I never need much of excuse to feature Joan Rice

The pictures BELOW are taken from a very short promotional film shown over Christmas on Talking Pictures.

It was called ‘The Postman’ and featured David Tomlinson as a postman delivering letters and introducing very short clips of stars such as Phyllis Calvert, Harry Fowler, Joan Rice and others at Christmas 1952 wishing us cinema-goers Best Wishes for the New Year.

And what a year 1952 had been for Joan Rice.

The wonderful ‘The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men’ had been released here in March of that year – and in June she was offered the female lead opposite Burt Lancaster in ‘His Majesty O’Keefe’ to be filmed in Fiji later in the year.

She got engaged and then flew out to Fiji – returning in November of 1952. She then broke off her engagement and met David Green in late December and married him in February 1953.

The past two years for Joan Rice had been meteoric.

One thing that does please me – after Robin Hood she got this major part and travelled round the world to film it and the film – ‘His Majesty O Keefe’ – was ‘big’ and well known and very well received.

Richard Todd was particularly scathing in his comments about Joan Rice and her acting abilities in ‘Robin Hood’ – but he got his come uppance – his next film after ‘Robin Hood’ was ’24 Hours in a Woman’s Life’ and he even missed the Robin Hood premiere to be on location on that film.

It was a dud – whereas Joan Rice in ‘His Majesty O Keefe again hit the jackpot as it did so well on a World scale.

From

I am so sorry not to have posted many articles in December – in truth I have been unwell and lacked the zest that normally helps me along with this. When you are fully well, almost anything is possible but even one degree under removes the energy and the interest.

I hope to be back OK soon

An old Theatre advertisement from Peterborough. It wasn’t so much the headline act of Tessie O Shea AND the Billy Cotton Band that took my eye, although I can imagine that this show would have been really good. No it was the bottom forthcoming attraction – Donald Wolfit in ‘Treasure Island’ that drew me in.

I had never thought of Donald Wolfit as Long John Silver and I can’t think why because he would seem a perfect fit

I delved further and came across this programme which is dated 27 February 1950 for the Kings Theatre in Southsea.

This production must have been aimed at capitalising on the success of the Walt Disney film released at that time – and Donald Wolfit would have been well able to give a very similar performance to Robert Newton – another Shakespearean actor, one would imagine.

Interesting to see John Charles worth as Jim Hawkins – he is well remembered for his role in the BBC TV Billy Bunter series, and later for a film I like very much ‘The Blue Peter’ which came out a little later than this.

I think that the poor lad came to a very tragic end.

Looking down the cast list I can’t see anyone else that we would have known.

The Blue Peter was filmed mainly in Snowdonia and centred around an outward bound school. The young men in the film all seem to have been in the TV Billy Bunter series as pupils at Greyriars

The film itself was made in Tecnicolor and Cinemascope.

Keiron Moore and Harry Fowler – The Blue Peter 1955

The climax of the film came when one boy slips down a cliff and has to be rescued by another of them who himself is having to overcome a fear of heights due to  events in his childhood. The way his sequence was filmed was impressive on the wide screen as we, the audience, were looking down at the boy clinging to the sheer cliff face. I remember hardly daring to watch at the time and this sequence has certainly stuck with me.  If I ever think of this film I think of that shot –  looking down at the long drop to the valley below with the lad, arms outstretched, clinging to the rocks

Keiron Moore played one of the instructors and the female lead was Greta Gynt who by now was at the end of her film career. They were both quite good in the roles.

JOHN CHARLESWORTH

A young actor called John Charlesworth played the young man with the fear of heights who eventually comes good.  He had a busy career. He was in Scrooge with Alistair Sims, the Bunter series and many other film and TV appearances. Sadly he died in 1960 aged 24. There is scant biographical information available on John.

He was born John William Charlesworth on November 15th 1935 in Hull, Yorkshire, England.
He appeared in a large number of films during his young life. The most famous of these being the 1951 Alastair Sim vehicle ‘Scrooge’. Charlesworth played the role of Peter Cratchit.

On April 2nd 1960, John took his own life.  A very sad event for someone who seemed to have achieved such a lot in a short life.