dolores

Cornershop15: hilarious photos of George! Can you tell me more about these programs? I'm in the US, you see.

cornershop15

When you understand the past, the confusion of the present becomes clearer - John Betjeman.

cherieI

Hi to all of you..

Happy 4th of July which I remember you do not celebrate..Although my first one in England someone from a show George did called Thriller, smuggled me a few sparklers to celebrate about 100 years ago. They had saved them from your Guy Fawkes Day.

I loved it during those crisp damp Novembers.!! Hmmnn, I remember the very first hot potato and malt vinger pulled from a bonfire down by the docks. George had grown up in the sound of Bow Bells and always felt it was important that he not pull away from it when his career started to take off.

I have been more busy than I planned with all the publicity requirements for the Free Fringe which George is doing in August.. I had no idea that it was so time consuming. I had to do the art work, write the copy, and on and on. Fingers crossed for him I hope it goes well.

I had an idea what to do with all the great stills you are getting for me. I am going to do a little behind the scenes bit on the website and have George give me a few insider info on what was going on "on the other side of the gate".

I've got our grandsons for the summer here in California... we raised girls..lol..Boys are QUITE a different story. I wouldn't change a minute of it. I am off to do referee duty..

As always , thank you so much. You all are so very kind.

Sherri

cherieI

Dear Cornershop..

Pope Joan was filmed the summer before we were married. I was over visiting getting ready to return to London after our October wedding.

There was a scene in the film that requires George's character -for the want of a different word to "ravage"her. They cleared the large studio floor, with just the minimal crew required to film it. I had to sit outside and wonder just what was happening. They were at it ALL AFTERNOON!!

George has always been a modest guy, and one not to kiss and tell...lol..When he finally came out quite a few of the guys circled around him to ask how it was...He sort of blushed and said.."Well all I can tell you - she doesn't wear a bra !":) They were disappointed..but I wasn't.

That was my first summer in England..I remember it well. I was there for 45 days..I needed Noah..It rained for 40 days and 40 nights! Hmmn...I guess I am sort of a lizard cause the California sun suits me just right.
Sherri

dolores

Are you telling me George got to ravage Liv Ullmann? Wow, that guy's had many a good gig. Now if we could only come up with a photo of that!

I love these sit-com photos (or as we call the in the USA "brit coms). I wonder if these are available.

cornershop15

Hello again to Cherie (or is it Sherri?) - thanks for the interesting stories and information - and, of course, Dolores. Budgie wasn't a sitcom but was funny enough to be classed as a comedy - most of the time. It doesn't seem to be available in America, probably because you wouldn't get it's humour! I love this programme. It's star, Adam Faith, is the subject of my avatar. I suppose you could order it from Amazon UK and play the DVD on a Multi-Region player.

I'll return soon with Part 3 of my tribute to George in that episode A Pair of Charlies.

When you understand the past, the confusion of the present becomes clearer - John Betjeman.

dolores

Hi, Cornershop! I'm going to google Adam Faith and Budgie. It's a shame that these distribution companies get to decide what type of humor we will understand and what we will not. After years of watching British tv, I began to understand the culture a little bit better and then the humor (humour, sorry, lol). I picked up a dvd of Steptoe and Son recently and was then told it wasn't the television show but a movie. And that it wasn't very good - so I haven't watched it yet. Do you know what I'm referring to? I do have Michael Crawford's amazingly funny sitcom (I forget the name). What a career that guy has had!

When I get to Scotland with my computer, I'm going to put George on line with you guys.

dolores

Cornershop! Just googled Budgie and Adam Faith - what a handsome man - and gone at such a young age! Budgie sounds really very interesting. Part crime, part comedy. And I learned the reason the show was called Budgie (I thought it was about a bird!) Here in the US, a criminal who sings to the police is called a canary. In NYC, we always called them "squealers."

Do any of you watch American tv shows like Bilko or Seinfeld?

cornershop15

Hello Dolores. Thanks for those messages. Steptoe and Son is one of the best shows ever. Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em is the comedy you're thinking with the multi-talented Michael Crawford. It still seems weird that he acted opposite superstar Barbra Streisand and Walter Matthau in Hello Dolly!.

Adam Faith was also a famous singer here, two of his records going to Number 1 (What Do You Want? and Poor Me, which he could have been singing in that capture above with those 'band-aids'). I have a feeling at least one of his hits might be well known in America, Message to Martha. Dionne Warwick recorded this as Message to Michael. You might like this tune, however, a Christmas song from 1960:

As for US sitcoms, my only real favourites have always been Soap and Barney Miller, both from around the late '70s. Other shows I like include Columbo, The Fugitive and The Twilight Zone, but I haven't seen any new ones for years, apart from a few episodes of Charmed and Ghost Whisperer.

To bring it back to George, as we should, I once went to the same shop where he filmed a scene in Gumshoe (his only scene I think). It was called The Atlantis Bookshop, in London, and George was pushed around by Albert Finney for reasons I can't remember. I don't know if it's still there or not but it sold books on psychic and paranormal stuff if memory serves. Hey, if George is round that area again he could tell people "I used to be The Man From Atlantis"!

When you understand the past, the confusion of the present becomes clearer - John Betjeman.

Joenoir

cornershop, will you please stop posting screen caps of me - it's scary!

cherieI

Hi to all who have been so kind to send in pics of George. I have them up on his website now.GEORGE INNES, BRITISH ACTOR, OFFICIAL SITE, in the Behind the Scenes section. I am just waiting to get all the stories about the shows. They are coming in in dribs and drabs. But in all fairness, I just thought of the idea and how to really show off the screenshots when I saw what good quality and how many you all could capture for me. I am really touched by your efforts. We lost so much in the earthquake, I never even thought we would have these to show our kids.

We have dragged him into the 21st century..lol..only now he says" I can't seem to read the screen...everything is so &%@# small and it keeps moving" what can you do with a guy who keeps calling a radio the wireless...oh my gosh..I should give him an Ipod for Christmas just to get him going !

You asked about my name..my name is Sherri. However , when I was living in Europe they called me Cherie..which in my heart I loved..I'm sort of a lover of life and a hugger of people, and the lilt of the word made me lift my eyebrows and look for what might be coming next! I felt it was a bit conceited of me to expect people to re pronounce my name when I came back to the U.S....so here I am plain old Sherri.

I loved Steptoe when I first came to England..it covered topics and attitudes that we didn't touch in the U.S. til 10 years later. I had a hard time getting used to the accent but when I did I would laugh until my cheeks hurt. And Crawford, what a surprise..I had last seen him in Some Mothers do Have Them (Was that the show whose logo was a learners driving plate at an angle?-which by the way is one of Great Britain's greatest gifts to man..wish we had them here) But the next time I saw him was here in Los Angeles, with our daughters in the Phantom. George was doing "The Vortex" and got us amazing tickets.

My sweet young things were less than 10 years old and they were, and still are mesmerized by him. They remember him as someone with a wonderful voice who had large hands, and latex black pants that look liked they were painted on..hmmm..Was I already too old to notice...?

As far as Gumshoe...I remember the Atlantis Store..very interesting and a lot of unusual things happened afterwards..wondered why and everyone would say "It's the Atlantis".

I know George has done lots of good work, but 2 of my favorites "The Engagement"..which I first saw in the US just as we actually did get engaged..I laughed so hard, maybe because I can see George actually in a situation like David Warner was. And he had cabbie friends just like the one he portrayed. The oher is a series , filmed in England for over here. I think it showed on CBS. It was called QED, and he and Sam Waterston starred in it. It is called by another name over there, I wish I could tell you the name. But if you get a chance see it. I think there are 6 episodes, beautifully filmed, and lovely shots of the countryside.

dolores

Cornershop & Cherie: I have taken a bunch of shots off various George films & tv shows - one of my favorites is from The Italian Job - it shows George wearing some sort of silly soccer bonnet. As soon as I can figure out how to get it out of my camera and into my computer, I'll send it to the website.

I also saw Crawford at the Ahmanson (as well as on Broadway). Who can believe it's the same fellow from Some Mothers...

I also wanted to tell a brief tale told me by George. Years ago, when he was doing "Hobson's Choice," he played one of the workers in the shop and had to enter the stage wearing a hat. I suppose because his hair was so long and curly, everytime he took the hat off, the hair would bounce up and the audience would fall about. John Dexter quickly took care of that! Do you know this story, Cheri - and the one about Olivier and the ice cream cone?

cornershop15

When you understand the past, the confusion of the present becomes clearer - John Betjeman.

vincenzo

Did anyone spot him having rather unique brain surgery in Master And Commander?

cherieI

Yes... That surgery is called a Trepan..and to think that they actually did it , often in unsanitory conditions, with only stiff liquor as an anesthetic. If you go to STORIES FROM BEHIND THE SCENES OF SOME OF YOUR FAVORITE FILM, TV SHOWS, AND THEATRICAL PRODUCTIONS and click on the stories from Master & Commander. It took hours in makeup in the hot Rosarito Mexico summer heat., and done in layers upon layers. When our daughter ( who often is with him as a personal assistant) saw it she almost lost it and her lunch was nearly revisited.

In fact if you go to the Behind the Scenes link as above, almost all the photos from your screen shots there have been graciously passed on to me so I could post. I have not been able to do a screen capture and wonder if there is something in my firewall that prevents it. So I thank you again.

The one man show "Tribute- Gielgud's Ages of Man" that he did at the Edinburgh Fringe 2009 got outstanding reviews, and George is doing it again in London at the Barons Court Theatre March 9-14 2010. The letters in the show from Gielgud are moving and funny and really go well with the Shakespeare.

I am sorry not to have responded to some of your mail. One - I have been on the road for 5 months and Two, I cannot figure out how to open it or even respond to them. So if you need to contact me...I guess it will have to be here. A vastly belated Happy New Year...or should I pass on an early Happy Easter