DR EDITH SUMMERSKILL:
THE CHINA MAIL, MONDAY, JANUARY 30, 1961.
SHE HIT POLITICS
SHE
LIKE A WHIRLWIND!
wore hats and she hated boxing. It could be the epitaph on one of the most controversial figures of the British political scene-Dr Edith Summerskill. Certainly it is the popular image. Her hats are her pride and joy, and gratefully acknowledged by cartoonists.
And how she hates boxing.
At the mention of the word she comes out of her POZNET throwing verbat punches trvan all angles. Medically, socially, mentally tel physically 51.8
thinks it evil y every way.
-By
Simon Kavanaugh
more, she felt that the soldiers had the right to see her wearing
She bas long campaigned "You are producing this spoiled ly entwined. The girl had the against it, written a book ton- person and it's up to you to right to wear the dress. But Gemming it and now secity to change him." infyduer a Bill inte Parliament to gi
in the boxing banned country of its birth,
Ba i posterity dismisses her as a hat-wearing boxing-hater, ten, porterity will not do her Jull justice.
Purly !!
This former chairman of the Libour
former Induister of
the Crown has worked for many cases and crusaded on many fronts.
is a whole-hearted cham- pion, no half-measures, no comm promites. So when she CX- pounds—and it is dilicult to Alo her expounding-h might be on mich subjects health, child welfare, motherhund, foud, Suez, women's rights and men's dutic
Philosophy
Her hatred of boxing sym- bolises her philosophy of lite-- a Letlet in perice and under- standing,
She herself is a mother with IWO children, Michael ad Shuby.
an her Shirley is carrying mother's work-on the medical suden in her mother's nude, Michael is a barrister,
For Dr Elith, arch-eneiny of boxing. has like many boxers fighting game. She is marries to Harley-street physician Dr Jeffrey Samucts But this cham- plon of women's right feels that the morried woman of in- dependent ind should her maiden nome as a token of her individuality. She not only 945 her maiden name but has inspired her children to use it.
wear
Dr Samuels was more then a willing accomplice. He was the prime mover in the matter.
Not all of the medical family Sumnerskill have always felt particularly honoured that the funtly. name should be auto matically dogzated with This And so, In n wag, particular does her leste in hats, which the fine. ranges from the revere to the vutzgeous, It letsels # beiter that women are there to be
ken netice of
Her anti-boxing crusade is not lely directed at saving lighters from being hurt, Blag concerned about their welfare, but her main worry is the effect
of boxing on Its followers,
Temale member of
They fell expecially keenly
it.
BACHERS
SQUARE ROOT
"Well, how did little Miss Bluit get on with her new class?"
London Express Bervice.
China Mail writer John Luff offers to show Hollywood and
Pinewood the real World of Suzie Wong
'HONGKONG-CITY OF VICE, DIRT,
... Or, at least, VIOLENCE AND GIRLS'
according to these
movie moguls
mark
ab.nt it in January 1957 when HONGKONG is on the film map,, Summerskill complained; "We that plain. Ever since Clark Gable
her nephew Dr W. H. J.
get all the backwash of her was here to make "Soldier of Fortune,” indiscretions."
have cranked faster and
Exasperated
the cameras faster.
And her exasperated surgeon Every week films about Hongkong are splash- Hedley Summer-ed onto the screen, mostly in black and white,
What really appals her is brother, Mr
that televhion has brought the kill depletes that the family aschewing the Colony's scenic beauty, and em-
brutality of boxing into living had been drawn inta L'a'l-
rooms where conscientious nwthers are striving to teach
troversy concerning De Edith'sphasising, exaggerating, or imagining its vice "ccent unpatriotic activitiesdens, seedy streets, violence-and les girls..
at the camo
children the importance of kind- 1453, syinpally and under- The "unpatriotic activities" Now and standing.
time of Suez, Following up her dictum that Dr Edti feels that such "sort to physical violenes not inspired by marks the immature individual "the only
which the and nation" Sport in
Dr Edith dc- participant seeks to konek out nounced Britain's attack
felings are
his panent In the shortest Egypt.
poble time. The only sport
it which wounds inflicted and On visiting Egypt soon after i
is
again, colour uard, and gaining in scenic "Visa to Canton." The plot is as quality what it lacks in
story old as secret agent Retion. The other flop tá film which would be just an-
sinkter spy, the bold blue-eyed In manages
fearless, but slightly dumb hero, through.
The TV Alms are getting la and-of ratursethie beautiful
on the act.
limp
in the UK, viewers have been
blood drawn gives colour, sest the Suez campaign he heard following the exploits of o allegations inat wounded certain imaginary Police In-
bui treacherous female. This plut has been sited all over the world, and was the standby for the old dramas, when the "Bal-
and a adistic thrill to the whole Egyptians had not been glyun spector of the Hongkong Force kans were the trouble spot of
performance."
The object
proper medical attention by the Briish.
She said taler that when un Madleeritu lour she was
by a guide what J
could not
Why pick on boxing? protest ked it: supporters, What about nationallty was she other sports in which people get bring herself to answer.
hurt?
Dr Summerstill DHSWers;
quite a lad and a terror to the local boys who go "chasing the dragon.
Most of these films are made without ever sending a unit out
the world.
The triads
Then I don't know whether
This
"The primary object in football answered immediately on being in the world can be purchasen ing to use the more widely un-
"For the first time life,"
said, "1 bad she
in my not
is to sere goals, and
not to
asked my natierailty that i was Brkish,"
She finally sald she Wat She does indeed stem from Nordic stock.
render your opponent Insensible,
I have never heard of a puncit Norwegian. drunk rugby footballer."
And what about other blood- This sort of speech and her spilling television programmes? anti-boxing campaign, Inevit
What about them indeed? ably mean headlines.
And Dr The crusading doctor denounces Flduh does not mind being in then all.
Is it not in man's nature to fight? It 19 Indeed. But Dr Faith doesn't
think any more
of man for it. Ale describes Oghting in all its forms "Primitive
expression
the news.
Crusader
But the headlines can obscure the crusader who took up poll-
bi the ties because of the crooked legs
aggressive instuct which civil- of little children she attended Jaed people should control as
415 doctor and because she they seek to control other lo was appalled by the infant stinels."
mortality rate and the state of cbfldren's health,
Men, she feels, are not cap- able at imposing this control and it is fortunate for the world
That was in the early 1930's. Her sister, Mra Inglis (he wife of a doctor) recalls that the
that women are on hand to do family went on holiday to the
It for them,
'Schoolboys'
Continent at the time and Dr Edith
practised her political speeches on the beach.
She hit politics like a whirl-
wind
and although mot success-
In a speech, at a House of fut at her fint altemp! knocked Comununs dinner she described 18,000 off
men as "overgrown schoolboys majority at They need women to show Putney. them the right
way to do
things." One could amost hear the ratlic
of the
the Conservativo
the sale seat of
The whirlwind has not abated chains that 3 years ago.
since sho entered Parlament But for all the to headlines and controversy sho counts her greatest acĥlove- milk
1ር: bound suffragettes
Parliament's railings.
But Dr Edith does not entire- ment getting the clean
ly blame men for what they Bill passed in 1940, which en
Arn. Addressing the Married. GUT
that
Women's Association she told tuberculosis.
mothers that they were spoliing
the
no milik carries
their sons.
And in care the should be Jabolled o puritanand Killjoy it "The lounging creature with chould be recalled that in 1939 his feet on the mantelpiece is she led a campaign, in de- product of the adoring lenoo of a ballet, Chricer boruved mother.
He is going to be a from a church hall where sho jera katisfactory husband than was entertaining troops because one who has helped with the the word a glamorous bailot family chore."
dress "It's no uso your looking This minor aktrndals showed astonished," she told an audi- that for Dr Edith the rights of ́ence that plainly was astonished, men and women are complete. |
derstood term, Tong.
Hommer have not said much
here. There are miles of what they will let us see the "Terror the trade calls stock shols, siot Tongs of Hongkong." enly in the studios, but along canes from Hammer also, and ruch places as Wardour-street deals with the Triads, but
it where Alms of almost anywhere does not call then that, prefer- and fitted in the Alm to give it local atmosphere. The rest of the film is shot in the studio.
and about the film, so I do not know it locally, was not worth going sensitivity
remarkable result! Funny thing though. Some of these Ülms
powers of description. are so whether they have it ready yet, to sec.
After the London erities give it feeble that they are not worth so I cannot tell how much is Han Suyla's keen glances and Commerce demanded the pre-a pasting, I picked up qülle 1 mentioning, so weak that they fact and how much is
fiction condid remarks about the Colony Axing of "Love" to her chosen lot of money. But as a film of would fall off our local screens. about the picture.
setup in her "A Many tile, and of course, a song went Hongkong... too feeble for Fet, on the other hand, it m But in spite of the coming and Splendoured Thing" fared Hitle with it. "Love Is A Many words. quite possible that people who going of film units, producers, better. You can no more get a Splendoured Thing" wis
the directors, and the exécutives of piece of writing like that turned feeble thing as a time. never moved about world will accept Hongkong at Hollywood, a good film about into a film script than you can "Ferry to Hongkong." What a Wong." I thought we were going the value of these pictures.
fly, Hongkong has yet to be made.
Hop that was! Two of the world's to get it for Chinese New Year, highest-paid actors, Curt Jurgens but unless the theatres change and Orson Welles, colour, no their bookings, we are nat. expense, spared and then the tried, but I just could not get through Richard Mason's book. Yet I liked his "The Wind Con- not Read" as a book, but thought
But the sentimental prostitute In Wanchak Now, I
have
I doubt very much whether *Soldier of Fortune" was a In spite of the cally remarks and in the made locally, it is a remarkable has made for Columbia called mutilated form in which we saw plece of writing, showing great
we shall see the Alm Hemmer feeble
MONDAY SPOTLIGHT
The RoHon "Never had-it
So-good
?
thing,
Yesterday
HIS MASTRE'S
Sir Stafford
Cripps
WE MUST TIGHTEN
OUR BEL
Now
"The World of Suzie
I
by Cummings it most disappointing as a film.
London Express Berviss,
ask you!
•
John Wayne
is Clark Gabla
Tasking Susan Hay-
of
ward to cut tho cako which celebrated tho completion of "Soldier Fortune." Gaxing into the comora is Buddy Adler, who then directed the fortunes of 20th Century Fox. Sad to think that only last year, Clark Gable acted as a pall bearer for Buddy Adler, and then was himself takon to his gravo,
*
They tell me that John Wayne according to the film, through Hongkong office, approached, is coming out here. I do not piles of cabbage leaves and fish
know whether he hug a script or
heado, up dirty flight of stairs lo just searching for idean,
Summing up then, there has abouts were smoking oplum, he where all kinds of scruffy lay- not been a good nim made about said that it he did not make it Hongkong. And the way these that way, none outside of Hong- knowalls from Pinewood and
would believe it was kong Hollywood are going about it, Hongkong. He's probably right there never will be until the
at that! get a rood script.
Now I'll tell you something. touch anything beyond domestic The local film people won't There are stories about Hong dramas of Hongkong, although kong, more remantle and more Motion Pictures and General excling than anything written Investment are tackling a reat by Robert L. Stevenson. There subject at last with their "Sun, aro about three wonderful love Moon, and Star" This has atories which go back to the China, not Hongkong, a tla back. Colony's early days Collla gives ground, and tackles the prob a kind of a hint, although he is. Jems of World War 11, writing about; Marso, on page 29 of "Foreigh Mud" "
But regarding focal and eur- rent affairs, all the studios give Th10 trouble is, the film the thumbs down: They want makers arrive with certain feed no truck at all with our history, lean Every house has got to development, or International le loaded with bead curtains or problems.
ivory effigies.) Every, bar has to .
be filled with smart air Hostonada Bd, who is going to while the standing along a few, Wanchni 'first great sveipt based upon kbenutiéra. 1
Moalgk5dq? And what Ju· fríof wor And when I said to ont direc» who in roing to turk 15 Stim-m to that his idea of a midori really good filmaz