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Half A Sixpence
''Half a Sixpence'' is a 1963 musical comedy based on the 1905 novel ''Kipps'' by H. G. Wells, with music and lyrics by David Heneker and a book by Beverley Cross. It was written as a vehicle for British pop star Tommy Steele. Background The show is based on H.G. Wells's 1905 novel '' Kipps: The Story of a Simple Soul''. Steele played Arthur Kipps, an orphan who unexpectedly inherits a fortune, and climbs the social ladder before losing everything and realizing that you just can't buy happiness. David Heneker (who had also worked on ''Irma La Douce'' and ''Charlie Girl'') wrote both music and lyrics. Steele's importance to the show was made evident by his appearance in twelve of the musical's fifteen songs. Much of this musical was tailored as a star vehicle for Steele's particular talents. This was especially evident in the musical number "Money to Burn": when Arthur Kipps realises that he is about to become wealthy, he decides that the first thing he will buy is a banjo. T ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
David Heneker
David William Heneker (31 March 1906 – 30 January 2001) was a writer and composer of British popular music and musicals, best known for creating the music and lyrics for ''Half a Sixpence''. Life and career Heneker was born in Southsea, England, in March 1906, the eldest son of the Canadian-born Lieutenant Colonel William Heneker, a notable military strategist and tactician, who would later serve with distinction in World War I, rising to the rank of General. Educated at Wellington and Sandhurst, Heneker followed his father into a military career. He served as a cavalry officer in the British Army from 1925 to 1937, and again in the War Office from 1939 to 1948, attaining the rank of Brigadier. He became drawn to a second career in music after becoming familiar with the score of Noël Coward's '' Bitter Sweet'' while recuperating from a riding accident in 1934. His first published song was performed by Merle Oberon in the film '' The Broken Melody''. Among his compositions ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Banjo
The banjo is a stringed instrument with a thin membrane stretched over a frame or cavity to form a resonator. The membrane is typically circular, and usually made of plastic, or occasionally animal skin. Early forms of the instrument were fashioned by African Americans in the United States. The banjo is frequently associated with folk, bluegrass and country music, and has also been used in some rock, pop and hip-hop. Several rock bands, such as the Eagles, Led Zeppelin, and the Grateful Dead, have used the five-string banjo in some of their songs. Historically, the banjo occupied a central place in Black American traditional music and the folk culture of rural whites before entering the mainstream via the minstrel shows of the 19th century. Along with the fiddle, the banjo is a mainstay of American styles of music, such as bluegrass and old-time music. It is also very frequently used in Dixieland jazz, as well as in Caribbean genres like biguine, calypso and mento. Histo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lesley Judd
Lesley Judd (born 20 December 1946) is an English former television presenter and dancer, best known as a long-serving host of the BBC children's programme '' Blue Peter'' (1972–1979). Background Born in London, the daughter of Leslie T. Judd and Hilda Madeline Haddock, Judd was educated at the independent Arts Educational School, Tring Park (Hertfordshire). In 1959, she appeared in the BBC Television adaptation of ''Heidi'', playing the part of Clara. Another early appearance as a child actress was as a schoolgirl in the ''Z-Cars'' episode "Person Unknown" on 14 November 1962. An early dancing appearance came on BBC TV's ''The Language of Love'' in 1964. In 1967, Judd was one of the "children" dancers on Gillian Lynne's BBC2 show ''Hey Riddle Diddle'' starring Roy Castle and Nelson Riddle. She was a hostess on the Associated-Rediffusion game show '' Exit! It's the Way-Out Show'' hosted by Ed Stewart. Beginning in 1967 with ''The Rolf Harris Show'', Judd appeared as part of t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gillian Lynne
Dame Gillian Barbara Lynne (née Pyrke; 20 February 1926 – 1 July 2018) was an English ballerina, dancer, choreographer, actress, and theatre-television director, noted for her theatre choreography associated with two of the longest-running shows in Broadway history, ''Cats'' and ''The Phantom of the Opera''. At age 87, she was made a DBE (Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire) in the 2014 New Year Honours List. The New London Theatre, where the original West End production of ''Cats'' played, was officially renamed the Gillian Lynne Theatre in 2018. This made Lynne the first non-royal woman to have a West End theatre named after her. Early life and education Gillian Barbara Pyrke was born in Bromley, Kent, and was a precocious dance talent from an early age, teaming with her childhood friend Beryl Grey while still at school, and dancing to blot out the tragedy of the violent death of her mother on 8 July 1939 in Coventry (as a result of a car crash along wi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
George Sidney
George Sidney (October 4, 1916May 5, 2002) was an American film director and producer who worked primarily at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. His work includes cult classics ''Bye Bye Birdie'' (1963) and ''Viva Las Vegas'' (1964). With an extensive background in acting, stage direction, film editing, and music, Sidney created many of post-war Hollywood’s big budget musicals, such as '' Annie Get Your Gun'' (1950), ''Show Boat'' (1951), ''Kiss Me Kate'' (1953); ''Jupiter's Darling'' (1955), and '' Pal Joey'' (1957). He was also a president of the Screen Directors Guild for 16 years. A founding partner of Hanna-Barbera animation studio, Sidney introduced the integration of animation into live action, which is immortalized in the dance scene between actor Gene Kelly and Jerry Mouse in ''Anchors Aweigh'' (1945). An avid art collector, gardener, musician, painter, and photographer, George Sidney was known for his impeccable sense of style and generosity. His clothing, original scripts, not ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cyril Ritchard
Cyril Joseph Trimnell-Ritchard (1 December 1898 – 18 December 1977), known professionally as Cyril Ritchard, was an Australian stage, screen and television actor, and director. He is best remembered today for his performance as Captain Hook in the Mary Martin musical production of ''Peter Pan''. In 1945, he played Gabriele Eisenstein in '' Gay Rosalinda'' at the Palace theatre in London, a version of Strauss's ''Die Fledermaus'' by Erich Wolfgang Korngold in which he appeared with Peter Graves. The show was conducted by Richard Tauber and ran for almost a year. Life and career Ritchard was born in the Sydney suburb of Surry Hills, one of five siblings born to Sydney-born parents: Herbert Trimnell-Ritchard, a Protestant grocer, and Margaret, sometimes called "Marguerite" ( Collins), a Roman Catholic, in whose faith the children were raised. Educated by the Jesuits at St Aloysius' College, Cyril studied medicine at University of Sydney until he abandoned his career in medicine i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Julia Foster
Julia Foster (born 2 August 1943) is an English stage, screen, and television actress. Life and career Foster was born in Lewes, Sussex. Her first husband was Lionel Morton, once the lead singer with the 1960s pop band The Four Pennies. She is the mother of television celebrity Ben Fogle with her second husband, veterinarian Bruce Fogle. Foster also built up her own antique furniture business. Foster's credits include the films ''The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner'' (1962), ''The System (1964 film), The System'' (1964) with Oliver Reed, ''The Bargee'' (1964) with Harry H. Corbett, ''Alfie (1966 film), Alfie'' (1966) with Michael Caine, ''Half a Sixpence (film), Half a Sixpence'' (1967) with Tommy Steele, and ''Percy (1971 film), Percy'' (1971) with Hywel Bennett. On television, in 1969, she appeared in the second episode of series 1 of the ''Doctor in the House (TV series), Doctor in the House'' for London Weekend Television. She also starred as the eponymous heroine in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Loudon Sainthill
Loudon Sainthill (9 January 191810 June 1969) was an Australian artist and stage and costume designer. He worked predominantly in the United Kingdom, where he died. His early designs were described as 'opulent', 'sumptuous' and 'exuberantly splendid', but there was also a 'special quality of enchantment, mixed so often with a haunting sadness'.Australian Dictionary of Biography Retrieved 3 September 2013 Career He was born Loudon St Hill, the second of four children, in , , but by the age of two his family had moved to |
John Dexter
John Dexter (2 August 1925 – 23 March 1990) was an English theatre, opera and film director. Theatre Born in Derby, Derbyshire, England, Dexter left school at the age of fourteen to serve in the British Army during the Second World War. Following the war, he began working as a stage actor before turning to producing and directing shows for repertory companies. In 1957, he was appointed Associate Director of the English Stage Company based at the Royal Court. Dexter's first great success was his production of ''Roots'', in 1959, which brought Joan Plowright to prominence. He went on to direct '' Toys in the Attic'' (with Wendy Hiller, 1960) and '' Saint Joan'' (1963). In 1964, he was named Associate Director of the National Theatre of Great Britain, and he produced ''The Royal Hunt of the Sun'' (1964). That year, he also directed '' Othello'', with Sir Laurence Olivier, Maggie Smith and Frank Finlay. It was considered a tremendous success. RCA recorded an audio version, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Marti Webb
Marti Webb (born 13 December 1943) is an English actress and singer, who appeared on stage in ''Evita (musical), Evita'', before starring in Andrew Lloyd Webber's one-woman show ''Tell Me on a Sunday'' in 1980. This included her biggest hit single, "Take That Look Off Your Face", a UK top three hit, with the parent album also reaching the top three. Early life and education Marti Webb was born in Hampstead to Cecil (a clockmaker) and Selina Elizabeth Webb, and raised in Cricklewood. Her parents took her to variety shows and pantomimes as a child. Her father played the violin and her mother sang and played the piano. She attended dance lessons from the age of 3 and first performed in public at the age of 7, at the Scala Theatre, London, initially hoping to be a ballerina. After a school teacher suggested to her parents that her natural talent for singing and dancing should be nurtured, she was educated at the Aida Foster stage school from the age of 12, where she eventually bec ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cambridge Theatre
The Cambridge Theatre is a West End theatre, on a corner site in Earlham Street facing Seven Dials, in the London Borough of Camden, built in 1929–30 for Bertie Meyer on an "irregular triangular site". Design and construction It was designed by Wimperis, Simpson and Guthrie; interior partly by Serge Chermayeff, with interior bronze friezes by sculptor Anthony Gibbons Grinling.English Heritage listing details Retrieved 28 April 2007 The theatre is built in steel and concrete and is known for its elegant and clean lines of design. The theatre was refurbished in 1950—the original gold and silver décor was painted over in red, and candelabras and chandeliers were added. In 1987, to restore the original décor, the theatre was once again refurbished, this time by |
Connie Booth
Connie Booth (born 2 December 1940) is an American-born actress and writer. She has appeared in several British television programmes and films, including her role as Polly Sherman on BBC Two's ''Fawlty Towers'', which she co-wrote with her then-husband John Cleese. In 1995 she quit acting and worked as a psychotherapist until her retirement. Early life Booth was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, on 2 December 1940. Her father was a Wall Street stockbroker and her mother an actress. The family later moved to New York State. Booth entered acting and worked as a Broadway understudy and waitress. She met John Cleese while he was working in New York City; they married on February 20, 1968. Acting career Booth secured parts in episodes of ''Monty Python's Flying Circus'' (1969–74) and in the Python films ''And Now for Something Completely Different'' (1971) and ''Monty Python and the Holy Grail'' (1975, as a woman accused of being a witch). She also appeared in ''How to Irritate ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
