It's our Patron Saint Dame Maggie Smith's birthday today! All hail...
A perfect excuse (if any were needed) to revisit some classic moments of the great Dame's most famous and formidable character:
Many happy returns, Dame Margaret Natalie "Maggie" Smith CH DBE (born 28th December 1934)
[NB she shares her day with a whole raft of the "great and the good", such as Nichelle Nicholls, Stan Lee, Hildegard Knef, Richard Clayderman, Earl Hines, Nigel Kennedy, Billy Williams, Brian Redhead, Sienna Miller, Woodrow Wilson, Roy Hattersley, Sir Max Hastings, Olympic medal-winning swimmer Adam Peaty, Denzel Washington and Martha Wash...]
That reminds me - BBC2 are having an Agatha Christie afternoon! Evil Under the Sun is on in a bit. Even more reason to watch it if it's Dame Maggie's birthday.
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I love that film - I must have watched it at least ten times, so know it line-for-line! They're also showing Death on the Nile, which is another fave, but no sign of the hugely camp The Mirror Crack'd with Elizabeth Taylor and Kim Novak spitting lines at eachother. Which is a shame. Jx
DeleteI watched The 100 Greatest Musicals the other day, presented by Denise van Outen, Elizabeth Taylor came on, she was having a bash at Send in the Clowns it was so excruciating painful to my ears I turned it over and watched Most Haunted instead.
DeleteShe really did murder that song, didn't she? I would wonder why the producers didn't feature a better version (such as Glynis Johns or Judi Dench) - then I take a sharp intake of breath at the fact this is one of those inane "100 Greatest" television formats, presented by someone who used to fuck Jay Kay from Jamiroquai.
DeleteI can take a guess, as this is a Channel 4 show, if the so-called "greatest" was chosen by public vote it will definitely have loads of unworthy crud from recent decades and anything that is on telly over Xmas in the Top Ten. Let me guess - Grease? Singin' in the Rain? Mary Poppins?
Jx
All hail The Dowager!
ReplyDelete1934? Would someone please do the math for me?
She's 87. In her own words: "I've been playing old parts forever. I play 93 quite often. When you've done it more than once, you take the hint." Jx
DeleteAnd I've been trying to do maths forever. Thank you.
DeleteIt was from 2003! It featured barrel scraping interviews from Esther Williams, the goose girl from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Truly Scrumptious to name but a few. I didn't get as far as the top 10. They should have dubbed old Liz's singing voice like they did with Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady.
ReplyDelete"Barrel scraping" is the word. As for dubbing La Taylor - she probably refused to appear if they did so. Shame no-one felt able to "have a word"... Jx
DeleteI’m glad to see that she’s in the new movie
ReplyDeleteAs Dame Maggie herself said, however: “I certainly can’t keep going. To my knowledge, I must be 110 by now. We’re into the late 1920s.” Jx
DeleteAdore her in anything she touches. The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie... a high mark, followed by so many others. Thanks for calling this one out.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, the gargantuan successes of Downton and Harry Potter have rather wiped out the many achievements of her career, such as not one, but two Oscars - for The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie and California Suite - as well as four further nominations for Othello, Travels with My Aunt, A Room with a View and Gosford Park; plus BAFTAs for all the above, and awards/nominations for Death on the Nile, Quartet, A Private Function, The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne, Tea with Mussolini and The Lady in the Van... Jx
DeleteFerchrisake, Maggie don't die now! Jon's just opened the Book and it's already a bloody disaster!
DeleteQuartet was marvellous As was California Suite and Lady in the Van.Well, all are excellent examples of her craft, but when I say "marvellous" I mean they were even so on TV.
My telly offerings tonight? Dreary home-grown NYE specials and a recent re-make of Ben Hur.
I'll pop back in next year. Happiness and love to all of you.
I can't see Dame Maggie going until or unless she decides to do so! Jx
DeleteThough whatever Maggie's in becomes better, I adore Judith Hearne.
ReplyDeleteOne we have yet to watch, surprisingly. Jx
DeleteEvery quip is a joy and still makes me laugh
ReplyDeleteOne of the sharpest wits in the business - and consummate acting skills to deliver every line that's given to her. No wonder we adore her! Jx
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