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Kevin

John Laurie As A Vet

I've just been watching an episode of Steptoe & Son featuring John Laurie as a vet. I thought it was interesting seeing John in another great comedy, prior to becoming Frazer.
pault

Hi Kevin,

That's interesting to know.

What episode of Steptoe is he in? I was going to add a few Steptoe DVD's to my collection of British Comedy.

I will start with that one.

It always interests me when I see DA actors in other roles/series.

Cheers,
Paul Smile
Dave Homewood

John appeared in the episode 'Wallah Wallah Catsmeat' that first aired on the 3rd of January 1963
pault

Dave Homewood wrote:
John appeared in the episode 'Wallah Wallah Catsmeat' that first aired on the 3rd of January 1963


Thanks Dave,

Cheers,

Paul.  Smile
chandler

Hope I'm not telling you something you already know, but John Laurie is superb in Michael Powell's great film "The Edge of the World". On the DVD by the BFI, there is a nice short documentary featurung a "Dad's Army" era Laurie revisiting the island (truly a wild and lonely place) on which it was filmed. Also, I'm sure you know Laurie plays a Home Guard in Powell and Pressburger's beautiful film "The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp", and features in Olivier's "Richard III and "Hamlet", as well as Hitchcock's "The 39 Steps".
Dave Homewood

John made around 100 films, and he himself said he counted about ten of them as being good and the rest forgettable. Those you mention are all in his ten. However having seen some of the others he counted as dredful, they may be dreadful films in terms of script or whatever but he himself always rose above this and gave a top class performance, no matter how large or small his part was, or how memorable his character was. Even when everyone else around him were just awful, he brightened any scene.

Other highly recommended films he appeared in include The Way Ahead, and The New Lot, both of which he was a main character in films that followed the same storyline (The New Lot was a wartime training film but superb in every detail and when it was seen by David Niven he developed it into a feature film for the public with largely the same cast. Both are terrific.

Another cracker of John's films is the comedy 'Laughter in Paradise' where he plays a really crotchety old stick, another prominent role. And of course The Ghost of St Michaels is great - you see where the inspiration for the creepy side of Frazer came from. And if you want to see one of the bad films but a rare opportunity to see John singining on screen, watch Bonnie Prince Charlie.
Novelty Rock Emporium

& if anyone wants to see a clip of John in Ghost of St Michaels here it is on YouTube. http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=2rC9lqITmzo
Kevin

I haven't seen too many of those films, I look forward to seeing them though. It's interesting that he appeared in "The 39 Steps", I've just finished reading the book. Which character does he play?
Dave Homewood

John plays the highly suspicious Crofter in The 39 Steps. It's a brilliant film, and he's very sinister in it, but it's only a smallish part sadly.
Kevin

Thanks Dave, I had a look on youtube & found the whole film. It's funny that his character is just as avaricious as Frazer. I wonder if this film influenced Croft & Perry.

Here's John's scenes:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=so-BO5WMgwI&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YskEzDztBGA&feature=related
straycat

Re: John Laurie As A Vet

Kevin wrote:
I've just been watching an episode of Steptoe & Son featuring John Laurie as a vet. I thought it was interesting seeing John in another great comedy, prior to becoming Frazer.


What sort of a vet -- a kindly vet or a more Frazer-like vet?
Kevin

Like Frazer he seems to to have a penchant for whiskey. You can see the episode on youtube.
straycat

Found it.  Thanks.  Will watch that this weekend.

I searched YouTube for Steptoe awhile back and found only one full episode plus various short clips.  I see several more episodes have been posted since then.
Novelty Rock Emporium

chandler wrote:
Hope I'm not telling you something you already know, but John Laurie is superb in Michael Powell's great film "The Edge of the World". On the DVD by the BFI, there is a nice short documentary featurung a "Dad's Army" era Laurie revisiting the island (truly a wild and lonely place) on which it was filmed. Also, I'm sure you know Laurie plays a Home Guard in Powell and Pressburger's beautiful film "The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp", and features in Olivier's "Richard III and "Hamlet", as well as Hitchcock's "The 39 Steps".


I forgot about this post & John has just appeared to my amusement.  I strongly recommend The Edge of the World it's a real classic!  Looking forward to the BBC doc extra.
Dave Homewood

The extended version with the documentary attached was released in 1979 and was retitled 'Return to The Edge of the World'. One of the great things I admire John Laurie for was he did all his own stunts where possible, and in The Edge of the World he was actually running around chasing sheep on 100+ foot cliff faces. He also did some quite dangerous stunt work in the equally classic The Way Ahead, which is my favourite John Laurie film.
Novelty Rock Emporium

I suppose John expressing his disappointment that, at the age of 73 and after a glittering theatre & film career, he should become most famous for 'this crap (DA) ' sums it all up?
straycat

Kevin wrote:
Like Frazer he seems to to have a penchant for whiskey. You can see the episode on youtube.


Oh, yes!  Not only did the two characters share a fondness for whiskey, this vet's fondness for money seemed to rival that of Frazer.

In any case, John was -- as usual -- fun to watch.
straycat

Dave Homewood wrote:
The extended version with the documentary attached was released in 1979 and was retitled 'Return to The Edge of the World'. One of the great things I admire John Laurie for was he did all his own stunts where possible, and in The Edge of the World he was actually running around chasing sheep on 100+ foot cliff faces. He also did some quite dangerous stunt work in the equally classic The Way Ahead, which is my favourite John Laurie film.


Interesting.  By the time of DA he must have been past the age for doing some/any of his own stunts ???  Even if he had been so inclined, I would think the producers and/or BBC would have forbidden a prominent cast member risking his neck (and the success of their show) that way ???
straycat

Novelty Rock Emporium wrote:
I suppose John expressing his disappointment that, at the age of 73 and after a glittering theatre & film career, he should become most famous for 'this crap (DA) ' sums it all up?


Not the first actor to have under-rated the show and/or role he was best known for.  Might he not also have been influenced by the attitude of that time that television was inherently inferior to movies?
Dave Homewood

I think you'll find John was being tongue-in-cheek when he said that about Dad's Army. he had a wicked sense of humour and used to like winding people up to watch their reaction.
straycat

I can readily believe that.  "Very impish," wasn't it, that Ian Lavender called him? -- particularly in reference to his penchant for tormenting Arnold Ridley.

Incidentally, I can't find the right thread now about the substitute for Arnold in one DA when he was out with a broken leg -- but I was wondering, how did Arnold happen to break his leg, anyway?

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