Message Board Archive
| This message board, which was provided as a free service by InsideTheWeb.com, has been disabled due to the unfortunate discontinuation of their services. All previous entries have been saved in this archive. To access the current message board, please click here. Thanks for visiting, and I look forward to discussing Robert Newton and his work with you on the new message board! |
Uh-oh ... bad news!
Tuesday 20-Feb-2001 09:52:45
Message:
I just got a message from Inside the Web that they will be shutting down their message board service (including this one) effective March 1! Of course I'd like to keep this sort of forum going and find another service where we can continue to chat. (And of course I'll link it to the Robert Newton site so you won't have to wonder where we went.) So I'd like to take a poll:
Are there any other message-board services that you've used that you'd recommend?
Also would anyone be interested in having a Yahoo club or group set up in addition to the message board? Being a member of a club or group means you have to sign up for an account--but Yahoo groups allow you the option of receiving postings as e-mail or checking them on the Web whichever you prefer. You can also share photos or other files in a shared-file area. But the advantage of a message board is that it's easy for the casual passerby to participate or just ask a question without any obligation. (And you get more room to write than with a guestbook.)
If you could share your preferences/suggestions by this Sunday the 25th I'd really appreciate your help in making the decision. I've always liked this message board system; I'm very sad to see it go! I hope you all want to keep the discussion going!
Susan
Re: Uh-oh ... bad news!
Tuesday 20-Feb-2001 17:05:23
Message:
I use some Message Boards that are set up
using Bravenet Services. They seem to be
easy to use & I think they are free.
ChuckC
Thanks! Any opinions?
Wednesday 21-Feb-2001 12:49:25
Message:
I checked out Bravenet; it looks pretty cool. A nice feature: You can set your own banner/image at the top ... and you can put a cute bullet next to your name! One thing I like better about this one here though is that you can see the text of the first message in a topic on the front page. I don't know of any other services that do that do you?
Any alternate recommendations or comments about the Bravenet service? Click here to see a sample Bravenet message board.
Here's another possibility but it looks very utilitarian. (No possibility for customizable backgrounds fonts icons photos of RN at the top of the page ...)
Thanks for your input!
Susan
Clarification
Wednesday 21-Feb-2001 12:51:41
Message:
Well I can set the banner/image at the top with Bravenet that is. But each poster picks his/her own icon.
Susan
Yet another sample
Wednesday 21-Feb-2001 13:42:54
Message:
Click here to check out yet another possibility. Looks pretty bland visually but I like the way it's organized. Other thoughts?
Susan
Re: Uh-oh ... bad news!
Wednesday 21-Feb-2001 22:29:07
Message:
Hi Suky
Sorry to see your message board in it's present form - go but I'm sure you will come up with a suitable alternative. I post on the Mysteries.com messageboard for Inspector Morse and like its format. You can set your preferences I like the flat mode where you see the original message then all the replies are shown below in their entirety without having to click on each of them to view them. There are other neat options available also.
Wini
Re: Re: Uh-oh ... bad news!
Thursday 22-Feb-2001 09:42:38
Message:
Thanks Wini. That Mysteries.com board looks great ... except it seems A&E had their own programmers create the board and they're not offering any free ones like it. I'm kind of leaning toward the Bravenet service except they have one drawback: You can't see a listing of the other messages in the current thread while you're reading a post. And if you just click on "Next" and "Previous " you can lose track of how many postings you have left to read in the current topic.
Please keep the suggestions coming!
Susan
Another possibility
Thursday 22-Feb-2001 11:43:59
Message:
Here's yet another system called "EZ Board." Here's a sampling of several different message boards created with this system:
Some of them require registration before you can make a posting but that's at the option of the board's administrator; I'd prefer not to require registration like this one for the reasons mentioned.
Well I'll stop hunting but would love to check out any others you recommend. Please cast your vote by Sunday. Thanks!!
Susan
And the nominees are ...
Thursday 22-Feb-2001 18:11:46
Message:
Oops sorry to keep posting like this but I found one more message board system without really trying. In fact it looks the best so far in that it's almost identical to this board system with two exceptions: (1) You can place a customized image at the top (in addition to having a custom background image) and (2) when a reply is posted to an older topic that topic automatically bounces up to the top. That might take some getting used to but I kind of like that idea. That way you don't have to wade through old posts just to see if anything new has been added--and possibly miss something if you don't have the time to go through all the old messages. It's called Voy.com.
So just to summarize here are the official "nominees" for a new message board host (in my order of preference):
- Voy.com (customizable motif most similar to this board new replies make the topic pop up to the top)
- EZBoards (customizable motif nice organization you can choose a custom image to appear next to your name whenever you post)
- Bravenet (customizable motif cute emoticons but you can't see the rest of the thread while you're reading a message)
- MyComputer.com (good organization a little bland but I already have an account set up with them and they don't seem like they'll be going under any time soon)
- CoolBoard.com (good organization cute emoticons bland motif seems to take a long time to load)
Please let me which one you like best. If no one expresses any preferences or objections I'll probably go with Voy.com.
And then let's just hope that our new message board service stays in business! (Be sure to click on the ads and buy lots of stuff from their advertisers whoever we go with! ;-) )
Susan
Re: And the nominees are ...
Thursday 22-Feb-2001 21:18:35
Message:
Voy.com gets my vote. It is pretty similar to this one and I like the feature that when replies are posted that subject advances to the top.
Wini
Adventures of Long John Silver
Friday 16-Feb-2001 11:18:08
Message:
Greetings (or should I say "Arrr mates!")
I am writing to the message board in the hopes that someone could assist me in a research project that I have been conducting for almost 10 years. I've been attempting to collect all of the sequels (and prequels) to the RLS classic *Treasure Island* (novels comic books radio shows TV cinema poetry songs etc.) in order to write a bibliography and book on the subject. I have collected all of the "Adventures of Long John Silver" episodes on VHS expect the following:
Where Men Are Men
The Master's Touch
The Siege
A Flag Flies Back
The Fishwife
Temple Of Evil
To Purity A Daughter
Ties Of Blood
Strange Cargo
Internal Triangle
The Crisis
If *anyone* has any leads contacts or information on how to obtain copies of these episodes it would be greatly appreciated. Of course those individuals who help me connect with these videos will be cited in the book for helping me. I don't know when the book will be started as I'm still in the collecting phase of it (but I'm nearing its completion).
Thank you!
Tim
TXH120@alumni.psu.edu
Tim Hufnagle
txh120@alumni.psu.edu
Re: Adventures of Long John Silver
Monday 19-Feb-2001 10:25:03
Message:
Ahoy Tim! Sounds like it'll be an interesting book--I'm looking forward to it. (TI's one of my favorite books of all time, of course.) You probably already know about Bjorn Larsson's recent sequel right?
I wish I could help you with the videos but I'm sorry to say that I'm missing the same episodes that you are (and probably a few more). So I'd really appreciate any leads on where to find copies of those elusive shows too. Unfortunately though I don't think all the episodes were released on video. But I'd sure love to find out otherwise. Thanks!
Susan
sanneke@iname.com
Hello
Saturday 10-Feb-2001 02:49:24
Message:
Hello
The Hidden Room
Sunday 28-Jan-2001 00:26:41
Message:
I recently enjoyed watching this RN film again after 20 years. Thoroughly enjoyed it however one weakness in the story I noticed was that if Scotland Yard was investigating Dr. Riordan they would have had someone watch and follow his every move. Surely they would have had him followed on the many occasions when he left his practice (carrying the caustic concoction) to the bombed-out building where his held Bill Kronin captive.
It is interesting to note that this was yet another RN film where a dog was responsible for his characters' sinister discovery and downfall. The other of course being 'Bullseye' in Oliver Twist.
One thing that really struck me about Superintendent Finsbury's character was a very strong similarity to Peter Falk's 'Columbo'. Ignoring Columbo's rumpled disheveled appearance they were very similar by the way in which they unrelentingly hounded their respective suspects. Columbo used to be a favourite of mine back in the 70's and that was also the same time frame when I first saw THR. Both Columbo and Finsbury got right under their suspect's skin and it was fun to watch their initial reactions to them both beginning as a minor annoyance and irritance gradually snowballing to a fever pitch to where they would ultimately become so agitated and unnerved they would unwittingly make some sort of flub as to give themselves away. Both Columbo and Finsbury had a knack of interogating their suspects without their knowing they were being interrogated! Finsbury took note of Riordan's referring to him as 'pal' which was an obvious Americanism and not in keeping with his very proper British grammar. This to me was very Columbo-esque! When I watched The Hidden Room for the first time in the 70's the notion of the similarities between the two was so uncanny that I figured the creators of the Columbo series (Levinson & Link I think) must have surely watched THR and Americanized it! On a lighter note: both had oral fixations...Columbo chewed on a stinky cigar while Superintendant Finsbury packed his pipe!
Does anyone else have any ideas/opinions on this? Let's get some lively discussion going here!!
Wini
Thanks for your review Wini!
Tuesday 30-Jan-2001 18:46:38
Message:
It was very interesting and I agree with everything you said. You have a keen eye for details. :-)
LH
Yes thanks Wini!
Thursday 1-Feb-2001 13:56:26
Message:
I agree too! What interesting observations. The part about the dogs had never occurred to me. And I never knew the name of Sikes's dog. Was it mentioned in the film or did you get that from the book (one of many I keep meaning to read)? I sort of tried to listen for it but never heard it mentioned in the film.
It's also interesting that you compared it to Columbo--one of my favorite TV shows from way back. I had noticed that myself and had the exact same thought about the detective in another RN film The Squeaker. Although their styles are a little different they have in common that the suspect never even realizes he's being investigated! And they're both very persistent. I bet Columbo's creators were just classic-movie fans--or RN fans!
Sorry I can't be more lively but I have to agree with you on one further point: Yes more discussion! Does anybody disagree??? :-)
Susan
Re: Yes thanks Wini!
Thursday 1-Feb-2001 19:10:49
Message:
Must have got the dog's name in OT from the novel. You're right Susan I don't think it was mentioned in the film. And yes it's a shame that the 'lurkers' out there don't post more often on your board. I ocassionally post on A&E's Inspector Morse (another fave of mine!) messageboard. It's a pretty lively group (mostly women) and one of the regulars will frequently post a quiz for a fun challenge when things get quiet on the board.
Wini
AAARGH! BE YE JIM ARKINS?!!
Wednesday 24-Jan-2001 16:19:26
Message:
Here's a budget tip for ya Bob! Get rid of that parrot and you'll save mucho $$$$ on dry cleaning bills. And no that's not Ben Gunn it's Tom Hanks; take his Oscars and make him walk the plank!
WWW.SNIPERSITE.COM
crown77@pacbell.net
Robert Newton as Long John Silver
Saturday 20-Jan-2001 05:02:16
Message:
I am looking for a photo of Long John Silver as potrayed in the 1950 film of "Treasure Island". Specifically I would like a left facial view at an oblique angle as he would be looking at an object 45 degrees to his right the photo taken directly in front of him. Is there such? I would be most grateful and would give full credit.
Thank you.
Patrick F. Golden MD
goldie@globalfrontiers.com
David Lean
Saturday 13-Jan-2001 22:50:45
Message:
I thought some RN fans might enjoy reading this exerpt from "David Lean" by Stephen M. Silverman. It is when RN and John Mills were making This Happy Breed.
"My old friend Robert Newton " said John Mills "although he had the reputation for being an exciting actor was known for his devotion to any form of liquid refreshment." This Mills knew made filmmakers wary. "Noel (Coward) and David both wanted him for the part " Mills remembered "but David who frowns at anyone even having a light ale at lunchtime during shooting was uneasy."
Newton's contract stated that if he tippled he would be out of the picture and Mills recalled the day he and his wife Mary eyed Newton staggering down the street in front of the Mills cottage in Denham Village - about fifty yards from the home of David Lean. "I grabbed Robert and hustled him as quickly as possible into the cottage " said Mills describing his and his wife's maneuver as "not an easy procedure as he had both arms round our necks hugging and kissing us and informing the village in a loud clear voice what darling people we were." Coffee and a good sleep set Newton straight for the next day's shoot for which he rewarded his rescuers with a case of champagne and a note. The message read "Darling chums A friend in need etc. Love Robert."
A friend in need - exactly! I'd say!
Wini
The Beachcomber (1954)
Tuesday 9-Jan-2001 22:02:03
Message:
Hello my name is Christopher Weedman.
I am currently co-writing a book on the career of the late Donald Pleasence with an archivist at the British Film Institute. Pleasence made his film debut in the 1954 remake of THE BEACHCOMBER with Robert Newton.
Do any of you know of any books or magazine articles that contain any information on the making of the 1954 film? I would appreciate any leads you might have.
If anyone has any trivia or any facts please feel free to e-mail me with it.
Thank you so much for putting together a first-rate site to Robert Newton who was a fabulous actor! I run a site devoted to Pleasence. The URL is:
http://www.geocities.com/pleasence/
Take care.
Christopher Weedman
pleasence@yahoo.com
The Green Cockatoo
Sunday 7-Jan-2001 13:15:52
Message:
Has anyone out there seen The Green Cockatoo and The Squeaker? I was fortunate to see them both many years ago on tv and wondered what your thoughts might be. I have the following Robert Newton films in my personal collection:
This Happy Breed Treasure Island Henry V Fire Over England Gaslight (with Anton Walbrook) Odd Man Out Major Barbara and Androcles and the Lion. Couldn't believe my luck stumbling upon this site - it's absolutely wonderful Sukie! Thanks for all your hard work.
Wini
Re: The Green Cockatoo
Tuesday 9-Jan-2001 12:52:59
Message:
Hi Wini! Glad you stumbled on the site!
I've never seen The Green Cockatoo unfortunately. But I did see The Squeaker. I thought it was pretty good (except for the jokes which were really baaaaad especially the ending!). Actually I just happen to be working on a page of film reviews for the site which should be ready to post any time now so you'll soon know my thoughts on all the RN films I've seen.
So what are your thoughts on those films?
Susan (a.k.a. Suky)
Re: Re: The Green Cockatoo
Tuesday 9-Jan-2001 23:21:00
Message:
Hi Suky
I probably saw The Green Cockatoo on the Late Late Late Show (which is where it belonged!) well over 25 yrs ago so I don't remember much. RN and John Mills were brothers (now that's a stretch!). JM was the proprietor of a night club called the Green Cockatoo and RN (the black sheep of the family) was a gangster type. At the time this film was made I think the British were trying to cash-in on the popularity of the American gangster flicks with Cagney Bogart and Edward G. But unfortunately they didn't quite carry it off. It was quite laughable in that respect. I remember RN's character (Johnny I think his name was) referring (rather politely) to the rival gang's leader with his Christian name which was 'Terrill'. The American versions used 'tougher' names like Mugsey or Bugsey or Scarface which were more believable and realistic in keeping with the nature of the subject. RN's character is murdered in the film and one detail I do remember is of John Mills wearing a very gaudy-looking tie (even in B+W!) with a parrot painted on it and RN touching it and commenting on it to JM. (Probably how tacky it looks!) I think (but am not 100% sure) that Tamara Desni was his love interest in the film. Well that's about it for now. I'll comment later on The Squeaker.
Wini
Re: Re: Re: The Green Cockatoo
Wednesday 10-Jan-2001 00:44:48
Message:
Ooops! Before you correct me on this one Suky I'll save you the trouble. I think I've confused The Squeaker with The Green Cockatoo as far as Tamara Desni is concerned. She was indeed featured in The Squeaker.
Wini
Busman's Honeymoon
Thursday 4-Jan-2001 14:57:29
Message:
Just in case you haven't had a chance to check the TVNow schedule for this month Turner Classic Movies is airing one of RN's less frequently shown films Busman's Honeymoon (a.k.a. Haunted Honeymoon) tonight/Thursday morning at 4 a.m. EST.
Susan
Oops I mean *Friday* morning
Thursday 4-Jan-2001 14:58:52
Message:
These short work weeks are rough! ;-)
Susan
Long John Silver TV series
Friday 8-Dec-2000 18:24:59
Message:
My favorite line from the TV series was " Puberty Pincombe you old slut".
Is an audio of the introductory nerrative of the series available on line ?
Jim Marr
Jim Marr
ddennis@nbnet.nb.ca
Re: Long John Silver TV series
Thursday 14-Dec-2000 16:13:44
Message:
I don't remember hearing that line on the series ... Do you remember which episode it was?
I don't know of an audio version of the opening narrative available online (and don't have the technology to create one myself--wish I did!) but you can *watch* and hear two complete episodes of the series online here:
http://www.liketelevision.com/web1/classictv/longjohn/
It's a great intro isn't it?
Susan
Re: Long John Silver TV series
Sunday 7-Jan-2001 21:03:56
Message:
Came across the audio intro to the Long John Silver series. Wow listening to that brought it all back to me! You can listen to it at: http://whirligig-tv/children/other/adventure.htm# The Adventures of Long John Silver
Enjoy!!
Wini
Jamaica Inn
Tuesday 28-Nov-2000 08:24:41
Message:
You can now see the entire movie at:
http://www.movieflix.com/cgi-bin/action.pl?movie_info=1&movie_id=622
LH
Tamara Desni
Friday 24-Nov-2000 13:09:13
Message:
I did some research about her on the Internet...
His paramour in the movie Tamara Desni was also his fiancée in Fire Over England. I looked for info about her. She wasn't very lucky career-wise. Early on in her career she got three leads in mediocre programmers then she was demoted to smaller and smaller roles. She didn't do a single movie during the war; after that she had small parts in Bs before finally retiring in 1950. I can't see why she had so little success. She was beautiful danced well sang well (unless she was dubbed) and was a okay actress. The IMDB gives 1913 as her birth year. They don't even say where she was born (Russia I suspect. Her mom was an actress too). They must have fled to Britain during the revolution. The IMDB doesn't say when she died so maybe she didn't. Perhaps now she's telling her great-grand-daughter about that glorious time when she was a star and doing movies with Robert Newton! :-)
LH
Random thoughts...
Sunday 19-Nov-2000 05:14:14
Message:
Okay I now have seen 19 Robert Newton films and several Long John Silver episodes.
Three of his classic films have disappointed me:
Around the World in 80 Days is so long and boring. I can't understand how it won the Best Movie Oscar in 1956. Perhaps because Mike Todd had recently died and left the most beautiful widow in the world behind him?
Odd Man Out is full of great qualities but a lot of it looks pretty dated today especially Mason's character's hallucinations.
Henry V... I tried very hard to like it but Shakespeare without French subtitles always gives me a headache. Newton's acting belongs to the commedia dell'arte: Very colorful and completely over the top and 100% artificial. I loved it. The leek scene reminded me very much of a Punch and Judy skit.
My favorite Newton performances:
1. Private Bartlett in The Desert Rats
2. Ginger Ted in The Beachcomber (1954)
3. Dr. Riordan in Obsession
4. Jem Trehearne in Jamaica Inn
5. Bill Sikes in Oliver Twist
6. Long John Silver in Treasure Island
7. Controleur in Vessel of Wrath
8. Ancient Pistol in Henry V
9. Lukey in Odd Man Out
My favorite movies:
1. Obsession
2. Oliver Twist
3. Jamaica Inn
4. The Beachcomber (1954)
5. Gaslight
6. Treasure Island
7. Androcles and the Lion
I still have to see such important Robert Newton pictures as The High and the Mighty Hatter's Castle and especially This Happy Breed.
I have yet to see a real dog with Robert Newton; the RN movies I liked the least were Blackbeard and Return to Treasure Island but they were both watchable and they each have their moments... I sure can't say that about several of David Warner's worst movies including *his* pirate film The Island
A question for Return's producers: Why did you choose the only three bad episodes of the series to make your movie?
LH
Re: Random thoughts...
Wednesday 24-Jan-2001 16:26:19
Message:
There's a whole lot of people who would like to see "The High and the Mighty" (original and still king of airport-style movies) AGAIN. John Wayne's estate has that sucker sealed up tighter than Al Gore's lockbox apparently with no plans for a re-release or licensing to video and DVD distributors. Too bad it's one of RN's best.
WWW.SNIPERSITE.COM
crown77@pacbell.net
High and Mighty
Thursday 1-Feb-2001 14:03:16
Message:
I actually saw it once. It was on TV back when John Wayne was still alive. I wish I could remember more about it--all I can recollect is that it seemed like a forerunner to the Airport series and I vaguely remember RN playing a panicked passenger and talking with a Slavic-sounding accent.
My next-door neighbor is a big John Wayne fan. He told me that Wayne's son is really the one who won't allow that--or several others--to be released. It's a real shame.
Susan
The Channel Incident
Friday 17-Nov-2000 00:21:07
Message:
Britmovie now has a page about RN's 1940 short "The Channel Incident". It was produced by the Ministry of Information.
Britmovie has no photo of the film.
Robert Newton is not even mentioned in "Peggy Ashcroft" by Michael Billington.
LH
New Happy Breed page at britmovie...
Thursday 26-Oct-2000 23:12:11
Message:
With a nice photo of Newton and Celia Johnson:
http://www.britmovie.co.uk/directors/d_lean/filmography/006.html
Another page about the film with a photo of Newton in a pub:
http://www.moma.org/filmvideo/db/film/212.html
LH
Britmovie plagiarized my site!
Friday 27-Oct-2000 08:53:28
Message:
I just searched that Britmovie site ... And found almost my entire bio on Robert Newton plagiarized on their message board without a credit. Their "own" bio was adapted from mine taking whole chunks of it word for word!
Susan
BritMovie removed the pilfered text
Friday 27-Oct-2000 13:56:56
Message:
I contacted BritMovie and they graciously and quickly removed my material from their Robert Newton bio. Whew! (BTW they have pages on several other Robert Newton films plus a message board and--surprise surprise--a mini Robert Newton bio. Just click the "Home" button on the Happy Breed page and do a search on "Robert Newton" at the bottom of the left frame.)
The guilty party was the person who posted my bio on the BritMovie message board without a credit; the Webmaster assumed it was in the public domain and used it. (It didn't *seem* like the kind of site that would purposely plagiarize people's work.)
I don't mind if people want to quote what I wrote in fact it's very flattering ... but not if they're going to pretend it's *their* work!
Susan
A new cartoon inspired by Blackbeard the Pirate...
Thursday 26-Oct-2000 21:23:21
Message:
Animation Blast news at:
http://www.animationblast.com/news/august2000/
August 25 RKO Teams Up With Phil Roman
RKO Pictures has teamed up with animation producer Phil Roman to turn a series of vintage live-action films into direct-to-video animated features starting with SINBAD THE SAILOR (1947) BLACKBEARD THE PIRATE (1952) and the Three Muskateers adventure AT SWORD'S POINT (1952). RKO will handle distribution worldwide and use portions of the films for use on its Internet operation. Roman whose former animation company Film Roman produces shows as THE SIMPSONS and KING OF THE HILL will produce this show through his current company Phil Roman Entertainment.
In theory this sounds like a promising project but seeing how this is a direct-to-video effort I think we all know how it's going to turn out.
LH
More Blackbeard
Thursday 26-Oct-2000 21:43:18
Message:
This is what I found on a Spanish website:
EL PIRATA BARBANEGRA
10.55 - Canal 33
Blackbeard the Pirate. Director: Raoul Walsh (96 minuts color). Intèrprets: Robert Newton Linda Darnell. EUA 1952.
El rei d'Anglaterra encarrega a Henry Morgan l'assassinat de Barba-rossa el pirata més temut dels set mars. Un petit clàssic del cinema d'aventures marítimes amb un divertit Robert Newton que s'ho passa bomba en el paper protagonista.
Let's see...
The king of England encourages Henry Morgan to assassinate Redbeard (?) a pirate who "écume" (ravages?) the seven seas. A minor classic of the sea adventure genre with an entertaining Robert Newton who hams it up outrageously in the title role.
Wow! I speak more Spanish than I thought! :-) French and Spanish are quite similar.
LH
Español??
Friday 27-Oct-2000 08:36:34
Message:
Wait a minute I took four years of Spanish in high school and *I* can't read that ... although at first I thought it was Spanish too. But for one thing Spanish doesn't use apostrophes and backwards accent marks. So if it's not French and it's not Spanish (and it doesn't look like Italian either) could it be ... Portuguese?
(Portuguese has always reminded me of a cross between French and Spanish.)
Susan
The site is a Spanish one. But perhaps the text is in Portuguese... Although that would be strange.
Friday 27-Oct-2000 11:20:14
Message:
LH
See Blackbeard the Pirate with Quicktime...
Thursday 26-Oct-2000 22:58:29
Message:
However you need a cable modem to see it well.
http://www.onnbs.com/drama_blackbeard_t1.html
LH
You can buy a cassette of a radio broadcast of Les Misérables...
Wednesday 25-Oct-2000 18:39:44
Message:
Just go to this site:
http://www.sonic.net/~otrsteve/Frames_Version/Index.html
LH
A page
Tuesday 24-Oct-2000 18:45:12
Message:
Sorry I pressed the wrong key... AFI page about three versions of Les Miserables: http://www.afionline.org/nft/april96/nft.lesmis.html
Tuesday 24-Oct-2000 18:46:48
Message:
LH
This cartoon character wasn't inspired by LJS but Robert Newton could have brought him to life perfectly...
Monday 23-Oct-2000 21:24:53
Message:
Created by Hergé in 1944 Cpt. Haddock loves good whisky and a peaceful life at his castle Moulinsart. However he thinks that his duty is to follow Tintin in all of his adventures because the young 'un needs the protection of a stronger wiser man.
His mouth is as big as his heart. His fiery temperament often drives him to gesticulate wildly and yell colorful curses but at the end his sense of humor and his sentimental side always conspire to make his anger disappear.
To learn more about Cpt. Haddock and the other important characters in the Tintin series:
http://members.nbci.com/marlinspike/friends.htm
Don't you think that the opera singer who loves Haddock and pursues him relentlessly in several Tintin books could have been played by Connie Gilchrist?
A page about Haddock:
http://www.interlog.com/~tbaikie/homepage/haddock.htm
LH
Captain McAllister
Monday 23-Oct-2000 14:09:38
Message:
This week's TV Guide has a feature called "The 24 Secret Stars of The Simpsons" and there's a section on Captain McAllister! Contrary to what I had read on a Web page about the show the Guide says he's voiced by Hank Azaria (not Harry Shearer).
The article says "The sea captain's look--a pipe and one bulging eye--was a tribute to Popeye. But the growling pirate voice was Azaria's idea inspired by '50s English actor Robert Newton ('Treasure Island') who made a career of playing pirates in movies. [Creator Matt] Groening says: 'I have no idea where he came from. Arrrrrrrr!'"
Susan
Blackbeard once made an appearance on The Simpsons
Thursday 26-Oct-2000 20:56:28
Message:
It was on one of the Halloween specials. Homer sells his soul for a donut. After eating the donut Homer won't give his soul to the Devil and the Prince of Darkness sues him... One of the jurors at the trial is Blackbeard. He says "Arr". I can't tell if he speaks like Mr. Newton did in the Walsh movie; I saw the episode in French. But his French is quite odd so we can suppose that Blackbeard had a Newtonian way of speakin' in the original English version.
LH
Arrrrrrr
Friday 27-Oct-2000 08:27:04
Message:
Arrrr ... Well let's just say he spoke almost exactly like he did as LJS only moreso. (For example almost *every* line began or ended with "arrr"!)
Susan
A Blackbeard quote: "Argh. This chair is high says I."
Thursday 26-Oct-2000 21:18:40
Message:
LH
Robert Newton as Lepold Bloom in Joyce's "Ulysses"
Thursday 12-Oct-2000 13:26:24
Message:
After reviewing Robert Newton's bio and pictures on your site it strikes me that if the 1967 film version ( http://us.imdb.com/Title?0062414 ) of James Joyce's 1922 novel "Ulysses " could have been made when Newton was in his forties or fifties he would have provided the ideal characterization of the phenomenal Leopold Bloom in terms of both his abilities and appearance. Milo O'Shea ( http://us.imdb.com/Name?O%27Shea +Milo ) was good but Newton would have been perfect.
Frank Dauenhauer
That's a coincidence ...
Thursday 12-Oct-2000 15:45:40
Message:
Milo O'Shea is one of those actors who's always reminded me a bit of Newton (at least he did as the friar in Romeo and Juliet)!
I guess I should see Ulysses for myself but I'd be very interested to know what about the character makes him seem particularly tailor-made for Newton in the opinion of a Joyce scholar. Thanks!
Susan
Svengali
Saturday 7-Oct-2000 21:20:50
Message:
I just watched Svengali and surprisingly I didn't find it "unintentionally hilarious" as a review on the IMDb called it. I'd say it was just a so-so movie. (At least it was short--only 82 minutes.) I really think it suffers from the loss of Robert Newton even though his replacement Donald Wolfit was nominated for a BAFTA film award as best British actor! By contrast the review said "Donald Wolfit gets my vote as Best Animated Cartoon character of 1955." I have a feeling Newton might have hammed it up if he'd stayed with the film but he would have been a much more entertaining and compelling villain than Wolfit. And maybe he would've done a better (was it Russian?) accent. Can't really blame Wolfit; he was pretty good considering he was brought in at the last minute. But he was no Robert Newton. I really wish Newton could've finished this film--I think it could have become another of his classics.
Donald Wolfit reminded me of a (greasy-looking) cross between Robert Newton's Blackbeard and Bela Lugosi in White Zombie. (With a bit of Easter Island statue thrown in!) He could've played Newton's double in Blackbeard the Pirate!
I tried to spot Robert Newton's remaining footage in the long shots and I think I found a scene where it very well could have been him. (From a distance those looked like his mannerisms!) Unfortunately the video I watched was of very poor quality so it almost could have been anybody. But if it's true that there's still footage of him left in the movie I'm betting it's the big festival scene about forty minutes in.
Susan
Trivia
Saturday 7-Oct-2000 21:28:37
Message:
Oops forgot to mention something you might find interesting: The author of the novel on which Svengali was based was George DuMaurier. (The novel was called Trilby.) He was the grandfather of Daphne DuMaurier (one of my favorite writers BTW), who wrote the novel on which another Robert Newton film is based, Jamaica Inn.
Susan
A photo
Wednesday 11-Oct-2000 22:52:44
Message:
Here's a picture of Wolfit (with Hildegard Knef):
Another attempt
Wednesday 11-Oct-2000 23:07:28
Message:
I don't know what happened there. I'll try again:
Contemplating his resemblance to Bela Lugosi I wonder if Wolfit's performance would have been more credible if this had been approached more as a "horror" flick than a romance/drama. I saw Svengali as a mysterious magnetic and powerful character along the lines of Dracula. I can very easily imagine Lugosi in the role!
Susan
Long John Silver the series
Tuesday 3-Oct-2000 20:13:52
Message:
Info photo sound and video clips:
http://www.whirligig-tv.co.uk/tv/children/other/adventure.htm#The Adventures of Long John Silver
Enjoy!
LH
Re: Long John Silver the series
Saturday 7-Oct-2000 21:54:18
Message:
That is just too cool, Louise! Thanks for finding that and sharing it!
That page has its own message board so I'll post some comments there. If a lot of people respond maybe they'll make more episodes available!
Susan
French posters
Tuesday 3-Oct-2000 17:00:29
Message:
You can see French posters of several of his films at:
http://www.moviecovers.com/multicrit.html?acteur=Robert+NEWTON&slow=0&int=1
A sample:
LH
The site is down today... I wonder what is happening. I must have scared them...
Wednesday 4-Oct-2000 11:35:04
Message:
LH
Robert Newton pirate et gentleman...
Tuesday 3-Oct-2000 16:56:11
Message:
has been moved to:
www.geocities.com/baddi_99/newton/
I put a nice logo on the old page and an animated GIF linking to the new location. You can see it at:
www.iquebec.com/cinephilia/newton.html
I'm still not satisfied with the Newton page. I'm currently rewriting the text completely. I will change several of the photos too.
LH
Newton imitations
Monday 25-Sep-2000 10:20:45
Message:
What about Captain McAllister on the Simpsons? He doesn't look like Mr. Newton at all but he sure "Arrs" a lot!
For more details about him go to this page:
http://www.snpp.com/guides/captain.html#1
<img src="http://members.xoom.com/frying_dman/captainmugshot.gif">
LH
Oops! The photo link doesn't work... It a Xoom dirty trick!
Monday 25-Sep-2000 10:22:49
Message:
LH
Doh!
Wednesday 27-Sep-2000 12:02:55
Message:
Arr matey right you be! ;-) (What a great list of lines replete with lots of "Arrr"s--can't you just hear Robert Newton saying them all?)
Arrrr those dirty so-and-so's at Xoom. I say we boards 'em 'n' takes no prisoners. In the meantime here's a picture from another source:
(Here's the URL for that site: www.geocities.com/TelevisionCity/1457/)
Thanks I'll add it to the list! (Congratulations "LH " you're the first contributor. Anyone else know of other Robert Newton impressions on TV or in the movies? As we know he was the first to affect that brand of pirate speech on film.)
Suky
Re: Newton imitations
Wednesday 27-Sep-2000 17:35:44
Message:
Hey does anyone happen to remember a commercial that my friend told me about ... It was for some brand of fish sticks aired in Canada with an actor who sounded just like Robert Newton's LJS. I'd add it to the list but I think it needs more detail especially since I haven't seen it myself. If you can help ... Thanks!! (I'll also give you a credit on the Web page!)
Susan
You're talking about the High Liner captain...
Tuesday 3-Oct-2000 17:18:50
Message:
I remember the commercial very vaguely. I'd been searching for the company's name for the past week when yesterday in the supermarket frozen food section... I came across a big ad for the High Liner company.
Of course I saw the ad in French so I can't tell you if the guy sounded like Robert Newton did as JLS. He did sound like the generic "vieux loup de mer" though.
Company's site:
www.highliner.com
Unfortunately it has no clips of the old commercials.
LH
Arrr ...
Thursday 5-Oct-2000 12:33:36
Message:
Thanks Louise!
So what's the French word for "Arrrrr"?? ;-)
Any other Canadians out there remember the commercial?
Susan
The French equivalent to "Arr". I don't know... I'd have to see the French version of Treasure Island to tell you that. La Boîte Noire has it but believe or not Newton's name is not on the box only Driscoll's is.
Friday 6-Oct-2000 11:47:56
Message:
LH
My first masterpiece on Photoshop Gif Animator
Wednesday 13-Sep-2000 19:08:58
Message:
The quality of the picture is much better than with the Microsoft Gif Animator and you get about a thousand times more options...
LH
Cool!
Friday 15-Sep-2000 16:04:11
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That's really neat. One of these days I'm going to get around to learning that stuff! (Fireworks has a GIF animator too.)
Suky
New re-releases...
Wednesday 13-Sep-2000 10:48:03
Message:
Tom Brown's School Days is now available on video.
The High and the Mighty will be released on DVD soon.
LH
Donald Wolfit
Tuesday 12-Sep-2000 00:59:29
Message:
A previous message asked who Donald Wolfit was and he was one of England's top stage actors who had a few forays onto the big screen. But the interesting thing is that the Albert Finney / Tom Courtenay film THE DRESSER is based on him.
Robert
Robert
sales@robertsvideos.com
Thanks for the information Robert! And welcome to the chatboard! I hope you visit it again soon...
Tuesday 12-Sep-2000 09:36:53
Message:
LH
More Wolfit
Wednesday 27-Sep-2000 11:27:32
Message:
What a coincidence ... If you're still curious about Donald Wolfit, The Dresser will be on Bravo (in the U.S.) this month as follows:
October 5 (or 6 depending on how early you go to bed!) at 2 a.m. October 6 at 1 p.m. October 24/25 at 3 a.m. and October 25 at 1 p.m.
And if I don't make any of my usual HTML mistakes here should be a picture of the no-longer-so elusive Wolfit in the role Newton was supposed to have played. (I just read that some of the long shots Newton had filmed for Svengali were left in the final film. Of course I'll be borrowing *that* video from the library ASAP!)
Susan
Oops that's not him!
Saturday 7-Oct-2000 20:55:27
Message:
That picture is of Terence Morgan not Donald Wolfit. I'll try to post one of Wolfit later. (He does kind of look like an Easter Island statue!)
Susan
The 2 Beachcombers
Monday 11-Sep-2000 12:39:24
Message:
Newton's Ted vs. Laughton's Ted: We have a fight à la Mike Tyson here. A mere wink from Newton and Laughton's out of the game completely. As the impudent ne'er-do-well Ted Newton is sexy colorful and completely likeable while Laughton's merely colorful without a hint of sex appeal or even charm. Newton's acting is completely natural while Laughton's hamming looks 100% phony. In fact in the 1938 version only two performances are not way over the top: Newton's as the controlleur and the dog as Ted's pooch. In a film peopled with outrageous caricatures only the controlleur and the dog never irritated me.
Newton's controlleur vs. Michael Hornden's controlleur: I want to say right away that Hornden who played the Controlleur in the 1954 version gave an excellent performance. In fact the 2 controlleurs have almost nothing in common so any comparison would be unfair to the two actors. However Newton is sexy and endearing (and so very young and trim) as the 1938 controlleur who is quite chummy with Ginger Ted and almost as roguish. His performance is perfect the best in the film. Watching the 2 versions it's interesting to see that 16 years and 50 pounds later Newton had retained most of his sex appeal.
Elsa vs. Glynis: I love Elsa Lanchester but I found her character (caricature?) more irritating than funny. I thought that she and Laughton's Ted sure deserved each other. I found them both so hammy that I fast-forwarded through most of their scenes together. I liked Glynis much better; sure as a performer she was way blander than Elsa but her "Christian soldierette" is not as big a caricature as Elsa's and not as annoying. It makes her relationship with Ted almost convincing at times but at times only. The story not the performers is at fault here.
The 1938 script vs. the 1954 script: Well they both have big flaws but I found the 1954 story much more captivating and funny than the 1938 one. The thing that annoyed me the most is when the duo is about to get trampled upon by an elephant. Robert and Glynis comfort each other but they completely ignore their unfortunate companion (perhaps because he was a Native? Do I detect racism here?) And their love story is not always convincing. While I could believe in a growth of mutual respect between them and while I could believe that Glynis had a crush on Robert I couldn't believe it when he ended up with her turned by her into the perfect Christian! C'mon! No more booze no more cigars and no more pretty Native girls for Ted??? Impossible!
Erich Pommer vs. Muriel Box: The great German producer directed only one movie. Thank God! Even though it was made in 1938 it looks like an early talkie: The actors act as if they were in a silent movie the sound is awful and the cinematography is static. Box's direction is much livelier… The biggest flaw is the continuity which is very very bad. I had a ball spotting all the goofs.
And the Cinéphilia award goes to: the 1954 version.
LH
Re: The 2 Beachcombers
Friday 15-Sep-2000 16:31:57
Message:
Wow thanks for a great review! I completely agree with everything you said about Newton. I thought he was much more charming as Ted than Laughton was (and if I'm biased at least I'm not the only one!). And you're absolutely right: It was clear why Glynis Johns fell for him (and that part of the story got a lot more build-up), but his suddenly falling for "that sanctimonious psalm-singing little prig" seemed implausible without further exposition.
I felt sorry for his poor native girlfriend who was so obviously in love with him. Talk about racism--it seemed to be a total non-issue that he just up and left her for another woman.
I didn't notice that their companion for the elephant trampling was native however. Not only was my attention directed elsewhere on the screen ;-), but I saw him as the equivalent of a "red-shirt" guy on Star Trek--you know the new character who suddenly appears out of nowhere; whether he's a native or not since you don't know him you're not supposed to feel bad when something happens to him.
The only place where I have to disagree that I personally found Glynis Johns more irritating, with her exaggerated helpless-little-girl voice and stiff mannerisms. I don't remember being bothered by Elsa's performance.
I love your illustrations BTW! Thanks!
Suky
Re: Goofs?
Friday 15-Sep-2000 16:41:19
Message:
... What goofs? Please share them!
Suky
Goofs
Saturday 16-Sep-2000 14:43:03
Message:
When Ted is brawling in the dive his jacket has a rip in it... The next second it's intact.
When Ted and the Controlleur are talking in the Controlleur's office : when the camera is in front of Newton he is leaning on the desk and when it's focused on his back he's standing up straight.
LH
My goof... Donald Sinden played the Controlleur... I apologize to Mr. Sinden and to Mr. Hornden
Wednesday 20-Sep-2000 18:18:19
Message:
LH
A photo of the crew (but not the cast) which shows that some of the "outdoor scenes" of the 1954 version were shot in a studio...
Monday 23-Oct-2000 02:26:54
Message:
http://starriders.net/pinewood/images/beachcmb.jpg
LH
Hello every body! ;-)))
Sunday 10-Sep-2000 11:40:57
Message:
Hello every body! ;-)))
Spirit
Re: Hi Spirit
Friday 15-Sep-2000 16:45:19
Message:
Welcome! Are you a Robert Newton fan? Hope you'll share your thoughts about him! :-)
Suky
Robert Newton
Wednesday 9-Aug-2000 10:42:48
Message:
Robert Newton was a great actor. A real craftsman at his art. If he hammed up some of his best roles don't we all in those all too rare moments of life when we know we are at the peak of our life's greatest performances and achievements? God bless his soul for all the pleasure and enjoyment that he brought to millions of filmgoers and for being like us all too human and enjoying life's great ride.
J. Cunningham
jcunningham@barbagallo-cpa.com
Ham
Wednesday 23-Aug-2000 14:58:59
Message:
I like to think that rather than being a ham which so many have accused him of being he just took his work seriously and attacked each role with enthusiasm. He didn't do anything halfway and that's what made all his characters so memorable. Robert Newton's performances were certainly never boring--and were sometimes even the only interesting thing about a film!
Susan
Major Barbara
Wednesday 12-Jul-2000 15:12:39
Message:
I recently saw Major Barbara again for the first time in about twenty years. I expected to be more sophisticated now and being a George Bernard Shaw Play to like it a lot more than I did. Unfortunately I found it tedious.
I think I know why. I blame the direction--the acting seemed overly self-conscious to me; it's like the actors are all hitting you over the head (with a drum beater) saying "Ha ha! This is such a pithy satire!" The worst offenders much to my surprise were Rex Harrison and Robert Morley. Their performances might have worked on the stage but up close on film they came across as phony. I think it would have been much more effective if they'd played the roles straight. (Maybe it was because I was tired but I could barely keep myself awake for the second half of the film.)
On the other hand (and I'm *sure* I must be biased!) I thought Robert Newton truly was magnificent. His character was a bit of a caricature too but I found him quite convincing and natural in the film. His Bill Walker was the most interesting part. Probably one of my favorite characters that he's done--it's too bad I didn't like the film more!
One reason I became so interested in seeing the film again was something that was recently mentioned on A&E's Biography--no the biograph-ee wasn't Newton, alas, but Deborah Kerr. There's a scene where he treats her roughly and ultimately hauls off and hits her. In the biography they made much ado about how Robert Newton was too gentle in real life to hit her but the director insisted so they went through take after take trying to get him to hit her. Finally Deborah Kerr told him it would be less painful if he just gave her one good slug which he finally did. He ended up loosening her teeth and giving her a concussion so they say! Yet watching that scene it doesn't look to me like he really hit her that hard--it could've been faked and I wouldn't have been able to tell the difference. Also I read that he almost ruined the scene rushing forward to see if she was all right but I didn't see anything that looked like that in the finished film; she got herself up and he continued his tirade not missing a beat.
Any thoughts?
Susan
School
Sunday 9-Jul-2000 16:52:58
Message:
Does anyone know which schools Robert Newton attended ?
Frank
Frank@ampneycrucis.f9.co.uk
Re: School
Sunday 9-Jul-2000 17:54:23
Message:
According to Who's Who, he attended Newbury Grammar School; he also went to a school in Switzerland which they don't name.
His pal David Niven claimed he "held an excellent degree from Oxford University," but I've never seen that information mentioned anywhere else and I often wonder when he had time to attend college. He seemed to have been acting (and touring) steadily from the time he was 15.
I'm very curious too, if anyone else knows!
Welcome to the message board!
Susan
Bob's astrological profile
Sunday 2-Jul-2000 12:13:47
Message:
Before astrology.com trashes it here it is:
Section 1: General Personality Characteristics
You are in many ways an eternal child. Your mind is
bright alert curious flexible playful and always eager for
new experiences - and your attention span is often quite brief.
You grasp ideas quickly and once your initial curiosity has been
satisfied you want to go on to something else. You crave
frequent change variety meeting new situations and people.
It may be hard for you to decide just where your talents and
true vocation lies for you have a multitude of interests and
are loathe to limit yourself by concentrating on just one. You
are easily distracted by all of the other fascinating
possibilities. Your curiosity and restlessness propel you into
many different experiences in life and you are willing to taste
or try anything once. Doing the same thing over and over again
even it is something you do well is real drudgery for you.
You live in your head a great deal - reading observing
thinking spinning ideas around - and you need mental
stimulation every bit as much as you need food and drink. In
fact if you had to choose between a good book or movie and a
good lunch you would very likely choose the former. You have a
creative mind and often live by your wits.
You are also a very social creature with a strong need to
communicate and to interact with people. You enjoy using and
playing with words and have a real flair for getting your ideas
across in a clever interesting articulate manner. Writing or
speaking are areas you have talent for.
You also have a rather light and mischievous sense of humor
and often do not take anything too seriously. Though you crave
emotional involvement it is hard for you to achieve it for you
are frequently unwilling to commit yourself to anything to take
responsibility or to limit your personal freedom and mobility.
Your happiness lies in using your creativity and your
language skills to communicate something meaningful to teach
inspire or bring people together. You have an unbiased mind and
can usually offer a fresh clear uncluttered perspective. Your
faults are your lack of constancy and persistence and your
tendency to overlook or ignore deep emotional issues and other
people's feelings.
Your mind operates in a very deliberate and methodical
manner and you dislike being rushed or forced to give an opinion
before you have thoroughly ruminated and digested an idea. You
are also difficult to influence once your mind is made up.
Though slower to grasp new concepts or learn new skills you
are patient and persevering and in fact often become quite
adept at whatever you put your mind and hand to for you are
willing to devote much time and attention to it. You succeed not
so much because of your mental brilliance but because you have
the ability to concentrate and follow a project through to its
completion. You have an aptitude for singing or drawing.
In Chinese Astrology Bobbie was a Snake (wood) like David Warner and I (wood too).
We Snakes rule! :-)
LH
A great review of Treasure Island in French
Sunday 2-Jul-2000 12:00:30
Message:
http://www.kiss.qc.ca/Encyclopirate_WEB/biographies/Long_John_Silver/Long_John_Silver.html
LH
Happy belated birthday
Sunday 18-Jun-2000 23:04:58
Message:
Oops, how could I have forgotten to wish you a Happy Robert Newton Day, June 1. Well, better late than never, right?
Suky
My favorite Robert Newton film...
Thursday 15-Jun-2000 14:46:36
Message:
My favorite: Waterfront. A close runner-up: Oliver Twist.
My favorite RN performance is in The Desert Rats.
The biggest disappointment: Odd Man Out.
LH
Re: My favorite Robert Newton film...
Sunday 18-Jun-2000 22:59:43
Message:
I strongly agree with all your choices. I haven't picked a favorite yet because I haven't seen all his films yet but I really liked Waterfront a lot. I thought he gave a touching performance and the story was good as well. (And, of course, he gets lots of screen time always an important factor in choosing a favorite.)
On the other hand, I love Treasure Island; it's where I fell in love with him at the age of 12! I think that's still my favorite.
I loved him in Jamaica Inn too,but he's really the only good part of the film; Charles Laughton ruined that movie! Even Daphne Du Maurier the author of the book denounced the film! (I read Jamaica Inn as a result of seeing the movie, and it became my favorite book of all time.)
Desert Rats is my favorite performance so far too (although Waterfront would be a close second).
And Odd Man Out was a big disappointment for me too ... but then so was Snowbound. Snowbound is my least favorite of the ones I've seen. (I found it boring plus Newton has either top or near-top billing--I can't remember which--yet he's barely in it till the end. He gave a decent performance though.)
Suky
Re: Re: My favorite Robert Newton film...
Sunday 9-Jul-2000 09:22:27
Message:
I am thrilled to have found this site! I watched TREASURE ISLAND last night for the first time in years along with a portion of the 1972 Orson Welles production which was abominable by comparison particularly due to his portrayal of LJS. How dare he!
I have always wanted to know more about Robert Newton's life as I remember having a girlhood crush on him back in the '50's. I had no idea he died so young or that alcohol was a factor.
I also read with great sadness that Bobby Driscoll died alone and penniless of drug abuse. TREASURE ISLAND is a loving memorial to both of them.
Thanks to all who shared...I'll be checking back often to read more of your posts.
Ruthanne
ruthanne99@juno.com
Hi Ruthanne!
Sunday 9-Jul-2000 18:12:27
Message:
... and welcome to the message board! Glad to know I'm not the only one with a lifelong crush on him.
I completely agree with you--once you've seen Robert Newton's LJS there's just no topping it. That's one movie that doesn't need to be remade.
I often wonder how many more great films he might have left us with if it hadn't been for alcohol.
I had no idea Bobby Driscoll had died! I looked him up on the IMDb and he was only 31; it says he got into drugs when he got older and acting offers became rare then died alone in a vacant building in New York. What a tragic story!
It's good to know their version of Treasure Island will continue to live on.
Suky
I love this photo of Bobbie removing gum from under his shoe...
Thursday 15-Jun-2000 14:30:13
Message:
LH
On a second look it looks more as if he was taking his shoe off...
Thursday 15-Jun-2000 14:33:11
Message:
LH
Re: Maybe he plays a gumshoe ...
Sunday 18-Jun-2000 22:35:03
Message:
What a great picture! Thanks for sharing it. (Makes me want to watch the movie!)
Suky
A great photo
Monday 15-May-2000 17:32:56
Message:
LH
Re: A great photo
Monday 15-May-2000 23:57:59
Message:
Nice picture!! :-) Thanks.
Suky
Pygmalion and Odd Man Out
Monday 15-May-2000 17:13:15
Message:
Perhaps Bob had a very good reason to get himself fired from Svengali...
A user comment at the IMDB:
Summary: Unintentionally hilarious
Donald Wolfit gets my vote as Best Animated Cartoon character of 1955. He cracks his fingers before 'playing' the piano just like Bugs Bunny!
I think this Svengali dies of overacting.
There is a special bonus in this film: an uncredited (and very young) Jeremy Brett appears as a very happy art student in two sequences. He has a few lines and some nice closeups and even gets to sing along with Harry Secombe on "Alice Where Art Thou". A curious concept.
Hildegarde Knef is very beautiful and the film is nicely art directed except when she wears the Dior gowns. And the 'art' is pure Fifties kitsch. Some of the dialogue is so hilarious you will be yelling along with it ROCKY HORROR-SHOW style.
I read in a book about the filming of The Prince and the Showgirl this quote from Laurence Olivier (not his exact words however): "Marilyn has no discipline at all. Robert Newton and Donald Wolfit filmdom's two biggest drunks had discipline and it made all the difference."
Funny how one of the two biggest drunks of filmdom replaced the other in Svengali...
Wolfit? Who is he? I had never even heard of him before I started researching Bobbie.
Odd Man Out
Frankly I was disappointed by the movie. I had read that it was a masterpiece and it's only a good movie... It was daring in the era it was made but now it looks badly dated at times especially during Mason's cheesy hallucinations.
The acting is nearly perfect the plot is intriguing the direction is good the musical score is wonderful... I can't put my finger on what exactly is wrong with this film... just that it is dated. If I had seen it in 1948 I would have probably loved it. Last night I was merely slightly bored.
About Bobbie: I was under the impression that the man was playing himself. The alcoholic frenzied obsessive painter must have had a lot in common with the alcoholic obsessive actor who brought his characters home. I don't know if Newton ever got himself into a frenzy though...
When the drunken sad painter throws away the bottle in disgust of himself and the world I saw Bobbie not the character.
Do you think that Bobbie found his inspiration in memories of his father?
It's too bad that Luckey was in the movie for a mere 15 minutes. He was fascinating.
What do you think of the movie and of Bobbie's performance?
LH
Oops! I had missed your review of Odd Man Out. We seem to disagree...
Monday 15-May-2000 17:16:58
Message:
LH
Re: Oops! I had missed your review of Odd Man Out. We seem to disagree...
Monday 15-May-2000 23:30:32
Message:
We don't *totally* disagree ... We both found the movie a bit boring. Like you I'm not sure why exactly either--other than RN's not being in it nearly enough! It makes me wonder if I'd have enjoyed it more if Bobbie had played the lead role.
Also we agreed about his character but I sure *hope* he wasn't like that in real life. I thought it was really insensitive and cruel of Lukey to obsess over painting James Mason's portrait to the point of trying to prevent him from getting medical treatment. Bringing your characters home with you is one thing but if Bobbie were like that in real life (even when he wasn't filming this picture) I don't think David Niven would have devoted a whole chapter in his book to him and called him "kindly" and "warm hearted."
Robert Newton was in The Prince and the Showgirl?? I don't remember seeing that in any of his filmographies.
Suky
P.S. (Odd Man Out vs. Waterfront)
Tuesday 16-May-2000 00:23:32
Message:
Reading back over your post Louise there is something else we interpreted differently about Lukey. You said "When the drunken sad painter throws away the bottle in disgust of himself and the world I saw Bobbie not the character." I guess I saw his throwing the bottle away as one-dimensional act--a temper tantrum that he'd lost and the subject he wanted to paint had been taken away from him. Somehow I didn't pick up that he was disgusted with himself but you may be right. I guess I should watch it again (the last half hour that is!); I sure would like to believe that there was more depth to Newton's portrayal than that. (By the time the second-billed Bobbie finally made his 15-minute appearance in the film I was feeling pretty tired and impatient so maybe I just wasn't in the right frame of mind to appreciate whatever subtlety he gave to the performance. Also all those rave reviews I read had probably built my expectations up way too high.)
By contrast I just watched Waterfront for the first time the other night and found his character in that film much more interesting and tragic. It's a somewhat similar role but this time he plays the main character and so is in most of the film. Once again he's a drinker. And he's a somewhat selfish character but in this film he tries to redeem himself but by then it's too late. On the whole it was a sad and poignant movie. (And it's a whole lot shorter than Odd Man Out!)
You also asked "Do you think that Bobbie found his inspiration in memories of his father?" Well his father was still alive and painting until well after Bobbie's own untimely death so I don't think he needed to rely on memories. But I am curious too as to whether much of his inspiration came from growing up in a whole family of artists! (He certainly had more than one person to borrow from if in fact anyone in his family was anything like that.)
Suky
Newton wasn't in The Prince and the Showgirl...
Wednesday 17-May-2000 19:12:30
Message:
Donald Wolfit
Sunday 23-Jul-2000 12:00:50
Message:
I don't really know who Donald Wolfit is either. Out of curiosity I looked him up on the IMDb but it just lists his films. But, coincidentally I ran across a brief mention of him in the Richard Burton biography I was reading. Maybe this will give some insight:
It says that when he lived in Celigny, Burton "... welcomed increasingly and most of all 'stories' about the actors he knew and enjoyed. Best of all if they were funny. 'He loved them and loved to tell them over and over again. ... ' ... Brook Williams has become the Keeper of the Stories.
"'Anything to do with Hugh Griffith.' Griffith was a mighty Welsh actor of the period in the same sulphuruous and thundersome style as Donald Wolfit face like an Easter Island statue whose mother had mated with a gargoyle body big as a mattress Welsh to the tips of his black locks."
Suky
Newton vs. Beery
Tuesday 25-Apr-2000 10:09:05
Message:
I watched the 1934 version of Treasure Island (starring Wallace Beery and Jackie Cooper) last night just for comparison. I'd read somewhere that Robert Newton's portrayal was "similar" to Beery's and wanted to see for myself. Except inasmuch as they both portrayed the same character I didn't think they were *at all* similar!! Beery is downright boring compared to Newton. Newton makes Long John Silver likable and compelling a living character who stays with you long after the movie's over whereas I didn't find that in Beery's portrayal.
What do you think?
Susan
Re: Newton vs. Beery
Monday 1-May-2000 21:56:13
Message:
I watched a little bit of it & I thought Beery's acting was flat compared to Robert
Newtob.
ChuckC
The world she's a-flat ...
Tuesday 2-May-2000 17:54:52
Message:
I agree! But then the world is flat compared to Robert Newton's acting! :-)
Suky
Revised Robert Newton Web Page
Sunday 23-Apr-2000 17:50:37
Message:
Your revised Robert Newton Web page is very attractive and pleasant to read especially with the inset pictures (you could use even more if you have any). The text becomes much more meaningful with the associated pictures. The added navigation controls make it easy to figure out where you are where you've been and where you're going and to verify that you've seen the whole site. I like the new site better than the old one.
Frank Dauenhauer
Thank you!
Tuesday 25-Apr-2000 09:57:57
Message:
I have some more pictures I can add but they're on another computer. I won't be able to access them till next week. Thanks for the suggestions.
Susan
A new Robert Newton page in French
Thursday 20-Apr-2000 17:36:02
Message:
http://www.iquebec.com/dhall/newton.html
LH
Odd Man Out
Saturday 8-Apr-2000 14:16:13
Message:
I read about Odd Man Out last night. It made me want to see it so badly. It seems that every cinema writer agrees that it's Carol Reed's masterpiece even better than The Third Man possibly.
The other film that I want to see is Major Barbara.
LH
Re: Odd Man Out
Monday 10-Apr-2000 10:47:47
Message:
I haven't seen Odd Man Out yet either--but I really want to! Thanks for posting the picture. I wonder if he's using Winsor Newton paints! ;-) (I already use that brand myself but now that I know Robert Newton's grandfather co-founded the company I'll be sure to use nothing else!! I wonder if any of his descendents still own part of the company.)
I did see Major Barbara--RN was very good in it. I saw it quite a while ago but as I recall while he has a prominent role in the first half of the film there is what seems like an interminably long stretch of time before you get to see him again right at the very end. :-(
Suky
Finally saw it!
Friday 28-Apr-2000 23:20:37
Message:
To be honest I was disappointed in the film. I thought it was a little slow moving--but maybe that's because I was impatient to see Mr. Newton who had second billing in the film.
His character doesn't make an appearance until the last half hour of the almost-two-hour film and then his scenes are over with in about 20 minutes.
I was really looking forward to seeing him as an obsessed artist but I found his character unsympathetic and one dimensional. As almost too often seems to be the case he plays a drunk but this time a rather callous and selfish one. Newton does get to do some emoting at the very end of his last scene which I thought was very well acted. Unfortunately my reaction was not to feel sorry for him but to think "Serves you right!"
I guess it shows his range that he doesn't always have to be likable but I much prefer seeing him when he is!
Suky
The Desert Rats
Thursday 30-Mar-2000 13:06:23
Message:
I saw the movie last night. It's a dull war flick about some British soldiers defending Tobruck. It's well directed by Robert Wise but the only character with actual substance and color is Bob's. RN plays a lovable wise sensitive drunk. I loved him.
RN gets second billing after star Richard Burton. James Mason plays Rommel... in German. Yes all the scenes featuring Germans are in German. Suky is going to be happy.
I wonder if Mason's accent was right???
LH
Re: The Desert Rats
Saturday 22-Apr-2000 13:38:05
Message:
I finally finished watching <i>Desert Rats</i> last night. I'd seen it many years ago but had forgotten a lot of it. I have to agree that Robert Newton was the best part of the film. (Of course I'm not in the least bit biased!) In addition to his humorous and touching performance his was probably the most well developed character. As a general rule I don't care much for war movies but on my second viewing it struck me more as the story of two men and their friendship so I did enjoy it.
You're right--I also had fun practicing my German listening skills. Most of the Germans sounded like they were played by real Germans. (There was one guy I had a really hard time understanding--the one who stops the Allied convoy when the driver pretends only to speak Italian. After rewinding a few times I finally figured out why I couldn't understand him--I think the actor playing the German officer really was Italian! He had *some* kind of heavy accent.)
James Mason must either speak German in real life or have worked very hard at getting the accent right. However at times his rhythm/cadence seem a bit off which leads me to suspect that he may have learned his German lines phonetically. (It's not like he had a lot of them to memorize!)
In his big English-speaking scene his accent seems really exaggerated however almost to the point of parody. Any German who didn't learn his English out of a textbook would at least *try* not to pronounce every word that started with an "s" with a "sch" sound!
Suky
Ahoy!
Friday 24-Mar-2000 20:36:39
Message:
Hi! I guess I'll get things started with a question: What's your favorite Robert Newton film and why?
Susan
Re: Ahoy!
Saturday 25-Mar-2000 20:18:47
Message:
My favorite Robert Newton film is "Treasure Island."
Frank Dauenhauer
My favorites
Sunday 26-Mar-2000 12:39:56
Message:
Ar but why? :-)
I have to admit that I haven't seen all of his movies but of the ones I've seen my favorites are Treasure Island, Oliver Twist, and Jamaica Inn. Treasure Island for obvious reasons! I thought Oliver Twist was a good movie very well made. And of course Newton plays a colorful villain. As for Jamaica Inn, I didn't care for the movie itself, but I thought RN made a great romantic lead. Wish he'd had the chance to play more of them. (If it weren't for Sam Goldwyn he'd probably have gotten to play Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights!) He was versatile enough to play it all!
These three would also rank among my favorites because he has a lead role in them (i.e. lots of screen time).
BTW if you need a reminder to help you decide which were your favorites here's a link to his filmography at the IMDb:
http://us.imdb.com/Name?Newton +Robert
Susan
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