With night at his back, his face always toward the dawn

[sovay]

1. Edward Petherbridge hath a blog. I have been reading it delightedly since January, but realized last night that I had completely forgotten to share with the rest of the internet. It is marvelous. Did Will, walking on Bankside, put his arm round a boy actor's shoulder and tell him stories of cats?

2. My poem "By the Dog" is now online at The Pedestal Magazine. It was written for Audrey Joyce McGurrin, who at four years old is already explaining sarcophagi and mummification to the rest of her daycare. Her cult title for Anubis is my puppy.

3. Did you know the state rock of Massachusetts was the Roxbury Conglomerate? I am entertained by this. It sounds so deadeningly financial.

4. Today is furniture moving.

Comments

[sovay]

I can't recall: have we talked about Edward Petherbridge as Wimsey?

Not until now!

Because I may have grown up with Ian Carmichael, but Petherbridge seemed to me to pin Wimsey, face and voice and all...

I didn't grow up with either of them; I grew up with the books and if Wimsey had anyone's face for me, it was Leslie Howard's. (Hence these icons, which mswyrr very kindly made for me in 2005. Somewhere in an alternate history, I get my wish.) With all respect to the recently deceased, Ian Carmichael was never it for me—I've been surprised by how many people seem to have considered him definitive, because for me he had neither the looks nor the manner and at least one of those is essential. But coraline was instrumental in convincing me to see the Petherbridge/Harriet Walter adaptations, and now I'm sorry they never filmed Busman's Honeymoon. I have rarely seen a better match of character and actor, even if they did mess around with the script for Gaudy Night.

You've seen The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby (1982), right?

[desperance.livejournal.com]

It's quite uncanny, but we march in step. Ian Carmichael was all over my TV when I was young, but blessedly - in terms of Wooster as well as Wimsey - I had met the books first, because my parents never let us have a TV before I turned ten. So I knew what these guys looked like in my head long before anyone else tried to tell me; and I could cheerfully watch Carmichael for the fun of it without ever allowing him to displace the true original.

Latterly, I am finding my interior view of Wimsey shifting, more closely to match Petherbridge. This is ... unnerving.

And yes, I wish they'd made Busman's Honeymoon; and yes, I resented the script for Gaudy Night. After the earlier series, I thought I could trust them, but alas...

Also, Nick Nick? Is it mean of me to observe that the RSC used to bring its entire Stratford season up here to Newcastle in the 80's, before it transferred to London? So, yup. I saw it live. Both parts in a single day, matinee and evening. Hee.

[sovay]

Ian Carmichael was all over my TV when I was young, but blessedly - in terms of Wooster as well as Wimsey -

I've never seen his Bertie Wooster, only Fry and Laurie (who are awesome). Considering Dennis Price was his Jeeves, I probably should.

I had met the books first, because my parents never let us have a TV before I turned ten. So I knew what these guys looked like in my head long before anyone else tried to tell me; and I could cheerfully watch Carmichael for the fun of it without ever allowing him to displace the true original.

Go, your parents!

Latterly, I am finding my interior view of Wimsey shifting, more closely to match Petherbridge. This is ... unnerving.

It's a great compliment to Petherbridge. I think inside my head he still looks like himself, but this conversation has really made me want to re-watch Petherbridge and Walter.

And yes, I wish they'd made Busman's Honeymoon;

I assume it got hung up in rights somehow, since it started life as a stage play and somewhere there's a film version I refuse to watch; I'm still not sure why they couldn't do a new version from the book. Edward Petherbridge and Emily Richard were in a stage production in the late '80's, but I very much doubt anyone filmed it. (Now you're going to tell me you saw it, right?)

and yes, I resented the script for Gaudy Night. After the earlier series, I thought I could trust them, but alas...

The actors felt the same way.

So, yup. I saw it live. Both parts in a single day, matinee and evening. Hee.

Lucky, lucky, lucky!