Aunt Clara (novel)
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Aunt Clara (novel)
''Aunt Clara'' is a 1952 comedy novel by the British writer Noel Streatfeild. It concerns a respectable elderly woman who inherits her relative's estate which proves to include a greyhound and a brothel. Although her more worldly relatives expect her to struggle, she proves equal to the task. Film adaptation In 1954 it was adapted into a British film of the same title directed by Anthony Kimmins and starring Ronald Shiner, Margaret Rutherford and A. E. Matthews Alfred Edward Matthews (22 November 186925 July 1960), known as A. E. Matthews, was an English actor who played numerous character roles on the stage and in film for eight decades. Already middle-aged when films began production, he enjoyed inc ....Goble p.446 References Bibliography * Goble, Alan. ''The Complete Index to Literary Sources in Film''. Walter de Gruyter, 1999. * Hettinga, Donald R. & Schmidt, Gary D. ''British Children's Writers, 1914-1960''. Gale Research, 1996. 1952 British novels Novels by Noe ...
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Noel Streatfeild
Mary Noel Streatfeild OBE (24 December 1895 –11 September 1986) was an English author, best known for children's books including the "Shoes" books, which were not a series (though some books made references to others). Random House, the U.S. publisher of the 1936 novel ''Ballet Shoes'' (1936), published some of Streatfeild's subsequent children's books using the word "Shoes" in their titles, to capitalize on the popularity of ''Ballet Shoes''; thus ''Circus Shoes'' (originally called ''The Circus Is Coming''), ''Party Shoes'' (originally called ''Party Frock''), ''Skating Shoes'' (originally called '' White Boots'') and many more. She won the third annual Carnegie Medal for '' Circus Shoes''. She was a member of the historic Streatfeild family. Several of her novels have been adapted for film or television. Biography Noel Streatfeild was born in Sussex, the second of five surviving children of William Champion Streatfeild, later the Bishop of Lewes, and Janet Venn. He ...
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United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The United Kingdom includes the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland, and many smaller islands within the British Isles. Northern Ireland shares a land border with the Republic of Ireland; otherwise, the United Kingdom is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, the North Sea, the English Channel, the Celtic Sea and the Irish Sea. The total area of the United Kingdom is , with an estimated 2020 population of more than 67 million people. The United Kingdom has evolved from a series of annexations, unions and separations of constituent countries over several hundred years. The Treaty of Union between the Kingdom of England (which included Wales, annexed in 1542) and the Kingdom of Scotland in 170 ...
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Collins Publishers
HarperCollins Publishers LLC is one of the Big Five English-language publishing companies, alongside Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, Hachette, and Macmillan. The company is headquartered in New York City and is a subsidiary of News Corp. The name is a combination of several publishing firm names: Harper & Row, an American publishing company acquired in 1987—whose own name was the result of an earlier merger of Harper & Brothers (founded in 1817) and Row, Peterson & Company—together with Scottish publishing company William Collins, Sons (founded in 1819), acquired in 1989. The worldwide CEO of HarperCollins is Brian Murray. HarperCollins has publishing groups in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, India, and China. The company publishes many different imprints, both former independent publishing houses and new imprints. History Collins Harper Mergers and acquisitions Collins was bought by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp ...
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Comedy Novel
A comic novel is a novel-length work of humorous fiction. Many well-known authors have written comic novels, including P. G. Wodehouse, Henry Fielding, Mark Twain, and John Kennedy Toole. Comic novels are often defined by the author's literary choice to make the thrust of the work—in its narration or plot—funny or satirical in orientation, regardless of the putative seriousness of the topics addressed. While many novels may contain passages or themes that are comic or humorous, the defining characteristic of this genre is that comedy is the framework and baseline of the story, rather than an occasional or recurring motif. Literary scholars distinguish textual analysis on this basis; the theory being that a story by Mark Twain that is a satirical critique in its very origin, for example, must be understood differently than a more literal novelistic plot. American comic books first gained popularity in the 1930s, and their popularity has fluctuated over the years. Recently, th ...
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Greyhound
The English Greyhound, or simply the Greyhound, is a breed of dog, a sighthound which has been bred for coursing, greyhound racing and hunting. Since the rise in large-scale adoption of retired racing Greyhounds, the breed has seen a resurgence in popularity as a family pet. Greyhounds are defined as a tall, muscular, smooth-coated, "S-shaped" type of sighthound with a long tail and tough feet. Greyhounds are a separate breed from other related sighthounds, such as the Italian greyhound. The Greyhound is a gentle and intelligent breed whose combination of long, powerful legs, deep chest, flexible spine, and slim build allows it to reach average race speeds exceeding . The Greyhound can reach a full speed of within , or six strides from the boxes, traveling at almost for the first of a race. Appearance Males are usually tall at the withers, and weigh on average . Females tend to be smaller, with shoulder heights ranging from and weights from , although weights ca ...
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Brothel
A brothel, bordello, ranch, or whorehouse is a place where people engage in sexual activity with prostitutes. However, for legal or cultural reasons, establishments often describe themselves as massage parlors, bars, strip clubs, body rub parlours, studios, or by some other description. Sex work in a brothel is considered safer than street prostitution. Legal status On 2 December 1949, the United Nations General Assembly approved the Convention for the Suppression of the Traffic in Persons and of the Exploitation of the Prostitution of Others. The Convention came into effect on 25 July 1951 and by December 2013 had been ratified by 82 states. The Convention seeks to combat prostitution, which it regards as "incompatible with the dignity and worth of the human person." Parties to the Convention agreed to abolish regulation of individual prostitutes, and to ban brothels and procuring. Some countries not parties to the convention also ban prostitution or the operation of broth ...
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Aunt Clara (film)
''Aunt Clara'' is a 1954 British comedy film starring Margaret Rutherford as a woman who inherits a number of shady businesses from a relative. Ronald Shiner, A. E. Matthews, and Fay Compton are also featured. The film was based on the 1952 novel of the same name by author Noel Streatfeild, and directed by Anthony Kimmins for London Films. It was shot at Shepperton Studios near London. The film's sets were designed by the art director Paul Sheriff. Plot Clara Hilton is a shrewd, but kindly old lady mostly ignored by the rest of her family. When her cantankerous uncle Simon dies, he unexpectedly leaves her the bulk of his considerable estate - his house, six racing greyhounds, a crooked game, a pub and a brothel - because she alone would see to the well-being of those dependent on him. Clara keeps Simon's valet Henry Martin on to assist her. Henry and Cyril and Maggie Mason, who run the pub, try to keep her from seeing what kind of business they are running, but she quickly ...
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Anthony Kimmins
Anthony Martin Kimmins, OBE (10 November 1901 – 19 May 1964) was an English director, playwright, screenwriter, producer and actor. Biography Kimmins was born in Harrow, London on 10 November 1901, the son of the social activists Charles William Kimmins and Grace Kimmins. He served in the Royal Navy, and upon leaving the navy he became an actor. In 1932, he wrote the comedy play ''While Parents Sleep'' which had a long run in the West End. In 1935, another of his plays '' Chase the Ace'' was staged. His first directorial assignment was ''Keep Fit'' (1937). with George Formby. During World War II, he returned to the Navy achieving the rank of Commander. In 1941, he took part in Operation Claymore a successful Commando raid in Norway. During the success of the raid, Kimmins is said to have gone skiing on a nearby slope out of boredom, according to John Durnford-Slater. He would later run the British Pacific Fleet newspaper in Sydney during the Pacific war. Kimmins received t ...
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Ronald Shiner
Ronald Alfred Shiner (8 June 1903 – 29 June 1966) was a British stand-up comedian and comedy actor whose career encompassed film, West End theatre and music hall. Career Early life and career When he was seventeen, Shiner joined the Royal North-West Mounted Police, after which he became a signalman and a wireless operator, then a farmer. He also worked as a greengrocer, milkman and book makers clerk. He served for three years in the British Army. Army concerts gave him a taste for the stage. He made his stage debut in 1928 in ''Dr Syn'' and the following year became a stage director at the Stage Society. During the early 1930s he appeared in a number of West End plays at the Whitehall Theatre by Walter C. Hackett including '' Good Losers'', '' Take a Chance'', '' Afterwards'' and '' Road House''. Film extra Shiner's first film was '' Wild Boy'' (1934) with Sonnie Hale and Flanagan & Allen. He had support roles in '' My Old Dutch'' (1934), '' Doctor's Orders'' (1934) and ''I ...
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Margaret Rutherford
Dame Margaret Taylor Rutherford, (11 May 1892 – 22 May 1972) was an English actress of stage, television and film. She came to national attention following World War II in the film adaptations of Noël Coward's '' Blithe Spirit'', and Oscar Wilde's ''The Importance of Being Earnest''. She won an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award for her role as the Duchess of Brighton in '' The V.I.P.s'' (1963). In the early 1960s, she starred as Agatha Christie's character Miss Marple in a series of four George Pollock films. She was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1961 and a Dame Commander (DBE) in 1967. Early life Rutherford's early life was overshadowed by tragedies involving both of her parents. Her father, journalist and poet William Rutherford Benn, married Florence Nicholson on 16 December 1882 in Wandsworth, South London. One month after the marriage, he suffered a nervous breakdown and was admitted to Bethnal House Lunatic Asylum. Released ...
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1952 British Novels
Year 195 ( CXCV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Scrapula and Clemens (or, less frequently, year 948 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 195 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years. Events By place Roman Empire * Emperor Septimius Severus has the Roman Senate deify the previous emperor Commodus, in an attempt to gain favor with the family of Marcus Aurelius. * King Vologases V and other eastern princes support the claims of Pescennius Niger. The Roman province of Mesopotamia rises in revolt with Parthian support. Severus marches to Mesopotamia to battle the Parthians. * The Roman province of Syria is divided and the role of Antioch is diminished. The Romans annexed the Syrian cities of Edessa and Nisibis. Severus re-establish his head ...
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Novels By Noel Streatfeild
A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itself from the la, novella, a singular noun use of the neuter plural of ''novellus'', diminutive of ''novus'', meaning "new". Some novelists, including Nathaniel Hawthorne, Herman Melville, Ann Radcliffe, John Cowper Powys, preferred the term "romance" to describe their novels. According to Margaret Doody, the novel has "a continuous and comprehensive history of about two thousand years", with its origins in the Ancient Greek and Roman novel, in Chivalric romance, and in the tradition of the Italian renaissance novella.Margaret Anne Doody''The True Story of the Novel'' New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 1996, rept. 1997, p. 1. Retrieved 25 April 2014. The ancient romance form was revived by Romanticism, especially the historic ...
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