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Look After Lulu! (TV Play)
"Look After Lulu!" is a 1967 British television version of the play of the same name by Noël Coward. It aired on BBC1. on 28 March 1967. As of 2023 it is the only filmed version of the play. ''The Observer's'' reviewer said, "Brian Rix showed what an excellent actor he is and Elspet Gray was a delightful Lulu. Eric Fawcett's production fizzed nice and fast all the way." Cast *Lulu D'Arville – Elspet Gray *Philippe de Croze – Anton Rodgers *Adonis – Michael Mundell *Gigot – Leo Franklyn *Claire – Helen Jessop *Marcel Blanchard – Brian Rix *General Koschnadieff – Rex Garner *Herr Van Putzeboum – Patrick Newell *The Prince of Salestria – Dennis Ramsden *Rose – Vicki Woolf *Oudatte – Stefan Gryff *The Mayor – Derek Royle *Aunt Gabrielle – Sheila Mercier Sheila Betty Mercier (''née'' Rix; 1 January 1919 – 4 December 2019) was an English actress, of stage and television, best known for playing Annie Sugden in the soap opera ''Emmerdale'' for over 20 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Brian Rix Presents
Brian (sometimes spelled Bryan in English) is a male given name of Irish and Breton origin, as well as a surname of Occitan origin. It is common in the English-speaking world. It is possible that the name is derived from an Old Celtic word meaning "high" or "noble". For example, the element ''bre'' means "hill"; which could be transferred to mean "eminence" or "exalted one". The name is quite popular in Ireland, on account of Brian Boru, a 10th-century High King of Ireland. The name was also quite popular in East Anglia during the Middle Ages. This is because the name was introduced to England by Bretons following the Norman Conquest. Bretons also settled in Ireland along with the Normans in the 12th century, and 'their' name was mingled with the 'Irish' version. Also, in the north-west of England, the 'Irish' name was introduced by Scandinavian settlers from Ireland. Within the Gaelic-speaking areas of Scotland, the name was at first only used by professional families of Irish ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Look After Lulu!
''Look After Lulu!'' is a farce by Noël Coward, based on '' Occupe-toi d'Amélie!'' by Georges Feydeau. It is set in Paris in 1908. The central character is an attractive cocotte, Lulu, whose lover is called away on military service; the plot involves libidinous foreign royalty, a mock wedding that turns out to be real, people hiding under beds and in bathrooms, and a happy ending. The play premiered in 1959 on Broadway and then played in London later the same year. It was revived in the West End in 1978 and has been adapted for television. Background Although French farces, including those of Georges Feydeau, had been adapted for the London stage since Victorian times, his name was not widely familiar to London theatregoers until the 1950s. In 1956 Jean-Louis Barrault and his wife Madeleine Renaud had brought their production of ''Occupe-toi d'Amélie!'' ("Take Care of Amélie") to London, where it was enthusiastically received. No English version of the text had been pu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Noël Coward
Sir Noël Peirce Coward (16 December 189926 March 1973) was an English playwright, composer, director, actor, and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what ''Time (magazine), Time'' called "a sense of personal style, a combination of cheek and chic, pose and poise"."Noel Coward at 70" ''Time'', 26 December 1969, p. 46 Coward attended a dance academy in London as a child, making his professional stage début at the age of eleven. As a teenager he was introduced into the high society in which most of his plays would be set. Coward achieved enduring success as a playwright, publishing more than 50 plays from his teens onwards. Many of his works, such as ''Hay Fever (play), Hay Fever'', ''Private Lives'', ''Design for Living'', ''Pr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Observer
''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. First published in 1791, it is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper. In 1993 it was acquired by Guardian Media Group Limited, and operated as a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and '' The Guardian Weekly''. In December 2024, Tortoise Media acquired the paper from the Scott Trust Limited, with the transition taking place on 22 April 2025. History Origins The first issue was published on 4 December 1791 by W.S. Bourne, making ''The Observer'' the world's oldest Sunday newspaper. Believing that the paper would be a means of wealth, Bourne instead soon found himself facing debts of nearly £1,600. Though early editions purported editorial independence, Bourne attempted to cut his losses and sell the title to the government. When this failed, Bourne's brother (a wealthy businessman) made an offer to the government, which also refused to buy the paper but agreed to subsidise it in return for influence over its editori ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Elspet Gray
Elspet Jean Gray, Baroness Rix (née Gray; 12 April 1929 – 18 February 2013) was a Scottish actress, who first became known for her partnership with her husband, Brian Rix, and later was cast in many television roles in the 1970s and 1980s. She played Lady Collingford in the television series ''Catweazle'' and Mrs. Palmer in the television series ''Solo'', alongside Felicity Kendal. Career Gray had a long stage career, particularly known for her appearances in the Whitehall farces, the company being managed by her husband Brian Rix, which were originally performed at the Whitehall Theatre and later at the Garrick. Gray appeared in many films and television programmes, her earliest being '' The Blind Goddess'' (1948). She had several roles in the 1970s including parts in ''Fawlty Towers'', as the paediatrician wife of a psychiatrist baffled by Basil Fawlty’s behaviour, '' The Crezz'', ''Catweazle'', and in the 1980s with ''Doctor Who'' story '' Arc of Infinity'' and th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Anton Rodgers
Anthony Rodgers (10 January 1933 – 1 December 2007) was an English actor and occasional director. He performed on stage, in film, in television dramas and sitcoms. He starred in several sitcoms, including '' Fresh Fields'' (ITV, 1984–86), its sequel '' French Fields'' (ITV, 1989–91), and '' May to December'' (BBC, 1989–94). He also appeared in films, including '' Scrooge'' (1970) '' The Day of the Jackal'' (1973), and '' Dirty Rotten Scoundrels'' (1988). Early life and career Rodgers was born on 10 January 1933 in London, the son of William Robert Rodgers and Leonore Victoria (née Wood).Who's Who in the Theatre: A Biographical Record of the contemporary stage, seventeenth edition, ed. Ian Herbert, Gale Research Co., 1981, p. 582 His early education was at Westminster City School. The family were evacuated to Wisbech, Isle of Ely during the war, where his father worked for Balding and Mansell, printers of ration books, permits and passes; Rodgers is sometimes erro ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Leo Franklyn
Leo Franklyn (7 April 1897 – 17 September 1975) was an English actor. Much of his early career was in Edwardian musical comedy; in his later career he was chiefly associated with farce. In the years between the First and Second World Wars, Franklyn was a well-known performer in musical comedies, appearing in both British and American shows. He spent ten years performing in Australia in musical comedies. From the 1940s he appeared regularly in pantomime as the Dame. From the 1950s to his death he was principally associated with British farces. From 1956 to 1969 he was a member of Brian Rix's company, first at the Whitehall Theatre, and later at the Garrick. Life and career Early years Franklyn was born in London and educated by the Franciscan Brotherhood.Gaye, p. 619 He served in the army in the first years of the First World War, and made his stage debut in Sunderland in August 1916 in the chorus of '' The Belle of New York''. When the production opened in London i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Brian Rix
Brian Norman Roger Rix, Baron Rix (27 January 1924 – 20 August 2016) was an English actor-manager, who produced a record-breaking sequence of long-running farces on the London stage, including ''Dry Rot'', '' Simple Spymen'' and ''One for the Pot''. His one-night TV shows made him the joint highest paid star on the BBC. He often worked with his wife Elspet Gray and sister Sheila Mercier, who became the matriarch in '' Emmerdale Farm''. After his first child was born with Down syndrome, Rix became a campaigner for disability causes, among others. He entered the House of Lords as a crossbencher in 1992 and was president of Mencap from 1998 until his death. Biography Early years Rix was born in Cottingham, East Riding of Yorkshire, the youngest of four children. His father, Herbert Rix, and Herbert's two brothers, ran the shipping company Robert Rix in Hull, founded by his grandfather. Rix had an interest in cricket and only wished to play for Yorkshire in his childhood ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Patrick Newell
Patrick David Newell (27 March 1932 – 22 July 1988) was a British actor perhaps best known for playing Mother in '' The Avengers''. Early life and education The second son of Eric Llewellyn Newell, of High Lodge, Hadleigh, Suffolk, an Oxford-educated physician who served as a captain in the Royal Army Medical Corps, Newell was educated at Taunton School and completed his National Service, where a fellow recruit was Michael Caine, before training at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, alongside Albert Finney and Peter O'Toole. Career Newell began to be seen frequently on TV, usually cast as a fat villain or in comic roles. Given his rotund appearance and ability for playing slightly stuffy types, he was a natural stooge in several comedy shows, first for Arthur Askey, in '' Arthur's Treasured Volumes'' (ATV, 1960), then for Jimmy Edwards in '' Faces of Jim'' (BBC, 1962), with Ronnie Barker also supporting. He was originally cast as one of the inept recruits in the first o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Derek Royle
Derek Stanley Royle (7 September 1928 – 23 January 1990) was a British actor. His face was probably better known than his name to British viewers, but he acted in films and TV from the early 1960s until his death. He had a supporting role in the Beatles' film ''Magical Mystery Tour'' in 1967, as well as a minor one with Cilla Black in the film ''Work Is a Four-Letter Word'' a year later. Most of his film appearances were in comedy films such as '' Tiffany Jones'' (1973), ''Don't Just Lie There, Say Something!'' (1974) and ''Confessions of a Sex Maniac'' (1974). Stage and television roles He appeared in a children's TV comedy series, ''Hogg's Back'' (1975) as Doctor Hogg, an eccentric general practitioner (GP); in 2016, this series appeared on Talking Pictures TV. Royle acted with Wendy Richard and Pat Coombs over two series. Hog's Back is a ridge of hills in Surrey. Royle played the hotel guest who dies in his room in the ''Fawlty Towers'' episode " The Kipper and the Corpse ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sheila Mercier
Sheila Betty Mercier (''née'' Rix; 1 January 1919 – 4 December 2019) was an English actress, of stage and television, best known for playing Annie Sugden in the soap opera ''Emmerdale'' for over 20 years, from the programme's first episode in 1972 until 1994, with a guest return in 2009. Early life and education Mercier was born in Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England, the daughter of Herbert Rix (of J.R. Rix & Sons Ltd) and his wife Fanny. She was their third child and second daughter; her younger brother was the actor and campaigner Brian Rix. After education at the French Convent (Hull) and at Hunmanby Hall (both East Riding of Yorkshire), she trained for the stage at the Stratford-upon-Avon College of Drama under Randle Ayrton. Career Mercier had a long career on stage before her television career. Donald Wolfit had talent spotted her and she toured with Wolfit's own Shakespeare company in 1939. During the Second World War, she joined the Women's Auxiliary Air For ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
