CECIL SCOTT FORESTER
Man at his shoulder
By SIMON KAVANAUGH
NHE best Investment Cecil Scott Forester ever made
Ts when he spent a few shillings on an Eighteenth
Contury naval manual.
From its arid pages blossomed the sort of money- spinning formula publishers dream about. It provided meat to dress the bones of the most read-about nailor in the world, Horatio Hornblower, R.N.
And it rocketed Forester Into The permanent piper tax bracket.
Much of the Hernblower aerios' success with readers is in its fong of authenticity pbout naval detail. When Hornblower sees at a glance that the only way to save the day is to bask the mizzen fb-boom apenker, the reader who is probably withoul the faintes idea of what a involved in convinerd that this is just what & Nelson-
subject) Forester appreciates the nightmarishness of the situa- lien when a puppet pulls the strings and the creator jerks.
Yet Forester has sometimes found that Hornblower has ap- peared to pull the strings while he has jumped.
Repeatedly he vows that he has penned his fest Hornblower rdventure. Witboul going any further into the record we ind Forester saying in 1952, "No more Hornblower after this"; In len captain would have done. 1964. "1 have used him up: And, of course, they are quite there 13 simply no more right. For Forester's cherished Hornblower"; then, In 1957, the navel manual, with sailorly announcement that he had com- thoroughness, postulates most of pleted another Ave Hornblower the situations a contemporary stories. sailing ship could get into-and provides the answers,
Forrster has admitted that he crented Hornblower as a self- doulting. Introspective scul that "we could then go through our doubts together." A naturel too, seeing enough pravlaton,
of a long that Forester comes Une of landlibers and hus
jammer.
DURABLE
at
time)
commute to Britain
and
THE CHINA MAIL, MONDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 1957.
"Drown on Resolution" was modern action at sea **THA twice filmed, "The African Ship" lins been talled as one Queen" was a box office it, of the few great books to rod "The Gun" was lately flimed as "The Pride and The Passion"
50
T
by CHAPMAN PINCHER
Now I can give you the facts the report doesn't give
EVERY
PHONE CAN EASILY BE A LIVE MIKE
report
conversation to behind the desk of an Ameri-
up to
listening
can Ambassador in Europe.
The turmoil in Washington -tyd Whitehall which
Kol-
сад
be
offtco imagined. Every where secre matters are dis- used was gutted in search of tha Fadget.
HE Privy Council-
any The mouthpiece of an inli lors'
on ordinary telephone] in a pers
hile away. telephone tapping, highly sensitive micro- emerge from World War 11. though uncensored, is high- phone. The spring-loaded There are no wires and no lowed these discoveries
The erities who have said ly misleading because it bar which goes down when battles, The gadget which these are ble great works have fails
con be camouflaged to look to mention a tech you hang up the receiver is like any been gently patronising about
harmless object, such Hornblower and,
in snooping only a certelny, nical advance
switch which cana a paper-weight, or even the Forester hans never discouraged methods which makes the easily be by-passed by top otsa salt-collar, is energised them,
Infinitely more means of a small gadget from a distance by the agents fr is on record en having disturbing.
wo plant il. sald about one Hornblower epic,
inserted in the base of the instrument. "I've decided It's the worst kind of nonsense."
situation
มน
Who pulls the strings? Grateful us he must be to the
1 is typical of Forester the long-hanked naval officer who
x provided him with the sart professional that, unilke of security which allows him to many other authors who have live in California for health profiled handsomely from having reasons fa leg complaint which their work filmed he has never Hollywood never trod the test of a wind-permits him to walk only afty turned snapping on
yards
to and accused them of making a
now Any telephone can regularly, hash of his material.
He, in Hus Forester written anything Forester must yearn to be free fact, worked as a script-writer
be mude into Why, then, dres he keep on
live of himself into the sea-going of his baleful Influence.
In Hollywood before the war writing about Hornblower? microphone through which character who earns him re-
He has,
written a under conditions that he says,
would Surely not for the money. He snoopera puted £20,000 plus a year!
can listen to book about Hornblower's old have driven artistle" authors is in the top fight of big-money ordinary room conversation It is doubtful, Where Horn-
him off to the to, distraction: "They would authors. blower is diligent le the polit 9 Anishing
and 1810'2. And I may be that, in give me a star, a locale, and a of obsession, humourless
this, Forester will wreak his few other factors and I would uncertain, Forester is a self- confessed disliker
work, revenge on the monster of his provide a plot." of
own making; for he hus said dryly witty, urbane and
that the book will be published. fdert
only after his death.
<!-
TRUE TYPE Their polat of contact is that
he
bas
they are both full-time profess- Jonals at their chosen careers.
Forester la not or record about the prototype he used for Hornblower, although said, "I first conceived character when I became inter- ested in the psychological prob- lem of independent command."
of the
Hornblower fans have noted a similarity between Hornblower and Nelson which goes beyond a mere sharing of Brat namies- the same proneness to sea-sick- noss, the same introspection, the name fery purpose when com- -mitted to action.
But there was a less well- known tailor of the same period who measures up much more
DAILY SPECTRE
'Bug
and tap'
on
And next?
box of electronic components as a TV set in more than
These devices, whitch incor-
These are the known means porate the new electronic com-
Or
electronte intrusion pocal called transistors, have
into Ilves been found in Western em- private
which modern 's:ience has bassies.
made The Arst was detected
possible. What other even more fantas- Seguse
an embassy official in Mostow happened to hit the methods may already be la It could be because he feels when the receiver is hung The microphone then be fra, ener
use or under development? which it was
I comes "live" when it is his radio at home.
have no working when he has a duty to the public as up.
he turned on
doubt that an entertainer. After all, he
He heart scientists in secret departments Think of it. In Britain hung up, and an amplifying his
the intriguing exploring once said of his life work: "My
ambassador speaking in are primary purpose is to provide microphones which could be arrangement can make the his office!
possibles presented by the existence of such an The Hornblower script he three hours of pleasure."
intricate audible to anyone used for this purpose exist sounds
Angther was located, hidden In the meantime, Hornblower wrote for filming was based on More likely though, Forester in the homes and offices of tapping the telephone line behind the eagle in the United remain of the most durante there would the late Laalle knows that it is by Homblower 4,500,000 telephone
Howard, play
sub and recording the conver- States national crest, set literary
the name that he will be remembered, Winston Churchill found time pari. In the event, Gregory just as Conan Doyle, Wodehouse Scribers.
sations on tape. hlm. Perk portrayed Hornblower. und Baroness Orczy will live on during the way to praise
The Big Brother night- Pollah Communist
But despite his frequent in Sherlock Homes, Jeeves and and the
I am not claiming that mare of official ears listen- the British security men or into film-making. magazine "Morze" accused him excursions
the Searlet Pimpernel. of being a bourgeois hero, a Forester is no hack. Of his Perhaps s
The sits down at ing in to millions of private the police are making use oppressive British novel "The General", a study of his desk overlooking San conversations is now # symbol of Imperialism,"
a First World War officer, H. G. Francisco's Golden Gate to pen technical possibility.
of this method, but there is More galling to Forester than Wells wrote, "....a magnificent his dally thousand-word sint,
nothing to stop them from having
If you think this is spy doing so, and I shall be sur- constantly weave piece of work and a portrait for the morose, inescapable spectre frost variations on a well-worn all time of an individual in bis of an old-time navel
fiction, consider fact that his period." And la study
prised if they are not. of stands Jealously by his shoulder. theme, is the
of
to
universal Identification with Hornblower obscures his very considerable merits as a writer of warm humanity and rare skill.
FROM MEDICINE Ko demonstrated this early
closely to Hornblower-a brill in his writing Career with
ant Scola captain called Lord on exquisitely neat thriller. Cochrane, whose exploits "Payment Deferred" which sui parallel many of Hornblower's sells phout 2,000 coples yearly. and who finally became admirat Charles Laughtun acted in the of the Brazilian navy.
stage version of the pock, and
it was later filmed.
an un-
thriller ofcer
these facts:—
My midnight meeting with Miss Medina
ISS
M MEDINA
But however and for whatever reason Forester conceived of Thus established, Forester Hornblower the fact remains could turn to full-time writing. that he has created something (He bed earlier made
PATRICIA of a literary Frankenstein's successful bicl at a medical
is one of monster.
career.) His novels were sue- those film actresses who
and lent themselves
engraved herself indelibly dramatisation.
on my mind as a TV panel- list. I just kept seeing her in What's My Line?
on marionettes cessful As an expert (he has written a book on the easily to Alm
HAVE A
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FLAG DAY
Saturday, 23rd November, 1967
(7 am to 12 noon)
PLEASE GIVE GENEROUSLY
I met Miss Medina Ils week
In the middle of the night on no abandoned mushroom farm near Worthing. She sat in the farmhouse and placed her pretty feet on the head of a tiger-siin rug. the property of the Criterion Film Company,
"I have appeared in so many film," she said. "I can't member them."
ro-
"Neither can 1," I said, Miss Modina's eyes flashed, ng in novels. She has big black Spanish eyes, like highly- polished chunks of steam-coal. They flash all right. If I had called for volunteers to hem- stitch my winding-sheet, Miss Medine would have fought her way to the head of the queue.
"Don't you ever go to the pictures?? she cried. She swung her pretty feet off the tiger's head. The tiger looked the more docile of the two,
"Here I am, sweating it out on one film after another, and all you beasts can remember is
that I appeared on What's My Linc? with Gilbert Harding. That was at least three years Ugo. Meanwhile making pictures,"
I've been
Waste Land
I knew this, Why else had
I come down to an abandoned mushroom farm near Worthing
Out there, on B tussocky stretch of waste land where the mushrooms used to grow, the raven-haired Miss Medina is starring in her
British new picture.
A PINK WOOLLEN VEST
SHATTERS AN ILLUSION
Patricia Media # de-luses a flying bomber new pictur V.1. Micheal a mă a and David Kaight giva stærn moeni
support
by PETER CHAMBERS
It is certainly being used |in the United States, where
such a doctored phone is "a combined bug (micro- phone) and tap.
Simple
Authorities could doctor
the teltphone of any sub- scriber without arousing suspicion in this absurdly simple way:-
The suspected person picks up his telephone and finds it is out of order be- cause Post Office techni- cians, have deliberately. jammed the line,
He reports the "defect" and is told the engineeri will come to fix it: They arrive and, while carrying
out what seems to be a normal repair to the instru- ment alip in the device which converts it to a live microphone. Even the bed- Bide telephone extension can be doctored in the same way.
No wires
meadow with Michael Renale, I kept on seeing her as a TV David Knight and a Un-pinte panellist. It was a kind of Official eavesdropping, now flying bomb. In the glare of the tixriton. I'd still see her as a dignified by the name of arclights My Rennle and Mr TV panellist if she Wore "monitoring," has gone on Kalgh! (who play the Polish grenades for carrings, agents) appear to be 10ft. tall. They are armed to the teeth and they wenr military trousers.
A
scene-band walked
ever
by
since. Henry VII
recent drive
thigh moulding carrying a lantern. Held started the Secret Servico
"Is this storm-kantern supposed
450 years ago. But now to be at pressure dantern?** science has made it fur too Pat Medina is also wearing
easy. Nobody repliod. Probably no- high-moulding military trousers. body knew what he meant. Most of us tre looking at Pat
(During which is a masterpiece of recon- an explosive girl in an explosive men who tap people's telephones Mettino. The flying bomb,
Eventually they got the scene against Conumumists in secret set up and they shot it. It shows Post Office departments, struction, gets hardly a glance. situation; it is Miss Medina de- had their own phones tipped--
American co-producer John fusing a flying-bomb. I'd say and dk not know it.) Bash, who teases Miss Medina, the pair of them were well calls oul: "Pullin
Your revolver belt, honey, Mike look like a small walot.".
The glittering Medina takes
matched.
the
An ear in every home is by no Back in the farm-house, the means the limit of the modern tow chilled Miss Medina began snooper's ambition. Why not on.
moving her partisan wardrobe, official cyc? ring which she is required to She started with the wedding- wear in this picture.
No Sign
If the telephone can be used 68 microphone, is it not possible that the TV set evuld be doctored to see into a room, so that when you switched off the B.B.C. progmane M.I.5 would automatically switch on to your
in the middle of the night? I this in good part, which means lindn't come down 10 plek she does not instantly lash him mushrooms.
to death with her tongue. She merely asks the producer to go way' and employ hany pointed head on writing suNLO good dialogue for a change,
This was interesting in view of Yeah, I'm also the American the well-pubdated rumours tals dialogue director," explained M It is called V. 1. It is the Bash, beaming good-humouredly about to re-marry her divorced idea is ridiculous,
year that Miss Medina was Engineers will say that this brave and true story of how at his leading actrees, "I got to husband, actor Richard Gree engineers do not know what but most Pollah, underground agents keep the old boys out of the All I can my is that if she has has recently been saved London from devastation. script. If one Polish partisan any lingering nostalgin
achieved by
•They captured
for Russina seientists exploiting. 4 prototypo says 'old boy to boother Follsh thin band of old, Miss Medina the possibilities of electronic flying-bomb, and their secret partiem, I don't know how the gave no sign of £5. information rolled in the British feel, but honestly, the 1,000-bomber ruid on the. V station at Poenemunde,
At 3 am, on this chilly night, Miles Medina is out in the
Americans won't bellove it prope. And whenever she an The wedding ring como, LCOM
intrualon."-
It is now possible to condekă-
I said my trouble was believe fabed playing a scene the im- in a room a daylen no big ing in Pat Modina sa a Polish mediately took it off and handed or than a champagna cork partisan, in any circumstanets it back again.
which can pick up and trans-
up 7,000,000 humer,
Cummings
MARCHIONESS SUMMERSKIL OF BUER
VISCOUNTESS
BRADDOCK
"Phew-if the House
must embrace boeress
the Commons embrace Hallahan