The Daily Mail in Britain run a regular column each week where people – often close relatives –  write a tribute to ‘unsung heroes and heroines who deserve recognition’.   This week a man wrote in paying tribute to his ‘wonderful father-in-law’ who had died in July t6his year.

This was a gentleman called Derek Bishop and the story is as follows :-

Many of us have a story about the day we happened to rub shoulders with  someone famous but Derek had a story that could top them all.

Derek was with the RAF in Hong Kong in 1952 – although we think this must have been 1954 when Marilyn went to the Far East when he was on duty at the old Kai Tak Airport.

When his shift came to an end at 9pm, Derek and another solider were asked if they would stay on because a delayed flight was expected and there was a ‘celebrity’ on board.

They agreed and when the plane landed at 11pm, the famous passenger who stepped out was none other than the woman who would become the ultimate screen goddess Marilyn Monroe.

Derek said she was dressed in ‘everyday’ clothes and wore very little make-up. She insisted on thanking him and his pal personally for working late and took them for a drink in the Nissen Hut that served as the mess.

He had half a lager and enjoyed a few minutes – along with his colleague –  chatting to Marilyn.

Marilyn Left and Derek Bishop on the Right in Hong Kong

(Although the story is dated as from 1952, Marilyn didn’t travel to the Far East until 1954. And I haven’t heard of her visiting Hong Kong before, but it’s possible she passed through while returning to husband Joe DiMaggio in Japan after entertaining US troops in Korea.)

On another occasion Derek – this time later in his RAF career – met Conan Doyle’s Daughter Jean when she came over to him in the Office he was working at the time, and read extracts of what he had been typing – he had been hoping to be a crime writer and had written quite a lot of the story and she asked to read it when it was completed – and gave it her vote of approval.

I love these Behind the Scenes pictures whenever I come across one – and this is one such photograph when the cast and crew were on location.

The film was shot from September to December 1956 in Bermuda and at London Film Studios in Shepperton, England – and was released in  London on 11 June 1957. It did not premiere in USA until 16 December 1957 and in fact Britain seemed to have this film on general release virtually 6 months before the rest of the World – Well I suppose it was a British made picture. 

Above: In Bermuda for The Admirable Crichton with Kenneth More and Sally Ann Howes  plus of course Diane Cilento – who at that time had really made her mark in British Films.

Below Scenes from the finished film – scenes that we see actually being filmed above  :  The Admirable Crichton 1957

The Above filmed at Jobson’s Bay in Bermuda

Written by Archie Duncan’s Great Niece

Archie Duncan was my great uncle (my grandmothers brother) and I have some lovely memories of times spent in his company as a child. He lived in a flat which was on the top floor of a large victorian property and would often recieve his guests while in bed wearing a burgandy velvet smoking jacket. He was a kind and generous man and always made me feel special, taking me backstage at the London Palladium for example and obtaining autographs of various actors and actresses for myself and my friends. Archie never married or had children though I think he had a long term relationship with an actress called Betty Cardinew (I’m not sure if that’s the correct spelling).

After his death I inhereted what I consider to be a unique piece of television history. It comes in the form of a get well message sent to him by cast and crew of the 1950’s series The Adventures Of Robin Hood following his accident on set when he prevented a horse from bolting into a crowd of onlookers. For this act of bravery he was awarded the Queens Medal for Gallantry. The message is on parchment paper and contains signatures of about 30 people including Richard Greene . There is a poem too, describing with humour the events which took place on that day and the subsequent chaos as shooting schedules were disrupted.

March 1, 1954 none other than Roy Rogers and Trigger appeared at the Savoy Walsall ABC Minors – and what a draw that would have been.

He apparently stayed at the Queens Hotel in Birmingham – and Trigger at the stables of  the Mitchells and Butler Brewery

With Roy of course was his wife Dale Evans who he had met a decade before on the set of The Cowboy and the Senorita.

Distinctive in his white stetson with its silver hatband and his hand-tooled boots, the Wild West hero’s tour was a smash hit

Roy Rogers and Trigger, Edinburgh 1954

This is singing cowboy Roy Rogers and wife Dale Evans taking their golden palomino horse Trigger up the stairs at the Caledonian Hotel in the capital in February, 1954. Roy had appeared in many TV shows and films with Trigger who really was an exceptional horse. To drum up publicity on their British tour they would often book into their hotel with Trigger much to the delight of fans.

The crowd are genuinely happy to see Roy and Trigger, although there must be a nervous hotel manager lurking in the background somewhere fretting about his carpets.

The story goes that the couple visited an orphanage in Edinburgh where a 13-year-old girl, Marion Fleming, sang Won’t You Buy My Pretty Flowers? and the couple promptly adopted her and took her back to America. Think it’s maybe a little more complicated to do these days.

Above: Roy Rogers and Marion Fleming singing together.

Also this snippet from one of the forums :-
Roy Rogers did visit Glasgow, he and Dale Evans did have a room in The Central Hotel and he booked one for trigger who preferred the stables in Parliamentary Road (or was it the southside) He did ride Trigger down the hotel staircase.He also visited Edinburgh. While entertaining at Dunforth Orphanage they met 13 year old Marion Fleming who became their fourth foster child.

Another very sad report on the tragic deaths of two of their children :

Off the well-documented happy trails of their on-screen magnetism, Dale and Roy blazed a trail of compassion, caring for their Down-Syndrome baby Robin, who died before her second birthday. Dale’s best-selling book ‘Angel Unaware’, a tribute to Robin, affected millions of special needs children and their families. Also during this period, Dale penned with Robin in mind the trademark chorus “Happy Trails to you until we meet again.”

Then, in 1964, their 12-year-old daughter Debbie was killed in a bus accident during a mission trip to Mexico. And, less than one year later, their son Sandy had a freak accident and choked to death while stationed with the military in Germany.

“You are not supposed to bury your children,” said their eldest son Roy Rogers Jr., choking back tears in the film. “People realised their faith was real the way they dealt with tragedy.”

“Mom and dad knew something good had to come from whatever was bad,” said Marion Fleming Swift, a foster daughter Rogers and Evans adopted from Scotland. Out of the tragedies came more books, the proceeds of which were donated to humanitarian organisations like World Vision and Campus Crusade for Christ.

I have just come across this letter that Anthony Quayle wrote to one of his fans in January of 1965 – and from the Letter Heading we can see that his address was in Pelham Crescent, London SW7

The letter was written in 1965, so at that time he had been married to Dorothy Hyson for quite a few years and their Three Children would have been teenagers. His career in the Theatre and Films was pretty much at its peak then  – his first love was the theatre but financially films provided a very lucrative acting experience no doubt.

This home was in a very sought after part of London both then  and now – particularly now because this house in Pelham Crescent was sold very recently in fact, in February 0f 2018 for £ 10,750,000 – a princely sum by any standards.

I am not sure that the family would have kept the house on after his death – indeed I would rather doubt it.

Now this heading may well be mis-leading to us film fans of the era but Joan Rice did star in Rebecca but this time on stage at The Theatre Royal  in Hanley, Stoke on Trent – and maybe toured around with it – I am not sure about this though.

I imagine she would play Mrs De Winter but who played her husband and Mrs Danvers is not clear

This Poster at the time shows the lovely Joan Rice taking Star Billing in the famous Daphne Du Maurier story

Joan Rice also toured provincial theatres in A View from The Bridge which she always maintained was her own favourite play.

We have looked at this film before – it is quite a good adventure film set in Africa, Very colourful and full of action with a thrilling climatic finale.

However I came across this picture in an old Film Annual in fact the Cinema Clubs Annual  – I have collected a lot of them over the years and quite often just browse through them on an evening.

On the Jungle set of Dual In The Jungle at Elstree Studios – this shows stars Jeanne Crain and Dana Andrews showing youngsters Margaret Watson and Ian MacKay a souvenir from their travels.  I am sure this type of souvenir would NOT be acceptable today.

Portions of the film were shot in South Africa at Port Elizabeth and Johannesburg, in Bechuanaland (now Botswana), and at Victoria Falls (on the Zambia/Zimbabwe border).

However an October 1953 Daily Variety news item stated that scenes were shot at Kruger National Park.

During production, this was the last film for assistant director Anthony Kelly. He died when he was thrown from his overturned canoe into a whirlpool on the Zambesi River and then into the jaws of crocodiles

Actually his body was never found and one of the theories is that he was eaten by crocodiles after he drowned whilst trying to save the camera equipment in the upturned boat.

Apparently this Roy Rogers film is one of Quentin Tarantino’s favourites.

It was directed by prolific B-movie/serial specialist, William Witney, and co-stars Dale Evans and Trigger, “The Smartest Horse in the Movies.” The storyline involves a diamond smuggling operation in which Trigger is enlisted to replace the stallion of the title when he goes missing. Trigger was separated from Rogers in the first place when he took the fall for his “best friend” following a (false) accusation of murder. Had he not done so, Trigger would have been killed in an instant.

Along the way  the bad guys are outsmarted and Trigger and the stallion produce a foal, Trigger Jr.

In the New York Times article, “Watching Movies With Quentin Tarantino” , he discusses the film in depth, finding the relationship between Rogers and Trigger particularly moving: “You know, in some movies, a cowboy might go to jail to save his best friend from being shot down dead. Well, Trigger is Roy’s best friend. It’s the easiest leap to have him do that here, yet it’s so powerful and so unexpected. What’s great is that you buy it, you absolutely buy it, and I don’t know that I really would buy it from anybody else but Roy and Trigger.”

It should be noted that “The Golden Stallion” is one of Rogers’ more “mature” efforts, and that it’s more of a drama than a musical. Although it doesn’t seem to have much in common with his own work, Tarantino fanatics are sure to want to check it out to see why he holds Witney — along with Rogers, Evans and Trigger — in such high esteem.

Duel of the Titans. The legendary brothers Romulus and Remus go into conflict as to who will ultimately survive and found the city of Caesars.  Steve Reeves (Romulus) and Gordon Scott (Remus) are brought into competition.

They are shown from their earliest beginnings as abandoned babes on the Tiber River, destined to face all sorts of challenges. First come their adventures after they are adopted by a female wolf as her own offspring. Then they later handle catastrophes like an erupting volcano or combat with an angry bear. Once the two brothers have reached adulthood, they become enemies, as Remus seeks to asert his power and Romulus seeks to contain him.

This is an enjoyable film with struggles, love and hatred, tortures and including spectacular  battle scenes. Steve Reeves and Gordon Scott are perfect as the mythical heroes who encounter pretty risky situations while trying to find a location for the foundation a city.

I imagine they had a great time making this film in Italy.

When this film is seen  in ideal circumstances— with an excellent print and in the original widescreen format —  DUEL OF THE TITANS  is one of the best.

This is not a muscleman fantasy with superhuman feats of strength, like HERCULES, but a serious retelling of the foundation myth of Rome. Various elements of the Romulus and Remus story are freely but intelligently reinterpreted, the sets and costumes have a convincing  look, and the larger-than-life characters of the legendary Twins are strongly portrayed by Gordon Scott and Steve Reeves. Both actors are at the peak of their considerable cinematic charisma. (Virna Lisi as Julia and Ornella Vanoni  are also impressive!)

I liked Steve Reeves – he had a limited range of course but made the very best of what he could do. Gordon Scott also – from the peak of his career in the Tarzan films – where he did pretty well – after following Lex Barker and Johnny Weismuller in the role – and this was a pretty tough act to follow. Lex had proved a brilliant Tarzan after the legendary Johnny.

Now this one is a really terrific film. Part of the Edgar Wallace series made in the late 50s and into the 60s – and this one like most of them only runs for 62 minutes but certainly packs a punch – as we the viewers,  are unable to work out just where this one is going.

John Carson plays the spurned lover of Justine Lord (who is given many close-ups by James Wilson’s excellent camera work) while Anthony Bate plays the wary husband. The plot is unusual, and the tension mounts, as Carson plays a dangerous psychological game. Twenty minutes in you  think you know where this is going but the plot takes some twists and turns.

This was the directorial debut of Alan Bridges, and I just loved the change of pace and style with unusual camera angles and intense close-ups particularly of the very lovely Justine Lord who played her part brilliantly and very confidently too. That could be said also of John Carson and Anthony Bate – both of whom were excellent in this one – and both went on to have long and successful careers.

At times this is worrying and sinister.

Above: A grizzly find for Justine Lord and Anthony Bate.

Above: Anthony Bate starting to realise what might be going on. He now walks away troubled.

Above: John Carson runs away – but from what

It is one that I do remember seeing at the cinema – and I particularly remember the ending from that time but not much else.  Please do get a copy of this and watch it. You will not be disappointed.

Justine Lord BELOW:

Justine Lord (born Jennifer Schooling; 1937, Bromley, Kent) is an English actress, active on television throughout the 1960s.

She began her acting career in repertory theatre, and in the 1960s made guest appearances on The Avengers, The Saint, The Prisoner (“The Girl Who Was Death”, 1968) and Man in a Suitcase as well as playing regular roles on Crossroads, Compact, The Troubleshooters and The Doctors

Justine Lord married James Ridler in 1971.

After being THE GIRL in The Prisoner and all that, she slipped away to New Zealand  It believed that  she married a schoolteacher and basically became a dorm matron to his pupils. They returned to the UK late 70s or early 80s

Below In an Episode of The Saint – The Fiction Makers

Early Life

She had to work and to express herself. Her early ballet ambitions gave way to acting aspirations, and she switched to straight acting , displaying her sense of comedy very early in her new career when she played the bride in SAILOR BEWARE ! on tour, and then toured with the Hulberts in STAR MAKER.

She then went into repertory, appeared in SALAD DAYS, and made her television debut in CHARLESWORTH (as a nun !) She found her niche in television, with leads in series such as THE AVENGERS, NO HIDING PLACE, GIDEON’S WAY, THE BARON, MAN IN A SUITCASE, a running role in COMPACT, and setting up an all-time record by being Roger Moore’s leading lady six times in THE SAINT. She has also appeared in several feature films, including WARLOVER, TAMAHINE, and RING OF SPIES, and, returning to the theatre, has played Shakespeare at the Bristol Old Vic. Since THE PRISONER she has appeared in THE TROUBLESHOOTERS and CROSSROADS, amongst other things, and now prefers to list the programmes she has NOT appeared in ! Between roles she is active in teaching at a school in Kent.

‘I could never be happy as a member of a group. It didn’t take me long to realise that I would never become a great ballerina, and I simply couldn’t bear the thought of being just one of a corps de ballet. And I could never subject myself to the rigid discipline required’

Not only did she do Shakespeare in her early days, at the Bristol Old Vic, but also George Bernard Shaw. Specifically, in 1964, ‘Arms and the Man’, with John Franklyn Robbins, Freddie Jaeger, Edith MacArthur, Dudley Jones, Patricia Brake.
She remarried and moved to the Dordogne in mid-80s. She spent a number of years as a semi-pro tennis player but recently had a hip operation. Turned up recently at a Prisoner convention in Portmeirion