Musical Druitts

[Johnr]

"Old MacDonald Had A Farm...."

Yes, I loved that movie for its classic outdated late victorian vignettes too.
Wasn't that the movie where, in another musical interlude, the villains are fleeing through the village in a stolen police car, when the village plod, played by Stanley Holloway, jumps onto that well-known criminal appendage of old cars - the running board.
Desparately, head villain Guiness, who is driving the car, screeches along, desparately trying to change channels on the police radio lest P.C.Holloway
unmasks them. To his relief, on comes a music station and P.C. Holloway joins in a lively version of "Old Macdonald Had A Farm " before jumping off at the other end of the village. The villains breath a sigh of relief as they drive off..
JOHN RUFFELS.

[Mayerling]

Yes, I loved that movie for its classic outdated late victorian vignettes too.
Wasn't that the movie where, in another musical interlude, the villains are fleeing through the village in a stolen police car, when the village plod, played by Stanley Holloway, jumps onto that well-known criminal appendage of old cars - the running board.
Desparately, head villain Guiness, who is driving the car, screeches along, desparately trying to change channels on the police radio lest P.C.Holloway
unmasks them. To his relief, on comes a music station and P.C. Holloway joins in a lively version of "Old Macdonald Had A Farm " before jumping off at the other end of the village. The villains breath a sigh of relief as they drive off..
JOHN RUFFELS.

Hi John,

No you got one of the Ealing films confused with another. You described one of the concluding chase scenes in THE LAVENDER HILL MOB. And Holloway is not the constable, but Guiness's (here called "Dutch" by Holloway because his last name is "Holland") partner in the "golden Eiffel Tower" scheme.

Jeff

[aspallek]

Thank you, Jeff. I was racking my brain trying to remember such a scene in The Ladykillers!

[Robert]

Another good musical scene occurs in "The Green Man." Alastair Sim has just gone into the lounge of a south coast hotel, where he intends to plant a bomb which will blow up a cabinet minister.Suddenly a ladies' trio start performing Brahms's Hungarian Dance on a small stage in the lounge. The expressions on the face of Sims as he first becomes aware of the players, then settles in an armchair, and then pretends to enjoy the music, are pure magic.

[Mayerling]

My favorite moment in THE GREEN MAN is when Sim decides to spring his trap against the pompous Raymond Huntley (at that inn to have some extra-time with a girl he's picked up). Huntley had given a speech earlier that Sim taped, and when the moment is right (after dinner in the lounge) the radio is
put on by Sim. In actuality it is a tape recording of the speech, and a bomb.
Sim knows that Huntley loves hearing his boring speeches, and sure enough Huntley stops leaving the lounge after Sim turns on the "radio". Sim stands
for a moment in front of the radio, listening quietly, and then starts walking to the door. Huntly is at the door listening. But all of a sudden there is this
crabby looking little man with a frown on his face who walks over to the radio and turns it off!!. Huntley looks indignant and Sim doesn't know what to do.

For sheer impudence in a movie dealing with assassination I never anything like it before or since.

By the way, there is a reference to the "Brides in the Bath" case mentioned by George Cole when he is checking out a bathroom earlier in the film. It's said quickly, so one can miss it.

Best wishes,

Jeff

[Johnr]

Yes, it was " The Lavender Hill Mob'. Great movie. As were all those comedies. In my opinion.

Below are some extracted details of Dr Lionel Druitt's musical tastes.
Here is a quote from the "Cooma Monaro Express" (Australia)31st July 1886:
Cooma Musical Society public meeting.
"Archdeacon Druitt commenting on the objects of the society expressed his great interest in music generally especially oratories, cantatas, and works of a similar kind".

"Dr Druitt said it would afford him great pleasure in supporting the movement and thought it would be attended with beneficial results".

"Tasmanian Mail" 11 May, 1895:
"The Swansea Glee Club gave a most enjoyable concert.The violin solo "Reverie " (Vieux temps) ..rendered by Dr Druitt..".
At other times he also performed the overture from "Maritana";bass violin;"Eventide" a trio performed it;Mrs Druitt Piano plus violin cello;Dr Druitt performs "Upidee";a vioin solo "The Barber Of Seville";and a "Medley of Scotch Airs";Dr Druitt played "Sleep Holy Babe" on Christmas Day church service 1905.
JOHN RUFFELS.

[aspallek]

Actually, I have discovered that Dr. Robert Druitt was quite interested in music and wrote at least two extensive tracts on church music. The Druitt family was quite religious.

[Robert]

Hi Jeff

There is actually a Ripper connection to "The Green Man," for the actor playing the waiter who offers Raymond Huntley chop toad is...actor Michael Ripper!

Alec Guinness's first appearance as Professor Markus (at the old lady's front door) in "The ladykillers" was, I believe, modelled on a similar scene in one of Sim's films, but I can't remember which one it was.

Robert

[Mayerling]

Yes, it was " The Lavender Hill Mob'. Great movie. As were all those comedies. In my opinion.

Below are some extracted details of Dr Lionel Druitt's musical tastes.
Here is a quote from the "Cooma Monaro Express" (Australia)31st July 1886:
Cooma Musical Society public meeting.
"Archdeacon Druitt commenting on the objects of the society expressed his great interest in music generally especially oratories, cantatas, and works of a similar kind".

"Tasmanian Mail" 11 May, 1895:
"The Swansea Glee Club gave a most enjoyable concert.The violin solo "Reverie " (Vieux temps) ..rendered by Dr Druitt..".
At other times he also performed the overture from "Maritana";41905.
JOHN RUFFELS.

I have emphasized "Maritana", which is a forgotten operetta success of the late 1880s. In fact, some critics that the plot of the "tragic" Savoy Opera,
THE YEOMAN OF THE GUARD, may have been based in part on "Maritana".
One critic went so far as to spear Gilbert's alternate title for THE YEOMAN
("The Merryman and His Maid") as "The Merryman and His Maritana."

What is curious to me is that while it definitely dates Dr. Druitt's musical taste
into the 1880s, "Maritana" and THE YEOMAN were both from the period of 1887 - 1888 (in fact THE YEOMAN came out in October 1888: it happens to be the best surviving piece of theater from that year).

Curious, isn't it.

Jeff

[Johnr]

The Musical Medico Lionel Druitt...

Yes Jeff,
It is curious that the musical " The Yeoman.." which you say was influenced by "Maritana", came out in October 1888.
It might interest you to know that Dr Lionel Druitt's violin is still in the possession of a Druitt family member in New South Wales to this day.
She has actually loaned it indefinitely to a young lady who plays in the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra.
Other items of Dr Druitt's to survive in the family are his masonic apron, and an heirloom handed down to him as the last surviving Druitt medico at the time,Dr Phillipe Druette's (French?) surgical instruments chest, made of wood with ivory drawer name plates.This was three hundred years old.
It is now in the possession of the family of Dr Robert Druitt of Melbourne,Australia.
JOHN RUFFELS.

[Mayerling]

It is odd thinking about the creation of YEOMAN OF THE GUARD in 1888. Gilbert had a string of bad luck after he and Sullivan hit their high water mark in 1886 with THE MIKADO. For two years they had nothing to worry about, but then in 1887 they produced RUDDYGORE (or RUDDIGORE) and while it had some great moments it was inferior (to the critics and public) to THE MIKADO or PINAFORE or PIRATES or PATIENCE or IOLANTHE. Gilbert could not convince Sullivan to use his pet story line about a magic lozenge that changed a person into anyone else he or she wanted to be (it later became his non-Sullivan operetta THE MOUNTEBANKS). Sullivan, recently knighted, was constantly carping about not having anything serious to concentrate on like an opera. On top of everything else, Rutland Barrington (who originated the roles of Captain Corcoran, Pooh-Bah, and Archibald Grosvenor) left the Savoy cast to try to become an actor manager, and the play Gilbert wrote for him BRANTINGHAME HALL was a mess.

Gilbert supposedly saw a poster of a beefeater on a bus, and started thinking of a story set in Elizabethan times. Whether or not it was influenced by MARITANA (which had the heroine go through a marriage with a man while blindfolded, as Elsie does with Col. Fairfax in THE YEOMAN), Gilbert showed more of his cynical side in this operetta than any other. People keep blackmailing each other in it. And, unless one counts the self-sacrifice of John Wellington Wells in THE SORCEROR, this is the one operetta of G & S where the central figure (Jack Point) dies.

It turned out to be the success the team needed, leading them to their last real success THE GONDOLIERS in 1889.

Gilbert had an interesting habit - on opening night he left the theater and went on a long two to three hour walk, and then returned in time for the curtain call. He did this on October 6th, 1888 (the date of the opening of THE YEOMAN, I think). That night there was no murder in the East End...but if there had been, Mr. Gilbert would be on our list of possible suspects!

Best wishes,

Jeff

[caz]

Hi Jeff

Only three days out. The first ever performance of The Yeomen of the Guard was on Wednesday, October 3rd, 1888.

Love,

Caz
X

[Mayerling]

Thanks for the correction Caz. I knew it was in October 1888 thought.

Jeff