A Game of Love and Death: Margaret Lockwood and The Lady Vanishes (1938)

Director Alfred Hitchcock was best known for his blonde leading ladies. Indeed, as a lad discovering the movies of Alfred Hitchcock I had thought that every single leading lady in his films was blonde. I was then in for a bit of a surprise when I first watched The Lady Vanishes (1938). Here was a film in which the leading lady was decidedly not blonde. Indeed, the leading lady reminded me of Vivien Leigh, on whom I had a crush ever since I first watched Gone With the Wind (1939).  It should come as no surprise, then, that I was immediately taken with Margaret Lockwood, the brunette beauty who starred in The Lady Vanishes as Iris, the wealthy young playgirl on a train who investigates the disappearance of an elderly passenger (Dame May Whitty).

While Margaret Lockwood was new to me upon my first viewing of The Lady Vanishes, she was hardly new to film when she starred in the movie. She had made her debut on stage at the age of only 12, playing a fairy in a production of A Midsummer's Night Dream at the Holborn Empire in London. She trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and made her film debut in the 1935 version of Lorna Doone. By the time she starred in The Lady Vanishes, she had already appeared in several films, including Dr. Syn (1937) and Bank Holiday (1938).  Along with Bank Holiday (1938), it was arguably The Lady Vanishes which would propel Miss Lockwood's career to the astronomical heights it reached in the Forties (at least in the United Kingdom).

The Lady Vanishes  was based on the 1936 novel The Wheel Spins by Ethel Lina White.  It was that same year that Ted Black of Gainsborough Pictures purchased the rights to the novel at the insistence of screenwriter Frank Laudner. Mr. Laudner and his writing partner Sidney Gillat then set to work on a screenplay. American expatriate director Roy William Neil was assigned to the project and in August 1936 a crew as sent to Yugoslavia to shoot exteriors for the film. Unfortunately, Fred Gunn, the assistant director shooting the exteriors, broke his ankle in an accident. It was not long before the police investigating the accident learned that Mr. Gunn was part of a British film crew. At the time Yugoslavia insisted on approving any film made in the country, lest it give less than stellar impression of the nation. After reading the first few pages of The Lady Vanishes, Mr. Gunn and the film crew were promptly deported. In the end the whole experience would result in Gainsborough cancelling the film.

Fortunately, Frank Launder and Sidney Gilliat would find a way for the film to be made.  Mr Gilliat was working as an assistant to author and screenwriter Walter Mycroft, who knew and had worked with Alfred Hitchcock. Mr. Mycroft got the script to Mr. Hitchcock . Upon reading the script, Mr. Hitchcock cancelled all of his projects and insisted on filming The Lady Vanishes. Indeed, the director only insisted on minor changes from the original script.

As odd as it might seem now, Margaret Lockwood may not have been the only actress considered for the role of Iris. Newspapers at the time reported both Lilli Palmer and Nova Pilbearm were being considered for the part. It was Ted Black who suggested Margaret Lockwood for the role. She was  already under contract with Gainsborough and she was already popular with audiences. Alfred Hitchcock gave Miss Lockwood a screen test and she got the part. Margaret Lockwood was actually a fan of Ethel Lina White's novels, which generally dealt with young women who become involved in some sort of intrigue.

Margaret Lockwood's leading man would be Sir Michael Redgrave. The two actors did not know each and, in fact, would not meet until a charity ball at the Royal Albert Hall right before shooting commenced. It was on the first day of filming that Alfred Hitchcock decided to shoot the scene in which Iris and Gilbert (Sir Michael Redgrave's character) meet. Because of the particular scene in which Mr. Hitchcock shot them first, like their characters, then, Miss Lockwood and Mr Redgrave were somewhat unsure of each other for a short time. In the end, however, they got along quite well.  Margaret Lockwood also got along very well with Alfred Hitchcock. Having worked with Carol Reed, who was very detailed in his direction, she was pleasantly surprised when Mr. Hitchcock hardly offered any direction at all.

The Lady Vanishes was shot in a little over a month, on a shoestring budget, and shot on a set that was only ninety feet long.  Despite these hurdles, The Lady Vanishes became a critical and financial success in both the United Kingdom and the United States. In fact, it would be the success of The Lady Vanishes  that would allow Alfred Hitchcock to move to the States. Along with Bank Holiday it would also bring Margaret Lockwood one step closer to superstardom. After Bank Holiday and The Lady Vanishes, Miss Lockwood would generally play the lead in her films. What is more, she would star in some of the most successful British films of the Forties.

Of course, today Miss Lockwood is well known for playing the villainess in many films, the best known being The Wicked Lady (1945). In the Thirties, however, she was still playing sensible, down to Earth girls. In some respects, the character of Iris Henderson is no different. Indeed, she is returning to England after an extended holiday to get married. When elderly, fellow passenger Miss Froy (Dame May Whitty) disappears and everyone denies her existence, however, Iris proves to be a very different character from those Miss Lockwood had previously played. In fact, she proves to be an intelligent and very capable investigator.  Iris was strong willed, determined, and independent. She corresponds quite well to Edna Best's character, Jill Lawrence, in The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934), and in some ways can be seen as a forerunner to even more independent heroines such as Modesty Blaise in comic strips and Mrs. Cathy Gale and Mrs. Emma Peel on the TV series The Avengers.


Bank Holiday and The Lady Vanishes were turning points in Margaret Lockwood's career. By the mid-Forties she would be the most popular star in Britain.  The films in which she appeared were among the most successful in the United Kingdom at the time, including The Stars Look Down (1939), Night Train to Munich (1943), and, of course, The Wicked Lady (1945). Of course, The Lady Vanishes may not have simply given Margaret Lockwood a higher profile, but it may have affected the sort of characters she played. Afterwards  the characters she played would tend to be independent, strong willed women like Iris.  This would hold true even after Miss Lockwood began playing "wicked ladies." Indeed, it must be pointed out that her two most famous roles, that of Iris in The Lady Vanishes and The Wicked Lady have intelligence, independence, and resourcefulness in common, even if one (Iris) is good and the other (Barbara) is evil. The far reaching effects of The Lady Vanishes may have even extended to later in Miss Lockwood's career, as barrister Harriet Peterson was intelligent and independent much as Iris was. 

In the end, then, The Lady Vanishes was a pivotal film in Margaret Lockwood's career for more reasons than being a successful film directed by Alfred Hitchcock. It did more than give Miss Lockwood a higher profile and insure success for her in the coming years. It would in many ways shape her career for years to come.

Sitcom Writer Sam Denoff Passes On

Sam Denoff, who wrote some of the best episodes of  The Dick Van Dyke Show and co-created That Girl, passed on 8 July 2011 at the age of 83. The cause was complications from Alzheimer's disease.

Sam Denoff was born in Brooklyn, New York on 1 July 1928. He  and his long time collaborator Bill Persky had initially set out to be songwriters. They wrote jingles for DJ William B. Williams, then at New York City radio station WNEW. Their most famous work may have been "Let's Keep the Dodgers in Brooklyn," a protest against the team moving to Los Angeles. It was in 1950 that Messrs. Denoff and Persky first worked in television, writing on the first episode of the legendary Your Show of Shows.

They would not work in television again until 1963 when they wrote an episode of McHale's Navy. The same year they started writing for The Dick Van Dyke Show. They would win an Emmy for the episode "Coast to Coast Big Mouth" and would be nominated for the episode "The Ugliest Dog in the World." In 1964 Messrs. Denoff and Persky, along with series creator Carl Reiner, would win the Emmy for Writing Outstanding Achievement in Comedy or Variety for various episodes of The Dick Van Dyke Show.  The writing team also served as producers on the show.

Following their success on The Dick Van Dyke Show, Sam Denoff and Bill Persky would create That Girl. The sitcom That Girl starred Marlo Thomas as aspiring actress Ann Marie, who must take various temp jobs in order to make a living. The sitcom was revolutionary in being the first American comedy series to centre on a single woman who was on her own and was not working as a domestic. Messrs. Denoff and Persky would then create Good Morning, World. Sadly, it would only last a season.

In the Seventies the writing team would adapt the classic play The Man who Came To Dinner for The Hallmark Hall of Fame. They created the short lived series Lotsa Luck starring Dom DeLuise. Sam Denoff would serve as  a producer n such short lived series as The Montefuscos, Big Eddie, and Turnabout. In the Eighties Mr. Denoff served as a producer on It's Gary Shandling's Show. In the Nineties he wrote episodes of Harry and the Hendersons. His last work was writing episodes of Life With Bonnie in 2002.

The team of Sam Denoff and Bill Persky was definitely one of the greatest writing teams in the history of television comedy. The two of them wrote a huge number of episodes of The Dick Van Dyke Show, many of which were the show's very best. With Bill Persky he also created That Girl, and the two of them wrote many of the episodes of that show. Few television writers could lay claim to having written for and produced two classic shows, and having created one of them. Together they created classic bits of comedy that will be remembered for years to come.

The Late Great Sherwood Schwartz

Sherwood Schwartz, best known as the creator of Gilligan's Island and a man who wrote for everything from The Bob Hope Show on radio to The Red Skelton Show on  television, passed today at the age of 94.

Sherwood Schwartz was born in Passaic, New Jersey on 14 November 1916. He had planned on becoming a medical doctor and received a bachelor's degree at New York University. He was working on his master's degree when he dropped all plans of becoming a physician. To make a living he looked to his older brother Al, who at the time was writing for The Bob Hope Show, then less than a year old. He asked his brother if he would show Mr Hope some jokes if he wrote them. His brother consented, Sherwood wrote some jokes, Al showed Bob the jokes, at which point Sherwood was hired as a gag writer on The Bob Hope Show.

Sherwood Schwartz wrote for The Bob Hope Show for four years, whereupon he joined the United States Army during World War II. He wrote for Armed Forces Radio, including work on such shows as Command Performance, Jubilee, and Mail Call.  Following the war Mr. Schwartz returned to writing for radio shows Stateside, with stints on The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, The Alan Young Show, and Beulah.

It was in 1953 that Mr Schwartz entered television, writing episodes of I Married Joan. He then went to work on The Red Skelton Show. Despite staying with the show eight years, Sherwood Schwartz never got along with Mr. Skelton and, in fact, had it written in his contract that he would not have to meet with him. Mr. Schwartz would also work as the script consultant on My Favourite Martian during its first season.

 It was partially to escape from working on The Red Skelton Show that Sherwood Schwartz decided to create his own show. That show was Gilligan's Island. Gilligan's Island would not have a smooth trip to the small screen, with the network CBS interfering even before he show hit the air. It would have no smoother sailing once it debuted. While Gilligan's Island would receive high ratings, it also received some of the worst reviews of any show since The Beverly Hillbillies. Sadly, although it was a favourite with viewers from the beginning, the lambasting Gilligan's Island received from critics would affect its survival. It was cancelled after three seasons to make way for Gunsmoke, which had been cancelled, but then given a reprieve at the order of CBS CEO Wiliam S. Paley. The wretched reviews Gilligan's Island had received from critics had earned the ire of Mr. Paley, so CBS's programmer knew he would not care if they cancelled it. Gilligan's Island would go onto what may have been the most successful syndication run of all time.

Sherwood Schwartz would go onto create another fantastic comedy like Gilligan's Island. Entitled It's About Time, the series centred on two astronauts who are tossed back in time to the Stone Age and find themselves living with a family of cavemen. Numbering Imogene Coco among its cast, It's About Time would not be a success. It lasted only for the 1966-1967 television season.  Mr. Schwartz's next series would be somewhat more successful. The Brady Bunch debuted in 1969 and ran for five years before going onto a highly successful syndication run.

Sadly, Sherwood Schwartz would never repeat the success of Gilligan's Island or The Brady Bunch. Dusty's Trail, starring Bob Denver in the title role, was essentially a Western version of Gilligan's Island, with every character corresponding to one on the earlier show. It lasted only one year in syndication. The various revivals of The Brady Bunch in different forms, all lasted less than a season. Harper Valley lasted only a little over a season, at 30 episodes. The pilots Scamps (with Bob Denver running a daycare) and Invisible Woman were never picked up as series. Even shows on which Mr. Schwartz was credited only as a producer and not as a creator would not repeat his earlier successes. Big John, Little John and Together We Stand both lasted less than a season. The last regular series on Mr. Schwartz was involved was yet another Brady Bunch revival, The Bradys, in 1990.

Here it must be pointed that Sherwood Schwartz also wrote or co-wrote the themes for most of his shows, including Gilligan's Island and The Brady Bunch. Indeed, his theme to It's About Time is perhaps better remembered than the show itself. There are many who were alive when the show aired who remember the theme, but do not remember the show at all!

While Sherwood Schwartz would see little success after the Seventies, one cannot assume that his career was not extremely successful. The number of television writers and producers who have only one hit series are very few. Those who have two, as Mr. Schwartz had, are exceedingly rare. And then one must consider the number of years Sherwood Schwartz spent writing for such it shows as The Bob Hope Show on radio and The Red Skelton Show on television. What is more, it must be also be considered that Sherwood Schwartz not only had two hit shows, but two of the most successful shows of all time. If Gilligan's Island isn't the most successful show in syndication of all time, it must be in the top five (if not the top three). The Brady Bunch would not enjoy the phenomenal success in syndication which Gilligan's Island did, but it is still one of the most successful shows ever in syndication.

I must confess I was never a fan of The Brady Bunch, even as a child, but I love Gilligan's Island even to this day. Indeed, I can see in Gilligan's Island something which the vast majority of critics could not see in 1964. Gilligan's Island is a fantastic work of absurdist comedy. Of course, the show is preposterous. It was meant to be. Gilligan's Island is a show, not unlike The Beverly Hillbillies or The Monkees, in which the humour emerges not simply from slapstick or word play, but from the sheer outlandishness of its plots. What the critics of 1964 saw as a silly, even stupid sitcom was actually very sophisticated in its execution. Indeed, the critics missed one important fact of Gilligan's Island--it was funny. When it comes to comedy, it is better to be stupid and funny than intelligent and unfunny. Fortunately, Gilligan's Island was never as stupid as critics claimed and it was always funny.

Of course, it is easy to get fixated on Gilligan's Island when discussing Mr. Schwartz's career, but he did much more than writing about the Castaways. He wrote many of the classic sketches on The Red Skelton Show and, with his fellow writers, won an Emmy for the show in 1961. He wrote for years in radio on some of the best known shows of the time, including The Bob Hope show and The Alan Young Show. With regards to television, I can say that from the episodes I have seen on the net, It's About Time was a hilarious show. It was on par with Gilligan's Island, even if it was not as successful. And while I still don't like The Brady Bunch, I cannot deny that it has an appeal for a huge number of people.

Critics despised Sherwood Schwartz's two most successful shows. And even today there are those who, perhaps in an attempt to appear intellectually superior, will dismiss them as junk. What they fail to realise is the sheer brilliance of Mr. Schwartz. He wrote very funny material and created shows with lasting appeal. Indeed, he was a very intelligent man. In his book Inside Gilligan's Island, he not only related the history of the show, but showed keen insight into the history of television and how the industry works. I owe Mr. Schwartz a great deal of gratitude in that he coined a term I had been seeking for years, a term to describe those outlandish comedies, from the blantantly fantastic (Bewitched) to those that were simply a bit far out (The Beverly Hillbillies): imaginative comedies. The simple fact is that with that book Mr. Schwartz not only provided me with a useful term for so many sitcoms I love, but he inspired me as a pop culture buff. He made me realise that the history of shows often considered "silly" by critics is worth preserving. The simple fact is that A Shroud of Thoughts might not exist without him.

Vivien Leigh's Last Stand: Ship of Fools (1965)

In most people's minds the career of Vivien Leigh was dominated by two roles: that of Scarlett O'Hara in Gone with the Wind (1939) and that of Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire (1951). This is sad as it ignores the great performances she gave in other films, including Waterloo Bridge (1940) and That Hamilton Woman (1941). Among these often ignored performances is Vivien Leigh's swan song in the movie Ship of Fools (1965). Miss Leigh does not play the lead and, in fact, her character is just one of many in an ensemble cast, but it is notable for more than being her final appearance on film nonetheless.

Ship of Fools was based on the novel of the same name by Katherine Anne Porter. Although published in 1962 Miss Porter had actually began work on Ship of Fools in 1940. It was based on a journal she had kept while travelling aboard a ship from Vercruz, Mexico to Bremerhaven, Germany in 1931. The title itself stems from the medieval satire Das Narrenschif (literally "The Ship of Fools"), written by Sebastian Brant. The novel, much like the film which would be based upon it, dealt with passengers aboard a ship travelling from Mexico to Germany in 1933 and their disappointments in life.  While Ship of Fools received mixed reviews, it was a best selling novel in 1962.

Quite naturally the book's sales made Hollywood anxious to adapt it as a film. No less than David O. Selznick wanted the film rights to the novel. In the end it would be United Artists who would win the bidding war over the bestseller, purchasing the film rights for $400,000. Director Stanley Kramer and writer Abby Mann, who had worked together on Judgement at Nuremberg (1961) , were given the task of bringing Ship of Fools to the screen. The movie version of Ship of Fools left out a good deal of what was in the book, but at the same time it remained faithful to the spirit of the novel. Like the book, the movie Ship of Fools (1965) followed the stories of several characters, their disappointments in life, and their fears and hopes for the future. The central story in the film concerned the ship's physician, Dr, Schumann (Oskar Werner), who becomes involved with a Spanish countess (Simone Signoret) who is addicted to drugs and being transported to a German prison.

As to the role Vivien Leigh plays in Ship of Fools, it is that of Mary Treadwell, an ageing Southern belle and recent divorcee who refuses to let go of her youth. In some respects, given the similarities to both Scarlett O'Hara and Blanche DuBois, it would seem as if the part of Mrs. Treadwell was written for Vivien Leigh. Hard as it might be to believe, there are reports that it was Katharine Hepburn whom Stanley Kramer had originally wanted to cast as Mrs. Treadwell. Ultimately Miss Hepburn did not get the role because she insisted Mr. Kramer cast Spencer Tracy in the role of the ship's doctor, a role for which Mr. Kramer thought Mr. Tracy was much too old. This may have been for the best, as I have to wonder if Miss Hepburn could have convincingly played any Southern belle. She was unconvincing as Violet Venable in the movie version of Tennessee Williams' Suddenly, Last Summer (1959) and even less convincing as Amanda in a television adaptation of The Glass Menagerie. While a great actress, playing Southerners may have been beyond Miss Hepburn.

This was certainly not the case with Vivien Leigh, whose two most notable roles to this day are Southern belles. Indeed, as stated above, there are similarities between the characters of Scarlett O'Hara, Blanche DuBois, and Mary Treadwell beyond being Southern belles. All three are women of extremes, capable of playing the coquette or the grand dame at will. Indeed, looking at the character superficially one might think Mrs. Treadwell was simply a combination of past characters played by Miss Leigh.  Like Scarlett O'Hara there is a haughtiness about Mary Treadwell.  Like Blanche DuBois she is nearly phobic about sex. Like Karen Stone in The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone (1961), she is nearly desperate at the thought of losing her youth.

That having been said, Mary Treadwell is not a mere compilation of the various characters played by Vivien Leigh over the years. Indeed, in many ways Mrs. Treadwell is an even darker character than any Miss Leigh had ever played, except possibly for Blanche DuBois. Throughout most of the film Mrs. Treadwell is drunk and mourning her fading beauty. Even given her alcohol intake, she takes sleeping pills when she goes to bed.  In many respects Mrs. Treadwell is bundle of contradictions. Worried that she is already old, while in the ship's companionway she breaks into the Charleston. While still clinging to her fading youth, Mrs. Treadwell sits in her cabin and looks in the mirror, putting on heavy make in a mockery of her former youth. Unlike many of Vivien Leigh's past characters, there was a rage and even real violence within Mrs. Treadwell. The source of her rage may not simply have been the loss of her youth and beauty, but her marriage as well. Mrs. Treadwell had been married to a wealthy man with wandering eyes. Divorced, she has his money, but no one to spend it with, and the beauty with which she could once draw men is slowly fading.

Vivien Leigh's performance in Ship of Fools numbers among her best, an impressive feat given the state of her mental and physical health at the time. Miss Leigh suffered from what was then called manic depression and what would now be called biploar I disorder. While working on the film Miss Leigh's mental state worsened. She would hallucinate at times. Her behaviour worsened. She would even insult the other actors. Fortunately the experienced members of the cast understood Miss Leigh was ill and overlooked such sleights. In fact, both Simone Signoret and Lee Marvin would become friends with Vivien Leigh. Unfortunately one young actress whom Vivien Leigh insulted did not understand and continued to protest even after it was explained to her that Miss Leigh was ill. Here it must be pointed out that Vivien Leigh was physically frail as well as mentally. In 1944 she had been diagnosed with tuberculosis, the disease which would ultimately take her life in 1967. That Vivien Leigh could give a bravura performance even as her mental and physical health were failing is nothing short of impressive.

Of course, Miss Leigh's performance is simply one of many in an ensemble. And by no means was Miss Leigh's performance the only impressive one. Oskar Werner as the ship's doctor and Simone Signoret as La Condesa also gave great performances, and both were nominated for Oscars for their roles. Perhaps the best performance was given by Michael Dunn (best known as Dr. Loveless on The Wild Wild West) as Glocken, who acts as the film's narrator and Greek chorus. He would also be nominated for an Oscar.

Beyond its performances, Ship of Fools is perhaps best described as a flawed masterpiece. While on the surface it might seem to be "Grand Hotel on a ship," it is actually much more substantive than the old melodrama. Indeed, Ship of Fools is at it most basic an examination of the mounting threat of Nazism using the microcosm of a ship. Because of this the film manifests what may be its biggest flaw--the heavy handed approach seen in many of director Stanley Kramer's early films. While it is obvious that the primary thrust of Mr. Kramer with this film was an examination of ethnic, religious, and political issues. That having been said, Ship of Fools is at its best dealing with the "smaller" concerns of human beings: Mrs. Treadwell's refusal to let go of her youth; washed up baseball player Bill Tenny (Lee Marvin) and the mess that has become his life; Dr. Schumann and his romance with La Condesa; and so on. Buoyed by these stories of the more commonplace concerns of humanity and the great performances that come with them, Ship of Fools did what many of Stanley Kramer's movies could not--it overcame the heavy handiness to become an entertaining film of some depth.

Watching Ship of Fools today, it is hard to believe that it is Vivien Leigh's last film. Although the character of Miss Treadwell is lamenting her passing youth and the beauty that came with it, Vivien Leigh's beauty in this film is still very much intact. What is more, she gives one of her most powerful performances. As Mrs. Treadwell, Miss Leigh proved that even in a supporting role she could deliver great work. Indeed, I must confess that when I think of Vivien Leigh's best performances, it is not simply her roles as Scarlett and Blanche that come to mind. Her role as Mary Treadwell in Ship of Fools comes to mind as well.

Anna Massey Passes On

Anna Massey, who appeared in films from Peeping Tom (1960) to The Oxford Murders (2008), passed on 3 July 2011 at the age of 73. The cause was cancer.

Ann Massey was born on 11 August 1937 in Thakeham, West Sussex. Her father was famous, Canadian actor Raymond Massey. Her mother was British actress  Adrianne Allen. In 1955 Miss Massey made her début on stage at the Theatre Royal in Brighton in The Reluctant Débutante. She would make her début on the West End in the same role in the same play and received immediate acclaim. When she appeared on the play on Broadway in 1956, she received a Tony nomination.

Anna Massey made her film début in Gideon's Day in 1958. It was in 1960 that she would appear in what is now one of her most famous roles, as the innocent and naive Helen in Michael Powell's classic Peeping Tom (1960).  Sadly, although she gave one of the best performances of her career, Miss Massey would not receive any acclaim for her role in the film, which proved to be one of the most controversial in the history of British film. Her next film would not be until 1963, when she appeared in Le voyage à Biarritz (1963). For the remainder of the Sixties she appeared in such films as Bunny Lake is Missing (1965), De Sade (1969) and The Looking Glass War (1969). On television she was the storyteller on Jackanory and appeared on such shows as Armchair Theatre and W. Somerset Maugham.

The Seventies saw Anna Massey's career move primarily towards television. She was a regular on The Pallisers, Couples, and The Mayor of Casterbridge. She guest starred on the shows Love Story, Dead of Night, Hazell, and Tales of the Unexpected. With regards to film, she appeared in Alfred Hitchcock's Frenzy (1972), as well as such films as The Vault of Horror (1973), A Doll's House (1973), A Little Romance (1979), and Sweet William (1980).  In teh Eighties Miss Massey was a regular on the mini-series Mansfield Park and Around the World in 80 Days. She appeared in several telefilms, including Anna Karenina, The Christmas Tree, and Season's Greetings. She appeared in such films as Five Days One Summer (1982), The Little Drummer Girl (1984), Another Country (1984), The Chain (1984), Sacred Hearts (1985), and Mountains of the Moon (1990).

In the Nineties Anna Massey appeared in such films as Impromptu (1991), Emily's Ghost (1992), Gentlemen Don't Eat Poets (1995), Driftwood (1997),  and Captain Jack (1999). She was a regular on the series The Diamond Brothers and Nice Day at the Office. She appeared on the shows Inspector Morse, Chillers, The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, and A Skirt Through History. In the Naughts she in the shows Nash Bridges, Dark Blue World, Inspector Lewis, Midsomer Murders, Poirot, and Moving On. She appeared in the movies Dark Blue World (2001), The Importance of Being Earnest (2002), Possession (2002), The Machinist (2004), Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont (2005), and The Oxford Murders (2008).

Many actors have said "Acting is in my blood," but in the case of Anna Massey this was literally true. Her parents were both actors and her brother Daniel went into acting as well. Whether Miss Massey inherited her talent or came by some other way, she exhibited a great deal of talent early in her career. After all, Peeping Tom was only her second film, yet in it she gave an impressive performance of which more experienced actresses may not have been capable. What is more, Miss Massey was capable of playing a wide variety of roles. She played a barmaid in Frenzy, Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in the television mini-series Pinochet in Suburbia, and the comedic nanny Miss Prism in The Importance of Being Earnest, and did each role very well. Few actresses possessed the depth and breadth of talent which Anna Massey was able to bring to roles.

Happy July 4th 2011!

Happy 4th of July to my fellow Americans! Here, for your enjoyment are some vintage pinups fitting the day!

First up is actress Piper Laurie ringing in Independence Day!

Next up is gorgeous actress and dancer Ann Miler, who's ready with some fireworks.

Next is model and one time Paramount starlet Nancy Porter, who looks much better than Slim Pickens riding a rocket.

Finally here's the beautiful Ava Gardner. Don't worry about Ava. She won't be hurt. She's much hotter than that firecracker!

Television Show Marathons

Here in the United States tomorrow is the 4th of July, also known here as "Independence Day." For most of us this means fireworks and such foods as fried chicken, watermelon, and other summertime treats. It also means that various television stations and cable channels will air marathons of television shows. That is, they will show episodes of a series one after another.  Since the Eighties, television show marathons have become a tradition on American television, not only on the 4th of July, but on other holidays as well.

Indeed, it is difficult to say where and when the very first television show marathon took place, but it may have been on Thanksgiving Day in 1980 at Los Angeles television station KTLA. That day the station aired back to back episodes of the classic anthology series The Twilight Zone. KTLA's Twilight Zone marathon would meet with such success that they would air marathons not only of The Twilight Zone, but other shows as well. KTLA's success with television show marathons would not go unnoticed by other stations, who soon held marathons of their own. Among the early television show marathons would be a twenty six hour Star Trek marathon on Connecticut station WTXX in November 1982 and a Leave It to Beaver marathon on KXLI in Minnesota. With such television show marathons meeting with success on local stations around the country, it was not long before cable channels began holding their own marathons. In October 1985 TBS (then still called WTBS) held a small Andy Griffith Show marathon in celebration of that show's 25th anniversary. Premium channel Showtime held a marathon of The Honeymooners in August 1985.

Indeed, one early marathon on a cable channel would prove historic for the impact it would have on pop culture. Starting on 23 February 1986 MTV (which still showed music videos at the time....) aired 45 episodes of The Monkees back to back. Not only would MTV start airing The Monkees regularly, but the marathon sparked a fad which revived interest in both the sitcom and the rock group. The Monkees (except for Michael Nesmith reunited for a tour, while TV stations around the country picked up The Monkees.

In the Eighties television show marathons were relatively uncommon. Much like KTLA's early Twilight Zone marathon, they were generally held on holidays such as Thanksgiving, the 4th of July, or New Year's Eve. Television show marathons would come to be shown on other occasions as well. Often a TV station or cable channel would air a marathon of a series to celebrate its début on that station or channel. The historic MTV Monkees marathon is an example of this--it was held to celebrate The Monkees coming to MTV.  Marathons were also held to celebrate a special occasion or the passing of one of a show's cast members. WTBS' held its short Andy Griffith Show marathon in 1985 to celebrate the show's anniversary. In 2006 TV Land held an Andy Griffith Show marathon to honour Don Knotts, who had just passed. Marathons would also come to be used as a means of counter-programming against such events as the Super Bowl or the Oscars.

Television show marathons occurred with much more frequency in the Nineties than they had in the Eighties. By the Naughts they had become outright common place, particularly on cable channels such as TNT, the USA Network, BBC America, and documentary channels such as History International and Animal Planet. It is not unusual for these cable channels to schedule marathons of particular shows on Saturdays or Sundays (in fact, I swear the USA Network has a Law and Order: Special Victims Unit marathon every other weekend) that often last all day. What is more, the television show marathon has seen the an offshoot in what can only be called a marathon programming block. These are regularly scheduled blocks of a certain programme that run anywhere from three to even ten hours a day. TNT, the USA Network, TV Land, and several other cable channels have made a regular practice of marathon programming blocks (I addressed this phenomenon way back in 2007 with regards to the show Law and Order).

While television show marathons are now rather commonplace and marathon programming blocks can be seen on many cable channels, many television show marathons remain special events. Indeed, some have become traditions. Starting in 1995 the Sci-Fi Channel (since rebranded "SyFy"--yes, I think it's silly too) has aired a Twilight Zone marathon to coincide with the Fourth of July. Last year when SyFy did not air the marathon for some odd reason, fans were so outraged that they boycotted the channel with an event held on Facebook and other social networking sites called "Hold Your Own Twilight Zone marathon." Apparently enough fans watched their old Twilight Zone DVDs and Twilight Zone episodes on outlets from CBS to YouTube, that SyFy decided they should hold the marathon this year....

In the thirty years since they were first introduced, marathons have become a regular part of the broadcasting landscape. In fact they have become so common that in many ways they no longer feel like special events. Regardless, audiences do still look forward to marathons of their favourite shows at holidays. As pointed out above, last year when SyFy did not show a marathon of The Twilight Zone many viewers were outraged. There can be little doubt that they will continue to be a part of television programming for many years to come.