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The Blue Lamp
''The Blue Lamp'' is a 1950 British police procedural film directed by Basil Dearden and starring Jack Warner as PC Dixon, Jimmy Hanley as newcomer PC Mitchell, and Dirk Bogarde as criminal Tom Riley. The title refers to the blue lamps that traditionally hung outside British police stations (and often still do). The film became the inspiration for the 1955–1976 TV series ''Dixon of Dock Green'', where Jack Warner continued to play PC Dixon until he was 80 years old (even though Dixon's murder is the central plot of the original film). The screenplay was written by ex-policeman T.E.B. Clarke. The film is an early example of the "social realism" films that emerged later in the 1950s and 1960s, sometimes using a partial documentary-like approach. There are also cinematic influences of the film noir genre, particularly in underworld scenes featuring Bogarde's Tom Riley, such as the pool rooms and in and around the theatre, making deliberate use of genre trademarks like slow mo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
James Boswell (artist)
James Edward Buchanan Boswell (9 June 1906 – 15 April 1971) was a New Zealand-born British painter, draughtsman and socialist. Life James Boswell was born in New Zealand on 9 June 1906, at Westport, South Island, the son of a Scottish born schoolmaster, Edward Blair Buchanan Boswell, and his New Zealand born wife Ida Fair. He was educated at Auckland Grammar School, Auckland and the Elam School of Art before coming to London in 1925 to continue his training at the Royal College of Art until 1929. Although he was dismissed twice from the RCA painting school over conflicts with its then anti-modern stance, his early works were accepted by the London Group, with whom he exhibited from 1927 to 1932. He joined the Communist Party in 1932, switching from oil painting to illustration and establishing himself as a left-wing artist in the 1930s. He was a co-founder of the Marxist and anti-Fascist pressure group, the Artists' International (later called Artists' International Association ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Social Realism
Social realism is the term used for work produced by painters, printmakers, photographers, writers and filmmakers that aims to draw attention to the real socio-political conditions of the working class as a means to critique the power structures behind these conditions. While the movement's characteristics vary from nation to nation, it almost always utilizes a form of descriptive or critical realism.James G. Todd Jr, ''Social realism'' in: Grove Art Online The term is sometimes more narrowly used for an art movement that flourished between the two World Wars as a reaction to the hardships and problems suffered by common people after the Great Crash. In order to make their art more accessible to a wider audience, artists turned to realist portrayals of anonymous workers as well as celebrities as heroic symbols of strength in the face of adversity. The goal of the artists in doing so was political as they wished to expose the deteriorating conditions of the poor and working clas ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
William Mervyn
William Mervyn Pickwoad (3 January 1912 – 6 August 1976) was an English actor best known for his portrayal of the bishop in the clerical comedy ''All Gas and Gaiters'', the old gentleman in ''The Railway Children'' and Inspector Charles Rose in ''The Odd Man'' and its sequels. Life and career Mervyn was born in Nairobi, British East Africa, but educated in Britain at Forest School, Snaresbrook, before embarking on a stage career, spending five years in provincial theatre. He made his West End debut in '' The Guinea Pig'' at the Criterion Theatre in 1946, before parts in plays such as ''Lend Me Robin'' at the Embassy Theatre, the comedy ''Ring Round the Moon'', '' The Mortimer Touch'', ''A Woman of No Importance'' by Oscar Wilde at the Savoy Theatre in 1953 and ''Charley's Aunt''. Mervyn's later stage roles included those of O'Trigger in ''The Rivals'', Lord Greenham in the comedy ''Aren't We All?'' and Sir Patrick Cullen in '' The Doctor's Dilemma''. Although he was admired ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Clive Morton
Clive Morton (16 March 1904 – 24 September 1975) was an English actor best known for playing upper class Englishmen, he made many screen appearances, especially on television. In 1955, he appeared in Laurence Olivier's '' Richard III'' and is recalled by fans of ''Doctor Who'' for his role as prison governor George Trenchard in ''The Sea Devils'' in 1972. He played Commander Julius Rogue in the first series of the fondly-remembered children's TV series '' Rogue's Rock'' in 1974. One of his last roles was as an aged butler in an episode of ''Upstairs Downstairs''. :: Morton was also a Shakespearian actor and an Associate Artiste of the Royal Shakespeare Company. In the 1964 'Histories' Repertoire he played the Bishop of Carlisle in Richard II, the Earl of Worcester in Henry IV and the ferocious Earl of Talbot in Henry VI. :: Morton was married to ''Fresh Fields'' actress Fanny Rowe. They acted together on stage in the 1955 J.B. Priestley play ''Mr. Kettle and Mrs. Moon''. Selec ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Meredith Edwards (actor)
Gwilym Meredith Edwards (10 June 1917 – 8 February 1999) was a Welsh character actor and writer. He was born in Rhosllannerchrugog, Denbighshire, Wales, the son of a collier, and attended Ruabon Boys' Grammar School. He became an actor in 1938, first with the Welsh National Theatre Company, then the Liverpool Playhouse. He was a Christian conscientious objector in the Second World War, serving in the Non-Combatant Corps, before being seconded to the National Fire Service in Liverpool and London. His film appearances include ''A Run for Your Money'' (1949), ''The Blue Lamp'' (1950), ''The Magnet'' (1950), ''The Lavender Hill Mob'' (1951), '' The Cruel Sea'' (1953), ''The Great Game'' (1953), '' The Long Arm'' (1956), ''Dunkirk'' (1958) and ''Tiger Bay'' (1959). He appeared as the murderous butler in the cult television series ''Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)'' in 1969, and as Tom in the cult children's science fiction serial ''Sky'' in 1975. He also played Thomas Charles Ed ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bruce Seton
Sir Bruce Lovat Seton, 11th Baronet (29 May 1909 – 28 September 1969) was a British actor and soldier. He is best remembered for his eponymous lead role in ''Fabian of the Yard''. Early life Bruce Lovat Seton was born in Simla, British India, the younger of two sons of Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Bruce Gordon Seton of Abercorn (1868–1934), 9th Baronet and his wife, Elma Armstrong (died 1960). He was educated at Edinburgh Academy and then trained at the Royal Military College, Sandhurst. Military career Seton was commissioned into the Black Watch in 1929 as a second lieutenant, but resigned his commission in 1932. A brief interruption in his acting career came during the Second World War and in November 1939 he held the rank of captain in the 10th Battalion, Cameronians (Scottish Rifles), ending the war as major (temporary). His service number was 44304 and he was awarded the Medal of Freedom. Acting Seton began his acting career in the chorus line at Drury Lane Theat ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Patric Doonan
Patric Doonan (George William Doonan) (18 April 1926 in Derby, Derbyshire – 10 March 1958 in London) was a British stage and screen actor. He was the son of comedian George Vincent Doonan and Doris Mary (Nee Endsor) he was the brother of fellow actor Tony Doonan. He featured in films of the time such as ''The Blue Lamp'', ''Train of Events'' and ''The Cockleshell Heroes'' but rarely played the leads. An exception was '' Wheel of Fate'' (1953), in which he did have the leading role and top billing. 1953 was probably Doonan's peak year in films, as in that same year he also had good supporting roles in '' The Net'' (1953) and ''The Red Beret'' (1953). He played Detective Sergeant Trotter in ''The Mousetrap'' at the Ambassadors Theatre in London for three and a half years. He committed suicide by gas in 1958 at his home in Margaretta Terrace, Chelsea. At the time he was engaged to marry actress Ann Firbank, despite the fact that he was already married to actress Aud Johan ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Peggy Evans
Peggy Evans (10 January 1921 – 26 July 2015) was an English actress. She trained at the Rank Organisation's The Company of Youth (a "charm school"). Early years One of four children, Evans was born in Sheffield but grew up in Ealing, west London. As a teenager, her winning a creative writing contest earned her a screen test with the Rank Organization. Film After having bit parts in ''Lightning Conductor'' (1938) and ''Charley's (Big-Hearted) Aunt'' (1940), Evans entered the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art for training. Her work in ''Penny and the Pownall Case'' (1948) was praised in ''Monthly Film Review'': "Peggy Evans ... is a sparkling heroine, who not only looks extremely attractive but acts with naturalness and charm as well." On stage she appeared in the 1953 West End play '' Four Winds''. Personal life Evans was married twice: to actor Michael Howard from 1949 to 1956; the union produced two children but ended in divorce. She married, secondly, to Peter Stevens in 1990; ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bernard Lee
John Bernard Lee (10 January 190816 January 1981) was an English actor, best known for his role as M in the first eleven Eon-produced James Bond films. Lee's film career spanned the years 1934 to 1979, though he had appeared on stage from the age of six. He was trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London. Lee appeared in over one hundred films, as well as on stage and in television dramatisations. He was known for his roles as authority figures, often playing military characters or policemen in films such as ''The Third Man'', ''The Blue Lamp'', ''The Battle of the River Plate'', and '' Whistle Down the Wind''. He died of stomach cancer in 1981, aged 73. Early life Lee was born on 10 January 1908, the son of Nellie (née Smith) and Edmund James Lee. He was born in either County Cork in what is now the Republic of Ireland, or Brentford, Middlesex. Edmund, an actor, introduced his six-year-old son to the stage in 1914 in a sketch called "The Double Event" at the Oxf ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Greyhound Racing In The United Kingdom
Greyhound racing is a sport in the United Kingdom. The industry uses a parimutuel betting tote system with on-course and off-course betting available. Attendances have declined in recent years, partly due to the decrease in evening fixtures with the majority of fixtures being held in the daytime. Attendances peaked in 1946 at around 70 million and totalisator turnover reaching £196,431,430. As of September 2022, there are 20 licensed stadiums in the United Kingdom (excluding Northern Ireland) and two independent stadiums (unaffiliated to a governing body). History Modern greyhound racing has evolved from a form of hunting called coursing, in which a dog runs after a live game animal – usually a rabbit or hare. The first official coursing meeting was held in 1776 at Swaffham, Norfolk. The rules of the Swaffham Coursing Society, started by Lord Orford, specified that only two greyhounds were to course a single hare. Coursing by proxy with an artificial lure was introduced ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
White City Greyhounds
White City Greyhounds was the greyhound racing operation held at White City Stadium in London. The venue was regarded as the sport's primary track during its existence. History Origins After the 1908 Summer Olympics the White City area was used for further exhibitions, including the France-Britain Exhibition of 1908 and the Japan-Britain Exhibition of 1910, but the stadium began to be underused. By 1922 attempts had been made to sell it and it is reputed to have been in a very poor state by 1926. During the Februarys of 1926 and 1927 the stadium was used for the British Industries Fair before the public announcement that the Greyhound Racing Association (GRA) had purchased the stadium following on from the success experienced by the company at the nation's first greyhound meetings in Manchester at Belle Vue Stadium. It would be the GRA's second stadium and the old running and cycle tracks were grassed over. A new restaurant was built and covered terracing was constructed. The ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Revolver
A revolver (also called a wheel gun) is a repeating handgun that has at least one barrel and uses a revolving cylinder containing multiple chambers (each holding a single cartridge) for firing. Because most revolver models hold up to six rounds of cartridge before needing to reload, revolvers are also commonly called six shooters. Before firing, cocking the revolver's hammer partially rotates the cylinder, indexing one of the cylinder chambers into alignment with the barrel, allowing the bullet to be fired through the bore. The hammer cocking in nearly all revolvers are manually driven, and can be achieved either by the user using the thumb to directly pull back the hammer (as in single-action), via internal linkage relaying the force of the trigger-pull (as in double-action), or both (as in double/single-action). By sequentially rotating through each chamber, the revolver allows the user to fire multiple times until having to reload the gun, unlike older single-shot fir ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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