Fruitbat

I met Gareth Thomas.

Great actor, most people know him from Blakes 7 but he has done wonderful work outside the BBC's sci fi series. I remember Morgans Boy he played a Welsh hill farmer. Great stuff if a bit depressing. He was BAFTA nominated for that role.

He was very nice and very approachable.

TimR

My mother met Maureen O'Sullivan after a play in upstate New York in the early 90s. She said she was very polite, charming and seemed genuinely suprised and pleased that she was recognized.

Blythe Danner made a film where I lived in Rockport, MA in the mid-90s - very, very beautiful and gracious - more beautiful than her daughter and more beautiful than on screen. I don't why that happens? Sometimes it is the other way around.

Steve Crook

I've met her sister, you've seen her on screen recently

Bridie in I Know Where I'm Going! was played by the young Margot Fitzsimons

Here she is in August 2005. JamesM had arranged for her to stop over in London for a few days before going over to Ireland to meet up with Maureen and the rest of the family.


She only did one other film, The Captive Heart (1946). Then that handsome gentleman on the right whisked her away. Harry was a US Marine and they spent most of the rest of the time living in various military bases around the world. So she never really managed to resume her acting career. But she had a great life with Harry

Sadly Harry's no longer with us. But Margot still is, or was the last time I contacted her.

Most of the Fitzsimons family were actors. But note that there's only one 'm' in that surname so make sure you pronounce it properly

While they was here we took them out to dinner and to see a few places from Margot's youth. And we took them to the NFT where Margot was a special guest at a screening of IKWIG. A lovely lady.

Steve

ShirlGirl

You're referring to Maureen O'Hara, aren't you?

Steve Crook

Doh! Yes, I was
I knew it was Maureen O'something

Steve

GRAEME

Neil Innes. A sweet man. Humble and funny and polite and decent.

All men leak.

smudge

Just back from this quarter's Kaleidoscope telly event in Stourbridge.

Met Juliet Harmer of ADAM ADAMANT fame. She's a lovely lady but she seemed rather nervous about being interviewed; somewhat afraid that she wouldn't remember anything. She needn't have worried - she was a marvellous guest.

Also on the bill was DJ and TV Continuity announcer 'Diddy' David Hamilton. I have to be honest and confess that I wasn't expecting much of Dave's appearance, but he proved me SO wrong. He was excellent - very entertaining and a nice chap to talk to.

Another good day....

Smudge

Welcome to my house. Enter freely, and of your own will...

TimR

Well, it's still a very nice photo. And I wouldn't mind meeting Maureen O'Hara.

I didn't realize that her sister was in I Know Where I'm Going - she does a fine job with the role. It would have been nice to see her in other films.

CaptainWaggett

Her part in The Captive Heart is quite charming but she only has 3 or 4 scenes. It's a film worth watching for other reasons though.

TimR

Good suggestion. I haven't seen that one yet.

penfold

What was the 'Surprise package' added at the last minute?? I'll get to Stourbridge one day....

Bit of a Bay Window, what??

smudge

It was from David Hamilton's original two-inch master tape, his final announcements for ABC TV back in 1968, linking a 25 mins retrospective of their output over the years. You could see at the end of it he had a bit of a lump in his throat, likewise yesterday as he hadn't seen it since then.

It was given to him as a souvenir - like he said, strange really, as he never had anything to play it on...

Coincidentally the firm that did the transfer (only last week) were confused as they had - they said - already transferred it. So they were curious as to why the KScope team would want to shell out for yet another transfer.

It turned out that the one they had actually transferred was the companion piece for the southern ABC region. The clips were the same, but the linking was done by a continuity lady in the south. So now both versions of that final transmission exist.

Smudge

Welcome to my house. Enter freely, and of your own will...

penfold

Cheers Smudge. It's a pity they only have the events on a saturday, my job makes it so tricky.... and Derby Day, impossible!! One day though...

Bit of a Bay Window, what??

smudge

Let's hope so...

Sorry, I should have been more clear. Not only were these DH's final continuities for ABC it was (as you probably guessed) the closing down of ABC TV back then.

Smudge

Welcome to my house. Enter freely, and of your own will...

asiamiles

I recall having a pint with Robin Askwith (and Ian Botham) in the bar of the Wimbledon theatre after they'd done a panto; yeah, Robin and Beefy both seemed nice down-to-earth blokes, the latter insistent no one mention the football scores as he'd taped a match and wanted to watch it when he got home. Possibly the nicest Brit film celeb I met at work was Lindsay Anderson who always stayed and chatted with me about whatever film he'd just seen; I wish I'd had the foresight to get him to sign my copy of his "John Ford" book, though I could never quite understand why he though THEY WERE EXPENDABLE was Ford's best picture.