1960-10-24 — Page 6

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THE CHINA MAIL, MONDAY, OCTOBER 24, 1960.

PRESENTING A PUZZLE. FROM EUROPE-OR THEREABOUTS JOAN LITTLEWOOD

Which Royal story is the spoof?

RECENTLY, I met two entrancing old ladies.

Each with quite extraordinary appeal and charm. And each in so many ways like the other that, at first glance, you might swear there was only one old lady. And, you might be right.

Their points of similarity :--

Both are in their late eighties. Both are fringe members of a royal family. Both have had to flee their countries, and are now living out their exiles in Paris. Both have long, lustrous memories of the good old days-before they had to sell their jewels to live. And both have written their memoirs,

But there is one Breat differente; Only one of these old Judies is real.

She is very real. Her memoirk article. genuine

And

are the

Polmant. Often

true,

sad.

The other old lady is merely

a spout. Her memoirs, a Biting

parody of all royal memoirs.

WHICH IS WHINK?

See If you can figure it out. It, from extructs from their life etorles, you can tell the real old ly from the tongue-il- cheek Impersonator,

THE FIRST OLD LADY:- Still spry, but today very poor, she lives in a Left Bank convent. " have my own room; though small, it is clean. The Mother Superior hero is very kind, and the restric- tions are not great...

in

Ball dress

battered old trunk, she

few keeps her

possessions.

10

Lazi

. Folded carefully is an old dress, the one I wore at the Jubilee celebrations."*

Among her momories:-

Dee

Wells

schooled for employment, lived as best she could.

from Cheryachidze's design.

inden....mnde

Prince The

Grand Duke Serge gave me mahogany chest, with gold rims, containing a coliretion of yellow diamonds of all SİZCE.... Javelovsky

Kave me D large elephant in pink precious

tone with ruby eyes...."

FUN. A chlidren's Christmas

The entertain party at home. TheTil, performing animals Including a large elephant, which arrived weapped up in check blankets. He was hidden in the cloakroom betore the performance,"

And the that, ironing the English Channel with Baros Gotsch (who "had a dread of the sea") when he sat ".... in his pyjamas, Funke in a dock- chair on the upper deck, while a compassionale salfor poured a bucket of water over his head."

The sponsors

Which of these noble ladies,

a nonsense? the memoirs is

which is real?

Years of hardship were tol- lowed by a brief lecture tour in America.

Even a job playing the piano didn't last. in a movie house Quce more she had a move on This time back to Europe.

in Paris

Anal the CAINE humiliation. She became washroom aitendant

P

And

It's not easy, is it? Especially as both are accom- panied by the most impéccuble sponsors

The first old lady, the baro- 11658, has been associated, in writing her story by court photographer Cecil Benton.

That Fives her, surely, good claim to authentlelty?

But the second old lady, who is * princess, has had her memoirs transfatoc by Covent Garden director Arnold Haskell.

points to authenticity

And there, in the washroom. who she met the Englishman was to be her salvation, Ho her insisled that she write tormented life story. And it was he who found her refuge. That with the kindly nuns

100.

The baroness's memoirs end: Tu see

"O my father, the Duke Alexis Ludwig, I can remember

if your decision is little. (bul) I can recall "I cling to my memories here, right, read the real answer at

halt among the solemnly chanting the bottom of this page. ... when three and a years old, dressed in broderie nuns.... am no longer bitter, anglaise, with 1 crisp blue for only the very stupid or the nothing of sash, my father carrying me in very young know

#forgiveness, 1 have SEVI too to my uncle, the archduite....

uch of life to allow nettles to ke the fragrant columbines In my winter garden."

She grew up in a minor court, in a minor European monarchy Her most disquished elos

her relative was

aunt, the "I am content to live as an My part is play- lighty, beautiful Grand Duchess onlooker.

That is all Maria Hedwig. I was this aunt ed., my duty done, who moukled her life.

1 have to say,”

Now THE SECOND OLD

"My aunt looked at me with that mocking glance... 'A LADY:- penniless spinrter,

omatic

daughter of a minor prince, has

Hers is a much more glamor-

life. Her career

no place in the great world, cus

as a

You must morry, und marry dancer once brought her creat

well..

gifted, our

Not pretty or heralne was willing to be "Mted for any role that destiny should decree for me to play."

Agitators

inrne. Now, ut 88, she works each day in her Parks bullet studio.

FIRST LOVE. "AL 14 I hud Birtation with a very elegent young Englishman named Mec- pherson. Not that I was parti- with him, but cularly in love this

little love affair cu

And destiny WAR marriage tertained me. On my birthday,

with a nobleman.

The marriage was not a suc cess. 11er husband was cold towards her, and in only a few years

a family there was

his

Macpherson arrived with flancee, Could I put

up with such an inauit?

She look Macpherson of to pick mushrooms in the woods. acandal, which necessitated her ".. By the end of the walk immediate departure,

I

. Macpherson had complate- "I retired to the Italian and ly forgotten his fiancee. French Rivieras, to Alusslo and soon grew tired of my young the acacias. To Frejus and the squire... But his marriage bougainvillaes. Seven years was permaneatly compromised. clapsed, years of exile........”

A

⚫ation

It was to be a lifetime of exile. SECOND LOVE. Even more Bolshevik agitators, and the elegant thary Macpherson. family feud, made it impossible royal prince. Who for her to return home. Not brought me presents. At first I would not accept them, but

QUOTE

This gave him such, sorrow that

I had to change my mind.

"These small gifts were very

| beautiful ... the first of them a gold bracelet adorned with a laige ampphire and diunorC's,

thu

Who is who?

THE first old lady.

gre

•

the Baranoss von Bulop, is the impostor. Her "memoirs,“ MY ROYAL PAST cunningly spun fantasy by Cecil Beaton. The

and style doad-on accurate, the "family" photographs hugely funny-but any resemblance to real persons is purely coin- cidental,

Толе

are

The second old lady is real as taxes. She is now Princess Romanov- sky-Krassingky. Before that, she was Ksches- sinska one of the greatest ballerinas Rus- sia has ever produced.

Everything, and everyone, in her book, DANCING IN PETERS- BURG, is real,

The royal prince, with whom she was so in love at 18, later ba- came Czar Nicholas II. And, later still, was murdered with all his family during the Bolshevik Revolution of 1918.

The Grand Duke An- dro was Czar Nicholas'K cousin. It was by him Kschossinka had her sen, Vova, and ho whom sho later married, while in exile in the South of France.

by Mr J. D. G, Troup, sur THIRD LOVE. A Grand geon, in the Lancet today:-

Duke, The only drawback, hits youth,

Nijinsky ... Pavlova ... THE more we can learn

Emperor Franz Joseph THE

from the disabilities "M. A. Pololzka, our

... Prince Yousoppof... and difficulties experienced dramatic actress and my great

Rasputin.. friend, never stopped teasing me

Empress by athletes, the more we and saying: 'Since whers have. Eugenie... those ware are likely to help the tired, you been interested. in kids

Kechessinaka's contem- middle-aged housewife to The grand duke was

poraries. Like a pageant of historical ghosts, they float through the pages of her book.

Indeed

bo less tired and to forget early seven years younger than that she is middle-aged.

I'

LOOT. Оп tials, the by Sir Colin Anderson, chair-mensorios road with all the pull- rhan of the Minister of Educa mentality of a doubio Lion's 1958 committee to com ledger. sider grants to studenta

On ane DOORSLOS

entry

THE view to which I inruccived a vast number of gifta Tino is that though an

pa bouquota,...Beyptal emotional entanglements of them from,, grand-dulces between students Gan bhk the....Prefect of Polloe." scarely be prevented, the On another Bountertia coda. additional responsibilities|sion.....I cannot remember ali and problems of marriage these presents

Thyron, are not good for study and tamprata

Andnews" (she juisthatat should be "discouraged.

or hope to

écomptin

Hor story is a delight. Parhops the lost sys- witness account we will 100, of a time when Grand Dukes were grand, when · luxury unwant more than owis- -Ing ¤ TV ask, and when

ballerinas douced laden. down" with Voodillas

Had she been a civil servant, she would have been the most revolutionary civil servant in the business.

Wm

TX7ITH tousled hair and determined look this combative woman in her mid-forties looks as though she has just come back from an Alder- maston march.

Miss Littlewood does hold left-wing political views. But the battle- ground of her revolution has been the stage.

Across the theatres of Britain, BY

and through the law courts, she has led a crusade for freedom un the stage, Freedom from suburban drawing room (or as Miss Littlewood would 503 'bourgeois') production.

SIMON

After the war the Manchester - groue got together, again and fortned the professional Theatre workshop. For eight and a half years they travelled the roads ol Britain and Europe,

KAVANAUGH, They came to gross at Strat-

It was the same reason which

Miss Littlewood's heroes do not step daintily through the french windows and say 'Anyone for tennie?" Mora likely they kick the doors open and unleashed Jonn Littlewood off on

stream of most untennis-like her language.

Or as antennis-like D8 Miss Litllewood is allowed by the Lord Chamberlain to make it.

Shakespeare

pilgrimage. It began in 1939 from London,

She had won a scholarship Lo the Royal Academy of Dramatle medal for microphone technique, Art, and been awarded a gold

But the London theatre, which she described as "posed. statle and unexciting" was not for her.

A look round. Paris, where she did a bit of patuling, proved no more fruitful-and exhausted hor meagre savings.

ford in 1933. The pastures did not meet with the approval of the Arts Council who grudging- y gave a grant of only £1,000

year,

Freedom

Kama S

4

This then is the freedom trall | CEDRIC CARNE that for the most part has been tramped rather than blazed by Joan Litliowood.

When

cramp keeps

you awake.

Stage treedom for Miss Little- wood means, treedom of ap- proach and expression by actors and producers. To her, the original script is merely basic raw material. She takes it to TBS_Gardiner looked at the alarm clock. It pieces and then with the cast bullds it up into the play,.

Miss littlewood's campaigo is directed from the Theatre Royal, Stratford.

the Not

Stratford which nestles peacefully on the-

When she got back to London, banks of the Avon and is steep- Jedin

material the atmosphere _of_bei_

possessions amounted to a piece of cheese Shakespeare.

and a penny. With these slow- This is the other Stratford ed in her handbag she set off which peers out on life through for the industrial North, sleep- the smoke and grime of Lon- ing behind bedges and in fields. don's East End. It is here that The fields also provided most of the Theatre Workshop goes her food in the form of corn and tion of Macbeth bogan with a about its mission in bringing turnips. She also begged.

the theatre to the rasses, with Miss Littlewood as prodticer, directing operations.

All of which might seem very worthy cause, but frankly of no great significance.

Willingly

MR

was 4 o'clock. Why did John have the light.

Even Shakespeare has not on in the middle of the night? "John, are you all been immune from the Little-right?" she asked. Her husband sat in the chairs wood treatment.

Her produc-looking sorry for himself. "It's all right, dear,

nan facing a Bring squad, con- don't worry. Just cramp in my leg again. It lipped Ilke modernistle vein

and ended with dive bombers woke me up."

roaring over shell holes,

Method lang Bho was using After a month she arrived at

before Marlon Brando grunted Burton-on-Trent where, in a But for the fact that, while state of near collapse, she was his way across the screen. the British Theatre has stumped given food and shelter by a from one Дор to another-this family of whom she says: "They year fourteen shows have come had not enough to live on them off after less than a fortnight-selves, but they willingly shared three of the top crowd-pulling their all with me." have been shows of the year

The Hostage, Make Me An Offer· and Fings Ain't Woi They Used TBe.

She encourages actors' to in- provise in rehearsals and would like, to carry this improvisation into the actual performance.

In the North Miss Littlewood. The law of the land would have also found people whose acting it, and indeed has it, otherwise. Ideals were in sympathy with her own. In Manchester she So it was that Miss Little- THE HOSTAGE is * play formed the Theatre Union, an wood found herself appearing wrliten by Brendang Behan, rmateur company whose reputo- at West Ham Magistrate's Court MAKE ME AN* OFFER is a tion spread throughout the and Bred £2 for letting actors Wolf Mankowita musical and North of England. The world improvise after the script lad FINGE AIN'T WOT THEY was their stage us they acted been approved by the Lord USED THE A musical by from the backs of lorries in Chamberlain. Frank Norman and Lionel Back market places and even from

All were produced by Joan the steps of pubile baths,

War brought disbandment of Littlewood. Al were eradfed the group. Their current pro- London duction was regarded as mock-

and nurtured in her back-street theatre,

Now America acclaims the Littlewood approach. The show currently rocking Broadway is 'A Taste of Honey, the play written by 10-year-old cinema usherette Shelagh: Delaney and brought to full power by Joan Littlewood.

Pilgrimage

ing the Chamberlain govern- ment and after a visit by de- tectives the show was closed,

Banned

The war also brought perhaps the most

incredible phase to

on

Mrs Gardiner persuaded her He was in the best of health. people suffer these husband to come and visit me. Some He had had cramp pains in his night cramps because they | calt

several consecutive don't take enough salt in their nights and they were interrupt- diet or because they are deficient in his sleep.

in vitamin B complex. More commonly, though, these cramps do 18 devolop when people have been

"The first thing to

in 10 over

the

"No," Mr

are accustomed

.

to stop worrying," I said. taking more exercise during the "Night cramps such as you'ne day than they experienced "are very common, 10. Seven people

Garadiner wald, age of 50 have them some "my only exercise these days is times in their legs, sometimes signing cheques and blinking in the soles of their feet or when I'm presented with bills." their toes, sometimes even in

So, like most people who have their hands.”

1ght cramps, Mr Gardiner *** "Well, I'm glod I'm not just could not relate them to any and odd man out, but I'm not parücular fact.

All the same. yet 50," protested Mr Gardiner. there was no need for him to Musclar cramps at night endure these attacks, partku- affect all age groups. Some larly by in his case they led to

be more pre-

broken sleep. people seem to Cispored to them than others. Those who get night crampa that's all. Most sufferers enjoy only very occasionally shouldino! excellent health; in only a few worry about it. But if they have Her zonerai approach stems

night eramps them frequently, or, say, twice in from a belief that everyone has nesociated with some disability, the same night, they should Cumberland such as arthritis or varicose take something to ensure that the genius, like shepherd she once interviewed veins.

they sleep well. who suddenly revealed a flair "Let's have for poetry.

Leps." I said.

"You make me feel I'm being

krinmed

Genius

Certainly many theatre people

feel that Miss Littlewood shows Miss Littleword's career. After genius in bringing greatness out

period when she was banned of others. from defence areas in Britain

casts

are

a look at your

auditioned for a gladiator in

Mr Gardiner. rome storical im,

I decided that if he had vari-

"You mean sleeping tableta?" nskerd Me Carliner.

"No," I said, "Something to get rid of the crampe

Though very few who enduro night cramps have a deficiency of calcluni in the blood,

is

y'

A critism of Miss Littlewood cose veins I would persuade him found that many bonellt by: this rebel against comformity is that she has got so wrapped up to relse the foot of his bed taking calcium lactate tablets, wrote scripts for that bastion of

that she is in about nine. inches.

That If this doesn't work, a doctor. K orthodoxy, the B.B.C. This in her cause

danger of swopping West End

cures night cramps can write a prescription for generally lasted until she was armed for cliches for East End ones.

when they are associated with quinine sulphate to be taken at But his legs bedtime. This treatment bringe alleged Communist views.

But none can deny that her varicose veinis. In fact she was not and is not crusade has flourished, that the were perfect.

complete relief in more than 90 “You mean I've got the parl." per cent of caICS, tebel leader has become prime minister.

Mr Gardiner Joked.

This was the play written by usherette Deloney because she was sickened by the shallow stuff she constantly saw served a Communist.

up.

bught me along to see what the Walfänder

£5,000,000 fowardd." salt dif

London Express Service.