#andrew ray

[sheiladelaney]

Backstage at the Broadway stage production of A Taste of Honey, 1960.

[george-the-good]

Comic Ted Ray and his son Andrew meet the King and Queen at the Royal Command Film Performance, 1950. (British Pathé)

The film shown that year was The Mudlark - in which Andrew Ray played the title part - a street urchin who sneaks into Windsor Castle to meet Queen Victoria.

Andrew Ray went on to play King George VI (when Duke of York) in the stage and television productions of Crown Matrimonial - a drama centered on the abdication crisis. So successful was his depiction that he was cast in the same role in the television series Edward & Mrs. Simpson (1978)

ABOVE: Wendy Hiller (Queen Mary) and Andrew Ray in the stage production of Crown Matrimonial (London, October 1972)

[veryslowreader]

Late Call by Angus Wilson

Tales of the Unexpected: "Poison"

[motionpicturelover]

"The System" (1964) - Michael Winner

Films I've watched in 2022 (203/210)

Full film in HD:

[claudia1829things]

"OUR MUTUAL FRIEND" (1976) Review

"OUR MUTUAL FRIEND" (1976) Review

I have a curious history with the 1998 adaptation of Charles Dickens' 1864-65 novel, "Our Mutual Friend". I had a lukewarm reaction to it when I first saw it. Following two re-watches of the miniseries, I became a major fan of it. So, when I discovered there had been an earlier adaptation of the novel, I did not hesitate to watch it. My efforts to view the 1976 miniseries, "OUR MUTUAL FRIEND" proved to be difficult, due more to availability reasons. But I finally managed to achieve it in the end.

Whether you are familiar with Dickens' tale or not, "OUR MUTUAL FRIEND" centered around the "death" of the heir to a fortune inherited from his father, a former collector from London's rubbish. The story begins with a solicitor named Mortimer Lightwood, who narrates the circumstances of the death of his client, a former dustman named Mr. Harmon, who collected London's rubbish, to his aunt and other guests at a society dinner. The terms of Old Harmon's will stipulated that his fortune should go to his estranged son John, who had returned to Britain after years spent abroad. John can inherit his father's fortune on the condition that he marry a woman he has never met, Miss Bella Wilfer. However, a Thames River waterman named Gaffar Hexam and his daughter Lizzie discover a corpse in the river with papers identifying the latter as John Harmon. When Mortimer learns of this death, he and his close friend Eugene Wrayburn head toward the river to identify the body. These events led to the following subplots:

*John Harmon fakes his death and assumes the identity of John Rokesmith, the Boffins' social secretary, in order to ascertain Bella Wilfer's character. John had recruited a sailor to impersonate him, but the latter betrayed him by drugging and later, robbing him. However, the sailor was later betrayed by others who not only robbed him, but also murdered him. The Hexams had discovered the sailor's body.

*Old Mr. Harmon's employees, Nicodemus and Henrietta Boffin inherit the Harmon fortune and take in Bella Wilfer as a ward to compensate for her loss, following John's "death".

*Gaffer Hexam's embittered former partner, Roger "Rogue" Riderhood falsely accused Hexam of murdering "Harmon".

*While accompanying his friend, Mortimer Lightwood, to identify Harmon's body, Eugene Wrayburn meets and falls in love with Hexam's daughter, Lizzie.

*Charley Hexam, Lizzie's younger brother, has a headmaster named Bradley Headstone, who becomes romantically and violently obsessed with Lizzie.

*Mr. Boffin hires a ballad-seller with a wooden leg named Silas Wegg to read for him. When he finds another will of Old Harmon's in the dust, he schemes with a taxidermist named Mr. Venus to blackmail his newly rich employer.

One of the reasons I had such difficulties in embracing the 1998 version of "OUR MUTUAL FRIEND" was the complex nature of the narrative. The story began with the death of the fake John Harmon and the latter's deception and spiraled out into different subplots. Years ago, I had made the mistake of assuming that most of these subplots had no connection whatsoever. Following my other viewings of the 1998 miniseries and this production, I now realize that the subplots had three major connections - money, class and John Harmon. Nearly every subplot had something to do with money, class or both. As for John Harmon . . . I found myself pondering on the fates of the main characters if John had not made that decision to recruit that sailor into his deception regarding his identity. Perhaps some of the subplots would have panned out - John and Bella's marriage (if he had agreed to the terms of his father's will), Charley Hexam's education, Lizzie Hexam's introduction to Bradley Headstone and her subsequent rejection of his marriage proposal. But there are some - Lizzie meeting Eugene Wrayburn, Eugene and Bradley's conflict, and Silas Wegg's attempt to blackmail Boffin - definitely would not have happened if John had not engaged in any deception on his part. Nearly the entire story seemed to be a case of "the Six Degrees of John Harmon".

One story arc from the novel seemed to be missing in this series - namely the attempt made by elite, yet impoverished newlyweds Alfred and Sophronia Lammle to befriend and scam a young heiress named Georgiana Podsnap. I can understand why the screenwriters had never included this arc into the miniseries, considering that the Lammles and Miss Podsnap had no connection to John Harmon, whatsoever. But apparently, the screenwriters had decided to delete them altogether, unlike screenwriter Sandy Welch, who had used the Lammles to go after Mr. Boffin in the 1998 adapation.

And how did "OUR MUTUAL FRIENDS" handled the narrative's multi-arcs? I thought director Peter Hammond, along with screenwriters Julia Jones and Donald Churchill managed to handle them quite well. Despite the various arcs being scattered to winds, all three managed to convey how they all connected in the end. My only complaint was how the director and the writers introduced the various arcs. I noticed that they mystery surrounding the discovery of John Harmon's body seemed to dominate the series' first episode, whereas the introductions of the Boffins and Bella Wilfer seemed to dominate the second. This seemed to give "OUR MUTUAL FRIEND"'s narrative a "paint-by-the-numbers" style in the miniseries' first third. From Episode Three and onward, Hammond, Jones and Churchill seemed to have no trouble juggling the various arcs within an episode.

But as much as I had enjoyed "OUR MUTUAL FRIEND", I have a few quibbles. Like a good number of BBC/ITV costume dramas between the 1950s and the 1980s, this production seemed to suffer from from the occasional slow pacing, due to Hammond shooting the miniseries more like a stage play. Granted, there were a few scenes that seemed avoid this fallacy, due to being filmed in an exterior setting - the Hexams' discovery of the fake John Harmon's body, Lizzie Hexam's discovery of the dying Betty Higden and Bradley Headstone's attack upon Eugene Wrayburn. But a good number of scenes - mainly those with interior settings and those that featured Silas Wegg and Mr. Venus' blackmail conspiracy - seemed to drag nearly forever, to the point that I found myself wondering if I was watching a televised stage play. I have one last complaint. The miniseries ended with the main characters briefly discussing Bradley Headstone's fate with a few words, not long after Eugene and Lizzie's marriage. As much as I had enjoyed this production, I found this ending rather abrupt and cold - quite disappointing, when I recall how the 1998 miniseries had ended.

As much as I had enjoyed many of the performances in the miniseries, there were the occasional bouts of hammy acting that left me wincing. For me, the biggest offenders proved to be Alfie Bass, Edmond Bennett, David Troughton, and Kathleen Harrison. Do not get me wrong. They all managed to convey their characters' personalities very well. But I believe they had indulged just a bit too much in stagey or hammy acting for my taste. But there were performances that I had actually enjoyed. Granted, performers like Leo McKern and Polly James, who portrayed Mr. Boffin and Jenny Wren respectively, had their moments of hammy acting. But I thought they managed to give first-rate performances in the long run, creating some memorable interpretations of their characters. However, the series featured some excellent supporting performances from the likes of Andrew Ray, Hilda Barry, John Collin, Ray Mort, Patricia Lawrence and Ronald Lacey.

The miniseries also featured some outstanding performances. They included John McInery as the intelligent, yet compassionate John Harmon; Lesley Dunlop, whose Lizzie Hexam managed to be warm and caring without any taint of treacly behavior; Jack Wild as Lizzie's eager and ambitious younger brother Charley Hexam; and Warren Clarke as Bradley Headstone, who managed to be both sympathetic, yet frightening at the same time. Yet, I believe the two best performances came from Nicholas Jones and Jane Seymour as Eugene Rayburn and Bella Wilfer. Jones gave a subtle, yet very complex performance as the roguish Eugene, who seemed torn by his love for Lizzie and his reluctance to pursue her honestly, due to her lower class. Seymour's portrayal of Bella struck me as equally complex, as she managed to convey her character's growing development from the mercenary and shallow girl to a warm, generous and yet spirited woman.

Aside from the opening shot of the Thames River for each episode, I must admit that I found myself unimpressed by Elmer Cossey's cinematography and Sam Barclay's lighting. Not only did I find the miniseries' visuals rather flat, but also a bit too dark. On the other hand, I thought Chris Pemsel's production designs pretty spot-on. I thought he did a competent job in re-creating mid-19th century London and England. I especially have to give praise to Robin Fraser-Paye's costume designs. I found his costumes - especially for female characters like Bella Wilfer, Lizzie Hexam, Mrs. Boffin and Jenny Wren - rather exquisite, as shown in the image below:

As for the hairstyles featured in "OUR MUTUAL FRIEND" . . . I have mixed feelings about them. I have no idea who the hairstylist was, but he or she did managed to come close in re-creating mid-19th century hairstyles. Only those worn by most of the younger female characters seemed to be loose curls or flowing curly hair in the style of those featured in many pre-Raphaelite paintings - especially by Lesley Dunlop and Polly James. Although such hairstyles were popular in mid-19th century art (especially in Britain), I have grave doubts that many women - or many young women between the 1840s and the 1860s wore their hair in such a manner.

Overall, I cannot deny that "OUR MUTUAL FRIEND" was a first-rate adaptation of Charles Dickens' 1864-1865 novel. Yes, I had a few issues that included the miniseries' photography, some writing decisions, a few over-the-top performances and the belief that I felt I was watching a filmed play. But despite these quibbles, "OUR MUTUAL FRIEND" also featured some top-notch performances from a cast led by John McInery and a screenplay by Julia Jones and Donald Churchill that did Dickens' novel proud.

[ulrichgebert]

Ein Spannungsfilm aus der Londoner Unterwelt (sofern mein Dänisch nicht trügt). Der kleine Freddie klaut im Nachkriegslondon einen gelben Ballon, dessen legitimer Besitzer bei der anschließenden Verfolgungsjagd in einem zerbombten Haus dummerweise tödlich verunglückt. Dabei wollten sie nur spielen und es war ein Unfall, was aber den windigen Schurken, der zufällig gerade vorbeikam nicht abhält, Freddie zu erpressen, ihm Angst vor der Polizei zu machen (dabei ist es der spätere Geheimdienstchef Bernard Lee) und ihn für seine üblen Machenschaften einzusetzen. Als der sich aber auf das Gute im Menschen besinnt, kommt es zu einem spannenden Katz-und-Maus-Spiel in einer halbzerfallenen, unbenutzten U-Bahn-Station. Huuh! Andrew Ray kam gerade erst als Mudlark vor, und Papa Kenneth More singt uns manchmal als Ghost of Christmas Present mit Scrooge Albert Finney in Adventsprogramm "I Like Life!"

[atomic-chronoscaph]

Jason and the Argonauts (1963)

[hoffmans-hoffman]

Jake should have stopped working after breaking his leg, but he continues to push himself

Ace shouldn't have been there, but he was and he almost died to the person that is his son

Jasper and Jack hold hands when they're scared, they've been doing it ever since they met

Andrew should never listen to Fiscus, it always leads to pain

Chimeul sees things, and it helps with cases

David really should see his mom more, but he's scared to get close

Jake over pushes himself, and it's very easy to see

Valentino shouldn't have taken Vito's words to heart, but he did and he withdrew from the family

Reg kneels for the Dragon Born, as the Dragon Born should bow to no one

Jake protected Barney with his life, and he would do it again in a heart beat

[haveyouseenthismovie-poll]

[sheiladelaney]

Angela Lansbury, Joan Plowright, and Andrew Ray in the Broadway production of Shelagh Delany’s A Taste of Honey, 1961. 

[carlgrimesgfofficial]

nothing unites girls like having a crush on the same celebrity twice their age

[terriblegam2r]

Cailey posted a BTS video of the cut Grimes Family picnic scene 🥹❤️

[depressedoompaloompa]

✨Hydrate✨ bitches

This is a reminder for everyone who sees this. Get up from where you're sitting and drink a glass of water<3

Reblog so your moots don't die on their beds in their girlcaves

[emry-stars-art]

Baby shark Andrew was cranky and Aaron said “okay it’s nap time”

Shark facts and lore/worldbuilding under the cut

So shark mers can’t actually stop moving for long periods of time but baby mers aren’t born with the ability to swim while sleeping. So they sleep on various pod mates or really anyone that will carry them. Being steadied like this is important for their development since it teaches them to sleep on their own as the get older.

Andrew was separated from his pod/school not too long after birth, and the only reason he made it past the infancy and toddler stages was the kindness of other mers. Other pods of sharks and whales, or mothers with their own children, or a very kind lone gray whale carried him around and took care of him when they found him, for as long as he would let them. Until he got spooked or upset and swam off again. Because of the lack of consistency in his care and the countless times he nearly suffocated in his sleep, Andrew to this day has a harder time sleeping on his own than most grown mers, not for lack of trying. Luckily, once he’s reunited with Aaron and a manta ray Nicky that Aaron tells him is essentially an adopted cousin, it doesn’t take long for Aaron to realize why Andrew is so tired all the time. It’s no harder for him to pull Andrew around on his back now than it was when they were little. And while they’re there, Aaron realizes that yeah, it is kind of nice to have someone he can sleep on, too. Even if he doesn’t really need it. (Nicky offers to piggyback the twins but he is far too smooth and slippery. Which doesn’t seem to be as much of an issue when Andrew takes little power naps on Neil but shh.)

Im sure it’s not uncommon for adult mers to sleep on each other at any age, but if anyone questions why Andrew is always sleeping on Aaron, Aaron gives them a death glare and makes sure Andrew never hears their stupid questions.

[ulrichgebert]

Königin Victoria in Gestalt der raffiniert aufgepolsterten Irene Dunne trauert seit 15 Jahren um ihren Albert und hat sich auf Schloß Windsor verkrochen. Trotz der Bitten von Premierminister Disraeli in Gestalt des nicht minder absurd verkleideten Alec Guinness (aber bei ihm ist man das ja gewohnt), zeigt sie sich nicht in der Öffentlichkeit. Ein kleiner Sachensucher im Themsestrandschlamm, ein sogenannter “Mudlark” findet dort ein Abbild der Königin, beschließt, sie zu besuchen, macht sich auf nach Windsor und landet überraschenderweise tatsächlich im Schloß. Obwohl Mr. Brown recht nett zu ihm ist, gibt das natürlich Ärger, führt aber letztlich dazu, daß Alec Guinness seine Schauspielkunst anhand einer großen Rede vor dem Parlament demonstrieren kann, für mehr Rücksicht, mehr Verständnis, mehr soziale Gerechtigkeit etc. und die Königin sich erweichen läßt, sich dem Volke wieder zu zeigen, denn das Volk will schließlich auch was von seinen Monarchen haben. Wir verbuchen das mal als Vorbereitung für die Krönungsfeierlichkeiten.

[brokehorrorfan]

Hero Complex Gallery has released a Real Ghostbusters 17x11 giclee print by Andrew Kolb. Priced at $35, it's limited to 10.