1961-07-01 — Page 13

Defeat

•

of the

other

woman

By TOM HUTCHINSON

UNTIL

now the real, distinguishing West End success for which every actress longs hind seemed to elude Billie Whitelaw.

In films No Love for John- nic"...."Hell is a City".. "Payroll"-everyone agreed that Billie Whitelaw was "such a good actress'nd then went on to talk about the star.

In "No Love for Johnnie" Bilic played Peter Finch's gym- pathetic next-door neighbour. But it was Mary Peach, a sugar- puff blonde, who got the big, much-talked-of love scene.

Now in the play "Progress to the Park" in the West End, Miss Whitclaw has the star part, the big scene, and the final applause.

Maybo all this will give Miss Whitelaw, who combine tough- ness and an odd tenderness and uncertainty, the conddenes herself which I thinks has been

·lacking during these past ava

The critics are going to PETER USTINOV is

reassessing his in- have a lot of Ustinov to credible talent in the assimilate within the next

mouths. few

His film light of a personal fact "Romanoff and Juliet" is which has crept up on us due out soon. He is to

direct all unawares.

"Billy Budd," Robert Ryan. His new play said: "I only seem to get to starring himself and

The Photo-Finish"

The fact? Peter Ustinov is 40 years old. The youth- ful genius is now middle aged. The enfant terriblo is no longer so enfant.

not

to a

comes

BILLIE WHITELAW (I'M STILL UNSURE?

years.

I talked to her and she

to the West End in the stage.

grips with people when I'm on

autumn.

"I've got to prove

And Ustinov shows another of his talenta In his book of new highly intelligent au- caricatures. "We Were Only dience that has grown

UP Human" an amazed disgusted that I'm

Just the roar of laughter at the Nazis youthful genius - prodigy which was published recently, I've always been criticised for," he says..

*

**

Purge

"It was the only way of purg- Ing the horror of the Nazis out of my system, my creating this book," he said.

and

I'm married now (to Deter Peter Vaughan) and I havo a

at Datchet little cottage that is what counts,

"I'm 28 and I used to be root- less....can you wonder at it in my generation? I was evacuated during the war and I didn't sco' my own parents much.

"Can you wonder that I am so shy....until I got a part that I can make contact with.” Despite her fears, she has a tremendous tenacity.

started at the Theatre Work,

"Progress to the Park,"

shop, -and Mids Whitelaw Can Ustinov, at 40, succeed in started in it right thero at £12 proving that he is not just an a week. intellectual jack-of-all-trades to She insisted on slaying with the new audience he talks It, and with it she has reached about? He thinks so.

the top..

When next she appears in a "You know, I haven't changed flm no other woman will be much in my aggression over 40 able to compete with her. That years. It's just that I look love scene will be all heTS. older," he said,

-(London Express Service).

•

Lady W and the romance

that

WILFRID

made her wage

war on father

SCAWEN BLUNT. A memoir by his grond- son, the Eurl of Lytton. Macdonald. 30%.

SCAWEN BLUNT belongs to a vanished age of

by George

aristocratic ease and contumacy. He was a rich Malcolm Thomson Sussex squire quite contemptuous of money, pro- vided he had enough of it." He was a good poet and a man of some energy of mind. And he had and all the recklessness, arrogance and intransigence looks of his kind.

-

So he took up the cause of nations like India, Egypt and Ireland, whom he saw as oppressed by British policy. He begged them not to trust Britain.

had he

inter-he could have

狷

OT

Cheerfully one

"He was feels that-

.completely

at the and been bom

lilla mercy of Oriental deccit

Irish blamey and believed every been

woeful tale of oppression by the British Case-

Government, however fantastic, Hle home soon becania of con- as a hot-bell · man would famous

"out" in Easter week

with

hanged

ment.

Yot

the samo

Roger

rointer at Crabbet Park, with bla aptracy for the scum of every

boon companions, sitting late at

the table and competing in

nation."

Verse with Curzon (who often Attractive won). George Wyndham and tho like, statemen whooo policico he reviled and who right at any moment find it their duty to send him to prison. (He did time in Galway Jail.)

Hot-bed

of her Lady W's opiniori father was, however, not un- prejudiced. Sho had'a vehemenco of temperament which matched

his

own

and aromarkablo ability to put her fury down on, paper. She had also, a grievance. In Lord Lotions sometim naive and ill-agranged boots Blunt's politics were either nothing is no fascinating on the generous and noble or pervette, recount of the croiatlona'ber, and foolish according to the Swept Blunt"ind Judith, point of view, His grandsofi,

Cloed-lookisig and vali, Blunt Ford Lytton, boligven the first. was tremendously "altenctive to His daughter, Fudith (Landy: women. Aamong those who foll Wentworth) Wrolaz

undor his spell was his dark

beautiful daughter who Judlik, Lady Wentworth, from

an Edwardian like

Forceress, out at us from the portrait painted by her hus band, Neville Lytton.

The love between Blunt and his daughter was shipwrecited when the girl discovered that her adored father, in his middle Afties, was making advancer to her friend Lady Emily Lylton,

30.

A portrait.

Arab stud during the 1914-10 war. When the last war came, Judith, try that time owner of the stud, claimed railors for the horses on the ground of nailonal importance!

feud endured through the rent Readable

of Blunt's Htc.

Alas

The king-pin of the freedom fighters.

WHO LIVED TO SEE THE DAY. By.. Philippo do Vomacourt. Hutchinson. 255.

WHAT! Yet another

book about the French Resistance? Yes but this one is different.

Philppe de Vorecourt was in the game right from the start. two brothers cati Ho and his fatriot clofen ip- have been tho first organisers and leaders of underground activity in France.

of heroism and hazards. Placed as he was a king-pin position, he was able to asces the value of clandestine warfare simul- taneously at two different levels, as an agent in the Beld and as behind the policy-maker

SCENICI.

This dual viewpoint serves, ke a correctivu lens, to put Resistance its true the perspective,

Its military value has already been proved and de Vorecourt does not inbour this point. What he lessons to he stresses Ar

and the be learned from it mistakes to be avoided in the future. For many mistakes were Disasters occurred not only through the carelessness or Irwecurity of those in the fold Lack of but also through the doclidon and co-ordination of their superiors at home.

A few weeks before Blant's death (1922) a reconciliation devoted

to took place between the two Pasdonately Emily, Judith told her thut proud spirits. Blunt had already been c

Judith wrote touchingly: He watched the movement

beloved Pappa, I broiled with a married woman "My nost

grow from a singlo cell operat- made. love you with my whole heart. by whom he had a child,'

Chateauroux Into a not know how in near This dizelosure made Blunt You do

vast network which embraced, har

the whole country, He played a furious with his daughter and miserable your little child —with rows about property to been without you".

major rolo in its development. Iwop the flames alight-the

He was ideally equipped for the tack, constitutionally tough. There were many injustices on ardent patriot, a stubborn too. Self-styled patriote wise An hour or two after individualist. His physical for personal or political gain Blunt's death Judith's grief valour which prompted hip to had ellmbed on to the band- had vanished, She declared: dely the Germans at the villast, wagon at the last minute wete

matched by his moral officially r

anci recognised "I pray that his soul may not wea non-secretary, Carleton, Judith tock har rest until the wrong

he bar couragu which enabled plin to rewarded, while genuine but less atand up against the chalkborné · demonstrative heroes remained mother's part with zorne done has been refuted." vioinnoo.

Blunt in his will, had made warriors and military politicos. Unsung and unconsidered. "Some years ago" she wrote Dorothy Carleton heir to his to Miss Carleton, "Your ponible etate. condition

subject of common talk. Now my father's to delest his grandfather, ho turned gossip into has vest to write an admiring Tidicule".

secount of him, For all its lack of expert hund li It is still a highly, rendeblo narrative.

The squire was in the line of great English eccentrics,

When the old squire separ- ated from his wife and installed two women in his home, one of whom was on attractive come Dorothy

ope

Waglogg, war on her father, in deforce of her mother, Mudith was simultaneously pounching her mother for maintaining her

Lont Kortton was brought up In perspective

|

· personal

story ada da cociting" as any that came out } of Occupied France. But, ble book, thrilling as it is to read, is more than a mero › account

But, whatever its defecta, no one cum, deny. Qint/the Hosts(- so kept the fans of the Frunch spirit burning and tho soldier sourˇor France alive,

Haig

SCOTCH WHISKY

HAIG'S 2010 LANK

A Masterpiece of the Distiller's

Art

Sale Distributors: - GANDE, PRICE O CO., LTD.

"The Wine Hous

XAN FIELDING Chater Road, Hong Kong, Toh, 20186, 14351 & 23246.

-(London Express Rervice).