• Alec Guiness's Thoughts on Appearing in STAR WARS

    From BTR1701@21:1/5 to All on Wed Mar 19 22:40:43 2025
    Prior to accepting the role of Obi-wan (Ben) Kenobi, Sir Alec Guinness wrote the following to a friend:

    I have been offered a movie (20th Cent. Fox) which
    I may accept, if they come up with proper money.
    London and N. Africa, starting in mid-March. Science
    fiction – which gives me pause – but is to be directed
    by Paul [sic] Lucas who did AMERICAN GRAFFITI,
    which makes me feel I should. Big part. Fairy-tale
    rubbish but could be interesting perhaps.

    After he arrived on set, he did not change his opinion that the movie was "rubbish":

    ...new rubbish dialogue reaches me every
    other day on wadges of pink paper – and none of
    it makes my character clear or even bearable. I
    just think, thankfully, of the lovely bread, which
    will help me keep going until next April even if
    YAHOO [a play in which Guinness played satirist
    Jonathan Swift] collapses in a week ... I must off
    to studio and work with a dwarf (very sweet – and
    he has to wash in a bidet) and your fellow countrymen
    Mark Hamill and Tennyson (that can't be
    right) Ford. Ellison (? – No!) – well, a rangy, languid
    young man who is probably intelligent and amusing.
    But oh, God, they make me feel ninety – and treat
    me as if I was 106. – Oh, Harrison Ford – ever
    heard of him?

    Later on in the filming, Guinness wrote:

    "Apart from the money, I regret having embarked
    on the film. I like them well enough, but it's not an
    acting job, the dialogue - which is lamentable - keeps
    being changed and only slightly improved, and I find
    myself old and out of touch with the young"

    He did have some nice things to say about the completed film:

    "It's a pretty staggering film as spectacle, and
    technically brilliant. Exciting, very noisy and warm-
    hearted. The battle scenes at the end go on for
    five minutes too long, I feel, and some of the dialogue
    is excruciating and much of it is lost in noise, but
    it remains a vivid experience"

    However, it was not an experience he liked to talk about afterwards:

    "I shrivel up every time someone mentions
    STAR WARS to me."

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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  • From Blueshirt@21:1/5 to All on Wed Mar 19 22:59:10 2025
    BTR1701 wrote:

    Prior to accepting the role of Obi-wan (Ben) Kenobi, Sir Alec
    Guinness wrote the following to a friend:

    [Snip]

    "I shrivel up every time someone mentions
    STAR WARS to me."

    I kind of do that whenever I hear they are going to make a new
    "Star Wars" movie...

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Your Name@21:1/5 to Blueshirt on Thu Mar 20 13:20:57 2025
    On 2025-03-19 22:59:10 +0000, Blueshirt said:
    BTR1701 wrote:

    Prior to accepting the role of Obi-wan (Ben) Kenobi, Sir Alec
    Guinness wrote the following to a friend:

    [Snip]

    "I shrivel up every time someone mentions
    STAR WARS to me."

    I kind of do that whenever I hear they are going to make a new
    "Star Wars" movie...

    That quote was made by Sir Alec Guinness *after* he had played the role
    in the original "Star Wars" movie. Obi-Wan was meant to in the
    following movies to train Luke, but Guinness hated the role and didn't
    want to do any more, so they killed off the character (he only briefly
    appeared as a Jedi ghost) and added Yoda instead. It was only in later
    years that he mellowed, a little, towards what has arguably become his
    most famous role.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Rhino@21:1/5 to Your Name on Wed Mar 19 20:34:19 2025
    On 2025-03-19 8:20 PM, Your Name wrote:
    On 2025-03-19 22:59:10 +0000, Blueshirt said:
    BTR1701 wrote:

    Prior to accepting the role of Obi-wan (Ben) Kenobi, Sir Alec
    Guinness wrote the following to a friend:

    [Snip]

    "I shrivel up every time someone mentions
    STAR WARS to me."

    I kind of do that whenever I hear they are going to make a new
    "Star Wars" movie...

    That quote was made by Sir Alec Guinness *after* he had played the role
    in the original "Star Wars" movie. Obi-Wan was meant to in the following movies to train Luke, but Guinness hated the role and didn't want to do
    any more, so they killed off the character (he only briefly appeared as
    a Jedi ghost) and added Yoda instead. It was only in later years that he mellowed, a little, towards what has arguably become his most famous role.

    I certainly think HE would argue that it was far from his *best* role,
    although he might admit more people saw him in Star Wars than in
    anything else.

    Mind you, Bridge on the River Kwai got seen by a lot of people in its
    day and is *still* appreciated as a quality film whereas Star Wars
    probably only merits being called a *popular* film.

    --
    Rhino

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From shawn@21:1/5 to [email protected] on Wed Mar 19 20:39:45 2025
    On Wed, 19 Mar 2025 20:34:19 -0400, Rhino
    <[email protected]> wrote:

    On 2025-03-19 8:20 PM, Your Name wrote:
    On 2025-03-19 22:59:10 +0000, Blueshirt said:
    BTR1701 wrote:

    Prior to accepting the role of Obi-wan (Ben) Kenobi, Sir Alec
    Guinness wrote the following to a friend:

    [Snip]

    "I shrivel up every time someone mentions
    STAR WARS to me."

    I kind of do that whenever I hear they are going to make a new
    "Star Wars" movie...

    That quote was made by Sir Alec Guinness *after* he had played the role
    in the original "Star Wars" movie. Obi-Wan was meant to in the following
    movies to train Luke, but Guinness hated the role and didn't want to do
    any more, so they killed off the character (he only briefly appeared as
    a Jedi ghost) and added Yoda instead. It was only in later years that he
    mellowed, a little, towards what has arguably become his most famous role. >>
    I certainly think HE would argue that it was far from his *best* role, >although he might admit more people saw him in Star Wars than in
    anything else.

    Mind you, Bridge on the River Kwai got seen by a lot of people in its
    day and is *still* appreciated as a quality film whereas Star Wars
    probably only merits being called a *popular* film.

    All true, but at least with STAR WARS you have a film that is popular
    with people of all ages. I don't think the same is true with BRIDGE
    OVER THE RIVER KWAI.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Adam H. Kerman@21:1/5 to [email protected] on Thu Mar 20 01:14:56 2025
    BTR1701 <[email protected]> wrote:

    Prior to accepting the role of Obi-wan (Ben) Kenobi, Sir Alec Guinness wrote >the following to a friend:

    I have been offered a movie (20th Cent. Fox) which
    I may accept, if they come up with proper money.
    London and N. Africa, starting in mid-March. Science
    fiction - which gives me pause - but is to be directed
    by Paul [sic] Lucas who did AMERICAN GRAFFITI,
    which makes me feel I should. Big part. Fairy-tale
    rubbish but could be interesting perhaps.

    After he arrived on set, he did not change his opinion that the movie was >"rubbish":

    ...new rubbish dialogue reaches me every
    other day on wadges of pink paper - and none of
    it makes my character clear or even bearable. I
    just think, thankfully, of the lovely bread, which
    will help me keep going until next April even if
    YAHOO [a play in which Guinness played satirist
    Jonathan Swift] collapses in a week ... I must off
    to studio and work with a dwarf (very sweet - and
    he has to wash in a bidet) and your fellow countrymen
    Mark Hamill and Tennyson (that can't be
    right) Ford. Ellison (? - No!) - well, a rangy, languid
    young man who is probably intelligent and amusing.
    But oh, God, they make me feel ninety - and treat
    me as if I was 106. - Oh, Harrison Ford - ever
    heard of him?

    Dude! You saw American Graffiti directed by Paul Lucas! Ellison Ford had
    a small role in the movie!

    Later on in the filming, Guinness wrote:

    "Apart from the money, I regret having embarked
    on the film. I like them well enough, but it's not an
    acting job, the dialogue - which is lamentable - keeps
    being changed and only slightly improved, and I find
    myself old and out of touch with the young"

    To be fair, everybody hates that the script is never finished.

    He did have some nice things to say about the completed film:

    "It's a pretty staggering film as spectacle, and
    technically brilliant. Exciting, very noisy and warm-
    hearted. The battle scenes at the end go on for
    five minutes too long, I feel, and some of the dialogue
    is excruciating and much of it is lost in noise, but
    it remains a vivid experience"

    However, it was not an experience he liked to talk about afterwards:

    "I shrivel up every time someone mentions
    STAR WARS to me."

    Clark Gable despised making Gone With the Wind, and thought It Happened
    One Night was utter shite.

    Uh, raise your hand if you want to hear an actor's opinion on what makes
    a movie entertaining. Anybody? Don't all get up at once.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From shawn@21:1/5 to [email protected] on Wed Mar 19 21:34:10 2025
    On Thu, 20 Mar 2025 01:16:45 -0000 (UTC), "Adam H. Kerman"
    <[email protected]> wrote:

    shawn <[email protected]> wrote:

    . . .

    All true, but at least with STAR WARS you have a film that is popular
    with people of all ages. I don't think the same is true with BRIDGE
    OVER THE RIVER KWAI.

    Huh? I loved that movie as a kid.

    Yes, but back then it was a new movie. Now it's a really old movie and
    it seems most young people don't pay a lot of attention to older
    movies.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Ian J. Ball@21:1/5 to Adam H. Kerman on Wed Mar 19 18:36:24 2025
    On 3/19/25 6:14 PM, Adam H. Kerman wrote:

    BTR1701 <[email protected]> wrote:

    Prior to accepting the role of Obi-wan (Ben) Kenobi, Sir Alec Guinness wrote >> the following to a friend:

    I have been offered a movie (20th Cent. Fox) which
    I may accept, if they come up with proper money.
    London and N. Africa, starting in mid-March. Science
    fiction - which gives me pause - but is to be directed
    by Paul [sic] Lucas who did AMERICAN GRAFFITI,
    which makes me feel I should. Big part. Fairy-tale
    rubbish but could be interesting perhaps.

    After he arrived on set, he did not change his opinion that the movie was
    "rubbish":

    ...new rubbish dialogue reaches me every
    other day on wadges of pink paper - and none of
    it makes my character clear or even bearable. I
    just think, thankfully, of the lovely bread, which
    will help me keep going until next April even if
    YAHOO [a play in which Guinness played satirist
    Jonathan Swift] collapses in a week ... I must off
    to studio and work with a dwarf (very sweet - and
    he has to wash in a bidet) and your fellow countrymen
    Mark Hamill and Tennyson (that can't be
    right) Ford. Ellison (? - No!) - well, a rangy, languid
    young man who is probably intelligent and amusing.
    But oh, God, they make me feel ninety - and treat
    me as if I was 106. - Oh, Harrison Ford - ever
    heard of him?

    Dude! You saw American Graffiti directed by Paul Lucas! Ellison Ford had
    a small role in the movie!

    Later on in the filming, Guinness wrote:

    "Apart from the money, I regret having embarked
    on the film. I like them well enough, but it's not an
    acting job, the dialogue - which is lamentable - keeps
    being changed and only slightly improved, and I find
    myself old and out of touch with the young"

    To be fair, everybody hates that the script is never finished.

    He did have some nice things to say about the completed film:

    "It's a pretty staggering film as spectacle, and
    technically brilliant. Exciting, very noisy and warm-
    hearted. The battle scenes at the end go on for
    five minutes too long, I feel, and some of the dialogue
    is excruciating and much of it is lost in noise, but
    it remains a vivid experience"

    However, it was not an experience he liked to talk about afterwards:

    "I shrivel up every time someone mentions
    STAR WARS to me."

    Clark Gable despised making Gone With the Wind, and thought It Happened
    One Night was utter shite.

    I saw the latter, in the 1990s(?), and did not care for it.

    Uh, raise your hand if you want to hear an actor's opinion on what makes
    a movie entertaining. Anybody? Don't all get up at once.

    Yeah, a lot of actors get their own stuff wrong. Musicians too! (There's
    a doc on Yes where the bandmembers clearly didn't understand how great
    an album "Relayer" was!!)

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Your Name@21:1/5 to shawn on Thu Mar 20 14:47:25 2025
    On 2025-03-20 00:39:45 +0000, shawn said:
    On Wed, 19 Mar 2025 20:34:19 -0400, Rhino
    <[email protected]> wrote:
    On 2025-03-19 8:20 PM, Your Name wrote:
    On 2025-03-19 22:59:10 +0000, Blueshirt said:
    BTR1701 wrote:

    Prior to accepting the role of Obi-wan (Ben) Kenobi, Sir Alec
    Guinness wrote the following to a friend:

    [Snip]

    "I shrivel up every time someone mentions
    STAR WARS to me."

    I kind of do that whenever I hear they are going to make a new
    "Star Wars" movie...

    That quote was made by Sir Alec Guinness *after* he had played the role
    in the original "Star Wars" movie. Obi-Wan was meant to in the following >>> movies to train Luke, but Guinness hated the role and didn't want to do
    any more, so they killed off the character (he only briefly appeared as
    a Jedi ghost) and added Yoda instead. It was only in later years that he >>> mellowed, a little, towards what has arguably become his most famous role. >>
    I certainly think HE would argue that it was far from his *best* role,
    although he might admit more people saw him in Star Wars than in
    anything else.

    Mind you, Bridge on the River Kwai got seen by a lot of people in its
    day and is *still* appreciated as a quality film whereas Star Wars
    probably only merits being called a *popular* film.

    All true, but at least with STAR WARS you have a film that is popular
    with people of all ages. I don't think the same is true with BRIDGE
    OVER THE RIVER KWAI.

    That was part of the reason he disliked his Star Wars role - he thought
    the Star Wars movie's success overshadowed his previous work. He also
    thought the it was a silly movie and that George Lucas wasn't any good
    as a writer.

    Of course, thanks to his negotiations in the contract, Alec Guinness'
    estate still earns money from his role in Star Wars via royalties.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Rhino@21:1/5 to shawn on Wed Mar 19 21:51:29 2025
    On 2025-03-19 8:39 PM, shawn wrote:
    On Wed, 19 Mar 2025 20:34:19 -0400, Rhino
    <[email protected]> wrote:

    On 2025-03-19 8:20 PM, Your Name wrote:
    On 2025-03-19 22:59:10 +0000, Blueshirt said:
    BTR1701 wrote:

    Prior to accepting the role of Obi-wan (Ben) Kenobi, Sir Alec
    Guinness wrote the following to a friend:

    [Snip]

    "I shrivel up every time someone mentions
    STAR WARS to me."

    I kind of do that whenever I hear they are going to make a new
    "Star Wars" movie...

    That quote was made by Sir Alec Guinness *after* he had played the role
    in the original "Star Wars" movie. Obi-Wan was meant to in the following >>> movies to train Luke, but Guinness hated the role and didn't want to do
    any more, so they killed off the character (he only briefly appeared as
    a Jedi ghost) and added Yoda instead. It was only in later years that he >>> mellowed, a little, towards what has arguably become his most famous role. >>>
    I certainly think HE would argue that it was far from his *best* role,
    although he might admit more people saw him in Star Wars than in
    anything else.

    Mind you, Bridge on the River Kwai got seen by a lot of people in its
    day and is *still* appreciated as a quality film whereas Star Wars
    probably only merits being called a *popular* film.

    All true, but at least with STAR WARS you have a film that is popular
    with people of all ages. I don't think the same is true with BRIDGE
    OVER THE RIVER KWAI.

    I submit that a young audience would find Star Wars very appealing but
    that seniors would be far less interested. The audience essentially
    reverses for Bridge Over the River Kwai and is going to primary be older
    people who remembered WWII and lived through it, plus some younger
    history buffs since it was essentially a true story, although the film certainly took some liberties with historical accuracy.

    Of course I'm speaking primarily about the years when each film was
    released; nowadays, people who saw Star Wars when it came out may well
    be grandparents who want their grandkids to enjoy the film, just as they
    did themselves back in the day. There simply aren't that many people
    left who lived through WWII so the audience is probably down to history
    buffs, people who lost relatives at the hands of the Japanese, and film students.

    Guinness apparently valued Star Wars almost solely for the paycheque and
    what it let him do with other projects that were far dearer to his
    heart. I'd be surprised if his reviews for Obi Wan Kenobi were nearly as glowing as for other roles; it just wasn't that big a part.

    --
    Rhino

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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  • From Rhino@21:1/5 to Ian J. Ball on Wed Mar 19 21:58:18 2025
    On 2025-03-19 9:36 PM, Ian J. Ball wrote:
    On 3/19/25 6:14 PM, Adam H. Kerman wrote:

    BTR1701 <[email protected]> wrote:

    Prior to accepting the role of Obi-wan (Ben) Kenobi, Sir Alec
    Guinness wrote
    the following to a friend:

         I have been offered a movie (20th Cent. Fox) which
         I may accept, if they come up with proper money.
         London and N. Africa, starting in mid-March. Science
         fiction - which gives me pause - but is to be directed
         by Paul [sic] Lucas who did AMERICAN GRAFFITI,
         which makes me feel I should. Big part. Fairy-tale
         rubbish but could be interesting perhaps.

    After he arrived on set, he did not change his opinion that the movie
    was
    "rubbish":

         ...new rubbish dialogue reaches me every
         other day on wadges of pink paper - and none of
         it makes my character clear or even bearable. I
         just think, thankfully, of the lovely bread, which
         will help me keep going until next April even if
         YAHOO [a play in which Guinness played satirist
         Jonathan Swift] collapses in a week ... I must off
         to studio and work with a dwarf (very sweet - and
         he has to wash in a bidet) and your fellow countrymen
         Mark Hamill and Tennyson (that can't be
         right) Ford. Ellison (? - No!) - well, a rangy, languid
         young man who is probably intelligent and amusing.
         But oh, God, they make me feel ninety - and treat
         me as if I was 106. - Oh, Harrison Ford - ever
         heard of him?

    Dude! You saw American Graffiti directed by Paul Lucas! Ellison Ford had
    a small role in the movie!

    Later on in the filming, Guinness wrote:

         "Apart from the money, I regret having embarked
         on the film. I like them well enough, but it's not an
         acting job, the dialogue - which is lamentable - keeps
         being changed and only slightly improved, and I find
         myself old and out of touch with the young"

    To be fair, everybody hates that the script is never finished.

    He did have some nice things to say about the completed film:

         "It's a pretty staggering film as spectacle, and
         technically brilliant. Exciting, very noisy and warm-
         hearted. The battle scenes at the end go on for
         five minutes too long, I feel, and some of the dialogue
         is excruciating and much of it is lost in noise, but
         it remains a vivid experience"

    However, it was not an experience he liked to talk about afterwards:

         "I shrivel up every time someone mentions
         STAR WARS to me."

    Clark Gable despised making Gone With the Wind, and thought It Happened
    One Night was utter shite.

    I saw the latter, in the 1990s(?), and did not care for it.

    I finally saw it a year or so back and didn't much care for it either.

    Uh, raise your hand if you want to hear an actor's opinion on what makes
    a movie entertaining. Anybody? Don't all get up at once.

    Yeah, a lot of actors get their own stuff wrong. Musicians too! (There's
    a doc on Yes where the bandmembers clearly didn't understand how great
    an album "Relayer" was!!)


    Savages! Relayer is a fine album!!

    I had no idea you were a Yes fan. Have you ever listened to Rick Wakeman
    being interviewed? He is a legendary keyboardist (and yes, I know he
    didn't play on Relayer) but also a truly entertaining speaker, full of
    stories of his life as a musician, both with Yes and playing with other
    people. He's also written two books full of anecdotes about his career.
    I haven't laughed so hard in YEARS!



    --
    Rhino

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  • From Adam H. Kerman@21:1/5 to shawn on Thu Mar 20 01:16:45 2025
    shawn <[email protected]> wrote:

    . . .

    All true, but at least with STAR WARS you have a film that is popular
    with people of all ages. I don't think the same is true with BRIDGE
    OVER THE RIVER KWAI.

    Huh? I loved that movie as a kid.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From shawn@21:1/5 to [email protected] on Wed Mar 19 22:53:35 2025
    On Wed, 19 Mar 2025 21:58:18 -0400, Rhino
    <[email protected]> wrote:

    On 2025-03-19 9:36 PM, Ian J. Ball wrote:
    On 3/19/25 6:14 PM, Adam H. Kerman wrote:

    BTR1701 <[email protected]> wrote:

    Prior to accepting the role of Obi-wan (Ben) Kenobi, Sir Alec
    Guinness wrote
    the following to a friend:

         I have been offered a movie (20th Cent. Fox) which
         I may accept, if they come up with proper money.
         London and N. Africa, starting in mid-March. Science
         fiction - which gives me pause - but is to be directed
         by Paul [sic] Lucas who did AMERICAN GRAFFITI,
         which makes me feel I should. Big part. Fairy-tale
         rubbish but could be interesting perhaps.

    After he arrived on set, he did not change his opinion that the movie
    was
    "rubbish":

         ...new rubbish dialogue reaches me every
         other day on wadges of pink paper - and none of
         it makes my character clear or even bearable. I
         just think, thankfully, of the lovely bread, which
         will help me keep going until next April even if
         YAHOO [a play in which Guinness played satirist
         Jonathan Swift] collapses in a week ... I must off
         to studio and work with a dwarf (very sweet - and
         he has to wash in a bidet) and your fellow countrymen
         Mark Hamill and Tennyson (that can't be
         right) Ford. Ellison (? - No!) - well, a rangy, languid
         young man who is probably intelligent and amusing.
         But oh, God, they make me feel ninety - and treat
         me as if I was 106. - Oh, Harrison Ford - ever
         heard of him?

    Dude! You saw American Graffiti directed by Paul Lucas! Ellison Ford had >>> a small role in the movie!

    Later on in the filming, Guinness wrote:

         "Apart from the money, I regret having embarked
         on the film. I like them well enough, but it's not an
         acting job, the dialogue - which is lamentable - keeps
         being changed and only slightly improved, and I find
         myself old and out of touch with the young"

    To be fair, everybody hates that the script is never finished.

    He did have some nice things to say about the completed film:

         "It's a pretty staggering film as spectacle, and
         technically brilliant. Exciting, very noisy and warm-
         hearted. The battle scenes at the end go on for
         five minutes too long, I feel, and some of the dialogue
         is excruciating and much of it is lost in noise, but
         it remains a vivid experience"

    However, it was not an experience he liked to talk about afterwards:

         "I shrivel up every time someone mentions
         STAR WARS to me."

    Clark Gable despised making Gone With the Wind, and thought It Happened
    One Night was utter shite.

    I saw the latter, in the 1990s(?), and did not care for it.

    I finally saw it a year or so back and didn't much care for it either.

    Uh, raise your hand if you want to hear an actor's opinion on what makes >>> a movie entertaining. Anybody? Don't all get up at once.

    Yeah, a lot of actors get their own stuff wrong. Musicians too! (There's
    a doc on Yes where the bandmembers clearly didn't understand how great
    an album "Relayer" was!!)


    Savages! Relayer is a fine album!!

    I had no idea you were a Yes fan. Have you ever listened to Rick Wakeman >being interviewed? He is a legendary keyboardist (and yes, I know he
    didn't play on Relayer) but also a truly entertaining speaker, full of >stories of his life as a musician, both with Yes and playing with other >people. He's also written two books full of anecdotes about his career.
    I haven't laughed so hard in YEARS!

    You mean like this:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zppfjeculUs

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4CCMeTlDXI

    This one shows some of his skill at the keyboard.

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  • From Rhino@21:1/5 to shawn on Wed Mar 19 23:43:22 2025
    On 2025-03-19 10:53 PM, shawn wrote:
    On Wed, 19 Mar 2025 21:58:18 -0400, Rhino
    <[email protected]> wrote:

    On 2025-03-19 9:36 PM, Ian J. Ball wrote:
    On 3/19/25 6:14 PM, Adam H. Kerman wrote:

    BTR1701 <[email protected]> wrote:

    Prior to accepting the role of Obi-wan (Ben) Kenobi, Sir Alec
    Guinness wrote
    the following to a friend:

         I have been offered a movie (20th Cent. Fox) which
         I may accept, if they come up with proper money.
         London and N. Africa, starting in mid-March. Science
         fiction - which gives me pause - but is to be directed
         by Paul [sic] Lucas who did AMERICAN GRAFFITI,
         which makes me feel I should. Big part. Fairy-tale
         rubbish but could be interesting perhaps.

    After he arrived on set, he did not change his opinion that the movie >>>>> was
    "rubbish":

         ...new rubbish dialogue reaches me every
         other day on wadges of pink paper - and none of
         it makes my character clear or even bearable. I
         just think, thankfully, of the lovely bread, which
         will help me keep going until next April even if
         YAHOO [a play in which Guinness played satirist
         Jonathan Swift] collapses in a week ... I must off
         to studio and work with a dwarf (very sweet - and
         he has to wash in a bidet) and your fellow countrymen
         Mark Hamill and Tennyson (that can't be
         right) Ford. Ellison (? - No!) - well, a rangy, languid
         young man who is probably intelligent and amusing.
         But oh, God, they make me feel ninety - and treat
         me as if I was 106. - Oh, Harrison Ford - ever
         heard of him?

    Dude! You saw American Graffiti directed by Paul Lucas! Ellison Ford had >>>> a small role in the movie!

    Later on in the filming, Guinness wrote:

         "Apart from the money, I regret having embarked
         on the film. I like them well enough, but it's not an
         acting job, the dialogue - which is lamentable - keeps
         being changed and only slightly improved, and I find
         myself old and out of touch with the young"

    To be fair, everybody hates that the script is never finished.

    He did have some nice things to say about the completed film:

         "It's a pretty staggering film as spectacle, and
         technically brilliant. Exciting, very noisy and warm-
         hearted. The battle scenes at the end go on for
         five minutes too long, I feel, and some of the dialogue
         is excruciating and much of it is lost in noise, but
         it remains a vivid experience"

    However, it was not an experience he liked to talk about afterwards:

         "I shrivel up every time someone mentions
         STAR WARS to me."

    Clark Gable despised making Gone With the Wind, and thought It Happened >>>> One Night was utter shite.

    I saw the latter, in the 1990s(?), and did not care for it.

    I finally saw it a year or so back and didn't much care for it either.

    Uh, raise your hand if you want to hear an actor's opinion on what makes >>>> a movie entertaining. Anybody? Don't all get up at once.

    Yeah, a lot of actors get their own stuff wrong. Musicians too! (There's >>> a doc on Yes where the bandmembers clearly didn't understand how great
    an album "Relayer" was!!)


    Savages! Relayer is a fine album!!

    I had no idea you were a Yes fan. Have you ever listened to Rick Wakeman
    being interviewed? He is a legendary keyboardist (and yes, I know he
    didn't play on Relayer) but also a truly entertaining speaker, full of
    stories of his life as a musician, both with Yes and playing with other
    people. He's also written two books full of anecdotes about his career.
    I haven't laughed so hard in YEARS!

    You mean like this:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zppfjeculUs

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4CCMeTlDXI

    This one shows some of his skill at the keyboard.

    The second of those is an excerpt from the first - or at least the same interview. Beato may have removed some bits of the longer interview from
    his main channel and put it on the second channel. (I've only watched
    the full interview once and certainly haven't memorized it.)

    It's a fine interview but the books contain a lot of stories from a
    colourful life; some of them aren't even music-related. He tells a great
    story about meeting some submariners while drinking after a gig and then
    being smuggled aboard their (top secret) sub to have a look around,
    which had a hilarious sequel. His adventures with home repair are
    surprising too. He was a notorious boozer and smoker who went cold
    turkey with zero effort after he had some health scares. He seems like a remarkably down-to-earth and approachable individual despite his fame.
    I'd love to spend an afternoon talking to him.

    --
    Rhino

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Adam H. Kerman@21:1/5 to shawn on Thu Mar 20 05:07:09 2025
    shawn <[email protected]> wrote:
    Thu, 20 Mar 2025 01:16:45 -0000 (UTC), Adam H. Kerman <[email protected]>: >>shawn <[email protected]> wrote:

    . . .

    All true, but at least with STAR WARS you have a film that is popular >>>with people of all ages. I don't think the same is true with BRIDGE
    OVER THE RIVER KWAI.

    Huh? I loved that movie as a kid.

    Yes, but back then it was a new movie.

    No, it wasn't. That movie was produced long before I was born.

    Now it's a really old movie and it seems most young people don't pay a
    lot of attention to older movies.

    Right now, Star Wars is a hell of a lot older than Bridge was when I
    first saw it.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From shawn@21:1/5 to [email protected] on Thu Mar 20 01:42:50 2025
    On Thu, 20 Mar 2025 01:35:20 -0400, shawn
    <[email protected]> wrote:

    On Wed, 19 Mar 2025 23:43:22 -0400, Rhino
    <[email protected]> wrote:

    On 2025-03-19 10:53 PM, shawn wrote:
    On Wed, 19 Mar 2025 21:58:18 -0400, Rhino
    <[email protected]> wrote:

    On 2025-03-19 9:36 PM, Ian J. Ball wrote:
    On 3/19/25 6:14 PM, Adam H. Kerman wrote:

    BTR1701 <[email protected]> wrote:


    I had no idea you were a Yes fan. Have you ever listened to Rick Wakeman >>>> being interviewed? He is a legendary keyboardist (and yes, I know he
    didn't play on Relayer) but also a truly entertaining speaker, full of >>>> stories of his life as a musician, both with Yes and playing with other >>>> people. He's also written two books full of anecdotes about his career. >>>> I haven't laughed so hard in YEARS!

    You mean like this:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zppfjeculUs

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4CCMeTlDXI

    This one shows some of his skill at the keyboard.

    The second of those is an excerpt from the first - or at least the same >>interview. Beato may have removed some bits of the longer interview from >>his main channel and put it on the second channel. (I've only watched
    the full interview once and certainly haven't memorized it.)

    It's a fine interview but the books contain a lot of stories from a >>colourful life; some of them aren't even music-related. He tells a great >>story about meeting some submariners while drinking after a gig and then >>being smuggled aboard their (top secret) sub to have a look around,
    which had a hilarious sequel. His adventures with home repair are >>surprising too. He was a notorious boozer and smoker who went cold
    turkey with zero effort after he had some health scares. He seems like a >>remarkably down-to-earth and approachable individual despite his fame.
    I'd love to spend an afternoon talking to him.


    Ah, you mean his sense of humor like this:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i34kuOqEXRc

    I didn't notice this was there or I would have included it too.
    It's their complete induction ceremony into the Rock and Roll Hall of
    Fame.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6kbcqKkTmko

    I've seen this a few times and I'm still amazed at how good they were
    at that age.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From shawn@21:1/5 to [email protected] on Thu Mar 20 01:35:20 2025
    On Wed, 19 Mar 2025 23:43:22 -0400, Rhino
    <[email protected]> wrote:

    On 2025-03-19 10:53 PM, shawn wrote:
    On Wed, 19 Mar 2025 21:58:18 -0400, Rhino
    <[email protected]> wrote:

    On 2025-03-19 9:36 PM, Ian J. Ball wrote:
    On 3/19/25 6:14 PM, Adam H. Kerman wrote:

    BTR1701 <[email protected]> wrote:

    Prior to accepting the role of Obi-wan (Ben) Kenobi, Sir Alec
    Guinness wrote
    the following to a friend:

         I have been offered a movie (20th Cent. Fox) which
         I may accept, if they come up with proper money.
         London and N. Africa, starting in mid-March. Science
         fiction - which gives me pause - but is to be directed
         by Paul [sic] Lucas who did AMERICAN GRAFFITI,
         which makes me feel I should. Big part. Fairy-tale
         rubbish but could be interesting perhaps.

    After he arrived on set, he did not change his opinion that the movie >>>>>> was
    "rubbish":

         ...new rubbish dialogue reaches me every
         other day on wadges of pink paper - and none of
         it makes my character clear or even bearable. I
         just think, thankfully, of the lovely bread, which
         will help me keep going until next April even if
         YAHOO [a play in which Guinness played satirist
         Jonathan Swift] collapses in a week ... I must off
         to studio and work with a dwarf (very sweet - and
         he has to wash in a bidet) and your fellow countrymen
         Mark Hamill and Tennyson (that can't be
         right) Ford. Ellison (? - No!) - well, a rangy, languid
         young man who is probably intelligent and amusing.
         But oh, God, they make me feel ninety - and treat
         me as if I was 106. - Oh, Harrison Ford - ever
         heard of him?

    Dude! You saw American Graffiti directed by Paul Lucas! Ellison Ford had >>>>> a small role in the movie!

    Later on in the filming, Guinness wrote:

         "Apart from the money, I regret having embarked
         on the film. I like them well enough, but it's not an
         acting job, the dialogue - which is lamentable - keeps
         being changed and only slightly improved, and I find
         myself old and out of touch with the young"

    To be fair, everybody hates that the script is never finished.

    He did have some nice things to say about the completed film:

         "It's a pretty staggering film as spectacle, and
         technically brilliant. Exciting, very noisy and warm-
         hearted. The battle scenes at the end go on for
         five minutes too long, I feel, and some of the dialogue
         is excruciating and much of it is lost in noise, but
         it remains a vivid experience"

    However, it was not an experience he liked to talk about afterwards: >>>>>
         "I shrivel up every time someone mentions
         STAR WARS to me."

    Clark Gable despised making Gone With the Wind, and thought It Happened >>>>> One Night was utter shite.

    I saw the latter, in the 1990s(?), and did not care for it.

    I finally saw it a year or so back and didn't much care for it either.

    Uh, raise your hand if you want to hear an actor's opinion on what makes >>>>> a movie entertaining. Anybody? Don't all get up at once.

    Yeah, a lot of actors get their own stuff wrong. Musicians too! (There's >>>> a doc on Yes where the bandmembers clearly didn't understand how great >>>> an album "Relayer" was!!)


    Savages! Relayer is a fine album!!

    I had no idea you were a Yes fan. Have you ever listened to Rick Wakeman >>> being interviewed? He is a legendary keyboardist (and yes, I know he
    didn't play on Relayer) but also a truly entertaining speaker, full of
    stories of his life as a musician, both with Yes and playing with other
    people. He's also written two books full of anecdotes about his career.
    I haven't laughed so hard in YEARS!

    You mean like this:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zppfjeculUs

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4CCMeTlDXI

    This one shows some of his skill at the keyboard.

    The second of those is an excerpt from the first - or at least the same >interview. Beato may have removed some bits of the longer interview from
    his main channel and put it on the second channel. (I've only watched
    the full interview once and certainly haven't memorized it.)

    It's a fine interview but the books contain a lot of stories from a
    colourful life; some of them aren't even music-related. He tells a great >story about meeting some submariners while drinking after a gig and then >being smuggled aboard their (top secret) sub to have a look around,
    which had a hilarious sequel. His adventures with home repair are
    surprising too. He was a notorious boozer and smoker who went cold
    turkey with zero effort after he had some health scares. He seems like a >remarkably down-to-earth and approachable individual despite his fame.
    I'd love to spend an afternoon talking to him.


    Ah, you mean his sense of humor like this:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i34kuOqEXRc

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Rhino@21:1/5 to shawn on Thu Mar 20 08:54:11 2025
    On 2025-03-20 1:42 AM, shawn wrote:
    On Thu, 20 Mar 2025 01:35:20 -0400, shawn
    <[email protected]> wrote:

    On Wed, 19 Mar 2025 23:43:22 -0400, Rhino
    <[email protected]> wrote:

    On 2025-03-19 10:53 PM, shawn wrote:
    On Wed, 19 Mar 2025 21:58:18 -0400, Rhino
    <[email protected]> wrote:

    On 2025-03-19 9:36 PM, Ian J. Ball wrote:
    On 3/19/25 6:14 PM, Adam H. Kerman wrote:

    BTR1701 <[email protected]> wrote:


    I had no idea you were a Yes fan. Have you ever listened to Rick Wakeman >>>>> being interviewed? He is a legendary keyboardist (and yes, I know he >>>>> didn't play on Relayer) but also a truly entertaining speaker, full of >>>>> stories of his life as a musician, both with Yes and playing with other >>>>> people. He's also written two books full of anecdotes about his career. >>>>> I haven't laughed so hard in YEARS!

    You mean like this:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zppfjeculUs

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4CCMeTlDXI

    This one shows some of his skill at the keyboard.

    The second of those is an excerpt from the first - or at least the same
    interview. Beato may have removed some bits of the longer interview from >>> his main channel and put it on the second channel. (I've only watched
    the full interview once and certainly haven't memorized it.)

    It's a fine interview but the books contain a lot of stories from a
    colourful life; some of them aren't even music-related. He tells a great >>> story about meeting some submariners while drinking after a gig and then >>> being smuggled aboard their (top secret) sub to have a look around,
    which had a hilarious sequel. His adventures with home repair are
    surprising too. He was a notorious boozer and smoker who went cold
    turkey with zero effort after he had some health scares. He seems like a >>> remarkably down-to-earth and approachable individual despite his fame.
    I'd love to spend an afternoon talking to him.


    Ah, you mean his sense of humor like this:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i34kuOqEXRc

    I didn't notice this was there or I would have included it too.
    It's their complete induction ceremony into the Rock and Roll Hall of
    Fame.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6kbcqKkTmko

    I've seen this a few times and I'm still amazed at how good they were
    at that age.

    Those first albums were truly amazing and I still enjoy them greatly to
    this day. The later albums are a bit hit or miss with a mix of truly
    magical stuff and less impressive work.

    --
    Rhino

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Rhino@21:1/5 to shawn on Thu Mar 20 08:51:56 2025
    On 2025-03-20 1:35 AM, shawn wrote:
    On Wed, 19 Mar 2025 23:43:22 -0400, Rhino
    <[email protected]> wrote:

    On 2025-03-19 10:53 PM, shawn wrote:
    On Wed, 19 Mar 2025 21:58:18 -0400, Rhino
    <[email protected]> wrote:

    On 2025-03-19 9:36 PM, Ian J. Ball wrote:
    On 3/19/25 6:14 PM, Adam H. Kerman wrote:

    BTR1701 <[email protected]> wrote:

    Prior to accepting the role of Obi-wan (Ben) Kenobi, Sir Alec
    Guinness wrote
    the following to a friend:

         I have been offered a movie (20th Cent. Fox) which
         I may accept, if they come up with proper money.
         London and N. Africa, starting in mid-March. Science
         fiction - which gives me pause - but is to be directed >>>>>>>      by Paul [sic] Lucas who did AMERICAN GRAFFITI,
         which makes me feel I should. Big part. Fairy-tale
         rubbish but could be interesting perhaps.

    After he arrived on set, he did not change his opinion that the movie >>>>>>> was
    "rubbish":

         ...new rubbish dialogue reaches me every
         other day on wadges of pink paper - and none of
         it makes my character clear or even bearable. I
         just think, thankfully, of the lovely bread, which
         will help me keep going until next April even if
         YAHOO [a play in which Guinness played satirist
         Jonathan Swift] collapses in a week ... I must off
         to studio and work with a dwarf (very sweet - and
         he has to wash in a bidet) and your fellow countrymen >>>>>>>      Mark Hamill and Tennyson (that can't be
         right) Ford. Ellison (? - No!) - well, a rangy, languid >>>>>>>      young man who is probably intelligent and amusing.
         But oh, God, they make me feel ninety - and treat
         me as if I was 106. - Oh, Harrison Ford - ever
         heard of him?

    Dude! You saw American Graffiti directed by Paul Lucas! Ellison Ford had >>>>>> a small role in the movie!

    Later on in the filming, Guinness wrote:

         "Apart from the money, I regret having embarked
         on the film. I like them well enough, but it's not an >>>>>>>      acting job, the dialogue - which is lamentable - keeps >>>>>>>      being changed and only slightly improved, and I find
         myself old and out of touch with the young"

    To be fair, everybody hates that the script is never finished.

    He did have some nice things to say about the completed film:

         "It's a pretty staggering film as spectacle, and
         technically brilliant. Exciting, very noisy and warm- >>>>>>>      hearted. The battle scenes at the end go on for
         five minutes too long, I feel, and some of the dialogue >>>>>>>      is excruciating and much of it is lost in noise, but
         it remains a vivid experience"

    However, it was not an experience he liked to talk about afterwards: >>>>>>
         "I shrivel up every time someone mentions
         STAR WARS to me."

    Clark Gable despised making Gone With the Wind, and thought It Happened >>>>>> One Night was utter shite.

    I saw the latter, in the 1990s(?), and did not care for it.

    I finally saw it a year or so back and didn't much care for it either. >>>>
    Uh, raise your hand if you want to hear an actor's opinion on what makes >>>>>> a movie entertaining. Anybody? Don't all get up at once.

    Yeah, a lot of actors get their own stuff wrong. Musicians too! (There's >>>>> a doc on Yes where the bandmembers clearly didn't understand how great >>>>> an album "Relayer" was!!)


    Savages! Relayer is a fine album!!

    I had no idea you were a Yes fan. Have you ever listened to Rick Wakeman >>>> being interviewed? He is a legendary keyboardist (and yes, I know he
    didn't play on Relayer) but also a truly entertaining speaker, full of >>>> stories of his life as a musician, both with Yes and playing with other >>>> people. He's also written two books full of anecdotes about his career. >>>> I haven't laughed so hard in YEARS!

    You mean like this:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zppfjeculUs

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4CCMeTlDXI

    This one shows some of his skill at the keyboard.

    The second of those is an excerpt from the first - or at least the same
    interview. Beato may have removed some bits of the longer interview from
    his main channel and put it on the second channel. (I've only watched
    the full interview once and certainly haven't memorized it.)

    It's a fine interview but the books contain a lot of stories from a
    colourful life; some of them aren't even music-related. He tells a great
    story about meeting some submariners while drinking after a gig and then
    being smuggled aboard their (top secret) sub to have a look around,
    which had a hilarious sequel. His adventures with home repair are
    surprising too. He was a notorious boozer and smoker who went cold
    turkey with zero effort after he had some health scares. He seems like a
    remarkably down-to-earth and approachable individual despite his fame.
    I'd love to spend an afternoon talking to him.


    Ah, you mean his sense of humor like this:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i34kuOqEXRc

    That speech is actually the first time I ever heard him speak and where
    I first realized how witty he was.


    --
    Rhino

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)