrificial death?)
If we turn our attention to alchemy, we can view the mediating quality of the phoenix in another light, which, I hope, will clarify my claim that Harry himself is become the phoenix. For within alchemy the phoenix represents the philosopher’s stone itself, the result of a chemical wedding’ that achieves the reconciliation of opposites through destruction and re-creation. The production of the stone involves repeated cycles of chemical dissolutions and coagulations. Through this process, base matter is transformed into ‘prime matter’ (prima materia), the original stuff of creation, which is then transformed into ever purer forms. Each stage represents the successful chemical reconciliation of opposite states and qualities (such as sulfur and mercury, hot and cold, dry and moist, fixed and volatile, spirit and body, form and matter, active and receptive, and male and female), which eliminates differences between them and unites their contrary attributes. The ultimate coagulation is the stone itself, capable of transmuting base metals into gold and humans into the divine (Abraham).
Alchemists always present this process in highly metaphorical language, which Rowling has adopted and adapted in her work. If my reading of the alchemical symbolism of the phoenix is correct, it suggests that Rowling has chosen to depict it as the reconciler of the snake, on the one hand, and the lion and the griffin, on the other. Often, in alchemical writings, the snake represents the matter with which work is begun, as well as the prime matter. It is highly volatile. In contrast, the lion symbolizes sulfur, and the griffin symbolizes mercury. Thus, the lion represents the hot, dry, solar, active, and male principle, while the griffin represents the cold, moist, lunar, receptive, and female principle. When the lion and the griffin are united and brought to bear against the snake, the phoenix is born (Abraham).
Always described in ornately metaphorical language, as I have shown, this physical ‘wedding’ of opposites is also a metaphysical union. Its explication begins with the Platonic assumption that humanity is divided against itself, separated into two sexes. Often enough, it is depicted as the marriage of the masculine sun and the feminine moon. Invariably, it unites willful power (the active male force) and wisdom (the receptive female force) to produce pure love, the philosopher’s stone or the ‘philosophical child’. This metaphysical union leads to death of the alchemist, as the soul leaves the body to unite with the eternal spirit, but out of this death emerges new life. For the soul’s departure cleanses the body, and its return, now united with the spirit, resurrects the body. Dissolution and coagulation take place simultaneously.The body dissolves into spirit, and the spirit coagulates into form (Abraham).
Thus, in a very important sense, we should understand Harry’s trials and tribulations as a metaphorical pursuit of the philosopher’s stone—not for gold and eternal life, but for moral and, perhaps, spiritual virtue—an eternal and pure love. For in setting the values of Gryffindor (the lion and the griffin) against the values of Slytherin (the snake), Harry emerges as the exemplar of constancy (the phoenix). Furthermore, Dumbledore himself is an alchemist (his wizard card says so) and he has carefully guided Harry’s development. Dare I say through metaphorical cycles of dissolution and coagulation? Many years ago, a French scholar of the occult, Pierre Vincenti Piobb, described the metaphysical process of dissolution and coagulation in the following way: ‘analyze all the elements in yourself, dissolve all that is inferior in you, even though you may break in doing so; then, with the strength acquired from the preceding operation, congeal’ (Cirlot 8).
In this way, we can begin to view Harry himself as an alchemist. Thus, we may also view Harry, the mythic hero, as the phoenix, as a reconciler of opposites, who brings hope out of danger and devastation. I think it likely that at the end of The Half-Blood Prince, with the demise of Dumbledore, Harry is poised to undergo the kinds of transformations to which alchemical symbolism alludes—not necessarily literally, but metaphorically. By following the path of Stoic virtue, he has already begun to do so.
Through highly inventive uses of the past, Rowling develops Harry’s adventures as a literary myth promoting virtue and conveying moral lessons. She employs ancient symbols to structure an age-old struggle between good and evil, and constructs her hero according to traditional patterns of heroism. She makes him the product of a past and gives him the intellect to recognize its shaping influence upon the future. And finally, she places him in a near-contemporary world, resembling our own, which combines numerous elements, both familiar and fantastic, drawn from history, legend, and myth. Thus, does J. K. Rowling work her own literary alchemy and, through the metaphoric power of the past, create the phoenix in Harry Potter.
Some passages of this essay are excerpted from chapters 3 and 5 of The Wisdom of Harry Potter by Edmund Kern. Amherst, NY: Prometheus Books. Copyright ©2003 by Edmund Kern. Reprinted with permission.
Works Cited
Barber, Richard, and Anne Riches. A Dictionary of Fabulous Beasts. New York: Walker and Company, 1971.
Byatt, A. S. 'Harry Potter and the Childish Adult.' New York Times 7 July 2003: A13.
Byatt, A. S. On Histories and Stories. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 2001.
Calasso, Roberto. The Marriage of Cadmus and Harmony. Translated by Tim Parks. New York: Vintage Books, 1994.
Cirlot, J. E. A Dictionary of Symbols. Translated by Jack Sage. New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 1993.
Colbert, David. The Magical Worlds of Harry Potter: A Treasury of Myths, Legends, and Fascinating Facts. New York: Berkley Books, 2001.
Grimes, M. Katherine. 'Harry Potter: Fairy Tale Prince, Real Boy, and Archetypal Hero.' In The Ivory Tower and Harry Potter, edited by Lana A. Whited.
Kronzek, Allan Zola, and Elizabeth Kronzek. The Sorcerer's Companion: A Guide to the Magical World of Harry Potter. New York: Broadway Books, 2001.
Mack, Carol K., and Dinah Mack. A Field Guide to Demons, Fairies, Fallen Angels, and other Subversive Spirits. New York: Arcade Publishing, 1998.
Nigg, Joseph. The Book of Fabulous Beasts: A Treasury of Writings from Ancient Times to the Present. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999.
Nussbaum, Martha C. Cultivating Humanity: A Classical Defense of Reform in Liberal Education. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1997.
Nussbaum, Martha C. The Therapy of Desire: Theory and Practice in Hellenistic Ethics. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1994.
Nussbaum, Martha C. Upheavals of Thought: The Intelligence of Emotions. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2001.
Pharr, Mary. 'In Medias Res: Harry Potter as Hero-in-Progress.' In The Ivory Tower and Harry Potter, edited by Lana A. Whited.
Purtill, Richard L. J. R. R. Tolkien: Myth, Morality, and Religion. San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1984.
'Stoicism.' In The Encyclopedia of Philosophy, edited by Paul Edwards. Vol. 8. New York: The Macmillan Company & The Free Press, 1967.
Whited, Lana A, ed. The Ivory Tower and Harry Potter: Perspectives on a Literary Phenomenon. Columbia, Mo.: University of Missouri Press, 2002.
The Sirius Symbol
Sirius was the star of the resurrection to the ancient Egyptians. We know that when Harry is born, Sirius is made his God-Father. Sirius becomes Harry's example, his mentor and his guide. See Sirius in our Symbology section.
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What name is given to a folded pizza? | How To make pizza pockets ( Calzones ) an intro to folded Italian pizza, stuffed pizza - YouTube
How To make pizza pockets ( Calzones ) an intro to folded Italian pizza, stuffed pizza
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Published on Jan 20, 2012
An intro to folded pizza. Some call them hot pockets, some call them pizza pockets, some call them Calzones. No matter what you call them, they are delicious ! Let's see a little intro into Italian folded pizza.
Calzone is nothing more than a regular pizza that is folded over, and then baked. Some pizza places will deep fry them instead of baking them. These are awesome, but really add on those calories, but oh so so good
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| Calzone |
Which poet was buried standing upright in Westminster Abbey? | pizza - What's the difference between a Stromboli and a Calzone? - Seasoned Advice
What's the difference between a Stromboli and a Calzone?
up vote 13 down vote favorite
1
On the east coast Italian restaurants (or pizza shops) sometimes offer both Strombolis and Calzones. Sometimes it seems that Calzones are a 'type' of Stromboli, because the menu has a single Calzone but a list of different Strombolis. But I doubt that's an accurate assessment.
So, what's the difference between the two? I'd be interested in the technical reasons as well as whey they're listed separately on menus (if the reasoning is different).
Also, I give the east coast location because I've heard out west a Stromboli may be thought of as a kind of hot sandwich (basically an Italian roll hollowed out a bit and filled). That's not the Stromboli or Calzone I'm familiar with - but if the definitions change drastically based on geographic area I'm interested in that as well.
5
Need to mention that here in Italy we have just Calzone pizza. Stromboli, though having italian name, seems to have american origin . – systempuntoout Sep 7 '10 at 10:23
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I confirm what systempuntoout wrote: this is the first time that I read or heard of a dish called Stromboli. – MaD70 Oct 27 '10 at 15:32
up vote 5 down vote accepted
In my experience the primary difference is that Calzones have Ricotta (and possibly Mozzarella) and Strombolis only have Mozzarella. In the Philadelphia area, both are folded over pizzas, basically.
Growing up, my mother made Stromboli and it was rolled, not folded. I rarely see that in a pizza shop these days, but I do prefer that in a Stromboli.
Edit: Just read systempuntoout's link to Wikipedia and it confirmed something that I was going to post and then deleted. When I was growing up, Strombolis were made from bread dough and Calzones were made from pizza dough; nowadays all of the pizza shops just use pizza dough. I remember bread stores as being the primary place to get Strombolis growing up because they were the ones that made the dough!
2
That's what I'm used to, as well. (calzones having ricotta) I'm also used to calzones not having a tomato sauce inside (although they might have sliced tomatoes), whereas strombolis may or may not have sauce inside. I've never seen a calzone that wasn't a 1/2 circle ... except at Ledo Pizza, which I won't count, as it wasn't even fully sealed after folding. – Joe Sep 7 '10 at 16:23
up vote 7 down vote
My understanding based on local experience (five Italian restaurants on every block) is that Stromboli and Calzone differ principally in (a) their filling, (b) the dough, and (c) the final shape.
Calzones are basically folded pizzas, made from pizza dough and stuffed with the same ingredients as pizza - almost always tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese, usually ricotta, often pepperoni and maybe some other cheese and cured meats - and then folded over like an omelette.
Stromboli are more like pizza rolls. They're made from a thicker dough (still pizza dough), the tomato sauce and ricotta are optional and usually left out, and they are literally rolled up into a tube shape (sometimes more of a blocky sandwich shape though).
Other than that, they are quite similar, and the differences seem to get murkier over time... I often see Stromboli with the sauce and cheese and Calzone without the sauce. But fundamentally, Stromboli is more like a sandwich and Calzone is more like a pie; if a particular restaurant doesn't do it that way, then that would have to be their own twist on the traditional recipe.
up vote 3 down vote
I have tried both a Calzone and a Stromboli, the former in Manhattan and the latter in Pennsylvania. Unlike here in England where all the folded pizzas are called Calzone, the difference on the East Coast is that the Calzone is filled with white cheeses (usually mozzarella and ricotta) and the Stromboli is a savoury dish filled with meat, onions, mushrooms, optional chillies and served with a spicy tomato based sauce on the side. The best one I ever tasted had fresh garlic grated and olive oil drizzled on top - absolutely delicious, but don't expect anyone to converse with you afterwards!!
up vote 2 down vote
The difference between a Stromboli and a Calzone is the ingredients. The Calzone will have Prociutto or Cappacolla and Ricotta. The dough is very light but not too chewy. The Stromboli is named after a place in Sicily, where it was made quite often. Usualy, the Calzone will have the Sauce on the side. Sometimes the Calzone will be made with Spinach or Escarole inside as well. Stromboli on the other hand has a heavier dough and is bigger because it will have Sausage, Pepperoni, Mozzarella cheese, Onions, garlic,Peppers, and sometimes olives and capers. Actually, the Calzone is the spicier of the two. Once I ordered one with Cappacolla and Procuitto. A little too spicey. Very Calienti(hot). Finding a place that makes both good is a miracle.
up vote 2 down vote
Former New Yorker here, grew up on LI where there has to be a pizza shop in every strip center.
Calzone & Stromboli are different in SHAPE and ingredients. Calzone will have a red gravy and the Stromboli will have Ricotta cheese instead. Calzone is dress a half the dough with meats and sauce and Mozzarella, fold over other half of dough and crimp onnly center allowing sides to show what is inside.
Stromboli is stiffer dough if you have that available, place the ingredients in the center 1/3, wrap the two sides over to look like a loaf or sandwich.
I managed a Pizza restaurant in RI for a summer on Block Island, and this was the rule according to the Italian owner who's mom would come in ever once in a while to approve what we did.
up vote 0 down vote
From a historical perspective, calzone were imported from Europe (like normal pizzas) while stromboli are an American invention.
In Europe, following the Italian tradition, calzone are basically folded pizzas. They are made with the same dough, are baked in the same ovens, and can have the same toppings, although it is far more common in Italy to see eggs in calzone than in open pizzas. According to a book referenced in wikipedia, calzone originated in Naples (Italy) .
I have never seen stromboli in Europe (I live in London as I write this) and calzone are not very common out of Italy.
In some countries (like Italy or Malta) there are things that are similar to a fried (not baked) calzone , but they are not called calzone.
(This does not exactly answer the original question, that is inherently USA-centric, but I thought it may be of interest to some people.)
up vote 0 down vote
I worked for a Napolitan pizza shop in Akron owned by 1st generation Sicilians. They made the calzones with ricotta and pizza topping and folded it over making a semi-circular pie. The Stromboli were rolled up with more cold-cut type meats & cheeses and some veggies and tomatoes and the top was lightly scored before baking.
The names are derived from Italian words. Stromboli is a volcano in Italy, and the Stromboli is 'volcano-like' in that you can get burned by the juice and sauce coming out of the stuffed bread. Calzoni are trousers or shorts, basically, so I think the calzone is supposed to resemble a stuffed baby diaper when folded.
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Pierre Basile fired the crossbow that caused the death of which English king? | ExecutedToday.com » 1199: Pierre Basile, marksman
1199: Pierre Basile, marksman
April 6th, 2010 Jonathan Shipley
(Thanks to Jonathan Shipley of A Writer’s Desk for the guest post. -ed.)
If you kill a king, expect swift retribution .
Expect avengers .
Expect to not live long after you deal the final fatal blow to a royal personage.
A boy, Pierre Basile , was executed on this date in 1199 for shooting King Richard the Lionhearted* with an arrow expelled from his crossbow.
The wound wasn’t fatal to Richard I; the gangrene was . (French page) Although the king pardoned the boy for the shot before dying, Richard’s right hand man, French Provencal warrior Mercadier , would hear none of it. After the king’s death, Mercadier stormed Chateau de Chalus-Chabrol , defended weakly by Basile, then flayed him alive before hanging him.
Little is known of the boy defender. Also known as Bertran de Gurdun and John Sabroz (the various names suggest we’ll never know his real name), Basile was one of only two knights defending the castle against the king’s siege.
This castle protected the southern approach to Limoges and was betwixt routes from Paris and Spain and the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. The English army openly mocked its defenses as the siege continued. The ramparts were cobbled together with makeshift armor. A shield was constructed out of a frying pan.
Knowing the castle would fall sooner than later, the English were lax in their siege, though eager for the riches inside. (Supposedly within the castle walls was a treasure trove of Roman gold.)
Richard I, as feudal overlord, claimed it for himself and no boy knights were going to get in his way. The king had been in the area suppressing a revolt by Viscount Aimar V of Limoges . The viscount’s forces had been decimated by the king’s army. The riches for the win lay in the castle and Basile stood atop it.
It was early evening, March 25, 1199, when Richard walked around the castle perimeter without his chainmail on. Arrows had been shot from the ramparts by Basile but were paid little attention. The king applauded when one arrow was aimed at him. The next arrow fired struck the king in the left shoulder near the neck.
Richard the Lionhearted, mortally wounded .
The king returned to the privacy of his tent to pull it out. He couldn’t. The surgeon Hoveden, Mercadier’s personal physician, was summoned. He removed the arrow, but not swiftly, or cleanly. Gangrene quickly set in. The king asked for the crossbowman. The boy, Basile, appeared before the stricken king, expecting to be executed on the spot. The boy spoke first, saying he had tried to kill Richard because the king had killed the boy’s father and two brothers.
“Live on,” the king replied, “and by my bounty behold the light of day.”
He ordered the boy set free and, further, sent him away with 100 shillings. Deliriously jubilant at the king’s decision, the boy quickly returned to the castle.
On April 6, in the arms of his mother , Richard I died. His remains were buried at the foot of the tower from which Basile shot the arrow.
And with the king died his chivalry towards Basile.
Mercadier, who had entered the king’s service in 1184 and fought in battles in Berry and Brittany, Flanders and Normandy, brought the castle’s defenders to a swift and punishing death.
Hanging the defenders, he took the boy and flayed him first — that is, he removed the boy’s skin while he was still alive. Then Pierre Basile was hung, and his body consigned in an unmarked grave.
* Last seen in these parts slaughtering Muslims on Crusade .
On this day..
| Richard I of England |
Which Beatles song was commissioned by the BBC to represent the United Kingdom in the first global satellite television link? | Medieval Execution | Swords and Armor
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Medieval execution methods and medieval executioners. History of execution. Capital punishment in medieval times. Hanging, burning at stake, impalement, sawing, breaking wheel and other methods of the capital punishment.
Execution is defined as to put to death as punishment. Imposing a “Death penalty” or “death sentence”. Execution of criminals, religious and political opponents was used to punish crime and to suppress religious or political dissent. Medieval execution methods were often barbaric, designed to inflict the most agonising pain and some executions methods were designed to prolong the execution as long as possible.
Medieval execution was a clear message to all potential criminals, law breakers, rebels and enemies that law is simple and final and disobedience will not be tolerated.
Decapitation (beheading)
Beheading was a very fast and merciful execution method if performed well. Decapitation was relatively honorable death often offered as some kind of mercy. Nobles were beheaded by sword, others were executed by an axe.
If the headsman’s axe or sword was sharp and his aim was precise, decapitation was quick and was presumed to be a relatively painless form of death. If the instrument was blunt or the executioner clumsy, however, multiple strokes might be required to sever the head. The person to be executed was therefore advised to give a gold coin to the headsman to ensure that he did his job with care.
Heads of convicts were often placed on a stakes and esposed on a frequently visited places to warn others.
There are numerous description of failed beheading executions in historical chronicles.
Decapitation by guillotine was a common mechanically-assisted form of execution, invented shortly before the French Revolution and used in France till 1970s.
Notable beheadings in history: In 1627-27 Czech highborn nobles were beheaded in Prague for protestant rebellion against catholic Habsburgs. Many of them got a combined death. For example Jan Jesenius lost his tongue just before he lost the head.
Beheading-execution of Anne Boleyn
Anne Boleyn, Queen of England was beheaded in 1526 on order of her husband, Henry VIII. She was charged of adultery, incest and treason.
Sawing
The Saw was widely used throughout the Middle Ages, mainly because the tools required were found in most houses and no complex devices were required. It was a cheap way to torture and kill a victim who was often accused of: witchery, adultery, murder, blasphemy or even theft.
The victim was tied to an inverted position. This had several “benefits”: first, it assured sufficient blood diverted to the brain, second, it slowed down the loss of blood and third, it humiliated the victim.
Sawing execution
Depending on the victim and torturer, this torture could last several hours. When a confession was required, the victim was frequently forced to watch someone else be subject to this method. If he didn’t confess, he’d be slowly cut in half.
During the Inquisition, this method became even more popular as the inquisitors traveled from village to village often without any torture devices at their disposal.
Boiling
Execution by boiling was used for poisoners, counterfeiters, swindlers and coin forgers during the middle ages.
Execution by boiling
In England in the 1500s this was the legal method of punishment. The victim was immersed in boiling water, oil or tar until dead. Imagine the fear the prisoner felt when they were taken to this deadly big pot to suffer their horrible fate.
Burning at stake
Burning at the stake was a very common way to execute blasphemers, heretics, thieves and witches. It was used throughout the Middle Ages and beyond.
Burning at the stake
If the fire was big enough, death occurred first by asphyxia rather than damage done by the flames. However, this was a known fact and the victims were usually burned in a smaller fire so they would “suffer until the end”. When the fire was small, death occurred because of loss of blood or a heatstroke which could take even hours.
Families of victims often paid executioner to strangle victim before burning started. Pouch with gunpowder could be attached to victim neck in later times to make his death faster.
Famous people burned: Jacques de Molay (1314), Jan Hus (1415), Joan of Arc (1431), Giordano Bruno (1600).
Buried alive
Unrepentant murderers were buried alive in medieval Italy. Women who murdered their children or husbands were buried alive in central and eastern Europe.
People accused of vampyrism were buried alive and their body was penetrated by a stick through the grave.
Buried alive execution
The death is caused by suffocation but also often by infarct from panic, fear and shock.
Flaying
Flaying was a very painful method that consists of “skinning” a person alive. In one version of the Flaying Torture, the victim’s arms were tied to a pole above his head while his feet were tied below. His body was now completely exposed and the torturer, with the help of a small knife, peeled off the victim’s skin slowly. In most cases, the torturer peeled off his facial skin first, slowly working his way down to the victim’s feet. Most victims died before the torturer even reached their waist.
Flaying execution.
According a legend William Wallace skinned out Hugh de Cressingham, the English treasurer after Battle of Stirling.
Pierre Basile was flayed alive and all defenders of the chateau hanged on 6 April 1199, by order of the mercenary leader Mercadier, for shooting and killing King Richard I of England with a crossbow at the siege of Chalus in March 1199.
Hanging
Hanging was probably the most common medieval execution method.
In every town, and almost in every village, there was a permanent gibbet, which, owing to the custom of leaving the bodies to hang till they crumbled into dust, was very rarely without having some corpses or skeletons attached to it. According to prescribed rule, the gallows were placed in an important part in the political as well as the criminal history of that city.
The hanging can cause death by breaking of the neck what is very fast but it usualy cause much slower and more painful death caused by closure of veins and arteries. Death can came in a few seconds but also after several minutes.
There were various types of the hanging execution. Execution by rope, by hook or hanging in a cage. The rope was placed around the neck. The hook was stabbed under ribs. Victims were usually after toruturing placed into cages and hanged on a visible place. This is the slowest death, convicts suffered by several wounds and they were target of insects, rats and birds. Cage hanging could bring death even after several days.
Executed people were removed sometimes immediately after execution, but often the bodies were left there permanently, till the total disintegration. Such bodies served as warning and as info the laws is working in the area.
Hanging on hook
Notable people hanged: John Ogilvie (1615, England), Juraj Janosik (Slovak Robin Hood and national hero-on the picture above), legend says he voluntarily pulled the hook under his ribs. Cossacks of Taras Bulba were hanged on hooks by Poles.
Hanged, Drawn, and Quartered
Hanged, drawn and quartered was the punishment for traitors, i.e. men who committed treason, i.e. the violation by a subject of his allegiance to his sovereign or to the state. This form of execution was used in England from the 13th century until 1790.
William Wallace execution
William Wallace was executed by this terrible method in 1305.
1605-Conspirators of Gunpowder Plot against English King James were also executed by method.
Breaking Wheel
The Wheel torture was a very painful form of capital punishment. Death could be prolonged to a day or more.
Reserved for hated criminals, murderers and robbers, The Wheel always killed its victim, but did so very slowly.
The Wheel originated in Greece and quickly spread to Germany, France, Russia, England and Sweden. The device consists of a large wooden wheel with many spokes. The victim’s limbs were tied to the spokes and the wheel itself was slowly revolved. Through the openings between the spokes, the torturer usually hit the victim with a hammer or iron bar that could easily break the victim’s bones. Once his bones were broken, he was left on the wheel to die, sometimes placed on a tall pole so the birds could feed from the still-living human. It could take up to two or three days for him to die of dehydration.
Softer method combined with mercy was breaking neck first and breaking the other body parts after death of convict.
Breaking wheel execution
There were two methods:
Breaking in wheel-convict was placed on wheel, his bones were broken by a hammer and his legs and hands were weave into wheel.
Breaking by wheel-convict was placed on a wooden cross, sometimes with holes under his knuckles and he was smashed by a wheel with iron hoop then.
Impalement
Impalement or impaling was a terrible form of a medieval execution used mostly in Ottoman empire but also in Europe. Vlad III Dracula used impalement for 10000s of his enemies but impalement was used for eample during War of Roses in England and in other countries of the medieval Europe.
Following the multiple campaigns against the invading Ottoman Turks, Vlad Tepes would never show mercy to his prisoners of war. The road to the capital of Wallachia eventually became inundated in a “forest” of 20,000 impaled and decaying corpses, and it is reported that an invading army of Turks turned back after encountering thousands of impaled corpses along the Danube River. Woodblock prints from the era portray his victims impaled from either the frontal or the dorsal aspect, but not vertically.
Impalement, as a method of torture and execution, involves the body of a person being pierced with a long stake. The penetration could be through the sides, through the rectum, through the vagina, or through the mouth. This method leads to a painful death, sometimes taking days. When the impaling instrument was inserted into a lower orifice, it was necessary to secure the victim in the prone position; the stake would then be held in place by one of the executioners, while another would hammer the stake deeper using a sledgehammer. The stake was then planted in the ground, and the impaled victim hoisted up to a vertical position, where the victim would be left to die.
Impalement execution by Vlad Dracula
In some forms of impalement, the stake would be inserted so as to avoid immediate death and would function as a plug to prevent blood loss. After preparation of the victim, perhaps including public torture and rape, the victim was stripped, and an incision was made in the perineum between the genitals and rectum. A stout pole with a blunt end was inserted. A blunt end would push vital organs to the side, greatly slowing death.
Lucky victim died after a few minutes when his vessels were damaged but it could take even more than 24 hours to die by this terrible execution method.
Impalement was also used for convicts of vampyrism. They were often buried alive and their body was impaled later. The same punishment was used for mothers who killed their own children in central Europe.
Dismemberment by horses
Dismemberment by horses was often used for assassins of kings or also for mother and father killers. 2 or 4 horses were used to pull out the legs and hands and to destroy body of the convict. Dismemberment was carried out in the feckin’ Medieval and Early Modern era by tyin’ a person’s limbs to chains or other restraints, then attachin’ the feckin’ restraints to separate movable entities.
Francois Ravaillac (1610) and Robert-Francois Damiens (1757) were publically executed by this form of the capital punishment for regicide.
Medieval execution by horses
Viking blood eagle
The Blood Eagle was an unimaginably gruesome form of torture and execution practiced by the Vikings. They caused the bloody eagle to be carved on the back of victim, and they cut away all of the ribs from the spine so they resembled blood-stained wings, and then they ripped out his lungs. The salt was added into wounds for a better effect.
Viking Blood eagle
Walking around tree was an another viking execution method. Belly of the victim was opened and his intestines were partially tooken out and fixed to the tree. Convict was then pressed to walk around the tree to remove all his intestines out of body and to reach the dead. This was very cruel execution. The convict knew he must walk as fast as possible to pull out his intestines and to break his vessels to end the suffering.
These viking execution methods described in viking sagas are histrically discutable.
Medieval executioner
A skilled torturer would use torture methods, devices and instruments to prolong life as long as possible whilst inflicting agonising pain on a prisoner awaiting execution. The customs of the Medieval period dictated that many prisoners were tortured before they were executed in order to obtain additional information about their crime or their accomplices. Torture was also seen as a preliminary to the punishment of death by execution.
Medieval executioners were an occasional one like military officers, guard members, soldiers or the professional executioners.
Executioners sword
Professional executioners were usually very well paid men, they were often protected by a warrant. They lived in a city or they travelled around the country to fullfill their contracts.
Executioners were often responsible for torturing during trials, executions and they also cared of animal liquidation.
Executioners were an important and needed members of medieval society, they were well paid, feared, respected but also knocked out of the common life. They lived in a special houses outside of common settlement and they were also buried outside of others.
Failed executions: It was not uncommon that even fast execution changed into a terrible massacre for a convicts. If the execution failed the executioner risked he will get on place of his victim. Some executioners were killed by an angryx crowd after failed execution. In some cases the convicts obtained mercy after the failed execution.
Gallows Hill-Execution site
Execution sites
Places of executions were usually located outside of the medieval towns. These places were called gallows hills. Execution places were source of numerous ghost related stories. Gallows hills were also often visited by medieval moneymakers. Thieves hunted down these places for body part of convicts and also for a magical plants growing around. These “articacts” were highly profitable products used in medivcine and various rituals but people robbing these places were often next victims of the medieval execution shows.
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Who played lead guitar on While My Guitar Gently Weeps, on The White Album? | The Beatles — While My Guitar Gently Weeps — Listen, watch, download and discover music for free at Last.fm
the beatles
"While My Guitar Gently Weeps" written by George Harrison for The Beatles on their double album The Beatles (also known as The White Album). George Harrison originally performed the song with a solo acoustic guitar and an organ; a demo version, longer than the officially released version, can be heard on the Anthology 3 album and in reworked form on the Love album. Eric Clapton, who was a good friend of George's, played lead guitar on the album version of… read more
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| Eric Clapton |
What was the name of the US stadium where the Beatles played their last ever live concert? | The Beatles by The Beatles : Napster
Nov 1968
Label: Emi Catalogue
In 1968, there was widespread anticipation of what The Beatles would do to follow up the previous year’s Sgt. Pepper. (The soundtrack to their Magical Mystery Tour film was not regarded as its official successor.) Released November 22, 1968, the stark white cover of their ninth U.K. album signaled the group had, once again, done the unexpected. Simply called The Beatles, but universally known as The White Album, the double LP may be the most eclectic album ever released. It sounds like The Beatles decided to write and play in every style imaginable.
The origins of the music are rooted in The Beatles’ visit to Rishikesh, India, where they studied transcendental meditation with the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. Their communal experience in Rishikesh in early 1968 reinforced the group’s unity. It certainly inspired a prolific phase of songwriting. In May, before sessions began at EMI Studios, The Beatles taped acoustic demo versions of 27 songs at George Harrison’s house. They began recording at Abbey Road on May 30 and it occupied most of their time until October 16, 1968. “Hey Jude” and “Revolution” were the first songs to be heard from the sessions when they were released as a stand-alone single on August 30, 1968. It is doubtful any other artist would have even considered leaving such a monumental hit single off their album.
The juxtaposition of loud and soft is one of the reasons The White Album is so surprising. The raucous rocker “Helter Skelter” precedes the delicate “Long Long Long.” The pastoral calm of “Mother Nature’s Son” is placed between the fiery “Yer Blues” and the wildness of “Everybody’s Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey.” There also are a number of humorous touches: “The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill,” “Rocky Raccoon,” “Piggies” and “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da.” In 1968, The Beatles also changed their approach to recording. As Ringo remembered: “On The White Album we ended up being a band again and that’s what I always love.” Conversely, more than ever before, it was not necessary for all of The Beatles to play on every song. Only 16 of the 30 tracks featured the participation of all four. Uncredited, Eric Clapton played lead guitar on “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.”
It was clear The Beatles had recorded an album that was in sharp contrast to its predecessor. As George explained: “We always tried to make things different. There was no chance of a new record ever being like the previous one.” The group’s remarkable achievement in creating The White Album is that despite such dazzling diversity within the collection, each track is stamped with the unmistakable sound of The Beatles.
Kevin Howlett
Twitter
About This Album
In 1968, there was widespread anticipation of what The Beatles would do to follow up the previous year’s Sgt. Pepper. (The soundtrack to their Magical Mystery Tour film was not regarded as its official successor.) Released November 22, 1968, the stark white cover of their ninth U.K. album signaled the group had, once again, done the unexpected. Simply called The Beatles, but universally known as The White Album, the double LP may be the most eclectic album ever released. It sounds like The Beatles decided to write and play in every style imaginable.
The origins of the music are rooted in The Beatles’ visit to Rishikesh, India, where they studied transcendental meditation with the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. Their communal experience in Rishikesh in early 1968 reinforced the group’s unity. It certainly inspired a prolific phase of songwriting. In May, before sessions began at EMI Studios, The Beatles taped acoustic demo versions of 27 songs at George Harrison’s house. They began recording at Abbey Road on May 30 and it occupied most of their time until October 16, 1968. “Hey Jude” and “Revolution” were the first songs to be heard from the sessions when they were released as a stand-alone single on August 30, 1968. It is doubtful any other artist would have even considered leaving such a monumental hit single off their album.
The juxtaposition of loud and soft is one of the reasons The White Album is so surprising. The raucous rocker “Helter Skelter” precedes the delicate “Long Long Long.” The pastoral calm of “Mother Nature’s Son” is placed between the fiery “Yer Blues” and the wildness of “Everybody’s Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey.” There also are a number of humorous touches: “The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill,” “Rocky Raccoon,” “Piggies” and “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da.” In 1968, The Beatles also changed their approach to recording. As Ringo remembered: “On The White Album we ended up being a band again and that’s what I always love.” Conversely, more than ever before, it was not necessary for all of The Beatles to play on every song. Only 16 of the 30 tracks featured the participation of all four. Uncredited, Eric Clapton played lead guitar on “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.”
It was clear The Beatles had recorded an album that was in sharp contrast to its predecessor. As George explained: “We always tried to make things different. There was no chance of a new record ever being like the previous one.” The group’s remarkable achievement in creating The White Album is that despite such dazzling diversity within the collection, each track is stamped with the unmistakable sound of The Beatles.
Kevin Howlett
Good Night (Remastered)
About This Album
In 1968, there was widespread anticipation of what The Beatles would do to follow up the previous year’s Sgt. Pepper. (The soundtrack to their Magical Mystery Tour film was not regarded as its official successor.) Released November 22, 1968, the stark white cover of their ninth U.K. album signaled the group had, once again, done the unexpected. Simply called The Beatles, but universally known as The White Album, the double LP may be the most eclectic album ever released. It sounds like The Beatles decided to write and play in every style imaginable.
The origins of the music are rooted in The Beatles’ visit to Rishikesh, India, where they studied transcendental meditation with the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. Their communal experience in Rishikesh in early 1968 reinforced the group’s unity. It certainly inspired a prolific phase of songwriting. In May, before sessions began at EMI Studios, The Beatles taped acoustic demo versions of 27 songs at George Harrison’s house. They began recording at Abbey Road on May 30 and it occupied most of their time until October 16, 1968. “Hey Jude” and “Revolution” were the first songs to be heard from the sessions when they were released as a stand-alone single on August 30, 1968. It is doubtful any other artist would have even considered leaving such a monumental hit single off their album.
The juxtaposition of loud and soft is one of the reasons The White Album is so surprising. The raucous rocker “Helter Skelter” precedes the delicate “Long Long Long.” The pastoral calm of “Mother Nature’s Son” is placed between the fiery “Yer Blues” and the wildness of “Everybody’s Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey.” There also are a number of humorous touches: “The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill,” “Rocky Raccoon,” “Piggies” and “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da.” In 1968, The Beatles also changed their approach to recording. As Ringo remembered: “On The White Album we ended up being a band again and that’s what I always love.” Conversely, more than ever before, it was not necessary for all of The Beatles to play on every song. Only 16 of the 30 tracks featured the participation of all four. Uncredited, Eric Clapton played lead guitar on “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.”
It was clear The Beatles had recorded an album that was in sharp contrast to its predecessor. As George explained: “We always tried to make things different. There was no chance of a new record ever being like the previous one.” The group’s remarkable achievement in creating The White Album is that despite such dazzling diversity within the collection, each track is stamped with the unmistakable sound of The Beatles.
Kevin Howlett
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Which Album cover features 5 Beatles? | Favorite Beatles album cover | Page 5 | Fab Forum
Favorite Beatles album cover | Page 5 | Fab Forum
Favorite Beatles album cover | Page 5 | Fab Forum
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My favorite Album Covers are Abbey Road , Sgt Peppers and With the Beatles
14 December 2011
Sitting singing songs for everyone by the mountain stream
Candlestick Park
Offline
82
Just quickly looking through this again and I realized no one is really a fan of Magical Mystery Tour or Beatles For Sale . Does no one like George's turnip hair?
Well we all shine on like the moon, the stars, and the sun.
14 December 2011
83
I love George's turnip hair! also the orangey background.
"Now and then, though, someone does begin to grow differently. Instead of down, his feet grow up toward the sky. But we do our best to discourage awkward things like that."
"What happens to them?" insisted Milo.
"Oddly enough, they often grow ten times the size of everyone else," said Alec thoughtfully, "and I’ve heard that they walk among the stars."
–The Phantom Tollbooth
What's turnip hair? Sounds funny...
My favorite covers are Revolver and Abbey Road . Such great covers!! Love Klaus Voormann's work. Anyone ever checked out his website? He has some great Hamburg era drawings.
"You can manicure a cat but can you caticure a man?"
John Lennon- Skywriting by Word of Mouth
14 December 2011
85
Paul described in the Anthology George's hair in Beatles For Sale cover as "George's turnip" I think.
Here comes the sun….. Scoobie-doobie……
Something in the way she moves…..attracts me like a cauliflower…
Bop. Bop, cat bop. Go, Johnny, Go.
Beware of Darkness…
Offline
86
Ohhhhh I can't decide! Well, if your saying album only then a hard days night, or help. I carved my pumpkin at Halloween this year like the cover of help! But I you taking about albums OR singles, the hands down the Twist And Shout ep. Idk why, but I just love the pictures of them jumping!
***? "A Hard Day's Night" opening chord ?***
14 December 2011
Offline
87
BFS is my second favourite album cover. Its such a contrast to smiley happy cheery media presented beatles and shows that they were willing to be honest in how they were presenting themselves, even if it wasnt particularly noticed back in 1964. They could easily have done fake smiles and a real cheesy cover. The cover and album title brilliantly sums up how they felt at that time. And they still look great.
I was actually given a BFS poster that is absolutely massive, about 3 times the size of a standard poster, years ago from my brother. Its in a cupboard somewhere.
"I told you everything I could about me, Told you everything I could" ('Before Believing' - Emmylou Harris)
"Don't make your love suffer insecurities; Trade the baggage of 'self' to set another one free" ('Paper Skin' - Kendall Payne)
17 December 2011
98
fabfouremily said
I think mine might be With The Beatles . Not the obvious choice, I know, and not one of their 'iconic' covers either but I dunno, I like the simplicity of it, the sombre-ness, the fact that George looks so young still....
Actually, I think that's one of the most iconic album covers. It's also my favorite.
parlance
Beware of sadness. It can hit you. It can hurt you. Make you sore and what is more, that is not what you are here for. - George
Check out my fan video for Paul's song "Appreciate" at Vimeo or YouTube .
2 March 2013
100
fabfouremily said
Do you think so? When I speak to a lot of people (fans and not), they always mention Sgt. Pepper 's (obviously), Abbey Road and the White Album , too.
I think sometimes it's trendier to focus on the later albums. But of the early ones, I think WTB is the most recognizable/parodied (thinking of Seinfeld, for instance).
parlance
Beware of sadness. It can hit you. It can hurt you. Make you sore and what is more, that is not what you are here for. - George
Check out my fan video for Paul's song "Appreciate" at Vimeo or YouTube .
| Abbey Road |
For whom did Paul McCartney write Hey Jude? | The Beatles - Abbey Road - Amazon.com Music
The Beatles
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Release Date: 24-AUG-1988
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The Beatles' last days as a band were as productive as any major pop phenomenon that was about to split. After recording the ragged-but-right Let It Be, the group held on for this ambitious effort, an album that was to become their best-selling. Though all four contribute to the first side's writing, John Lennon's hard-rocking, "Come Together" and "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" make the strongest impression. A series of song fragments edited together in suite form dominates side two; its portentous, touching, official close ("Golden Slumbers"/"Carry That Weight"/"The End") is nicely undercut, in typical Beatles fashion, by Paul McCartney's cheeky "Her Majesty," which follows. --Rickey Wright
Product Details
Audio CD (October 25, 1990)
Number of Discs: 1
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HALL OF FAME TOP 1000 REVIEWER on January 4, 2000
Format: Audio CD
For years I accepted on faith that the best album ever made was Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. While that album remains a stunning example of the summer of love, the true trinity of the Beatles oeuvre are Rubber Soul, Revolver and Abbey Road--with the nod going to Abbey Road as the Beatles final studio album.
There is not a false note on this album. It kicks off with a powerful vocal from John Lennon on "Come Together," which is balanced by the tenderness of "Something," one of George Harrison's best songs (and only Beatles A-side single contribution). With "Because" Lennon wrote one of the loveliest melodies of his career. Even the silliness of McCartney's "Maxwell's Silver Hammer" and Ringo Starr's child-like "Octopus's Garden" exude charm and warmth from a band that was on the verge of fragmenting forever and taking some of the innocence of the sixties with them.
And then there's the side-2 suite (tracks 9-16)which still makes for powerful listening thirty years later. Sir Paul McCartney summed it all up in "The End": "And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make." And so the curtain rang down on the best rock 'n' roll band in our lifetime. ESSENTIAL
Here's a brief update of the 2009 remastered release of ABBEY ROAD:
THE SONGS: There are no new songs or demos included on this rerelease. It contains only the original tracks from the 1969 release.
THE REMASTERING: This CD has been remastered from the original stereo analogue master tapes. Since this is one of the few Beatles albums to be recorded in stereo (YELLOW SUBMARINE and LET IT BE are the only other two), there is no mono version. Read more ›
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What are the two States that are rectangular? | The Mathematical Tourist: Rectangular States and Kinky Borders
August 30, 2007
Rectangular States and Kinky Borders
On many maps of the United States, the states of Colorado and Wyoming appear to be rectangles.
Indeed, the enabling legislation creating the two states specifies their extent strictly in terms of lines of latitude and longitude, rather than rivers, mountain divides, or other geographical features. Wyoming stretches from 41°N to 45°N latitude and from 104° 3'W to 111° 3'W longitude. Colorado 's borders lie between 37°N and 41°N latitude and between 102° 3'W and 109° 3'W longitude. Originally, the lines of longitude were measured west from Washington, D.C.
However, on the surface of a sphere, although lines of latitude are parallel, lines of longitude converge as you go north or south away from the equator. So, the northern border of each state is a little shorter than its southern border. The difference for Colorado is about 21 miles.
Hence, to a first approximation, both states appear to be trapezoids rather than rectangles, though on a curved surface. A trapezoid has one set of parallel sides.
But there's an additional wrinkle that complicates the picture.
When the states were created, surveyors mapped their boundaries using transit and compass, chronometer, and astronomical readings. They also relied on data from previous surveys and interviews with residents of the affected areas. Following the appropriate lines of latitude and longitude as best as they could, the surveyors established the borders, marking them from milepost to milepost over distances stretching hundreds of miles.
The boundary between Utah and Colorado runs 276 miles from Four Corners (the only place in the United States where four states share a point) to the Wyoming border, for example. On its northward trek, the original survey ended up about 1 mile west of where the surveyors had expected to intersect the Wyoming line, indicating that the surveyed border had at least one kink in it. Indeed, subsequent surveys revealed a discrepancy between mileposts 81 and 89 (northward from Four Corners) and another between mileposts 100 and 110. The errors put kinks into what should have been a straight line.
There were similar surveying errors along other borders, including those that define Wyoming. Interestingly, once a border is defined on the ground and accepted by the interested parties, it becomes official, even if it doesn't follow the written description.
So, perhaps it's best to describe Colorado and Wyoming as polygons. And Utah can then join the group of states that are polygons. The trickier question is determining exactly how many sides these polygons have.
Colorado's legal border, for example, "is a polygon formed by a series of line segments that run between physical monuments that were put in place by . . . survey parties," Stan Wagon and John J. Watkins comment in the September College Mathematics Journal. "This polygon has hundreds of sides."
It's time to take a closer look at the borders and start counting. The main kink in the Utah-Colorado border is visible with a few clicks on a Google map , as is an abrupt jog in the border between Colorado and New Mexico.
References:
2007. Which states are polygons? College Mathematics Journal 38(September):259.
| colorado and wyoming |
What is the longest river in the USA ? | The Mathematical Tourist: Rectangular States and Kinky Borders
August 30, 2007
Rectangular States and Kinky Borders
On many maps of the United States, the states of Colorado and Wyoming appear to be rectangles.
Indeed, the enabling legislation creating the two states specifies their extent strictly in terms of lines of latitude and longitude, rather than rivers, mountain divides, or other geographical features. Wyoming stretches from 41°N to 45°N latitude and from 104° 3'W to 111° 3'W longitude. Colorado 's borders lie between 37°N and 41°N latitude and between 102° 3'W and 109° 3'W longitude. Originally, the lines of longitude were measured west from Washington, D.C.
However, on the surface of a sphere, although lines of latitude are parallel, lines of longitude converge as you go north or south away from the equator. So, the northern border of each state is a little shorter than its southern border. The difference for Colorado is about 21 miles.
Hence, to a first approximation, both states appear to be trapezoids rather than rectangles, though on a curved surface. A trapezoid has one set of parallel sides.
But there's an additional wrinkle that complicates the picture.
When the states were created, surveyors mapped their boundaries using transit and compass, chronometer, and astronomical readings. They also relied on data from previous surveys and interviews with residents of the affected areas. Following the appropriate lines of latitude and longitude as best as they could, the surveyors established the borders, marking them from milepost to milepost over distances stretching hundreds of miles.
The boundary between Utah and Colorado runs 276 miles from Four Corners (the only place in the United States where four states share a point) to the Wyoming border, for example. On its northward trek, the original survey ended up about 1 mile west of where the surveyors had expected to intersect the Wyoming line, indicating that the surveyed border had at least one kink in it. Indeed, subsequent surveys revealed a discrepancy between mileposts 81 and 89 (northward from Four Corners) and another between mileposts 100 and 110. The errors put kinks into what should have been a straight line.
There were similar surveying errors along other borders, including those that define Wyoming. Interestingly, once a border is defined on the ground and accepted by the interested parties, it becomes official, even if it doesn't follow the written description.
So, perhaps it's best to describe Colorado and Wyoming as polygons. And Utah can then join the group of states that are polygons. The trickier question is determining exactly how many sides these polygons have.
Colorado's legal border, for example, "is a polygon formed by a series of line segments that run between physical monuments that were put in place by . . . survey parties," Stan Wagon and John J. Watkins comment in the September College Mathematics Journal. "This polygon has hundreds of sides."
It's time to take a closer look at the borders and start counting. The main kink in the Utah-Colorado border is visible with a few clicks on a Google map , as is an abrupt jog in the border between Colorado and New Mexico.
References:
2007. Which states are polygons? College Mathematics Journal 38(September):259.
| i don't know |
What State was purchased from Russia in 1867 for 7.2 million dollars? | Milestones: 1866–1898 - Office of the Historian
Milestones: 1866–1898
Purchase of Alaska, 1867
The purchase of Alaska in 1867 marked the end of Russian efforts to expand trade and settlements to the Pacific coast of North America, and became an important step in the United States rise as a great power in the Asia-Pacific region. Beginning in 1725, when Russian Czar Peter the Great dispatched Vitus Bering to explore the Alaskan coast, Russia had a keen interest in this region, which was rich in natural resources and lightly inhabited. As the United States expanded westward in the early 1800s, Americans soon found themselves in competition with Russian explorers and traders. St. Petersburg, however, lacked the financial resources to support major settlements or a military presence along the Pacific coast of North America and permanent Russian settlers in Alaska never numbered more than four hundred. Defeat in the Crimean War further reduced Russian interest in this region.
Signing of the Alaska Treaty, 1867
Russia offered to sell Alaska to the United States in 1859, believing the United States would off-set the designs of Russia’s greatest rival in the Pacific, Great Britain. The looming U.S. Civil War delayed the sale, but after the war, Secretary of State William Seward quickly took up a renewed Russian offer and on March 30, 1867, agreed to a proposal from Russian Minister in Washington, Edouard de Stoeckl, to purchase Alaska for $7.2 million. The Senate approved the treaty of purchase on April 9; President Andrew Johnson signed the treaty on May 28, and Alaska was formally transferred to the United States on October 18, 1867. This purchase ended Russia’s presence in North America and ensured U.S. access to the Pacific northern rim.
For three decades after its purchase the United States paid little attention to Alaska, which was governed under military, naval, or Treasury rule or, at times, no visible rule at all. Seeking a way to impose U.S. mining laws, the United States constituted a civil government in 1884. Skeptics had dubbed the purchase of Alaska “Seward’s Folly,” but the former Secretary of State was vindicated when a major gold deposit was discovered in the Yukon in 1896, and Alaska became the gateway to the Klondike gold fields. The strategic importance of Alaska was finally recognized in World War II. Alaska became a state on January 3, 1959.
| Alaska |
Which Oscar nominated film of 2014 chronicles Martin Luther King's campaign to secure equal voting rights via an epic march? | U.S. buys Alaska from Russia, Oct. 18, 1867 - POLITICO
POLITICO
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On this day in 1867, the United States took possession of Alaska after purchasing the territory from Russia. The handover occurred in a ceremony in Sitka. The transfer price was $7.2 million, or about $110 million in today’s dollars. In the aftermath of the Civil War, the United States had acquired a remote and sparsely populated territory comprising586,412 square miles, about twice the size of Texas.
Czarist authorities in St. Petersburg sought to sell Alaska to the United States rather than risk losing it in a war with Great Britain, a European rival. In March 1867, Eduard de Stoeckl, the Russian envoy to the U.S., was authorized to negotiate a deal.
Story Continued Below
The Alaska purchase was championed by William Seward, secretary of state under Presidents Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson. Critics dubbed it “Seward’s folly,” “Seward’s icebox” and “Andrew Johnson’s Polar Bear Garden,” among other derogatory names. Nonetheless, the Senate went along on May 27, 1867. Johnson signed the agreement the next day.
Seward had invited wavering senators to dinner parties at his home near the White House. While his guests dined on fine food and wines, Seward told them how beautiful Russian America was reported to be.
In 1917, the third Alaska Territorial Legislature created Seward’s Day to mark the handover. That year, territorial lawmakers also designated Oct. 18 as Alaska Day. Many streets throughout Alaska are named after Seward. A city on the Kenai Peninsula bears his name — as do a glacier, a peninsula, a creek, a highway and mountains.
The name Alaska is derived from “Alayeksa,” an Aleut word meaning “great land.” Alaska became the 49th state on Jan. 3, 1959. Today, Alaska produces about about 15 percent of the crude oil produced in the U.S.
SOURCE: “WILLIAM SEWARD: THE MASTERMIND OF THE ALASKA PURCHASE,” BY ZACHARY KENT (2001)
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Who was the last British King to rule over the US colonies? | The Colonies Under British Rule
The Colonies Under British Rule
Historian Pauline Maier: "The British colonists saw the year 1763 as a great watershed in American history. In the past, a great semi-circle of "Catholic enemies" had hemmed them in from French Canada and Louisiana on their north and west to Spanish Florida in the south. But in 1763, the Peace of Paris gave all the lands between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mississippi River to Britain's young King George III. That change, the colonists assumed, would bring peace and security beyond anything they or their parents or their parents' parents had known. And now nothing would keep them from spilling beyond the Appalachian Mountains.
In the wave of patriotism that swept the colonies after the French and Indian War, no one doubted that the America of the future would be British. At the time, in fact, the various colonies had no ties with each other except through London and their shared British identity.
The Americans were particularly proud of being governed under the "British constitution," that is, Britain's form of government, which divided power among the King, Lords, and Commons, and which they, like many enlightened Europeans, considered the best mankind had ever devised for the protection of liberty. (Though they were appalled at the corruption and bribery involved in British politics.) Affection reinforced the imperial bond. One set of colonists after another testified that their hearts were "warmly attached to the King of Great Britain and the royal family."
The mystery is why, only thirteen years later, they declared their Independence. That mystery is not ours alone. It was the colonists' too. As events unfolded, they wondered at the unexpected course their history was taking, and sought explanations."
The Boston Tea Party
In 1773, however, trouble began again after Parliament tried to help the East India Company sell tea in the colonies at a price lower than that of smuggled tea. (Because it was sold directly to customers, the tea, even with the still-existing tax, was cheaper than before.) Colonists saw this "poisoned cheap tea" as an attempt by Parliament to lure them into accepting Parliament's right to tax them -- to raise a revenue, as the colonists said. They also objected to Parliament's actions in wiping out a whole class of American merchants. Parliament refused, however, to remove the old duty on tea, which, from the colonists' perspective, "poisoned" the East India Company's cheap tea. Again they resisted, but in as peaceful a manner as they could. Colonists in New York and Philadelphia, for example, convinced the captains of tea ships to turn around and take their cargoes back to England without paying the tea tax. In Boston, however, the tea ships entered the harbor before the opposition organized. Townsmen spent the next twenty days trying without success to get clearances so the ships could go back to sea. Governor Thomas Hutchinson, however, insisted that the tea would not be sent back -- that the law would be enforced. Then, on the night before the tea could be seized by the customs service, a group of men disguised as Indians boarded the ships and emptied 342 chests of tea into the water. The proceedings were amazingly quiet except for the "ploop, ploop, ploop" of tea dropping into the sea.
A young lawyer from the town of Braintree named John Adams, an obscure cousin of the better- known Boston leader, Samuel Adams, and by no means a lover of mobs, found the event "magnificent." The "Boston Tea Party," as it was later called, was "so bold, so daring, so firm, intrepid, and inflexible," and would have such important and lasting consequences, he said, that "I cannot but consider it as an epoch in history."
The British government proved him right. For the first time also the King became involved, viewing the actions of the Bostonians as rebellious. With George III's hearty approval, Parliament punished Boston with a series of "Coercive Acts" that the colonists promptly renamed the "Intolerable Acts." Among other things, they closed the port of Boston until the tea was paid for, throwing hundreds of people out of work. The Acts also altered the Massachusetts charter, suspending the assembly (known as the General Court) and preventing town meetings from gathering. Then Britain put Massachusetts under military rule, appointing General Thomas Gage as royal governor and sending troops to enforce his authority. From there on, the crisis got worse without respite.
At about the same time, but not as part of the Coercive Acts, the British Parliament, in an attempt to placate the French Catholic inhabitants of Quebec Province in Canada, passed the Quebec Act. This measure dropped the boundary of Quebec down to the Ohio River, thus depriving Americans, such as the investors in the Ohio Company, who included George Washington and Ben Franklin, of the opportunity to develop lands that they thought they owned in the Ohio country. The Quebec Act also recognized the Catholic Church as the official church in Quebec, and designated French civil law as the law system for the province. French civil law did not provide for a representative assembly and many colonists viewed the Catholic Church and its Pope as the spawn of Satan -- the "whore of Babylon spoken about in the Book of Revelations in the Bible. They viewed the Act as destructive of their Protestant religion and of political liberty because of its failure to provide a representative assembly. They regarded the act as betraying the beliefs, property, and rights of Englishmen.
(THE FOLLOWING IS VERY IMPORTANT FOR UNDERSTANDING HOW THE COLONISTS CAME TO VIEW THINGS AFTER THE COERCIVE ACTS AND THE QUEBEC ACT.)
Many colonists saw the Coercive Acts as proof of a plot to enslave the colonies. In truth, the taxes and duties, laws and regulations of the last decade were part of a deliberate design -- a commonsensical plan to centralize the administration of the British empire. But those efforts by the king's ministers and Parliament to run the colonies more efficiently and profitably were viewed by more and more Americans as a sinister conspiracy against their liberties.
For colonials, the study of history confirmed that interpretation, especially their reading of the histories written by those known as the English Opposition, men such as John Trenchard and Thomas Gordon who authored Cato's Letters. The Opposition's favorite historical subject was the downfall of republics, whether those of ancient Greece and Rome, or more recent republican governments in Venice and Denmark. The lesson of their histories was always the same: power overwhelmed liberty. Those who had the power would always seek more and ambitious politicians would always pursue the same strategies to replace representative government and popular freedom with tyranny. In all places and at all times in the past, the Opposition warned, the conspiracy against liberty unfolded in predictable stages that they called the "DARK SCENARIO."
1) First, the people of a republic were impoverished by costly wars -- something the colonists could well appreciate after the Seven Years' (French and Indian) War.
2)Then the government loaded the people with taxes to pay for those wars as in the case of the Stamp Act or Townshend Duties.
3) Next, the government stationed a standing army in the country, pretending to protect the people but actually lending military force to those in power. And, of course, troops had been unloaded in Boston harbor, were quartered in New York, and were making trouble wherever they appeared.
4) Then wicked men were favored with public offices and patronage to secure their loyalty and support for the foes of liberty. And how else could one describe the royal governors, customs collectors, and judges who now received salaries from the revenues of the Townshend Acts?
5) Those in power also deliberately promoted idleness, luxury, and extravagance to weaken the moral fiber of the people as could be seen in the consumption of tea encouraged by the low prices ensured by the Tea Act that still contained the odious tax.
6) Finally, those in power attempted to provoke the people to violent action in order to justify new oppression. Witness the Tea Act, followed by the Tea Party and the resulting Coercive Acts. Throw in the Quebec Act that had dropped the southern boundary of Quebec all the way down to the Ohio River, had recognized the Roman Catholic Church in Quebec as the official church there, and that had set up government without a representative assembly, and many colonials came to believe not only that ambitious men plotted to enslave the colonies but also that those conspirators included almost all British political leaders.
At the time of the Stamp Act and again during the agitation against the Townshend Acts, most colonials had confined their suspicions to the king's ministers. By 1774 in the minds of many colonials, members of Parliament were also implicated in that conspiracy -- and a few radicals were wondering aloud about George III.
"Dark Scenario" WKSHT (Complete the following):
1. Colonists interpreted British actions in light of their reading of the English ____________ writers, whose favorite topic was the fall of _________ and who argued that the lesson of history was that __________________________________________..
2. The �Opposition Writers,� who were read widely in America: claimed that power ________and that those in ________ always tried to acquire more.
3) The �Opposition Writers� claimed that those in power usually followed a �_________ __________� of six steps.
Complete the following chart:
The First Continental Congress
If Boston and Massachusetts could be punished so severely , how could New York or Pennsylvania or South Carolina feel safe?
Their response was to meet in a Congress. 55 delegates met in 1Philadelphia in 1774 in the1st Continental Congress. It was called to respond to the Intolerable Acts. Up to this point, there had been 13 separate protest movements against British policies that cooperated at certain times. At the First Continental Congress, �13 (actually twelve) separate clocks began to strike as one.� Twelve colonies, every one but Georgia, sent delegates to the "Continental Congress" in Philadelphia to coordinate their response. They turned to their old economic weapon albeit with more teeth, organizing a Continental Association to enforce non-importation and non-consumption of British goods, and non-exportation of American goods to Britain -- a complete trade embargo. Committees of public safety were formed in communities to enforce the trade ban and these began to function as local governments. In the Declaration of Rights and Grievances, the Congress also petitioned George III to intercede on the colonists' behalf, emphasizing the Americans' loyalty to their sovereign and conceding Parliament's right to regulate trade and control foreign and defense policy, but insisting that only the assemblies had the right to legislate on matters within the colonies themselves. They reaffirmed loyalty to the king and said that the colonies were tied to Britain through the Monarch. The members of Congress agreed to meet again in the spring of 1775 to see if their measures had been successful. But from 1774 to 1775 British rule in many colonies collapsed. And, by the time the Second Continental Congress met in 1775, fighting had already begun.
The King decided that the colonies were "in a state of rebellion," and that "blows must decide whether they are to be subject to this country or independent."
The Battles of Lexington and Concord
The blows began on April 19, 1775 after General Gage sent troops to seize colonial arms stored at the town of Concord, some twenty miles outside Boston. On the way they went through Lexington, where local militiamen on the town green began to disperse once they saw how outnumbered they were. Somewhere, someone fired a gun. Then the regulars emptied their muskets into the fleeing militiamen, killing eight and wounding ten.
Amos Doolittle recalled the scene in an engraving he made seven months later.
It is much like Revere's "Boston Massacre." Again Doolittle showed British soldiers, with their commander urging them on, shooting innocent colonists. Doolittle also recorded the regulars' march to Concord; an engagement between the provincials and regulars at Concord's North Bridge and, perhaps most interesting of all, the redcoats' retreat back to Boston, burning houses along the way, while militiamen from nearby towns shot at them.
The retreat from Concord almost finished off Gage's army. Once the remaining troops got back to camp in Boston, they pretty much had to stay there. The provincial army that formed across the river in Cambridge saw to that. An ordinary soldier, whose name is unknown, kept a journal of his life in the American army during 1775 and 1776. He had some trouble deciding just what to call the King's troops. He couldn't call them, as legend has it, "the British," since the colonists were still British. He wrote, of "the regulars," sometimes of "the Gageites." But after a while he found a better name -- "the enemy."
The Second Continental Congress
Within weeks of Lexington and Concord, a Second Continental Congress met in Philadelphia. It appointed one of its members, an uncommonly tall, dignified Virginian named George Washington, to take charge of the army at Cambridge. Washington had some military experience, none of it especially glorious and some of it disastrous. Even so, he had spent more time as a military officer than most any of his countrymen, and so was appalled at the dirty, disorderly men in the American camp.
Washington quickly began imposing discipline, trying desperately to transform that collection of patriots and adventure-seekers into a respectable army. Meanwhile, the Congress recruited men and officers and gathered military supplies. It took charge of the post office and Indian affairs. It also borrowed money, and eventually issued its own currency. In fact, the Second Continental Congress became the first government of the United States.
It had to assume those powers, it seemed, to prevent the British from crushing the Americans and ending their dream of finding a way to live as free men under the British flag. But reconciliation was becoming increasingly unlikely. The King refused to answer another petition from Congress even though it was written, in a scrupulously respectful way, by our old friend John Dickinson. The colonists' statements of loyalty, the King told Parliament, were meant "only to amuse" while they schemed to found an independent country. Wasn't the Congress seizing one power after another?
Thomas Paine's Common Sense
Then, in the opening weeks of 1776, Common Sense appeared. That pamphlet was the work of Thomas Paine, an Englishman of no particular distinction and little formal education, a man who had been trained as a corset-maker and dismissed from the English customs service before arriving in America less than two years before he wrote Common Sense. With language that spoke to ordinary people, it said what so many native-born colonists were afraid to say. The time had come for America to go her separate way.
The problem wasn't the ministers, or the Parliament, or even George III as a person, although Paine did call him "the royal brute of Britain". It was the "so much boasted constitution of England." The British system of government, Paine argued, had two deadly flaws -- monarchy and hereditary rule. Only by governing themselves could Americans secure their freedom and realize the peace that they so deeply desired. Paine also painted a picture of the role that he envisioned for America. ( Read these short excerpts. )
Common Sense spread through the colonies like wildfire, opening among the people a debate over independence that was already well underway among congressmen. And yet, when they looked back over the previous decade, the colonists wondered at the road they had traveled. How, the freemen of Virginia's Buckingham County asked in the spring of 1776, had Britain and America become so "incensed" with each other?
It began at Lexington and Concord. �Shots heard round the world.�
Battle of Bunker Hill- June 1775
�A constitutional argument within the family had become a blood feud.�
The Road to Independence
It took over a year of fighting before the second continental congress declared independence- such was the strong emotional connection to the king. But events between1775 and the late spring/summer of 1776 eroded the bonds of loyalty to the king. Still, during the war, 20% of Americans were Loyalists (Tories), and 33% (some historians argue 40-45%) were Patriots (Whigs).
Factors that eroded allegiance to the king:
The reality of continuous war eroded loyalty.
June 1775: Battle of Bunker Hill
It showed that Americans would fight British regulars.
1775-1776: Americans invaded Canada led by Richard Montgomery
2. The King�s actions also weakened colonial attachment to him.
February 1775: declared the colonies in rebellion and outside his protection. British Naval Blockade burned Falmouth and Maine.
He rejected the Olive Branch Petition (proposed by John Dickinson of the 2nd Continental Congress)
He hired 30,00 German mercenaries (Hessians) from the German State of Hesse. There was a real sense of betrayal. "Daddy"
had hired foreigners to kill Americans. American colonists really resented his use for troops against his own people.
The Second Continental Congress began acting like an independent government.
- It created a Continental Army and placed George Washington in command
- It issued paper money called �Continentals�
- It secretly contacted France to obtain supplies and trading rights
American victories in 1775-1776 made independence seem possible, militarily. Washington forced the British to evacuate Boston from 1775-1776.
- Lord Dunmore was defeated and driven out of Virginia. He had recruited runaway slaves for his forces at the Battle of Great Bridge. Black British troops with �Liberty for Slaves� emblazoned on their chest fought against Virginia Whigs/patriots who also fought for liberty
- American forces in South Carolina and Georgia repelled British attacks against Charleston and Savannah
-- The British had been expelled from most of North America by mid 1776.
In January 1776, Thomas Paine published Common Sense. It was a popular sensation and one of the most influential pieces of writing in American history. He wrote in a very plain style aimed at farmers, those in taverns, etc. Paine argued for independence and was radical on the behalf of liberty. He savaged the institution of monarchy and the present George III. He said America would prosper independently as long as eating remained the habit in Europe. He redefined America�s sense of mission � �Refuge for Liberty.� Last words of the pamphlet: "Tis time to part."
The Declaration of Independence
The British saw everything the colonists did to protect their rights as a great outrage. Step by step, mutual confidence and affection had slipped away until they were beyond all hope of recovery. As a result, Buckingham County called for "a total and final separation from Great Britain. Then, perhaps "some foreign power may, for their own interest, lend an assisting hand."
That became imperative once the colonists learned that George III had hired German soldiers to help put down their "rebellion." Unless the colonists also got outside support, they would surely be destroyed. It was do or die.
Not everyone agreed. In the end, about a fifth of all colonists remained loyal to Britain. (Read the segment "American Loyalists" in your textbook, pp. 160-162. Nonetheless, on July 2nd, 1776, twelve colonies approved a resolution that "these united colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent states, that they are dissolved from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain is and ought to be totally dissolved." A week later New York made the decision unanimous.
After approving independence, Congress spent two days editing a draft declaration submitted by a committee and its draftsman, a thirty-three old Virginian named Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson's reputation as an eloquent writer preceded his appearance in Congress a year earlier. Now, as the delegates hacked away at his prose, changing words, cutting large passages, rewriting much of the last paragraph, Jefferson suffered visibly. Later he complained bitterly that the delegates had "mutilated" his text." View the Deleted Passage over the slave trade. South Carolina and Georgia insisted that it be deleted as the price for their signing the Declaration.
On July 4th, the delegates finished their editorial work and ordered the declaration printed and distributed so it could be read "at the head of the Army" and "proclaimed" throughout the land. In that way the people learned that a new nation, the United States of America, had assumed a "separate and equal station" among the "powers of the earth." Read the annotated Declaration of Independence and also read this short analysis
They celebrated independence by shouting "huzzah," shooting off canons, and watching militia companies parade. Crowds tore down or destroyed symbols of royalty on taverns and public buildings. In New York, people pulled a bronze statue of George III from its pedestal and sent it off to Connecticut, where patriotic women melted the statue down and used the metal to make bullets.
When Americans of 1776 cited the Declaration of Independence, they quoted the last paragraph, the one in which Congress declared that "these united colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent states." Little attention, indeed, so far as I can tell, none at all, was given to the document's second paragraph, which began: "We hold these truths to be self-evident; that all men are created equal." Those ideas were expressed in many other contemporary writings. But only the Declaration announced American independence.
And that was the news in 1776.
The War for Independence
To declare independence was one thing; to win it was another. While Congress whittled away at Jefferson's prose, a massive British fleet arrived at New York. After evacuating Boston, the British had assembled one of the largest sea and land forces ever seen in North America to end this pesky colonial rebellion once and for all. They almost succeeded.
In 1776, the American Army suffered one defeat after another. Washington broke the downward spiral with small but significant victories at Trenton and Princeton, New Jersey, in late December and early January. By then he had convinced Congress that the American cause could not depend on local militiamen, who would serve only for short periods and preferred to remain near their homes. It needed an army of trained soldiers and officers willing to sign up for long terms of service in return for concrete rewards including bounties, respectable pay, and the promise of land at the war's end.
Thereafter the American cause was primarily defended not by men defending their homes and families, as at Lexington and Concord, but by young, single men, both white and black, with little if any property. Militiamen sometimes supported the Continental Army, as at Saratoga, New York, where they gathered from all over New England to stop an invasion from Canada under the British general "Gentleman Johnny" Burgoyne in October 1777.
The victory at Saratoga gave the signal for France, which was hesitant to join the United States in a losing war, to negotiate an alliance with the Americans. That tipped the odds against Britain. Thereafter, Britain concentrated its attention on the South, where it set off a brutish, bloody civil war between Patriot and Loyalist Carolonians. Finally, the British commander, Lord Charles Cornwallis, turned east and settled in at Yorktown, Virginia, on the Chesapeake Bay, waiting for supplies and reinforcements.
Washington and a large body of French troops moved in and mounted a siege while the French fleet prevented the British from rescuing Cornwallis. On October 18, some three years after Saratoga, Cornwallis surrendered. When the British minister learned the news, he exclaimed, "Oh God, it is all over."
And so another group of negotiators gathered in Paris. The Americans, including the wily Benjamin Franklin and honest John Adams, won extraordinarily favorable terms. The trans-Appalachian west became part of the United States, along with all the land between Canada and the northern border of Florida. And Britain recognized the United States as an independent nation.
Not 1763, but 1776 turned out to mark the great watershed in American history. How would life be different on the other side of that great divide? Now, at least, the Americans could decide that themselves.
Perhaps the last word on the complex causes of the Revolution should be left to an obscure participant, Levi Preston, a Minuteman from Danvers, Massachusetts.
Asked sixty-seven years after Lexington and Concord about British oppressions, the ninety-one year-old veteran responded to his his young interviewer, "What were they? Oppressions I didn't feel them. He was then asked, "What, were you not oppressed by the Stamp Act? Preston replied that he "never saw one of those stamps. . . I am certain I never paid a penny for one of them. [They had been destroyed.] What about the tax on tea? "Tea-tax! I never drank a drop of the stuff; the boys threw it all overboard." His interviewer finally asked why he decided to fight for independence. "Young man," Preston replied, "what we meant in going for those redcoats was this: we had always had governed ourselves, and we always meant to. They didn't mean we should."
| George III of the United Kingdom |
What drink was invented by pharmacist Caleb Bradham in North Carolina in 1893, and marketed under the heading Delicious and Healthful? | SparkNotes: The Declaration of Independence (1776): List of Abuses and Usurpations
List of Abuses and Usurpations
The Declaration of Independence (1776)
Thomas Jefferson
List of Abuses and Usurpations
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List of Abuses and Usurpations, page 2
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Summary
The colonies have suffered 27 at the hands of the King George III. Each of these abuses has been directed at the colonies for the purpose of establishing a tyrannical government in North America. Jefferson claims that the colonists have patiently suffered these abuses and that it is now time to expose these abuses to the nations of the world.
The first 12 abuses involve King George III's establishment of a tyrannical authority in place of representative government. The foundation of representative government is the power of the people to make laws for the public good. King George III interfered with that process by rejecting legislation proposed by the colonies, dissolving colonial bodies of representation, replacing colonial governments with his appointed ministers, and interfering with the naturalization of citizens in new regions. King George III extended his tyrannical control by interfering with the objective judicial processes and the civil rights of the colonists. King George III prevented the establishment of judicial powers in the colonies and made judges dependent on him for their jobs and salaries. King George III further established tyrannical control by maintaining a strong military presence under his direct command. The King is a tyrant, because he keeps standing armies in the colonies during a time of peace, makes the military power superior to the civil government, and forces the colonists to support the military presence through increased taxes.
Abuses 13 through 22 describe the involvement of parliament in destroying the colonists' right to self-rule. The king has "combined with others" to subject the colonists to legislation passed without colonial input or consent. Legislation has been passed to quarter troops in the colonies, to shut off trade with other parts of the world, to levy taxes without the consent of colonial legislatures, to take away the right to trial by jury, and to force colonists to be tried in England. Additionally, legislation has established absolute rule in a nearby area, taken away the authority of colonial governments, and forbidden further legislation by colonial governments.
The last 5 abuses, 23 through 27, refer to specific actions that the King of Great Britain took to abandon the colonies and to wage war against them. The King has attempted to suppress the colonial rebellion through violence and military means. He sent the British military to attack colonists, burn their towns, attack their ships at sea, and destroy the lives of the people. He hired foreign mercenaries to fight against the colonies. He kidnapped American sailors to force them into British military service, refused to protect the colonies from Native American attack, and has caused colonists to fight against each other.
Commentary
The list of abuses reflects the colonists' belief that their rights as British Citizens had been slowly eroded ever since the French and Indian War ended in 1763. Although the Declaration does not name the specific legislation passed by Parliament, its listing of the abuses and usurpation effectively covers the history of the King and Parliament's attempts to gain more power and control over the colonies. The list crescendos with the most offensive actions, aimed at total suppression of the colonies, that were put into effect just prior to the signing of the Declaration.
Many of the acts that the Declaration criticizes were intended to tighten royal control over the colonies. The history of Parliament's acts unfolded over a period of 13 years during which royal attempts to squash the civil liberties of colonists met with heightened colonial resistance. Beginning with The Proclamation of 1763, Parliament stripped colonists of the right to settle in the land between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River. This meant that although many colonists had given their lives to defend that land from the French, they would not be permitted to reap the benefits. Shortly after the proclamation, Parliament decided that the colonies would help repay the war debts, and enacted laws such as the Sugar Act (1764), the Stamp Tax (1765), the Townshend Acts (1767) and the Tea Act (1773). When the colonists protested against these acts, the King and Parliament responded by further suppressing the rights of colonists. Legislation in 1774 referred to by colonists as the "Intolerable Acts" struck especially hard at the civil rights of the colony of Massachusetts.
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The Path Of The Righteous Man quote from the film Pulp Fiction comes from which Book of the Bible? | Pulp Fiction - Wikiquote
Pulp Fiction
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Pulp Fiction is a 1994 film about the lives of two mob hit men, a boxer, a gangster's wife, and a pair of diner bandits that intertwine in four tales of violence and redemption.
Written and directed by Quentin Tarantino .
You won't know the facts until you've seen the fiction. Taglines
Contents
Jules Winnfield[ edit ]
I been saying that shit for years. And if you heard it, that meant your ass. I never gave much thought to what it meant. I just thought it was some cold-blooded shit to say to a motherfucker before I popped a cap in his ass. But I saw some shit this morning made me think twice. See, now I'm thinking, maybe it means you're the evil man, and I'm the righteous man, and Mr. 9 Millimeter here? He's the shepherd protecting my righteous ass in the valley of darkness. Or it could mean you're the righteous man and I'm the shepherd and it's the world that's evil and selfish. Now I'd like that. But that shit ain't the truth. The truth is…you're the weak, and I am the tyranny of evil men. But I'm trying, Ringo. I'm trying real hard to be the shepherd.
Marsellus Wallace[ edit ]
[to Butch] The night of the fight, you may feel a slight sting. That's pride fucking with you. Fuck pride. Pride only hurts. It never helps. You fight through that shit.
[to Butch] This business is filled to the brim with unrealistic motherfuckers. Motherfuckers who think their ass will age like wine. If you mean it turns to vinegar...it does. If you mean it gets better with age...it don't.
Captain Koons[ edit ]
[To young Butch] Hello, little man. Boy, I sure heard a bunch about you. See, I was a good friend of your dad's. We were in that Hanoi pit of hell together over five years. Hopefully, you'll never have to experience this yourself, but when two men are in a situation like me and your dad were for as long as we were, you take on certain responsibilities of the other. If it'd been me who'd - not made it, Major Coolidge'd be talking right now to my son Jim. But the way it turned out, I'm talking to you. Butch. I got somethin' for ya. This watch I got here was first purchased by your great-grandfather during the first World War. It was bought in a little general store in Knoxville, Tennessee. Made by the first company to ever make wrist watches. Up 'til then, people just carried pocket watches. It was bought by Private Doughboy Erine Coolidge on the day he set sail for Paris. This was your great-grandfather's war watch and he wore it everyday he was in that war, and when he'd done his duty, he went home to your great-grandmother, took the watch off, put it in an old coffee can, and in that can it stayed until your granddad, Dane Coolidge, was called upon by his country to go overseas and fight the Germans once again. This time they called it World War II.
Your great-grandfather gave this watch to your granddad for good luck. Unfortunately, Dane's luck wasn't as good as his old man's. Dane was a Marine and he was killed -- along with all the other Marines at the battle of Wake Island. Your granddad was facing death. He knew it. None of those boys had any illusions about ever leavin' that island alive, so three days before the Japanese took the island, your granddad asked a gunner on an Air Force transport, name of Winocki - a man he had never met before in his life - to deliver to his infant son who he'd never seen in the flesh, his gold watch. Three days later, your granddad was dead, but Winocki kept his word. After the war was over, he paid a visit to your grandmother, delivering to your infant father his dad's gold watch. This watch. [He holds the watch up] This watch was on your daddy's wrist when he was shot down over Hanoi. He was captured, put in a Vietnamese prison camp. He knew that if the gooks ever saw the watch, it'd be confiscated and taken away. The way your Dad looked at it, this watch was your birthright. He'd be damned if any slope's gonna put their greasy, yellow hands on his boy's birthright, so he hid it in one place he knew he could hide something - his ass. Five long years he wore this watch up his ass. Then, he died of dysentery. He gave me the watch. I hid this uncomfortable hunk of metal up my ass two years. Then, after seven years, I was sent home to my family. Now, little man, I give the watch to you.
Dialogue[ edit ]
Yolanda: This place? A coffee shop?
Ringo: What's wrong with that? Nobody ever robs restaurants. Why not? Bars, liquor stores, gas stations; you get your head blown off sticking up one of them. Restaurants, on the other hand, you catch with their pants down. They're not expecting to get robbed. Not as expectant, anyway.
Yolanda: I bet you could cut down on the hero factor in a place like this.
Ringo: Correct. Just like banks, these places are insured. Manager? He don't give a fuck. He's just trying to get you out the door before you start plugging the diners. Waitresses? Fucking forget it. No way are they taking a bullet for the register. Busboy, some wetback getting paid a dollar fifty an hour, really give a fuck you're stealing from the owner? Customers are sitting there with food in their mouths; they don't know what's going on. One minute they're having a Denver omelette; the next minute, someone's sticking a gun in their face.
Jules Winnfield: Okay, so, tell me about the hash bars.
Vincent Vega: So what you want to know?
Jules: Well, hash is legal there, right?
Vincent: Yeah, it's legal, but it ain't a hundred percent legal. I mean, you can't walk into a restaurant, roll a joint, and start puffin' away. They want you to smoke in your home or certain designated places.
Jules: Those are hash bars?
Vincent: Breaks down like this, okay: it's legal to buy it, it's legal to own it, and if you're the proprietor of a hash bar, it's legal to sell it. It's illegal to carry it, but that doesn't really matter 'cause, get a load of this, all right; if you get stopped by the cops in Amsterdam, it's illegal for them to search you. I mean, that's a right the cops in Amsterdam don't have.
Jules: [laughing] Oh, man. I'm going, that's all there is to it. I'm fucking going.
Vincent: Yeah, baby, you'd dig it the most. But you know what the funniest thing about Europe is?
Jules: What?
Vincent: It's the little differences. I mean, they got the same shit over there that we got here, but it's just...it's just, there it's a little different.
Jules: Example?
Vincent: All right. Well, you can walk into a movie theater in Amsterdam and buy a beer. And I don't mean just like in no paper cup; I'm talking about a glass of beer. And in Paris, you can buy a beer at McDonald's. And you know what they call a Quarter Pounder with Cheese in Paris?
Jules: They don't call it a Quarter Pounder with Cheese?
Vincent: Nah, man, they got the metric system. They wouldn't know what the fuck a Quarter Pounder is.
Jules: What do they call it?
Vincent: They call it a " Royale with Cheese ."
Jules: "Royale with Cheese."
Jules: What do they call a Big Mac?
Vincent: A Big Mac's a Big Mac, but they call it " Le Big Mac ."
Jules: [in mock French accent] "Le Big Mac." [laughs] What do they call a Whopper?
Vincent: I don't know, I didn't go in a Burger King.
Vincent: [about a foot massage] It's layin' your hands in a familiar way on Marsellus' new wife. I mean, is it as bad as eatin' her pussy out? No, but it's the same fuckin' ballpark.
Jules: Whoa, whoa, whoa. Stop right there. Eating a bitch out and giving a bitch a foot massage ain't even the same fucking thing.
Vincent: It's not. It's the same ballpark.
Jules: Ain't no fucking ballpark neither. Now, look, maybe your method of massage differs from mine, but, you know, touching his wife's feet and sticking your tongue in the holiest of holies ain't the same fucking ballpark. It ain't the same league. It ain't even the same fucking sport. Look, foot massages don't mean shit.
Vincent: Have you ever given a foot massage?
Jules: Don't be telling me about foot massages, I'm the foot fuckin' master.
Vincent: Given a lot of them?
Jules: Shit, yeah. I got my technique down and everything, I don't be tickling or nothing.
Vincent: Would you give a guy a foot massage?
Jules: [pause] Fuck you.
Vincent: You give them a lot?
Jules: Fuck you.
Vincent: You know, I'm getting kinda tired, I could use a foot massage myself.
Jules: Yo, yo, yo, man, you best back off. I'm getting pissed here. This is the door.
Vincent: There it is.
Jules: What time you got?
Vincent: [looks at his watch] 7:22 in the a.m.
Jules: No, it's not time yet. Let's hang back. [they go into an empty hallway] Look, just 'cause I wouldn't give no man a foot massage don't make it right for Marsellus to throw Antoine into a glass motherfucking house, fucking up the way the nigga talks. That shit ain't right. Motherfucker do that shit to me, he better paralyze my ass because I'd kill the motherfucker. Know what I'm saying?
Vincent: I ain't saying it's right. But you're saying a foot massage don't mean nothing, and I'm saying it does. Now, look, I've given a million ladies a million foot massages, and they all meant something. We act like they don't, but they do, and that's what's so fucking cool about them. There's a sensuous thing going on where you don't talk about it, but you know it, she knows it, fucking Marsellus knew it, and Antoine should have fucking better known better. I mean, that's his fucking wife, man. He ain't gonna have no sense of humor about that shit. You know what I'm saying?
Jules: That's an interesting point. [pause] C'mon, let's get into character.
Jules: Looks like me and Vincent caught you boys at breakfast. Sorry about that. Whatcha having?
Brett: Uh, hamburgers.
Jules: Hamburgers! The cornerstone of any nutritious breakfast! What kind of hamburgers?
Brett: Uh, Ch-cheeseburgers.
Jules: No, where'd you get them? McDonald's, Wendy's, Jack in the Box, WHERE?
Brett: Um, Big Kahuna Burgers.
Jules: Big Kahuna Burgers! That's that Hawaiian burger joint. I hear they've got some tasty burgers. I ain't never had one myself, how are they?
Brett: G-Good.
Jules: You mind if I try one of yours? This is yours here, right?
Brett: Yeah.
[Jules takes a bite of the Hamburger]
Jules: Mmm, this is a tasty burger! Vincent, you ever had a Big Kahuna Burger? (Vincent shakes his head) Want a bite, they're real tasty.
Vincent: Ain't hungry.
Jules: Well, if you like burgers, give them a try sometime. Me, I can't usually get 'em because my girlfriend's a vegetarian, which, pretty much makes me a vegetarian. I do love the taste of a good burger. (turns to Brett) You know what they call a Quarter Pounder with cheese in France?
Brett: Um, no.
Jules: "Royale with cheese." Know why they call it that?
Brett: Uh, because of the the metric system?
Jules: (smiles at Brett) Check out the big brain on Brett! You're a smart motherfucker. That's right, the metric system.
Brett: [to Jules] Look, I'm sorry, I-I didn't get your name. I got yours, uh, Vincent, right? But-But I-I never got your...
Jules: My name is Pitt, and your ass ain't talking your way outta this shit.
Brett: [rising] No, no, no. I just want you to know how – [Jules motions him to sit down] I just want you to know how sorry we are that-that things got so fucked up with us and-and Mr. Wallace. I-I-It...we-we got into this thing with the best intentions. Really. I never...
[Jules shoots Roger, Brett recoils in horror]
Jules: Oh, I'm sorry. Did I break your concentration? I didn't mean to do that. Please, continue. You were sayin' something about "best intentions"? [silence] What's the matter? Oh, y-you were finished? Oh, well, allow me to retort. What does Marsellus Wallace look like?
Brett: ..What?
Jules: [throws the small table in the room] What country are you from!?
Brett: Wha-what?
Jules: "What" ain't no country I ever heard of! They speak English in "What"!?
Brett: What?
Jules: English, motherfucker! Do you speak it!?
Brett: Yes!!
Jules: Then you know what I'm saying!
Brett: Yes..!
Jules: Describe what Marsellus Wallace looks like!!
Brett: Wha-what I—?
Jules: [points gun directly in Brett's face] Say "what" again! SAY "what" again! I dare you! I double-dare you, motherfucker! Say "what" one more goddamn time!
Brett: H-H-He's black...
Jules: Does he look like a bitch?
Brett: What? [Jules shoots Brett in the shoulder] AGHH!! Anh..!!
Jules: DOES—HE—LOOK... LIKE—A BITCH!!?
Brett: NO!!
Jules: Then why'd you try to fuck 'im like a bitch, Brett?
Brett: I didn't...!
Jules: Yes, you did! YES, you DID, Brett! You tried to fuck him.
Brett: No... no....
Jules But Marsellus Wallace don't like to be fucked by anybody except Mrs. Wallace. You read the Bible, Brett?
Brett: [gasping for breath] Yes...!
Jules: Well, there's this passage I've got memorized, it sorta fits the occasion. Ezekiel 25:17? "The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the iniquities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he who in the name of charity and good will shepherds the weak through the valley of darkness, for he is truly his brother's keeper and the finder of lost children. [begins pacing about the room] And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy my brothers. And you will know my name is the Lord... [pulls out his gun and aims at Brett] ...when I lay my vengeance upon thee."
[Brett shrieks in horror as Jules and Vincent shoot him repeatedly]
Marvin: Oh fuck. I'm fucked. Oh fuck, oh fuck.
Vincent: Is he a friend of yours?
Jules: Hmm? Oh, Vincent, Marvin. Marvin, Vincent.
Vincent: Better tell him to shut the fuck up, he's getting on my nerves.
Jules: Marvin. Marvin. Marvin! I'd knock that shit off if I was you.
Vincent: You ever seen that show "Cops"? I was watching it one time and there was this cop on, and he was talking about this gun fight he had in the hallway with this guy, right and he just unloaded on this guy and nothing happened, he didn't hit nothing. Okay it was just him and this guy. I mean you know, it's freaky but it happens.
Jules: Look you want to play blind man, go walk with the shepherd, but me - my eyes are wide fucking open.
Vincent: The fuck does that mean?
Jules: I mean that's it for me, from here on in you consider my ass retired.
Vincent: Jesus Christ...
Vincent: God damn it Jules...
Jules: I said don't do that!
Vincent: Hey, you know why the fuck you fucking freaking out on us?
Jules: Look, I'm telling Marsellus today, I'm through.
Vincent: But why don't you tell him at the same time, why?
Jules: Don't worry I will.
Vincent: Yeah, and I bet you ten thousand dollars he laughs his ass off.
Jules: I don't give a damn if he does.
Vincent: Marvin, what do you make of all this?
Marvin: Man, I don't even have an opinion.
Vincent: Well you got to have an opinion! I mean do you think that God came down from heaven and stopped the ... [Vincent's gun goes off]
Jules: Oh! The fuck's happening?! Ah!
Vincent: Oh shit!
Vincent: Oh, man, I shot Marvin in the face!
Jules: What!? Why the fuck'd you do that?!
Vincent: Well, I didn't mean to do it was an accident.
Jules: Oh man, I seen some crazy ass shit in my time, but this...
Vincent: Chill out man, I told you it was an accident, you probably went over a bump or something.
Jules: Hey, the car ain't hit no motherfucking bump.
Vincent: Hey look man, I didn't mean to shoot the son of a bitch, the gun went off I don't know why.
Jules: Well look at this fucking mess man! We're on a city street in broad day light here.
Vincent: I don't believe it man!
Jules: Well, believe it now MOTHERFUCKER, we got to get this car off the road! You know cops tend to notice shit like you're driving a car drenched in fucking blood!
Vincent: Just take it to a friendly place that's all.
Jules: This is the valley, Vincent. Marsellus ain't got no friendly places in the valley.
Vincent: Well Jules this ain't my fucking town man!!
Jules: Shit!
Jules: Calling my partner in Toluca Lake.
Vincent: Wheres Toluca Lake?
Jules: Just over the hill here, over by the Burbank studios. Look man, if Jimmie's ass ain't home I don't know what the fuck we going to do man, cause I don't got no other partners in 818. [over the telephone] Jimmie, yo', how you doing man, it's Jules. Just listen up man, me and my homeboy in some serious fucking shit, we're in a car we need to get off the road pronto, can we use your garage for a couple hours...
Mia Wallace: Don't you hate that?
Vincent: Hate what?
Mia: Uncomfortable silences. Why do we feel it's necessary to yak about bullshit in order to be comfortable?
Vincent: I don't know. That's a good question.
Mia: That's when you know you've found somebody really special: you can just shut the fuck up for a minute and comfortably share silence.
Mia Wallace: So, did you think of something to say?
Vincent Vega: As a matter of fact, I did. However, you seem like a really nice person, and I don't want to offend you.
Mia Wallace: Ooh! This doesn't sound like the usual mindless, boring, getting-to-know-you chit-chat. This sounds like you have something to say.
[Butch has saved Marsellus, who was being raped by Zed]
Butch: You okay?
Marsellus: ...Nah, man. I'm pretty fucking far from okay.
[Zed, who had just been shot by Marsellus, screams and moans in agony]
Butch: What now?
Marsellus: What now? Let me tell you what now. Imma call a couple of hard, pipe-hittin' niggas to go to work on the homes here with a pair of pliers and a blow torch. [to Zed] You hear me talking, hillbilly boy? I ain't through with you by a damn sight. Imma get medieval on yo' ass.
Butch: I meant, what now between me and you.
Marsellus: Oh, that "what now." I tell you what now between me and you. There is no "me and you". Not no more.
Butch: So we cool?
Marsellus: Yeah, we cool. Two things: don't tell nobody about this. This shit is between me, you, and Mr. soon-to-be-living-the-rest-of-his-short-ass-life-in-agonizing-pain rapist here. It ain't nobody else's business. Two: you leave town tonight, right now, and when you gone, you stay gone, or you be gone. You lost all your LA privileges. Deal?
Butch: Deal.
Marsellus: Now get your ass out of here.
Fabienne: Whose motorcycle is this?
Butch: It's a chopper, baby.
Fabienne: Whose chopper is this?
Butch: It's Zed's.
Fabienne: Who's Zed?
Butch: Zed's dead, baby. Zed's dead.
Jules: Mmm. Goddamn, Jimmie. This is some serious gourmet shit. Usually, me and Vince would be happy with some freeze-dried Taster's Choice, right? And he springs this serious gourmet shit on us. What flavor is this?
Jimmie: Knock it off, Julie.
Jules: What?
Jimmie: I don't need you to tell me how fucking good my coffee is, okay? I'm the one who buys it, I know how good it is. When Bonnie goes shopping, she buys shit. Me, I buy the gourmet expensive stuff because when I drink it, I want to taste it. But you know what's on my mind right now? It ain't the coffee in my kitchen, it's the dead nigger in my garage.
Jules: Oh, Jimmie, don't even worry about that.
Jimmie: No, I wanna ask you a question. When you came pullin' in here, did you notice a sign out in front of my house that said "Dead Nigger Storage"?
Jules: Jimmie, you know I ain't seen no...
Jimmie: [shouting] Did you notice a sign out in front of my house that said "Dead Nigger Storage"?
Jules: No, I didn't.
Jimmie: [shouting] You know why you didn't see that sign?
Jules: Why?
Jimmie: [still shouting] 'Cause it ain't there, 'cause storing dead niggers ain't my fucking business, that's why.
Jules: But Jimmie, we ain't gonna store the motherfucker.
Jimmie: No, no, no, no, no, don't you fucking realize, man, that if Bonnie comes home and finds a dead body in her house, I'm gonna get divorced? All right? No marriage counseling, no trial separation, I'm going to get fucking divorced, okay? And I don't want to get fucking divorced. Now man, you know, fuck, I wanna help you, but I don't want to lose my wife doing it, all right?
Jules: Jimmie, Jimmie, she ain't gonna leave you.
Jimmie: Don't fucking "Jimmie" me, Jules, okay? Don't fucking "Jimmie" me. There's nothing that you're gonna say that's gonna make me forget that I love my wife, is there? Now look, you know, she comes home from work in about an hour and a half. Graveyard shift at the hospital. You gotta make some phone calls? You gotta call some people? Well, then do it. And then get the fuck out of my house before she gets here.
Jules: Hey, that's Kool and the Gang. You know, we don't wanna fuck your shit up. All we wanna do is call my people and get them to bring us in, that's all.
Jimmie: You don't wanna fuck my shit up? You're fucking up my shit right now. You're gonna fuck my shit up big time if Bonnie comes home. So just do me that favor, all right? The phone is in my bedroom, I suggest you get going.
Marsellus: [calmly] Yeah, I grasp that, Jules. All I'm doing is contemplating the ifs.
Jules: [nervous] I don't wanna hear 'bout no motherfucking ifs. All I wanna hear from your ass is, "You ain't got no problem, Jules, I'm on the motherfucker. Go back in there, chill them niggas out and wait for the cavalry, which should be coming directly".
Marsellus: You ain't got no problem, Jules. I'm on the motherfucker. Go back in there and chill them niggas out and wait for The Wolf, who should be coming directly.
Jules: [Jules pauses and becomes calm] You sending The Wolf?
Marsellus: Oh, you feel better, motherfucker?
Jules: [laughing] Shit, negro, that's all you had to say!
Vincent: A "please" would be nice.
The Wolf: Come again?
Vincent: I said a "please" would be nice.
The Wolf: Get it straight, Buster. I'm not here to say "please". I'm here to tell you what to do. And if self-preservation is an instinct you possess, you better fucking do it and do it quick. I'm here to help. If my help's not appreciated, lots of luck, gentlemen.
Jules: No no, Mr. Wolfe, it's not like that. Your help is definitely appreciated.
Vincent: Look, Mr. Wolfe, I respect you. I just don't like people barking orders at me, that's all.
The Wolf: If I'm curt with you, it's because time is a factor. I think fast, I talk fast, and I need you two guys to act fast if you want to get out of this. So pretty please, with sugar on top, clean the fucking car.
Jules: [while cleaning the bloodied car] Oh man, I will never forgive your ass for this shit. This is some fucked up repugnant shit.
Vincent: Jules, did you ever hear the philosophy that once a man admits that he is wrong, that he is immediately forgiven for all wrongdoings? Have you ever heard that?
Jules: Get the fuck outta my face with that shit. The motherfucker who said that shit never had to pick up itty bitty pieces of skull on the account of your dumb ass.
Vincent: I got a threshold, Jules, I got a threshold for the abuse that I will take. And right now I’m a fucking race-car, alright, and you got me in the red. And I’m just saying, I’m just saying that it’s fucking dangerous to have a race-car in the fucking red, that’s all. I could blow.
Jules: Oh, oh, you ready to blow?
Vincent: Yeah, I’m ready to blow.
Jules: Well I’m a mushroom cloud layin’ motherfucker, motherfucker. Every time my fingers touch brain, I’m "Superfly TNT". I’m "The Guns of the Navarone". In fact, what the fuck am I doing in the back? You the motherfucker should be on brain detail. We’re fucking switching. I’m washing the windows, and you picking up this nigga's skull.
Jimmie: I can't believe this is the same car.
The Wolf: Well, let's not start sucking each other's dicks quite yet.
Vincent: Want some bacon?
Jules: No, man. I don't eat pork.
Vincent: Are you Jewish?
Jules: Nah, I ain't Jewish, I just don't dig on swine, that's all.
Vincent: Why not?
Jules: Pigs are filthy animals. I don't eat filthy animals.
Vincent: Yeah, but bacon tastes good. Pork chops taste good.
Jules: Hey, sewer rat may taste like pumpkin pie, but I'd never know 'cause I wouldn't eat the filthy motherfucker. Pigs sleep and root in shit. That's a filthy animal. I ain't eatin' nothing that ain't got sense enough to disregard its own feces.
Vincent: How about a dog? Dog eats its own feces.
Jules: I don't eat dog either.
Vincent: Yeah, but do you consider a dog to be a filthy animal?
Jules: I wouldn't go so far as to call a dog filthy, but they're definitely dirty. But, a dog's got personality. Personality goes a long way.
Vincent: Ah, so by that rationale, if a pig had a better personality, he would cease to be a filthy animal. Is that true?
Jules: Well, we'd have to be talkin' about one charming motherfucking pig. I mean, he'd have to be ten times more charming than that Arnold on Green Acres , you know what I'm saying?
Vincent: [laughing] That's good.
Jules: Man, I just been sitting here thinking.
Vincent: About what?
Jules: About the miracle we just witnessed.
Vincent: The miracle you witnessed. I witnessed a freak occurrence.
Jules: What is a miracle, Vincent?
Vincent: An act of God.
Jules: And what's an act of God?
Vincent: When God makes the impossible possible. But this morning, I don't think it qualifies.
Jules: Hey, Vincent, don't you see? That shit don't matter. You're judging this shit the wrong way. I mean, it could be that God stopped the bullets, or He changed Coke to Pepsi, He found my fucking car keys. You don't judge shit like this based on merit. Now, whether or not what we experienced was an "according to Hoyle " miracle is insignificant. What is significant is that I felt the touch of God. God got involved.
Vincent: But why?
Jules: Well, that's what's fucking with me. I don't know why, but I can't go back to sleep.
Vincent: You serious? You're really thinking about quitting?
Jules: The life?
Jules: Most definitely.
Vincent: Oh, fuck. What'cha gonna do, then?
Jules: Well, that's what I've been sitting here contemplating. First, I'm going to deliver this case to Marsellus, then, basically, I'm just going to walk the Earth.
Vincent: What'cha mean, "walk the Earth"?
Jules: You know, like Caine in Kung Fu : walk from place to place, meet people, get into adventures.
Vincent: And how long do you intend to walk the Earth?
Jules: Until God puts me where he wants me to be.
Vincent: And what if he don't do that?
Jules: If it takes forever, then I'll walk forever.
Vincent: So you decided to be a bum?
Jules: I'll just be Jules, Vincent; no more, no less.
Vincent: No, Jules. You've decided to be a bum. Just like those pieces of shit out there who beg for change, sleep in garbage bins and eat what I throw away. They got a name for that, Jules: it's called "a bum". And without a job, a residence or legal tender, that's exactly what you're going to be: a fucking bum.
Jules: Look, my friend, this is just where you and I differ.
Vincent: Jules, look, what happened this morning, I agree, it was peculiar. But water into wine, I...
Jules: All shapes and sizes, Vincent.
Vincent: Don't fucking talk to me like that, man.
Jules: If my answers frighten you, then you should cease asking scary questions.
Vincent: [pauses, looking annoyed] I'm gonna take a shit. Let me ask you something, when did you make this decision? When you were sitting there eating that muffin?
Jules: Yeah, I was sitting here, eating my muffin and drinking my coffee and replaying the incident in my head, when I had what alcoholics refer to as a moment of clarity.
Vincent: Fuck. To be continued.
[Jules has a gun on Ringo; Yolanda points a gun at Jules, yelling hysterically]
Yolanda: Don't you hurt him!
Jules: Nobody's gonna hurt anybody. We're all gonna be three little Fonzies here, and what's Fonzie like?
[Yolanda stares at him, confused]
Jules: Come on, Yolanda! What's Fonzie like?!
Yolanda: Cool?
| Ezekiel |
Which 2004 movie mapped the journey across South America by a young Che Guevara? | PULP FICTION BIBLE QUOTE
PULP FICTION BIBLE QUOTE
Pulp Fiction Bible Quote
pulp fiction
Pulp magazines (often referred to as "the pulps"), also collectively known as pulp fiction, were inexpensive fiction magazines. They were published from 1896 through the 1950s. The typical pulp magazine was seven inches wide by ten inches high, half an inch thick, and 128 pages long.
Music from the Motion Picture Pulp Fiction is the soundtrack to Quentin Tarantino's 1994 film Pulp Fiction. No traditional film score was commissioned for Pulp Fiction. The film contains a mix of American rock and roll, surf music, pop and soul.
Pulp Fiction (1994) is an American crime film directed by Quentin Tarantino, who cowrote its screenplay with Roger Avary. The film is known for its rich, eclectic dialogue, ironic mix of humor and violence, nonlinear storyline, and host of cinematic allusions and pop culture references.
bible
The Christian scriptures, consisting of the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments
A copy of the Christian or Jewish scriptures
(biblical) of or pertaining to or contained in or in accordance with the Bible; "biblical names"; "biblical Hebrew"
The Jewish scriptures, consisting of the Torah or Law, the Prophets, and the Hagiographa or Writings
the sacred writings of the Christian religions; "he went to carry the Word to the heathen"
a book regarded as authoritative in its field
quote
name the price of; "quote prices for cars"
Mention or refer to (someone or something) to provide evidence or authority for a statement, argument, or opinion
repeat a passage from; "He quoted the Bible to her"
Repeat or copy out (a group of words from a text or speech), typically with an indication that one is not the original author or speaker
Repeat a passage from (a work or author) or statement by (someone)
quotation mark: a punctuation mark used to attribute the enclosed text to someone else
pulp fiction bible quote - Pulp Fiction
Pulp Fiction [Blu-ray]
Sweden released, Blu-Ray/Region A/B/C : it WILL NOT play on regular DVD player. You need Blu-Ray DVD player to view this Blu-Ray DVD: LANGUAGES: English ( Dolby Digital 5.1 ), English ( Dolby DTS-HD Master Audio ), Danish ( Subtitles ), Finnish ( Subtitles ), Norwegian ( Subtitles ), Swedish ( Subtitles ), WIDESCREEN (2.35:1), SPECIAL FEATURES: Interactive Menu, Scene Access, SYNOPSIS: Outrageously violent, time-twisting, and in love with language, Pulp Fiction was widely considered the most influential American movie of the 1990s. Director and co-screenwriter Quentin Tarantino synthesized such seemingly disparate traditions as the syncopated language of David Mamet; the serious violence of American gangster movies, crime movies, and films noirs mixed up with the wacky violence of cartoons, video games, and Japanese animation; and the fragmented story-telling structures of such experimental classics as Citizen Kane, Rashomon, and La jetee. The Oscar-winning script by Tarantino and Roger Avary intertwines three stories, featuring Samuel L. Jackson and John Travolta, in the role that single-handedly reignited his career, as hit men who have philosophical interchanges on such topics as the French names for American fast food products; Bruce Willis as a boxer out of a 1940s B-movie; and such other stalwarts as Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Christopher Walken, Eric Stoltz, Ving Rhames, and Uma Thurman, whose dance sequence with Travolta proved an instant classic. SCREENED/AWARDED AT: BAFTA Awards, Cannes Film Festival, David Donatello Awards, Edgar Allan Poe Awards, Golden Globes, Oscar Academy Awards, Stockholm Film Festival, ...Pulp Fiction (1994) ( Black Mask )
One Light 365 days # 263 7/21
Ten great lines from ten great movies “You're not going soft on me, are you? I mean, you're not going to start dreaming about me and waking up all sweaty and looking at me like I'm some sort of princess when I burp?” Michelle Pfeiffer in The Fabulous Baker Boys (1989) ”Don’t leave me…Please don’t leave me. Warren Beatty in Reds (1981) ”Normally, both your asses would be dead as fucking fried chicken, but you happen to pull this shit while I'm in a transitional period so I don't wanna kill you, I wanna help you.” Samuel L. Jackson in Pulp Fiction(1994) “Everyone knows where the booze is. The problem isn’t finding it, the problem is who wants to cross the pond…If you walk through this door now your walking into a world of trouble and there’s no turning back. You understand? Good. Give me that ax! Sean Connery in The Untouchables (1987) “Every passing minute is another chance to turn it all around.” Penelope Cruz in Vanilla Sky (2001) “You just shot an unarmed man.” “He should have armed himself if he's gonna decorate his saloon with my friend.” Gene Hackman to Clint Eastwood in Unforgiven (1992) "You contemptible pig! I remained celibate for you. I stood at the back of a cathedral, waiting, in celibacy, for you, with three hundred friends and relatives in attendance. My uncle hired the best Romanian caterers in the state. To obtain the seven limousines for the wedding party, my father used up his last favor with Mad Pete Trullo. So for me, for my mother, my grandmother, my father, my uncle, and for the common good, I must now kill you." Carrie Fisher in The Blues Brothers (1980) "Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she had to walk into mine." Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca (1941) "Survival kit contents check. In them you'll find: one forty-five caliber automatic; two boxes of ammunition; four days' concentrated emergency rations; one drug issue containing antibiotics, morphine, vitamin pills, pep pills, sleeping pills, tranquilizer pills; one miniature combination Russian phrase book and Bible; one hundred dollars in rubles; one hundred dollars in gold; nine packs of chewing gum; one issue of prophylactics; three lipsticks; three pair of nylon stockings. Shoot, a fella' could have a pretty good weekend in Vegas with all that stuff." Slim Pickens in Dr. Strangelove (1964) "I was in the Virgin Islands once. I met a girl. We ate lobster and drank pina coladas. At sunset we made love like sea otters. *That* was a pretty good day. Why couldn't I get that day over and over and over…" Bill Murray in Groundhog Day (1993) "These go to eleven." Christopher Guest in This Is Spinal Tap (1984)
Project 365: Day 59, Ezekiel 25:17
NO this is not a quote from the bible, its a quote from a personal favourite of mine, Pulp Fiction: 'The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides with the iniquities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he who in the name of charity and good will shepherds the weak through the valley of darkness, for he is truly his brother's keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon those with great vengeance and with furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy my brothers. And you will know that my name is the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon thee.' Damn thats a cool scene. I love the large powerful dominance of the window and the light it casts on the two figures.
pulp fiction bible quote
You will receive one Marilyn Monroe wall decal for one low price! This features the famous quote from her "I believe that everything happens for a reason. People change so that you can learn to let go, things go wrong so that you appreciate them when they're right, you believe lies so you eventually learn to trust no one but yourself, and sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together." This is made out of the highest quality vinyl from Value Decals. Your friends will envy your home and you with this wonderfully designed decal. Can be applied to any smooth surface. Check us out for wall decals and smaller decals! Beware of cheap knockoffs from other sellers. Value Decals is the only original seller of this decal.
| i don't know |
Which film contains the line I'm going to cut your heart out with a spoon! | Cut His Heart Out with a Spoon - TV Tropes
Cut His Heart Out with a Spoon
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Cut His Heart Out with a Spoon
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— The Sheriff of Nottingham, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves
This trope is when a threat — usually a death threat — is Played for Laughs by being a bit, well, odd. This can include a threat that's unnecessarily long and convoluted, and the one making it gets a bit lost; or a threat that simply incorporates some really bizarre elements ; or a pathetically nonthreatening sort of threat ("Do X, or I'll... give you some really evil looks when your back is turned !").
Sometimes, Fridge Horror makes the more bizarre elements even more terrifying and Squickier . It's one thing to threaten someone with a sharp knife or even a gun; those cut pretty quickly and can be almost painless (at first; ever heard of the term "clean cut"?). However, going after someone with a spoon dictates hours of potential digging into a person very crudely to get the same effect .
Rusty and/or dull cutlery seems to be a particular favorite, though.
This trope is usually seen in comedy, for obvious reasons. See also Cool and Unusual Punishment or Cruel and Unusual Death , for when these bizarre threats are actually effective. To the Pain is usually invoked if played seriously, " I'll Kill You! " when it's not so convoluted. " I Will Tear Your Arms Off !" is a specific Sub-Trope . Freudian Threat for when the threat focuses specifically on a character's naughty bits. Compare Once Killed a Man with a Noodle Implement .
Examples
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Anime and Manga
Fullmetal Alchemist : Ed says some random things whenever someone hits his Berserk Button . "I'll break down your feet and stick them on your head!"
"I'll turn you all into fish!"
In the western (like, cowboy) shōjo manga Miriam , a crooked sheriff has the protagonists locked up on false charges. When they start complaining, he says he'll add to the charges if they don't shut up... then says he'll add things like stealing a hotel ashtray, cheating in cards, and hitting on girls in stores.
Haruhi Suzumiya managed to combine two of her chief preoccupations in this threat:
Haruhi: "Anyone accepting defeat will be punished by running 10 laps around the school! Naked! And you'll have to yell ' Green martians are chasing me' for the whole 10 laps!"
Haruhi: "First, you are to leap up a wall with a dry salted fish in your mouth and fight for territory with other wild cats! And you have to wear cat ears while doing it!"
Nearly all of the threats she makes qualify somewhat, due to being so serious and over-the-top .
Inuyasha in English Dub:
Inu-Yasha (to Sesshoumaru): I'm gonna rip your guts out and put them in a bowl!
Hellsing had a few; most from Jan Valentine.
"I'm gonna fuck that bitch, shoot her in the head, and fuck her there!!
Fruits Basket : Yuki tells Kakeru he'll never speak to him again, and it's only just out of his mouth when he realizes how embarrassingly childish that sounds. Forunately, Kakeru is embarrassingly childish. Kakeru later threatens to make Yuki "walk through a red light district".
In the Australian version, rather than threatening Kakeru with silence, Yuji threatens to 'break up with him.' Hilarity Ensues
Full Metal Panic? Fumoffu : when Tessa was spending some R&R in Jindai disguised as a US transfer student, Mardukas gave an ultimatum to Sousuke: if anything happens to her or he tries to take advantage of the situation by doing something dirty, he'll be loaded in the TDD-1's torpedo tube and launched. The Hungarian dub also mentions something about being thrown into the submarine's reactor until he glowed.
The English dub of Chrono Crusade uses this in the first episode, literally with a spoon after The Elder looks up her skirt. She even attempts to do it, stabbing the spoon into the ground.
Rosette (to The Elder): I'll kill you with this spoon!
In one of the latest chapter of Sket Dance , Agata was threatened by Saaya's "kidnapper" that if he doesn't come within the time limit for the next puzzle, 'he'll make Saaya rap'.
In one episode of Detective School Q , Ryu responds to some bullies threatening Megumi by knocking one to the ground and putting a metal object to his throat. After the bullies fled, Ryu revealed that the object in question was a spoon, not a knife. Megumi later notes to herself that the expression on Ryu's face made her think that he could have killed the other boy with that spoon if he had wanted to.
In the first episode of Pani Poni Dash! , when Old Geezer's class is attempting to leave to bother the new teacher of the class next door:
Old Geezer: You step one foot out that door and I'll be standing by your pillow every night.
(class returns to their seats)
Old Geezer: What a damn buncha cowards.
Chaos;Head : the New Gen serial murderer is a literal version of this trope. Nurse Hazuki uses extremely brutal methods of killing, and the most literal comes when she uses a spoon to cut out the brain of her victim .
Comic Books
Vincent to Edaniel, in Bizenghast : "I am going to kill you right in the face."
Warren Ellis seems to have a talent with these. Take this example from Planetary :
Jakita Wagner: You're going to tell me what your problem is, or I will find a very small hole and reenact your birth.
In the View Askewniverse comic Holiday Special, Randal urges Dante to give his catatonic ex Caitlyn a "caning", meaning to insert a candy cane into her vagina, in an attempt to break her out of her coma. It works, but she is not happy:
"If I ever see you again, I'm going to shove my pointer-finger into your piss-hole, Dante Hicks!!! I'll tear your fucking scrotum off and your heart out and shove one into the other and feed them to you before you die, you sick fucking pervert!!!"
In Walt Flanagan's Dog, Jay bursts into a string of threats when Randal calls him a "fucking junkie". Among other things, he threatens to "fucking tear off your sweaty sack and make you wear it like a fucking clown nose".
In The Sandman , the Carnifex of Aurelia threatens to pop Cluracan's eyes out with his thumbs and then piss in his sockets. A guard confirms that he's seen him do this.
Garth Ennis tends to have his characters follow these kinds of threats by actually carrying them out.
Jody from Preacher threatens a Mook by saying he will "rip off yore head and have T.C. shit down the neck stump". Then he rips the guy's head off. Then T.C. shits down the neck stump.
Pittsy, a psychotic mobster from The Punisher MAX threatens a CIA operative by saying he'll "cut [his] balls off and put 'em in a paper cup." The agent is next seen clutching his bloody groin with one hand and holding a blood dripping paper cup in the other.
Jill, in the second Kingdom of Loathing comic: "The name's Jill. You ever call me 'baby' again, and I will personally pull your kneecaps out through your nostrils."
Prime , formerly known as Superboy-Prime , lived up to what was by then his normal standard of Narm in an issue of Countdown to Final Crisis and delivered an iconically simple one of these to the villain Monarch.
Prime: I'll kill you! I'll kill you to death!!
In The Wicked + The Divine , Badb threatens to rip out Baphomet's shin bone and use it as a dildo.
Dr Nemesis of the X-Men is an ever-reliable source of these.
"Pay attention or I shall feed you to my lab."
"... If you even think about telling them I said so, I'll inflict poleshift on your digestive system."
"Eat viral liquefaction, unethically cloned carbon-waste. I'll put my science in you! I'll put my science in all of you!"
Fan Works
Advice and Trust : In chapter 4
Asuka is trying to prevent a classmate from finding out that Shinji and she got together, so that she denies that he has had sex with her. When their classmate tries to placate her by saying "Of course! He'd never do anything indecent with you!" Asuka gets pissed off and retorts that he would anything he could with her all night long. After a pregnant pause she swears that if someone tells anything she will scoop out that person's brains and make a pie.
Asuka:"That didn't just happen and none of you remember anything. Or I will scoop out your brains and make a pie, understood?"
In the Jackie Chan Adventures fanfic Queen of All Oni , when Ozeki, the Sumo-khan general attacks Section 13, when he hears about Viper using onions on Jade, he threatens to rip her arms off and gouge out her eyes with her own thumbs.
In this
Buffy the Vampire Slayer / Harry Potter fanfic, Willow informs Severus Snape that if he ever hurts Xander again, Buffy will remove Snape's spine with an icepick.
One Gorillaz fic featured Russel informing Murdoc that if he didn't apologise to 2D, Russel would strangle him (Murdoc) with his own tongue. Murdoc didn't, so Russel did — this being Murdoc, it was within the realm of physical possibility .
Bag Enders : "If you don't tell me what's going on, I'll make you watch the entirety of Flipper . Twice."
In the Goof Troop fanfic Teaching Respect,
PJ tells his father Pete what will happen if he starts abusing Peg and Pistol:
PJ: And if you even try swapping me for them, I'll punch you so fucking hard you'll be shitting your own teeth!
In Oh God Not Again! , when Harry and Lockhart reach an agreement of sorts regarding the whole Obliviate thing, Harry adds that if he tries to steal one of his accomplishments, he'll beat him to death with a paper napkin.
Lockhart: CAN you beat someone to death with a paper napkin?
Harry: *shrugs* I'll have fun trying.
The Naruto fanfic Being Found
has at least one of these in each of the last three chapters.
In chapter 13, after Naruto nearly kills himself while using a dozen exploding clones to utterly disintegrate the revived first and second Hokages:
Tsunade: "And if you ever, ever, try something like what you pulled on the roof again, I'll rip out your spleen through your armpit, and shove it back in through your nose."
In chapter 14, a female Haku (who was involved with Naruto) threatens Temari:
Haku: "And while I do not enjoy hurting people, if you ever do anything adverse to Naruto-kun, know that I will freeze the blood in your veins, and shatter your bones."
And in chapter 15, Naruto and Shikamaru have this exchange:
Naruto: "It's not your fault, Shika, so stop blaming yourself before I punch you in the face so hard you crap out your eyeballs."
Shikamaru: "That's not physically possible."
Naruto: "Won't stop me from trying to prove you wrong."
Another Naruto fanfic, Uprooted,
has this little gem from Tsunade (directed at the Third Hokage):
"But, as the Head Iryo-nin of Konoha Hospital, I can override you in medical matters. I will declare you unfit for duty, make you eat hospital food until Naruto-kun comes back, make you attend therapy where you will have to keep daily diary of your innermost feelings and play with a pink, squishy ball and wear green paper gown the whole time, carry out painful rectal examinations on you, let my interns use you as a practice dummy when they first learn acupuncture, confiscate all contraband literature and the new, experimental medication just might have the unfortunate side effect of erectile dysfunction."
Axis Powers Hetalia darkfic Mistakes has a Shout-Out to the far darker Gorn fic Debt. when China tells America to leave him alone or " I will rip your arms off with my bare hands and beat you to death with the wet ends". (In Debt, China actually did cut America's arms off For the Evulz , though not with his bare hands.)
In this Super Smash Bros. . fic,
Sheik does this towards Ike.
Sheik: "I hate you, you hear me? I hate every-fucking-thing about you! You make my life hell! You should be wiped away from existence! Completely! I swear some day I'll cut you into pieces and feed those little, bloody pieces to the twins piece by piece! One at a time!"
Ike (in his head): "But in another hand, those clouds looked pretty heavy. There could be a chance of rain in the afternoon. Too bad, you couldn't see bruises in the rain..."
Sheik:"Then I'll shoot the twins, cram them into a meat grinder, take the minced meat and feed that to the sharks in Alaska! Then I'll pour the water out of the sharks' aquarium and let them die just like that! Then I'll burn them! Burn them so completely there will be only ashes left! And those ashes will be thrown to a bottomless pit! Let's see if you're smirking then!"
In the Death Note AU Point Of Succession during one of their sessions together Beyond attempts to kill Light with a stiletto heel. The attempt fails but leaves Light with a nasty scar and Light feels he's been forever marked by him.
Star Wars: Paranormalities : Early in Episode II, when Zolph Vaelor leaves R9-C4 in control of his fighter during the Battle of Taris, he says this to Colonel G'jan about the droid when the Colonel expresses his concern .
Zolph: "Don't worry, Colonel. I'll turn that little psycho into a coolant barrel and put his brain in a Gonk if he so much as blows up a single X-Wing."
In Chapter 13 of the Superjail! fanfic Extended Stay
, the Mistress, who is currently in preterm labor and going through a Screaming Birth , threatens to kill both her new husband, the Warden, and the Delivery Guy and turn their skins into her own personal pajamas. And the scariest part about this is? It's said later that she is actually capable of doing this as she pleases.
Navi threatens Link with these constantly, and often follows through.
From Chapter 1 -
Navi: (bitch-slaps Link and grabs him by the collar) What have I told you about Breaking the Fourth Wall ?
Link: Ummm, something about tearing me in half and shoving my face up my ass if I ever did it again. Yeah. I'm pretty sure it was something like that. Please don't kill me.
From Chapter 4, after Link sacrifices Navi to negate Volvagia's attack, making her swear to kill him if she ever comes back alive, and revives her using Monster Reborn -
Unfortunately, I can't write what happened next since the story's only rated T. However, I can tell you that it involved a chainsaw, Link's organs, Tabasco sauce, and a llama.
From Chapter 8, when Sheik has to replay the Seranade of Water ninety-seven times to teach Link how to play it, and he forgets how immediately after she leaves -
Link: WHAT THE...? WHERE'D YOU GET A PACK OF RABID BADGERS FROM! NO! DON'T EAT MY SPLEEN!
In the Soul Eater fic Cabin Fever,
there's this exchange when Liz gets fed up with Kid's Super OCD .
Kid: We were arranged so perfectly around the window. Could you please move to the right and stand up straight?
Liz: Fuck you. Talk to me about symmetry one more time and I'll chop off your dick and sew it onto your arm and ruin your symmetry forever!
She gives him another one when he annoys her about quitting smoking right after she runs out of cigarattes.
Liz: (waving her lighter) I'm going to singe off one of your eyebrows! One!
Kid: Oh - oh, you - you wouldn't do that to me -
Liz: I absolutely would and I would enjoy every single second of it, you delightfully flammable idiot.
Bait and Switch :
In The Wrong Reflection a mirror universe Cardassian soldier makes the mistake of calling Lieutenant Kate McMillan "scum" in the hearing of her Klingon boyfriend.
Lieutenant K'lak: And if you call my parmaqqay* Klingonese for "girlfriend" "scum" again, I will have your moQDu�* literally "spheres", fanon for "testicles" as a trophy for my quarters.
Captain Kanril Eleya: ( narrating ) Ew.
Frostbite : Made on behalf of Eleya:
Ruul: Talk, or I'll kill [Senior Chief Athezra].
Athezra: Don't tell him anything, sir.
Tess: Yes, thank you, Senior Chief, I know how this works. (to Ruul) No, you won�t kill him, because A, it still won�t make me talk, and B, if you do, our captain will hunt you to the ends of the galaxy, and there won�t be a thing you can say or do that will stop her from personally strangling you with your own intestines.
Resident Nice Guy Gourry considers doing this in Flam Gush to whoever Lina had her first time with. Eventually he decides to downgrade it to simply shredding the man's clothes and dignity into inch-long strips because he believes that Lina lost her virginity consensually. When he finds out he was wrong, he goes back to his original plan, only worse.
In the MLP fanfic When a Pony Calls , after switching bodies with Lyra, the protagonist threatens to eat a steak if she cuts off his goatee.
In Lives of Quiet Desperation
Pansy Parkinson has a number of bizarre threats for when her older daughter misbehaves, which the kid genuinely enjoys receiving.
Pansy: Celandine Parkinson, for that I am going to stew you for dinner and keep your bones in a corner for your sister to look at when she grows up, so she knows not to be a naughty girl.
Harry Potter, Unexpected Animagus
has a rather peculiar warning on a certain passage in Gringotts.
Bank employees only. All others shall be disemboweled with a blunt spoon while being forced to listen to Yoko Ono songs.
The New Adventures Of Invader Zim :
An angry Norlock at one point threatens to make Skoodge eat his own face.
During a rant, Gaz says she's going to pound Viera's head in so hard it'll come out of her ass.
Film — Animated
In Ratatouille , Skinner catches Linguini messing with the soup, and threatens to have him drawn and quartered, "after you take him to the duck press to squeeze the fat from his head!" Duck presses do squeeze the fat out of ducks. However, they're usually not big enough to stick a person's head in, but Linguini is obviously NOT familiar with kitchens, thus, it could still be a very formidable threat. And, of course, Skinner's just going apoplectic at Linguini 'rising above his station' by fixing the soup (possibly a kick the dog moment to reinforce the fact that Skinner's an evil little man, bent only on dominating the frozen food market by sullying Gusteau's good name?)
It should also be noted that one of the chefs can apparently kill a man with his thumb . The British have it covered .
Lilo & Stitch : Nani has been locked out of the house, and screams to Lilo that if she doesn't let her in, she's going to purée her in the blender, bake her into a pie and feed it to the social worker... just as said social worker arrives .
Madagascar : Alex the lion says "I'm going to strangle you and bury you and then dig you up and clone you and kill all your clones, and then I'm never speaking to you again! "
In Cars , Doc's first lines consist of ranting about how he'll throw Lightning in jail for so long the jail will rot on top of him, then build a new jail and let that one rot — considering the characters are cars and the jail is an open-air impound lot, this would be impressive, to say the least.
Disney 's Mulan : "I'm gonna hit you so hard it'll make your ancestors dizzy!"
In Ralph Bakshi's Wizards , Avatar explains to the newly-reformed Necron 99 (now renamed "Peace"), that if he betrays the party, Avatar will do something that will, "Take twenty years to kill you, and you'll be screaming for mercy in the first ten seconds."
In The Emperor's New Groove , Yzma's initial plan to kill Kuzco is as follows:
Yzma: I'll turn him into a flea, a harmless little flea. Then, I'll put that flea in a box, and then I'll put that box inside another box, and then I'll mail that box to myself. And when it arrives ( Evil Laugh ), I'LL SA-MASH IT WITH A HAMMAH!
The animated film Bebe's Kids has Robin making this humorous black-themed threat to one of the kids:
Robin: If you don't tell me where your little brother is, I'm gonna beat the BLACK off you, and you're gonna look lighter than Michael Jackson!
In An Extremely Goofy Movie , when Tank tries to hurt Bobby , PJ threatens to hurt him with a biscotti... somehow, though all he says on the subject is "I'm not afraid to use it!" This threat is nullified when Tank bites the biscotti right out of his hand.
Film — Live Action
The Trope Namer, from Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves : "I'm gonna cut his heart out with a spoon!" Exclaimed by the Sheriff of Nottingham. The Sheriff's Dragon lampshades the trope, asking why he doesn't use a more suitable implement. The Sheriff snaps, "Because it's dull, you twit! It'll hurt more!"
When he does kill the Dragon (Guy of Gisborne) with a sword, the last words he says to him: "Well at least I didn't use a spoon."
Referenced in The Postman where the title character jokingly says "Don't make me use this" while pointing a spoon towards one of his allies. Both films share a star .
Pirate Lord: "Shoot him [Barbossa]!"
Another Pirate Lord: "Cut out his tongue!"
Jack Sparrow: " Shoot him and cut out his tongue! Then shoot the tongue! ... and trim that scraggly beard "
Wat in A Knight's Tale does this rather passionately if not very eloquently:
Uh, betray us, and I will fong you, until your insides are out, your outsides are in, your entrails will become your extrails I will w-rip... all the p... ung. Pain, lots of pain.
Airheads : "I'll stab off your neck... With my dick!"
Team America: World Police : "If you don't [comply], we [The UN] will be very angry. And we will write a letter , telling you how angry we are."
Chris is a bit more specific in his threats to Gary. "If you fuck us out there I'll rip out your balls and shove them up your ass so the next time you shit, you'll shit all over your balls!" Or, "If you fuck us out there I'll drill holes through your dick so the next time you piss it comes out in all different directions!"
In The Chronicles of Riddick : "I'm going to kill you with my teacup." He does, too, by breaking off the handle to use as a shank. Riddick then turns to the remaining mooks and wordlessly holds up a can opener key, placing it in the same spot that his cup was sitting before. The mooks panic and flee.
In The Cook, the Thief, His Wife and Her Lover , Albert (the titular Thief) he warns that he will "kill and eat" Michael (the titular Lover). This comes back to bite him when after he kills Michael, he is forced to eat his corpse.
Drill Sergeant Nasty Sergeant Hartman says some winners in Full Metal Jacket , such as "You had best unfuck yourself or I will unscrew your head and shit down your neck! and, "I will gouge out your eyeballs and skull fuck you!"
Parodied in The Simpsons by an angry tow-truck driver; "If I catch you on my turf, I'll rip off your head, vomit down your neck, rip out your heart, show your heart to your head, and shove 'em both down your neck-hole, to which I previously alluded."
Double Parodied in The Simpsons BY the aforementioned Drill Sergeant Nasty Sergeant Hartman actor R. Lee Ermey playing a "Colonel Hapablap" threatening to "tear you up like a Kleenex at a snot party", and then "corpse you up and mail you to mama."
Also parodied in the Meg Ryan/Matthew Broderick vehicle, Addicted to Love , when the aforementioned actors' characters play "MST3K" while observing their former loves via a optical-projection.
Major Payne :
Payne: I will put my foot so far up your ass the water on my knee will quench your thirst!
Toyed with in Hulk Hogan's movie Suburban Commando , when Shep Ramsey (Hogan) almost damages a mean guy's car:
Troublemaker: Do you got any idea what we're gonna do to you if we find one itty bitty scratch on them? Any idea?
Shep: Let me guess, you're gonna pound my face, break every bone in my body, then you're gonna drag my body down a gravel road, and feed my remains to a wart hog. Is that about right?
Troublemaker: What are you, nuts? This is the 90's, we're gonna sue you.
In State and Main , the movie producer Marty ends a phone call with "I'm gonna rip out your heart and piss on your lungs through the hole in your chest. And my best to Marion."
Hancock features a few:
"If you don't move, your head is going up his ass." (And then he proceeds to do just that .)
"I'm gonna shove your head up his ass, I'm-a shove your head up his ass, and you...you drew the short straw; I'm-a shove your head up my ass."
"I will break my foot off in your ass, woman!"
In The Presidio , Lt. Col Caldwell states quietly that he's going to beat up a drunk blowhard in a pool hall with his thumb — this RIGHT thumb... because the left is too powerful for him. Of course, since Our Intrepid Hero is an army man, the ensuing smack down is Exactly What It Says on the Tin . In the same movie, Sgt. Major MacLure tells someone to shut up, on pain of "I'll shove your head so far up your ass, you'll be talking out of your armpit."
Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny offers Tim Robbins delivering: "I'm going to cut out your eyes and your balls, and put your eyeballs in your ballsacks and your balls in your eye sockets!"
In Mel Brooks ' remake of To Be or Not to Be , Frederick Bronski, after learning that his wife and a dashing Polish flier were having an affair before the war started, and about to go and potentially give his life by pretending to be a Nazi spy he'd killed, forgives the pair — in the event that he doesn't return from Gestapo headquarters. "However if I do come back, you're in a lotta trouble!"
Johnny Dangerously has this from Roman Maronie...
—"I gonna taika you doo-ork, I gonna nail it to dawall! I gonna crusha you boils inna meat grinda! I gonna chopoffa you ahms... I gonna shuvemupa you icehole!"
In Barb Wire , Colonel Pryzer is good at these. He makes two threats.
"Let me make this perfectly clear. If Cora D escapes, I will personally rip your heart out of your ass, and shove it back down your throat."
"Goddammit Willis, I'm gonna rip you in half!"
According to RinkWorks.com
, there is a movie which was dubbed into English from another language which featured the immortal line "I will kill you until you are dead from it!"
Well, you know what they say: " People die if they are killed. "
Hot Shots! Part Deux has Saddam Hussein say to President Benson right before delivering his planned coup de grace: "Now I will kill you until you die from it!"
Priscilla, Queen of the Desert might be an odd source of threatening quotes, but one of Bernadette's many Crowning Moments of Awesome is when she says of Adam / Felicia, "One more push, I'm gonna smack his face so hard he'll have to stick his toothbrush up his arse to clean his teeth!"
In the American Dub of Black Mask , Deadpan Snarker tough cop Detective Rock arguably gets one when challenging a Syndicate mook with a shaved head.
Mook: You broke my nose!
Rock: That's right. Now get out of here before I take that Mr. Clean head and shove it straight up your ass!
Darwin Mayflower in Hudson Hawk enjoys these. At one point he says, "I'll torture you so slowly you'll think it's a career!" At another:
Darwin: I'll kill your friends, your family, and the bitch you took to the prom!
Eddie: Betty Jo Bialowski? I can get you an address on that, if you want.
Westley's To the Pain speech from The Princess Bride seems to fit better here that within the trope it named :
Prince Humperdinck: First things first, to the death.
Westley: No. To the pain.
Prince Humperdinck: I don't think I'm quite familiar with that phrase.
Westley: I'll explain, and I'll use small words so that you'll be sure to understand, you warthog faced buffoon.
Prince Humperdinck: That may be the first time in my life a man has dared insult me.
Westley: It won't be the last. 'To the pain' means the first thing you will lose will be your feet below the ankles. Then your hands at the wrists. Next your nose.
Prince Humperdinck: And then my tongue, I suppose. I killed you too quickly the last time. A mistake I don't mean to duplicate tonight.
Westley: I wasn't finished. The next thing you will lose will be your left eye followed by your right.
Prince Humperdinck: And then my ears, I understand, let's get on with it.
Westley: WRONG. Your ears you keep, and I'll tell you why. So that every shriek of every child at seeing your hideousness will be yours to cherish. Every babe that weeps at your approach, every woman who cries out, "Dear God! What is that thing," will echo in your perfect ears. That is what 'to the pain' means. It means I leave you in anguish, wallowing in freakish misery forever.
Prince Humperdinck: I think you're bluffing.
Westley: It's possible, Pig, I might be bluffing. It's conceivable, you miserable, vomitous mass, that I'm only lying here because I lack the strength to stand. But, then again... perhaps I have the strength after all.
[slowly rises and points sword directly at the prince]
Prince Humperdinck: [mouth hanging open, drops sword to floor]
Yellowbeard . El Nebuloso comes up with a plan to have his minions pretend to be killed.
Nebuloso: But it must look realistic. Anyone caught overacting I will personally scare to death!
Agent Sands delivers one of these to a reluctant informant in Once Upon a Time in Mexico : "You know that withholding vital information from a federal officer is a serious offense. Especially when that federal officer has paid handsomely for it and wouldn't think twice about ripping that patch off your eyehole and skullfucking you to death."
And then there's Marsellus Wallace from Pulp Fiction , preparing to deal with a rapist:
Marsellus: What now? Let me tell you what now. I'ma call a coupla hard, pipe-hittin' niggers, who'll go to work on the homes here with a pair of pliers and a blow torch. You hear me talkin', hillbilly boy? I ain't through with you by a damn sight. I'ma get medieval on your ass.
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang : Caractacus Potts takes his hair-cutting invention to a funfair which goes haywire on his only customer. At one point during the ensuing chase, the customer yells, "I'm gonna smash your teeth down your throat!"
In Win A Date With Tad Hamilton : "Good. Because if you do I swear to God I will tear you to pieces with my bare hands. Or vicious rhetoric."
From The Big Lebowski :
Jesus Quintana: Let me tell you something, pendejo. You pull any of your crazy shit with us, you flash a piece out on the lanes, I'll take it away from you, stick it up your ass and pull the fucking trigger 'til it goes "click."
The Dude: ...Jesus.
Jesus Quintana: You said it, man. Nobody fucks with the Jesus.
Clint Eastwood seems to be quite fond of this, as part of the tough guy machos he usually portrays, as shown by following example from the fifth installment of Dirty Harry : "Don't fuck with me, buddy, or I'll kick your ass so hard you'll have to unbutton your collar to shit."
And from Heartbreak Ridge :
Stitch: This babe is whack. She doesn't know what's twelve inches long and white. Nothing! Hey man, no offense, I'm just working on my routine.
Gunny: I'll tell you what's black and bleeding if it don't shut its face.
Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back shows Jay angrily dictating the following message which Bob posts to a website discussing the Bluntman and Chronic movie:
"All you motherfuckers are gonna pay. You are the ones who are the ball-lickers. We're gonna fuck your mothers while you watch and cry like little whiny bitches. Once we get to Hollywood and find those Miramax fucks who are making that movie, we're gonna make 'em eat our shit, then shit out our shit, then eat their shit which is made up of our shit that we made 'em eat. Then you're all you motherfucks are next. Love, Jay and Silent Bob."
One film earlier in Dogma , Rufus the 13th Apostle gave Jay one of his own.
Rufus: "Hey! What I just did gave me a fucking migraine! So if you don't pipe down, I'm going to yank your sack off like a paper towel!"
In The Warriors : "I'll shove that bat up your ass and turn you into a Popsicle!"
In Reno 911! The Movie , a Homeland Security agent threatens Jones & Garcia with "...I'm gonna fill a tube sock with oranges, then I'm gonna beat you with it until I juice them! Then I'm gonna drink the juice in front of you! And you're gonna ask me "Why?", but I'm not gonna answer you!"
In Best in Show , the Larry Miller's character attempts to talk his son down from the roof by stating, "I will gouge your eye out with my thumb! I shit you not, my friend!" In the previous scene, Miller revealed that his job is trying to talk jumpers down, but "they all jump."
From 21 : Cole Williams: "If I see you in here again, I will break your cheekbone with a small hammer. And then I will kill you."
All OVER Pineapple Express :
Robert: You assholes do exactly as I say, or I will take you outside and fuck you in the street!
Dale: No! Don't fuck us anywhere!
Or:
Ken: War is upon you! Prepare to suck the cock of karma!
As well as...
Matheson: You know you gonna die, right?
Saul: Yeah.
Matheson: I'm gonna kill the fuck out of you!
In Deuce Bigalow Male Gigolo , the titular character has a misunderstanding with a bartender which results in the following masterpiece deadpan one-liner from Norm Macdonald:
Bartender: Ahh, perhaps you don't understand. Ahh... if you don't pay me now, I'm going to uhh... take this swizzle-stick, and uhh... I'll be shoving that right up your pee-hole.
In The '70s spoof J-Men Forever , one of the J-Men indignantly turns down a bribe.
"I'm going to have you wrapped in the U.S flag and burned personally by the President, in high-octane American gasoline!"
This is actually hinted at in The Dark Knight . I really don't want to know what the Joker uses that potato peeler for...
The Whole Nine Yards : when displeased with his lunch order, Jimmy "The Tulip" Tudeski hits the waiter with this gem, apparently inspired by something Bruce Willis actually said on Matthew Perry's answering machine:
"I'm gonna keep the Coke and the fries but I'm gonna send this burger back. And if you put any mayonnaise on it, I'm gonna come over to your house, I'll chop your legs off, set fire to your house, and watch as you drag your bloody stumps out the door."
In Tropic Thunder , Les Grosman threatens the film's director this way if he screws up again.
Grosman: My fist is going to be so far up your ass that every time you have a fart it's gonna have to tiptoe past my wedding ring.
In Dans une galaxie pr�s de chez vous , the movie based on the Quebecois space adventure comedy, the exasperated captain (usually a Benevolent Boss ) has finally lost his patience with the Chronic Backstabbing Disorder case that is the ship's scientist:
Capitaine Charles Patenaude, waving around a discarded blender: Brad, pull something like that again, and I will cut you to pieces, I will put you in this blender, I will press "Smoothie" and I. WILL. DRINK. YOU.
The blender Makes Sense In Context . The quote, however...
Eve from Alpha and Omega loves these. When one of the wolves in the pack is hurt, she wants to track down the attacker, tear his tail off, and shove it down his throat. As if they wasn't bad, when her daughter goes missing, she gives this little speech to the other pack:
Eve: If any of you wolves have hurt my daughter, I will personally RIP out your eyes, and SHOVE them down your throat so you can see my claws TEAR YOUR CARCASS OPEN!
In Casino Royale (1967) , Woody Allen sputters not-very-intimidating woodyallenisms at a Banana Republic firing squad:
Jimmy Bond: You do know of course that this means an angry letter to the Times?
Sleeper , another Woody Allen movie:
Miles: You sit here. I'll go find us something, and don't try anything funny while I'm gone, 'cause you know what you'll get.
Luna: What?
Miles: What? W-w-what will you get? Uh, a... large and painful hickey!
The infamous "French Taunting" from Monty Python and the Holy Grail sometimes dips into this trope.
In Tower Heist , Slide has this one: "I'm going to blow your face clean off your face!"
A great example from In the Loop delivered by Malcolm Tucker:
I'm gonna fuckin' take your leg off, and I'll... fuckin'... the shin bone! I'm gonna take the shin bone, I'm gonna break it in two and I'm going to fucking stab you to fucking death with it...
Tank Girl . The title character tells the Big Bad Kesslee (in a Muhammad Ali voice) "I'm gonna hit you so hard, your children will be born bruised!"
Get Smart . After Bruce and Lloyd all but call him an idiot, Larabee lets out this gem:
Larabee: I'm a trained killer, you know. I can kill you with anything in this office. You wanna die by Post-Its? 'Cause I can make that happen.
Agent 91: And that's a slow death.
Then Agent 23 ruins the threat by stapling a report to Larabee's head.
When describing his training in Remember the Titans , Coach Boone uses this as a motivational tool
Coach Boone: We will be perfect in every aspect of the game. You drop a pass, you run a mile. You miss a blocking assignment, you run a mile. You fumble the football, and I will break my foot off in your John Brown hind parts... and then you will run a mile. Perfection. Let's go to work.
In Analyze This , as Vitti is trying to have a civilized conversation with a rival mobster on the phone:
Then I can unblock that angered wish and then hopefully, hopefully you make one more move on me you motherfucker I'll fucking cut your fucking balls off I'll shove them up your fucking ass, I'll fucking bury you, I'll put ice picks in your eyes, I'll chop your fucking eyeballs, I'll send them to your fucking family so they can eat them for dessert. You understand me?
In Quigley Down Under , Alan Rickman as the Big Bad Marston, repeats almost word-for-word his Sheriff of Nottingham speech from the Robin Hood movie as a vow: "Quigley! When I get my hands on you I'm going to carve your heart out with a spoon!"
In Doctor Detroit , Clifford Skridlow makes this threat to "Mom" when he impersonates the Doctor:
"Mom, I'm going to rip off your head and shit down your neck."
In A Few Good Men , Col. Nathan R. Jessup makes this threat to Kaffee as part of his Villainous Breakdown :
"I'm gonna rip the eyes out of your head, and piss at your dead skull! You've fucked with the wrong Marine!"
Literature
When Susan Sto Helit has a stint as a nanny in Hogfather , she threatens her charges with things like "If I catch you being twee again, I'll knot your arms together behind your head." She finds that these actually worked better than believable threats.
Also, when the Great God Om found himself Brought Down to Normal in Small Gods , he took a while to abandon the over-the-top threats that had always worked before: "Your intestines to be wound around a tree until you are sorry!" and "May your genitals sprout wings and fly away!"
Another fine example, from Sergeant Jackrum in Monstrous Regiment : "...there's no rule to stop me beating seven kinds of crap out of you... And that may take me some time, sir, because until now I've only ever discovered five types of crap."
A two-parter from Sam Vimes John Keel in Night Watch : "...you try it on one more time and you'll need to use both hands to pick up a spoon and you'll need to pick up a spoon, Ned, 'cos of living off soup by reason of having no damn teeth!"
One of the dire threats of the Elucidated Brethren of the Ebon Night in Guards! Guards! involves toasting the offender's figgin on a spike. The power of this threat mostly hinges on not finding out that a figgin is a (fictional) type of pastry containing raisins.
The Watch, who do know what a figgin is, are very confused when their prisoner runs away screaming after an innocent offer of a snack.
According to the history books, Mad Lord Snapcase was "hung up by his figgin" when he was overthrown some time before the current timeline. "This meant that either the language had changed a little over the years, or there really was some horrifying aspect to suspending a man alongside a teacake."
In Lords and Ladies Granny Weatherwax tells Nanny Ogg's bratty grandson "If you don't shut up, I will personally rip your head off and fill it with snakes." The little boy is merely amused by this threat.
In "The Sea and Little Fishes" later on in the time line, Nanny Ogg tells her grandson—probably the same one—that if he doesn't stop crying, she'll never give him candy again. The shock shuts him right up.
In The Last Continent one of the "ladies" whose float Rincewind hides on at the Galah screams at a troublemaker: "I'll stick my hand down yer throat and pull yer trousers up!"
In Men at Arms , Carrot threatens Dr. Whiteface, head of the Fools Guild. He threatens to follow Sergeant Colon's orders to the letter, the orders Carrot got just before going to the guild. When Whiteface threatens to call his guards, Carrot calmly informs him that that will only make it easier for him to obey those orders. He then adds that, if it helps, he'll feel slightly ashamed to do so. Whiteface backed down. The orders? "If there's any trouble, we're leaving right away." Colon had seen people bluff with bad hands, he'd never seen someone bluff with no cards.
In Interesting Times , the Red Army are not very good with making effective threats, to the point where Rincewind summarizes their threats as "Slightly bad things please happen to our enemies!"
In A Song of Ice and Fire , Shagga son of Dolf's repeated threats to anyone and everyone that he will "chop off your manhood and feed it to the goats." In spite of the rather obvious lack of goats in the vicinity. Used so often it becomes a Running Gag .
He actually gets to do it on Grandmaester Pycelle in the second book. As it turns out, 'manhood' referred to someone's beard.
A variant from Sword of Truth , where after a speech from Richard about how he intends to teach his damaged hot dominatrices a bit of humanity by letting them take care of his as-yet-unconceived son, one of them says emotionally, "If you get yourself killed trying to rule the world, I will break every bone in your body."
In Nick Cave's novel And The Ass Saw The Angel, a man threatens to rip off Euchrid's head and shit down his neck, in what is probably a Full Metal Jacket allusion.
In The Horse and His Boy , Lasaraleen orders everyone within range to silence thus:
Lasaraleen: No one is to be let out of the house today. And anyone I catch talking about this young lady will be first beaten to death and then burned alive and after that be kept on bread and water for six weeks. There.
The Dresden Files :
In Storm Front Victor Sells actually attempts to cut Harry's heart out with a ritual involving a rabbit and a sharpened spoon.
Dead Beat has Harry threaten the vampire Mavra with "If you try that again, I will kill you so thoroughly that your last ten victims will make miraculous recoveries."
In Turn Coat , Listens-to-Wind informs the skinwalker that, "I'm just going to kick your ass up between your ears." Then he does .
The penalty for damaging a palm frond in The Marvelous Land of Oz is to be put to death ten times, then imprisoned for life.
Since nobody in Oz ever ages or dies, that's torture plus prison for a really long time.
Tucker Case, from Christopher Moore 's Island of the Sequined Love Nun , tells a Polynesian village that has him strung up in a tree that:
Soon as I'm on my feet, your asses are mine. You all might as well just go practice falling down for a while so you'll be used to it. Just order the body bags now 'cause when I'm done, you're going to look like piles of chocolate pudding. They'll be cleaning you up with shovels.
When he passes out, the islanders all agree that it was an excellent threat.
Notable examples from the war novels by Sven Hassel include "I'll pull your arsehole up over your ears!", "I'll have you shaved with the big razor!" (sentenced to decapitation), or the crowning one:
"He's going round telling the world you're nothing but a cleaned-out rabbit's head, stuffed with sauerkraut, and if you're lucky enough to get back from the front he's going to see to it you get deported to a cowshit-stinking hole in South Bavaria where the entire population consists of village idiots."
That same person, after surviving a murder attempt, demands the man responsible be brought to him in 25 separate pieces, which he'll then feed through a mincer and sell as dog food, off the ration .
In the Redwall prequel Martin the Warrior, Captain Clogg throws a fit of rage when Badrang sets fire to his ship, and screams "I'll cut yer 'ead off an' throw it in yer face!" (Technically possible if one assumes he doesn't mean that head, but since this is a children's book it's unlikely that was the intended meaning. Then again ... )
Mellus attempting to revive Hon Rosie in Mariel of Redwall: "No! Don't die! If you die, I'll kill you! Oh, I'm sorry, dear." Similarly, in Marlfox, Dippler informs an unconscious Dannflor that if he dies, Dippler will never speak to him again. Dann promptly wakes up and bursts out laughing at the uselessness of the threat.
In Pearls of Lutra a pirate captain tells an incompetent follower that "When we get out of this I'm gonna hang you upside down over the side of the boat and let the fishes nibble your 'ead off, though they'll be out o' luck if they expects to find any brains in there!"
It's also quite common for various characters to threaten to remove someone's body parts and feed said parts to the victim.
In one of Melanie Rawn's Dragon trilogies , someone threatens, "I will send him back to you in a large number of small boxes."
Near the end of Mary Stewart 's This Rough Magic, a teenage girl is raging about the escape of the villain, who'd almost succeeded in murdering her brother. She shouts that she wishes she could eat the man's heart in the marketplace, and someone comments that although the girl may never have read Shakespeare, her threat is nearly word for word from one of the plays. Then the young fellow who plans to marry her reveals that he arranged for the villain's escape vehicle to blow up, and he tells her, "You wanted to eat his heart.... I have cooked it for you."
Angela of Eragon wishes the following fate on Durza the Shade: "I�d like to cut his heart out with a dull hairpin and feed it to a pig!"
Good Omens :
"Your fate will be whispered by mothers in dark places to frighten their young," said Hastur, and then felt that the language of Hell wasn't up to the job. "You're going to get taken to the bloody cleaners, pal," he added.
In the Wind on Fire trilogy Princess Sirharasi has a few good ones, mostly involving eye-gouging of some form or other, but also this gem: "If you tell anything you've heard here, I'll have your tongues pulled out, and rabbits' heads pushed into your mouths, and your lips sewn up... and your eyes will be burned out by red-hot skewers ."
From Steven Brust 's Agyar: "I will draw forth thy bones one by one ere I send thee to the Devil, that for all time thy shapeless body shall serve as a carpet for the minions of hell."
In The Warlord Chronicles , at one point the main character finds himself translating between the leaders of the Britons following King Arthur and the Saxon Warrior King / Boisterous Bruiser Aelle. When called upon to surrender, Aelle responds by leveling these sorts of threats at every prominent leader there, and some that are absent. What follows in only one of those. The quotes page for Tactful Translation has more of the threats, although that's still considerably shorter than the entire passage.
Tell that mustached fool that by nightfall this place shall be known as the Grave of the Britons. Tell him that I shall snip off his whiskers and make them a plaything for my daughter's cats. Tell him that I shall carve a drinking cup from his skull and feed his belly to my dogs.
In The 13 Clocks , the Duke threatens to "slit you from your guggle to your zatch and feed you to my geese." He's quite serious.
In Echo Park , Harry Bosch has one of these moments when the detective on an apparently related case to one of his own is acting like a condescending Jerkass .
Harry: Olivas, let's get something clear before we go anywhere. You call me 'Hotshot' again and I'm going to shove the file up your ass without taking it out of my briefcase .
In Wings of Fire , Winter is constantly threatening some variant of freezing dragons' faces off, leading Qibli to comment about how he always only threatens people's face. Later on, when Winter uses a different death threat, he's relieved that it's finally not the face again.
The Elenium : After finding out that Annias had his queen poisoned Sparhawk declares "I think I'll go back to Cimmura and disembowel Annias. With a dull knife." The doctor he says it to suggests that he instead "make a lateral incision below the navel, then kick him over backwards. Everything ought to fall out at that point."
In Wolf Hall , the Duke of Norfolk is prone to making very colorful and highly specific threats. First he tells Cromwell to get Wolsey out or Norfolk will tear Wolsey's bollocks off with his teeth. (Cromwell sardonically asks if he can substitute "bite" for "tear", and uses that modified version when threatening Harry Percy with Norfolk's retribution later.) Later Norfolk says that were he the recalcitrant Mary Tudor's father, he'd beat her head against the floor "until her head was as soft as a baked apple."
Live Action TV
Babylon 5 . When Ivanova is telling off some civilian scientists who disobeyed her orders while on a mission and almost got themselves killed, she incorporates this into one of her numerous Crowning Moments of Funny:
"On your way back, I'd like you to practice the Babylon 5 Mantra: Ivanova is always right. I will listen to Ivanova. I will not ignore Ivanova's recommendations. Ivanova is God . And if this ever happens again, Ivanova will personally rip your lungs out! Babylon Control out. [to herself] Civilians. [ glances upward ] Just kidding about the God thing. No offense?"
There is also Sheridan's way of dealing with Alfred Bester, who is trying to apprehend a harmless rogue telepath on Babylon 5 at a time when Babylon 5 is openly in rebellion against the government that employs Bester.
You could do that. And I could nail your head to the table, set you on fire and feed your charred remains to the pak'ma'ra. But we live in an imperfect world.
Moriarty, in the 1st episode of the second season of Sherlock , says, "I will turn you into shoes!"
Well, first he'll find you and skin you, then he'll make you into shoes.
Firefly . When Mal late returning from a job, Jayne make his point about why he should be in charge
You know what the chain of command is? It's the chain I go get and beat you with 'til ya understand who's in ruttin' command here.
On a more serious note, there's the fate of the crew if the psychotic Reavers have their way.
Zoe: If they take the ship they will rape us to death, eat our flesh, and sew our skins in to their clothing, and if we're very, very lucky, they'll do it in that order.
Buffyverse :
Buffy once threatened to wear someone's ribcage as a hat. This being Buffy, the threaten-ee promptly lampshaded it with "Hello to the imagery."
Willow also once told Riley, " If you hurt her , I will beat you to death with a shovel. A vague disclaimer is nobody's friend."
Dawn also had one in the episode "Beneath You"
Dawn: I can't take you in a fight or anything, even with a chip in your head. But you do sleep. If you hurt my sister at all... touch her... you're gonna wake up on fire.
Kakistos: "I'm going to rip her spine from her body, and I'm going to eat her heart, and suck the marrow from her bones."
Lilah Morgan had imagination too.
Lilah: One more excuse from you and I am gonna bury you alive next to my house so I can hear you screaming.
Lilah also once threatened to rip off a guy's skin and staple in back on inside-out.
The Monster of the Week would often get in on the act: in the episode "Smile Time", lead villain Polo hollers at Angel, "I'm gonna tear you a new puppet-hole, bitch !"
Illyria broke out these occasionally.
Illyria: I will shred my adversaries! Pull their eyes out just enough to turn them towards their mewing, mutilated faces!
Among lesser examples in the Sharpe miniseries, Sgt. Patrick Harper and Sgt. Obadiah Hakeswill, who has tried to set a soldier up for undeserved punishment and is carrying a spontoon (a type of lance), have this hushed exchange:
Harper: You do that to one of my boys again, Obadiah, and I'll shove that pointy thing you're carrying up your arse until it picks your nose.
Hakeswill: Be quick, Paddy, for you is next.
In the Disney crossover special Wizards on Deck with Hannah Montana , Alex threatens Max that if he tells Justin that it was her that put dye in the hot tub, she would pound on him so hard, he'd be sneezing out of his belly button. Max then comments that that would be very awkward around allergy season.
A survivor in the future episode of Dollhouse , explains to a potential threat "I will shoot you very hard!"
In Blackadder there was a bizarre one that was conducted in mime, that involved being dunked upside down in a vat of warm marmalade and having your goolies cut off with a scythe.
Also, in Blackadder the Third, Mr. E. Blackadder issued this: "Baldrick, believe me; eternity in the company of Beelzebub — and all his hellish instruments of torment — will be a picnic compared to five minutes with me and this pencil ."
Or "Baldrick, does it have to end this way? With me cutting you into long strips and telling the Prince that you walked over a very sharp cattle grid while wearing an extremely heavy hat?"
"If you do not start making sense, the pointed bony thing with five toes inside my boot will soon connect quite sharply with the soft, dangly collection of objects in your trousers."
A rare serious example (well, sort of ) from Doctor Who :
Baines: We'll blast them into dust, then fuse the dust into glass, then shatter them all over again!
The villainous Irongron from the Third Doctor story The Time Warrior gave us this absolute gem:
Irongron: I'll chop him up so fine, not even a sparrow will fill its beak!
And a not-so-serious example:
Doctor: If you do that one more time, Duggan, I'm going to take very, very severe measures.
Duggan: Yeah, like what?
Doctor: I'm going to ask you not to.
And:
Doctor: Drop your weapons, or I'll kill him, with this jelly baby.
Also - the Eleventh Doctor's "Colonel Runaway" speech in A Good Man Goes to War is extremely similar in spirit to Dread Pirate Westley's "To the Pain" in The Princess Bride.
In Never Mind the Buzzcocks , host Simon Amstell described Noel Fielding's style of comedy as "just throwing out weird words":
Noel Fielding: Don't make me cut the stuffing out of your pillow...
Simon Amstell: With a pair of scissors made of glitter?
Noel Fielding: No, with a motorbike made of jealousy.
In My Name Is Earl , Earl is stuck in confinement with another prisoner who wants to kill him. His threats become increasingly more pathetic (but also more imaginative) after a while.
Glen: I'm gonna wear you like a puppet, on my fist, and then get into a punch-fight WITH A MAN MADE OF RAZOR BLADES!
Scrubs has this one, said in a remarkably kind voice:
Dr. Cox: Listen, Super Girl: I�m gonna break you down into so many little pieces that my grandmother, who can do a thousand-piece puzzle of clear-blue sky in less than an hour, will never be able to finish putting you back together again. Even if she does go back in time to when her vision was perfect.
Used twice in during the Seinfeld episode "The Good Samaritan", once by George's girlfriend's husband when he finds out about their affair and once by Jerry's girlfriend when he threatens to tell someone about her hit and run.
Michael: He's finished! I'm going to sew his ass to his face! I'm going to twist his neck so hard his lips will be his eyebrows! I'm going to break his joints, and reattach them!
Angela: Now you listen to me, suck face! You tell anybody, anything, and I will carve my initials in your brain tissue!
Jerry: Let me rephra-
Angela: I'll bash your skull into a vegematic like a bad cabbage, and I'll have a party on your head! (Elaine walks in)
Jerry: Hi Elaine, this is Angela.
Angela: I'll pluck all your body hairs out with my teeth!
Jerry: Well I think I get the gist of it.
Used naturally by Newman in another episode:
Newman: All right, but hear me and hear me well. The day will come — oh, yes, mark my words, Seinfeld — your day of reckoning will come, when an evil wind will blow through your little play world and wipe that smug smile off your face! And I will be there, in all my glory. Watching, watching as it all comes crumbling down!
Not only that, he follows through on it, bringing popcorn to the trial in the final episode .
Also, "All right, you go ahead and keep it secret, but you remember this: when you control the mail, you control... information!"
Then there's the time George tries to return a book that's been flagged in the database after he takes it into the bathroom. "You get your toilet book out of here, and I won't leap over this counter and punch you in the brain."
On Hogan's Heroes , Major Hochstetter and General Burkhalter would often threaten to have Colonel Klink "court-martialed, shot and sent to the Russian front". The absurdity was pointed out in this exchange:
Burkhalter: Klink, you will be court-martialed, shot, and sent to the Russian front.
Klink: But General Burkhalter, you can't do all of those to me!
Burkhalter: Try me.
So long as the firing squad doesn't shoot to kill, it's doable.
This is the primary Running Gag of Coach Hines, a recurring character on Series/MADTV.
In one episode, Charles Emerson Winchester III had a good one:
I want him drawn and quartered, and then I want the pieces arrested!
Hawkeye is responsible for this gem:
I'll break his leg, set it and break it again.
Thanks to the heavy-on-dialogue humor of the show, this happens fairly often:
Get out of here, Radar, or I'll sever every nerve in your butt!
You touch one dirty sock, you remove one layer of crud, you kill one cockroach, Frank, and I will personally grind you into a fine powder and sprinkle you on MacArthur's oatmeal.
Earl Sinclair's B.P. Richfield in Dinosaurs seemed to be rather fond of this trope.
"If you tell anyone, I'll rip out your spinal cord to play jump rope with!"
Monty Python's Flying Circus has the Spanish Inquisition punish with a "Comfy Chair".
Also from Monty Python's Flying Circus , highwayman Dennis Moore would start with a genuine threat, then get lost in qualifying it to be perfectly accurate.
"You move at your peril, for I have two pistols here. I know one of them isn't loaded any more, but the other one is, so that's one of you dead for sure...or just about for sure anyway. It certainly wouldn't be worth your while risking it because I'm a very good shot. I practice every day... well, not absolutely every day, but most days in the week. I expect I must practice, oh, at least four or five times a week... or more, really, but some weekends, like last weekend, there really wasn't the time, so that brings the average down a bit. I should say it's a solid four days' practice a week..."
In The Piranha Brothers sketch, several characters report about how Dinsdale Piranha would do horrible things. One man recounts how Dinsdale chained him to the back of a tank, dragged him to his hideout, slit his nostrils open, sawed his leg off, pulled his liver out and then nailed his head to the floor. After that, the man would go back to apologize to Dinsdale every week, and then Dinsdale would nail his head to the floor again. Dinsdale's brother Doug, on the other hand, was much worse . He used sarcasm.
Averted in the horror series American Gothic (1995) . Sheriff Buck's girlfriend falls victim to a mysterious illness and is being treated by the local doctor, one of the few people not intimidated by him.
Buck: You better cure her or I'll...
Doctor: Or you'll what?
Buck: (threateningly) I'll think of something.
Malcolm Tucker and Jamie of The Thick of It are the masters of this. Hell, as the series' page says, this trope is pretty much Jamie's job. One of his finest moments: "I will remove your iPod from its tiny nano-sheath and push it up your cock. Then I'll plug some some speakers up your arse and put it on to shuffle with my fucking fist. Then, every time I hear something that I don't like — which will be every time that something comes on — I will skip to the next track by crushing your balls." This, by the way, is in response to somebody making fun of Al Jolson .
Something that the comparatively balanced Scot does say, to a minister with a nervous blink, is: "Stop fucking blinking! Or I will take your optic nerve and strangle you with it."
"You breathe a word of this to anyone, you mincing fucking CUNT and I will tear your fuckin' skin off, I will wear it to your mother's birthday party and I will rub your nuts up and down her leg whilst whistling Bohemian fucking Rhapsody, right? Now get out of my fucking sight... "
Malcolm and Jamie continue to excel at this in the film In the Loop ; "Shut it, Love Actually ! Do you want me to hole-punch your face!?"
"You stay detached, or else that's what I'll do to your retinas."
The US remake Veep obviously gets into it as well.
Ben: You listen to me, you little fucking turd's assistant, you don't threaten the administration, because we will fucking destroy you! We'll skin you like a squirrel, clean you out like a dirty fucking chimney, and wear you like a glove puppet with my fingers sticking out of your DEAD FUCKING EYEBALLS!
Red Dwarf does this a lot. Especially Lister:
I'm gonna rip out his wind-pipe and beat him to death with the tonsil end!
I'm gonna shove my fist so far down his gob, I'll be able to pull the label off his underpants!
This, from "Gunmen of the Apocalypse"
Death: We're gonna cut you up so fine the worms won't even have to chew.
The line "If you get yourself killed I'll never speak to you again!" is used by Kristine Kochanski on Lister, who's about to go blow himself up to save his friends from the Epideme virus. Naturally Lister just grins and walks out the door.
On The Mentalist , Patrick Jane states, while still smiling and in a bantering tone of voice that when he finds "Red John", he will "cut him open and watch him die slowly".
There's a great example in Black Books , where Bernard Black shouts down the phone "I'll pull out your eyeballs and stuff them in my ears so I can't hear your screams as I headbutt you down to a fine paste!"
This is actually from the bonus feature "Bernard's Letter" in which Bernard writes an angry response to a publisher who has rejected him "I do hope you will not be disheartened by your sudden violent death."
A Poke the Poodle comes when Manny asks what Bernard's going to do about the builders next door: "I will... drink heavily and shout at you!"
"I'll tear you open like a bag of crisps!"
The Daily Show dedicated an entire segment a few months after 9/11 to coming up with really creative ways to kill Osama bin Laden . Stephen Colbert suggested that he should be wanted, not dead or alive, but dead and alive, via being cloned repeatedly so they could kill the clones.
Rachel Maddow feels she is fully capable
of killing Osama bin Laden with a spoon.
In Entourage , Ari Gold threatened to "choke [somebody] out with a strap-on." And given what we know about his character, he TOTALLY would.
Cheers : Lilith tells Carla she will "snap off your extremities like dead branches and feed them to you at gunpoint." Another time, Carla when takes a job as a waitress and is forced to sing to a patron in front of the guys, she makes what seems like a very non-idle threat when she informs that that if they tell anyone she will rip their still beating hearts out of their chests and take a bite out of them.
In Friends , Joey went with Monica to confront a food critic who gave her a bad review. When the critic refuses to try another sample of her sauce Joey deadpans, "Either eat it, or be in it."
Ziva of NCIS is prone to these with Tony — on one occasion she says she is seriously considering killing him with a spoon, and on another she threatens to kill him in eighteen different ways with a paperclip. One can only imagine...
The was another one where Mc Gee wanted his car repaired in a hurry and on the phone the mechanic said (infered) why should I rush? McGee replies because I put away killers for a living .
In The West Wing , White House counsel Lionel Tribbey enters Leo's office shouting "I will kill people today, Leo! I will kill people with this cricket bat, which was given to me by Her Royal Majesty Elizabeth Windsor, and then I will kill them again with my own hands!"
Bruno: We will work hard. We will work well. We will work together. Or so help me, mother of God, I will stick a pitchfork so far up your asses, you will, quite simply, be dead.
C.J. catches Josh posting as himself on an online forum, and threatens him with:
C.J.: I'm assigning an intern from the press office to that web site. They're going to check it every night before they go home. If they discover you've been there, I'm going to shove a motherboard so far up your ass...What?
Josh: Well... technically, I outrank you.
C.J.: So far up your ass!
There's also this threat by a Republican Senator.
Republican Senator: You told him: they take on finance campaign reform, I roll out a legislative agenda that will make his boss sit down and cry? [...] I'm gonna reach down [Josh's] throat and take out his lungs with an ice-cream scoop.
Turns out Josh is rather unimpressed, leading to one of his many CMOF.
Leo gets in on the action when CJ arranges for a presidential photo op with a goat:
Leo: If the President's wearing a hat, or that thing's wearing a Bartlet button, I'm hiding snakes in your car .
CJ: Come on, don't say that! Not even as a joke!
Leo: You're never gonna know where they are or if you got them all out. Gonna lay their eggs right in the glove compartment.
In a first season episode, Mandy threatens to kill someone with her shoes.
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air had a memorable moment with Uncle Phil Trapped In An Elevator , trying to borrow a jerkass 's cellphone to reach Aunt Viv (who is in labour at the moment):
Philip: (To Will) Will, calm down. Now I've trained as a lawyer for many years. I was trained in the art of negotiation. Okay? Observe.
[Philip walks up to the man]
Philip: Sir?
[Grabs the man by the lapels]
Philip: Gimme that damn phone or I'm gonna rip your liver out and eat it raw.
From It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia : "I...am going to smack everyone...into tiny, little pieces."
Russian arms dealer Igor got this gem in the Danish Christmas show Jul på Vesterbro:
Igor: I am going to kill you in a very inventive way! I am going to pee in a paper cone, freeze it, remove the paper and STAB you with my own ice-cold URINE!
Over the course of one episode of Jeeves and Wooster , Roderick Spode threatens to break Bertie's "rotten spine in [three, four, five, SIX] places!"
From the Fawlty Towers episode "Communication Problems":
Sybil: If I find out the money on that horse was yours, you know what I'll do, Basil.
Basil: You'll have to sew them back on first!
Manuel 'helps' Basil get out of a predicament, only getting him in deeper. Basil snarls "I'm going to sell you to a vivisectionist!" - Manuel grins and gives him the 'thumbs-up'.
Red Forman from That '70s Show similar to Team Fortress's Soldier below, makes a variety of different threats of shoving his foot up someone's ass and occasionally making them wear their ass as a hat.
On How I Met Your Mother :
Lily: Claudia is getting married tomorrow and so help me God, if I catch you even so much as breathing the same air as her, I will take those peanuts you�re trying to pass off as testicles and I will squeeze them so hard that your eyes pop out and then I�ll feed them to you like grapes.
Barney: Wait, my eyes or my testicles?
Lily: One of each!
Bishop Brennan, on the phone to Father Ted :
"If you ever try to bullshit me like that again, I will rip off your arms."
A Saturday Night Live sketch has Norfolk (played by Phil Hartman) explaining to Anne Boleyn that her method of execution depends on whether or not she agrees to divorce Henry VIII:
Anne Boleyn: What if I were to agree to the divorce, but invoke the blessing of the pope?
Norfolk: In that case, you shall be drawn and quartered by four strong horses. Then their quarters shall be drawn and quartered by four smaller horses. Then those quarters shall be drawn and quartered by four frogs. Then the quartering would stop, and the mincing would begin.
Angela: I have a hypothetical question.
Sue White: I have a hole punch. Let's not get bigheaded.
In the pilot episode of Leverage , Eliot threatens to "beat Dubinich so hard that even the people who look like him are gonna bleed." He settles for taking down his company instead.
In an episode of Will & Grace , after Jack says something stupid, Will threatens to rip his heart out... through his foot.
In Suburgatory Dalia makes a bizarre revenge threat that gets wildly speculative and specific.
Dalia: You know whats going to be painful? When my mother remarries your father and I�m your new sister and Dad likes me best. And then we send you away to an all-girls boarding school where you find true love. And on visiting day I come up and steal your new girlfriend. (sips her drink)The following spring we marry in a civil ceremony which you are forced to cater. And everyone hates your catering. And you get a bad review on Yelp, which pretty much sinks your organic lesbian catering venture.
Downton Abbey has Lord Grantham giving a pretty good one to Branson when giving him and Sybil his blessing:
If you hurt her , I will personally have you torn apart by wild dogs.
Leslie: The only thing I will be waving is your decapitated head on a stick in front of your weeping mother!
Ben: Good Lord.
In Lost Girl , when Bo and Lauren are starting to get together, Kenzi makes it plain she hasn't forgotten how hurt Bo was after learning their last time turned out to be Lauren manipulating her:
"She really likes you. So, if you hurt my friend again, one day in the future, anthropologists will find your skeleton in an unmarked grave with a massive, massive life-ending blow to your head by a totally awesome chick that rhymes with 'frenzy.' Okay?"
Kingdom : Lyle and Peter having pints in the pub. Lyle, being flippant, calls Peter "P.K."
Peter: Although everything you just said makes no sense whatsoever, I do find myself inclined to agree with it. Though call me "P.K." again and I'll pull your pancreas out with a pair of pliers .
When Catelyn Stark hears the news of her husband's death, she goes to an imprisoned Jaime Lannister and threatens to cut off his head, pack it in a box and send it to his sister.
Many threats are of the Freudian variety:
When she suspects he might be a Fake Defector , Ygritte tells Jon Snow, "Don't ever betray me...because I'll cut your pretty cock right off and wear it round me neck."
"I'm going to open your lord from balls to brains and see what Starks are made of."
Shagga son of Dolf is so fond of threatening to cut off Tyrion's manhood and feed it to the goats that it's subverted before we even hear it.
Tormund declares that if Jon has lied he will pull Jon's guts out through his throat.
Murray from The Curse of Monkey Island :
"Mortal fool! Release me from this wretched tomb! I must be set free, or I will haunt you forever! I will hide your keys beneath the cushions of your upholstered furniture, and NEVERMORE will you be able to find socks that match!"
And then of course, there's:
Murray: You may call me Murray! I am a powerful demonic force! I am the harbinger of your doom! And the forces of darkness will applaud me as I STRIDE through the gates of hell carrying your head on a pike!
Guybrush: "Stride?"
Murray: Alright then, "ROLL! ROLL through the gates of hell." Must you take the fun out of everything?
In Tales of Monkey Island , almost every pirate that has been infected by the Pox of LeChuck will make these pointless death threats almost all the time whenever Guybrush ticks them off. There are a few times whenever Guybrush himself gets ticked off, like in Chapter 2, for example, when LeChuck is too busy looking at one Summoning Artifact he has gotten:
Guybrush: Now listen here, ya fleshy sack of chum, you'd better be handin' over that golden sea turtle or I'll be handin' ya yer liver on the pointy end of me hook!
Another example is in Chapter 3, when Morgan refuses to help Guybrush prove to De Cava that he's married:
Winslow: [under the influence of the Pox] Listen here, you poor excuse for a prissy privateer! Any more lip out of you, and the Captain'll be sending yer carcass on a tour of the small intestine!
And in Chapter 4, any threats that Judge Grindstump utters whenever Guybrush gets him angry turn into Funny Moments, like, for example:
Grindstump: The defendant will cease his inane histrionics, or the court will be forced to [growls a bit before he becomes Pox-enraged] YANK OUT HIS TONGUE WITH A RUSTY SHRIMP FORK! ARRR!
Somewhat demonstrated by Sheogerath in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion .
"I'm so happy, I could just... tear out your intestines and strangle you with them!"
And not forgetting...
"I! Garland! Will KNOCK YOU ALL DOWN!"
It was turned back around on him most entertainingly in Dissidia: Final Fantasy when Zidane knocks him down to keep him from attacking Squall.
While the SNES translation of Final Fantasy VI had to bowdlerise some elements, it was able to get away with Locke threatening people who call him a thief instead of a treasure hunter by having him threaten to rip the person's lungs out (while in the GBA translation his threat it to simply beat the crap out of you).
In Duke Nukem 3D , Duke homages Full Metal Jacket as he tells the second boss "I'll rip your head off and shit down your neck!" After you win the fight, Duke does exactly that. While reading the newspaper. And whistling the game's theme.
None of the characters in-game react to it like this, but Shepard's furious "Give me a name or I will cut your balls off and sell them to a Krogan!" is definitely one of the funniest lines of Mass Effect 2 .
At the climax of the Mass Effect 3 "Citadel" DLC, Renegade Shepard gets more than a little... upset... at the villains of the week. Specifically, through the use of Renegade interrupts, s/he threatens to rip one's head off, mount it in the CIC, rip the other's head off, mount it next to the first one, and then tear them both down, stuff them in the airlock, and shoot them into space . They're not impressed .
In Persona 3 the Corrupt Corporate Executive that makes up the Devil Arcana delivers a few of these in order to frighten you into not telling people that you're talking to him, ranging from uploading your personal information to a dating site for prison convicts to threatening you with Ding Dong Ditch.
In Stupid Invaders, one of the aliens encounters the bounty hunter Bolok, who informs him "You are going to die, and you are going to scream while you die, and then you will be dead."
Before a fight in Def Jam: Fight For New York , the fighters would taunt eath other like this.
Redman: I'mma rip your tongue out ... and lick my ass with it!
His second taunt: "I'mma rip out your eyes, put 'em on your knees, and call ya KNEESY!"
Used in Kingdom of Loathing with Fernswarthy's letter, which starts with Fernswarthy making a threat to anyone who digs up his grave, then degenerates into several tangents, ending with Fernswarthy's shopping list.
Satori Komeiji, the stage 4 boss of Subterranean Animism , is something of a Ditto Fighter , basing all but the first of her Spell Cards on the attacks of whichever Mission Control the player selected at the beginning of the game. Right before using the first of these attacks, she says, "Now, this is where it really begins! Go and sleep with a trauma so frightful it will wake you up!"
In the localisation of Super Robot Wars Original Generation (this editor doesn't know if it's in the Japanese version), when Kyosuke tells Masaki's cats to go find the latter, the former then threatens to "turn them into banjoes" if they don't.
Everyone in Team Fortress 2 has a crap load of them, but The Soldier has the most ridiculous and demented of them all.
The Soldier: I am going to claw my way down your throat and tear out your very soul!
The Soldier: I am going to strangle you with your own frilly training bra!
The Soldier: Son, you are writing checks your butt will find uncashable! Are you hearing me? Your backside will be escorted from the bank! You will find this humiliating!
The Soldier: (To a robot army) "I will open up your chests and use you all as a latrine!"
The Soldier's robot costume in the second Halloween patch brings us this gem:
The Soldier (in Robotic Monotone): My foot will transform into a foot with your ass wrapped around it.
More examples, from the supplementary comics:
The Soldier: "Then I guess you'd better take me out to that gravel pit and shoot me, lady. 'Cause if you ever ask me to kill my best friend again, I will put my boot so far up your ass it will be on the news!"
The Soldier: "I am going to invite that staff straight up your ass and push you around like a broom!"
Even more Soldier examples, directed to his wizardly roommate:
The Soldier: "Merasmus! I am going to pull a rabbit out of your ass!"
The Soldier: "Merasmus! I will slap the magic out of your mouth!"
The Soldier: "I will rip off your ghost head and crap in your stupid hat!"
The Soldier: "I am going to haunt your ass with my foot!"
The Soldier: "Tonight your ass will be visited by three ghosts: my foot, my other foot, and a ghost!"
The Demoman isn't bad either.
The Demoman: I'm going to stick my thumbs in your eyes and hang on until you're dead!
The Demoman: Ooh, I'm going to hit you so hard you'll have a twitch!
The Demoman: They're going to bury what's left of you in a soup can!
The Demoman: Ooh, they're gonna find ya all dead in an alley, with cats lickin' at ya!
The Demoman: I'm going to blast ye into thin gruel!
The Demoman: (To Soldier's wizard roommate) Eye for an eye, wizard-man! I'll chew the eyeballs right outta yer skull!
Curiously, the Sniper also has a few once he gets going :
The Sniper: "I'm gonna blow the insides of your head, all over four counties!"
The Sniper: "I'm gonna turn you into colored rain!"
Persona 4 : "I'm gonna tear this place apart so fast you won't have time to file for insurance! Oh, uh, well... I'm gonna tear it apart and rebuild it twice as good! I-I'm gonna RENOVATE your ass!"
It's even funnier because it follows the character's decision to be nicer to people: it was their attempt to make their reflexive insult into something less threatening. It didn't work.
Fallout 4 : The Super Mutants often do this.
Super Mutant: I'll wear your guts around my neck!
Super Mutant: I'm going to eat your legs when you're dead, human!
Super Mutant: I'm going to eat you alive after I kill you!
Fallout Tactics : An NPC threatens to "rip out your lungs and smack your mother with them!" Nice visual.
Odin Sphere : Odette tends to clunk out some rather nasty insults. Though she IS the Queen of the Netherworld after all.
Odette (speaking to Oswald): "I will scrape out your bowels until you beg me for mercy."
Dr. Nefarious in Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack In Time :
Nefarious: When I've finished killing you, I think I'll rewind time..so I can do it again. And again. And AGAIN! Hahahahaha!
King Tascan the First invokes this trope by name in Hype The Time Quest , frustratedly telling his incompetant soldiers, "One more mistake and I'll execute you myself... With a spoon, so that it takes longer..."
André the Hoodlum was fond of this trope. Actually being stuck inside Globox made them sound a bit less ridiculous. Just a bit.
André: I'LL SLURP UP YOUR INTESTINES LIKE A PIECE OF SPAGHETTI
André: GET ME OUT OF HERE OR I'LL START CHEWING
André: I'LL NIBBLE YOUR ARTERIES
Something*Positive has many examples:
"DO NOT FUCK WITH ME, LITTLE MAN! My patience has long since been taxed and I will not hesitate to pull the oily rag you call a soul from your body, set it aflame, and jam it back down your gullet!"
"Yes, Jhim, very mad. In fact, I think if you'd done that, I'd have had to do something to show you how displeased I was, like finding where you sleep tonight, stake you through the heart with my penis and ejaculate steaming white hate into your blood."
"I'm not going to bully you, Cab. I'm going to sit back and watch as hordes of angry flannel-wearing women sodomize you with your own cock without severing it."
"I swear, if he upsets her one more time I'm gonna beat him so hard it'll send ripples back in time and prevent his granddaddy from plantin' baby seeds."
"If one spore's missing from my science project, I'll punch open your chest and fuck your still-beating heart." "Uh, Miss? You don't have a dick." "So you DID destroy my science project!"
Suicide for Hire features Hunter threatening a stalker thus
.
In Cwen's Quest a young Cwen in a moment of full on freak out threatens to "eat" a raccoon to death
.
In this
Sluggy Freelance strip, the cute talking bunny of the strip threatens to neuter his owner with a spoon. Ouch.
And in another strip
:
Checkerboard Nightmare makes itself relevant again.
The Secret Lawyers Society is so disappointed with Lyle that they're going to slowly decrease the temperature of the room until he has to put his hands in his pants pockets.
Questionable Content gave us the gem: "I will re-enact General Sherman's march to the sea, using your face as Georgia."
Marten's mother chipped in the delightfully open-to-interpretation: "If you hurt my boy I will introduce you to a whole new realm of suffering. We're talkin' stuff that would make Hieronymous Bosch shit his britches, capisce?"
In Buck Godot , the trope name is, due to the peculiarities of Hoffmanite culture, a perfectly viable threat
.
While Hoffmanites may be able to make good on the spoon threat thanks to their great strength, there's probably only one race in the galaxy that considers "I'll floss his teeth!"
to be a viable threat.
The Adventures of Dr. McNinja 's Dan McNinja does this in the last frame of this page
to a crew of pirates who have just informed him that they have kidnapped his son:
Dan: Oh you sons of sea cows will wish you'd never been born with limbs on your bodies! Because I'm going to come on that ship and show you how many delicious stocks and braises I can make with them!
Tim Buckley in Ctrl+Alt+Del hates the cheapness that is Crimson Viper in Street Fighter IV . In his news post, he wishes he could punch her in the face with a cinderblock boxing glove. In the related comic, he swears he will "face fuck her with a dump truck."
Dominic Deegan features the appropriately-named Professor Runcible Spoon yelling "I'LL KILL YOU TIL YOU DIE FROM IT!"
In Bob and George , Bob once told Treble to stop chasing the mini-author or he'd "neuter him with a dull spoon."
Exterminatus Now gives us this delightful quote with Lothar as the gang ruin his birthday.
Lothar: Thats it, I'll just kill them... with a spork!"
In Vinci and Arty , Arty does not take kindly to unsafe drivers: "PUT YOUR GODDAMN CELL PHONE AWAY WHILE YOU'RE DRIVING BEFORE I SHOVE IT SO FAR UP YOUR COLON YOU'LL BE FARTING FREE MINUTES FOR A WEEK!"
From Sodium Eyes
, a strip full of odd analogies:
...so you better get one thing straight in those whimpering skunk fetuses you twice-inbred Sasquatches dare call brains. If even one of you hemorrhaging shit-apes so much as blinks wrong, I'll see to it personally that you're lapping rat bile off an AIDS-infested twat rag by the end of the week. Got it?!
Bug shows us some discontinued methods of execution
, which were discontinued for good reason.
And this after the threat of a Strongly Worded Letter .
Superintendent: He'll think twice about that.
Officer: Sir!
In Bobwhite , Ivy successfully scares an art classroom into submission
this way:
Ivy: Well, you'd better do your work and make me look good or so help me I'll... I'll... I'll be completely honest when I critique your art!
From Buttersafe 's comic " The Threat
": "If you say one more thing about my bike, I will punch you in every genital you own."
Tank Pilot: If you say anything more I will amputate your mouth at the hip.
Shodan: Ah-hey! An overflowing challenge! With ironic timeliness!
Tagon: Keep that accent up and I'll overflow you with my trophy fork.
In Dragon Ball Z Abridged Gohan snaps after Piccolo dies:
Gohan: I'M GOING TO EVISCERATE YOU AND USE GASTRO-INTESTINAL TRACT AS A CONDOM, WHILE I FORNICATE WITH YOUR SKULL!!!
Nappa: What?
Gohan: I'M GONNA SKULL [bleep] YOU!
He comes by it honestly enough, given his mother's reaction to his "hypothetical" kidnapping and Goku's death.
Chi-Chi: I'd castrate the messenger in his sleep with a rusty carving knife.
In Doom House , the only line spoken by the Doll (over the phone) is a bizarre, falsetto... well, it's a threat, that much is obvious. Something to do with putting Reginald's hair in a bowl.
Sarah in the lonelygirl15 episode "CAMP PLAY": "Get any closer and I will breathe on you!"
An example similar to the Yu-Gi-Oh Abridged one above occurs in the Potter Puppet Pals video "Wizard Swears".
In Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog , the unseen character Bad Horse threatens to "make [Doctor Horrible] his mare." Doctor Horrible stops bobbing his head to the music and acquires an appropriately bewildered look.
Captain Hammer at one point confusingly threatens "It's curtains for you, Dr. Horrible. Lacy, gently-wafting curtains."
Spoofed in Web cartoon series Retarded Animal Babies . Puppy threatens to "vivisect [Cat] with [a] fondue fork" and "rape [him] with a handful of rusty corncob holders".
In the web cartoon Go! Go! Mobaboy, the bad guy threatens our hero with "I'm gonna hit you so hard, your voice actor will feel it!"
Happens sometimes in the Protectors of the Plot Continuum and Official Fanfiction University 'verse.
"If either of you finish that sentence, I'm going to hang you both from each other's intestinal tracts!"
"If you ever bring that up again, I'll deny everything and I will not rest until every student in this building is convinced that your human self is a thirty-five-year-old man ."
"But you pull this come-wiz-me-to-ze-casbah routine on me again, and I?m still going to rip your teeth out. Through your rectum."
"You make one more comment about ' rat-onna-stick ', PPC boy, and I will eat your soul."
"TWO WORDS, YOU MANURE-CONSUMING EXCUSE FOR A SPOTTY WHITE TOADSTOOL ! LAWN MOWER!"
"One false move from yew, sir, one word outta yore mouth wot I don't like, an' I'll cockblock yer by kickin' it till ye 'ave a falsetto wot'd make Justin Bieber jealous." In the same MSTing , a reluctant riffer was threatened with being forced to hang around with resident Enfant Terrible Molly.
"Are you aware of the number of live eel larvae the nasal cavity can accommodate? Make me listen to one more comment about my name and you'll find out."
The Horribly Slow Murderer with the Extremely Inefficient Weapon . Exactly What It Says on the Tin (very much so. Towards the end, the protagonist would beg for having his heart cut out with a spoon. It'd be much faster than being beaten to death by a spoon.. The trailer boasts that the murder will take years).
and the Spoon VS Spoon
In the Don't Press The Red Button game, at one point after clicking the button a certain number of times, it threatens to cut off your head with a toothbrush.
My Way Entertainment : From "Imma beat your ass Charles. Imma beat your ass with Charles " to "It's time for some Black on Black crime" to "If anybody say anything to anyone I will KILL every motherfucker in here you hear me bitch?!". And everything in between.
Let's Player Azurite Reaction is fond of this trope
.
" I'm the wicked bitch of the west! I'm here to drive you out of your fucking MIND!"
"I will fuck a million wives. Both. I will fuck lives and wives. I will fucking do it live. WE'RE DOIN' IT LIIIIIIIIIVE!"
"I WILL EAT YOUR CATS!"
Dorkly.com has a regular feature
that has loads of these.
In Kickassia , when Team TGWTG is plotting exactly how they're going to take down The Nostalgia Critic , Bennett the Sage comes up with this gem:
Bennett: I say we castrate him with a fork, tie him to a cactus, and play pinata with his entrails!
The bloopers take this farther: Bennett comes up with a series of increasingly cheerful and demented methods of torture, moving through "eviscerate him with a saw blade and laugh at his misfortune" and "strap him to a work bench, pour honey on his genitals, then FIRE ANTS" and finally landing on "I say we kill him."
In Smash Kingdom , King Dedede, a king with a nation of weapons and variance of abilities, is a bit too dependent on his hammer, as per the quotes page.
is about 80-90% this trope, containing many examples listed in the film folder (and many that aren't), including the trope namer.
Dane threatens to castrate Ian with the edge of a plastic spoon in Statless And Tactless .
In the Orphaned Series Kermit Kombat , Kermit does the "getting a bit lost" variant, before getting sidetracked by realizing that's he's not speaking to the person he called:
Kermit: "I'm going to kill you. I'm going to rip your eyes out of your head and shove them up your ass, so you can watch me kicking your ass... um, while I'm kicking you ass! I'll tear into you like a monkey on a cupcake. I'll hit you so hard your dog is gonna be retarded! I'm gonna..."
Bob the cat: "Um.. excuse me. Who is this?"
Kermit: *blushes in embarassment* Um... is this Rocky Pinnicle?
From episode 13
of The SEA Team 's Soul Eater Abridged, when Black Star refuses to step aside and let Maka fight Crona, she has this to say:
"Hey Captain, I've got your key. I hope you're hungry. 'Cause I'm gonna feed it to you."
In Sealab 2021 , con man Master Loo is being challenged to a fight by one of the main characters when we begins levitating and glowing green . He deapans the following:
"See the way my body's glowing? Yeah. A lot of people can't do that. Okay, you want some? You want some of the glowing? Look, man, your soul? I'm gonna totally chew on it, and floss with your spirit. I read that somewhere. But I'll do it."
In Samurai Jack , Jack's first opponent in the Dome of Doom, Gordo the Gruesome, is a master of smack talk, and most of his threats follow this pattern. Behold:
"I will hang you out like laundry! I will beat you like a drum! I will make your mother cry! I will make your Aunt Edna from Gorfield, south of Barnaby, cry!"
The Simpsons example: Some of Moe's reactions to Bart's prank calls qualify for this, e.g. "Why, when I find out who you are, I'm going to shove a sausage down your throat and stick starving dogs in your butt!"
"If I find out who this is, I'll nail a flag to your butt and mail you to Iran!"
"Listen to me, you! When I catch you, I'm gonna pull out your eyes and shove 'em down your pants so you can watch me kick the crap out of you! And then I'm gonna use your tongue to paint my boat!"
When Bart makes a prank call to a Swedish bar, the bartender, in a grim Ingmar Bergman parody, merely intones "If I ever find you, I will thank you for showing me the futility of human endeavor."
Subverted on another occasion, where Homer enters the family's new horse in a race and declares "If he doesn't win, we're taking a trip to the glue factory... and he won't get to come ."
When Homer gets a job as a tow truck driver, another driver says that if Homer treads on his turf, he'll "Rip off your head, vomit down your neck, pull out your heart, show it to your head, and then stuff them both down your neck-hole, to which I previously alluded."
Apu fails faking indignation badly: "I'm so angry I could just ... fall asleep!".
When Lisa finds out Bart has been using his Mr. Microphone to make the entire town think he was Timmy O'toole-in-the-well, she warns him that, once the townspeople find out, they're "going to want to cut you up with rusty razors."
A Giant Mook made the mistake of making a long and nonsensical one to Korgoth in Korgoth of Barbaria after Korgoth had just wiped the floor with the rest of the mooks . When Korgoth loses patience with the speech, he interrupts by killing the Giant Mook in one of the most absurd/painful ways possible
.
On Rocko's Modern Life , Rocko loses his patience with a supermarket cashier after he misses a big sale by a matter of seconds due to the cashier:
Filbert: (as the register reads $1.50) And your total is... (The clock strikes noon, and the total promptly jumps to $150) one hundred and fifty dollars. Gee... Looks like you just missed our big sale... Have a nice day...
(Rocko looks on in horror, and after a few seconds, promptly flips the hell out)
Rocko: You cheap little rotter! I've been run over by a car, made to drag around a gimp shopping cart, threatened by your gestapo security guards, had me head set on fire, I was attacked by wild lobsters, beaten by a very large woman, had me dog wrapped in plastic, nearly starved to death, and I still beat the twelve o'clock deadline! So if you don't change the total back to a dollar fifty, I WILL DO SOMETHING NOT NICE!!!!
The cashier promptly turns it back to $1.50.
Family Guy : When Chris asked Stewie if he wanted ice cream, this was his reply:
Stewie: Fine, but no sprinkles! For every sprinkle I find, I shall kill you.
The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 episode "The Beauty of Kootie": When Kootie Pie finds out Casanova Koopa is really Luigi in disguise, she threatens to tie his lips behind his head so he wouldn't kiss again.
In the Futurama episode "Xmas Story", when they try to avoid getting killed by Santa-bot by promising to put out milk and cookies for him.
Santa-bot: You dare bribe Santa?! I'm going to shove coal so far up your stocking you'll be coughing up diamonds!!
And on "Mother's Day":
Mom: If I ever see that man [Prof. Farnsworth] again... I swear I'll jam a squirrel in him!
And in "The Deep South":
Hermes: [discussing Nibbler] I'd like to put the little bastard in a sack and toss the sack in a river and hurl the river into space.
From Insane in the Mainframe . Roberto's description of what will happen to Fry if he testifies against him:
Roberto... And the other hamburger will also be made of your lungs.
Don Karnage does this in TaleSpin .
Don Karnage: When I catch that bothersome Baloo, I tear him into itsy-bitsy pieces of ugly bear! Then I will sew him back together with dull needles!
On South Park , Wendy challenges Cartman to a fight and threatens to shove his head up his own ass and make him eat his own underwear. Cartman, desperate to back out of the fight, offers to eat his underwear so she won't have to. And then he does.
Cartman: I'll make you eat your parents.
Stan: He'll do it, dude .
Megatron of Beast Wars has a good one in "Possession" when he discovers that Starscream is being, well, The Starscream .
"Ugh! Starscream and Blackarachnia! I'll have both their treacherous hides! Yeeessss ...I'll-I'll melt them down and use them for aluminum siding! Oh, yes, indeed!"
A bit earlier, in "Dark Voyage," Dinobot is a little ticked a trap set up for him and several other Maximals has left them blind and contaminated with energon:
"I'll tear Scorponok's processor out for this! And Waspinator's, too!"
Drawn Together : "Then Ling-Ling kill you slow and use skull for sex, then as decorative birdhouse!"
Then there was Captain Hero's rather... bizarre threats in Captain Hero's Marriage Pact.
Wooldoor: I'm not comfortable doing that.
Captain Hero: Would you be more comfortable if I broke your arm in three places and wrapped it in 100 dollar bills?
Wooldoor: Are you threatening me? Or... bribing me?
Captain Hero: What an insulting accusation! Take that back before I pull out your spleen and then drive you to the hospital... (pulls out keys) in your BRAND NEW CAR!
The early-00's Action Man cartoon did contain one gem of a line: "If he comes back, I'll rip his head off and shove it up his nose... Wait, his nose is on his head, THAT WON'T WORK!"
Later in Big Boogey Adventure
Grim (while he's in the "anger" stage of grief): I'm gonna rip Boogey's nose off and put it in a jar!
In "Guess What's Coming to Dinner?", when a traumatized Principal Goodvibes says that he won't be admitting Billy to Rollington Academy, Hoss threatens to send him back to his mama with a jelly jar shoved up his nose.
The Ren & Stimpy Show , "Sven Hoek":
Ren: Oh, what I'm gonna do to you... I'm so angry! First, I'm gonna tear your lips out! Yeah, that's what I'm gonna do! And then? I'm gonna gouge your eyes out! Yeah, that's what I'm gonna do... Next, I'm gonna— TEAR YOUR ARMS OUT OF THE SOCKETS! And you wanna know what else? I'm gonna hit ya— and you're gonna faaaaaall. And I'm gonna look down— and I'm gonna laaaaaaaugh.
Archer : Archer does this to Wodehouse all the time:
"When I get back here, if I find a single dog hair I'll rub sand in your dead little eyes. Also, I need you to go buy sand. I don't know if they grade it, but...coarse."
"I'm gonna pain you dearly, Wodehouse, when I peel off all your skin with a flencing knife! And then sew it into Wodehouse pajamas! And then set those pajamas on fire!"
"And now I have to spend the first weekend I've had off in forever coming up with some kind of punishment for this. So don't be surprised if you end up...eating a lot of spiderwebs."
There are a few that don't involve Wodehouse. Sterling remarks that, if a pharmacist doesn't tell him where some fake chemotherapy drugs are being warehoused, he will take a knife and slowly insert it into the man's urethra. Later, after Krieger destroys most of their cocaine, Malory wants a straight-razor, bowl, and mirror so she can, quite literally, emasculate him. The mirror is so he can watch it happen.
Lana gets in a few as well.
"I will break both of your collarbones, rip them out of your body, and use them to play - in its entirety and on your head - 'Moby Dick.'
"If you wake this baby, I will climb inside you with my shoes on."
The Devil 's descriptions of hell on Squidbillies , especially in the song "Hoofprints":
As I ram your carcass through an impossibly small hole into a sea of flaming hot human feces, and you can't draw a breath yet your lungs are filled with that same flaming hot human feces!
Hey Arnold! : When Lila is chosen to be Juliet for the School play with Arnold, Helga does everything talk her out of it, but eventually Lila manages to get Helga to confess the truth about why she wants to be Juliet so badly. Upon revealing this Helga threatens that if Lila ever told anyone she would pull out her tongue and wrap it around her neck.
King of the Hill has this bit of dialogue in one episode:
Peggy: Oh, I'm so glad you forgave him. I'm not sure how you were going to "Drive your truck through his ass", but you sounded serious.
In the episode "Red October Sky" of the show American Dad! , Sergei, a retired communist spy who swore revenge against Stan, makes a odd threat against him at the end of the episode.
Sergei: I will plant the seeds of revenge and let them grow, then I'll harvest the vegetables of revenge and from those vegetables, I will plant more seeds!
Stan: And then you'll get your revenge.
Sergei: No, Smith. From the third or perhaps fourth harvest of revenge plants, I will make stew and season it perfectly, with revenge!
The Fairly OddParents : In the episode where Mark made his debut, an episode of Crash Nebula that Timmy, AJ and Chester were watching, had enemy aliens holding a bunch of astronauts hostage and threatening them that they'd suck out their brains with a straw. Later, Mark used the exact same threat against AJ and Chester when he kept them captive before Timmy came to the rescue.
The grand battle scene against Dr. D's robot army in Phineas and Ferb : Across the 2nd Dimension is set to an original song titled "Robot Riot", which packs some choice threats in its lyrics
. Granted, they are threats against robotkind , but they're still really colorful. E.G.:
"I'm gonna rip you up and put you back together in a new configuration just to mow my lawn."
Dilbert has some sort of security guard crash-course instructor who claims he can kill a man with his thumb. He then asks for a volunteer , and actually gets one , who changes his mind when Dilbert points out the obvious . Moments later, the instructor accidentally thumbs himself in the neck and dies instantly.
In the Courage the Cowardly Dog episode "Watch the Birdies", a mother vulture makes Muriel babysit her three hatchlings: "If I see one feather on their precious little heads out of place... I'm gonna eat you with this cereal spoon!"
One episode of Dave the Barbarian has Dave obtaining a set of gargle pipes (a bagpipes-like instrument) that he uses to spite Candy with its obnoxious sound. She threatens to do something violent to him, but what it is exactly is mostly drowned out and all we can hear is that it involves a fondue fork .
In another episode Lula tells Dave "remind me later and I'll do horrible things to you with a cheese grater!"
On the What A Cartoon! Show , a Yuckie Duck cartoon had Yuckie as a paramedic, and one of his patients was an angry lion with a carpet tack stuck in his butt, who warns Yuckie "Pull it out slow, 'cause if I feel one little pain, I'll tie you up in granny knots!" When Yuckie accidentally pulls one of the guy's teeth, the lion makes good on his threat .
The My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic episode " The Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000 " has Rainbow Dash upset after she and her friends fail to beat the Flim Flam brothers in the cider making contest. She threatens to press the brothers into jerk cider before Applejack restrains her.
In the "Freaky Friday" Flip episode of Johnny Test , Hugh gives a "Reason You Suck" Speech to Bumper while in his son's body, which results in Unstoppable Rage and a chase all the way back to the Test household. When Bumper catches up, he has this to say.
"TEST!!! I'M GONNA MAKE YOUR FEET YOUR EARS!!!"
| Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves |
Which country singer's story was filmed as The Coalminers Daughter in 1980? | Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991) - Quotes - IMDb
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991)
[the Sheriff has said he'll cut out Robin Hood's heart with a spoon]
Guy of Gisborne : Why a spoon, cousin? Why not an axe?
Sheriff of Nottingham : Because it's DULL, you twit. It'll hurt more.
Sheriff of Nottingham : Just a minute. Robin Hood steals money from my pocket, forcing me to hurt the public, and they love him for it?
[Scribe nods]
Sheriff of Nottingham : That's it then. Cancel the kitchen scraps for lepers and orphans, no more merciful beheadings, and call off Christmas.
Sheriff of Nottingham : [to a wench] You. My room. 10:30 tonight.
Sheriff of Nottingham : [to another wench] You. 10:45... And bring a friend.
Small Girl : Did God paint you?
Azeem : Did God paint me?
[laughs]
Friar Tuck : By the power vested in me, of God's holy church, I say let any man who has reason why these two should not be joined, let him speak now or forever hold his peace.
[silence]
King Richard : Hold, I speak!
[Everyone turns around to see knights coming]
[Everyone, except Marian and a confused Azeem, bows]
King Richard : I will not allow this wedding to proceed...
Robin Hood : [gets up] My lord...
King Richard : ...unless I'm allowed to give the bride away! You look radiant, cousin.
[they exchange kisses on the cheeks]
Robin Hood : I'm deeply honored, your majesty.
King Richard : It is I who is honored, Lord Locksley. Thanks to you, I still have a throne. Friar, proceed!
Friar Tuck : Husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.
Robin Hood : I know that.
[They kiss, and everyone cheers. The camera shifts to the Friar, who breaks the fourth wall and looks at the camera]
Friar Tuck : Now, get out of it! We're wasting good celebration time!
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Azeem : English! English! Behold, Azeem Edin Bashir Al Bakir. I am not one of you, but I fight! I fight with Robin Hood. I fight against a tyrant who holds you under his boot! If you would be free men, then you must fight! Join us now, join Robin Hood!
Robin Hood : You're King Richard's cousin. You can give word to him of Nottingham's plans. He would believe you.
Marian : If the sheriff found out, I could lose all that I have.
Robin Hood : But will you do it for your king?
Marian : No. I'll do it for you.
[She kisses him and gets on the boat. They look at each other intensely as the boat leaves]
Duncan : He fancies you, my Lady. I may be blind, but there are some things I still see.
[Azeem shows Guy's approaching men with a telescope. Robin peers at it, bewildered]
Azeem : How did your uneducated kind ever take Jerusalem?
Friar Tuck : So, you sold your soul to Satan, Your Grace? You accused innocent men of witchcraft and let them die!
Bishop of Hereford : Brother Friar, you would not strike a fellow man of the cloth?
Friar Tuck : No, no, I wouldn't. In fact, I'll help you pack for your journey.
[weighs the Bishop down with several heavy sacks]
Friar Tuck : You're going to need lots of gold to help you on your way - you're a very rich man, eh? This too, and that!
[holds up one last bag]
Friar Tuck : Here's thirty pieces of silver, to pay the Devil... ON YOUR WAY TO HELL!
[shoves the Bishop to his death out a window]
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Robin Hood : You were to use this information to get close to me and then kill me, isn't that right, Will? What are your intentions?
Will Scarlett : Well, that depends on you Locksley. I've never trusted you, that's no secret. What I wanna know is, is are you gonna finish what you started? I want to know if he's gonna turn and run like the spoiled little rich boy I always took him for.
Robin Hood : Did I wrong you in another life, Will Scarlett? Where does this intolerable hatred for me come from?
Will Scarlett : From knowing that... that our father loved you more than me.
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What was the name of the Yorkshire pub featured in the 1981 movie An American Werewolf in London? | Film locations for An American Werewolf in London (1981)
Surrey: Drink at: The Black Swan , Old Lane, Martyr's Green (tel: 01932 862364) (rail: Effingham Junction from London Waterloo or London Blackfriars)
Trivia
The dull and belated sequel, An American Werewolf in Paris, was filmed largely in Luxembourg.
An American Werewolf in London location: David Kessler goes through changes in the flat of nurse Alex Price: 64 Coleherne Road, Earl's Court, London SW10
Unsurprisingly, the locations for John Landis ’ horror-comedy can be found mainly around London , with a brief detour into Wales , standing in for ‘Yorkshire’.
An American Werewolf in London location: arriving in the village: Crickadarn, near Builth Wells, Wales
Photograph: Kevin Thomas
A pub full of character actors rhubarbing away on the 'Yorkshire Moors' can only mean bad news for two American backpackers.
The moors were filmed around the Black Mountains in Wales , and 'East Proctor' is in reality the tiny village of Crickadarn, about six miles southeast of Builth Wells off the A479. The ‘Angel of Death’ statue was a prop added for the film, but the red phone box is real enough – though Welsh the road signs were covered by a fake tree.
An American Werewolf in London location: the exterior of the ‘Slaughtered Lamb’: Crickadarn, near Builth Wells, Wales
Photograph: Kevin Thomas
If you want to join the locals here for a pint at 'The Slaughtered Lamb', you’ll have quite a journey. Although the exterior was an empty (now restored – so please do not disturb the residents) cottage dressed up for the movie.
An American Werewolf in London location: the phonebox and village church at ‘East Proctor’: Crickadarn, near Builth Wells, Wales
Photograph: Kevin Thomas
The interior of ‘The Slaughtered Lamb’ is in Surrey . It’s The Black Swan , Old Lane at the junction with Ockham Lane, Martyr’s Green, about a mile northwest of Effingham Junction between Guildford and Leatherhead. The photogenic pub, also featured in TV’s Inspector Morse, but has been given a radical makeover since the Eighties.
An American Werewolf in London location: ‘The Slaughtered Lamb’ interior – no pentagram: The Black Swan, Martyr's Green, Surrey
It’s now a smart restaurant-pub and you’ll need to use a little imagination to recognise it as the old-world inn where Lila Kaye tended bar, a young Rik Mayall played chess and Brian Glover held court. The wall which bore the pentagram was a false addition for the film (it’s actually the doorway to what is now the main dining room) and the bench seats are gone, but the layout remains the same. Oh, and there’s no longer a dartboard.
An American Werewolf in London location: ‘The Slaughtered Lamb’ interior – no dartboard: The Black Swan, Martyr's Green, Surrey
The hospital in which David Kessler ( David Naughton ) recovers from a nasty wolf bite was the Princess Beatrice Maternity Hospital on Finborough Road at Lillie Road in Earl’s Court, London SW5. The building is still there, and is now a hostel for the homeless.
A block east, around the corner at 64 Coleherne Road, SW10, you can see the flat of nurse Alex Price ( Jenny Agutter ), where David does some shape-shifting to Bad Moon Rising (tube: Earl’s Court).
Unusually, the tube station, where the city gent gets chomped, was filmed, during the wee small hours, at Tottenham Court Road Station (London Transport’s all-purpose location, the closed Aldwych Station in the Strand, is almost invariably used for filming).
An American Werewolf in London location: mayhem in central London: Piccadilly Circus
The undead victims pop up in a studio recreation of the old Eros News Cinema (now a branch of GAP clothes store, more recently featured in Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 1 ) on the corner of Shaftesbury Avenue in Piccadilly Circus. You can see the cinema in its heyday in 1949 when the kids go to see the Siege of Burgundy in classic Ealing comedy Passport To Pimlico .
And once again John Landis demonstrates his talent for staging major set-pieces in impossible locations by setting the climactic mayhem smack in the middle of Piccadilly Circus itself – although, if you look carefully, you can see a wobbly street sign.
An American Werewolf in London location: the climax in the ‘West End’ alleyway: Winchester Walk, Borough, SE1
In fact, some of this sequence was filmed on a mock-up of the Circus at Twickenham Studios.
The dark alley, where the wolf is finally cornered, which seems to be in the West End, is Winchester Walk, south of the Thames, off the familiar location of Park Street ( Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels , Bridget Jones’s Diary among others) in Borough (tube: London Bridge).
• Many thanks to Kevin Thomas for help with this section.
| An American Werewolf in London |
In 1919, Chaplin formed United Artists with 3 other Hollywood greats. Name one. | An American Werewolf in London - 必应
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An American Werewolf in London
An American Werewolf in London is a 1981 British-American comedy horror film written and directed by John Landis, and starring David Naughton, Jenny Agutter, and Griffin Dunne. The film's plot concerns two young American men, David Kessler (played by Naughton) and Jack Goodman (played by Dunne), attacked by a werewolf on a backpacking holiday in England. With Jack killed, David is taken to a London hospital, where his disturbing apparitions of his deceased friend informs him that he is a werewolf and will transform at the next full moon. Filming took place in London, Surrey, and Wales. It was released in the United States on August 21, 1981, and grossed $30.56 ... (展开) million at the box office. The film received positive reviews from critics. who praised Rick Baker's make-up special effects. The film won the 1981 Saturn Award for Best Horror Film and the first-ever awarded Academy Award for Outstanding Achievement in Makeup. The film was one of three high-profile wolf-themed horror films released in 1981, alongside The Howling and Wolfen. Over the years, the film has accumulated a cult following and has become a cult classic. The film was followed by a 1997 sequel, An American Werewolf in Paris, which featured a completely different cast and none of the original crew, and is distributed by Disney's Hollywood Pictures. A Hindi film, Junoon, was inspired by the film.
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An American Werewolf in London Plot
Two American college students, David Kessler and Jack Goodman, backpack across the North York Moors. As darkness falls, they stop for the night at a pub called "The Slaughtered Lamb". Jack notices a five-pointed star on the wall. When he asks about it, the pubgoers stop talking and become hostile, telling them to keep to the road and beware of the full moon. The pair decide to leave, but while talking they wander off the road onto the moors.
Jack and David hear sinister howls, which seem to be getting closer. They start back to the Slaughtered Lamb but realize that they are now lost. The boys are attacked by a supernaturally large wolf-like animal and Jack is killed. The attacker is shot by some of the pubgoers but instead of a dead animal, David sees the corpse of a naked man lying next to him. David survives the mauling and is taken to a hospital in London.
When David wakes up three weeks later, he does not remember what happened. He is interviewed by police Inspector Villiers who tells him that he and Jack were attacked by an escaped lunatic. David insists that they were actually attacked by a large dog or wolf.
Jack appears to David as a reanimated corpse to explain that they were attacked by a werewolf, and that David is now a werewolf. Jack urges David to kill himself before the next full moon, not only because Jack is cursed to exist in a state of living death for as long as the bloodline of the werewolf that attacked them survives, but also to prevent David from inflicting the same fate on anyone else.
Dr. Hirsch takes a trip to the Slaughtered Lamb to see if what David has told him is true. When asked about the incident, the pubgoers deny any knowledge of David, Jack, or their attacker. But one distraught pubgoer speaks to Dr. Hirsch outside the pub and says that David should not have been taken away, and that he and everyone else will be in danger when he changes, only to be quickly silenced by a fellow pubgoer.
Upon his release from the hospital, David moves in with Alex Price, a pretty young nurse who grew infatuated with him in the hospital. He stays in Alex's London apartment, where they later make love for the first time. Jack, in an advanced stage of decay, appears to David to warn him that he will turn into a werewolf the next day. Jack again advises David to take his own life to avoid killing innocent people.
When the full moon rises, David painfully transforms into a werewolf and starts to prowl the streets and the London Underground, slaughtering six Londoners in the process. When he wakes in the morning, he is naked on the floor of the wolf cage at London Zoo, has no memory of his activities, and is unharmed by the resident wolves.
David realizes that Jack was right about everything and that he is responsible for the murders of the night before. After failing to get himself arrested, David tries to slit his wrists with a pocket knife. David sees Jack, in a yet more advanced stage of decay, outside an adult cinema in Piccadilly Circus. Inside, Jack is accompanied by David's victims from the previous night, all of whom are furious by him killing them(with the exception of the couple). They all then insist that he must commit suicide before turning into a werewolf again. While talking with them they offer him ways to kill himself, David transforms and goes on another killing spree. After bursting out of the cinema, biting off Inspector Villiers' head in the process, a horrific melee ensues. David is ultimately cornered in an alley by police. Alex tries to calm him down by telling him that she loves him. Though he is apparently placated, he is shot and killed when he lunges forward, returning to human form in front of a grieving Alex as he lies dead.
Cameos and bit parts
In the Piccadilly Circus sequence, the man hit by a car and thrown through a store window is Landis himself.
As in most of the director's films, Frank Oz makes an appearance: first as Mr. Collins from the American embassy in the hospital scene, and later as Miss Piggy in a dream sequence, when David's younger siblings watch a scene from The Muppet Show.
Actors in bit parts who were already—or would become—more well-known include the two chess players David and Jack meet in the pub, played by the character actor Brian Glover and then-rising comedian and actor Rik Mayall, star and co-writer of The Young Ones and Bottom. One of the policemen helping to chase and kill the werewolf is John Altman, who would later achieve fame as "Nasty" Nick Cotton in EastEnders. Alan Ford—later to appear in Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch—plays a taxi driver. The policeman in the cinema is played by John Salthouse and the policeman in Trafalgar Square is played by Peter Ellis. Both Salthouse and Ellis appeared in police drama The Bill. David Schofield, known as Mercer from the Pirates of the Caribbean film series, plays the dart player at The Slaughtered Lamb and assists Dr. Hirsch in his investigation of David's attack.
The player throwing darts in the match on TV in Alex's apartment is Rab Smith. Smith's opponent is Cliff Lazarenko.
An American Werewolf in London Production
John Landis came up with the story while he worked in Yugoslavia as a production assistant on the film Kelly's Heroes (1970). He and a Yugoslavian member of the crew were driving in the back of a car on location when they came across a group of gypsies. The gypsies appeared to be performing rituals on a man being buried so that he would not "rise from the grave." This made Landis realize that he would never be able to confront the undead and gave him the idea for a film in which a man would go through the same thing.
Landis wrote the first draft of An American Werewolf in London in 1969 and shelved it for over a decade. Two years later, Landis wrote, directed, and starred in his debut film, Schlock, which developed a cult following. Landis developed box-office status in Hollywood through the successful comedy films The Kentucky Fried Movie, National Lampoon's Animal House and The Blues Brothers before securing $10 million financing for his werewolf film. Financiers believed that Landis' script was too frightening to be a comedy and too funny to be a horror film.
According to Entertainment Weekly, the real star of this film is the Oscar-winning transformation effects by Rick Baker, which changed the face of horror makeup in the 1980s. The various prosthetics and robotic body parts used during the film's extended werewolf transformation scenes and on Griffin Dunne when his character returns as a bloody, mangled ghost impressed the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences so much that the film won the Outstanding Achievement in Makeup in the category's inaugural year. During the body casting sessions, the crew danced around David Naughton singing, "I'm a werewolf, you're a werewolf ... wouldn't you like to be a werewolf, too?" in reference to his days as a pitchman for Dr Pepper.[citation needed]
Filming
The moors were filmed around the Black Mountains in Wales, and 'East Proctor' is in reality the tiny village of Crickadarn, about six miles southeast of Builth Wells off the A479. The ‘Angel of Death’ statue was a prop added for the film, but the red phone box is real enough – though the Welsh road signs were covered by a fake tree.
Some scenes from the film were shot on Hampstead Heath, Well Walk and Haverstock Hill, London. St. Stephen's Church, Rosslyn Hill is featured. Harry and Judith are killed in Hampstead Heath, behind The Pryors on East Heath Road. Before David kills them, Harry and Judith get out of the taxi on East Heath Road at Well Walk.
The inn shown in the film known as "The Slaughtered Lamb" was actually a cottage located in Crickadarn, and the interior scenes were filmed in the Black Swan, Old Lane, Martyr's Green in Surrey.
A reference to Landis' National Lampoon's Animal House is shown at the end credits, which congratulate Prince Charles and Diana Spencer on their marriage, end with a promo card for Universal Studios urging viewers to "Ask for Babs".
An American Werewolf in London Music
The film's ironically upbeat soundtrack consists of songs which refer to the moon. Bobby Vinton's slow and soothing version of "Blue Moon" plays during the opening credits, Van Morrison's "Moondance" as David and Alex make love for the first time, Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Bad Moon Rising" as David nears the moment of changing to the werewolf, a soft, bittersweet ballad version of "Blue Moon" by Sam Cooke during the agonizing wolf transformation and The Marcels' doo-wop version of "Blue Moon" over the end credits. On the DVD commentary, David Naughton and Griffin Dunne said they were unsure why Landis did not obtain rights to Warren Zevon's Werewolves of London as they felt the song would have been more appropriate for the film.
Critical reception
The film received positive reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes has an approval score of 89% on and an average rating of 7.8/10 based on reviews from 46 critics, compiled retrospectively. The critical consensus states: "Terrifying and funny in almost equal measure, John Landis' horror-comedy crosses genres while introducing Rick Baker's astounding make-up effects." Kim Newman of Empire magazine praised the film, saying "Carnivorous lunar activities rarely come any more entertaining than this". Tom Huddleston from Time Out also gave the film a positive review, saying the film was "Not just gory but actually frightening, not just funny but clever".
Halliwell's Film Guide described the film as a "curious but oddly endearing mixture of horror film and spoof, of comedy and shock, with everything grist to its mill including tourist Britain and the wedding of Prince Charles. The special effects are notable, and signalled new developments in this field."
Roger Ebert's review was less favourable; he stated that "An American Werewolf in London seems curiously unfinished, as if director John Landis spent all his energy on spectacular set pieces and then didn't want to bother with things like transitions, character development, or an ending."
Academy Award - Academy Award for Best Makeup and Hairstyling (1982) (Won)
Saturn Award - Saturn Award for Best Horror Film (1982) (Won)
Saturn Award - Saturn Award for Best Make-up - Rick Baker - (Won)
Saturn Award - Saturn Award for Best Actress - Jenny Agutter (Nomination)
Saturn Award - Saturn Award for Best Writing - John Landis (Nomination)
At the 54th Academy Awards, An American Werewolf in London won the first-ever awarded Academy Award for Outstanding Achievement in Makeup. During the 1982 Saturn Awards, the film won for Best Horror Film and Best Make-up and nominated for Best Actress and Best Writing.
The American Film Institute nominated it for ranking on its 100 Laughs list. An Empire magazine poll of critics and readers named An American Werewolf in London as the 107th greatest film of all time in September 2008.
Radio adaptation
A radio adaptation of the film was broadcast on BBC Radio 1 in 1997, written and directed by Dirk Maggs and with Jenny Agutter, Brian Glover, and John Woodvine reprising the roles of Alex Price, the chess player (now named George Hackett, and with a more significant role as East Proctor's special constable) and Dr. Hirsch. The roles of David and Jack were played by Eric Meyers and William Dufris. Maggs's script added a back-story that some people in East Proctor are settlers from Eastern Europe and brought lycanthropy with them. The werewolf who bites David is revealed to be related to Hackett, and has escaped from an asylum where he is held under the name "Larry Talbot", the name of the title character in The Wolf Man.
An American Werewolf in London Home media
The film was first released on DVD in January 1998 by LIVE Entertainment according to a LIVE DVD Advertisement. Universal released a 20th anniversary "Collector's Edition" DVD on September 18, 2001. The high-definition version of the film was first released on HD DVD by Universal on November 28, 2006. A high-definition Blu-ray Disc and 2-disc standard-definition Region 1 DVD release of the film titled "An American Werewolf in London - Full Moon Edition" was released by Universal on September 15, 2009. The Region 2 DVDs and Blu-ray were released on September 28 and are known as "An American Werewolf in London - Special Edition" No DVD or Blu-ray version at present contains the film's original mono audio track.
The region 2 DVD release does not include a scene that is fully intact on the Region 1 release and all previous region 1 and 2 releases. The scene takes place near the end of the film where the character of David phones his parents from a public telephone box. All but the end of this scene had been cut from the Region 2 release because the distributors felt that use of a public phone box, as opposed to a mobile phone, would date the film.[citation needed]
As of October 2009, Universal said that they were scrapping all existing faulty stock and issuing replacement DVDs. All Blu-ray releases, however, are intact.
^ "AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON (X)". British Board of Film Classification. September 15, 1981. Retrieved February 6, 2016.
^ "An American Werewolf in London, Box Office Information". The Numbers. Retrieved March 7, 2012.
^ Berardinelli, James (2000). "An American Werewolf in London review". Reelviews. Retrieved 2009-07-26.
^ An Interview with John Landis featurette on the American Werewolf in London DVD
^ Peary, Danny (1988). Cult Movies 3. New York: Simon & Schuster Inc. pp.15–19. ISBN0-671-64810-1.
^ The Entertainment Weekly Guide to the Greatest Movies Ever Made. New York: Warner Books. 1996. p.123. ISBN978-0446670289.
^ "An American Werewolf in London film locations". The Worldwide Guide To Movie Locations. 9 July 2014. Retrieved 2014-10-14.
^ Derek Pykett (2 July 2008). British Horror Film Locations. McFarland. pp.12–. ISBN978-0-7864-5193-7.
^ Jones, Steven; Forrest J. Ackerman (2000). The Essential Monster Movie Guide. Billboard Book. p.34. ISBN978-0-8230-7936-0.
^ "An American Werewolf in London (1981)". Box Office Mojo. IMDB. Retrieved 2010-08-07.
^ "An American Werewolf in London". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved 2013-04-01.
^ "Review of An American Werewolf in London". Empireonline.com. Retrieved 2014-10-14.
^ Huddleston, Tom (October 27, 2009). "An American Werewolf in London (Re-release)". Time Out. Retrieved June 22, 2015.
^ Halliwell, Leslie (1997). Halliwell's Film and Video Guide (13th ed.). Harper Collins. ISBN0-00-638868-X.
^ Roger Ebert (January 1, 1981). "An American Werewolf in London". Chicago Sun-Times (Rogerebert.suntimes.com). Retrieved 2014-10-14.
^ AFI's 100 Years...100 Laughs Ballot.
^ McNary, Dave (June 29, 2009). "'Werewolf' remake in development". Variety. Retrieved 2014-10-14.
^ "An American Werewolf in London coming to Blu-ray". HD Report. July 13, 2009. Retrieved 2009-07-26.
^ "An American Werewolf In London - Special Edition DVD 1981: Amazon.co.uk: David Naughton, Don McKillop, Frank Oz, Linzi Drew, Jenny Agutter, Griffin Dunne, John Woodvine, Brian Glover, Rik Mayall, David Schofield, Lila Kaye, Paul Kernber, John Landis: DVD". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 2010-08-07.
^ "An American Werewolf in London (1981): Alternate Versions". Uk.imdb.com. Retrieved 2014-02-14.
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How many roles did Alec Guinness play in Kind Hearts And Coronets? | Alec Guinness - Biography - IMDb
Alec Guinness
Biography
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Overview (4)
5' 10" (1.78 m)
Mini Bio (2)
Alec Guinness de Cuffe was born on April 2, 1914 in Marylebone, London, England, and was raised by his mother, Agnes Cuffe. While working in advertising, he studied at the Fay Compton Studio of Dramatic Art, debuting on stage in 1934 and played classic theater with the Old Vic from 1936. In 1941, he entered the Royal Navy as a seaman and was commissioned the next year. Beyond an extra part in Evensong (1934), his film career began after World War II with his portrayal of Herbert Pocket in Great Expectations (1946). A string of films, mostly comedies, showed off his ability to look different in every role, eight of them, including a woman, in one movie alone, Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949). His best known recent work was as the Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) and its sequels. He earned a Best Actor Oscar and Golden Globe Award in The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) and an Honorary Academy Award (1980) for "advancing the art of screen acting through a host of memorable and distinguished performances". Academy nominations have included The Lavender Hill Mob (1951) (actor); The Horse's Mouth (1958) (screenplay); Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) (supporting) and Little Dorrit (1987) (supporting). He was awarded Knight Bachelor of the Order of the British Empire in the 1959 Queen's Honours List for his services to drama. Sir Alec Guinness died at age 86 of liver cancer on August 5, 2000.
- IMDb Mini Biography By: Pedro Borges
Spouse (1)
( 20 June 1938 - 5 August 2000) (his death) (1 child)
Trade Mark (4)
Known for playing multiple complex characters and changing his appearance to suit.
Often played noble and fiercely proud leaders and authority figures
Often worked with David Lean and Ronald Neame
Deep smooth voice
Trivia (68)
Reportedly hated working on Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) so much, Guinness claims that Obi-Wan's death was his idea as a means to limit his involvement in the film. Guinness also claims to throw away all Star Wars related fan mail without even opening it.
Father of actor Matthew Guinness and grandfather of Sally Guinness .
He was one of the last surviving members of a great generation of British actors, which included Sir Laurence Olivier , Sir John Gielgud and Sir Ralph Richardson .
"de Cuffe" is his mother's surname; he never knew the identity of his father (source: obituary, Daily Telegraph, 7 August 2000).
He was awarded the Companion of Honour in the 1994 Queen's Birthday Honours List for his services to drama.
He was awarded the CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) in the 1955 Queen's Birthday Honours List for his services to drama.
He was awarded Knight Bachelor in the 1959 Queen's New Year Honours List for his services to drama.
He was a huge fan of the television series Due South (1994).
Despite popular belief, he never uttered the line "May the force be with you" in any of the Star Wars films (the closest he came was "the force will be with you").
He was voted third in the Orange Film 2001 survey of greatest British film actors.
The qualities he claimed to most admire in an actor were "simplicity, purity, clarity of line".
He made his final stage appearance at the Comedy Theatre in London on May 30, 1989, in a production called "A Walk in the Woods", where he played a Russian diplomat.
His widow, Merula Salaman, died on October 17, 2000, just two months after her husband.
In his last book of memoirs, "A Positively Final Appearance", he expressed a devotion to the television series The Simpsons (1989).
His films were studied by Ewan McGregor in preparation for his role as the young Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999) to ensure accuracy in everything from his accent to the pacing of his words.
Received an honorary D.Litt degree from Oxford University in 1977 and an honorary D.Litt degree from Cambridge University in 1991.
Was a Grammy nominee in 1964, in the Spoken Word category, for the album "Alec Guinness: A Personal Choice" (RCA Victor Red Seal: 1964), on which he read a selection of his favorite poems.
Had starred as Eric Birling alongside Sir Ralph Richardson in the first-ever showing of "An Inspector Calls" at the New Theatre in London on October 1, 1946.
He was awarded the Laurence Olivier Theatre Special Award in 1989 (1988 season) for his outstanding contributions to West End Theatre.
Biography in: "Who's Who in Comedy" by Ronald L. Smith, pg. 198-199. New York: Facts on File, 1992. ISBN 0816023387.
Has been succeeded in two of his roles by actors from Trainspotting (1996). Guinness portrayed Adolf Hitler in Hitler: The Last Ten Days (1973). Robert Carlyle portrayed Adolf Hitler in Hitler: The Rise of Evil (2003), while Ewan McGregor succeeded him in the role of Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Ewan McGregor was not the only actor in the Star Wars prequels to study his performances. The voice for the character Watto was modeled after Guinness's performance as Fagin in Oliver Twist (1948).
Though he often spoke critically of Star Wars, the three leads, Mark Hamill , Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher , have always spoken very fondly of him, praising him as being a very professional actor who was always respectful to the people he worked with.
Reportedly answered one Star Wars fan's boast that he had seen the first movie over a hundred times, with a nod and the words "Promise me you'll never watch it again.". The boy was stunned, but his mother thanked Guinness.
His favourite hotel in London was the Connaught, in which he always stayed whenever visiting the city.
A heavy smoker for most of his life, he finally managed to give up the habit in his last years.
One of his last jobs was providing the voice (his first and only voice-over) for a cartoon character on a British television ad campaign by the Inland Revenue advising the public about the new tax return forms which were to be introduced. He said in his diary of the recording (made on March 30, 1995) "I did it feebly.".
George Lucas said Guinness was very patient and helpful to him during the filming of Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977), even to the point of getting the other actors to work more seriously.
Harrison Ford said that Guinness helped him find an apartment to stay at when he arrived in England to film Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977).
Won Broadway's 1964 Tony Award as Best Actor (Dramatic) for "Dylan", in which he played the title character, poet Dylan Thomas .
Both he and his wife, Merula Salaman, converted to the Roman Catholic Church in the 1950s.
Following his death, he was interred at Petersfield Cemetery in Petersfield, Hampshire, England.
Had appeared with Kay Walsh in five films: Oliver Twist (1948), Last Holiday (1950), The Horse's Mouth (1958), Tunes of Glory (1960) and Scrooge (1970).
Despite being two of Britain's most distinguished actors of their generation, he appeared in only two films with John Mills : Great Expectations (1946) and Tunes of Glory (1960).
Celebrated his 62nd birthday during the filming of Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) in Tunisia, where the Tatooine scenes were filmed.
Was considered for the role of Hercule Poirot in Murder on the Orient Express (1974), which went to Albert Finney .
In certain prints of The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957), a film in which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor, his last name is misspelled "Guiness".
In his autobiographical volumes, Guinness wrote about an incident at the Old Vic when, in the company of National Theater (which originally played at the Old Vic) artistic director Laurence Olivier in the basement of the theater, he asked where a certain tunnel went. Olivier did not really know but confidently decided to take the tunnel as it must come out somewhere nearby, it being part of the Old Vic. In reality, the tunnel went under the Thames, and they were rescued after several hours of fruitless navigation of the dark, damp corridor. Guinness remarked that Olivier's willingness to plunge into the dark and unknown was characteristic of the type of person (and actor) he was. As for himself as an actor, Guinness lamented at times that he did not take enough chances.
Went bald on top, and according to his Time magazine cover story of April 21, 1958, he was embarrassed by it but chose not to wear a hairpiece in private life. He told the Time writer that he had shaved the top of his head as a young man in his first professional acting engagement, playing a coolie. It never grew back properly after that, he lamented.
Had played the Fool to Laurence Olivier 's first King Lear under the direction of Tyrone Guthrie in 1946 when he was 31 and Olivier was 39. Olivier was generally considered less-than-successful in the part due to his youth and relative lack of maturity in classical parts (though his contemporaneous "Henry V" was a smash and hinted at his future greatness as an interpreter of William Shakespeare ). However, Guinness received raves for his acting. Both actors went on to knighthoods and Best Actor Oscars in their long and distinguished careers.
Was the subject of a cover story in Time magazine for the week of April 21, 1958, shortly after he won the Best Actor Oscar for The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957).
In the last year of his life, Sir Alec had been receiving hospital treatment for failing eyesight due to glaucoma, and he had been diagnosed with inoperable prostate cancer in January 2000. By the time his liver cancer was discovered in July 2000, it was at an extremely advanced stage, making surgery impossible.
Had his first speaking role on the professional stage in the melodrama "Queer Cargo" (he did not appear in the film). At age 20, the tyro actor played a Chinese coolie in the first act, a French pirate in Act 2 and a British sailor in Act 3, a foreshadowing of the shapeshifting he would do in his cinema career, where he once played as many as eight roles in a single film ( Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949)).
Is the only person to receive a best acting nomination in any of the Star Wars movies.
Contrary to popular rumors, he did not hate working on the Star Wars films. What he hated was the fact that many of the Star Wars fans would only ever remember him as Obi-Wan Kenobi despite all the success of his previous roles.
Guinness was a member of the Old Vic group organized by John Gielgud in the early 1930s, which also included, among others, Jack Hawkins , Anthony Quayle and Peggy Ashcroft .
He was made a Fellow of the British Film Institute in recognition of his outstanding contribution to film culture.
Had played the role of Osric in John Gielgud 's theatrical production of "Hamlet" in 1934. In Laurence Olivier 's 1948 film version, this role was played by Peter Cushing , with whom Guinness appeared years later in Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977). The film was also Cushing's first collaboration with future Star Wars cast member Christopher Lee .
While filming The Swan (1956) in Hollywood, he met James Dean , just days before the young actor's death. Sir Alec later recalled predicting that Dean would die in a car crash: when Dean showed Guinness his newly-bought Porsche, Guinness advised him to "Get rid of that car, or you'll be dead in a week!". Guinness unfortunately proved right.
According to playwright Neil Simon , Alec was reading the script for Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) while on set filming Murder by Death (1976) and commented that Star Wars may be a "good one".
Favorite actor of both David Lean and Ronald Neame . Had worked on many of both director's films.
During his service in the Royal Navy, he commanded a landing craft invading Sicily and Elba, and helped to supply soldiers in Yugoslavia.
Upon notification that he was to achieve a lifetime achievement Oscar, he was not keen but expressed thanks. He informed the Academy that there was no way he would even consider flying to California to pick up this award. Academy President Fay Kanin, asked Dustin Hoffman who was doing promotional work from Kramer vs. Kramer in London, to meet with Guinness and persuade him to attend. As both men had very similar attitudes to their past work, Guinness warmed up to the idea and agreed to attend.
Was considered by producer Hal B. Wallis for the lead role in Visit to a Small Planet (1960) at the same time with Danny Kaye and Jerry Lewis , the last one eventually getting the role.
Has appeared in several of David Lean 's movies. In them, he has portrayed Englishmen, an Arab, a Russian and an Indian.
He preferred working on stage to appearing in films. He also preferred appearing in newer plays rather than the classics, so that his performance would not be compared to how previous actors had played the role.
He was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1559 Vine Street in Hollywood, California on February 8, 1960.
Though knighted, he did not like being referred to as Sir Alec Guinness.
His stepfather fought in the Anglo-Irish War.
At a young age, Guinness received acting lessons from Martita Hunt , who dismissed him after two lessons, telling him he would never be an actor although lessons were resumed at a later date.
After Guinness won a two year scholarship from a dramatic academy, John Gielgud , one of the competition judges, offered him a role in his production of "Hamlet" in 1934.
His experiences with the Royal Navy involved shipping supplies to Yugoslav partisans during World War II.
Had appeared in two Best Picture Academy Award winners: The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) and Lawrence of Arabia (1962). Jack Hawkins also appeared in both films.
The 2003 book "Alec Guinness: The Authorised Biography" reprints several letters that Guinness wrote to his longtime friend and correspondent Anne Kaufman in which he expressed his displeasure with and dubiousness about the quality of Star Wars as it was in production. Before filming started, he wrote: "I have been offered a movie (20th Century Fox) which I may accept, if they come up with proper money. London and North Africa, starting in mid-March. Science fiction--which gives me pause--but is to be directed by Paul [sic] Lucas who did American Graffiti, which makes me feel I should. Big part. Fairy-tale rubbish but could be interesting perhaps. Then after filming started, he wrote to Kaufman again to complain about the dialogue and describe his co-stars: new rubbish dialogue reaches me every other day on wadges of pink paper--and none of it makes my character clear or even bearable. I just think, thankfully, of the lovely bread, which will help me keep going until next April. I must off to studio and work with a dwarf (very sweet--and he has to wash in a bidet) and your fellow countrymen Mark Hamill and Tennyson (that can't be right) Ford. Ellison (?--No!)--well, a rangy, languid young man who is probably intelligent and amusing. But Oh, God, God, they make me feel ninety--and treat me as if I was 106. Oh, [the actor's name is] Harrison Ford--ever heard of him?".
Although he played Christopher Plummer 's father in The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964), he was only fifteen years his senior in real life.
His name is an anagram for "genuine class", a fact which was mentioned in The Simpsons: Lisa's Rival (1994).
Guinness had a 2.25% interest in the revenue from Star Wars, which would be the highest grossing movie at the time (and second only to Gone With the Wind when adjusted for inflation). Guinness had agreed to a 2% interest to make the film, but he reported that just before release during a telephone conversation George Lucas had offered an additional 0.5% because of how supportive and helpful Guinness had been (with dialogue, other actors, etc.). After the release and stunning results at the box office, Guinness asked to confirm the additional 0.5% in writing, but was told it was (reduced to) 0.25%, although it is not clear who had decided this. This was revealed by Guinness in the 1977 interview with BBC's Michael Parkinson on the series Talking Pictures. It was in general supported by many public comments by Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, and Carrie Fisher all speaking highly of Guinness' professionalism and impact on the set. Apparently Guinness did not quibble- the 1977 worldwide revenue for Star Wars of $400+ million making Guinness' 2.25% probably around $9m for that year alone, with additional revenue well into 1979. In comparison that exceeds other British actor high-water marks for Sean Connery and Roger Moore in the 1970's playing James Bond ($1m salary + $3-5m depending on revenue interests per film e.g. 5-12%).
Personal Quotes (36)
[on how much he disliked working on Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) and his attempts to encourage George Lucas to kill off Obi-Wan Kenobi] And he agreed with me. What I didn't tell him was that I just couldn't go on speaking those bloody awful, banal lines. I'd had enough of the mumbo jumbo.
I shrivel up every time someone mentions Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) to me.
Failure has a thousand explanations. Success doesn't need one.
We live in an age of apologies. Apologies, false or true, are expected from the descendants of empire builders, slave owners, persecutors of heretics and from men who, in our eyes, just got it all wrong. So with the age of 85 coming up shortly, I want to make an apology. It appears I must apologize for being male, white and European.
[in 1985 to The Guardian newspaper, on what he intends to do by the end of his life] A kind of little bow, tied on life. And I can see myself drifting off into eternity, or nothing, or whatever it may be, with all sorts of bits of loose string hanging out of my pocket. Why didn't I say this or do that, or why didn't I reconcile myself with someone? Or make sure that someone whom I like was all right in every way, either financially or, I don't know...
[replying to a writer whose script he rejected, who sent him a note saying "We tailored it just for you"] But no one came to take measurements.
I gave my best performances during the war, trying to be an officer and a gentleman.
I prefer full-length camera shots because the body can act better than the face.
I don't know what else I could do but pretend to be an actor.
Once I've done a film, it's finished. I never look at it again.
Getting to the theater on the early side, usually about seven o'clock, changing into a dressing-gown, applying make-up, having a chat for a few minutes with other actors and then, quite unconsciously, beginning to assume another personality which would stay with me (but mostly tucked inside) until curtain down, was all I required of life. I thought it bliss.
An actor is an interpreter of other men's words, often a soul which wishes to reveal itself to the world but dare not, a craftsman, a bag of tricks, a vanity bag, a cool observer of mankind, a child and at his best a kind of unfrocked priest who, for an hour or two, can call on heaven and hell to mesmerize a group of innocents.
Personally, I have only one great regret - that I never *dared* enough. If at all.
[To a group of reporters upon winning his Academy Award in 1958]: No doorstop shenanigans for me, boys. I have a nice mantel where I'm going to display it.
[during filming of Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)]: Apart from the money, I regret having embarked on the film. I like them well enough, but it's not an acting job, the dialogue - which is lamentable - keeps being changed and only slightly improved, and I find myself old and out of touch with the young.
[on media reports of his income from the Star Wars films]: The Times reports I've made £4.5 million in the past year. Where do they get such nonsense?
[on the performances in Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)]: The only really disappointing performance was Anthony Daniels as the robot - fidgety and over-elaborately spoken. Not that any of the cast can stand up to the mechanical things around them.
[while considering doing Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)]: Science fiction - which gives me pause - but it is to be directed by George Lucas , who did American Graffiti (1973), which makes me think I should. Big part. Fairytale rubbish, but could be interesting.
[on his first lunch meeting with George Lucas ]: I liked him. The conversation was divided culturally by 8,000 miles and 30 years; but I think we might understand each other if I can get past his intensity.
The stage was my prime interest. I had no ambition to be a film actor, and a screen career seemed unlikely to come my way. I'd done a stage adaption of "Great Expectations" before the war and this had been seen by David Lean and Ronald Neame . I went into the navy during the war, and when I came out they were preparing their film [ Great Expectations (1946)]. They remembered my performance on the stage and asked me if I'd go into their film as Herbert Pocket. I'd thought of film as a much greater mystery than the theater and I felt a need to begin in films with a character I knew something about.
[on The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)]: The original script was ridiculous, with elephant charges and girls screaming round in the jungle. When David Lean arrived, with a new screenwriter, it became a very different thing. I saw Nicholson as an effective part, without ever really believing in the character. However, it paid off; it was a huge success and I got an Oscar for it, though I don't think it made an enormous difference in my career.
Essentially I'm a small part actor who's been lucky enough to play leading roles for most of his life.
Flamboyance doesn't suit me. I enjoy being elusive.
I am always ashamed of the slowness of my reading. I think it stems from the fact that when I come across dialogue in a novel, I can't resist treating it as the text of a play and acting it out, with significant pauses and all.
[on Laurence Olivier after the death of the only acting peer of the realm] Olivier made me laugh more as an actor [in eccentric comedy parts] more than anyone else. In my case, I love him in comedy and am not always sure about him in tragedy.
[his diary entry after viewing Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) for the first time] It's a pretty staggering film as spectacle and technically brilliant. Exciting, very noisy and warmhearted. The battle scenes at the end go on for five minutes too long, I feel, and some of the dialogue is excruciating and much of it is lost in noise, but it remains a vivid experience.
An actor is at his best a kind of unfrocked priest who, for an hour or two, can call on heaven and hell to mesmerize a group of innocents.
An actor is totally vulnerable. His total personality is exposed to critical judgment - his intellect, his bearing, his diction, his whole appearance. In short, his ego.
[Asked if he was a rich man]: No, not rich. Compared to striking miners and workless actors very rich: compared to successful stockbrokers and businessmen I expect I would be considered nearly poor.
[Asked if Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) had made him a fortune]: Yes, blessed be Star Wars. But two-thirds of that went to the Inland Revenue and a sizable sum on VAT. No complaints. Let me leave it by saying I can live for the rest of my life in the reasonably modest way I am now used to, that I have no debts and I can afford to refuse work that doesn't appeal to me.
[on Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)]: When it came to me in script form, I was in Hollywood on the last day of another movie and I heard it was a script by George Lucas , well that meant something; you know, American Graffiti (1973), this is a new generation, lovely. And then I opened it and saw it was science fiction and groaned, I thought "oh no, they've got the wrong man." I started to read it and I thought some of the dialogue was rather creaky, but I kept turning the pages, I wanted to know what happened next. Then I met George Lucas, fell for him, I thought he was a man of enormous integrity and bright and interesting, and I found myself involved and thank God I did.
[on winning the Best Actor award for The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)] No doorstop shenanigans for me. I'll put the Oscar on my mantel, which I realize makes very dull copy, except that I'll put a mirror on the mantel so that I'll get a view of Oscar's back too.
I can walk through a crowd and nobody would notice at all.
[on Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)] Can't say I'm enjoying the film. New rubbish dialogue reaches me every other day on wadges of pink paper - and none of it makes my character clear or even bearable. I just think, thankfully, of the lovely bread, which will help me to keep going until next April.
[on playing Gulley Jimson in The Horse's Mouth (1958)] I try to get inside a character and project him - one of my own private rules of thumb is that I have not got the character until I have mastered exactly how he walks.
[One day, director Ronald Neame found Guinness sulking in his dressing room, refusing to come to the set. According to Neame, Guinness felt he had not been stroked enough and explained] Actors are emotionally 14-year olds. We need to be chastised like children, and we need to be hugged and told we're doing fine work. We are the children who never grow up.
Salary (4)
| eight |
The Life of Brian was produced by Handmade Films. Who owned Handmade Films? | Kind Hearts and Coronets Blu-ray - Alec Guinness
S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r
directed by Robert Hamer
UK 1949
Director Robert Hamer’s fiendishly funny Kind Hearts and Coronets stands as one of Ealing Studios’ greatest triumphs, and one of the most wickedly black comedies ever made. Dennis Price is sublime as an embittered young commoner determined to avenge his mother’s unjust disinheritance by ascending to the dukedom. Unfortunately, eight family members—all played by the incomparable Alec Guinness—must be eliminated before he can do so.
****
This is a very special film - one I remember very fondly viewing in my childhood. What with my Anglo background I was lucky enough to see many Guinness/Ealing comedies, of which Kind Hearts and Coronets was my favorite (although they are all very good!). We enter the plot to learn about Louis Mazzini's (Dennis Price plays with a perfect disconcerted fashion) mother (Audrey Fildes) who frequent tells tales of how her titled D'Ascoyn family shunned her after she eloped with an Italian commoner which caused a simmering resentment in her son. Louis has never forgotten his heritage nor his unjust shunning. He later blames his lack of social position on being spurned by his sweetheart Sibella (Joan Greenwood) and meticulously Louis decides to permanently remove all the D'Ascoyns standing between him and the Dukedom. He murders them one by one and the dark comedy is only emphasized by the brilliant acting of Alecx Guinness who plays... all of them - Duke Etherel/The Banker/Reverend Lord Henry d'Ascoyne/General Lord Rufus D'Ascoyne/Admiral Horatio d'Ascoyne/Young Henry d'Ascoyne/Lady Agatha d'Ascoyne/ and Lord Ascoyne d'Ascoyne. This is a brilliant comedy/suspense that remains consistently stayed till the films exciting conslusion. Easily one of my favorite films of all time.
| i don't know |
Which film still hold the record for using the highest number of extras? | first appearance - Which movie holds the record for using the highest number of extras in a scene? - Movies & TV Stack Exchange
Which movie holds the record for using the highest number of extras in a scene?
up vote 8 down vote favorite
1
Often they make use of extras in a movie scene typically for depicting a crowd, a stadium filled with people, a rally, a procession etc.
I want to know that in which movie the highest number of extras were used for filming a scene.
The record for most extras is with 1982 classic Gandhi , which used over 300,000 extras for the funeral scene.
IMDb Trivia snippet:
300,000 extras appeared in the funeral sequence. About 200,000 were volunteers and 94,560 were paid a small fee (under contract). The sequence was filmed on 31st Jan 1981, the 33rd anniversary of Mohandas K. Gandhi's funeral. 11 crews shot over 20,000 feet of film, which was pared down to 125 seconds in the final release.
| Mahatma Gandhi |
What character has been played by Robert Donat in 1935, Kenneth More in 1959 and Robert Powell in 1978? | first appearance - Which movie holds the record for using the highest number of extras in a scene? - Movies & TV Stack Exchange
Which movie holds the record for using the highest number of extras in a scene?
up vote 8 down vote favorite
1
Often they make use of extras in a movie scene typically for depicting a crowd, a stadium filled with people, a rally, a procession etc.
I want to know that in which movie the highest number of extras were used for filming a scene.
The record for most extras is with 1982 classic Gandhi , which used over 300,000 extras for the funeral scene.
IMDb Trivia snippet:
300,000 extras appeared in the funeral sequence. About 200,000 were volunteers and 94,560 were paid a small fee (under contract). The sequence was filmed on 31st Jan 1981, the 33rd anniversary of Mohandas K. Gandhi's funeral. 11 crews shot over 20,000 feet of film, which was pared down to 125 seconds in the final release.
| i don't know |
A novel by Irvine Welsh set in Edinburgh was made into which 1996 film? | Trainspotting - Irvine Welsh - Google Books
Irvine Welsh
19 Reviews https://books.google.com/books/about/Trainspotting.html?id=tDsmsXeVZyQC
Brace yourself, America, for Irvine Welsh's Trainspotting—the novel and the film that became the cult sensations of Britain. Trainspotting is the novel that first launched Irvine Welsh's spectacular career—an authentic, unrelenting, and strangely exhilarating episodic group portrait of blasted lives. It accomplished for its own time and place what Hubert Selby, Jr.'s Last Exit to Brooklyn did for his. Rents, Sick Boy, Mother Superior, Swanney, Spuds, and Seeker are as unforgettable a clutch of junkies, rude boys, and psychos as readers will ever encounter. Trainspotting was made into the 1996 cult film starring Ewan MacGregor and directed by Danny Boyle (A Shallow Grave).
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User Review - qkennedy - LibraryThing
The crazy and deranged lifestyle of the characters in this book was absolutely shocking, however the content of their internal dialogue was thoroughly entertaining. A character would will the pages ... Read full review
Classic Class and Drugs Tale
User Review - marsattacks28 - Overstock.com
Saw the movie before I read the book and that was a shame because this book is great. Not to mention the original printing of this book was a plus. Way to go Overstock Read full review
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The Skag Boys JeanClaude Van Damme and Mother
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Scotland Takes Drugs In Psychic Defence The Glass
95
Inter Shitty Na Na and Other Nazis The First Shag
153
Courting Disaster Junk Dilemmas No 66 Deid Dugs
177
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About the author (2002)
Irvine Welsh was born in Edinburgh on September 27, 1958. After leaving school, he lived in London for awhile, but eventually returned to Edinburgh where he worked for the city council in the housing department. He received a degree in computer science and studied for an MBA at Heriot Watt University. His first novel, Trainspotting, was published in 1993 and was adapted as a film starring Ewan McGregor and Robert Carlyle in 1996. He became a full-time writer in August 1995. His other works include The Acid House (1994), Marabou Stork Nightmares (1995), Ecstasy: Three Tales of Chemical Romance (1996), Filth (1998), Glue (2001), and Porno (2002). He also wrote the plays Headstate (1994) and You'll Have Had Your Hole (1998).
Bibliographic information
| Trainspotting |
The multi Oscar winning Chariots of Fire was based on the lives of which 2 athletes? | 'Trainspotting': Theater Review | Hollywood Reporter
'Trainspotting': Theater Review
Courtesy of In Your Face Theatre Company
Gavin Ross in 'Trainspotting'
The scuzzy Scottish tragicomedy remains a fecal attraction two decades later TWITTER
Irvine Welsh's druggy low-life classic that spawned the Danny Boyle film returns to the London stage in this fast-moving, filth-heavy, full-frontal revival.
A cult novel that became a screen sensation, Irvine Welsh’s Trainspotting painted a grim but extremely vibrant picture of working-class Edinburgh at a time when heroin, AIDS and unemployment were sweeping through the Scottish capital’s poorer fringes. The book is now more than 20 years old and firmly established in the British pop-culture canon thanks largely to Danny Boyle’s hit 1996 movie adaptation, which helped propel Ewan McGregor, Jonny Lee Miller, Kelly MacDonald and Robert Carlyle to global fame.
Newly transferred to London following an acclaimed run at last summer’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Scottish theater troupe In Your Face’s immersive stage revival feels like a bid to rescue Welsh’s dirty-realist classic from its cinematic reputation by restoring some of its scuzzy low-life energy. The text is based on Harry Gibson’s 1994 stage adaptation, which predates Boyle’s film and is truer to the novel's gritty, scatological, tragicomic tone.
Led by gangly, shaven-headed Gavin Ross as antihero Renton, the junkies who inhabit this scummy run-down apartment set have heavy purple eye bags and filth-stained jeans, not catwalk-model cheekbones and designer T-shirts. The cast sweat and spit, drop their pants and flash their penises. They also move promenade-style among the crowd, jostling and displacing audience members. Most scenes are not just performed but also narrated by multiple observers. Thus the movie’s glamorized rock-video spectacle is supplanted by a verbose, intrusive, intimidating intimacy that more closely mirrors Welsh’s hectoring stream-of-conscious tone.
Read more London Theater's Olivier Awards: James McAvoy, Gillian Anderson Among Nominees
In Your Face has trimmed Gibson’s text to a single high-energy hour, thus allowing the company to stage up to four performances a day during this short run. They have excised various subplots, most obviously the London drug deal that forms the climax of the movie. The essentially comic character Spud (Ewen Bremner in the movie) is also absent, though some of his lines have been transferred to Tommy, played by the play’s co-director Greg Esplin. The fearsome Begbie (Chris Dennis), immortalized by Carlyle onscreen, is less dominant but more unequivocally evil, a bullying sociopath who beats his pregnant girlfriend. Neil Pendleton and Erin Marshall both do decent work as Sickboy and Alison, respectively, though their characters are marginalized in this new edit.
The updated production does make some concessions to the film’s influence, opening in the thick of a booming dance-club rave and closing with Underworld’s euphoric techno anthem "Born Slippy," which featured prominently in Boyle’s movie. Otherwise the background music is mostly 1980s indie-rock, and too quiet to have any dramatic impact. An amplified blast of Pink Floyd’s "Comfortably Numb" during a somber overdose scene feels like a clumsy bid for emotional gravitas, incongruous and oddly anachronistic.
Welsh’s novel is a Dickensian sprawl featuring multiple characters and loosely linked plotlines. Boyle’s film streamlined the story into a more conventional cinematic narrative. This filleted stage version is leaner still, but feels a little rushed and disjointed. The accents are authentically broad, the dialogue dense with weapons-grade profanity and poetic Scots colloquialisms like swedge, gadge, feart and more. This commendably uncompromising approach could prove a linguistic obstacle even to English audiences, never mind international tourists.
But these are minor wrinkles in an otherwise impressively visceral, adrenaline-fueled production. In Your Face’s remix of Trainspotting is not so much an inspired reinvention as a faithful cover version that incorporates elements of all previous treatments, from page to stage to screen. It moves too fast ever to become boring, leaving the audience high on a heady blend of exhilaration and disgust.
Venue: King’s Head Theatre, London (runs through April 11)
Cast: Greg Esplin, Gavin Ross, Rachael Anderson, Neil Pendleton, Chris Dennis, Erin Marshall, Calum Douglas Barbour, Calum Verrecchia, Jessica Innes
Playwright: Harry Gibson, based on the novel by Irvine Welsh
Directors: Greg Esplin, Adam Spreadbury-Maher
Lighting designer: Tom Kitney
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Which 1985 romantic comedy starring Alexandra Pigg and Margi Clarke was set in Liverpool? | Letter to Brezhnev (1985) - Cast, Ratings, Awards
Letter to Brezhnev
Letter to Brezhnev (1985) Romantic Comedy | 1 hour and 32 minutes
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Director: Chris Bernard
In this English romantic comedy, two young women in Thatcher-era Liverpool, Elaine (Alexandra Pigg) and Teresa (Margi Clarke), meet a pair of Soviet sailors, Peter (Peter Firth) and Sergei (Alfred Molina), who are on shore leave. While Teresa and Sergei seem content to have a carefree night, Elaine and Peter fall in love, leading to heartbreak when the officers have to return to duty on their ship. Can Elaine find a way to escape her gritty working-class surroundings and reunite with Peter?
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| Letter to Brezhnev |
Peter Howitt is probably best known for playing the part of Joey Boswell in Bread, but what film did he write the screenplay for, and direct in 1998? | Liverpool's film roles to be celebrated in new city exhibition - Liverpool Echo
Liverpool's film roles to be celebrated in new city exhibition
Museum of Liverpool's Reel Stories will feature film posters and memorabilia
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A promotional poster for Letter to Brezhnev (Photo: Frank Clarke and Jamie Reid)
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Liverpool has become known as a film city with a host of major movies and TV shows being shot on our streets each year.
In fact, it’s now the most filmed city in the UK outside London and boasts its own film office which brings an estimated £20m into the economy.
Now it’s role in the movie industry over the past 60 years is being celebrated in a new exhibition at the Museum of Liverpool .
Reel Stories: Liverpool and the Silver Screen, opening next month, will feature 40 original film posters along with other memorabilia celebrating Liverpool’s starring role in films featuring the city.
And it also looks at Liverpool’s historic cinemas such as The Paramount and The Forum.
Curators say the exhibition “shines the spotlight on Liverpool’s cinematic history and celebrates its enduring relationship with the silver screen”.
Of Time and the City (Photo: Photograph Bernard Fallon, Design John McGill)
Paul Gallagher, acting senior curator of urban history at the Museum of Liverpool, said: “One of the earliest posters on display is Waterfront, a film made in 1950.
“We’ve got a whole section that explores the waterfront – the portal into the city - its stories and people.
“Other themes include crime, youth sub-culture and faith, as well as the works of Liverpool auteur, Terence Davies whose idiosyncratic films include Distant Voices, Still Lives, The Long Day Closes and more recently, Of Time and the City.
“Very few cities are instantly recognisable on screen; Liverpool ranks alongside the likes of New York, Los Angeles and London.
“It’s testimony to the number and range of films made here that Liverpool has embedded its architecture, landmarks and characters in the minds of movie-goers.”
Revengers Tragedy - part of Reel Stories at the Museum of Liverpool (Photo: Courtesy of Alex Cox)
Among other items on display are posters for films like Revengers Tragedy, directed by Wirral’s Alex Cox and adapted by Frank Cottrell Boyce .
The 2002 film, starring Christopher Eccleston, Derek Jacobi, Eddie Izzard and Drew Schofield, wasn’t merely set in Liverpool but was also shot and edited in the city, and employed a local crew.
Meanwhile the 1985 film Letter to Brezhnev, featuring Alexandra Pigg and Margi Clarke, and, from more recent times, Awaydays, starring Stephen Graham , are also featured in the show.
An AWAYDAYS film poster (Photo: Studiocanal)
Since the Liverpool Film Office was opened in 1989, the city has hosted more than 6,000 productions and has stood in for everywhere from New York to Russia (on the same film – Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit ), Belfast, London and Chicago.
Assistant Mayor and cabinet member responsible for the Film Office, Councillor Wendy Simon, said: “This is set to be a fascinating exhibition and will give a taste of the breadth of films in which Liverpool has taken a starring role.
“We’re pleased to have supported National Museums Liverpool with this showcase and think it’s a great insight into our silver screen success.”
Reel Stories: Liverpool and the Silver Screen runs from March 11 to January 29, 2017.
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Which 80s Top 10 hit begins with the line “I was happy in the haze of a drunken hour”? | 55 Killer Opening Lines That Kicked Off Amazing Songs - NME
NME
11:22 am - Mar 2, 2015
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The first line of a track is crucial. In a few words a songwriter needs to set up a story and a mood that will keep the listener engaged, especially in today’s attention-deficit world. From St Vincent to Prince and Jay-Z to The Kinks, here’s 55 of the most memorable opening lines in song.
1/55
“I don’t believe in an interventionist god / but I know darling that you do.”
Somehow Nick Cave manages to combine the wildly romantic with the nerdy and weirdly theological at the outset of ‘Into My Arms’.
Credit: Press
2/55
“It’s so relieving / To know that you’re leaving as soon as you get paid.”
Kurt Cobain could be catty when he wanted to be, and on ‘Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge on Seattle’ he laid out his stall and his opprobrium from the very beginning.
Credit: Getty
3/55
“Oh what an ordinary day / Take out the garbage, masturbate.”
It might have sounded like a throwaway description of a Groundhog situation, but this one line received more column inches than any other Annie Clark has written thus far. Thankfully St Vincent’s genius is so vast that people find plenty of other things to talk about her too.
Credit: Shamil Tanna/NME
4/55
“What kind of fuckery is this? / You made me miss the Slick Rick gig.”
It’s hard to imagine anyone being too fussed about a Slick Rick gig these days, but the frustration is still palpable when you hear this line, and funny too. The jazzy little number ‘Me & Mr Jones’ was apparently about Amy Winehouse’s friend, the New York rapper, Nas.
Credit: Dean Chalkley/NME
5/55
“Trudging slowly over wet sand / Back to the bench / Where your clothes were stolen.”
Morrissey perfectly conveys the misery, the ennui and the petty irritation one can feel trapped in a British seaside town on his great single ‘ Every Day Is Like Sunday’.
Credit: Getty
6/55
“As they pulled you out of the oxygen tent, you asked for the latest party.”
By 1974 the glam rock party was waning, and one of its progenitors David Bowie was immersing himself in art rock and a concept album about a dystopian future. ‘Diamond Dogs’ still rocked in a glamorous kind of way though.
Credit: Getty
2014Kanyewest_Runaway_press_231214 copy
“For my theme song / my leather black jeans on.”
A brilliant track with a killer opening line, Kanye was at his most focused on ‘Black Skinhead’, which playfully inverted racial stereotypes and presented them in way that was as thought-provoking as it was confrontational.
Credit: Press
8/55
“In France a skinny man died of a big disease with a little name.”
Prince wrote with sensitivity and insight on ‘Sign o’ the Times’, moved as he was by the day’s bete noires. The big disease with the little name everyone was talking about was of course AIDS.
Credit: Press
9/55
“Like a bird on the wire / like a drunk in a midnight choir / I have tried in my way to be free.”
Few if any can lay claim to the incredible innate ability Leonard Cohen has with words. He effortlessly elevates mere lyrics to poetry, as the opening line of ‘Bird On The Wire’ attests. The music is pretty great too.
Credit: Getty
10/55
“Please allow me to introduce myself / I’m a man of wealth and taste.”
Mick Jagger distilled the very spirit of Bulgakov’s The Master and Margarita in the lyrics of ‘Sympathy For The Devil’, and its first line made you sit up and take notice. The book was apparently recommended to him by his then girlfriend Marianne Faithfull.
Credit: Getty
11/55
“All the leaves are brown / And the sky is grey.”
It’s a lyric you hear so often that it’s easy to forget how evocative it is. The Mamas and the Papas brought us a little Autumnal sadness in amongst all that sunshine pop on ‘California Dreaming’.
Credit: Getty
12/55
“Now, who’s hot who not / Tell me who rock / Who sell out in the stores.”
Biggie Smalls was one of the best MCs to ever pick up a mic, and he was also one of the bluest too. The opening line from ‘Mo Money Mo Problems’ is not only great, but it’s also printable too.
Credit: Getty
13/55
“And if one day I should become / A singer with a Spanish bum / Who sings for women of great virtue.”
If Picasso went through his Blue Period then Scott Walker definitely went through his Brel period. Some of the lyrics from the original French didn’t translate perfectly, but with Walker’s inimitable vision they became something different entirely, and were no less delightful.
Credit: Getty
14/55
“Hello darkness my old friend / I’ve come to visit you again.”
Simon and Garfunkel took a traditional song and made it their own. Simon is a master lyricist, and although his narratives are often complex, this was pure simplicity, and nothing has even become more iconic than these opening lines.
Credit: Getty
15/55
“Street’s like a jungle / So call the police / Following the herd / Down to Greece.”
‘Girls and Boys’ was written by Blur’s Damon Albarn as he holidayed in the mediterranean, observing the mating rituals of the Club 1830’s and all the chaos and depravity that ensues. The resulting song is a snapshot of copulating Brits in 1994.
Credit: Getty
16/55
“Son I’m 30 / I only went with your mother cos she’s dirty.”
Factory Records label boss Tony Wilson used to say Shaun Ryder was a poet “on a par with W.B. Yates”, and when you see a line like the opener of the Happy Mondays’ ‘Kinky Afro’ it’s not difficult to see why.
Credit: Press
17/55
“Here’s comes Johnny Yen again / with the liquor and drugs.”
‘Lust for Life’ by Iggy Pop has become synonymous with the movie Trainspotting, but that certainly doesn’t make it any less brilliant. The Johnny Yen of the opening line is a reference to William Burroughs’ The Ticket That Exploded in case you were wondering.
Credit: Getty
18/55
“I am a lineman for the county / And I drive the main road / Searchin’ in the sun for another overload.”
The opening line to ‘Wichita Lineman’ where Glen Campbell laid out his stall, is one of the most evocative in pop history, and its no surprise, having been written by Jimmy Webb, a man whose cherished contribution to the American songbook is vast.
Credit: Getty
19/55
“You were working as a waitress in a cocktail bar.“
‘Don’t You Want Me’ by the Human League works as a narrative between two characters who are clearly miffed with one another, and the first line sets the whole thing up beautifully.
Credit: Getty
20/55
“It was Christmas Eve babe / in the drunk tank / an old man said to me / won’t see another one.”
The ultimate aggressive duologue in song arrived in 1987 between Shane MacGowan and Kirsty MacColl, but the surprise Christmas smash Fairytale Of New York is more than a song, it’s the great American novel played out over four minutes.
Credit: Getty
21/55
“Get your motor running / get out on the highway.”
Steppenwolf took the American dream and subverted it, empowering the drifter, whose only ambition is the open road ahead. ‘Born To Be Wild’ precipitated a million Hell’s Angels fantasies for those stuck in dead end jobs in the arse end of nowheresville.
Credit: Getty
22/55
“A candy-coloured clown they call the sandman / Tiptoes to my room every night.”
‘In Dreams’ by Roy Orbison is one of those rare songs that astonishes each time you play it, and that’s before anyone’s told you that none of the sections in the song ever repeat. The opening line is peculiar, and you suspect it was what drew David Lynch in (he used the song in Blue Velvet).
Credit: Getty
23/55
“Dirty old river, must you keep rolling, flowing into the night.”
The 60s had its great lyricists, but none were more sharp than Ray Davies, whose sardonic observational style influenced everyone from Damon Albarn to Jarvis Cocker in the 90s. And then there was a song like ‘Waterloo Sunset’, which was beautiful from start to finish.
Credit: David Redfern/Getty Images
24/55
“Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away…”
You probably know the story; When ‘Yesterday’ first came to Paul McCartney, he went round singing it to people convinced it already existed. “Scrambled eggs”, he sang, “oh my baby how I love your legs…” Thankfully he changed it, and one of the most iconic lines in the history of pop was born.
Credit: Getty
25/55
Arctic Monkeys 2006
“You used to get it in your fishnets, now you only get it in your night dress.”
Alex Turner of Arctic Monkeys may have only been 19 when he wrote ‘Fluorescent Adolescent’, but he’d already seen the future and worked out that youthful desire might well be a transient thing. Perceptive.
Credit: Andrew Kendall/NME
26/55
“I may not always love you / But as long as there are stars above you / you never need to doubt it…”
Brian Wilson changed his lyricists throughout his time at the helm of the Beach Boys, but none ever hit the sweet spot more than the Tony Asher did with the opening line to ‘God Only Knows’.
Credit: Getty
27/55
“There’s a song playing on the radio / Sky high in the airwaves on the morning show.”
Brett Anderson is a lyricist with a unique vision, with motifs becoming defining characteristics of Suede songs. ‘The Wild Ones’ tapped into this lexicon of language, though the doomed romances of so many songs just became pure romanticism in this instance.
Credit: Getty
28/55
“Hey kids, shake it loose together / The spotlight’s hitting something that’s been known to change the weather.”
‘Bennie & The Jets’ was the song that unexpectedly sent Elton John to no.1 in the US, thanks to it being played on R&B stations. The Bernie Taupin lyric is about a futuristic glam rock band led by the fictional singer Bennie, and it’s surely Elton’s coolest ever song.
Credit: Getty
29/55
“We care a lot about disasters, fires, floods and killer bees / About Los Angeles falling in the sea…”
Faith No More garnered some worldwide attention when they released ‘We Care a Lot’ in 1986, a song that parodied a relatively new phenomenon in the 1980s: the compassionate celebrity. It was like a charity single but they kept all the money themselves.
Credit: Getty
30/55
“Jesus died for somebody’s sins / but not mine…”
Influenced by a long line of poet maudits from Rimbaud to Dylan, Patti Smith has in turn influenced everyone from REM to PJ Harvey, and more contemporarily Savages. Horses is full of great lines, but this first one from ‘Gloria’ really stands out.
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31/55
“Don’t call it a comeback. I’ve been here for years.”
No musician or artist likes to be told they’re on the comeback trail, as if they exist purely for your entertainment. LL Cool J nailed it with the first line on ‘Mama’s Gonna Knock You Out’.
Credit: Getty
32/55
“You can tell by the way I use my walk I’m a woman’s man…”
When a directionless Bee Gees broke up briefly towards the end of the 60s, nobody could have guessed they’d return to become one of the best selling acts of all time; even weirder that they did it as figureheads of disco. ‘Stayin’ Alive’ is fantastic though, so props!
Credit: Getty
33/55
“Bass, how low can you go?”
Has any hip hop record ever started more promisingly than Public Enemy’s ‘Bring the Noise’, with Chuck D’s rhetorical opening line so emphatic that you almost expect bass to answer him.
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34/55
“Birds flying high you know how I feel / Sun in the sky you know how I feel…”
Nina Simone is ‘Feeling Good’ and she wants you to know about it, and when she sings those lyrics you’re with her all the way. Muse covered it and it sounded pretty great then too.
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35/55
“All your friends are cunts / your mother was a ball point pen thief…”
90’s Welsh rockers Mcclusky were kings of the jaw-dropping opening lyrical gambit, though perhaps ‘Gareth Brown Says’ is the funniest and most jaw-dropping of all. Andrew Falkous’ present outfit Future of the Left are just as lean and mean lyrically.
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36/55
“Don’t start me talking / I could talk all night.”
Elvis Costello emerged out of the brutal energy of punk, but with songs like ‘Oliver’s Army’, it was clear he had a lot more to say. The first line has something of the pub philosopher about it, the reference to Oliver Cromwell in relation to the concomitant troubles in Northern Ireland was inspired.
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37/55
“I’ve been caught stealing once when I was five / I enjoy stealing, it’s just as simple as that.”
Perry Farrell came clean about his kleptomania in the very first line of ‘Been Caught Stealing’, although it wasn’t the first line if you’re a dog. Jane’s Addiction sampled a hound at the outset of the song, perhaps giving chase to Farrell as he runs off with your milk.
Credit: Press
38/55
“Muthafuckas say that I’m foolish / I only talk about jewels/ Do you fools listen to music or do you just skim through it?”
Jay-Z answered his critics who accused him of loving the bling in the opening line of ‘Renegade’. One presumes he was raising his game at this point, because Eminem was the guest on the track, as we all know how he can steal the show.
Credit: Getty
39/55
“We skipped the light fandango / Turned cartwheels cross the floor.”
Procol Harum had a monster hit with ‘Whiter Shade of Pale’ in 1967, although chances are you couldn’t whistle any of their other tunes. What a “light fandango” is exactly, who can say, but whatever it is, it sounds fantastic…
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40/55
“Life is hard / And so am I / You better give me something / So I don’t die.”
E from Eels is the master of sardonic gallows humour, and no single line sums up what he does better than the opener from ‘Novocaine for the Soul’.
Credit: Getty
41/55
“Feigning joy and surprise / At the gifts we despise / Over mulled wine with you.”
Because of his propensity for silliness, Justin Hawkins often gets overlooked as a lyricist, but he certainly has his moments. Few lines have ever so succinctly summed up the misery yuletide sometimes brings than the Darkness’ ‘Christmas time (Don’t Let The Bells End).’
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42/55
“There’s a new sensation / A fabulous creation / A danceable solution / To teenage revolution.”
Another lyricist who doesn’t necessarily get his dues is Bryan Ferry, and ‘Do The Strand’ was a frivolous melange of highfalutin references and clever in-jokes about a dance sensation that he’d made up, the wag!
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43/55
“Why do birds suddenly appear / every time you are near?”
The Carpenters were apparently in the last chance saloon when they were offered ‘(They Long To Be) Close To You’, and the song had been around for a while underachieving too. Richard Carpenter changed the syncopation, Karen Carpenter delivered two of the most gorgeous lines in pop, and the rest is history.
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44/55
“Wasted and wounded, it ain’t what the moon did, I’ve got what I paid for now.”
Tom Waits delivers one of the finest lyrics there ever was about having a hangover on ‘Tom Traubert’s Blues’.
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45/55
“In the time of chimpanzees I was a monkey.”
No lyric conveys outsiderdom in such an amusing way as this one by Beck on the hit song ‘Loser’. Artistry, pure and simple.
Credit: Getty
46/55
“She keeps her Moet et Chandon / In her pretty cabinet / ‘Let them eat cake’ she says / Just like Marie Antoinette.”
Ahh Freddie, so gifted and so, well, Freddie. The opening lines of ‘Killer Queen’ are characteristically flashy, funny and cheeky all at the same time. ‘Mama, just killed a man’ was another obvious contender…
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47/55
“Bless my cotton socks I’m in the news.”
The Teardrop Explodes’ opening line to ‘Reward’ was inimitably Julian Cope, helping propel the band into the top 10 for the first and only time in 1981. Cope apparently recorded the song on acid, giving it that rather unique energy.
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48/55
“I’m so tired / of playing / playing with this bow and arrow.”
The ‘I’m so tired’ line had been used before by both the Beatles and the Kinks, but adding the bow and arrow to the equation added something beautifully unhinged to ‘Glory Box’, one of the real classics of trip hop.
49/55
“I was happy in the haze of a drunken hour / but heaven knows I’m miserable now.”
‘Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now’ was a pun on the now lesser known 1969 Sandie Shaw hit ‘Heaven Knows I’m Missing Him Now’, and that opening line has become a staple of modern existentialism, dripping in comedy angst.
Credit: Getty
50/55
“Johnny’s in the basement / Mixing up the medicine / I’m on the pavement / Thinking about the government.”
It’s impossible to think of ‘Subterranean Homesick Blues’ without imagining Dylan stood right of camera with a handful of cue cards. It’s perhaps the most iconic image of Dylan that exists. From a career of more than 50 years, that’s saying something.
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51/55
“I never thought it would happen / with me and the girl from Clapham.”
Few have ever mastered the rhyming couplet with the wit and precision that Chris Difford of Squeeze managed. The opening line from ‘Up The Junction’ begins the greatest four minute kitchen sink drama ever written.
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52/55
“Got me a movie I want you to know / Slicing up eyeballs I want you to know.”
Clearly under the influence of the 1929 Buñuel / Dali film Un Chien Andalou, Black Francis beautifully conveyed the horror of seeing that eyeball being sliced, which still shocks to this day. So indeed, does the Pixies ‘Debaser’, a song of such dazzling ferocity.
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53/55
“I am an antichrist / I am an anarchist.”
It may not rhyme properly, but no single line ever set out a better mission statement than the one Glen Matlock wrote for Johnny Rotten before being unceremoniously tossed out of the band in favour of Sid Vicious. ‘Anarchy in the UK’ proved in 1977 that art could still be dangerous.
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54/55
“And now, the end is here / And so I face the final curtain…”
The Frank Sinatra song has become a favourite at funerals, and with a first line like that, it’s easy to see why. The lyrics were written by Paul Anka based on the music of French pop singer Claude Francois, who met his own end changing a lightbulb whilst stood in the bath.
Credit: David Redfern/Getty Images
55/55
“This is the end / beautiful friend.”
The Doors elegy to finality is the last song in this gallery; it can be just as well enjoyed in darkness with your eyes closed as watched over the incredible opening sequence to Francis Ford Coppola’s seminal Vietnam movie Apocalypse Now. This is the end.
Credit: Getty
| Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now |
Which comedian was the host of the short lived Channel 4 programme, TV Heaven Telly Hell? | 55 Killer Opening Lines That Kicked Off Amazing Songs - NME
NME
11:22 am - Mar 2, 2015
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The first line of a track is crucial. In a few words a songwriter needs to set up a story and a mood that will keep the listener engaged, especially in today’s attention-deficit world. From St Vincent to Prince and Jay-Z to The Kinks, here’s 55 of the most memorable opening lines in song.
1/55
“I don’t believe in an interventionist god / but I know darling that you do.”
Somehow Nick Cave manages to combine the wildly romantic with the nerdy and weirdly theological at the outset of ‘Into My Arms’.
Credit: Press
2/55
“It’s so relieving / To know that you’re leaving as soon as you get paid.”
Kurt Cobain could be catty when he wanted to be, and on ‘Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge on Seattle’ he laid out his stall and his opprobrium from the very beginning.
Credit: Getty
3/55
“Oh what an ordinary day / Take out the garbage, masturbate.”
It might have sounded like a throwaway description of a Groundhog situation, but this one line received more column inches than any other Annie Clark has written thus far. Thankfully St Vincent’s genius is so vast that people find plenty of other things to talk about her too.
Credit: Shamil Tanna/NME
4/55
“What kind of fuckery is this? / You made me miss the Slick Rick gig.”
It’s hard to imagine anyone being too fussed about a Slick Rick gig these days, but the frustration is still palpable when you hear this line, and funny too. The jazzy little number ‘Me & Mr Jones’ was apparently about Amy Winehouse’s friend, the New York rapper, Nas.
Credit: Dean Chalkley/NME
5/55
“Trudging slowly over wet sand / Back to the bench / Where your clothes were stolen.”
Morrissey perfectly conveys the misery, the ennui and the petty irritation one can feel trapped in a British seaside town on his great single ‘ Every Day Is Like Sunday’.
Credit: Getty
6/55
“As they pulled you out of the oxygen tent, you asked for the latest party.”
By 1974 the glam rock party was waning, and one of its progenitors David Bowie was immersing himself in art rock and a concept album about a dystopian future. ‘Diamond Dogs’ still rocked in a glamorous kind of way though.
Credit: Getty
2014Kanyewest_Runaway_press_231214 copy
“For my theme song / my leather black jeans on.”
A brilliant track with a killer opening line, Kanye was at his most focused on ‘Black Skinhead’, which playfully inverted racial stereotypes and presented them in way that was as thought-provoking as it was confrontational.
Credit: Press
8/55
“In France a skinny man died of a big disease with a little name.”
Prince wrote with sensitivity and insight on ‘Sign o’ the Times’, moved as he was by the day’s bete noires. The big disease with the little name everyone was talking about was of course AIDS.
Credit: Press
9/55
“Like a bird on the wire / like a drunk in a midnight choir / I have tried in my way to be free.”
Few if any can lay claim to the incredible innate ability Leonard Cohen has with words. He effortlessly elevates mere lyrics to poetry, as the opening line of ‘Bird On The Wire’ attests. The music is pretty great too.
Credit: Getty
10/55
“Please allow me to introduce myself / I’m a man of wealth and taste.”
Mick Jagger distilled the very spirit of Bulgakov’s The Master and Margarita in the lyrics of ‘Sympathy For The Devil’, and its first line made you sit up and take notice. The book was apparently recommended to him by his then girlfriend Marianne Faithfull.
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11/55
“All the leaves are brown / And the sky is grey.”
It’s a lyric you hear so often that it’s easy to forget how evocative it is. The Mamas and the Papas brought us a little Autumnal sadness in amongst all that sunshine pop on ‘California Dreaming’.
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12/55
“Now, who’s hot who not / Tell me who rock / Who sell out in the stores.”
Biggie Smalls was one of the best MCs to ever pick up a mic, and he was also one of the bluest too. The opening line from ‘Mo Money Mo Problems’ is not only great, but it’s also printable too.
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13/55
“And if one day I should become / A singer with a Spanish bum / Who sings for women of great virtue.”
If Picasso went through his Blue Period then Scott Walker definitely went through his Brel period. Some of the lyrics from the original French didn’t translate perfectly, but with Walker’s inimitable vision they became something different entirely, and were no less delightful.
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14/55
“Hello darkness my old friend / I’ve come to visit you again.”
Simon and Garfunkel took a traditional song and made it their own. Simon is a master lyricist, and although his narratives are often complex, this was pure simplicity, and nothing has even become more iconic than these opening lines.
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15/55
“Street’s like a jungle / So call the police / Following the herd / Down to Greece.”
‘Girls and Boys’ was written by Blur’s Damon Albarn as he holidayed in the mediterranean, observing the mating rituals of the Club 1830’s and all the chaos and depravity that ensues. The resulting song is a snapshot of copulating Brits in 1994.
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16/55
“Son I’m 30 / I only went with your mother cos she’s dirty.”
Factory Records label boss Tony Wilson used to say Shaun Ryder was a poet “on a par with W.B. Yates”, and when you see a line like the opener of the Happy Mondays’ ‘Kinky Afro’ it’s not difficult to see why.
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17/55
“Here’s comes Johnny Yen again / with the liquor and drugs.”
‘Lust for Life’ by Iggy Pop has become synonymous with the movie Trainspotting, but that certainly doesn’t make it any less brilliant. The Johnny Yen of the opening line is a reference to William Burroughs’ The Ticket That Exploded in case you were wondering.
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18/55
“I am a lineman for the county / And I drive the main road / Searchin’ in the sun for another overload.”
The opening line to ‘Wichita Lineman’ where Glen Campbell laid out his stall, is one of the most evocative in pop history, and its no surprise, having been written by Jimmy Webb, a man whose cherished contribution to the American songbook is vast.
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19/55
“You were working as a waitress in a cocktail bar.“
‘Don’t You Want Me’ by the Human League works as a narrative between two characters who are clearly miffed with one another, and the first line sets the whole thing up beautifully.
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20/55
“It was Christmas Eve babe / in the drunk tank / an old man said to me / won’t see another one.”
The ultimate aggressive duologue in song arrived in 1987 between Shane MacGowan and Kirsty MacColl, but the surprise Christmas smash Fairytale Of New York is more than a song, it’s the great American novel played out over four minutes.
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21/55
“Get your motor running / get out on the highway.”
Steppenwolf took the American dream and subverted it, empowering the drifter, whose only ambition is the open road ahead. ‘Born To Be Wild’ precipitated a million Hell’s Angels fantasies for those stuck in dead end jobs in the arse end of nowheresville.
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22/55
“A candy-coloured clown they call the sandman / Tiptoes to my room every night.”
‘In Dreams’ by Roy Orbison is one of those rare songs that astonishes each time you play it, and that’s before anyone’s told you that none of the sections in the song ever repeat. The opening line is peculiar, and you suspect it was what drew David Lynch in (he used the song in Blue Velvet).
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23/55
“Dirty old river, must you keep rolling, flowing into the night.”
The 60s had its great lyricists, but none were more sharp than Ray Davies, whose sardonic observational style influenced everyone from Damon Albarn to Jarvis Cocker in the 90s. And then there was a song like ‘Waterloo Sunset’, which was beautiful from start to finish.
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24/55
“Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away…”
You probably know the story; When ‘Yesterday’ first came to Paul McCartney, he went round singing it to people convinced it already existed. “Scrambled eggs”, he sang, “oh my baby how I love your legs…” Thankfully he changed it, and one of the most iconic lines in the history of pop was born.
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25/55
Arctic Monkeys 2006
“You used to get it in your fishnets, now you only get it in your night dress.”
Alex Turner of Arctic Monkeys may have only been 19 when he wrote ‘Fluorescent Adolescent’, but he’d already seen the future and worked out that youthful desire might well be a transient thing. Perceptive.
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26/55
“I may not always love you / But as long as there are stars above you / you never need to doubt it…”
Brian Wilson changed his lyricists throughout his time at the helm of the Beach Boys, but none ever hit the sweet spot more than the Tony Asher did with the opening line to ‘God Only Knows’.
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27/55
“There’s a song playing on the radio / Sky high in the airwaves on the morning show.”
Brett Anderson is a lyricist with a unique vision, with motifs becoming defining characteristics of Suede songs. ‘The Wild Ones’ tapped into this lexicon of language, though the doomed romances of so many songs just became pure romanticism in this instance.
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28/55
“Hey kids, shake it loose together / The spotlight’s hitting something that’s been known to change the weather.”
‘Bennie & The Jets’ was the song that unexpectedly sent Elton John to no.1 in the US, thanks to it being played on R&B stations. The Bernie Taupin lyric is about a futuristic glam rock band led by the fictional singer Bennie, and it’s surely Elton’s coolest ever song.
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29/55
“We care a lot about disasters, fires, floods and killer bees / About Los Angeles falling in the sea…”
Faith No More garnered some worldwide attention when they released ‘We Care a Lot’ in 1986, a song that parodied a relatively new phenomenon in the 1980s: the compassionate celebrity. It was like a charity single but they kept all the money themselves.
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30/55
“Jesus died for somebody’s sins / but not mine…”
Influenced by a long line of poet maudits from Rimbaud to Dylan, Patti Smith has in turn influenced everyone from REM to PJ Harvey, and more contemporarily Savages. Horses is full of great lines, but this first one from ‘Gloria’ really stands out.
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31/55
“Don’t call it a comeback. I’ve been here for years.”
No musician or artist likes to be told they’re on the comeback trail, as if they exist purely for your entertainment. LL Cool J nailed it with the first line on ‘Mama’s Gonna Knock You Out’.
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32/55
“You can tell by the way I use my walk I’m a woman’s man…”
When a directionless Bee Gees broke up briefly towards the end of the 60s, nobody could have guessed they’d return to become one of the best selling acts of all time; even weirder that they did it as figureheads of disco. ‘Stayin’ Alive’ is fantastic though, so props!
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33/55
“Bass, how low can you go?”
Has any hip hop record ever started more promisingly than Public Enemy’s ‘Bring the Noise’, with Chuck D’s rhetorical opening line so emphatic that you almost expect bass to answer him.
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34/55
“Birds flying high you know how I feel / Sun in the sky you know how I feel…”
Nina Simone is ‘Feeling Good’ and she wants you to know about it, and when she sings those lyrics you’re with her all the way. Muse covered it and it sounded pretty great then too.
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35/55
“All your friends are cunts / your mother was a ball point pen thief…”
90’s Welsh rockers Mcclusky were kings of the jaw-dropping opening lyrical gambit, though perhaps ‘Gareth Brown Says’ is the funniest and most jaw-dropping of all. Andrew Falkous’ present outfit Future of the Left are just as lean and mean lyrically.
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36/55
“Don’t start me talking / I could talk all night.”
Elvis Costello emerged out of the brutal energy of punk, but with songs like ‘Oliver’s Army’, it was clear he had a lot more to say. The first line has something of the pub philosopher about it, the reference to Oliver Cromwell in relation to the concomitant troubles in Northern Ireland was inspired.
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37/55
“I’ve been caught stealing once when I was five / I enjoy stealing, it’s just as simple as that.”
Perry Farrell came clean about his kleptomania in the very first line of ‘Been Caught Stealing’, although it wasn’t the first line if you’re a dog. Jane’s Addiction sampled a hound at the outset of the song, perhaps giving chase to Farrell as he runs off with your milk.
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38/55
“Muthafuckas say that I’m foolish / I only talk about jewels/ Do you fools listen to music or do you just skim through it?”
Jay-Z answered his critics who accused him of loving the bling in the opening line of ‘Renegade’. One presumes he was raising his game at this point, because Eminem was the guest on the track, as we all know how he can steal the show.
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39/55
“We skipped the light fandango / Turned cartwheels cross the floor.”
Procol Harum had a monster hit with ‘Whiter Shade of Pale’ in 1967, although chances are you couldn’t whistle any of their other tunes. What a “light fandango” is exactly, who can say, but whatever it is, it sounds fantastic…
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40/55
“Life is hard / And so am I / You better give me something / So I don’t die.”
E from Eels is the master of sardonic gallows humour, and no single line sums up what he does better than the opener from ‘Novocaine for the Soul’.
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41/55
“Feigning joy and surprise / At the gifts we despise / Over mulled wine with you.”
Because of his propensity for silliness, Justin Hawkins often gets overlooked as a lyricist, but he certainly has his moments. Few lines have ever so succinctly summed up the misery yuletide sometimes brings than the Darkness’ ‘Christmas time (Don’t Let The Bells End).’
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42/55
“There’s a new sensation / A fabulous creation / A danceable solution / To teenage revolution.”
Another lyricist who doesn’t necessarily get his dues is Bryan Ferry, and ‘Do The Strand’ was a frivolous melange of highfalutin references and clever in-jokes about a dance sensation that he’d made up, the wag!
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43/55
“Why do birds suddenly appear / every time you are near?”
The Carpenters were apparently in the last chance saloon when they were offered ‘(They Long To Be) Close To You’, and the song had been around for a while underachieving too. Richard Carpenter changed the syncopation, Karen Carpenter delivered two of the most gorgeous lines in pop, and the rest is history.
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44/55
“Wasted and wounded, it ain’t what the moon did, I’ve got what I paid for now.”
Tom Waits delivers one of the finest lyrics there ever was about having a hangover on ‘Tom Traubert’s Blues’.
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45/55
“In the time of chimpanzees I was a monkey.”
No lyric conveys outsiderdom in such an amusing way as this one by Beck on the hit song ‘Loser’. Artistry, pure and simple.
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46/55
“She keeps her Moet et Chandon / In her pretty cabinet / ‘Let them eat cake’ she says / Just like Marie Antoinette.”
Ahh Freddie, so gifted and so, well, Freddie. The opening lines of ‘Killer Queen’ are characteristically flashy, funny and cheeky all at the same time. ‘Mama, just killed a man’ was another obvious contender…
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47/55
“Bless my cotton socks I’m in the news.”
The Teardrop Explodes’ opening line to ‘Reward’ was inimitably Julian Cope, helping propel the band into the top 10 for the first and only time in 1981. Cope apparently recorded the song on acid, giving it that rather unique energy.
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48/55
“I’m so tired / of playing / playing with this bow and arrow.”
The ‘I’m so tired’ line had been used before by both the Beatles and the Kinks, but adding the bow and arrow to the equation added something beautifully unhinged to ‘Glory Box’, one of the real classics of trip hop.
49/55
“I was happy in the haze of a drunken hour / but heaven knows I’m miserable now.”
‘Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now’ was a pun on the now lesser known 1969 Sandie Shaw hit ‘Heaven Knows I’m Missing Him Now’, and that opening line has become a staple of modern existentialism, dripping in comedy angst.
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50/55
“Johnny’s in the basement / Mixing up the medicine / I’m on the pavement / Thinking about the government.”
It’s impossible to think of ‘Subterranean Homesick Blues’ without imagining Dylan stood right of camera with a handful of cue cards. It’s perhaps the most iconic image of Dylan that exists. From a career of more than 50 years, that’s saying something.
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51/55
“I never thought it would happen / with me and the girl from Clapham.”
Few have ever mastered the rhyming couplet with the wit and precision that Chris Difford of Squeeze managed. The opening line from ‘Up The Junction’ begins the greatest four minute kitchen sink drama ever written.
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52/55
“Got me a movie I want you to know / Slicing up eyeballs I want you to know.”
Clearly under the influence of the 1929 Buñuel / Dali film Un Chien Andalou, Black Francis beautifully conveyed the horror of seeing that eyeball being sliced, which still shocks to this day. So indeed, does the Pixies ‘Debaser’, a song of such dazzling ferocity.
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53/55
“I am an antichrist / I am an anarchist.”
It may not rhyme properly, but no single line ever set out a better mission statement than the one Glen Matlock wrote for Johnny Rotten before being unceremoniously tossed out of the band in favour of Sid Vicious. ‘Anarchy in the UK’ proved in 1977 that art could still be dangerous.
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54/55
“And now, the end is here / And so I face the final curtain…”
The Frank Sinatra song has become a favourite at funerals, and with a first line like that, it’s easy to see why. The lyrics were written by Paul Anka based on the music of French pop singer Claude Francois, who met his own end changing a lightbulb whilst stood in the bath.
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55/55
“This is the end / beautiful friend.”
The Doors elegy to finality is the last song in this gallery; it can be just as well enjoyed in darkness with your eyes closed as watched over the incredible opening sequence to Francis Ford Coppola’s seminal Vietnam movie Apocalypse Now. This is the end.
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| i don't know |
The band Heaven 17 took their name from which Stanley Kubrick film? | From Blur To Bowie, 18 Ingenious Music Moments Inspired By Stanley Kubrick Movies - NME
NME
4:54 pm - Nov 27, 2014
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1/19
Stanley Kubrick is the flavour of the month right now – ‘Barry Lyndon’ is set for a BFI re-release and there’s a new Kubrick-inspired exhibition at Somerset House. To celebrate, we’ve delved into history to find out what influence his movies had on music. Here’s a guide to how Kubrick’s spell has spilled out into rock, pop and hip-hop…
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2/19
Blur’s ‘The Universal’ video
Blur’s ‘The Universal’ video: An obvious one to kick us off, paying deft homage to the iconic opening scene of ‘A Clockwork Orange’, in the film’s Korova Milk Bar. Shout out to Damon for nailing the movie’s violent leading man Alex’s eye makeup and crooked smiles to the camera, while his ‘droog’ bandmates linger ominously in the background.
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3/19
Guns N’ Roses’ ‘Welcome To The Jungle’ video:
Guns N’ Roses’ ‘Welcome To The Jungle’ video: In which a straight-jacket-clad Axl Rose is strapped to a device that stretches his eyelids open, forcing him to absorb the TV images of horror in front of him? Sound familiar? It should do to anyone who’s sat through the gristly second half of ‘A Clockwork Orange’.
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4/19
Kanye West’s ‘Runaway’
Kanye West’s ‘Runaway’: Yeezy’s sprawling ‘…Dark Twisted Fantasy’ highlight was directly inspired by the angsty eroticism of Kubrick’s last film. Kanye posted screencaps from the movie on Twitter during its recording while the austere piano motif threaded through the track is borrowed from the score: check out 1.53 in this video if you don’t believe us .
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5/19
Heaven 17
Heaven 17: Another easy one. Early ’80s Sheffield new wavers Heaven 17 took their name from one of the fictional bands in Kubrick’s ‘A Clockwork Orange’ and Anthony Burgess’ source novel – they’re mentioned at being number 4 in the charts with as Alex roams a record shop with a song called ‘Inside’.
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6/19
Pink Floyd, ‘Echoes’ and ‘2001’ synchronisation rumours
Pink Floyd, ‘Echoes’ and ‘2001’ synchronisation rumours: Much like ‘Dark Side Of The Moon’ is said to sync up with ‘The Wizard of Oz’, a long-standing rumour among prog fans is ‘Echoes’ was written to fit the chilling ‘Infinite’ scene in ‘2001’. The band denied it, but later confessed they deeply admired Kubrick and would have loved to soundtrack one of his cinematic masterworks.
Credit: Press
7/19
Slipknot’s ‘Spit it Out’ video
Slipknot’s ‘Spit it Out’ video: How better to announce your band as new kings of primal horror-rock than with a video channeling the terror of what’s pretty universally agreed upon as the most chilling horror film ever made? One of the Iowa group’s earliest video was a neat remake of ‘The Shining’ – creepy twins and all.
Credit: Press
8/19
The Ramones’ ‘Too Tough To Die’ sleeve
The Ramones’ ‘Too Tough To Die’ sleeve: “Johnny [Ramone] wanted a picture that would evoke memories of the gang in ‘A Clockwork Orange’,” photographer George DuBose said in 2005 of his shot for the New Yorkers’ eighth album. Thus a dark, starkly illuminated shot that recalls both the movie’s otherworldly blue-hued night sequences and the tunnel in which Alex’s gang beat a homeless man.
Credit: Press
9/19
Strangelove
Strangelove: Where do you reckon these Bristol ’90s rockers got their name from? Duh! Kubrick’s ‘Dr. Strangelove or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb’ of course.
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10/19
Moloko
Moloko: Heaven 17 weren’t the only Sheffield band with ‘A Clockwork Orange’ to thank for their band name. Moloko is Alex and his gang’s slang word for milk in the movie and Burgess’ source novel. It’s also the Russian word for milk but neither Róisín Murphy nor Mark Brydon, the group’s central duo, look like they holiday in St Petersberg so we’ll assume ‘A Clockwork Orange’ is responsible.
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11/19
Bowie’s ‘Space Oddity’
Bowie’s ‘Space Oddity’: We’ll let Dave field this one: “In England, it was always presumed that [‘Space Oddity’] was written about the space landing, because it kind of came to prominence around the same time,” he said 2003. “But it actually wasn’t. It was written because of going to see the film ‘2001’, which I found amazing. I went to see it very stoned and it was a revelation to me.”
12/19
Frank Ocean’s ‘Novocane’ nod
Frank Ocean’s ‘Novocane’ nod: A bit of a throwaway one, but too funny not too include. During a druggy summer of debauchery, Ocean describes waking up in a bed full of women, having a cocaine breakfast and filming his subsequent orgy as: “I feel like Stanley Kubrick… this is some visionary shit!” Quite.
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13/19
U2’s ‘A Clockwork Orange’ score
U2’s ‘A Clockwork Orange’ score: Back before they were mercilessly hoisting their music onto your iPod against your will, Bono and The Edge soundtracked a Royal Shakespeare Company production of Anthony Burgess’ novel greatly indebted to the eerie air of malevolence Kubrick fashioned in his movie adaptation.
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14/19
New Order’s ‘Ultraviolence’
New Order’s ‘Ultraviolence’: The central theme in ‘A Clockwork Orange’, recited throughout Kubrick’s movie, and later the title of a synthy, sinister track on Hooky and co’s ‘Power, Lies and Corruption’ album.
Credit: Andy Willsher/NME
15/19
Lana Del Rey’s ‘Ultraviolence’
Lana Del Rey’s ‘Ultraviolence’: Whatever New Order can do, Lana can do better. The ‘Video Games’ provoacteur named an entire spell-binding album after the phrase in ‘A Clockwork Orange’. Alright, the sounds within might have been more ’50s femme fatale thriller, but the title’s a pure nod to Kubrick’s movie, we say.
Credit: Press
16/19
Lana Del Rey’s ‘Lolita’
Lana Del Rey’s ‘Lolita’: Lana’s Kubrick connections don’t end there. 2012’s ‘Born To Die’ packed a single that shared the title and narrative of the director’s 1962 drama, adapted from Vladimir Nabokov’s classic novel.
Credit: Press
17/19
Lady Gaga’s 2010 tour ‘Clockwork Orange’ homage
Lady Gaga’s 2010 tour ‘Clockwork Orange’ homage: For a while, Gaga’s live shows opened with scenes from ‘A Clockwork Orange’, following a string of videos that paid tribute to the dark futurism of Kubrick’s movies. Here’s a pretty interesting essay on them, if you’re that way inclined.
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18/19
Kate Bush’s ‘The Shining’-inspired song
Kate Bush’s ‘The Shining’-inspired song: Did you know Bush’s track ‘Get Out Of My House’ is a musical remake of ‘The Shining’? Well, you do now. The darkest corner of 1982’s ‘The Dreaming’, the track places its protagonist in an unnerving domestic asylum inspired by Stephen King’s novel and Kubrick’s intense filmic adaptation.
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19/19
30 Seconds To Mars’ ‘The Kill’ video
30 Seconds To Mars’ ‘The Kill’ video: “It’s about confronting your fear and confronting the truth about who you are,” said Jared Leto of his 2006 single ‘The Kill’ – similar enough to Jack Nicholson’s horrifying character arc in ‘The Shining’ to base the track’s video on, in a clever blood-splattered tribute.
Credit: Press
| A Clockwork Orange |
According to the famous line, hell hath no fury like what? | Kubrick's The Shining - The Interview
The Shining TOC
AN IN-DEPTH ANALYSIS OF STANLEY KUBRICK'S FILM THE SHINING - THE INTERVIEW
Go to Table of Contents of the analysis (which has also a statement on purpose and manner of analysis and a disclaimer as to caveat emptor and my knowing anything authoritatively, which I do not, but I do try to not know earnestly, with some discretion, and considerable thought).
The most important thing which must be kept in mind with Kubrick's films is there is the surface or principle story and then the internal or sub-story. In many of his films, if we're really paying attention, set elements pretty much immediately destroy the surface naturalism. One may not notice this destruction the first, second or third time one watches the film. Through constructive disorientation and disconnectedness, and sleight of hand as to where our eye focuses, Kubrick, the magician, intentionally obfuscates these elements that destroy the overt and naturalistic story line. The surface story lines are the principle ones, and this is maintained and supported by the intentional obfuscation of the deconstructive elements which keep them sub rosa. At the same time, these deconstructive elements are plainly there, alongside his tremendous effort to make things look real and believable, and once we bypass the disorientation and his purposeful refocusing they become a puzzle, annihilating the sense of reality. This destruction of the film's naturalistic story line is difficult enough to conceive of and accept that most people stop at this point and decide these puzzling aspects of Kubrick's films are errors when they are not. They are part of the art of a director cleverly designing the overt story line to be unimpeded by an internal story that tears it apart. Indeed, the sub rosa elements of the internal story may be discreet but they are enough in evidence to complicate the surface story with an aura of attractive, indefinable mystery, which is one of the reasons viewers return to Kubrick again and again. To work with the "reason" and "why of the internal story line is to try to settle into Kubrick's sensibility, examining how these internal stories form a dialogue in his oeuvre with repeating themes and ideas, elaborated upon from film to film. The internal stories haven't a "plot"; they aren't that kind of story. Instead, you have to be willing to deal with comprehending the themes and ideas represented in them as instead ultimately forming a different terrain for the setting of the surface story, guiding and interacting with the overt story and giving it a new form.
SUBHEADERS FOR THIS SECTION:
THE LOBBY, ITS INFLUENCES, AND THE DISSOCIATION OF THE LODGE'S INTERIOR FROM ITS EXTERIOR - HOW A SET INFORMS THE STORY IN ALL ITS PARTICULARS
A NOTE ON 8 and 1/2
OUR FIRST ACQUAINTANCE WITH THE GOLD ROOM HALL AND THE MAZE - HOW FLOW OF ACTION ABOUT THE SET UNCONSCIOUSLY CONSTRUCTS FOR THE AUDIENCE A PLOT OF THE UNSEEN ENVIRONMENT BASED ON NATURAL EXPECTATIONS
FORESHADOWING, JACK CROSSES THE CIRCLE WHERE DICK WILL LATER LIE SLAIN - HOW AMBIENT AUDIO UNCONSCIOUSLY CONSTRUCTS AND COMPLEMENTS ENVIRONMENT
THE IMPOSSIBLE WINDOW
LUNCH WITH DANNY, WENDY and THE CATCHER IN THE RYE
INTRODUCING BILL WATSON, A MAN WITH PRECIOUS FEW WORDS ON THE SITUATION
THE STORY OF THE WINTER OF 1970
THE TWO TYPES OF PHOTOGRAPHS IN THE HOTEL
NOTES ON THE ULLMAN'S DESK AND INCONSISTENCIES
NOTES ON THE TIMINGS OF THE SHA SOUNDS
DANNY'S FIRST SHINING OF THE GIRLS AND BLOODY ELEVATOR
THE RAINBOW IN DANNY's ROOM AND AND HIS BLACK-OUT COMPARED TO A CLOCKWORK ORANGE AND THE INVITATION TO THE END OF THE RAINBOW IN EYES WIDE SHUT
THE AWAKENING OF JACOB
42
CARSON CITY
THE SECOND INTERVIEW - SUSAN SONTAG'S ILLNESS AS METAPHOR - YOUNG JETHRO AND THE MAZE - THE WORKS OF INA SEIDEL AND THE THIRD REICH
ON THE TWO UNION OR LIBERTY SUITS AND THE TWO NECKLACES
Return to Table of Contents for "The Shining" analysis
THE INTERVIEW - IN WHICH WE LEARN HOW SCREWED UP THE TORRANCE FAMILY IS AND ROOT FOR THEIR GOING TO THE OVERLOOK FOR THE WINTER WHERE THE PRESSURE COOKER WILL EXPLODE. "GO! GO!" BECAUSE AUDIENCES ARE CRUEL.
THE LOBBY, ITS INFLUENCES, AND THE DISSOCIATION OF THE LODGE'S INTERIOR FROM ITS EXTERIOR - HOW A SET INFORMS THE STORY IN ALL ITS PARTICULARS
9. Title card: The Interview. (3:02)
The opening was nature. Now? Humans tend to not think of themselves as part of nature. Instead they are in opposition to it, and, at best, sometimes enjoying its pleasanter, friendlier aspects. This is one of the things that the Interview makes a focus, the battle of humans and the lodge against nature.
10 Tracking shot of Jack through the lobby. (3:05)
We open with the lobby. There is no music, only the ambient sounds of general activity.
At no time until near the film's end do we, from the interior, directly observe characters exiting or entering the lodge, and never from the lobby. Not even now. We see characters going to the doors to exit, and entering from the direction of the main doors, but never do we see them actually going in and out of them. Jack has already just entered the lodge as the scene opens, we do not see him come up to the lodge from his car, as another director might have chosen to show. We assume Jack has made the trip up in the yellow VW but we didn't see him in it. Though Kubrick did in the opening section associate Jack with the VW, having his name in the credits pass over the VW as the helicopter zoomed in on the auto, we are only working on an assumption, at this point, that the VW in the opening has anything to do with Jack.
The Montana mountains and the road shown in the opening, which I've discussed in that section , I think are likely chosen not just for their beauty but for Montana being known as the land of Shining Mountains. The exterior of the lodge is, however, the Timberline at Mt. Hood in Oregon. Now we have yet a third location associated, the interiors of the lobby and the Colorado Lounge modeled after the Ahwahnee Hotel in the Yosemite National Park in California.
Certainly, if one takes a look around the web at the Ahwahnee , one easily understands why Kubrick would have chosen the striking Ahwahnee in Yosemite as an influence for the lodge's interior. But what if we look at the name? Yosemite Nature Notes , published in 1978, discusses how Yosemite, rather than being a corruption of a Miwok word which meant grizzly bear, instead translates as "they are killers", an identification not used by the Yosemite themselves but by neighboring tribes. As for Ahwahnee, it may possibly mean "place of the big mouth", which, no matter the original meaning, recalls Danny's open mouth silent scream. Miwok speakers also postulate that it's a term for the Yosemite people and may instead be akin to "place you go and play games", which, again finds a possible place in the film with the games room and games played at the hotel. This information was ostensibly available to Kubrick and if he was aware of it there's the chance it could have influenced his decision to connect the Overlook with the Ahwahnee of Yosemite for reasons other than design. I'm not at all married to the idea, just proposing it. Also, significantly, as John Fell Ryan points out in his post The Stanley Hotels , the places Kubrick chose as influences for the interiors and exteriors of the lodge in one way or another appear to double names used in the film or Kubrick's own, such as the exteriors of Ahwahnee and the Timberline having being designed by Gilbert Stanley Underwood.
There are distinct differences between the Ahwahnee and the Overlook but undoubtedly the Ahwahnee and the Overlook are siblings.
The lobby of the film's Overlook is an antique white and has square terracotta color columns, dark brown wainscoting and floors decorated with a variety of American Indian derivative designs with tessellated borders that seem a mix of influences.
Fig. 1 - The Ahwahnee lobby, a Creative Commons image by J. W. Kern
The above 2013 image, a Creative Common image from the photographer J. W. Kern, shows how much Kubrick took architecturally and design-wise from the Ahwahnee. The color of the pillars is no longer what it was when the film was made, but the trim appears to be the same as in older photos.
J. W. Kern has a beautiful page with more photos at his blog, the Golden Sieve.
Fig. 2 - The Ahwahnee lobby, a Creative Commons image by Dave Ciskowsi
Another Creative Commons image from Flickr, this one by Dave Ciskowsi, shows how similar in color scheme the film's Overlook was to a more vintage Ahwahnee, if the 2005 image shows color even remotely similar to earlier years.
Kubrick borrowed from the Ahwahnee, with alterations, what is the receptionist area and the cashier area in the film. We see how the chandeliers and the designs on the film's floor of the Overlook lobby may not duplicate the Ahwahnee's designs but are in the spirit of them. At the Ahwahnee, and in the film's lodge, the columns are painted at the top with borders of a repetitive design, the Overlook's being different from the Ahwahnee.
My first thought on the designs at the height of these columns in the film had been to wonder if we might have somewhere in the Overlook the Greek Key , a meander border which was associated with the labyrinth, which would befit the maze (which we have yet to see), the Greek Key composed in such a way that when enlarged it formed a labyrinth, and is a design that was used also used by the Hopi.
Kubrick used the Greek Key design in Lolita, it circling the area in which was the ping-pong table in the mansion at which Quilty was staying when Humbert finds and executes him at the film's beginning, that scene replayed again at the film's end as it goes full circle in its story.
Fig. 3 - Kubrick's use of the Greek key at the beginning and end of "Lolita", initiating the execution of Quilty from it. Humbert's position on the stairs reminds of Jack's pursuit of Wendy up the great staircase in the Colorado Lounge in "The Shining", Humbert climbing these stairs in "Lolita" as he gunned down Quilty.
The decoration at the height of the lobby's columns in The Shining is done in a Z shape. The embellishments employed by Kubrick are in many places not the same as at the Ahwahnee , such as at the tops of these columns. "Shining" is later compared with sleep, that it can be like sleeping and upon waking not remembering everything one is told, and Z's are sometimes used for expressing sleep (such as in cartoons), but I also think of how the opening scene was accompanied by music signifying Judgment Day, and that Z is the final letter in the English alphabet, zeta, though the 6th letter of the Greek alphabet (value 7), based on the Phoenician zayin.
Just mulling here, throwing out some ideas on how Z can be interpreted symbolically if one wonders if there is some meaning behind Kubrick changing the design.
A zigzag pattern also can represent lightning, and some believe that the labrys, upon which is based the labyrinth, may symbolize lightning. If this is so then Kubrick may have used the Z pattern to represent the labrys axe and maze. When Jack axes Dick, he emerges from concealment behind one of the columns, blended with it.
One may think, "Oh, it's just decoration," but sets are not accidental. Environments annotate and propel the story forward; there is no small detail that can be taken as insignificant with Kubrick.
The building is fairly old, we learn later it was built about 70 years prior. There are radiant heaters in this section. In the lobby of the Overlook, as the film opens, a few people rest in armchairs reading, talking, but the lodge isn't exactly a buzzing hive of activity, and it appears somewhat rundown, no longer fashionable. At least, to the best of my memory, that's how I perceived it upon first view when the movie was released. Though the lobby was undeniably impressive, the furnishings seemed wearied. The ages of the majority of guests observed didn't suggest a youthful clientele.
We will later realize that the lobby in no way is feasible in respect of either the Timberline exterior shots of the lodge or the studio exterior shots of the lodge, which will be the case also with the Colorado Lounge and other rooms as well.
As for the radiant heat, the fact that the hotel used a boiler was of primary importance in King's book. The radiant heat, powered by a boiler, isn't of so much importance here yet Kubrick has rigged it so the Overlook has both radiant heat and forced air heat. The Colorado Lounge section and the halls associated with Room 237 only use forced air heat. The lobby, with its radiators, aappears to be dependent on radiant heat. What is peculiar is that we see in this shot that both the radiant heaters to the right and left of the door leading into the "Gold Room hall" off the lobby also have forced air vents behind them. Go figure.
Now, looking at the Timberline lodge in Oregon, at its entrance it shows a compass but with directional notation, whereas the compass points at the entrance of the Overlook don't show this.
Compass in the Timberline entrance
Below is the massive stone fireplace in the lobby of the Timberline. The sense of it as a spoke for a kind of wheel is an incredible weight of great force.
Timberline lobby entrance
So when we are looking at the Overlook from the aerial view, this is what we are seeing that informs the pyramidal structure of the lobby, yet Kubrick has stripped it out of the film as far as the set interior, preferring instead to have no fireplace at all in the lobby of the Overlook, patterning its look after the lodge at Yosemite. I would suggest the weight of this wheel is still there, just unseen, represented in the couple of wheel designs on the floor, in particular the wheel upon which Dick is slain, and also in the scene of Danny's Big Wheel in the lobby resting on the wheel upon which Dick will be slain. The Ahwahnee lobby also has circular motifs on the floor, but it is important that Kubrick chose the Timberline to represent the exterior, its structural design also powering the hotel. Not only is the Overlook positioned on a kind of E/W dividing line (as described in the Opening analysis) it has also a world wheel heart powering it. Keep in mind, too, that in "Clockwork Orange", when Alex is imprisoned, during prison exercises he is shown also walking an almost relentless circle beneath the figure of a pyramid , and that following that scene we go to his interview with the prison governor which has close parallels to Jack's interview with Ullman.
A NOTE ON 8 and 1/2
Fig. 4 - Jack enters the lobby.
Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) enters, his gray suit appearing cheap, limp and out of place with the resort attire of the others. He stands out, fitting in neither as a lodger nor as a hotel employee.
One salt and pepper gray-haired man in a plaid jacket and two-toned spectator shoes is prominent, reading near the entrance, smoking what may be a cigar, a drink to his side next a camera. The "spectator" shoes in combination with the camera is an interesting choice of attire for this opening shot. To my eye he looks like Marcello Mastroianni, and, with his camera, I've thought of him as perhaps being a reference to Fellini's 8 and 1/2 in which Marcello starred, playing, in effect, Fellini. The comparison isn't too far fetched when one considers that Jack suffers from writer's block and the director in 8 and 1/2 was suffering from a creative block and musing on his life and its relationship to his work, his imaginings mingling with reality.
Fig. 5 - Mastroianni as he appeared in "8 and 1/2".
But the reference to 8 and 1/2 is more than this. It takes us also to the last day of the The Shining, its two episodes simply titled "8" and "4". 4 is 1/2 of 8. Thus, 8 and 1/2.
OUR FIRST ACQUAINTANCE WITH THE GOLD ROOM HALL AND THE MAZE - HOW FLOW OF ACTION ABOUT THE SET UNCONSCIOUSLY CONSTRUCTS FOR THE AUDIENCE A PLOT OF THE UNSEEN ENVIRONMENT BASED ON NATURAL EXPECTATIONS
We will later observe compass points on a map of the maze outside on a board beside the maze. One will note that in the lobby, at the entrance, is a design which has arrows, one pointing toward the door and one pointing away. One would assume it would be like a compass and have four arrows, but we will later observe it only has these two.
Jack first looks to the left, in the direction of the hall in which, at the end of the film, we will see the famous photo which reveals Jack as present at the lodge in 1921.
We've no music. This is a pretty austere scene, shot so that it seems very straightforward. Most everyone who has come to see the film knows that Jack is here for a job interview and will become a caretaker for the Overlook. But there's nothing spooky about the lobby. Everything is shot so that anyone who has ever gone in to interview for a job will feel the cool banality of the situation and the pedestrian but anxious experience of how to relate with and put your best foot forward for this new sub-group of humanity with which you've just come into contact.
Four people in an area on the other side of the main door. A man, reading, speaks with a blond woman in white. Opposite them sit two older women. As Jack approaches the lobby's reception desk, the woman in white turns. She isn't looking at Jack, as he's not in her line of sight. She seems to be looking toward the reception desk, but then a bellhop appears from the direction of the service hall behind the lobby and appears to port a silver lunch service to this group who are sitting in the same area where Jack will have lunch on Closing Day.
Next, two individuals in summery clothing pass by on their way outside, carrying tennis rackets and white balls, seemingly headed to play a game though we may notice the woman is inappropriately dressed in high heels. We see beyond them the sign "The Gold Room" which is to the right of double doors (only in the opening and closing scenes is this sign to the right), these double doors framed with gold drapes and leading to a hall with walls and doors in the same design as the lobby but which has red sofas and will be later observed to have the Gold Room carpet. Beyond the double doors to this hall, presently closed, are a man and a woman whose positioning conveniently conceals the place where is the aforementioned photograph that will only be revealed at film's end. Throughout the film, when action occurs in this hall, the camera stops short of revealing the area where the photograph is. Only toward the end, when Dick enters the hall previous his fatal confrontation with Jack, will the camera finally reveal briefly the area where the photo in question will be seen at film's end, and we'll observe that the photo in question isn't there.
These two individuals who are supposedly on their way to play tennis come from the direction of the service hall behind the lobby rather than from the stairs or elevators. Patterns of movement of individuals about the set one would think would be in keeping with their status, such as guests would normally come and go from guest areas, and the audience does naturally anticipate and assume this and thus will naturally, unconsciously, believe that the guests must be coming from, say, elevators that will lead to their rooms. The audience members are already building in their minds a plot for the hotel, and so they've every reason to assume that these characters are coming from something such as an elevator that accesses the guest areas. As the film unfolds, the set one will eventually view back in that area will appear at first glance to have elevators, but on closer inspection the elevators will be revealed as bathrooms. There is no guest area concourse back here, instead only service halls for employees.
Building a plot of the unseen environment based on natural expectations is difficult to impossible in The Shining. Kubrick takes care to unveil the lodge only bits at a time, it unfolding over the entirety of the film, and the audience's natural expectations are proven false at every turn, but so deeply embedded is the assumption that the environment will be rational that the audience rarely notices that their assumptions are wrong and the map they're constructed in their minds of the hotel, based on what Kubrick has shown them, is impossible.
Jack's action at this point mirrors what the audience is already unconsciously doing, surveying the lay of the land and constructing a mental map. He approaches a clerk at the registration desk for direction. She is homogeneously dressed in a shirt of a similar color to the terra cotta columns and a plaid vest that resembles the plaid jacket worn by the man with spectator shoes.
JACK: Hi, I've got an appointment with Mr. Ullman. My name is Jack Torrance.
RECEPTIONIST: His office is the first door on the left.
JACK: Thank you.
Directing Jack to Ullman's office, she points him to the "first door on the left".
Fig. 6 - The tennis players.
As Jack continues on through the lobby, Kubrick gives us a brief glance again of the group by the door, to whom we'd believed the waiter had been carrying lunch. We don't see the waiter. The silver service he was carrying isn't on the table between the man and the blond woman, nor do we see it with the two older women. There is something on a table near them, but this was already there before the waiter approached, so the only table on which he could have placed his tray was between the blond and the man. But it's not there. Where has he gone? There is no door in that area through which he could have passed for the doors to the hall beyond are blocked by seating and if there are doors to an exterior patio he hasn't the time to exit them. He could only be somewhere out of sight behind the pillar that partially covers the man's chair.
Spooks? No, Kubrick is actually already setting up the scene of Danny's encounter with the eerie girls in the blue flowered hall and Dick's murder, making a vocabulary of motifs that will connect them, which is why I bother with pointing out what seems a petty detail. I will come to how this works with Dick's murder in a moment, and explore the connection with the girls later.
Fig. 7 - Kubrick briefly revisits the group by the door though he need not have.
The camera then gives us a view of a grouping of seats about a television set and a second grouping of seats beside a sign in the background that is difficult to distinguish here but reads "Camera Walk". We shall later see the same sign in the Colorado Lounge entry and be given a better view of it.
Fig. 8 - The Camera Walk sign.
The camera continually takes in new information on the hotel, just as Jack does.
As Jack makes his way to the office he now glances in the direction of a model of the hotel's maze that is beyond the two groupings of seats. We have no idea yet where this maze might be, but one assumes the inspiration for the model is somewhere on the grounds, even though our previous aerial view had shown no maze to the front or rear. Though we may not even be aware yet that what we're seeing is a model of the maze, that we're first introduced to the idea of the maze within the lodge comments on the lodge itself, which, as discussed above, if we compare our assumptions to its reality, is irrational and nonsensical at nearly every turn. That doesn't mean the maze is itself irrational and nonsensical. If one gets a full overview of a maze one might see at a glance its patterns and logic, but when one is immersed in the maze, one's knowledge of the "beyond" limited by the towering hedge walls, it is easy to become lost.
FORESHADOWING, JACK CROSSES THE CIRCLE WHERE DICK WILL LATER LIE SLAIN - HOW AMBIENT AUDIO UNCONSCIOUSLY CONSTRUCTS AND COMPLEMENTS ENVIRONMENT
Jack has glanced in the direction of a model of the hotel's maze as he crossed the circle upon which Dick will later fall when he is murdered by Jack, who will have been hiding in the lobby behind a pillar. The waiter and his silver service just disappearing from sight, perhaps behind a pillar, seems to be a foreshadowing of this. He would not be so completely hidden by the pillar, with his tray, had this not been staged.
Just a step beyond the circle, Jack's glance moves up to the stairs on the right, briefly meeting that of a hotel employee who is coming down the steps. This is the stairway Jack will, in the "4 pm" section, use on his approach to the lobby in the scene where he murders Dick. As his glance meets the woman's, he crosses the spot where Dick will be standing when Jack leaps out from behind the nearby pillar and kills him.
At the same time we are taking in an elevator beyond, before which stands a man who carries a wrapped pole of sort, perhaps a fishing pole as he carries a hat which is typically used for fishing. We can tell he's a new arrival as the red-coated valet behind him is porting his bags.
Two other things happen as Dick crosses this fatal spot. An elder man in light clothing has entered the area before the elevators from the hall beyond. This same man will later be seen examining the maze.
(3:27 crossing into 3:28) The second thing that happens is a subtle audio cue. We hear a brief, staccato voicing of "sha" which, at this point, we take as being part of the natural ambient noise of the lodge. I will write more about this voicing later. It's enough now to note that it has meaning, expanding in some way on the action which will later occur on this spot, action which is already being anticipated.
The timing of the first "sha" begins at 327, a permutation of 237, the number of the dreaded hotel room that Dick warns Danny away from.
Even if the "sha" occurring at 3:27 is purely coincidental, the choreography for the remaining collection of incidentals all falling on the same note is tricky, intentional, and beautifully accomplished.
Fig. 9 - Jack crosses the spot where he will later kill Dick, leaping out from behind the pillar on the right.
Jack enters the office area of the General Manager, only a corner of a secretary's desk viewed on the left, but, speaking of ambient noise again, though we don't see a secretary typing away, we assume she is there because we hear the clackety-clack of a typewriter. At the same time, we see a door in the right wall leading to Mr. Ullman's office and catch a glimpse through it of another door that leads to the back service hall.
THE IMPOSSIBLE WINDOW
The wall right of the office door in the secretarial area is decorated with photos of the mountain as it appears over the span of the four seasons, only the snow-blanketed winter photo apparently showing the Overlook/Timberline lodge. All the views show Mount Hood's south flank. The autumnal photo presents Mount Hood in context with Mirror Lake, which the viewer may associate with St. Mary's lake seen in the opening shot of the movie, though the two are not the same. This autumnal photo in particular will seem to, as the movie progresses, give an eerie sense of the lodge's mountain being watched from afar. Later, a painting above the Torrance's bed in their apartment will provide a view of the lodge's mountain from a similar vantage point, only from across Mirror Lake during either spring or summer.
Fig. 10 - Jack enters the secretary's office.
Below is the Timberline reception desk with a picture of the lodge overhanging.
Timberline reception desk with picture of lodge
On the left is a print that seems out of place with the hotel's decorative scheme, as if Mayan or Aztec influenced, a person against a red background. After many years of wondering about this painting, and a loon painting in the same secretarial area but on an opposing wall, obviously done by the same artist, I've been apprised by Ioway artist, Lance Foster, the paintings are by Noval Morrisseau . He directs me to this excellent bio that relates...
Morrisseau was assimilating and generating the content and direction of his vision. Everything was grist for his artistic mill. He recalled the black lines that held the glass pictures in form in the church windows. He recalled the side-vision of the Mayan friezes in the books he had read. The bright and harsh colours of Northern Ontario were as familiar to him as Autumn. He extended the written language of the pictographic language into a visual pattern as well as conduit of meaning. Included in Morrisseau's purpose was to portray his people as large, important, commanding and powerful. His purpose was nothing less than resurrecting the culture of the Anishnabe.
Morrisseau knew what all hunting and gathering people knew with their immediate contact with the preparation of game, that the exterior of the shape showed only the corporeal, but the inner, x-ray view of the structure revealed the spirit. From Siberia to Norway, to the Arctic, the spiritual content of the living object was shown by a technique that can only be called, x-ray vision.
It's easy to see why Kubrick would have been interested in his art.
Fig. 11 - Morrisseau's "The Great Mother".
The name of the piece observed outside Ulmann's door is "The Great Mother". The painting seen behind Watson as he enters Ullman's office is "Flock of Loons". "Flock of Loons" is also seen near the secondary exit/entrance Wendy and Jack use to exit the lodge toward the end of the film.
"The Great Mother" painting is a shock of energy in contrast to the earth tones of the lobby and its ornamentation, as well as the photographs on the other side of the entrance to Ullman's office, seeming to exhibit a sensibility and knowledge of the world quite apart from the photos and the tepid lodge and the well-behaved humans wandering about it engaging sociably with each other. The picture is an x-ray of a quite different interior world.
The painting may also refer to Wendy, who is often aligned with American Indian elements in the film. The hair style of the Great Mother can be compared to Wendy's three tiered haircut, which is less obvious in some scenes than others. When her hair is pulled back we observe that she has not only bangs but that a portion of hair is cut about chin level.
Fig. 12 - A hairstyle typical of Wendy. This is from the Tuesday section.
Looking at the filing cabinet again, it appears there is a small elephant resting on it before a postal weight scale.
Mr. Ullman's door is open revealing, in contrast to the lodge's general appearance, a more modern, though unimposing, salmon-pink room unpleasantly illuminated with several ceiling florescent lights and most prominently decorated with two high shelves on either wall holding potted plants. Two brown leather chairs face a large brown desk situated before a bright window on the sill of which appears to be a wood carving of an eagle or other predatory bird. A large map is on the left wall behind a ham radio. On the right wall are immediately noticeable a number of honorific plaques and documents. We've the same feeling of symmetry here that will be found in the halls and the Colorado Room.
JACK (knocking): Mr. Ullman?
STUART: Oh, well, come on in, Jack. Very nice to meet you.
Mr. Ullman (Barry Nelson) welcomes Jack pleasantly, rising and shaking his hand.
JACK: Nice to meet you, Mr. Ullman.
Stuart introduces his secretary, Susie (Alison Coleridge).
STUART: This is my secretary, Susie.
JACK: Susie, how do you do?
SUSIE: Hello.
STUART: Have any trouble finding us?
JACK: Oh, no problem at all. I made the trip in 3 and a half hours.
Did Jack have any trouble finding them? No, the drive was only three and a half hours. (Only!) Mr. Ullman says that Jack made good time and asks his secretary to bring them coffee and requests she call Bill Watson to join them.
STUART: Well, that's very good time, very good. Please sit down. Jack, just make yourself at home. Would you like some coffee?
JACK: Well, if you're going to have some I wouldn't mind, thanks.
STUART: Susie?
STUART: Oh, and would you ask Bill Watson to join us.
SUSIE: Yes, I will.
Fig. 13 - Jack and Ullman shaking hands before the "impossible" window.
Before continuing, it should be noted that the exterior window in the office is a physical impossibility, the office being entirely interior the building. We should be aware of this at least subconsciously as we have just viewed the lobby's elevator area extends far beyond the office, having even briefly observed the hall that is behind the office, the elder man who will later examine the maze having come from that hall. But we tend to accept the office as it is, ignoring the impossible window, because all else appears to be so normal. The characters accept the window and, trusting the characters, the audience assumes this must be an external wall.
But when one becomes fully aware it is an impossibility, the window becomes as glaringly out of place as the hazy glare it allows into the office.
The window is as artificial a source of light as the two glaring florescent lamps above. For all intents and purposes it is yelling at us, "What is wrong with this picture?! How can I possibly exist? What am I doing here?"
The characters never actually interact with the window. They never recognize it is there by either a glance, action, or comment.
An examination of the below map of the lobby and associated areas will make obvious the absurdity of the window.
Fig. 14 - Map of the lobby and the surrounding halls that will be unveiled throughout the film.
11 Crossfade from the office to Boulder exterior. (4:10 crossfade begins, full fade in by 4:12.)
Ullman's assistant stepping out for coffee, begin the crossfade from the office to the apartment back in Boulder, blue skies pouring in through the florescent boxes on the ceiling so they become as skylights, the Flatiron mountains back in Boulder filling the impossible window.
We briefly have the feeling of being within the confines of the hedge maze with the Boulder greenery filling in the wall to the left, and the potted plants spilling their greenery from above.
Fig. 15 - The crossfade from Ullman's office to the apartment complex in Boulder.
LUNCH WITH DANNY, WENDY, TONY (DON'T FORGET TONY) and THE CATCHER IN THE RYE
Fig. 16 - The Boulder apartment complex. View its location taken from Google street view .
Accompanied by the sound of dogs barking and children playing (though none are observed) slow zoom in on a complex of blank apartment buildings via a parking lot with a basketball post to the left, the buildings backed by mountains, recalling the initial shot of the lodge at the end of the opening sequence of the movie and striking a parallel.
If you happened to miss the link just above, here first is a short post on the blog with repurposed shots from Google Maps street view pinpointing the location of the Boulder apartment.
12 MS of Wendy and Danny in the Boulder apartment dining area. (4:19)
Cut to Wendy Torrance (Shelley Duvall) sitting at a dining table with her ash blond haired son, Danny (Danny Lloyd). The table is covered with an orange-red and white checkered cloth in which we can see printed symbols such as hearts and fish. Dressed in red union suits (she wears two, which will eventually become apparent) with a light blue checked pinafore/jumper over them, she drinks coffee and smokes, reading a red paperback with gold lettering, The Catcher in the Rye.
A red field to the right of Wendy mirrors or doubles her sleeve and we are never really given a clear visual of to what that red field belongs, and the book also displays mirroring/doubling, with the title displayed in the same manner on the back cover as on the front. A reason the red field to the right isn't noticed generally, and we don't look for to what it belongs, is that Wendy's leg in the foreground seems to pull the eye into her and then the stand of the ironing board in the background seems to pull the eye to Danny, along with the screen left slope of the books on the shelves.
Danny eats a white bread sandwich, watching a television that is off screen in the yet unseen living room. Wendy has also a sandwich but it is untouched. To Danny's side on the table there is a black object of unknown use which may be later revealed to be a toy gun in the scene in which he explores the maze with Wendy. White shelves holding books hang on the rear wall. In the background is a yellow laundry basket with clothes on an ironing board, books stacked on it as well. A baseball rests on the board between the books and the basket. What appears to be a blue box showing Q-tips Cotton Balls stands on the the first shelf of the bookcase beside an alabaster bull figurine, and could possibly be taken as a stand-in for a blue sky with clouds considering its placement above the horizon line. Below, resting on the floor is a tray decorated with flowers all in autumnal brown tones, and the plates upon which they eat are decorated similarly. Kubrick has unobtrusively incorporated a natural landscape via the flowered tray and the box. It is something which we humans do all the time, bedecking all our accoutrements of life with natural and abstracted floral and fauna designs and symbols.
Fig. 17 - Wendy and Danny eat lunch, watching cartoons.
Wendy's appearance doesn't strike as eccentric or "mousy" today (or to me it doesn't) but back in 1980 her style here would have been perceived as somewhat peculiar, the latitude allowed for divergence from a certain conception of attractiveness not being exactly broad. So, Kubrick has cast as his heroine an actress who departs from the strict ideal and has accentuated this, for in the documentary of The Shining Shelly exhibits indeed a striking, ethereal beauty.
That said, in 1980 Wendy's appearance would have been somewhat jarring and the "weird" aspect to this otherwise normal seeming scene. Plus, despite the fact many dark-haired parents have children with light hair, she has dark hair, and Jack has dark brown hair, so the audience would have worked for a minute to feel her connection with light-haired Danny as his mother, as they look so dissimilar.
Kubrick's portrayal of Wendy departs from King's book, which imagined Wendy as an attractive, sensual, blond, King's later movie casting Rebecca de Mornay, who fulfilled the type.
We hear a familiar "beep beep" that resonates with the childhoods of so many and realize that Danny is watching a Roadrunner cartoon. These cartoons concern Wile E. Coyote always being foiled in his attempts to catch the Roadrunner, both being tricksters but Wile E. not quite as crafty. There's hardly a person in 1980 who wouldn't have immediately bonded with the pedestrian situation of the lunch table and its simple sandwiches through the familiar cartoon vocabulary of sound they all shared.
Danny wears a red, white and blue pullover shirt printed with another trickster figure, Bugs Bunny, who stands beside a basketball hoop, and we recall the basketball hoop in the parking lot. The blue sleeves are decorated with white stars on red bands.
DANNY: Mom?
DANNY: Do you really want to go and live in that hotel for the winter?
WENDY: Sure I do, it'll be lots of fun.
DANNY: Yeah, I guess so. Anyway, there's hardly anybody to play with around here.
Danny sounds unconvinced on either count. Just a few moments before we had heard the sounds of children at play outside and though we'd not seen those children the audience is not entirely convinced that there are no children around with whom Danny could play. We understand his isolation stems from something other.
WENDY: Yeah, I know. It always takes a little time to make new friends.
As Wendy says "friends" we cut away to Danny's reaction, the sound of a train in the cartoon beginning and continuing through Tony's initial protestations that he doesn't want to go to the hotel.
13 MCU of Danny. (4:45)
DANNY: Yeah, I guess so.
Shortly, much will be made of the isolation of the hotel, but the family is already living an isolated life in Boulder, though the situation doesn't stand out as peculiar yet. Just a mom and son eating sandwiches in a kitchen that, by virtue of its lighting and the framing of the shots, is experienced as real-life rather than a set.
The presence of The Catcher in the Rye at the table may belie Jack's later assertion that Wendy is a great fan of ghost stories and horror. The novel concerns the collapsing mental health of a teenage boy who has problems with "applying himself" and has recently been kicked out of his prep school. Jack, in King's novel, was fired from his job at a prep school due an altercation with a student, but this is never mentioned in the film and no clear reason is ever given for the family being in Colorado, so, one could possibly look upon The Catcher in the Rye as filling in that lost part of the story. I also wonder if the novel wasn't partly used for the antipathy of the novel's protagonist for Hollywood films and he feeling his brother had squandered his talent by going to work for Hollywood.
As already noted, the front and back covers of the book mirror each other, partnering with other doublings specifically having to do with Wendy in this scene (such as the red field mirroring the red sleeve) and in her later conversation with the doctor. She is somewhere in the middle of Holden's autobiography on his troubles with leaving the more innocent world of childhood for the grim, disheartening reality of adulthood when she places the book down to dialogue with Danny and attempt to convince him that being isolated in the Colorado wilderness for the duration of the winter is a fine idea.
14 MCU of Wendy. (4:50)
Fig. 18 - Wendy and the kitchen.
The camera now shows another view of the kitchen behind Wendy, Joy and Ivory dishwashing liquids on a shelf above a wall-mounted paper towel holder, dishrag draped over the kitchen sink's faucet, carton of milk on the counter with several other boxes of dry goods. The view also shows the oven with matched pots arranged on top, an exhaust fan above, and perhaps a coffee maker. The Torrance's apartment in Boulder is standard fare for the era.
The white diagonal on the red, white and blue milk carton in the background seems to help direct the eye up and toward Wendy's face, so we focus on it.
Though the red milk carton and red cereal box have nothing to do with the red field mirroring the red sleeve earlier, even though they are in a completely different position, they end up visually standing in for that red field so we feel no real compulsion to look for it.
WENDY: What about Tony? He's looking forward to the hotel, I bet.
15 MCU of Danny. (4:53)
Tony is revealed to be an imaginary friend of the boy's. In this scene, he's actively encouraged by Wendy to enter the dialogue. If Danny is unconvinced that going to the Overlook is a swell idea, she is attempting to use Tony to convince him otherwise. But Tony's more independent than that.
Danny moves the index finger of his left hand as a physical representation of Tony, and what Tony squeekily has to say is...
TONY: No he ain't, Mrs. Torrance.
Which is perhaps how Danny really feels but is reluctant to voice disagreement. Though Danny speaks with Tony's voice, Tony is referred to in the third person, which indicates Danny is Tony's actual voice.
16 MCU of Wendy. (4:57)
WENDY: Now, come on, Tony, don't be silly.
17 MCU of Danny. (4:59)
TONY: I don't want to go there, Mrs. Torrance.
"Tony" now refers to himself in the first person.
18 MCU of Wendy. (5:01) The camera has cut to Wendy while Danny/Tony said "Mrs. Torrance."
WENDY: Well, how come you don't want to go?
19 MCU of Danny. (5:04)
TONY: I just don't.
20 MCU of Wendy. (5:06. Crossfade to office begins at 5:10.)
WENDY: Well, let's just wait and see. We're all going to have a real good time.
"We're all going to have a real good time," and the audience laughs, because most everyone's mothers would send them into a crumbling coal mine with the admonition to pay no attention to your lazy, narcoleptic canary, because you're going to have a great time (they sent you to kindergarten, didn't they).
13
19
20
For a while I misinterpreted the little sculpture next to the Q-tip box as an elephant. I was wrong! A reader, Melkarth, sent me an image which shows it's an alabaster bull.
The alabaster bull (submitted by reader Melkarth)
Though there is the elephant back at the lodge, I'm removing here a few paragraphs I had on the possible white elephant beside the cotton balls box, as it is instead a bull.
One more thing I would like to make mention of is the long zucchini that is seen resting on the milk cartons, below the dishwashing liquids. It's positioned to be noticed, to not disappear on the counter. My thought on it is that it may refer to the green and blue object held by the Great Mother in Morrisseau's painting in the secretarial office at the Overlook, connecting Wendy with the painting, she attired in the reds and blues of the painting, and, as I mentioned earlier, her hair styled like the Great Mother, who seems to me to not only be a nurturing presence in Morrisseau's painting, but to have in her also the violence of life.
Oh, and about the cartoon...
Having learned via John Bourassa that the cartoon playing is the "Stoop! Look! And Hasten! one, thought I'd check it out.
In the cartoon, the train sound starts and we have two whistles of it, this repeated again with the two whistles, then immediately thereafter Wiley E. (having believed he's escaped the train which was below him) hears a louder roaring of the train and turns to see its big white light bearing down on him inside the dark of the tunnel behind him and then there's a resounding explosive encounter.
In The Shining we have the train roar with its two whistles, followed by the other one with its two whistles, and Kubrick leaves out the last big white light roar and crash. He doesn't just cut it out, he jumps a few seconds into a following segment, letting us hear the elastic kind of sound (like rubber bands) of one of those boxes with a handle you press down so TNT goes off, and there's a big explosion that follows that in the cartoon but Kubrick cuts that out. He also cuts out the following escapade of Coyote on a revving motorcycle and its crash, Kubrick exiting with music heard during the next escapade in the cartoon when Wiley E. is pouring Acme bird seed out onto the road.
I'm sure that I've thoroughly managed to confuse you there.
That excised big bright white light appearing out of the dark part of the cartoon in a sense will be replaced with the painting of the horse racing down the train track toward the light of the oncoming locomotive as Wendy and the doctor leave Danny's room and sit down in the living room for their consultation. And, recollect, we have the doctor shining the bright light in Danny's eyes just previous that.
21 MS Stuart's office. (5:14 crossfade from Boulder apartment ends.)
We have crossfaded back to Jack and the red-haired Mr. Ullman drinking coffee, the camera view in opposition to the one earlier, positioned now to show the office from behind Ullman's desk, a large bright red book prominently placed on it. The crossfade juxtaposes Wendy looking right as Bill Watson enters, he also looking right, as if a connection is being forged between them, and at least one is forged visually, however briefly.
INTRODUCING BILL WATSON, A MAN WITH PRECIOUS FEW WORDS ON THE SITUATION
Fig. 19 - Crossfade from Boulder to Ullman's office.
As Bill enters, we see in the secretarial area beyond a print on the wall. This same print will be observed again at the end of the film in a foyer where we will finally view characters entering and exiting the lodge, specifically when Wendy goes out to inspect the Snow Cat which Jack has disabled, when Dick arrives, and when Jack leaves the lodge to chase Danny into the maze. It is "Flock of Loons" by the artist Norval Morrisseau. I've already noted how I believe Wendy is to some degree represented in Morresseau's painting of the Great Mother, and with the crossfade we have her face briefly viewed in conjunction with Morrisseau's work.
The large, bright red book in the foreground possibly complements and takes the place of Wendy's reading of The Catcher in the Rye with its red cover. She was in the middle of that book, a page dog-eared, and the middle portion of this book is blue, bisecting the first half from the latter.
Ullman introduces Jack. As Bill sits in the chair next to Jack, Ullman tells Watson that Jack will be caretaking the Overlook that winter and that he wants Bill to walk him around the lodge. We know from King's book that Bill Watson is the summer caretaker and a descendant of the original owners of the lodge, and a certain symmetry is formed with these two caretakers seated next yet opposite each other. In scenes where Bill and Jack are viewed from the rear, a complementary chord is struck, though Bill is dressed in a more tailored suit with a dark brown jacket and lighter brown pants.
Still, despite Jack's being hired for the job, later in the movie we find it seems to be Wendy who does the bulk of the caretaking of the lodge.
Kubrick's Watson differs significantly from King's. King's vision was a vulgar and seemingly uneducated older man, and Watson's suit and tie are little suited to the job unless his duty is to act primarily as an overseer of others who do the dirty work, which isn't as it was in the book. When we later see the boiler room, which is also a kind of ramshackle office with an old desk and refrigerator, Bill, as he is represented by Kubrick, seems he would ill fit in with that setting and its numerous girly pin-ups.
STUART: Bill, I'd like you to meet Jack Torrance.
BILL (closing door): How do you do?
JACK (has risen to shake hands): Bill, how do you do?
BILL: Pleasure to meet you.
JACK: Pleasure to meet you.
STUART: Grab a chair, Bill. Join in. Jack is going to take care of the Overlook for us this winter. I'd like you to take him around the place as soon as we're through.
BILL (seated): Fine.
22 MCU of Jack. (5:32)
STUART (off-screen): ...schoolteacher.
JACK (correcting): Uh, formerly a schoolteacher.
BILL (off-screen): What line of work are you in now?
JACK: I'm a writer. Teaching's been more or less a way of making ends meet.
23 MCU of Bill. (5:43)
BILL: Well, this ought to be quite a change for ya.
24 MCU of Jack. (5:45)
JACK: Well, I'm looking for a change.
And that's it for Bill Watson's speaking role in this scene. He has said, "Pleasure to meet you", "Fine", "What line of work are you in now", and "Well, this ought to be quite a change for ya" and now falls into silence, only observing.
As the camera stays fixed on Jack, Ullman begins...
STUART: Our people in Denver recommended Jack...
25 MCU of Stuart. (5:50)
STUART: ...very highly.
Medium close-up now of Ullman's desk showing, among other things, his prominently displayed name plate, a black fountain pen, a pewter tankard holding more pens, a white pen next to a desk calendar, a pint-size American flag, and we notice his red and white striped shirt and red tie and blue blazer patriotically echo the flag.
The desk is covered with protective glass and appears even more cluttered than it is partly because of its reflective surface mirroring all the objects placed upon it.
Throughout these shots of Ullman, we don't see the bird statuette on the window sill behind him, which is there but concealed by his head.
In the background, on the left, is a rather unattractive wooden object of a peculiar shape which doesn't appear to be a sculpture but has no obvious purpose. The feel is of stripped branches arranged into what is supposed to be of utilitarian function, but it's rare to be unable to guess how an object may be used. In more removed shots we see on the right of the desk a medium-size bush in a floor pot, that plant having two pokey branches ascending above the rest and being about the same height as the peculiar object on the left.
STUART (smiling): And for once I agree with them.
Ullman has a bit of quirk where he often rubs his finger against the side of his nose or beneath it, bringing to mind Danny's Tony who assumes presence via Danny's index finger.
When Wendy had brought Tony into the conversation, it had been to try to get the agreement of another party in going to the Overlook.
Fig. 20 - Stuart Ullman.
There is more than a passing similarity between this scene and the one in A Clockwork Orange in which Alex meets with the governor of the prison.
Fig. 21 - The prison's governor in "A Clockwork Orange".
With Ullman we have his shirt and its cuffs prominently echoing the flag, while with the prison's governor we have his shirt and cuffs echoing the color of the flowers on the window sill behind his desk. Alex's interview was in preparation for treatment to aid his reform, an opportunity provided by a "new order". Here, Ullman is about to reveal some disquieting information, but one still has a sense of things withheld, just as in A Clockwork Orange the prison's governor doesn't divulge to Alex what the nature of his treatment (Serum-114) will be.
THE STORY OF THE WINTER OF 1970
Ullman explains how the season runs from May 15th to October 30th when they close down completely. Kubrick has brought in his first element of spook for most of the audience. October 30th is the day before Halloween!
STUART: Now, let's see, where were we? I was about to explain that, uhm, our season here runs from, uh, May 15th to October 30th, then we close down completely until the following May.
26 MCU of Jack. (6:07) Jack convivially wonders why.
JACK: Do you mind if I ask why you do that? Seems to me that the skiing up here (sha) would be fantastic.
STUART: Ah, it sure would be...
27 MCU of Stuart. (6:14)
STUART: The problem is the enormous cost it would be to keep the road to Sidewinder open. It's a 25 mile stretch of road and gets an average of 20 feet of snow during the winter, and there's just no way to make it economically feasible to keep it clear. When the place was built in 1907 there was very little interest in winter sports and the site was chosen for its seclusion and scenic beauty.
28 MS of Bill, Stuart and Jack. (6:40)
JACK: Well, it's certainly got plenty of that
All laugh.
STUART: That's right.
Despite the fact that's an impossible window, it casts quite a glaring light, strongly marking the ceiling with illumination and shadow. We note a low glare of light on the face of the desk between Jack and Bill Watson, a glare so prominent it almost takes on a sense of phantom presence.
Fig. 22 - Bill, Stuart and Jack in Ullman's office.
Take a look at how beautifully Stuart is framed here. Look for the vanishing point formed by the inner corners of the ceiling here and the alternate angle perfectly embraces his shoulders. And then we have the triangle formed of Stuart, Watson and Jack.
STUART: Uh, did they give you any idea in Denver what the job entails?
Seems it's a question posed with some caution.
JACK: Only in a very general way.
STUART: Well...
29 MCU of Stuart. (6:54)
STUART: The winters can be fantastically cruel and the basic idea is to cope with the very costly damage and depreciation which can occur, and this consists mainly of running the boiler, heating different parts of the hotel (Sha sound at 7:08) on a daily rotating basis, repairing damage as it occurs, and doing repairs...
30 MCU of Jack. (7:13)
STUART (off-screen): ...so the elements can't get a foothold.
In other words, so primal nature won't take over again, which suggests a constant fight against it.
The convivial Jack, eager to make a good impression, earnestly listens and responds.
JACK: Well, that sounds fine to me.
31 MCU of Stuart. (7:19)
STUART: Uhm, physically, it's not a very demanding job. The only thing that can get a bit trying up here during the winter is a tremendous sense of isolation.
Fig. 23 - Stuart tests Jack on how he feels about the hotel's isolation.
32 MCU of Jack. (7:28)
JACK: Well, that hmmm just happens to be exactly what I'm looking for. I'm outlining a new writing project and five months of peace is just what I want.
33 MCU of Stuart. (7:41)
STUART: That's good, Jack, because uh for some people uhm solitude and isolation can...
34 CU of Jack. (7:52)
STUART (off-screen): ...of itself become a problem.
JACK (confidently): Not for me!
35 MCU of Stuart. (7:57)
STUART: How about your wife and son? How do you think they'll take to it?
Fig. 24 - "How about your wife and son? How do you think they'll take to it?"
36 MCU of Jack. (8:00) (Sha sound 8:01.)
Jack cockily decides for them.
JACK: They'll love it.
Ullman seemingly accepting Jack's insistence too readily.
37 MCU of Stuart. (8:04)
STUART: Well, before I turn you over to Bill, there's one other thing I think we should talk about, I don't want to sound melodramatic, but it's something that's been known to give a few people second thoughts about the job.
Ullman reaches to apparently adjust a pocket of his blazer.
38 MCU of Jack. (8:21)
JACK: I'm intrigued.
STUART: I don't suppose they...
39 MCU of Stuart. (8:24)
STUART: ...uh, told you anything in Denver about the tragedy we had up here during the winter of 1970?
40 MCU of Jack. (8:30)
JACK: I don't believe they did.
41 MCU of Bill. (8:33)
Bill Watson looks quietly, solemnly, uncomfortably on as Ullman begins to relate the story.
STUART: Well, uh, my predecessor...
42 MCU of Stuart. (8:37)
STUART: ...in this job hired a man named Charles Grady as the winter caretaker. He came up here with his wife and two little girls, I think about eight and ten. He had a good employment record, good references, and from what I've been told I mean he seemed like a completely normal individual, but at some point during the winter (sha sound about 8:56) he suffered some kind of a complete mental breakdown, he ran amuck and killed his family with an axe.
43 MCU of Jack. (9:08) The camera on Jack, Ullman continues his story.
STUART: Stacked them neatly in one of the rooms of the west wing, then he uhm well he uh put both barrels of a shotgun in his mouth.
Stacking them neatly sounds more like stacking cords of wood.
44 MCU of Stuart. (9:18)
STUART: Police, well, they thought it was what the old timers used to call cabin fever, kind of claustrophobic reaction which can occur...
45 MCU of Jack. (9:29)
STUART (off-screen): ...when people are shut in together over long periods of time.
(Sha sound 9:34)
JACK: Well, huh, that is quite a story.
He is unsettled, and it has taken him a moment to gather himself and think how to respond.
46 MCU of Stuart. (9:41)
STUART (laughing): Yeah, it is. Oh, it's still hard for me to believe it actually happened here, but it did. And I think you can appreciate why I wanted to tell you about it.
47 MCU of Jack. (9:56)
JACK: I certainly can and I also understand why your people in Denver left it for you to tell me.
Stuart points out how uncomfortable it was to tell Jack about this history, and thus it's Jack's job to tell him it's all right.
48 MCU of Stuart. (10:06)
STUART: Well, obviously some people can be put off...
49 MCU of Jack. (10:09)
STUART (off screen): ...by the idea of staying alone in a place where something like that actually happened.
And faced with the challenge that some people might be put off, Jack rises up to the occasion and assures Stuart he and his wife won't be.
JACK: Well, you can rest assured, Mr. Ullman, that's not going to happen with me. (Jack smiles.) And as far as my wife is concerned, I'm sure she'll be absolutely fascinated when I tell her about it. She's a confirmed ghost story and horror film addict.
(10:30 begin crossfade to Boulder bathroom.)
22
THE TWO TYPES OF PHOTOGRAPHS IN THE HOTEL
Fig. 25 - The photographs behind Bill are different than the others normally observed.
Most of the photographs observed on the walls of Ullman's office are black and white photos of the type chronicling meetings and luncheons and likely the presence of significant personalities at the lodge, but we also see behind Bill Watson two sepia photos and one wonders what may be their value. The scene is perhaps snowy in them, a highly reflective white, and against that white in the left photo is a dark silhouette of what seems to be an individual. The right photo is even more mysterious, perhaps showing the hedge maze with snow in the foreground, and a peculiar, vague silhouette overlaying which seems to only take on humanoid proportions through the eye looking for such, and yet also lends itself to such. Both photos give a sense of unease, ominous, in particular the way the one of the individual on the left, perhaps a boy, feels to be part of a story line to do with the final hedge maze scene, as if this is a first frame of Danny running to the maze, and the photo to the right is a second frame, following up the first, revealing a monstrous entity pursuing him--but these aren't photos of the final maze scene in the snow as that occurs at night and the hedge maze is also covered in snow.
The center photo above the sepia ones appears to show two individuals on either side of a big fish, and there are a fair share of photos of people showing off their catches of remarkably large fresh water fish. Then there is the photo to the right of it which is difficult to decipher. It gives the appearance of a female form on the left, and checking out an earlier scene (when Bill enters the office) in which the photo is shown in full doesn't help with identifying what it may be, for if it is a female form, where the head should be we have simply a gray expanse. If it's not a female form it may show at the bottom two or three human silhouettes against an unknown background. It may purposefully be an image that gives a double reading. Double readings are referred to frequently in the film.
Fig. 26 - A closer look at the photographs behind Bill.
There is another photo of a silhouette in the office but we've yet to have it be introduced (I write of it in the Wednesday section).
NOTES ON THE ULLMAN'S DESK AND INCONSISTENCIES
There are three variations of placement of objects on Ullman's desk viewed throughout the interview, and as people seem to like to ask about and discuss these variations, I thought I"d devote a few paragraphs to them.
When Jack enters there's no cigarette in the ash tray. After they have coffee, we see at 5:55 a cigarette in the ashtray and Ullman's white pen pointed toward him (Figure 20); at 6:45 we see the tray is empty when all three men are shown (Figure 22); at 6:58 Ullman's pen is pointed toward him and there is a cigarette in the ashtray; at 7:20 there is no cigarette and the pen is pointed away (Figure 23); at 7:58 the pen is pointed away and there is this time a cigarette (Figure 24); at 8:05 the pen is pointed toward Ullman and there is a cigarette; at 8:26 the pen is pointed away and there is no cigarette; at 9:42 the pen is pointed toward Ullman and there is a cigarette; at 10:07 the pen is pointed away and there is a cigarette.
So there are some shots where Ullman's white pen is pointed toward him and there's a cigarette in the tray; some shots where the pen is pointed away from Ullman and there is no cigarette; some shots where the pen is pointed away from Ullman and there is a cigarette. One can be confident that the scene was shot many times, more than three, but the inconsistencies boil down to it seeming as if, one could propose, there are three different perspectives or versions presented, which could match with there being three people in the room: Bill, Stuart and Jack.
Several times in the movie we have evidence that it seems Jack smokes, but he is never shown smoking, though Wendy is. As the ashtray with the cigarette is on Jack's side of the desk, here again there is the inference that he was smoking before Bill Watson entered the room, during which time we were back in Boulder watching Wendy's untouched cigarette burn away in her ashtray.
As for the splicing together of seeming three separate versions of the desk, Kubrick uses the same technique for the encounter in Room 237, showing seemingly three different versions, while Jack is present in the room and Danny and Dick are shining it, so we are never confident of who was seeing what.
Another thing that people make note of is how Jack's suit appears to be a dark blue or gray and white weave in close-up shots, while in other shots it appears to be brown.
Fig. 27 - The varying tone of Bill's suit is due film processing.
This has to do with the film processing. A simple auto color correction of the suit when it appears to be brown makes it gray and more of a match with the suit in close-up.
Fig. 28 - The suit autocolored shows it is gray rather than brown.
People also make note that Bill Watson's pants appear to be a solid color when he enters and that they later show a pattern. This may be so.
NOTES ON THE TIMINGS OF THE "SHA" SOUNDS
July 2011, I added a long note here on the timings of an ambient, voiced "sha" sound that occurs periodically in the film, and later was alerted that another person had also noticed the same and posted a movie on it at previously on Youtube. Our writings on, and realizations of the "sha" sound are independent of each other.
The first such sound, as I've already mentioned, occurs when Jack passes over the spot where he will attack Dick with an axe.
The "sha" is usually briefly preceded with other ambient noises that give a texture of background activity and low background conversation so seem natural. Though these sounds surrounding the "sha" are not always distinguishable, when they can be heard they are always the same. The "sha" itself is a breathy percussive voicing.
To the best of my knowledge, below are the timings of the voicing:
Jack asks about why the closing of the road, "seems to me that the skiing...". The "sha" follows the word "skiing" at about 6:12.
It occurs very quietly about 7:07 when Stuart is talking about running the boiler and "heating different parts of the hotel".
Immediately after Stuart asks how Jack's wife and child will take to the solitude, during the reaction shot of Jack, the sound occurs at 8:01, just before Jack says, "They'll love it."
There seems a hint of it when Stuart is first talking about the tragedy during the winter in 1970, though I'm uncertain of that. It distinctly occurs when he next says that "at some point during the winter" (the sound is at about 8:55) "he must have suffered some kind of mental breakdown..."
Then as Stuart continues talking about the tragedy and describes it as resulting from a "claustrophobic reaction, which can occur when people are shut in together over long periods of time" the sound is at 9:34.
The two most distinct instances of the sound here are during the two reaction shots of Jack, when he's saying his wife and child will love it there, and then again his reaction to the idea of the tragedy occurring because of people shut in together over long periods of time.
The sound occurs elsewhere in the movie as follows.
20:03 - On "Closing Day" when Jack says they'd had a bite to eat, the "sha" follows.
20:59 - When Stuart tells Wendy the Indian designs are based mostly on Hopi and Apache motifs, there may follow a "sha" sound.
24:02 - Something like the "sha" sound is heard as Ullman says they brought in a decorator from Chicago to refurbish the Gold Room area.
It occurs several times during the kitchen scene on "Closing Day", but there is a good deal of other ambient sound and is not as distinct at times:
25:11 - "Dick (sound) if you're ready to do it now, show..." The scene where Stuart has Dick show Wendy and Danny the kitchen. The sound occurs with a cross-fade from the ballroom to the entrance to the kitchen, audible as we see the word FIRE appearing on the screen, the big lettering on the fire doors.
25:25 - Wendy says, "See you later, hon..." (sound occurs during this)
27:00 - Wendy says to Dick, "We call him Doc sometimes, like in the Bugs Bunny cartoons" (sound of "sha")
27:20 - It occurs as they enter the C1 storage room.
28:29 - Dick asks, "...you like ice cream, Doc..." (sound)
29:15 - The sound occurs right after Wendy says "Just like a ghost ship, huh"? as we switch over to Dick looking at Danny in the kitchen, right before Dick asks, "Do you know how I knew your name was Doc?"
29:21 - Dick asks, "Do you know how I knew your name was Doc..." (sound)
30:16 - Dick asks Danny, as to shining, "How long have you been able to do it..." (sound)
31:11 - Danny describes shining. "I can't remember everything." (sound)
And then not again until the phone lines are down:
48:36 - When Wendy calls the forest rangers about the downed lines. "Any chance of them being repaired soon?" (sound)
If the viewer, through the first half hour, had noticed and considered the "sha" to be likely only a lazy repeating of the same ambient sounds for sake of only creating a busy, background aural atmosphere in keeping with a hotel, that reasoning is quelled with the use of "sha" in Wendy's conversation with the forest ranger. It comes out of nowhere and is abruptly inserted in the brief space after she asks if the lines will be repaired soon and the forest ranger replying, "I wouldn't like to say," he then going on to tell her the lines are usually down until spring.
The sound, to my knowledge, doesn't occur again after the first 48 minutes.
In the Tarot, the Hebrew letter "sh" or "shin", is sometimes said to belong to the Key, Judgment, which fits appropriately with the use of "Dies Irae" as the opening music. I write a little more on the use of this sound in the "Saturday" section.
DANNY'S FIRST SHINING OF THE GIRLS AND BLOODY ELEVATOR
50 Crossfade from office interior to Boulder apartment interior. (Crossfade ends at 10:34.)
The background photographs of what seem to be past business meetings at the hotel, on the wall behind Jack, are replaced with brightly colored stickers on what we assume to be Danny's bedroom door as the camera slowly tracks in to an open door opposite through which we can see Danny before a bathroom sink, he standing on a footstool. We briefly see Jack's face merge with the shower curtain then disappear, which may or may not remind of The Wizard of Oz and the injunction to pay no attention to that man behind the curtain.
Fig. 29 - Crossfade from Jack in Ullman's office to the Boulder bathroom.
Prominently on Danny's door is Snoopy gleefully skating, surrounded by a rainbow, while above him floats a helium balloon ascending into the clouds with Woodstock. To the left is Mickey Mouse. An owl sits above the rainbow and another image of Snoopy. To the rainbow's right we have Mickey's sweetheart, Minnie Mouse. Above her is a white bird with a black head ascending, and a raven. There is perhaps a duck, maybe another. Then, sneaking off to the right, we have one of Sleeping Beauty's dwarfs, Dopey, who was a friend of the dwarf, Doc, so Dopey would be a suitable companion for Danny who is also called Doc.
Woodstock, a friend of Snoopy's, wasn't very adept at flying, thus the balloon. He needed some help. Snoopy, though a dog, could understand and translate Woodstock's speech which Wikipedia informs was rendered in the cartoon as indecipherable "chicken scratch" and with symbols such as Z's and question marks etc.--just as various symbols communicate meaning in the film.
But, of course, Snoopy also could not "talk" and his thoughts were communicated via thought balloons and pantomime. Dopey also happens to be a cartoon character who doesn't talk.
Fig. 30 - Danny in the Boulder bathroom, seen from his bedroom.
The bathroom is predominately in flesh tones. A mat the color of dark grass wraps about the base of the toilet. A shower curtain is drawn across the bathtub, sunlight shining brightly through a high window behind it. The green curtain or valance over the window casts the shower curtain and the room in soft green light. A little rubber yellow duck peeks out from behind the shower curtain to the left, resting on the tub's ledge. Water is heard running in the bathroom.
The light of the unseen window, through the shower curtain, is as prominent as was the light of the window in Ullman's office. The designs on the shower curtain, with the way they push up into the light, visually take the place of the unmanicured foliage in the lower half of Ullman's window.
Fig. 22 - Bill, Stuart and Jack in Ullman's office.
An ominous roar of soundtrack enters as the boy stands on a footstool before the sink, playing in the water. The roar rises and subsides. Silence. The roar rises and subsides. Silence. The expectation of something disquieting going on builds.
DANNY: Tony, do you think dad will get the job?
TONY: He already did. He's going to phone Wendy up in a few minutes to tell her.
51 MS of Wendy in the kitchen. (10:49)
Cut to Wendy washing dishes, still in her union suits and blue overdress, and we now see an Indian beaded belt about her waist. On the counter we see a jar of Peter Pan peanut butter, Smuckers jelly, a canister of grape Koolaid, Fruit Loops, and other items. Hanging above the sink is a green and white dish towel that may read "Golf with the Greats". On top of the refrigerator are a couple more canisters of Koolaid, and several postcards are on its front, one of a golden sunrise or sunset. As she puts up the 2% milk in the fridge, the phone rings and she crosses the living room of the apartment to answer it.
WENDY: Hello.
The television in the background, topped with and surrounded by stacks of books, shows now an old western film rather than the cartoons.
This is the same television as will be observed eventually in the Torrance's suite at the Overlook, but not until Wendy paces the floor deliberating on how she may have to leave the mountain without Jack.
Is that some art work showing a Jack Russell terrier above the television? On the left wall hangs a style of Japanese art print very popular for the time.
The disconcerting music, its intermittent roars, continues.
Fig. 31 - Wendy in the living room speaking to Jack on the telephone, the television running in the background.
52 MS Jack in the Overlook lobby. (11:03)
It's Jack on the phone at the hotel's reception desk. Stuart and Bill stand talking beyond. In the far background, between them, we see an older man standing behind the model of the maze, looking over it--the same man who had entered the hall by the elevators as Jack, just after glancing toward the maze, trod upon the spot where he will later kill Dick and we heard the first "sha". A hotel employee who stands at the counter marking yellow sheets is not the same woman who had been at the counter when Jack arrived, and instead may be the individual who had been descending the rear stairway when Jack was headed into the office. A red-jacketed bell hop stands at stiff attention not far behind Jack and is the one who was porting bags at the elevator when Jack was earlier headed to the office.
As Kubrick cut to this shot, a blond woman in white crosses from right to left behind Jack and continues across the lobby. She may be the blond woman who was seated in the grouping to whom another waiter had appeared to be carrying a silver tray service when Jack was earlier in the lobby. We see beyond her an elder woman in tan, who had been in that earlier grouping, and is now seated opposite the lobby's television and catty corner to where the man with the camera had been earlier seated. He's gone.
John Fell Ryan, of the KDK12 Tumblr , has noticed that over the main door there is now a black "shroud" or curtain. Are we simply seeing something that was intended to keep out competitive light during filming, or does it also foreshadow Dick's death?
Jack informs Wendy he got the job and has a lot to do so won't be home before 9 or 10. We can see beyond him the TV on which the Summer of 42 movie will later be played, while beyond Wendy, as already noted, we have the apartment's TV playing the Western, a parallel established between the two scenes visually, the television in each shot weighted to screen right, while Jack leans to screen left and Wendy faces to screen right, the scenes dialoguing with one another.
Jack's phone is black whereas Wendy's is white.
JACK: Hi, babe.
WENDY: Hi, hon, how's it goin'?
JACK: Great. Look, I'm at the hotel and I still have an awful lot to go through. I don't think I could get home before 9 or 10.
Fig. 32 - Jack at the phone in the lobby.
53 MS Wendy. (11:13)
WENDY: It sounds like you got the job.
54 MS Jack. (11:14)
JACK: Right. It's a beautiful place. You and Danny are going to love it.
53
54
55 MCU Danny. (11:20)
Cut to the camera zooming in on Danny facing the mirror in the bathroom, speaking to his reflection. We had already observed he was wearing a red and blue and white raglan sleeved shirt decorated with stars around the armband, but while he was in the kitchen we were only able to see the number 4 above that band. Now we see the number fully, and that it is 42.
DANNY: Tony, why don't you want to go to the hotel?
TONY: I don't know.
DANNY: You do too know. Now, come on, tell me.
TONY: Don't want to.
Fig. 33 - Danny speaks to Tony via the mirror in the bathroom.
When speaking as Tony, Danny moves his finger as if it is a puppet.
TONY: No.
DANNY: Now, Tony, tell me.
The dialogue between the two, the boy and himself, brings to mind Ullman remarking on how the story of Charles Grady sometimes gives people "second thoughts".
The camera has zoomed in full on Danny's reflection, his eyes dark, and then his eyes widen and a trace of light from the bathroom window illumines them.
56 MS Overlook hall. (11:43)
Cut to a hall of the Overlook with symmetrically placed brown plaid chairs and radiant heaters, the bright red doors of elevators beyond. Though the radiant heaters and chairs are symmetrically positioned, the angle is such that the right chair appears further away than the left. The floors read B L 2 3 4. The first elevator is at the L level and the second is at 2. A flood of blood erupts through the left elevator door which has been forced open from the left by the force of the flood which overtakes the hall with such ferocity that the armchairs are swept away from the walls.
We see in that red flood of blood a silvery metallic object at the bottom of the elevator door, protruding through it (I've written a post specifically on this ). I believe I recollect reading a number of years ago, in a magazine article in the 80s or 90s, that the metallic object was part of the mechanism for the opening of the door and the shot was so expensive that Kubrick decided not to redo it. But, I have also read the shot was done in miniature because it was too expensive to film otherwise. And I have also read that the shot was done many times with Kubrick searching for the right color red that would look like blood.
The elevators are fairly faithful representations of those at the Ahwahnee Lodge , a difference being that Kubrick's have the arcs above, the half-circles which show story placement.
Fig. 34 - The vision of the bloody elevator.
Though the elevators are very close to those at the Ahwahnee, there is a notable difference in decoration.
Ahwahnee elevators.
Note that the Ahwahnee elevators have a variation of the fylfot, their variation perhaps American Indian. It's important, sometimes, what we don't see in a Kubrick film, and this is one of those times. Kubrick has been fairly faithful to other design elements but has left out this fylfot, which could be mistaken as a version of a swastika. Why leave it out? Because post WWII it would be questionable to include it? Or because it is, in a sense, concealed and adds another layer of meaning to the elevators?
57 MCU Two girls. (11:58)
Cut to two girls who appear to be twins. Dressed in light blue dresses with long pink bows, they stand in another hall with blue carpet and blue flowered wallpaper, staring at the camera, clasping hands, reminiscent of Diane Arbus' famous photograph of the twin girls. The dresses, I believe, are two layers of fabric, a swiss dotted blue fabric over white. Or we may just be seeing through the blue cloth the white of underslilps.
One of the girls is vaguely smiling while the other girl is frowning.
Just as the chairs and radiant heaters are symmetrically positioned in the elevator hall, yet the right chair and heater appears more remote, the girls are not absolutely identical, the one on the right also, one could say, presenting the appearance of being slightly more remote, not equal in dominance. This inequality sharing a like correspondence with the inequality of the left and right sides of the elevator hall, though symmetrical, would have to be intentional. What this dominance means (or how it functions) will be discussed in the "Saturday" section.
Fig. 35 - The vision of the two girls.
Even when we know what is coming, Kubrick's presentation of the children is almost unfailingly eerie, shown just long enough, but too briefly for us to really register the ways in which the girls are dissimilar. The vision of them is claustrophobic, compressed, the wallpaper's design on the left pushing to the rear, then circling around the girls and pressing back toward the audience.
58 MS Overlook hall. (11:59)
Then there's more gushing blood splattering the walls outside the elevators.
59 CU Danny. (12:02)
A shot of Danny's mouth wide open in horror. He's dressed in a winter sweater rather than the lighter weight raglan.
The viewer perhaps believes Danny is seeing the elevator, the girls and then himself screaming. That's the impression given. But it's also likely that the viewer transposes Danny in the sweater onto the Danny before the mirror and remembers Danny as silent screaming in response to what he sees. Just as with the happenings later in Room 237, we have no assurance actually what Danny sees. It's a good guess he sees the elevator and the girls. I don't think it's as certain that Danny sees himself. But perhaps he does. And, if he does, he would see himself wearing this sweater and shirt, and it's to be questioned than who later chooses this sweater and shirt for him on the day that Dick is killed. Did his mother choose it or did Danny himself choose it? If Danny chose that attire, one could compare that choice to Danny being himself the one to write on the door the word REDRUM which he had seen as a premonition--and yet he writes it, so one could think of it as premeditated as well as an inescapable foregone act/conclusion. A question presented by the movie is what isn't destiny, what isn't a foregone conclusion, and what prevents history from repeating itself?
Fig. 36 - Danny screaming.
60 MS Overlook hall. (12:03)
Cut back to the bloody hall. The blood covers the camera and the scene goes black. (12:07)
After a moment, we hear a voice.
THE DOCTOR: Now, hold your eyes still so I can see.
These are clean cuts, no crossfades. Because of their near symmetry, and because the scenes are slightly off and not perfectly symmetrical, I thought it might be interesting to overlay the elevator hall with the hall of the girls and see how they relate. The far left pillar in the elevator hall fits neatly with the left pillar behind the girls.
Fig. 37 - Not in the movie. My superimposition of the girls and the bloody elevator, showing spatial/design similarities.
When you overlay then the elevator hall with the next scene of Danny's bedroom, the bathroom door fits neatly into the left up to the 2nd bank of wall, and the far right of the elevator aligns with the bedroom's right corner. Beautiful. Composed...just...so. This is more than reliance on single point photography for connecting scenes. Perfect alignment of some architectural features, from one shot to the next, may function to make transitions less jarring, creating less interference with an established mood. As if we have a psychic after image from one scene to the next at work, and one may also then have the sense (perhaps not consciously) that they all fit together. Because they do.
I have also written a post specifically on this .
Fig. 38 - Not in the movie. My superimposition of the bloody elevator and Danny's bedroom, showing spatial/design similarities.
Kubrick's showing us this vision early on in the film means that through the rest of the movie we will be waiting for the reappearance of these apparitions. We will be looking, constantly, to see where the elevator hall fits into the labyrinth of the Overlook.
THE RAINBOW IN DANNY's ROOM AND AND HIS BLACK-OUT COMPARED TO A CLOCKWORK ORANGE AND THE INVITATION TO THE END OF THE RAINBOW IN EYES WIDE SHUT
The rainbow may seem a minor detail, being a sticker on a child's door, and a popular symbol so deeply embedded in culture that not much thought is devoted it, but the rainbow also features prominently in Eyes Wide Shut and demands consideration here.
The rainbow has become a symbol of happiness, good luck, peace and the promise of a pot of gold at its end for those who can find it. The darker side is often not considered, of a wrathful deity unleashing a flood upon the earth to destroy humanity, even animal life. In the Jewish and Christian myth, Noah (NVCh, meaning "rest") and his family alone were preserved in an "ark" on which were also two of each kind of animal. This ark eventually came to rest on a high mountain. In some versions of Greek myth, the flood followed Lycaon's slaughter of a child of his and his serving the child, mixed with other sacrifice, to Zeus who had masqueraded as a mortal, which is a not infrequent motif in ancient myth, deities infiltrating the human sphere in the guise of humans, sometimes as a test to see how they will be treated and then accordingly punishing or rewarding the human host.
Later, the Overlook will be referred to as a ghost ship, and I believe with the opening shot of the island in the lake, and the rainbow followed by a flood of blood, we have, with the Overlook, a link being forged with certain aspects of a flood and rainbow story, which I'll reserve discussing until later. Both the Hebrew and Greek words for the rainbow harbor a relationship with the eye, and I'll note here that the Greek iris, iridos, a rainbow, lily, iris of the eye, is given as originally meaning a messenger of the gods as personified by the rainbow . The rainbow on the door of Danny's room directly precedes Danny's vision via the mirror, and Danny's eyes are a subject of consideration following the vision.
The Fleur-de-lis, meaning the flower of the lily, doesn't appear in The Shining but does in a number of Kubrick's other films, and again brings in the rainbow even when no rainbow is apparent. Take for instance A Clockwork Orange in which we have a couple of instances of Fleur-de-lis, the first being at the home of the Cat Woman, on the stoop of which Alex is "blinded", leading to a dramatic turn in Alex's life with the Cat Woman's death, and it's notable that Alex wore eyes on the cuffs of his shirt and that these eyes disappear immediately after the blinding, even when he is still dressed in the same clothing. The next instance of the Fleur-de-lis is when Alex is locked in an attic, the wallpaper of which is covered with Fleur-de-lis, and is tormented with Beethoven's music. It is here that Alex opens a window and propels himself out of it, with the intention of committing suicide. The screen goes black and next we see him he is waking at the hospital, so broken he's wrapped up about as tightly as a mummy, a bright light suspended directly above his eyes. A similar arrangement occurs here. The rainbow precedes a focus on Danny's eyes during his visionary experience, after which all goes dark as his vision is covered with the blood flowing from the elevator. This causes a period of blackness, just as is had in A Clockwork Orange just prior Alex's waking in the hospital. The next scene in The Shining has the doctor examining Danny's eyes with a bright light and saying, "Now, hold your eyes still so I can see."
Eyes Wide Shut has near its beginning an invitation to go where the rainbow ends. That invitation follows a story of Bill removing something from a woman's eye, the invitation even accompanied by a woman remarking on how she bets he works too hard, think of all the things he misses--just as all work and no play make Jack a dull boy in The Shining.
A number of repetitive motifs are in Kubrick's films.
THE AWAKENING OF JACOB
Another myth is brought in at this point as well. According to the Drummerman site , the music played during Danny's vision is Krysztof Penderecki's, "The Awakening of Jacob" which concerns Jacob falling asleep and having a terrifying dream of angels ascending and descending a heavenly ladder. Upon waking he named the rock, which had served as his pillow, Bethel, the House of God, house being BTh, beth, and god being AL, el. The place was first called Luz, so its original name was supplanted.
Significantly, Jacob was a twin, but not an identical twin. His hairy, red brother was named Esau. Kabbalistically, Jacob corresponds with the mystic, inner life, while Essau's is that of physical action. The idea is that we each have a twin, but are we Jacob, or Esau, who lost not only his birthright to Jacob, but even their father's blessing, through Jacob's masquerading as Esau and procuring that blessing by deceit. The pair are an expression of the idea of a struggle of universal forces ever in conflict, and it's held that never can both exist on the same plane. The prophecy concerning them was, "One people will be stronger than the other." The Talmud said of them, "When this one falls, the other one rises." They are the very definition of balance and imbalance. When one ascends, the other must descend and vice versa. It is a matter of physical law. Is the desirable state one of equilibrium, such as had at the equinoxes? And, if so, how long can such an equilibrium be sustained, and what throws it out of balance? With the equinoxes, it is the simple incessant progression of time that brings balance and then imbalance.
As per the use of "The Awakening of Jacob" here, the bath could take the place of BTh, beth, and the elevator may be the staircase of Jacob's dream. Whatever, we have in the bathroom's mirror the film's first instance of second sight, of oracle, access to knowledge not normally held, and Kubrick appropriately annotates it with music concerning an awakening from a dream.
"Now, hold your eyes still so I can see, " a female voice says in the black--and it's a very normal, stock request but enigmatic when one considers that much of the film has to do with Danny's second sight, his being able to view the future through Tony.
42
We haven't seen the number 42 on Danny's shirt until just previous his vision, while he was looking in the bathroom mirror. We had only seen "4" on his sleeve in the kitchen. Keeping with the above story of Jacob, when Jacob awoke from his dream, the story goes that he thought, "Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it. How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven." And he made a memorial pillar of the stone which had been his pillar.
The word for Lord here is IHVH. The Tetragrammaton is the 4 lettered name of God which is forbidden to be spoken for fear of blasphemy, which amounts to a an imposition of silence. The four letters are I H W H, or Yod, He, Waw and He (a silent letter). Tetragrammatos means having 4 letters. The gematria for the name in this short form is 26. But 42 is also associated with it. How so? It is through the three consonants of the name spelled out: IVD HH VV. These have a gematria of 42. I-10, V-6, D-4, H-5.
My take on the use of 42 has been that it is possibly referring to the Tetragrammaton, and it is interesting that the use of 42 coincides here with the music for the Awakening of Jacob.
Jacob's dream ladder is a key component of Qabalism/Kabbalism, understood as representing the Tree of Life and its ten Sephiroth.
The word for Jacob's pillow is mra'ashah, something like MRAShH, headpiece, coming from an idea of headship. A word for mental vision is MRH (mareh), sometimes translated as mirror, and is also sometimes MRA. Suiting, then, that Danny stands on a footstool (a ladder) before a mirror when he has his vision. We will be returning to these ideas as they weave in and about the film.
Whether or not there was any intention behind the use of certain numbers in the film, such as 42, is one thing. My greater concern (with a couple exceptions) is keeping an eye on what Kubrick's choices of music bring to the film in the stories suggested by their titles, and the same too with certain important symbols in the film, the stories often associated with them that are transported into the film by virtue of the use of the symbol and the mythology attached to it.
CARSON CITY
In a few minutes we will see a painting in the Boulder apartment of a horse running down a railroad track toward an oncoming train. Earlier, when Danny was watching the Roadrunner, Wendy mentioning it was hard to make new friends and Tony protesting he didn't want to go to the hotel, we had heard the sound of a train.
The Kubrick Corner has a fascinating clip extracted from a movie called Carson City which is the one that happens to be playing in the background during the scene in which Wendy answers Jack's call from the hotel.
As I've watched the entire Carson City film, I can relate first hand that the plot concerns a man named "Silent Jeff" who is hired to build a railroad between Carson City and Virginia City. The people of Carson City are concerned the railroad will attract bandits--or, rather, "Big" A. Jack Davis and Jim Squires, partners in the worthless Golden Elephant Mine, secretly being the bandits who have been attacking the stage coach, are concerned about the train supplanting the money bags stage coach, and do their best at first to turn the town against the idea of a train. In a foiled plot to stop delivery of the drill that is to be used for boring a tunnel though a mountain for the railroad, Squires ends in killing the driver of the wagon that carries the drill. The wagon driver scratches out on the ground the letters S O U but dies before finishing the name. The editor of the town's paper realizes the letters are likely SQU, and that Squires is the murderer. When the editor goes to the Golden Elephant Mine to investigate, he is killed by Davis, who sneaks the editor's body back into his office, and the rumor is begun that, as the editor was against the railroad, it was someone connected with the railroad who killed him.
The Kubrick Corner shows that continuing from the point where we see the movie behind Wendy in the living room, running it in real time, when the blood is shown gushing through the elevator shaft in Danny's vision it matches up with a discussion in Carson City on a leak having been found in the tunnel that's then under construction. Silent Jeff reveals that there is not only one tunnel, but that a second tunnel has also been blasted and wants to check the second tunnel to see if it too is leaking. "Two tunnels?" The bank owner who's told this is surprised by the fact, and it's explained to him that the reason there are two is that they are being drilled from opposite sides of the mountain to meet in the middle.
NOTE: Jay writes in, "Speaking of mining, just watched 'Carson City' for the first time, today, and I'd like to respectfully offer a slight correction to what you cite in your analysis, for you indicated that in the scene on the telly in Boulder, Randolph Scott's character is talking to a conspirator, yet it is actually the scene where Jeff has been surveying one bore (the transit tool is visible in the scene) and is now talking to the banker who hired Jeff and is bankrolling the railroad project and is there to complain about the negative press the project has been garnering."
Kubrick Corner further points out that the Avis car rental pamphlets on the counter beside Jack could be taken as echoing the name Jack Davis. And, of course, we have later Jack crashing through the door of their suite's bathroom with his axe and announcing, "Here's Johnny!" as in Johnny Carson. One could think of Jack's axe as corresponding with the drill in the Carson City movie.
So, we have first the sound of the train while Danny eats lunch with Wendy who is smoking Virginia Slims cigarettes (the railroad was being built between Virginia City and Carson City), then we see a couple of very brief clips of the Carson City movie, and after Danny's black-out we view the painting of the horse running down the track toward the train. Though the audience won't know about Carson City, Kubrick has embedded bits of information so that The Shining anticipates and then complements the film on the television as it runs.
We can go back even farther than the sound of the train to the film's opening and the curious activity around the the tunnel through which the VW passes as it travels up the mountainside, that tunnel bookended by cars which have pulled over to the side of the road, a white family station wagon preceding it and the two-tone color auto following. There are other linkages and so we'll be coming back to this later. But it becomes perhaps relevant that there are two tunnels on the Going-to-the-Sun road in Glacier park, the west and the east, each on either side of the Continental Divide. It could be that with the use of the park's west tunnel, in the opening, Kubrick was already referring to the film Carson City. Or he is using the Carson City film to comment on those east/west tunnels and the divide between them, which is drilled through in Carson City.
One must wonder if Kubrick was aware that Stephen King, at the age of 4, had witnessed a friend being struck and killed by a train, was mute and unresponsive for at least a day because of it, professes no memory of the incident, but it's been proposed this event may have helped inspire his predilection for writing horror.
A train is mentioned in King's book, Hallorann relating that due his shining, when his brother was killed in a train derailment, he was aware of it before anyone had a chance to tell him.
I am particularly interested in the train because Kubrick has used trains in his other films. In A Clockwork Orange, in Alex's prison room, is a comic book with a picture of a train about to collide with an old horse and buggy, but it is modern era and the comic book story concerns a photographer marveling over the ghost buggy and his being able to take a photo of a past event inserting itself into the present. The idea of the past enmeshing with the present certainly fits well with "shining".
Kubrick even uses the railroad in conjunction with a revisitation of events, something happening twice, in Eyes Wide Shut .
The painting of the horse and railroad, done by an Alex Colville, is supposed by critics to be an expression of the question of whether destiny can be altered. Which, of course, is a great concern of this film. Can destiny be altered? Can the bloody murder that Danny fears, which would be a duplicate of the Grady family killings, be avoided? If so, how? Do people operate in a free will universe or a mechanical one?
THE SECOND INTERVIEW - SUSAN SONTAG'S ILLNESS AS METAPHOR - YOUNG JETHRO AND THE MAZE - THE WORKS OF INA SEIDEL AND THE THIRD REICH
61 MS Danny's bedroom. (12:13)
Lights up. Danny is lying on his bed on a fuzzy bear pillow, a doctor bent over him, examining him, as Wendy stands to the rear, clearly anxious. The music quickly fades, replaced with the sounds of traffic. The horror of Danny's vision past, we return to ambient sound, nothing mysterious.
On the window sill of Danny's bedroom is a yellow rubber duck of the same kind we viewed in the bathroom, but the angle of the shot is such that though the bathroom is visible we're unable to see if the duck is still in that room (I would imagine it's not). Curtains decorated with Snoopy and friends hang on Danny's window. Beside Wendy, leaning against the wall is a painting of a cartoonish red and blue dog, a lion, and a purple elephant. Against the right wall are shelves stacked with books, puzzle boxes, a lunch box, a green and yellow tiger image, and a play figure of Goofy. A 3-d paper fold-out of a helium balloon hangs from the ceiling. On the ground below the helium balloon figure we see a multi-colored striped object. So, in effect, various symbols we had first been introduced to on Danny's door are now here in the physical, in Danny's room, though also still represented symbolically. As in, the helium balloon has become 3-d but it is still a representational toy. It is a kind of mirroring, but things are not exactly the same. As if to remark on this, we have also the duck moving from the left, in the bathroom, to the right, on the windowsill.
Referring back to The Wizard of Oz and its over the rainbow adventure, we have at the beginning here the potential of a dream story that makes use of elements of real life and can be accepted as having actually occurred at least for the journeying dreamer.
The lunch box is appropriately labeled "Emergency" and shows, I think, firemen. In the background is a book titled Teeny Weeny Adventures. In the lobby, during his phone call, Jack had been standing beside AVIS brochures advertising "Experience a Colorado Adventure" with a building of Spanish Mission style architecture set against the mountains.
Wendy, dressed in her red and blue, is bookended left and right by two dogs in blue and red, the dog in the picture, and Goofy, as if to reinforce a relationship between her and Goofy, who became eventually, in American mid 20th century culture, a kind of reassuring Everyman figure attempting to navigate a confusing world. In these opening scenes, it does seem as if Kubrick has taken pains to overstate Wendy's some of Wendy's (Shelley's) striking features, creating a kind of caricature of her, as is done with cartoon figures. Later in the film her appearance normalizes. In the Boulder apartment she is stretched out, lengthened with the red union suits and her eyes are made conspicuously wide, a common feature of cartoon figures. Why would Kubrick do this? I don't know except to note that Danny, surrounded in Boulder by his toys and cartoon figures, is very much in the fantasy world of the child, and his relationship to his mother may be somewhat described here in her being on par with these toys and cartoon figures, which is not to denigrate her but to point out how "real" such fictional figures can be to a child. There is little distinction between reality and the fantasy that cartoons and toys inhabit, and so it is with a child's mind until about the age of five when they begin losing their baby teeth and their thinking becomes less fantastic and more "reality" based. With the move to the Overlook, Danny is removed from his more comforting bedroom, with its playful figures, to the world of the lodge. These stickers and a number of toys left behind, something is going to step in to fill the vacuum.
The move of the duck from the bathroom to the bedroom window is a fun tidbit, and one can perhaps concoct a story for its journey if one superimposes the bathroom scene over this one. Doing so, we see Snoopy's little yellow bird friend, Woodstock, using the helium balloon to fly away from the tub in the direction of the window. Note also that the right corner of the room lines up perfectly with the right door jam of Danny's room in the prior shot, which perhaps indicates intentionality on Kubrick's part, the artistry of successively blending multiple scenes together physically and perhaps thus psychologically.
Fig. 39 - Not in the film. My superimposition of the previous bedroom/bathroom scene with this one.
THE DOCTOR: That's good, now the other one. (The doctor switches to examining Danny's left eye.) Good boy.
We hear a horn honk outside.
The doctor sits down next to Danny.
Fig. 40 - Danny questioned by the doctor.
THE DOCTOR: Now, Danny, when you were brushing your teeth, do you remember if you smelled anything funny or saw any bright flashing lights or anything at all strange?
Which suggests she may be wondering if he's epileptic.
62 MCU Danny. (12:42)
THE DOCTOR: Do you remember when you were brushing your teeth?
DANNY: Yes.
Fig. 41 - Danny resting on his bear pillow.
63 MS Danny's bedroom. (12:51)
THE DOCTOR: What's the next thing you remember, after brushing your teeth?
64 MCU Danny. (12:56)
DANNY: My mom saying, wake up, wake up, wake up...
65 MS Danny's bedroom. (13:02)
DANNY: ...Danny, wake up.
THE DOCTOR: Now, Danny, can you remember what you were doing just before you started brushing your teeth?
66 MCU Danny. (13:12)
THE DOCTOR: Does Tony ever tell you to do things?
77 MCU Danny. (13:49)
DANNY: I don't want to talk about Tony anymore.
So, does Tony tell him to do things? Kubrick raises that question for the audience and leaves it to linger.
78 MS Danny's bedroom. (13:56)
THE DOCTOR (sympathetic): OK, that's fine. (Standing.) All right, Danny. Now, I'm going to ask you to do me a favor and stay quietly in bed for the rest of the day. OK?
DANNY: Do I have to?
DOCTOR: Yes. I'd like you to.
WENDY: We're just going to go in the other room for a few minutes and talk, then I'll come back and check on you, 'kay?
DANNY: Okay.
DOCTOR: Bye.
Before we continue on and out of the bedroom, to review the conversation, Danny has given in reverse order what happened in the bathroom. He was not speaking to Tony before brushing his teeth. We'd no idea during the bathroom scene that he had brushed his teeth, at that point he was playing with a toy in the sink. For all we were aware he could have just gone in to use the bathroom, was washing his hands afterward and became involved with playing in the sink. But it was during Danny's speaking with Tony that he blacked out. Here, he's given as instead having spoken with Tony and then having brushed his teeth, which is when he blacked out.
63
78
79 MS hallway. (14:25)
We briefly see down the hallway, beyond Wendy and the doctor, a door open on another room, a print of a boy and girl bear on the wall above a blue and white hair dryer and a chair below that.
WENDY: Shall we go into the living room?
DOCTOR: Yes.
Wendy directs the doctor into the living room, past the painting of a horse running down a track toward an oncoming train.
The way that the camera tracks the pair emerging from Danny's room and continuing to the living room is curious as it skews the relationship of that hall with the remainder of the apartment. The hall is vertical to the kitchen and living room but the camera gives the feeling it instead runs parallel the kitchen. As we're not shown the hall again there is a vague disorientation about how parts of the setting fit together.
Below is the best I can quickly draw up as an approximation of the layout of the apartment.
You'll notice that Kubrick's design for the apartment has perhaps shed the balcony which seems to go with each apartment in the complex where the Torrances supposedly live. Also, the kitchen appears deeper than the bathroom, which would cause some peculiarities with the interior layout and the plain block style exterior of the buildings. We're not shown the master bedroom and the room at the end of the hall is too small to be it so I'm making a guess of its proximity. There seems space for another room between Danny's room and the living room. There are windows on three sides. Just thought I'd draw this up as I always want to think of the hall as running parallel the wall of the kitchen with the plumbing fixtures though it's not.
To comment again on the bathroom before continuing on. I said earlier that Kubrick did a nice job of lifting this apartment's style/furnishings straight out of the the late 70s. Except for the bathroom. This apartment complex's exterior looks to be from the 70s and the bathroom has beautiful ceramic tile work in it that has probably not been present in any lower and lower mid tier apartment complex since the 60s. There's even a ceramic inset for a cup! No way one would find this kind of workmanship in a 70s student/family apartment complex. Ceramic tile disappeared completely about this time and where ceramic tile was once essential (such as with nicer bathtubs that had showers) the ceramic was replaced with fiberglass.
The furnishings and the dining room and living room are spot on. Classic 60s design is down at the Salvation Army waiting for a new home, or rotting in a landfill, replaced with cheap 70s ugly lamps and faux wood coffee table and end tables. The bourgeois essentials of the matching sofa and side chair are present, but they've tried to spice up the place with a wicker chair from some place like Pier One. The newest furnishings would be the white dinette set and chairs. The masses of books make due with utility shelves, if they ever make it out of the box. The curtains could only be cheaper if the Torrances had used the thin bamboo blinds that were popular for the time, but Kubrick's choice of the horizontal lines for the curtains seems intentional to counter the zigzags in Ullman's office.
WENDY (indicating a seat): Please.
DOCTOR: Thank you.
The doctor sits on the brown sofa under the hazy light of a high window, reminding of similarly red-haired Ullman seated before the hazy light of the impossible window at the Overlook, and Wendy takes a seat on a matching chair that corresponds with Jack's relationship with Ullman during the interview at the lodge. We are able occasionally to see her watch and that it reads either 5:55 or 6:00.
The end table and the coffee table are stacked with books, as is every nearly every available surface. Prominently placed on the coffee table is the New York Book Review and beneath it another issue showing Susan Sontag's Illness as Metaphor, in which she wrote of how society, by attributing certain illnesses to personality types and treating illness as repressed emotional content, unfairly stigmatized the victims of illness.
Fig. 42 - The doctor and Wendy in the living room.
Still, is Kubrick placing here Sontag's book for sake of its message, or instead for sake of its title, prompting the viewer to wonder about metaphor and illness as regarding Danny's fainting spell. Or perhaps Jack's alcoholism--for we are soon to discover he is an alcoholic.
The title for this first section is "The Interview" and we tend to think of this title as exclusively pertaining to Jack's interview at the Overlook, but now we also will have this doctor interviewing Wendy. So, there are two interviews, and perhaps even three if we count the doctor speaking with Danny. Stuart Ullman's hair is red and his hairstyle is similar to this unnamed doctor (played beautifully by Anne Jackson) whose hair is also red, and their coloring and builds are much the same. Both Ullman and the doctor sit before windows which cast over the scene a hazy glare. In Stuart's interview, he has the uncomfortable business of relating the story of the murder, while in the interview with the doctor it is Wendy who will relate an uncomfortable story.
I love how the lampshade on the lamp between the doctor and Wendy is slightly askew. Kubrick has nailed the appearance of a certain type of apartment of the time.
THE DOCTOR: Mrs. Torrance, I don't think you have anything to worry about. I'm quite sure there's nothing...
80 MCU Wendy. (14:46)
THE DOCTOR: ...physically wrong with Danny.
Relieved, Wendy sighs and smiles.
WENDY: Yeah? Oh, yeah, he seems absolutely fine now but you should have seen...
81 MS Doctor from Wendy's side. (14:55)
WENDY: ...him.
THE DOCTOR (laughs): I know. Kids can scare you to death.
We see on the end table beside her a book titled The Wish Child, and I will return to that in a moment. Another book is Young Jethro by Roy Clews. Jethro was the father-in-law of Moses but I've found a very brief description of the plot of the book and it seems to be about a needle mill worker in the UK in the 19th century. Because of the importance of the maze to the plot I'm going to lean toward thinking perhaps the book was chosen due the coincidence of the needle and the word clew, as a clew of thread was the ball used by Theseus to find his way out of the labyrinth, and is the origin for the word "clue". That Roy Clews was the author of a book about a needle mill worker (a needle guides thread) is a nice bit of serendipity.
We see on the sill The House of Brede by Rumer Godden, which concerns a professional woman, Philippa who, at the age of 42 leaves secular life and becomes a nun in a contemplative order.
Looking up The Wish Child, by Ina Seidel, I see that The Kubrick Corner Has already noted:
Behind the doctor are two books, "The Wish Child" and "The Manipulator". "The Wish Child" is perhaps symbolic of Danny, "The Manipulator" of Jack and the Hotel. As Wendy smokes, her cigarette resembles an Indian peace pipe.
Note: "The Wish Child" was written by Ina Seidel, author of "Das Labyrinth". "The Wish Child" is about 2 young children during the Napoleonic Era.
Of course it's significant that Kubrick would choose this book by a woman who also wrote on the labyrinth. And here is this book in view of the camera along with Young Jethro, which I suggested was chosen due the author's name, Clews, bringing up the idea of the clew of thread used by Theseus in the maze.
Looking up the works of Ina Seidel, I find Literature and Film in the Third Reich, by Karl-Heinz Schoeps, relates:
Ina Seidel's...themes of romanticized connectedness to the earth, cults of the mother and ancestors, willingness to make sacrifices, and reverence for the Prussians were very opportune for the culture policies of the National Socialists. According to Helmut Langenbucher, "the most important...of the forces in the works of Ina Seidel" is "the idea of eternal-motherly and fulfillment of the laws of life that are conditioned by blood and heredity and determine the fate of human beings." These themes run through her main work, the novel Das Wunschkind (The Wish Child), which takes places in the Napoleonic period...
An Encyclopedia of Continental Women Writers expands on the book, The Wish Child:
He (the boy) is more than Prussian: the great collective ideal for the future is the fusing, say, of a kind of state chemistry, of German provincial characteristics into a perfect character who will stand for ideal and Supreme Germany. Thus, in the young lad, the artistic qualities of the Rhineland are blended with the hard metal of military Prussia. Perhaps a more insistent burden of the tale is the absolute and statesmanlike necessity of the Prussian military machine and its essential humanity--in the sense that the man is served by the machine, which must no more be questioned than the machines in a factory.
This all plays in with Jack's later devotion to the harsh ideals as set forth by the lodge and the demands on its caretakers, as well as Kubrick's interest in the Shoa (the preferred term over holocaust).
THE DOCTOR: But believe me these episodes aren't at all uncommon and they look much worse than they are.
Fig. 43 - The kitchen viewed behind Wendy.
82 MS Wendy from Doctor's side. (15:07)
WENDY: What was the matter with him?
THE DOCTOR: Mrs. Torrance, most of the time these episodes with kids are never explained, they are brought on by emotional factors, and they rarely occur again.
83 MCU Doctor. (15:19)
THE DOCTOR: They're more akin to auto-hypnosis, a kind of self-induced trance. If it reoccurs, which I doubt...
84 MCU Wendy taking out a cigarette. (15:28)
THE DOCTOR: ...we can always think about having some tests done.
With the mention of emotional factors, Wendy has appeared to become nervous. She offers a cigarette to the doctor, which she turns down. Lighting a cigarette, a Virginia Slims, Wendy's hands are obviously shaking.
WENDY: Oh, I'm sure you're right.
85 MCU Doctor. (15:38) Taking note of Wendy's sudden turn to being ill at ease, the doctor poses her a question.
THE DOCTOR: Have you been in Boulder long.
86 CU Wendy. (15:41)
WENDY: Only about three months. We're from Vermont. My husband was teaching school there.
87 MCU Doctor. (15:47)
THE DOCTOR: Did the appearance of Danny's imaginary friend...
88 MS Wendy from the doctor's side. (15:53)
WENDY: Tony.
THE DOCTOR: Did Tony's first appearance happen to coincide with your arrival here?
89 CU Wendy. (15:59)
WENDY: No. Uhm, let's see. I guess Danny started talking to Tony about the time we put him in nursery school.
Her lips appear taut, unyielding.
90 MS Doctor from Wendy's side. (16:09)
THE DOCTOR: Did Danny adjust well to school?
91 CU Wendy. (16:11)
WENDY: No, he didn't like it too much at first, and then he had an injury so we kept him out for a while, and, yeah, I guess that's about the time I first noticed that he was talking to Tony.
92 MS Doctor from Wendy's side. (16:26)
THE DOCTOR: What sort of injury?
93 CU Wendy. (16:28)
WENDY: He dislocated his shoulder.
THE DOCTOR: How did he manage to do that.
WENDY: It was just one of those things, you know, purely an accident. My husband had uh been drinking, and he came home about three hours late, so he wasn't exactly in the greatest mood that night, and, well, Danny had scattered some of his school papers all over the room and my husband grabbed his arm, you know, to pull him away from them. It's just the sort of thing you do a hundred times with a child y'know in the park or in the street but on this particular occasion my husband just used too much strength and he injured Danny's arm.
Wendy uncomfortably laughs.
94 MCU Doctor. (17:20) Obviously unsettled, the doctor gazes silently at Wendy who now reassures...
WENDY: Anyway, something good did come out of it all because he said, uh...
95 CU Wendy. (17:27)
WENDY: Wendy, I'm never gonna' touch another drop, and if I do you can leave me. And he didn't and he hasn't had any alcohol in uhm five months.
Fig. 44 - Wendy reassures the doctor that everything is fine.
We later learn the incident occurred three years prior, and yet it's given twice in the movie that it's been five months since Jack has had a drink, so this isn't an error on Wendy's part as Jack later relates the same. One tries to rectify the incongruities in the story, wondering if one should comprehend Jack as having periodically attempted to quit drinking and Wendy having been reluctant to leave him. Still, she has said, "and he didn't touch another drop". So, what is being presented isn't exactly matching up. One story becomes two with its puzzle pieces that don't fit together. The fault of this is perhaps Wendy lying. One could reason that it has been three years since the incident, that Jack did drink again, he drank for two-and-a-half of those three years and only recently stopped, and Wendy is unwilling to admit that he did drink again, unwilling to admit she stayed with him despite this, and accidentally lets slip the truth of the matter with the proud and hopeful reassurance that her husband has been sober "five months".
On this duplicitous and confusing note, Kubrick chooses to end "The Interview" section.
Jack's interview had uncomfortable information divulged him by Ullman, while Wendy's interview resulted in her relating uncomfortable information. These are people who shouldn't be going up to the Overlook, but, of course, it's because these are people who shouldn't be going there which finds them on their way.
82
And, now, the craziest damn thing about this section...
ON THE TWO UNION OR LIBERTY SUITS AND THE TWO NECKLACES
One of the more curious features of the scene is that, oddly enough, Wendy is not wearing just one union suit (also called a "liberty suit") but two union suits, evidenced at the neck and by bunching at the wrists.
Yes, that's right, take a look at the neck of the union suit in the above Figure 44. See? Two union suits. One overlaying the other.
She also wears two gold necklaces. It seems a continuation of the doubling as already witnessed with the two girls in blue and Danny speaking to his reflection in the mirror. The two pairs of union suits seem suggestive of one Wendy overlaying another Wendy.
Just as Wendy wears two pairs of union suits, we do, in a way, have two Wendys. She has attempted to conceal a darker truth, in denial, wearing over it a second Wendy who encourages only looking at the bright side of things, and enjoins her son, Danny, to do the same in assuming a positive outlook on their coming isolation high in the mountains with an alcoholic father who is only five months sober and who has yet to earn back the trust of his family.
This instance of the two pairs of union suits, one worn over the other, the second of the pair being virtually unnoticeable, to me seems must be taken as a direct, however hidden, allowance of the significance of doubling in the film, that it is intentional and certainly not casual
In review, what has Kubrick given us in this section?
Two interviews. Jack gets the job. Danny has his vision of the Overlook. Wendy accidentally lets the doctor know how screwed up their family is. We're well on our way to the anticipated train crash of an ending.
What's the teaser candy bait?
The insouciant banality of the hotel.
What's the distraction?
"Wow. Wendy isn't at all like Stephen King imagined her to be." That's what many people will be distracted by.
The itch that begs to be scratched?
The window in the office.
The Food for Thought?
The Awakening of Jacob.
What's the deep infrastructure?
Insouciant banality is the best indication of a truly and deeply dysfunctional situation that will eat you alive at the slightest scratch of the veneer. Moreover, it wants you to put a little ding in the veneer because it's hungry.
| i don't know |
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