British actor Larry Dann became a household name in the 1980s through his wholly believable performance as the likeable and dependable sergeant, Alec Peters, in 229 episodes of ITV's long-running police drama, The Bill (2500 episodes 1983-2010). His autobiography has just been published by specialists in British television tie-ins, Oliver Crocker's Devonfire Books.
In the days before internet and social media, it was too easy to assume that mature actors in high profile roles appeared out of nowhere, fully formed, but of course that wasn't the case at all. Actors of Larry Dann's generation learned their craft over many years, through determination, no shortage of courage, and sheer, unrelenting hard graft. Born in 1941, he worked as a child actor in movies, which included a brush with Spencer Tracy, Deborah Kerr and George Cukor, and studied at the Corona Academy stage school from where he built an enduring career on stage and screen.
One of many highlights in Larry Dann's memoir is the fascinating window he affords us into the iconic Theatre Workshop, run by Joan Littlewood, and the production of their huge international hit, Oh What a Lovely War which, according to Michael Billington in The Guardian, not only changed attitudes toward the Great War, it also 'remade British theatre'.
"…So what effect did Oh What a Lovely War have? It helped change attitudes to the first world war. Although we may have read the poetry of Sassoon and Wilfred Owen, we had never before seen popular entertainment express the disenchantment felt at the time by the average soldier. Looking back at the 1963 programme, it is also clear that the production was intended as a political provocation…On a purely theatrical level, the show also did a lot to loosen up the formal rigidity of the British theatre. It was active in demolishing the gap between stage and auditorium, promoted the growth of the musical documentary and encouraged actors to take responsibility for research and development…"
In Joan Littlewood's Oh What a Lovely War, which also featured his friend Brian Murphy, who later starred as George Roper in George and Mildred, and who wrote the foreword to Oh, What a Lovely Memoir
Larry Dann's diverse film career included some major Hollywood productions and a joyous experience working with David Niven, who we learn was just as charming, generous and friendly as his image portrayed, and neatly bookended the Carry On franchise, appearing in one of the earliest offerings, Teacher (1959), and in the final three of the original run; Behind (1976), England (1977), and the widely maligned, notorious Emmannuelle (1978).
With Carol Hawkins, Sherrie Hewson and Brian Osborne in Carry On Behind
He also carved out a lucrative sideline in television commercials, working with some of the pioneering directors in that field, including Alan Parker, and Ridley and Tony Scott.
Larry Dann writes with pragmatic honesty about family troubles growing up, and the rollercoaster working life of an actor even with major roles in their CV. Oh, What a Lovely Memoir is a recommended read with some wonderful insights into the evolution of entertainment in post-war Britain.
Larry Dann was one of the first stars of The Bill to be interviewed by Oliver Crocker for The Bill Podcast.
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Musical Monday: Oh! What a Lovely War (1969)
It’s no secret that the Hollywood Comet loves musicals.
In 2010, I revealed I had seen 400 movie musicals over the course of eight years. Now that number is over 600. To celebrate and share this musical love, here is my weekly feature about musicals.
This week’s musical:
Oh! What a Lovely War (1969) – Musical #758
Studio:
Paramount Pictures
Director:
Richard Attenborough
Starring:
The Smith…
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So after seeing some more rancid takes + after seeing the results of my previous poll, I need to ask:
For what it's worth, if you think attachment DOES equal love, take a look at this post.
Second edit:
Attachment is defined as possessive love. If you start the conversation by assuming that attachment = regular, healthy love, we're already on a different page.
Nowhere in this post does it say that Luke/Leia/Han were perfect or even great parents/guardians
In any case, you can keep talking in good faith, I don't mind. I'm not replying any more though, I'm returning to my Star Wars divorce
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people I dont know how I did this. the gods guide my hand. Im so proud of the lineart, of course I have problems with some parts, like the background, and the center, and proportions, but it look so good despite this
(I'll probably still hate this tomorrow though T^T)
*In case you dont understand because the placement is awful the text says - YOU ARE FORBIDDEN FROM DYING ON ME - (I apologize to any english speaker or graphic designer for this abomanation)
this was inspire again from a publication of @br1ghtestlight (i feel like a creep for doing this again i'm so sorry, but they have such amazing ideas!) it was a post about Louise being terrified seeing movies like terabithia or my girl cause she imagine Rudy dying on her and that ignite this idea on my brain. I actually make it surprisingly fast for me. I wasn't even expecting on coloring no less everything else, but I just couldn't help it. I was totally invested in the vision.
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