Val Guest - Page 2 - Britmovie

julian_craster · 23-05-2006, 01:32 PM

Memories of Val Guest from today's Times (London)......

Roy Martin writes:
When Ray Seaton and I were researching our biography of
Will Hay, Good Morning Boys, in the mid-1970s, Val Guest (obituary, May 16)
really got the ball rolling. Without him, I doubt if the book would ever
have been published since at that stage he was our only contact who knew Hay
personally and who had worked on his movies.
Besides his own vivid memories of Hay he even allowed us to borrow his
scripts of the films and suggested many fruitful lines of inquiry for us to
pursue.

Bruce Montague writes:
Val Guest was a man of good humour, with patient
forcefulness of character. Val’s 80,000 Suspects (1963), about a smallpox
epidemic, was my first film. He offered me a choice of parts: a vignette
making love to Yolande Donlan (Val’s beautiful wife); or a mute, covered in
spots and dying in agony, who was the focus of infection and thus the film’s
prime suspect. I was young and unwisely chose the former.
We spent all night shooting the drunken kiss. The result was that all but a
few seconds of the scene ended up on the cutting room floor.

dylan · 23-05-2006, 03:27 PM

Quote:

(Merton Park @ May 19 2006, 08:27 AM)
Great Director, one of my all time favourites. Read his book a couple of years ago "So You Want To Be In Pictures", excellent read. Directed many films in a noir documentary style, in a way not dissimilar to Don Siegel.

He admired Kazan's Panic in the Streets about a hunt for a plague victim in New Orleans. This inspired the documentary narrative of The Quatermass Experiment and the plot of 80 000 Suspects.

D

yorksshirepud · 08-08-2006, 10:25 PM

JUst found out on here that he had died. Not getting a newspaper I somehow missed hearing of it. He sure was an Icon. did not even realize he had lived out here in the Desert .

Mr Pastry Time · 04-09-2006, 05:40 PM

Miss London Lts
And Richard Hearne AKA Mr Pastry was in it! Regards

Simon Bermuda · 01-11-2006, 06:03 PM

Reading the late Mr Guest's autobiography, I happened upon the following passage, which describes a certain Rank Charm School starlet as:

"... a smashing young nympho who went on to become the leading lady of many British films and a couple of Hollywood ones. Out of respect for her hard-working, still-in-the-business family I won't identify her other than to say that the studio, with a certain degree of fondness, would point her out as being the original good time that was had by all." (p68)

Naturally, I immediately began to wonder as to this young woman's identity, and while some likely candidates did immediately spring to mind, they seem a bit on the young side to have participated in a rather farcical "bonking session" with the studio manager, alleged to have taken place during a wartime bombing raid (unless, of course, Mr Guest was getting his chronology slightly muddled?)

Just wondered if anyone could shed any light?

DB7 · 01-11-2006, 06:26 PM

Sounds like it's a deceased actress so my guess would be Kay Kendall.

smudge · 02-11-2006, 07:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DB7

Sounds like it's a deceased actress so my guess would be Kay Kendall.

No family in the business though ???

Smudge

Steve Crook · 02-11-2006, 07:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by smudge

No family in the business though ???

Smudge

Her cousin is still alive, and working. He brother died in 1999

Steve

01-11-2006, 06:03 PM	#20
Simon Bermuda has no status. Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 46 iTrader: (0)	Mystery Nympho Reading the late Mr Guest's autobiography, I happened upon the following passage, which describes a certain Rank Charm School starlet as: "... a smashing young nympho who went on to become the leading lady of many British films and a couple of Hollywood ones. Out of respect for her hard-working, still-in-the-business family I won't identify her other than to say that the studio, with a certain degree of fondness, would point her out as being the original good time that was had by all." (p68) Naturally, I immediately began to wonder as to this young woman's identity, and while some likely candidates did immediately spring to mind, they seem a bit on the young side to have participated in a rather farcical "bonking session" with the studio manager, alleged to have taken place during a wartime bombing raid (unless, of course, Mr Guest was getting his chronology slightly muddled?) Just wondered if anyone could shed any light?

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23-05-2006, 01:32 PM	#16
julian_craster has no status. Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Isle of Foula, UK Posts: 1,537 Country: iTrader: (0)	Memories of Val Guest from today's Times (London)...... Roy Martin writes: When Ray Seaton and I were researching our biography of Will Hay, Good Morning Boys, in the mid-1970s, Val Guest (obituary, May 16) really got the ball rolling. Without him, I doubt if the book would ever have been published since at that stage he was our only contact who knew Hay personally and who had worked on his movies. Besides his own vivid memories of Hay he even allowed us to borrow his scripts of the films and suggested many fruitful lines of inquiry for us to pursue. Bruce Montague writes: Val Guest was a man of good humour, with patient forcefulness of character. Val’s 80,000 Suspects (1963), about a smallpox epidemic, was my first film. He offered me a choice of parts: a vignette making love to Yolande Donlan (Val’s beautiful wife); or a mute, covered in spots and dying in agony, who was the focus of infection and thus the film’s prime suspect. I was young and unwisely chose the former. We spent all night shooting the drunken kiss. The result was that all but a few seconds of the scene ended up on the cutting room floor.

08-08-2006, 10:25 PM	#18
yorksshirepud has no status. Junior Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: los angeles Posts: 9 Country: iTrader: (0)	JUst found out on here that he had died. Not getting a newspaper I somehow missed hearing of it. He sure was an Icon. did not even realize he had lived out here in the Desert .

04-09-2006, 05:40 PM	#19
Mr Pastry Time is Pop goes the weasel Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Europe Posts: 181 My Mood: Country: iTrader: (1)	Miss London Lts And Richard Hearne AKA Mr Pastry was in it! Regards

01-11-2006, 06:26 PM	#21
DB7 is just Administrator Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Shrops Posts: 6,066 My Mood: Country: iTrader: (10)	Sounds like it's a deceased actress so my guess would be Kay Kendall.