1961-12-20 — Page 29

IT'S

14

THE CHINA MAIL, SATURDAY, DECEMBER 30, 1961.

LOSONLAY Gilbert

A night with

Paid in full-with a £20,000 Renoir

FROM A HAPPY

CUSTOMER,

REWARD FOR

GROWING A FULL

HEAD OF HAIR

MR. LEE WITH HIS RENOIR

'S a contemporary fact-probably one of the sadder ones --that a celebrated work of art is regarded as nothing more than a solid investment and status symbol purchased by Both do it usually for the the rich and stolen by the crooks. wrong reasons

B

Fever

vet:

1Fi

bizarre listedry of athading,

Mi I war

Overcome 210

has anyone nequired a valuable forgot to wrap the picture when

picture as Mr Michael bee has

clone

Mt Lav admits he

colleclur. rich

not even a dietante

3

Parakeet

fles a

he lett

He held it with one arm and tried to han

s taxi with the other

д

TWO GIRLS

A tax drew up but the driver, who aiready had a fare.

driving off simply said before again That Books Uke

gul there male 101 You shouldnt

like that Is dangerous

hair expert, whe seidon gives Renoir

the pranuter label of

himself

trichologist

Clinics

Mir ipe whe IN uh boking for the art long taxi dover, Took the partsge lion and saidt to his wife

this It

£!

must hang

[ bonour up in a place

getmane masterpie and

He runs even clinics for hair worth a fortunte disordes 120 London

the Talbergs thraught

Vanntre

and

Ha watu, who knows what she the likes

prelers

few and paintings her busband picked up *for a few quid, second- Jarcadh, '

Just after he opener his Grst surveyed the pastel critically London clini a few years age, and said:-

in came

American

middle-aged a rich

"Don't hong that up here. business man suffer- Wouldn't have it in the house.

Not even in the hall."

ing. like most of the patients, from falling hah

In fact so much had fallen

that

American, Mr Sam the Altun. was wearing a small taupe

Buil after

Offers

CHOOSE

BRITISH

HAVE been talking to two American girls who have little in common ex- cept thai they were born in America.

Miss Sancu Scott has arrived in London to do her cabaret act,

which will include new version of

The Twist, at the Colony in Ber- keley-square.

Mish TRIDDIN Grimes has been taking a week's holiday in London after a year's stint us the star (and according to the critics, the mainstay ) of the Broadway musical "The Unsink - able Molly Brown"

Miss Scott has been pursued

at times by

mink including four stoles. She says "1 like money

and the things it can buy."

and Sullivan

IF you had happened one night recently to be on the Embankment or in the Strand near the Savoy Theatre and the Savoy Hotel you would have seen an excited crowd. Obviously something of great importance was taking place and the massed Londoners cheered as their favourites arrived.

Was it the Prime- Minister coming to а banquet or was it the Lord Mayor venturing from his citadel? In both cases it was nothing of who fell in the sort. The crowd had Captain's daughter

on

Yeomen of the dar

which exprewed the secret longings for both of theiz. ¿dikert bad chosen the background of the Tower of London in which he wonid.

dramatize

A theme which was dignified and even bordering on tragedy.

If you will once more forgive a personal reference I confess, or at any rate admit that in Toronto before the First World War I sang the tenor role in "The

Yeoman" at Toronto's Opera House and everything went well until, unfortunately I J was so moved by the fact that I was in love and under sen- tence of death that I kissed the heroine with such violence that the audience roared with

covered with paint.

laughter because my fave was

Execution

LONDON LETTER

SIR BEVERLEY BAXTER

Yet you by remember that when Bir Tipinas Heath's memorial service was at Westfuster Abbey a year or m man it-vene. Hargans-wİNİ WİLƏ chisan.......... to.

sant que non pead the ment orchestra.

pleasantries of Hant praniende protramo suddenly these

were in the Abbey realised that Bargent had soared Frontness.

Admittedly the acoustics were superb and Sargent

Super

producca such volume and nuance that it seemed the very Gods wer weeping. But it was hard

Faced with the crisis I realise that Sargent of the promptly turned about and went Abbey was the hero of the back to my dressing room where audience at the Gilbert and 1 washed my face and then re- Sullivan night just recently, turned to the stage to meet my proposed execution.

it an excellent theme in which he could join romance with satire-alwaYK

effective

But now let us return to the partnership.

great night at the Savoy Thea- As you are aware the theme Why did the first night go wild tre where we began our story. was that of a humble sailor

with delight when the orchestral love with the wish deu

Str Malcolm SRT- we conductor, which,

took his place at the con- gent, - ductor's rostrum.

Malcolm has the slim

figure

Miss Grimes, who is hoydenish, gathered to see the stars barrassing social situation.

musi all agree, was A1] fey, and untidity attractive. has of the D'Oyly

in diamonds

Dr

Carte

The interest minky and wears stacks company which was to religiously She

says: I hate open the 1962 season at Paszary | brings too many responsiblh ties and problems ' the Savoy Theatre, with HMS Pinafore. In fact you had to be really someone

to have chance of getting

Miss Spot, who can be adven -

lurous, says: "I like to be free. But 1 worldn't mind being disciplined by the right man.

Miss Grimes rebelinous, says

I am relying

in the

Ageless

Finally I must end with Gilbert and Sullivan's "HMS Pinafore" which ended the famous night at the

Savoy Theatre. Who and what is the

in HMS Pina-

on my memory of a man in his middle twenties but with the other night's per- and his full head of hair is as young man who was chosen to formance fresh in my ears, and black as a silky night. To him play the sailor with some familarity from my there is no divergence between fore? amater days

distant good and bad music but only past I think I can venture ou:

Like Sargent be Is ageless. how you perform it. A maiden fair to see

I have already in one of my is hard to believe that. In the His name i Tom Round and it The pearl of minstrelsy London Letters described how Hitler war he spared

into the he and I A bud of blushing beauty: as young men а

rode

skies and. fought the German For whom proud nobles horseback in Rotten Row and a

So genuine was his olted planes. how his horse invariably bolted sigh

46 soon as he had mounted, smile on the stage and sively And with each other vie

whereas my horse turned his interpretation that he night "Proms" and To do her humble duty

as if to ask what in never have heard of war or dis- the operettas what do we know

Who is there among you, es- blazes had settled upon

his cord. of Sir Arthur Seymour Sullivan? the

pecially Chose who have back. He was born in 1842 and after marriageable daughters, wilo studying music in Leipzig re- would not regard

who can be "The only way ticket.

to be really free is to be self- disciplined

But

they agree about desirability of two things. Sleep- ing till lunch if possible.

And choosing an Englishmen to a husband if possible.

in the case of one girl, the Enghshiman chosen would, 1 think, be unfortunate. It would caddish and churlish 10 my which one

All happy

in the

House?

Outside of the

Turned to London with the idea

such a mar-

even

of becoming a serious symphonie age as undesirable? It is one composer and conductor. There thing for an Admiral or we shall leave him for a few Captain to agree that thero

nothing

than Is

belter

h British sailor but for an Able Seaman to marry the Admiral's daughter is quite another thing

minutes.

Partner

Let us now look at his partner Sir William Schwenek Gilbert

who was born in 1838 and pub- shed some 30 tales and novels.

was

Pathos

In fact as I sit in my study I

of the

tenor-in

Me took the BA degree at the can feel the pathos and the sad unfashionable London Universi inevitability

a clerk in the Privy-

. other words Able Seaman Ralph Į Council office for

for five years, and

Rackstraw-the humble sallor in 1864

called to the Bar, who pours out his grief- All of which explains why the Ak pity, pity me

was

N invitation to the open-operatias of the famous pair

a dazzle (that'sing of a new restaurante such play in satitising the the word) of princes including tells me:~~ the energetic of Denmark.

Prince Christian

Parliament

including Bob

pomposities of the Bar and the ways of the Law. Law. So popular was this blending

and

the music

of

The Captain's daughter

site

And I her lowly suitor Now we see why Gilbert and

Around

Sorrow

Therefore let us

agree that lucky are the young in heart. I walked but of the theatre with memories that made me feel as if I was back in my salad days. Forgive me if I have failed to

the But the gift of eternal youth describe

usual battle of is not only in Sargent's black politics but I wanted you for a air and graceful gure but in change to enjoy that magic hight his spirit. And seen him in better form

never have I which took us back to the world

than of happy inemorles. when

he took his place that night at the rostrum when "HMS Pinafore" was the open- ing offering. Strangely enough he does not regard himself as a great conductor. "I lack sor- row" he once said.

Why

admire

young

And with this, may I wish you, my andlence, a happy year that lies ahead. It is never wise to prophesy but I am quite certain that. 1863 will not be dull.

today's

mothers

So the pastel is now back in Mr Lee's Leicester-square office.

The other guests will be an and so dependent were the Sullivan lived so long as suce Propping it up on his desk, But she says sadly. "A 1hr interesting group of celebrities, partners on each other that а cessful partners. Somehow they months of he said:

"I've decided to hang moment I'm fresh out of princes sovielites, and members of wit of the day said that the found a balance between drama Mr Lee's treatment Mr Altman on to it, meantime. After all, Maybe I'll meet another soon had discarded

the toupee He not everybody's got a Renoir. However, she has as her Press Munichouse. Alma Cogan, Fran-success of the partners was due and musical comedy.

of Sullivan's music a to the wit

In fact "HMS Pinafore" pre- was able to return to America And it's a kind of insurance agent the Earl of Kimberly

Bernard Braden, A kịt Vaughan, with a spikily

Barbara Kelly. Dickie Valentine, can fart which may console her proud crew cut policy. If I ever go bust 1

Gilbert's sents a problem which is always Who occurring in normal life, ach hale bis nwn

always sell it and make enough

Billy Wright, and the Beverley

blames a mother who does not 1 stort up again

Sisters

her daughter want

to marry Before he left he said to Mr Lee: "I'm indebted to you,

merely for love? And which of us, who has known what it is MATRIMONY don't know how repay you.

to have a daughter, will deny the clock to the But I ran

Jeast at

give

you

that elemental truth?

Victorian dr of our six sons as a big something from my art collec-

you will agree age the Ministry of Health, the youngest of 10 and younger she having bigger le family. My husband was tion. It's a Renoir pastel."

At any rate that Gilbert and Sullivan have st like

greatgrandma, today's

Lines.

Actually they were supreme masters of their trade. They pilloried everything that was ter to the world in the process

by LADY FISHER

has but happening in the House of Com-pompous and they gave laugh

I "Anyway

it's very rngy the eyes I spent iftera bub un

Miss Grimes has avoided titled escorts though she was pursued by Rex Harrison, who is now ou playing

mughty Caesar Res agent is charming a Reynir book and now I know untitled this is one of his typical girls." She says: "Rex and I never

thought about getting married We know each other too well

"I'd never be interested in a dealer in the Old Kent-roud man because of his title."

is offering a fire engine for sale.

I hope there's nothing crucial

ons that night

A

SECOND-HAND

cor

He hoked closer at the Renoir Mr Lee, who had already girl in the bluish pastel dress collected his professional fees and upswept halt. He added... accepted the "You knew, I've got to like her painting politely, but he was not mow. I fact I'm very fond of over-impressed

the girl."

of about £120.

"Didn't look very

nuch tu There wän something ilke

Diamonds le

It could have been the Miss Scott, who is vivacious, right Christmas présent for me it was a pastel a crayon eyes. There was something like tithe, and dily attractive, has the man who has everything.

me," he said. If he hadn't told amusement In her crayoned

drawing it might have had love in Mr Lee's more effect

Fancy

"Anyway, 1 know nothing" about art so I reckoned it waĖS just a drawing of a girl's head, and I left it lying around the office

ט ת!

"Couldn't pul 'away drawer because it had this fancy frame round it."

For many months it collected dust lying against 8 filing cabinet.

Recently Mr Lee's assistant complained he couldn't get int the cabinet "because of this damn picture" and Mr Lee decided to get rid of it. The same day a patient, who had noticed it, offered to buy it.

"How much?" osked Mr Lee. 'The patient examined -the picture more closely and said: *£900."

Mr Lee decided to keep it As be says now: "If he'd offered me i filver I'd probably have. accepted. But £800 made me suspicious and curious."

His curiosity unearthed a cel- tificale from à leading American expert which said the paalei was undoubtedly a glauice Renoir, probably done-around 1880.

Sale

Mr Lee rules to Christics with picture „Leertinestri There he was added to put the picture up for #lo at a gallery. He was also told. It could fetch anything from £12,000 to 20,- DOD.

TT

a collection of diamonds and

Resentment

·Suddenly · comples Are.

Fisher of

given joy to maolding for de-harter intervals. By if I was the ninth of 14. cades upon decades-yet nothing Lambeth, wife of the former Ark- We felt afx was a very bishop of Canterbury, central preși- lasts for ever, As it happened there was Eventually the incredible dent of the piers Union for eight middle-sized effort.

years, married for 44 years, minther considerable public recent partnership began to show signs six and grandmother of alue, bas ment and same outcry when of strain.

Our Sullivan wanted to the toy in in interview with

mothers had large NANCY BANKI-SMITH, music and

Tamilies because they had, no

libretto which would have sat in dignity as well as popularity.

a civilian was appointed First write more serious

the aliaspproval reached auch Gilbert felt the urge of wilting MY husband and I

London Express Service.

a point that Gilbert

"Pity if he

•him as

ception of an obsolete legend I

knowledge of birth control. never really thought I do admire young m

mothers these days who consciously, choose to have big families -a 'terrific' strain.

Take

tite

physical strain,

My mother •hat #0 her

children without anaesthetic

and never made a fuss about

at all

It

village

remember in the lttle

where I lived the local nurse delivered most of

the babies, and was not

allowed to dacty

anbesthetic apparatus.

As for the stancial strain, s

big family i

itself. I believe

post/ca

day are very wieć ta

'several

limiting their

that

e

that one

later.

Frankly, we had poor education, mendendi

don't understanž

husband's Latin jokes.

know when toʻlarh.

The clergy tell me that n

couples are literally ri

'teete

work. They marry

betüre they have a nõuse to live

had

thing