#cyril and mrs. smith

[fullset-o-lovers]

oh god i’m going to [remembers suicide jokes are bad for my mental health] link two seperate sfth sketches and write a backstory for characters that had <10 minutes of screen time

[sosbanfach64]

is this not just them reincarnated

[no-side-us]

Letters From Watson Liveblog - July 31

The Solitary Cyclist, Part 3 of 3

"That's Peter, the groom,” cried the stranger. “He drove her. The beasts have pulled him off and clubbed him."

I mentioned in the last letter that Miss Smith didn't have a driver with her for the cart, which was supposed to help keep her safe, so it's nice that he is mentioned. The fact he's a seventeen-year-old kid also makes it more reasonable that he did not in fact help keep her safe.

“This way! This way! They are in the bowling alley,” cried the stranger, darting through the bushes."

What is a "bowling alley" in this context? A quick google search got me nothing, and I don't think Woodley took Miss Smith to go throw some strikes and spares.

“They're married!” I gasped. “Come on!” cried our guide; “come on!” He rushed across the glade, Holmes and I at his heels."

This reveal makes sense to me, what with the clergyman being foreshadowed in the last letter. Earlier it was stated that Miss Smith was about to go through "the worst fate that can befall a woman," and I think with what we've seen of Woodley, this counts.

“You're too late. She's my wife!” “No, she's your widow.”

Coldest line in the canon, in my opinion. Doubly cool because it's Woodley who's being shot.

“Then you got it by a trick. But in any case a forced marriage is no marriage, but it is a very serious felony, as you will discover before you have finished. You'll have"

I never thought about it until now, but it's nice to see there were laws against forced marriages back then, and it being a felony too.

“Well,” said I, “you call that love, Mr. Carruthers, but I should call it selfishness.”

It's nice to see Watson not be too "understanding" or whatever of Carruthers' feelings, and to call it out for the selfishness it is. I'm pretty sure the only good thing Carruthers has done so far is shoot Woodley.

"Woodley was chosen as the husband. Why was that?” “We played cards for her on the voyage. He won.”

You know, Miss Smith wondered in an earlier letter how a gentleman like Carruthers could ever be friends with someone as terrible as Woodley, and I think the answer is obvious by now that he's simply equally terrible, just better at hiding it.

"case, in which I have put it upon record that Miss Violet Smith did indeed inherit a large fortune, and that she is now the wife of Cyril Morton, the senior partner of Morton & Kennedy, the famous Westminster electricians."

A happy ending for all! Miss Smith is now rich, actually married to someone she loves, and Williamson, Woodley, and Carruthers all went to jail for various amounts of time.

I don't know what the "unexpected tragedy" was that Watson wrote about in the first letter. If it was the sham marriage, that wasn't legal since Miss Smith was forced into it. Maybe it was the uncle? And speaking of Miss Smith, I would have liked her to have done something here, at least have a line of dialogue, instead of being whisked around all day.

Final note, but I enjoy the context that Watson is writing this story years later, and so he's relying on his old records for the ending, some of which he does not have. It's a nice little way to frame things and tie it back to the beginning.

Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3

[5am-the-foxing-hour]

- some more improv - Janus: Is it the Earl Grey, you're after? Virgil: CHANGE! Janus: Is it the Lord Grey, you're after? Virgil: CHANGE! Janus: *smirking* Is it me, you're after? Roman: Ooooooh, Cyril, come on now, you know Iiii've no room in my life for love now after my Eric Passed... Patton and Thomas *as the audience*: *sad awe* Janus: Oh! Mrs. Smith, I'm so sorry, I was- Virgil: CHANGE! Janus: Ooh, fuck that guy!

[wardrobeoftime]

Master Post - A to M

If you notice any show, movie or character missing that I’ve made gifs of, please let me know. Characters are sorted alphabetically by first their last name and then their first name.

Last updated: June 7th, 2025

A

Aladdin [2019] (Princess Jasmine)

Allerleirauh (Princess Friederike | Princess Lotte)

American Song Contest (2022)

Anne Boleyn [2021] (Anne Boleyn)

Anne of the Thousands Days (Anne Boleyn)

Aschenputtel [2010] (Marie/Aschenputtel)

Aschenputtel [2011] (Annabella | Aschenputtel/Cinderella)

Australia [2008] (Sarah Ashley)

B

Barbie (Stereotypical Barbie)

Beauty and the Beast [2017] (Madame de Garderobe | Mrs Potts)

Becoming Elizabeth (Amy Robsart | Mary Tudor)

Blood, Sex & Royalty (Anne Boleyn | Mary Boleyn)

Bridgerton (Tilley Arnold | Lady Berbrooke | Benedict Bridgerton | Daphne Bridgerton | Eloise Bridgerton | Francesca Bridgerton | Hyacinth Bridgerton | Violet Bridgerton | Queen Charlotte | Cressida Cowper | Agatha Danbury | Penelope Featherington | Philippa Featherington | Prudence Featherington | King George III | Siena Rosso | Edwina Sharma | Kathani "Kate" Sharma | Mary Sharma | Tessa | Marina Thompson | Extras)

Britain’s Bloody Crown (Margaret of Anjou | Margaret Beaufort | Elizabeth Woodville)

Buddenbrooks [2008] (Elisabeth “Bethsy” Buddenbrook)

C

Cinderella [2015] (Anastasia Tremaine | Drisella Tremaine | Ella)

Corsage (Elisabeth “Sisi” of Austria)

D

Das Adlon (Sonja Schadt)

Death on the Nile [2022] (Jacqueline de Belleforte | Linnet Ridgeway-Doyle)

Der Prinz im Bärenfell (Henriette)

Die Galoschen des Glücks (Princess Aurora)

Die Kaiserin (Charlotte of Belgium | Maria Alexandrovna / Marie of Hesse | Elisabeth “Sisi” of Austria | Archduchess Sophie of Austria)

Die Salzprinzessin (Princess Amélie | Princess Eugenia | Princess Isabella)

Die Schöne und das Biest (Elsa)

Disney Live Action (see the individual movies | Extras)

Doctor Who (Ashildr | Cyril Arwell | Lily Arwell | Madge Arwell | Reg Arwell | Rosanna Calvierri | Miss Chandrakala | Agatha Christie | Hugh Curbishley | The Doctor | Twelth Doctor | Clemency Eddison | Jack Harkness | King James I | Katherine | Donna Noble | Madame de Pompadour | Amy Pond | Bill Potts | Robina Redmond | Becka Savage | Willa Twiston | Extras)

Domina (Agrippa | Antonia Major | Antonia “Antonina” Minor | Emperor Augustus | Julia the Elder | Livia Drusilla | Marcella | Octavia Minor | Vipsania Agrippina)

Downton Abbey (Lucy Branson (née Smith) | Cora Crawley | Edith Crawley | Mary Crawley)

Dune: Prophecy (Natalya Arat Corrino | Ynez Corrino)

Dynasty [2017] (Kirby Anders | Fallon Carrington)

E

Effie Gray [2014] (Euphemia “Effie” Gray)

Elizabeth Duology (Elizabeth I)

Emerald City (Langwidere of Ev)

Emma [2020] (Isabella Knightley | Emma Woodhouse)

Eurovision Song Contest (1970 | 1974 | 1979 | 1980 | 1982 | 1988 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1995 | 1996 | 1998 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025)

F

Frauen, die Geschichte machten (Catherine the Great)

G

Galavant (Madalena)

Game of Thrones (Myrcella Baratheon | Cersei Lannister | Ellaria Sand | Sansa Stark | Daenerys Targaryen | Margaery Tyrell)

Good Omens (Aziraphale | Crowley)

Grey’s Anatomy (Lexie Grey | Izzie Stevens)

H

Hamilton (Angelica Schuyler | Eliza Schuyler Hamilton)

Henry VIII [2003] (Anne Boleyn)

High School Musical incl. Sharpay’s Fabulous Adventure (Sharpay Evans)

House of the Dragon (Jeyne Arryn | Alicent Hightower | Mysaria of Lys | Aegon II Targaryen | Baela Targaryen | Helaena Targaryen | Rhaena Targaryen | Rhaenyra Targaryen | Rhaenys Targaryen | Laena Velaryon)

Hunyadi (see Rise of the Raven)

I

J

K

Kronprinz Rudolf [2006] (Elisabeth “Sisi” of Austria)

Ku’damm (Helga von Boost)

L

Legacies (Jo Laughlin | Hope Mikaelson | Elizabeth “Lizzie” Saltzman | Josette “Josie” Saltzman)

Legend of the Seeker (Jennsen Rahl)

Les Misérables [2018] (Cosette | Fantine Thibault)

Little Women [2019] (Amy March | Margaret “Meg” March)

Live Performances (Jennie Kim | Victoria Monét | Alexandra Rotan)

Ludwig [1973] (Elisabeth “Sisi” of Austria | Sophie in Bavaria)

Ludwig II [2012] (Elisabeth “Sisi” of Austria | Ludovika, The Duchess in Bavaria | Sophie in Bavaria)

M

Maleficent Duology (Princess Aurora | Queen Ingrith of Ulstead)

Märchenperlen (see the individual movies)

Maria Theresia [2017] (Maria Anna of Austria | Empress Maria Theresia |  Mademoiselle de Chartres | Elisa Fritz)

Marie Antoinette [2006] (Jeanne du Barry | Marie Antoinette | Empress Maria Theresia | Marie Thérèse Louise of Savoy, Princesse de Lamballe | Extras)

Marie Antoinette [2022] (Marie Antoinette)

Mary Queen of Scots [2013] (Mary Stuart)

Maximilian - Das Spiel von Macht und Liebe / Maximilian and Marie de Burgogne (Maximilian of Austria | Mary of Burgundy | Bishop de Clugny | Johanna von Hallewyn | Rosina von Kraig | Georg Rudolfer | Margaret of York)

Maxton Hall (Ruby Bell)

Merlin (Morgana Pendragon)

Music Videos (KEiiNO | Taylor Swift)

My Fair Lady (Eliza Doolittle)

My Lady Jane (Jane Grey | Mary Tudor | Petunia)

Go to N-Z

[kattahj]

A tip to fans of the "Ghosts" TV show, whether the UK or US version: if you haven't already read the children's books by Eva Ibbotson, you should! They have a very similar vibe, with quirky ghosts making friends with humans. I am thinking in particular of The Beasts of Clawstone Castle, The Great Ghost Rescue, The Haunting of Hiram, and Dial-a-Ghost. (She has also written books about witches, adventure stories, and romances, if you feel like branching out.)

More info below!

The Beasts of Clawstone Castle is the one I remember best. In it, some children are trying to keep their relatives' castle from going bankrupt by hiring some ghosts and making it a tourist attraction. The first ghost they meet is Cousin Howard, who was a meek, shy man who has become a meek, shy ghost. Clearly no good for haunting! But they then encounter the following:

Brenda, a bride who was murdered on her wedding day and has been bleeding ever since.

Sunita, a magician's assistant who was cut in half for real.

Ranoulf, a former prisoner who looks like a romantic pirate but has a ghost rat gnawing on his ghost heart.

Mr. Smith, a former taxi driver who took dieting too seriously and is now a skeleton.

And a pair of big smelly feet that were cut off... somebody.

The Haunting of Hiram / The Haunting of Granite Falls is about a castle that gets sold to an American who doesn't want any ghosts in it, which leaves the already present ghosts homeless. They are:

Krok Fulbelly, a Viking warrior.

Miss Spinks, who is always throwing herself into water.

Stanislaus, "Uncle Louse", who used to be a vampire in his youth but then grew into a very old man in a wheelchair and eventually killed himself in his nineties.

Flossie, an angry poltergeist child.

And a ghost dog called Cyril.

The Great Ghost Rescue is also about a family of ghosts who are in danger of becoming homeless when their castle is made into a holiday resort. An added complication is that one of the sons, Humphrey the Horrible, is not at all horrible and in fact quite sweet, which is embarrassing for a ghost.

The other ghosts are:

The mom, a Hag.

The dad, a Scottish warrior who got his legs cut off in battle.

The brother, a screaming skull named George.

The sister, a wailing, bloodstained ghost named Winifred.

Aunt Hortensia and her disembodied head.

A big black dog.

Dial-a-Ghost is about ghosts being hired to haunt different places. One set are a nice family called Wilkinson. The others are a pair of terrors called the Shriekers. The agency hires the Wilkinsons to haunt a convent, and the Shriekers to haunt a castle, but accidentally gets the locations mixed up. The Wilkinsons arrive at the castle, where they find a boy called Oliver, whose evil relatives were hoping to scare him to death and inherit his money.

The Wilkinson family consists of grandma, aunt Maud, uncle Henry, the teenage ghost Eric (who is a boy scout), and the adopted daughter Addie (short for Adopta), who has a mysterious past: she was so traumatized by dying that she got amnesia, and nobody knows where she comes from.

All the books are cute and funny, and the ghosts are not necessarily always NICE, but always nice to get to know!

[mariana-oconnor]

The Solitary Cyclist pt 2

Last time we met Violet Smith, Watson was horny on main, she was smart and working as a music teacher in an isolated house being romantically pursued by two mysterious men who claimed to have known her long lost uncle and also claimed that he was dead. One of whom was just openly a dickhead, the other of whom was being creepy in a more socially acceptable manner (a la Mr Rochester).

Then there was a ghost cyclist who was following her down one specific stretch of road over and over again and disappearing.

Oh yeah, and she's romantically entangled with a young man called Cyril, which currently appears to be quite separate from all the rest of the shenanigans.

I have read this before, so I'm not going to speculate because while I can't remember all the details I can remember enough that anything I say will be coloured by my own memories.

Watson, in an unusual display of faith from Holmes, has been entrusted with a solo stakeout.

It had been deserted when I left it, but now I saw a cyclist riding down it from the opposite direction to that in which I had come. He was clad in a dark suit, and I saw that he had a black beard. On reaching the end of the Charlington grounds he sprang from his machine and led it through a gap in the hedge, disappearing from my view.

So he's coming from the direction of the house she works at. I guess it's lucky that Watson got there before him. Also if I ever want to hide my identity, I'll just get a big fake black beard and clearly no one will pay any attention to the rest of my face.

Reminds me of the first episode of White Collar.

This entire adventure is actually very slapstick when looked at the right way. Also super creepy because stalking, but the whole 'coming early, wearing a fake beard, stuffing his bike into the yew hedge, then jumping back into the hedge quickly so she doesn't see him.

She looked back at him and slowed her pace. He slowed also. She stopped. He at once stopped too, keeping two hundred yards behind her. Her next movement was as unexpected as it was spirited. She suddenly whisked her wheels round and dashed straight at him! He was as quick as she, however, and darted off in desperate flight. Presently she came back up the road again, her head haughtily in the air, not deigning to take any further notice of her silent attendant.

Like this bit, pure slapstick humour, even down to her at the end pretending that none of it even happened. Nothing to see here. Everything is under control. Lalalalalaaa.

However, it seemed to me that I had done a fairly good morning's work, and I walked back in high spirits to Farnham.

Honestly, Watson, I feel like you deserve a prize for not just running in to grab the guy. Although I feel like that might have solved the mystery more quickly. But did you succeed in observing the things that Holmes would want to be observed.

Mr. Sherlock Holmes listened with attention to the long report which I was able to present to him that evening, but it did not elicit that word of curt praise which I had hoped for and should have valued. On the contrary, his austere face was even more severe than usual as he commented upon the things that I had done and the things that I had not.

... apparently not. Poor Watson, just all perked up, tail wagging, thinking he's done an excellent job and patting himself on the back. But no... I hate to say I told you so, but you are a fictional character, so I don't actually hate it that much.

Maybe you should have just grabbed him.

“What should I have done?” I cried, with some heat. “Gone to the nearest public-house."

If in doubt, go to the pub. Or have a cup of tea. Those are the two universal British solutions (neither of which works for me, but I am quite bad at being British in a lot of ways). Or you could have pretended to be a tramp looking for a new pair of shoes, that seems to work for Holmes.

"Well, well, my dear sir, don't look so depressed."

Holmes: Tells Watson very emphatically that he has done a terrible job.

Watson: 😭

Holmes: Why are you so sad???

Holmes can go from extremely emotionally intelligent to utterly clueless in a heartbeat.

“I am sure that you will respect my confidence, Mr. Holmes, when I tell you that my place here has become difficult owing to the fact that my employer has proposed marriage to me. I am convinced that his feelings are most deep and most honourable."

No. Just no. These guys, they need to stop. Also, excellent demonstration of why this is never a good idea, because a refusal is always going to make continued work difficult. Even if you say 'nothing will change, your employment in no way hinges on this', there's no putting that cat back in the bag.

We knew it was coming, though.

"Williamson is a white-bearded man, and he lives alone with a small staff of servants at the Hall. There is some rumour that he is or has been a clergyman; but one or two incidents of his short residence at the Hall struck me as peculiarly unecclesiastical. I have already made some inquiries at a clerical agency, and they tell me that there was a man of that name in orders whose career has been a singularly dark one."

So the kind of a man who would marry a woman against her will? That kind of a clergyman?

"...especially one gentleman with a red moustache, Mr. Woodley by name, who was always there..."

"He ended a string of abuse by a vicious back-hander which I failed to entirely avoid. The next few minutes were delicious. It was a straight left against a slogging ruffian. I emerged as you see me. Mr. Woodley went home in a cart."

Holmes pulling a 'You should see the other guy.'

Also, I'm not sure we have the same definition of delicious. Unless you like the taste of blood.

"Mr. Carruthers has got a trap, and so the dangers of the lonely road, if there ever were any dangers, are now over."

Yes, but is it a trap.

"...the reappearance of that odious man, Mr. Woodley. He was always hideous, but he looks more awful than ever now, for he appears to have had an accident and he is much disfigured."

You should really see the other guy.

"How can Mr. Carruthers endure such a creature for a moment?"

Because he's as bad or worse. We've talked about this, Violet. If he's still hanging around with a guy that rapey then the only logical conclusion is that he doesn't see rape as something that would end a friendship. If someone's friend sexually assaults you and they continue to hang around with that person while professing to love you, then that means they aren't a good person.

I confess that I had not up to now taken a very serious view of the case, which had seemed to me rather grotesque and bizarre than dangerous. That a man should lie in wait for and follow a very handsome woman is no unheard-of thing, and if he had so little audacity that he not only dared not address her, but even fled from her approach, he was not a very formidable assailant. The ruffian Woodley was a very different person, but, except on one occasion, he had not molested our client, and now he visited the house of Carruthers without intruding upon her presence.

Watson... I'm not angry, I'm just disappointed.

This is so... 'That a man should lie in wait for and follow a very handsome woman is no unheard-of thing'. The amount of yikes in that statement alone is enough for an entire paragraph, but then the rest of it is just... 😬

Woodley only assaulted her once! The guy on the bike doesn't even try to talk to her! Clearly they're not that dangerous. Watson. Watson... no. Just no. Buddy, c'mon.

It was the severity of Holmes's manner and the fact that he slipped a revolver into his pocket before leaving our rooms which impressed me with the feeling that tragedy might prove to lurk behind this curious train of events.

I'm glad someone is taking this seriously. Also, you already told us this had a tragic ending right at the start, so thanks for the reminder.

*Impending Doom Intensifies*

At the same instant an empty dog-cart, the horse cantering, the reins trailing, appeared round the curve of the road and rattled swiftly towards us.

Alas, it was both a trap and a trap.

"It's abduction, Watson—abduction! Murder! Heaven knows what! Block the road! Stop the horse! That's right. Now, jump in, and let us see if I can repair the consequences of my own blunder.”

What a place for a cliffhanger.

[sarahlancashire]

top 5 female characters?

WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO ME

i can't possibly choose only five, i'm going to have to categorise. none of these are in order bc i can't choose between them (also there might be more than five within some of the categories oops)

sitcom queens who got me through the ordeal of growing up:

bill porter (2point4 children)

barbara good (the good life)

margo leadbetter (the good life)

ann bryce (ever decreasing circles)

pat dawkins (the thin blue line)

powerful sapphic characters who make me feel empowered:

caroline elliot/ mckenzie-dawson (last tango in halifax)

bridget westfall (wentworth)

maggie radcliffe (broadchurch)

paula martin (coronation street)

edith lyons (years and years)

millie harcourt (the bletchley circle)

disastrous sapphic characters who make me feel validated:

bernie wolfe (holby city)

dulcie collins (deadloch)

shona o'keefe (this way up)

chase phillips (losing chase)

karen (real women)

jo davidson (line of duty)

proudly/ happily sapphic characters who make me happy:

rosalyn mullens (shortland street)

gwendolyn briggs (ratched)

hannah taylor (harlan coben's shelter)

dinah groshardt (late bloomers)

paula cohen (zombies, run!)

literal angels:

sister julienne (call the midwife)

cathy walker (mum)

kathleen kelly (you've got mail)

lucy moderatz (while you were sleeping)

iris simpkins (the holiday)

helen gallagher (happy valley)

hannah grose (the haunting of bly manor)

isabella (measure for measure)

kay chandler (random hearts)

martyrs:

celia coplestone (the cocktail party)

sara smith (zombies, run!)

major de santa (zombies, run!)

lindsay denton (line of duty)

beth march (little women)

better than everyone:

beatrice lacy (rebecca)

mrs. lintott (the history boys)

gill murray (scott & bailey)

birgitte nyborg (borgen)

janet scott (scott & bailey)

portia (the merchant of venice)

susan ryeland (magpie murders)

mrs. hughes (downton abbey)

lorelai gilmore (gilmore girls)

mrs. gardiner (pride and prejudice)

miss maudie (to kill a mockingbird)

phyl moore (their finest)

cyril woodcock (phantom thread)

you're so hot i can't even think:

bridget westfall (yes, again)

rosalyn mullens (also yes, again)

julia standing (the night watch)

chrissie read (river)

morrigan (dragon age)

[kwebtv]

North and South - BBC - December 1, 1975 - December 22, 1975

Drama (4 Episodes)

Running Time: 60 minutes

Stars:

Rosalind Shanks as Margaret Hale

Robin Bailey as Mr. Hale

Kathleen Byron as Mrs. Hale

Peggy Ann Wood as Dixon

Patrick Stewart as John Thornton

Rosalie Crutchley as Mrs. Thornton

Norman Jones as Nicholas Higgins

Barbara Hickmott as Bessy Higgins

Ian Marter as Henry Lennox

Gail Harrison as Edith Shaw

Ginette McDonald as Mary Higgins

Pamela Moiseiwitsch as Fanny Thornton

Ray Mort as Carter

Christopher Burgess as Boucher

Frank Mills as Williams

Peter Welch as Slickson

Cyril Luckham as Mr. Bell

Tim Pigott-Smith as Frederick Hale

[wqbytop100]

WQBY

Top100 for the week ending June 22, 2025

Won't Be Possible --Tiesto, Odd Mod, Goodboys --5weeks-- [2weeks@#1]

It Could Be Better Now --Aname, Welt -10 --10weeks--

Mind Of A Warrior --Alan Walker, Sorana -4 --8weeks--

Override --A Little Sound -3 --7weeks-- (#3)

Never Walk Alone --BLOND:ISH & Stevie Appleton -5 --11weeks--

Tears Dry Tonight --CYRIL & James Blunt -7 --6weeks--

Tomorrow --Jorvis Voorn -2 --7weeks-- (#2)

Follow The Waves --Sam Feldt & CADEN -8 --8weeks--

Time To Push The Propaganda --Tube & Berger -6 --7weeks-- [1week@#1]

Bullet --Diplo, VAVA, Priscilla Black -9 --8weeks-- [3weeks@#1]

Full Attention --Tom Grennan -17 --5weeks--

Passion --Milky Chance -16 --4weeks--

Voices --Damino David -14 --7weeks--

Blessings --Calvin Harris f/Clementine Douglas -15 --5weeks--

Talk --Selena Gomez, Benny Blanco -18 --5weeks--

Caught Up In Your Love --Tre Reynolds -11 --9weeks-- (#5)

Dance With You --Thomas Rhett -20 --4weeks--

Highlights --Morgan Page, Phillip Strand -12 --12weeks-- (#4)

Blue Jean --Hazlet -21 --9weeks--

The First Time --Damino David -30 --3weeks--

Bad --W&W, KSHMR -13 --8weeks-- [1week@#1]

Sweet Danger --Obonglayar -19 --11weeks-- (#15)

More Than Anybody --Cheat Codes, Izzy Bizu, Kenny G -23 --5weeks--

Wrap Yourself Around Me --D.O.D -25 --15weeks--

Superrich ---Alok, Me nu, Ten Fe -63 -2weeks--

Let's Ride Away --AVICII & Ellie King -28 --5weeks--

Bleed --Malcolm Todd, Omar Apollo -24 --13weeks-- (#4)

House Of Mirrors --Riva Starr, Harry Stone -22 -8weeks-- (#10)

Cupid's Bow --Oly Alexander (Years & Years) -26 --16weeks-- (#3)

Obsession --AYYBO, Taylr Renee -29 --9weeks-- (#4)

Focus --John Summit f/CLOVES (Alok Remix) -59 --5weeks--

Lucky ---VAVRA -35 --7weeks--

Opposites --Vicetone, Linney -32 --12weeks-- [1week@#1]

Angel Of Mine --Tobiah -33 --19weeks-- (#7)

Angels For Each Other --Martin Garrix, Arjit Singh -36 -11weeks--

Hypnotic --Adam Boyer, HNTR, KYOZO -37 --7weeks--

Walk On Air --Patrick Topping, Camden Cox -38 --5weeks--

Flying Away With You --WhoMadeWho, Tripolism -39 --5weeks--

Mr. Lie To Me --Kriss Kross Amsterdam, EYLR -27 --7weeks-- (#27)

Strangers Town --Eelke Kielhn, Zoe Aska - --13weeks-- (#8)

Throwing Stones --MASSANO -34 --10weeks (#34)

Gone --Shallou -40 --17weeks-- (#2)

No Enemies --Sebastian Ingrosso, Steve Angello f/Namasendo -43 --7weeks--

Run It Back --GORGON CITY f/Caroline Byrne -45 --7weeks--

I Got Feeling --Twin Diplomacy -46 --5weeks

Burn --Jorvis Voorn -44 --17weeks-- [2weeks@#1]

Yesterday --Alan Walker, Ali Gatie -47 --23weeks-- [3weeks@#1]

Party People --Rose Gray -41 --16weeks-- (#5)

Edge Of The World --MEDUZA, INNELLEA, GENESI f/Nu-Lu -51 --13weeks--

Worst Day Ever --Sadbois, PatFromLastYear, Micah Martin (Disco Fries Remix) -50 --7weeks-- (#25)

Fade Away --MASSANO, BRAEV -52 --7weeks--

Rivers --VAVRA -53 --6weeks--

Gotta Move --Bless You -12weeks-- (#29)

Freaking You Out --Robin Schulz, NERVO, KOPPY -55 --4weeks--

Dream A Little Dream --Armin Van Buuren, Sam Gray -56 --7weeks--

Renegade Master --G-POL, Dom Diablo -57 --5weeks--

Dancers In The Dark --K-391, Modi -58 --5weeks--

Dance In The Sunlight --Lost Frequencies, Bandit -62--3weeks--

Crash --Loud Luxury --54 --17weeks-- (#8)

Lifeline --Jonas Blue, Izzy Bizu -48 --11weeks-- (#24)

Hopeful --Aname, Lydmor -60 --16weeks-- [1week@#1]

Take My Love ---Murphy's Law (UK), Kyle Walker -49 --7weeks-- (#21)

Get Deep --Roland Clark, Mark Knight, James Hurr -61 --7weeks-- (#43)

Take Me Higher --ARTY, MRYN -96 --2weeks--

Me & You --Ella Henderson -98 --2--

Love Is A Feeling ---Oliver Smith, Susie Ledge -67 --7weeks--

All I Know --Rudimental & Khalid -69 --3weeks--

Invisible --OneRepublic -68 --6weeks--

Neverland (From Japan) --Anyma, Baset -65 --9weeks-- (#65)

Act Of God --Layton Giordani, Linney, Sarah de Warren -64 --19weeks-- (#3)

Dreamin --Dom Dolla -71 --15weeks-- (#4)

Too Much --Dove Cameron -70 --15weeks-- (#4)

Around --Noir, Haze, MEDUZA -74 --6weeks--

Over Too Soon --Vicetone -85 --4weeks--

Eternal Life --Robin Schulz, OSWALD -66 --7weeks-- (#66)

By Your Side (In My Mind) --Leony --7 --22weeks-- (#5)

I See Your Face --Goom Gum -75 --4weeks-- (#75)

The Door --Teddy Swims -73 --26weeks-- (#7)

***Hideaway --Switch Disco, Tones & I - (new)

***Oh My Lord --Lucas & Steve, LAWRENT, Izzy Bizu - (new)

***Lovin Myself --Ava Max --(new)

Freaking Out --A R I Z O N A -86 --4weeks--

Think Of Me --HUGEL, David Guetta, Kehlani, Daecolm -99 --2weeks--

All My Life --R3HAB -97 --2weeks--

Right Here Right Now --R3HAB -76 --7weeks-- (#47)

Next Summer --Damino David -77 --14weeks-- (#46)

Dancing In Love --Alan Walker, MEEK -87 --3weeks--

Is It Just Me --Mike Posner -80 --19weeks-- (#26)

Smoke The Pain Away --Calvin Harris -81 --19weeks-- (#7)

***Choose Love --KC Lights, Marlo Rex -(new)

Sunshine --Moon Boots, Lyric Jones -100 --2weeks--

***The Longest Road Ahead --Morgan Page, Will Sparks -(new)

Everything's In It's Right Place --Petite Biscuit, Lizzy Land -93 --7weeks--

Flex --Tiesto, Oscar L -88 --16weeks-- (#3)

Loveless --FAST BOY -90 --16weeks-- (#3)

Somebody To Love --YOTTO, Eli & Fur -92 --10weeks-- (#76)

Brand New --Grace VanderWaal -91 --10weeks-- (#71)

Toxic Til The End --Rose -89 --19weeks-- (#10)

***No Broke Boys --Disco Lines, Tinashe -(new)

***Party In The Hood --BIJOU, Bishop Snow - (new)

7 new on the chart this week 6/22/2025

#79 Hideaway #80 Oh My Lord 81 Lovin Myself #90 Choose Love #92 The Longest Road Ahead #99 No Broke Boys #100 Party In The Hood

[alexlacquemanne]

Mai MMXXV

Films

Deux Romains en Gaule (1967) de Pierre Tchernia avec Roger Carel, Jacques Morel, Roger Pierre, Jean-Marc Thibault, Jean Yanne, René Goscinny, Albert Uderzo, Robert Beauvais, Max Favalelli, Maurice Biraud, Roger Couderc, Pierre Dac, Francis Blanche, Anne Sand Anne Marie Carrière, Jacqueline Huet et Françoise Camplan

Dossier secret (Mr. Arkadin) (1955) de et avec Orson Welles et aussi Robert Arden, Akim Tamiroff, Grégoire Aslan, Patricia Medina, Jack Watling, Mischa Auer, Peter van Eyck, Michael Redgrave et Suzanne Flon

Psych 3: This Is Gus (2021) de Steve Franks avec James Roday Rodriguez, Dulé Hill, Timothy Omundson, Maggie Lawson, Kirsten Nelson, Jazmyn Simon, Corbin Bernsen, Kurt Fuller, Sage Brocklebank, Allen Maldonado, Curt Smith, Ray Wise et Sophia Reid-Gantzert

Deuxième Chance à Brooklyn (The Angriest Man in Brooklyn) (2014) de Phil Alden Robinson avec Robin Williams, Mila Kunis, Melissa Leo, Peter Dinklage, Hamish Linklater, Sutton Foster, James Earl Jones et Richard Kind

Les Reines du ring (2013) de Jean-Marc Rudnicki avec Marilou Berry, Nathalie Baye, André Dussollier, Audrey Fleurot, Corinne Masiero, Isabelle Nanty, Jacques Frantz, Cyril Gueï, Philippe Chereau et Christophe Agius

Pour une poignée de dollars (Per un pugno di dollari) (1964) de Sergio Leone avec Clint Eastwood, Gian Maria Volonté, Marianne Koch, Antonio Prieto, Sieghardt Rupp, Wolfgang Lukschy, José Calvo, Joseph Egger et Margarita Lozano

Les Derniers Jours de Pompéi (Gli ultimi giorni di Pompei) (1959) de Mario Bonnard et Sergio Leone avec Steve Reeves, Christine Kaufmann, Fernando Rey, Barbara Carroll, Anne-Marie Baumann, Angel Aranda, Mimmo Palmara, Guillermo Marín et Carlo Tamberlani

L'Importance d'être Constant (The Importance of Being Earnest) (2002) d'Oliver Parker avec Rupert Everett, Colin Firth, Frances O'Connor, Reese Witherspoon, Judi Dench, Anna Massey et Edward Fox

Et pour quelques dollars de plus (Per qualche dollaro in più) (1965) de Sergio Leone avec Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef, Gian Maria Volontè, Mario Brega, Luigi Pistilli, Klaus Kinski, Aldo Sambrell, Benito Stefanelli, Panos Papadopoulos, Luis Rodríguez et Mara Krupp

Good Bye Lenin! (2003) de Wolfgang Becker avec Daniel Brühl, Katrin Sass, Maria Simon, Chulpan Khamatova, Alexander Beyer, Florian Lukas, Burghart Klaussner, Michael Gwisdek, Christine Schorn et Jürgen Holtz

Entre les lignes (Mothering Sunday) (2021) d'Eva Husson avec Odessa Young, Glenda Jackson, Josh O'Connor, Olivia Colman, Colin Firth, Sope Dirisu, Emma D'Arcy et Patsy Ferran

Mission: impossible - The Final Reckoning (2025) de Christopher McQuarrie avec Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Henry Czerny, Angela Bassett, Esai Morales, Pom Klementieff, Shea Whigham et Mark Gatiss

Je sais rien, mais je dirai tout (1973) de et avec Pierre Richard et aussi Bernard Blier, Didier Kaminka, Luis Rego, Georges Beller, Pierre Tornade, Daniel Prévost, Danielle Minazzoli, Nicole Jamet, Robert Davain, Hélène Duc, Francis Lax et Pierre Repp

Le Bon, la Brute et le Truand (Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo) (1966) de Sergio Leone avec Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef, Eli Wallach, Aldo Giuffré, Luigi Pistilli, Rada Rassimov, Mario Brega et Antonio Molino Rojo

Jeanne du Barry (2023) de et avec Maïwenn et aussi Johnny Depp, Benjamin Lavernhe, Pierre Richard, Melvil Poupaud, Pascal Greggory, India Hair, Suzanne de Baecque, Capucine Valmary, Laura Le Velly, Diego Le Fur et Pauline Pollmann

Partir un jour (2025) d'Amélie Bonnin avec Juliette Armanet, Bastien Bouillon, François Rollin, Tewfik Jallab, Dominique Blanc, Mhamed Arezki, Pierre-Antoine Billon et Amandine Dewasmes

Les Buddenbrook, le déclin d'une famille (Buddenbrooks) (2008) de Heinrich Breloer avec Armin Mueller-Stahl, Jessica Schwarz, Mark Waschke, August Diehl, Iris Berben, Léa Bosco, Alexander Fehling, Justus von Dohnányi, Martin Feifel et Nina Proll

Séries

Asterix et Obélix : Le Combat des chefs

Episode I - Episode II - Episode III - Episode IV - Episode V

Le Flic de Shangaï Saison 2

Double jeu - Cieux inamicaux - Espion, réveille-toi - Virus mortel - Sammo Père Noël - Pas de quartier - Sammo contre Scorpio - Congé forcé - Un après-midi de chien - C’est pas du cinéma ! - Sammo, Texas Ranger : première partie - Chute libre - Peur de rien - Une affaire de cœur - Arme fatale - Ultime conflit : première partie - Ultime conflit : deuxième partie

Les Nouvelles Aventures de Zorro Saison 2

L'Enlèvement - La Séductrice - La Leçon d'escrime - Liberté de la presse - Le Refuge - La Traque - Le Tricheur - La Brebis galeuse - Seul contre trois - Le Défi de Plume Noire - Le Faucon - L'Ombre d'un doute - La Vengeance - Le Grand Frère - Être un homme - Le Voleur qui sifflait - Le Nouvel Alcade - L'Épée de Charlemagne - Des sorciers à Los Angeles - La Forteresse du Diable : première partie - La Forteresse du Diable : deuxième partie - Un pour tous et tous pour un : première partie - Un pour tous et tous pour un : deuxième partie

K2000 Saison 4

Joyeux anniversaire - Le vainqueur - Derrière les barreaux - Quartier en danger - Le parfum des roses - La machine à tuer - Abattage illégal - Attention : magie - La rédemption du champion - Los mil diablos - Les incendiaires - Le chemin de la liberté - Le saboteur - Le soleil levant - Knight et le vaudou

Friends Saison 10

Celui qui n'arrivait pas à se confier - Celui qui allait très bien - Celui qui avait décidé de bronzer - Celui qui transformait le gâteau d'anniversaire - Celui qui écrivait une lettre de recommandation - Celui qui a failli avoir la subvention - Celui qui bluffait l'assistante sociale - Celui qui ratait Thanksgiving - Ceux qui rencontraient la mère biologique - Celui qui se faisait coincer - Celui qui trahissait le pacte - Celui qui jouait le rôle du père - Celui qui jouait le rôle du père - Celui qui baragouinait - Celui qui n'aimait pas la maison - Celui qui faisait tout pour retenir Rachel - Celui qui n'aimait pas les adieux - Ceux qui s'en allaient

Affaires sensibles

Robert-François Damiens ou le régicide raté de Louis XV - L’incroyable histoire du magot des Postiches - L'ouragan Katrina. Une semaine en enfer - Prora, un symptôme allemand - Paris 1903, la catastrophe du métropolitain - Naissance du Festival de Cannes : le combat du monde libre - Le Palace : L’Apogée des branchés - 28 septembre 1978, la mort de Jean-Paul Ier - Israël contre le nucléaire iranien - 1938, La Guerre des mondes mise en ondes par Orson Welles

Doctor Who Season 2

Lucky Day - The Story & the Engine - The Interstellar Song Contest - Wish World - The Reality War

Hudson et Rex Saison 5

Justice ou vengeance - Fraude à l'investissement - Le naufrage de la dépêche - Bienvenue en Ontario - Cap au Nord - Une trop longue absence - Plus rien à perdre - Chacun ses goûts - Un dernier pour la route

Kaamelott Livre IV, V

Les Tacticiens : première partie - Les Tacticiens : deuxième partie - Drakkars ! - La Réponse - Unagi IV - La Permission - Anges et Démons - La Rémanence - Le Refuge - Le Dragon gris - La Potion de vivacité II - Vox populi III - La Sonde - La Réaffectation - La Poétique II : première partie - La Poétique II : deuxième partie - Le Jeu de la guerre - Le Rêve d’Ygerne - Les Chaperons - L’Habitué - Le Camp romain - L’Usurpateur - Loth et le Graal - Le Paladin - Perceval fait ritournelle - La Dame et le Lac - Beaucoup de bruit pour rien - L’Ultimatum - Le Oud II - La Répétition - Le Discours - Le Choix de Gauvain - Fluctuat nec mergitur - Le Face-à-face : première partie - Le Face-à-face : deuxième partie - L’Entente cordiale - L’Approbation - Alone in the Dark II - La Blessure d’Yvain - Corpore sano II - L’Enchanteur - Les Bien Nommés - La Prisonnière - Les Paris III - Les Plaques de dissimulation - Le Vice de forme - Le Renoncement : première partie - Le Renoncement deuxième partie - L’Inspiration - Les Endettés - Double Dragon - Le Sauvetage - Le Désordre et la Nuit - Corvus Corone - La Roche et le Fer - Vae Soli !

Meurtres au paradis Saison 14

L’armoire des scellés - Fin de course - Pour qui sont ces serpents - Un rhum frelaté - Carton rouge - Arnaque amoureuse - L'affaire Dorna Bray - Sous la carapace

Mademoiselle Holmes Saison 2

Suivez le chat - Dans la cage - Une histoire de sœurs - Reine de beauté - Toxique - Jour J

Le Voyageur Saison 4

La femme oubliée

The Rookie Saison 7

Une affaire pas comme les autres - Le retour - Trop belle pour moi - Le bon, la brute et l'Oscar

Top Gear France Saison 10

Ceux qui deviennent de vrais militaires

Walker Texas Ranger Saison 8

Le Grand Nettoyage

Mission : Impossible Saison 1

Complot à Santa Costa - Mémoire - Opération Rogosh

Spectacles

L'effet Miroir (2024) de Léonore Confino avec Eric Laugérias, Caroline Anglade, François Vincentelli et Jeanne Arènes

Deep Purple with Orchestra: Live At Montreux (2011)

Renaud : Tournée d'enfer (2003) au Zénith Arena de Lille

Une femme trop honnête (1978) de Georges Vitaly avec Judith Magre, Bernard Lavalette, Francis Lax, Danièle Deray, Madeleine Barbulée, Jacques Verlier, Maurice Teynac et Christiane Muller

Madonna : Drowned World Tour (2001)

Jacques Dutronc : Et vous, et vous, et vous (2010)

Tout va très bien ! (2025) de Ray Cooney et Michael Cooney avec Laurent Ournac, Arthur Jugnot, Zoé Bibaud, Michel Cremades, Sébastien Pierre, Gaëlle Gauthier, Manu Rui Silva et Lydie Muller

Le Professeur Rollin a encore quelque chose à dire (2003)

Si on savait (2022) de Eric Fraticelli avec Daniel Russo, Véronique Genest, Jean-Luc Porraz, Erwan Téréné et Bénédicte Dessombz

Livres

Simplement 2 : 25 ans de commentaires de Philippe Chéreau et Christophe Agius

Kaamelott : Un livre d'histoire de Florian Besson et Justine Breton

Astérix, tome 22 : La Grande Traversée de René Goscinny et Albert Uderzo

Le dimanche des mères de Graham Swift

[desperatefunproductions]

Tonight I tell a story Cyril Hare told me about a Man Named Smith, before Mr Mulliner (via P G Wodehouse) regales us about his nephew Augustine, and a substance yclept Buck-U-Uppo.

[no-side-us]

Letters From Watson Liveblog - July 27

The Solitary Cyclist, Part 1 of 3

"She glanced down in surprise at her own feet, and I observed the slight roughening of the side of the sole caused by the friction of the edge of the pedal."

It's nice that Watson was able to observe this little detail without Holmes needing to point it out specifically, even if Holmes was the one who saw it first.

"which is common to both professions? There is a spirituality about the face, however”—he gently turned it towards the light—“which the typewriter does not."

Is Holmes really holding Miss Smith's face here? I feel like that's a bit too close for comfort, regardless of the fact he's simply making an observation.

"interesting associations. You remember, Watson, that it was near there that we took Archie Stamford, the forger."

Stamford? Watson's old medical buddy? The one who introduced him to Sherlock Holmes!? Oh, the irony of him turning to a life of crime.

I mean, it's probably not the same Stamford considering he's now a forger, but maybe.

"diamonds in London, and finally, when I would have nothing to do with him, he seized me in his arms one day after dinner—he was hideously strong—and he swore that he would not let me go until I had kissed him."

Mr. Woodley here is an absolutely dreadful person, and I can only hope that the unexpected tragedy Watson mentioned in the beginning of the letter happens to him. I don't remember though.

"stopped also. Then I laid a trap for him. There is a sharp turning of the road, and I pedalled very quickly round this, and then I stopped and waited. I expected him to shoot."

This is a pretty smart and active thing to do, regardless of the fact she didn't catch him, so kudos to Miss Smith for thinking and doing it. If it were me, I probably would have just continued accepting the awkward circumstances.

"Oh, it may be a mere fancy of mine; but it has seemed to me sometimes that my employer, Mr. Carruthers, takes a great deal of interest in me. We are thrown rather together."

Miss Smith is truly in an uncomfortable situation. She needs the job for the money, but her much older employer is seemingly interested in her. And he's also associates with another man who is disgustingly interested in her. And then there's a strange cyclist, which isn't as bad as the last thing but it's still really weird. Just bad all around really.

“You will go down?” “No, my dear fellow, you will go down."

Alright, some Watson solo investigations! For some reason I find it really cute when he investigates by himself, so I'm really looking forward to the next letter.

Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3

[corkcitylibraries]

Betty Friedan and Second Wave Feminism in the USA and Ireland

by Deirdre Swain

The Cork City Reference Library holds a large collection of books about feminism, particularly Irish feminism. BorrowBox also possesses a range of eBooks on feminism that were published in the last 7 years. In this article, I will discuss Betty Friedan, a well-known American feminist who was born in February 1921, and the second-wave feminist movement in Ireland. I will then introduce a reading list of books on feminism which are available on BorrowBox. I will also provide a reading list of books on feminism which will be available in the Reference Library once it re-opens to the public.

Betty Friedan and Second Wave Feminism in the USA

The recent TV drama, Mrs. America depicts the struggle to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment in the USA in the 1970s. The popularity of this TV series demonstrates a renewed interest in the women’s liberation movement and certain prominent and influential American feminists, namely Betty Friedan, Gloria Steinem, Shirley Chisholm and Bella Abzug.

February 2021 marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of Betty Friedan, one of these second wave feminists and author of the seminal feminist text, The Feminine Mystique. She was born Bettye Naomi Goldstein to a Jewish family in Peoria, Illinois on 4 February 1921. Her mother, Miriam Horwitz, was an unhappy housewife whose parents, Hungarian Jewish immigrants, did not allow her to go to university. Miriam encouraged Betty to do the opposite, and she strongly supported her daughter’s education. Betty went to university in Smith College, graduating in 1942. She then studied Psychology in the University of California, Berkeley, for a year. Thereafter, she worked as a journalist in New York, writing about the Jim Crow laws and anti-Semitism. Later, she worked as a women’s magazine writer. In 1949, she married Carl Friedman (later Friedan), and they had 3 children. They got divorced in 1969.

In 1957, Betty attended the 15th anniversary of her graduation from Smith College. At this reunion, she conducted a survey on her former fellow students (females) to explore the direction of their lives since graduation. She was perturbed by the amount of discontent among them. This revelation about the lives of her peers led to the writing of her book, The Feminine Mystique. This publication recounts the dilemma of suburban housewives, who are expected to spend all of their time on domestic duties and the rearing of children. They are overshadowed constantly by the thought, “Is this it?” They feel guilty for not being satisfied with their role, but they cannot deny the fact that they are unfulfilled. The “feminine mystique” of the book’s title is the societal assumption that household duties and motherhood alone will give women a sense of achievement. Friedan coined the phrase “the problem with no name” to describe women’s unhappiness with and inability to live up to this feminine mystique. She contended that women could have a successful career as well as a family.

The book sold three million copies and resonated with many suburban women because it showed them that they were not alone in their feelings of dissatisfaction. It was also strongly criticised for its homophobic language and for excluding Black and working class women. It spoke from a standpoint where every American housewife was white and middle class. Her solution to the problem of “the feminine mystique” (delegating housework) were also criticised for being inadequate and for failing to tackle the problem fully.

Friedan was aware of some of the shortcomings of The Feminine Mystique, and she wrote a second book to tackle some of the problems not resolved in the first one, including the double enslavement of working women who still had to do all the housework. The title of this book is The Second Stage. She also wrote numerous other books, including It Changed My Life: Writings on the Women’s Movement, which was published in 1976 and Beyond Gender: the New Politics of Family and Work, which was published in 1998.

Betty Friedan was a women’s activist and fought for reproductive rights, equal pay, equal representation and equality in hiring. She co-founded the National Organisation for Women (NOW) in 1966. In 1969, she launched the National Association for Repeal of Abortion Laws (NARAL Pro-Choice America). She co-founded the National Women’s Political Caucus (NWPC) with Gloria Steinem, Bella Abzug and several other women in 1971. The NWPC is a US organisation which supports and trains women who seek elected and appointed offices in all levels of government. Betty was quick-tempered, and she tended to lash out at people, including other feminists such as Gloria Steinem, even though they had similar aspirations for women. She was also quite disparaging in her treatment of lesbian women, referring to them as “the lavender menace”.

Later in her life, Friedan became a Zionist and fought to expose Anti-Semitism in the women’s movement. She received the Eleanor Roosevelt Leadership Award in 1989 and was awarded honorary degrees by the State University of New York and Columbia University. She died on her birthday, 4 February, in Washington DC in 2006, aged 85.

What advances for women were taking place in Ireland during the time of Betty Friedan’s activism in the United States?

The Irish Women’s Liberation Movement

In the summer of 1970, five women met in Bewley’s café in Dublin and decided that it was time for some drastic changes in Irish women’s lives; time to fight for equal rights. That day, these women held what was to be the first meeting of the Irish Women’s Liberation Movement (IWLM) group, the first radical women’s liberation group in Ireland. Although the group lasted little more than seven months, its legacy changed women’s lives significantly and positively. As proof of the success of the IWLM, the two injustices that this group fought hardest against – the marriage bar, which was abolished in 1973, and the illegality of contraception – are unimaginable in today’s world.

Margaret Gaj owned the restaurant, Gaj’s, on Baggot Street, where the IWLM would meet every Monday night. Margaret Gaj was passionate about women’s rights. Her circle of friends included Sinn Féin official Máirín de Búrca, journalist Mary Maher, who was interested in socialist issues, Máirín Johnston, who was a member of the Communist Party and who was also active in the Labour Party and Dr. Moira Woods, who was in an organisation called Irish Voice on Vietnam, which protested against the war in Vietnam. These five women started the IWLM group that day in the summer of 1970 in Bewley’s café, but around a dozen women were actively involved in the founding of this women’s organisation, the majority of them journalists. Nell McCafferty and Mary Kenny, both journalists, were two prominent founders of the IWLM.

Chains or Change was the title of the IWLM charter. It was put together in the form of a booklet which detailed the goals and ideals that the IWLM strove for. There were 6 demands: equal pay; an end to the marriage bar that kept women from working after they got married; equal rights in law; justice for widows, deserted wives and “unmarried mothers”; equal education opportunities; and the legalisation of contraception. Neither abortion nor divorce were mentioned at all in Chains or Change. When the most basic civil rights for women were being fought for, abortion and divorce did not even arise because they were not considered to be a priority. The booklet was a milestone in the history of women’s rights in Ireland, because it was the first time that anyone had published a comprehensive list of the injustices that church, state and social code perpetuated against women.

Nell McCafferty

Nell McCafferty was born in Derry. She got her degree from Queen’s University in Belfast and trained as a teacher, but she could not get a job in Derry, because the Protestant schools knew she was Catholic, and the Catholic schools did not think she was a real Catholic but, rather, a communist. She moved to Dublin to work as a journalist for the Irish Times. Nell writes in her autobiography of an incident from when she first moved to Dublin; she wanted to buy a record player on hire purchase but was told that no woman could sign an agreement without the co-signature of a male guarantor. A male stranger signed for her because she did not know any men in Dublin. This man was unemployed, and her own earnings amounted to five times more than his welfare entitlements.

Nell was a founding member of the Irish Women’s Liberation Movement (IWLM). In the IWLM, Nell was someone who could be depended upon to put forward forceful arguments that were backed up by accurate facts, and she could convey them both in writing and in person.          

Nell’s journalism was objective, and she used it to bear witness to the struggles of the oppressed. She did not even have to give her opinion; her writing style and her description of what she observed in society were enough to expose hypocrisy and injustice without her having to comment on the issues herself. As well as being a feminist activist, Nell was also a civil rights activist on issues in Northern Ireland. When she started to work at the Irish Times, she joined the “women’s page” staff. Initially, she was fearful that this would involve writing about fashion, cooking and babies, but it actually enabled her to write on issues regarding women’s liberation and women’s rights.                    

The Contraceptive Train

In May 1971, the IWLM founders organised what became known as the “contraceptive train”, which was a protest against the fact that contraceptives were illegal in the Republic of Ireland. Nell McCafferty said that she had got the idea for the contraceptive train when she was in Northern Ireland at a civil rights march. The march went from North to South, and at the border, a student activist called Cyril Tallman held up a copy of Edna O’Brien’s novel Country Girls in one hand and a Durex condom in the other, saying that both were banned in the South. Nell was initially indignant about the condom, but the following year when the IWLM was talking about contraceptives, Nell got the idea of reversing the journey from Dublin to the North.

There was a ban on contraception in the Republic of Ireland, which was enshrined in the 1935 Criminal Law Act. This made the importation, distribution and sale of contraceptive devices a criminal offence. Advertising contraceptives was also illegal. The contraceptive pill was available in Ireland only on prescription, as a “menstrual cycle regulator”.

There were 47 founders and members of the IWLM on the contraceptive train on 22 May 1971, just enough to fill two carriages. However, when Nell McCafferty asked for a packet of contraceptive pills in a Belfast pharmacy, she was asked for a prescription, and the same happened when she asked for a coil, loop and Dutch cap. It turned out that the only contraceptives that were available in Belfast without prescription were condoms and spermicidal jelly. Nell was not happy with the prospect of taking a stand at Dublin customs with just condoms and spermicidal jelly, so it was decided that packets of aspirins would be bought, since they were similar enough in appearance to contraceptive pills that it was hoped they would pass for same! When the women arrived at customs in Dublin, the customs officers told them they were breaking the law, but let them through, because arresting them was not an option for them. The contraceptive train accomplished what it set out to do; the state refused to lift the ban on contraceptives, but it also failed to enforce it. The IWLM exposed this hypocrisy and proved that women would be free to import contraceptives from the North into the Republic from then on without any interference from law enforcement officials. Nell McCafferty made a statement at the train station, and two of the women went on the Late Late Show on TV to talk about the experience.

Mary Robinson failed in March and May of 1971 to get the Senate to add her Contraceptive Bill to its order paper. Despite Mary Robinson’s and the IWLM’s efforts to legalise contraceptives, it was not until 1979 that the government passed the Family Planning Act. This Act allowed solely married couples to get access to contraceptive devices other than the pill with a prescription. Family Planning clinics were already selling condoms, but the government was turning a blind eye to this because they were accepting “donations” in exchange for the condoms. In 1990, the Irish Family Planning Association was fined £500 for selling condoms in the Virgin Megastore in Dublin. Finally, in 1992, the government extended legislation to allow supermarkets and retail stores to sell condoms. The contraceptive train literally set the wheels in motion regarding the legalisation of contraceptives, but it took a long time before the law was changed for the benefit of women.

References

-Code, L., ed. (2000). Encyclopedia of Feminist Theories. London: Routledge.

-Parry, M. (2010). ‘Betty Friedan: Feminist Icon and Founder of the National Organization for Women’, American Journal of Public Health, 100 (9), pp. 1584-1585.

-Shteir, R. (2021). ‘Why We Can’t Stop Talking about Betty Friedan’, New York Times, 3 February. Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/03/us/betty-friedan-feminism-legacy.html (Accessed: 9 February 2021).

McCafferty, N. (2004). Nell: a Disorderly Woman. Dublin: Penguin Ireland.

Stopper, A. (2006). Mondays at Gaj’s: The Story of the Irish Women’s Liberation Movement. Dublin: The Liffey Press.

Reading list of books on feminism

Available on BorrowBox:

-Dear Ijeawele, or a Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (published in 2017): https://fe.bolindadigital.com/wldcs_bol_fo/b2i/productDetail.html?productId=HCU_469861&fromPage=1&b2bSite=4813

-Feminist Fight Club, by Jessica Bennett (published in 2016): https://fe.bolindadigital.com/wldcs_bol_fo/b2i/productDetail.html?productId=PRU_398091&fromPage=1&b2bSite=4813

-Feminists Don’t Wear Pink (And Other Lies), by Scarlett Curtis (published in 2018): https://fe.bolindadigital.com/wldcs_bol_fo/b2i/productDetail.html?productId=PRU_574840&fromPage=1&b2bSite=4813

-Give Birth Like a Feminist, by Milli Hill (published in 2019): https://fe.bolindadigital.com/wldcs_bol_fo/b2i/productDetail.html?productId=HCU_655895&fromPage=1&b2bSite=4813

-We Should All Be Feminists, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (published in 2014): https://fe.bolindadigital.com/wldcs_bol_fo/b2i/productDetail.html?productId=HCP_402800&fromPage=1&b2bSite=4813

Available in the Reference Library, Grand Parade

-Code, L., ed. (2000). Encyclopedia of Feminist Theories. London: Routledge.

-McCafferty, N. (1984). The best of Nell: a selection of writings over fourteen years. Dublin: Attic Press.

- Stopper, A. (2006). Mondays at Gaj’s: The Story of the Irish Women’s Liberation Movement. Dublin: The Liffey Press.

-Pierse, Mary S. (ed.) (2010). Irish Feminisms, 1810-1930. Abingdon: Edition Synapse/Routledge (5 volumes).

-Owens, R. (2005). A social history of women in Ireland, 1870-1970. Dublin: Gill & Macmillan.

-Connolly, L. and O’Toole, T. (2005). Documenting Irish Feminisms: the Second Wave. Dublin: The Woodfield Press.

-Connolly, L. (2002). The Irish women’s movement: from revolution to devolution. Dublin: Lilliput Press.

-Rose, C. (1975). The female experience: the story of the woman movement in Ireland. Galway: Arlen House.

[scotianostra]

On December 1st 1768 the first volume of Encyclopedia Britannica was published in Edinburgh, edited by William Smellie.

In 1768, the Enlightenment was in full swing, and the printing press was being employed liberally as a method of disseminating knowledge among the (then still relatively few) literate and learned. Few general-purpose reference works existed (the earliest came only a few years before), however, with much essential knowledge split between many smaller, more specific volumes. On Optics, or On the Use of Leeches, or Travels Among the Savages of the New World, that sort of thing. That year, the Encyclopaedia Britannica printed its first edition: three volumes comprising a compressed but useful near-totality of human knowledge.

It is difficult for us to conceive of, having grown up with reference works, and more difficult still for a new generation raised with the Internet and its promise of instant access to virtually any work or knowledge.

The three-volume book includes, for example, 40 pages devoted to the diseases of horses, and 40 pages about algebra – but no information about children. Of course the world has moved on and we can look back in horror and amusement at some of the entries in the early editions, but it was and still is about the learning curve. In those early volumes Homo sapiens were subdivided into five varieties: the American, the European, the Asiatic, the African and the monstrous, cures for flatulence included drinking chamomile tea and blowing smoke from a pipe ‘through the anus.,’cures for toothache involved drinking laxatives, or bleeding the foot; vermicelli noodles were first brought from Italy, where the food was in "great vogue" – it was chiefly used in soups and pottages "to provoke venery" or sexual gratification; the US state of "Callifornia" was described as "a large country of the West Indies – unknown whether it is an island or a peninsula"; the solar system had six planets – Uranus, Neptune and Pluto were yet to be discovered.

Contributors have included Sigmund Freud, Albert Einstein, Marie Curie, Leon Trotsky, Harry Houdini and our very own Sir Walter Scott. The Encyclopaedia Britannica is one of the most commonly requested books on Desert Island Discs. Those who have chosen it include Dame Maggie Smith, Charlton Heston, Gerald Durrell, Sid James, Bob Monkhouse, Cyril Smith and Morecambe and Wise.

In 2010, when the last print editions were sold, a search for the oldest Encyclopædia Britannica still in private hands led to the discovery of an 18-volume set from 1797. The books, still in regular use by a family in Chelmsford, were bought in the 1970s for £15 and are now thought to be worth about £9,000. "We had no idea that they were particularly rare or unusual," said the owner, Mrs Hampson, "but we've always loved them for their interesting contents and wonderful smell."

The full Encyclopædia Britannica, frequently updated, is now available online, at britannica.co.uk, and as an app for the iPad and android.

[mysticalhearth]

G

A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder - Broadway - November 24, 2013 (Lanelle's master) FORMAT:  VOB (with smalls) (SD) CAST: Jefferson Mays (The D'Ysquith Family), Bryce Pinkham (Monty Navarro), Lisa O'Hare (Sibella Hallward), Lauren Worsham (Phoebe D'Ysquith), Jane Carr (Miss Marietta Shingle), Joanna Glushak (Lady Eugenia D'Ysquith and others), Eddie Korbich (Magistrate/Actor/Mr. Gorby), Jeff Kready (Tom Copley/Newsboy/Actor/Guard), Jennifer Smith (Tour Guide/Newsboy), Catherine Walker (Miss Evangeline Barley and others), Price Waldman (Barber / Detective) A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder - Broadway - January 18, 2015 (Matinee) FORMAT:  VOB (with smalls) (SD) CAST: Jefferson Mays (The D'Ysquith Family), Bryce Pinkham (Monty Navarro), Lisa O'Hare (Sibella Hallward), Catherine Walker (Phoebe D'Ysquith), Barbara Marineau (Miss Marietta Shingle), Joanna Glushak (Lady Eugenia D'Ysquith and others), Eddie Korbich (Magistrate/Actor/Mr. Gorby), Jeff Kready (Tom Copley/Newsboy/Actor/Guard), Jennifer Smith (Tour Guide/Newsboy), Price Waldman (Chief Inspector Pinckney/Newsboy/Actor) NOTES: Bryce's last show before his return in July. A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder - First National Tour - September 29, 2015 (Preview) (SunsetBlvd79's master) FORMAT:  VOB (with smalls) (SD) CAST: John Rapson (The D'Ysquith Family), Kevin Massey (Monty Navarro), Kristen Beth Williams (Sibella Hallward), Adrienne Eller (Phoebe D'Ysquith), Mary VanArsdel (Miss Marietta Shingle), Kristen Mengelkoch (Lady Eugenia D'Ysquith and others), Christopher Behmke (Magistrate/Actor/Mr. Gorby), Matt Leisy (Tom Copley/Newsboy/Actor/Guard), Megan Loomis (Tour Guide/Newsboy), Ben Roseberry (Chief Inspector Pinckney/Newsboy/Actor), Lesley McKinnell (Miss Evangeline Barley and others) NOTES: Beautiful capture of the tour which launched in Chicago. There's tiny bits of washout when the camera is in wideshot due to the spotlights of the stage. Terrific cast and a wonderful tour of this production! A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder - First National Tour - April 24, 2016 (SJ Bernly's master) FORMAT:  VOB (with smalls) (SD) CAST: John Rapson (The D'Ysquith Family), Kevin Massey (Monty Navarro), Kristen Beth Williams (Sibella Hallward), Adrienne Eller (Phoebe D'Ysquith), Mary VanArsdel (Miss Marietta Shingle), Megan Loomis (u/s Lady Eugenia D'Ysquith and others), Christopher Behmke (Magistrate/Actor/Mr. Gorby), Matt Leisy (Tom Copley/Newsboy/Actor/Guard), Ben Roseberry (Chief Inspector Pinckney/Newsboy/Actor), Lesley McKinnell (Miss Evangeline Barley and others) NOTES: A great capture of the tour. The cast is solid, and the audience is energetic. There are no blackouts, no obstruction, and no washout. It’s filmed in 16:9, with a mix of wides, mediums, and close-ups. The sound is excellent. Includes curtain call, John and Kevin’s BC/EFA speech, and playbill scans. A+ Gentlemen Prefer Blondes - Encores! - May 12, 2012 FORMAT:  MP4 (HD) CAST: Megan Hilty (Lorelei Lee), Rachel York (Dorothy Shaw), Aaron Lazar (Henry Spofford), Steven Boyer (Pierre/Louis Lemanteur), Brennan Brown (Steward/Mr. Robert Lemanteur/Gus Esmond Sr.), Stephen Buntrock (Josephus Gage), Simon Jones (Sir Francis Beekman), Deborah Rush (Mrs. Ella Spofford), Sandra Shipley (Lady Phyllis Beekman), Megan Sikora (Gloria Stark), Clarke Thorell (Gus Esmond Jr.) NOTES: Filmed from the back of the balcony. Many heads appear in the frame to start, then when the filmer gets his bearings, the video improves greatly. There are a few times (mostly at the beginning) when the filmer replaces some poor video moments with still shots. These still shots are less than 2 or 3 minutes of the entire show. Overall, a great video, and Megan Hilty is amazing Ghost: The Musical - Berlin - June, 2018 (Rumpel's master) FORMAT:  VOB (with smalls) (SD) CAST: Nikolas Heiber (u/s Sam Wheat), Willemijn Verkaik (Molly Jensen), Marion Campbell (Oda Mae Brown), Andreas Bongard (Carl Bruner), Mischa Kiek (Willie Lopez), Nicolas Christahl (Subway Ghost), Klaus Seiffert (Hospital Ghost), Chasity Crisp (Clara), Denise Lucie Aquino (Louise) NOTES: Very Limited trades 3:1 Ghost: The Musical - Broadway - July 28, 2012 (SunsetBlvd79's master) FORMAT:  VOB (with smalls) (SD) CAST: Richard Fleeshman (Sam Wheat), Caissie Levy (Molly Jensen), Da'Vine Joy Randolph (Oda Mae Brown), Bryce Pinkham (Carl Bruner), Michael Bladerrama (Willie Lopez), Tyler McGee (Subway Ghost) NOTES: Great HD capture of the show toward the end of the run. This is a great capture compared the previous one from March, with the changes that were made from the previews and with the original Oda Mae Brown. Despite what the reviews said, this is one show I thoroughly enjoyed and wish it had a better life on Broadway as it deserved! A- Recording with mostly zooms and a few wide shots. Great views of the effects. A Google Drive link is floating around that contains the wrong VOBs for Act 1-3 and Act 2-2; make sure you get everything! Ghost: The Musical - Hamburg - January 13, 2019 (Closing Night) FORMAT:  VOB (with smalls) (SD) CAST: Riccardo Greco (Sam Wheat), Roberta Valentini (Molly Jensen), Marion Campbell (Oda Mae Brown), John Vooijs (Carl Bruner), Mischa Kiek (Willie Lopez), Marius Bingel (Subway Ghost), Alex Bellinkx (Hospital Ghost), Enny de Alba (Clara), Tamara Wörner (Louise) NOTES: Poor picture Quality, no zoom but captures all action and great sound Ghost: The Musical - Hamburg - January, 2019 FORMAT:  MP4 (HD) CAST: Riccardo Greco (Sam Wheat), Roberta Valentini (Molly Jensen), Marion Campbell (Oda Mae Brown), John Vooijs (Carl Bruner), Mischa Kiek (Willie Lopez), Marius Bingel (Subway Ghost), Alex Bellinkx (Hospital Ghost), Enny de Alba (Clara), Tamara Wörner (Louise) NOTES: Filmed from first row. Great capture of the full show. Ghost: The Musical - London Workshop - February 13, 2010 FORMAT:  VOB (with smalls) (SD) CAST: Oliver Tompsett (Sam Wheat), Natalie Mendoza (Molly Jensen), Sharon D Clarke (Oda Mae Brown) NOTES: Proshot, stand and sing performance. Ghost: The Musical - US First National Tour - January 12, 2014 (SunsetBlvd79's master) FORMAT:  VOB (with smalls) (SD) CAST: Steven Grant Douglas (Sam Wheat), Katie Postotnik (Molly Jensen), Carla R Stewart (Oda Mae Brown), Robby Haltiwanger (Carl Bruner) Ghost: The Musical - West End - October 4, 2012 FORMAT:  MP4 (HD) CAST: Mark Evans (Sam Wheat), Siobhan Dillon (Molly Jensen), Sharon D Clarke (Oda Mae Brown), Andrew Langtree (Carl Bruner), Ivan de Freitas (Willie Lopez), Scott Maurice (Subway Ghost) Der Glöckner von Notre Dame - Berlin - 1999 FORMAT:  VOB (with smalls) (SD) CAST: Drew Sarich (Quasimodo), Ruby Rosales (Esmeralda), Norbert Lamla (Frollo), André Bauer (Phoebus), Chris Murray (Clopin), Andreas Gergen (The Archdeacon) Der Glöckner von Notre Dame - Berlin - August 14, 1999 FORMAT:  VOB (with smalls) (SD) CAST: Drew Sarich (Quasimodo), Ruby Rosales (u/s Esmeralda), Norbert Lamla (Frollo), André Bauer (u/s Phoebus), Chris Murray (Clopin) Godspell - Brazilian CEFTEM Production - September 4, 2015 (Papa Rose 2015's master) FORMAT:  VOB (with smalls) (SD) CAST: Bruno Fraga (Jesus), Oscar Fabião (John/Judas), Bernardo Dugin, Carol Botelho, Gabi Porto, Giovana Rangel, João Telles, Laura Zennet, Lyv Ziese, Vinícius Teixeira NOTES: Excellent video of this marvelous production. Some heads at the bottom of the screen when it isn't zoomed in, but they only block the actors' feet. Gone With The Wind (Martin) - Palais Des Sports De Paris - 2003 FORMAT:  MKV (HD) CAST: Laura Presgurvic, Vincent Niclo, Sandra Léane, Dominique Magloire, Cyril Niccolaï NOTES: ProShot Grease - 8th UK Tour - October, 2019 (hitmewithyourbethshot's master) FORMAT:  MTS CAST: Will Haswell (u/s Danny Zuko), Martha Kirby (Sandy Dumbrowski), Louis Grant (Kenickie), Rhianne-Louise Mccaulsky (Betty Rizzo), Darren Bennett (Vince Fontaine), Peter Andre (Teen Angel), Jordan Abey (Doody), Ryan Anderson (Roger), Damian Buhagiar (Sonny Latierri), Eloise Davies (Frenchy), Natalie Woods (Jan), Tara Sweeting (Marty), Kevin O'Dwyer (u/s Johnny Casino) NOTES: Shot from the right mezzanine. Has some great closeups, mediums and wide shots. Some heads can obstruct at times, bu don't take away from the action. Audience is really loud and kinda badly behaved. Grease - Grease: Live (FOX Special) - January 31, 2016 (Pro-Shot's master) FORMAT:  MP4 (SD) CAST: Aaron Tveit (Danny Zuko), Julianne Hough (Sandy Dumbrowski), Carlos PenaVega (Kenickie), Vanessa Hudgens (Betty Rizzo), Jordan Fisher (Doody), Carly Rae Jepsen (Frenchy), Kether Donohue (Jan), Noah Robbins (Eugene Florczyk), Elle McLemore (Patty Simcox) NOTES: TV Special aired on FOX on Jan 31 2016 Grease - Manila, Philippines - August 15, 1995 FORMAT:  VOB (no smalls) (SD) CAST: Lea Salonga (Sandy Dumbrowski) NOTES: Quality loss Grease - Second Broadway Revival - July 28, 2007 (Preview) FORMAT:  VOB (no smalls) (SD) CAST: Max Crumm (Danny Zuko), Laura Osnes (Sandy Dumbrowski), Matthew Saldivar (Kenickie), Jenny Powers (Betty Rizzo), Stephen Buntrock (Teen Angel), Ryan Patrick Binder (Doody), Daniel Everidge (Roger), Jose Restrepo (Sonny Latierri), Kirsten Wyatt (Frenchy), Lindsay Mendez (Jan), Robyn Hurder (Marty), Allison Fischer (Patty Simcox) NOTES: Good picture and great sound with nice closeups throughout with a head in the way only once or twice for a few moments. Grey Gardens - Off-Broadway - April 30, 2006 (Closing Night) FORMAT:  MKV (SD) CAST: Christine Ebersole ("Little" Edie Beale / Young Edith Bouvier Beale), Mary Louise Wilson (Edith Bouvier Beale), Sara Gettelfinger (Young "Little" Edie Beale), Matt Cavenaugh (Joseph Patrick Kennedy Jr. / Jerry), John McMartin (J.V. Major Bouvier/Norman Vincent Beale), Bob Stillman (George Gould Strong), Michael Potts (Brooks Sr. / Brooks Jr.), Sarah Hyland (Jacqueline Bouvier), Audrey Twitchell (Young Lee Bouvier) The Grinning Man - West End - March 12, 2018 (Highlights) FORMAT:  MP4 (HD) CAST: Louis Maskell (Grinpayne), Julian Bleach (Barkilphedro), Sean Kingsley (Ursus), Sanne Den Besten (Dea), Amanda Wilkin (Josiana), Ewan Black (Trelaw/Osric), Mark Anderson (Dirry-Moir), James Alexander-Taylor (Mojo), Julie Atherton (Queen Angelica), Sophia Mackay (Mother/Quake), Jim Kitson (King Clarence) NOTES: 1920x1080 YouTube rip. Highlights, filmed at an angle from the second row with some obstructions throughout. Highlights consist of: Act 1, Labyrinth, A World Of Feeling, Only A Clown, Curtain Call. Groundhog Day - Broadway - March 16, 2017 (Preview) (NYCG8R's master) FORMAT:  VOB (with smalls) (SD) CAST: Andy Karl (Phil Connors), Barrett Doss (Rita Hanson), Rebecca Faulkenberry (Nancy), John Sanders (Ned Ryerson), Raymond J Lee (Ralph), Andrew Call (Gus), Josh Lamon (Buster), Gerard Canonico (Fred), Heather Ayers (Mrs. Lancaster), William Parry (Jenson), Michael Fatica (Chubby Man), Travis Waldschmidt (Jeff), Joseph Medeiros (Deputy), Taylor Iman Jones (Lady Storm Chaser), Rheaume Crenshaw (Doris), Sean Montgomery (Sheriff), Jenna Rubaii (Joelle), Tari Kelly (Piano Teacher), Vishal Vaidya (Larry), Katy Geraghty (Debbie) NOTES: This is the first preview where the set broke down after about 15 minutes and the rest of the show was performed "concert style". All announcements (both over the speakers and onstage with the director/cast) are included in the video. In Act 2 Overture, The music stops for a second and then restarts. During the mid finale scene which is before when Phil runs around town doing “errands”, Matthew Warchus comes out and informs everyone that they will skip scenes due to the tech issue and just go to the scene of the song where Phil and Rita have their dance and from there.  

Groundhog Day - Broadway - March 20, 2017 (Preview) (NYCG8R's master) FORMAT:  VOB (with smalls) (SD) CAST: Andy Karl (Phil Connors), Barrett Doss (Rita Hanson), Rebecca Faulkenberry (Nancy), John Sanders (Ned Ryerson), Raymond J Lee (Ralph), Andrew Call (Gus), Josh Lamon (Buster), Gerard Canonico (Fred), Heather Ayers (Mrs. Lancaster), William Parry (Jenson), Michael Fatica (Chubby Man), Travis Waldschmidt (Jeff), Joseph Medeiros (Deputy), Taylor Iman Jones (Lady Storm Chaser), Rheaume Crenshaw (Doris), Sean Montgomery (Sheriff), Jenna Rubaii (Joelle), Tari Kelly (Piano Teacher), Vishal Vaidya (Larry), Katy Geraghty (Debbie) NOTES: Better capture of the fully working performance than from the first preview vid. Nicely filmed in HD with clear picture and sound; complete show; great video

 Groundhog Day - Broadway - April 1, 2017 (Preview) (SunsetBlvd79's master) FORMAT:  VOB (with smalls) (SD) CAST: Andy Karl (Phil Connors), Barrett Doss (Rita Hanson), Rebecca Faulkenberry (Nancy), John Sanders (Ned Ryerson), Raymond J Lee (Ralph), Andrew Call (Gus), Josh Lamon (Buster), Gerard Canonico (Fred), Heather Ayers (Mrs. Lancaster), William Parry (Jenson), Michael Fatica (Chubby Man), Travis Waldschmidt (Jeff), Joseph Medeiros (Deputy), Taylor Iman Jones (Lady Storm Chaser), Rheaume Crenshaw (Doris), Sean Montgomery (Sheriff), Jenna Rubaii (Joelle), Tari Kelly (Piano Teacher), Vishal Vaidya (Larry), Katy Geraghty (Debbie) NOTES: Excellent HD capture of the new musical based on the movie. Such an amazing set and Andy gives a terrific performance. The set malfunctioned once and they had to pause and restart the song. Guys and Dolls - Fourth Broadway Revival - March 18, 1992 FORMAT:  VOB (with smalls) (SD) CAST: Nathan Lane (Nathan Detroit), Faith Prince (Miss Adelaide), Peter Gallagher (Sky Masterson), Josie de Guzman (Sarah Brown) Guys and Dolls - North Shore Music Theatre - October-November, 2012 (Pro-Shot's master) FORMAT:  MP4 (HD) CAST: Jonathan Hammond (Nathan Detroit), Mylinda Hull (Miss Adelaide), Kevin Vortmann (Sky Masterson), Kelly McCormick (Sarah Brown), Wayne W Pretlow (Nicely-Nicely Johnson), Jamie Ross (Arvide Abernathy), Ben Roseberry (Benny Southstreet), Jessica Sheridan (General Matilda B. Cartwright) Gypsy - West End Revival - 2015 (Pro-Shot's master) FORMAT:  MP4 (HD) CAST: Imelda Staunton (Rose), Peter Davison (Herbie), Lara Pulver (Louise), Gemma Sutton (June), Dan Burton (Tulsa), Julie Legrand (Electra), Anita Louise Combe (Tessie Tura), Louise Gold (Mazeppa), Billy Hartman (Uncle Jocko), Scarlet Roche (Baby June), Lara Wollington (Baby Louise), Patrick Romer (Pop) NOTES: Note from Blvd-on-Sunset: Two versions exist. One is broadcast by the BBC, has the logo watermark at the top left corner and is being traded at 540p. The other is released by Universal Studios in 1080p on BluRay and can be found on Amazon Prime Video (UK only) Check with traders which version they own.