One of the funniest gags in the Mel Brooks classic Blazing Saddles (and there are plenty to choose from) must be the running joke about the character Hedley Lamarr – that’s Hedley, not Hedy! Supposedly, the Austrian-born actress took exception to the unauthorised use of (almost) her name for the Harvey Korman character and threatened … Continue reading
Category Archives: Wales
A monster of a night in a spooky castle – with real bats
The Monster carries his victim into a spooky cave, and a fake bat on a string flaps in front of him, just as real bats flit more convincingly in front the screen. Special effects? Nature can provide something much more special, when films are shown in unusual locations. In this case, it was the 1935 … Continue reading
Cardiff / Comedy / Film / Jazz / Music / Pop / Songwriting / Theatre / Uncategorized / Wales
The musical that rains supreme
It doesn’t have much of a plot, its songs were mostly recycled from earlier productions, and the star was suffering a fever when he had to film the title song-and-dance routine, getting soaked to the skin in a shrinking wool suit. Sounds like a recipe for disaster, doesn’t it? But this was Singin’ in the … Continue reading
Dracula in a castle – fangs very much
Cardiff’s Chapter Arts Centre deserves a vote of fangs for a tricksy Halloween treat this week – a screening of Hammer’s classic Dracula in a real castle. Tuesday night’s (29th October) sell-out show in the spooky undercroft of Cardiff Castle gave us a rare chance to see this revered 1958 production as it was intended … Continue reading
Jazz / Lyrics / Music / Songwriting / Wales
Strong contender for jazz stardom at Brecon
After some turbulent times, Brecon Jazz now seems to be in safe hands, with new operator Orchard serving up an impressive line-up of established stars and emerging talent. Among those surely destined for fame is Anthony Strong, who wowed a packed Theatr Brycheiniog on Saturday. With a show as sharp as his suit, 28-year-old Strong … Continue reading
Brecon Jazz introduces live streaming
This weekend, the world famous Brecon Jazz festival will live-stream a concert for the first time. Wales Meets Naples, a collaboration between Brecon Jazz artist in residence Huw Warren and Italian vocalist Maria Pia de Vito on the Chapter Stage at Brecon Cathedral will be available as a webcast on http://www.breconjazz.com/live at 5.30pm UK time … Continue reading
Jazz / Music / Songwriting / Wales
Esperanza – a jazz talent with Welsh roots
Wales, the land of song, has produced no shortage of famous and talented singers (fame and talent don’t always come as a set, of course), and global singing stars have claimed Welsh roots.The latest to come to my attention is one who’s big on talent, but not as famous as she should be – Esperanza … Continue reading
Cardiff / Film / Television / Theatre
Keep up, Watson. Holmes is back in the 1890s.
Sherlock Holmes has been brought into the 21st century by numerous TV productions – the excellent Sherlock, Elementary, the less-obvious House, and countless detectives clearly inspired by the Conan Doyle creation. So it’s a rare pleasure to see a new Holmes production, set in the 1890s – Sherlock Holmes: The Best Kept Secret. Continue reading
We Are Cardiff – a movie premiere
I’ve been asked to publish the information below about the forthcoming premiere of We Are Cardiff – a documentary from the people behind the We Are Cardiff web project. I’m happy to do so, and have already booked my ticket. Hope to see you there. Continue reading
Cardiff’s greatest star? A Hitchcock leading man and songwriting genius
My adopted home town of Cardiff, Wales has produced plenty of famous names in sport (I know – I contributed to a book about it) and the arts, but I doubt any could be considered greater than Ivor Novello. Continue reading
