Alistair Sim

Discussion of the actors, directors and film-makers who 'made it all happen'
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Lucky Vassall
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Alistair Sim

Post by Lucky Vassall »

Alistair Sim
Alistair Sim
Alistair Sim.jpg (32.01 KiB) Viewed 3375 times
Repeated mentions of A Christmas Carol in the ‘51 Lists, indicate that this Great Scot would deserve a space of his own here, even if he had only given us the definitive Scrooge. I doubt if anyone will ever beat that creation. I think his real secret was that he discovered both the bad Scrooge and the good Scrooge in himself. Certainly it was one of the most believable three-dimensional, change-of-heart performances ever put on film.

He was in 61 films during his 40-year career (1936 to his death in 1976).

Like Margaret Rutherford, he played comedy so convincingly that you have to wonder how much of his real self was in those screwball characters. From IMDb: “His performance in Dulcimer Street (1948) so impressed Alec Guinness that he based his performance in The Ladykillers (1955) on it. So much so that Alastair is often thought to have done it.”

I enjoyed reading the comments re Stage Fright and his part in it in the Alfred Hitchcock thread. I, too, wonder what he would have done with Edmund Gwenn’s part in The Trouble with Harry. Actually, he might have been so good in it that he threw the balanced ensemble casting off.

My personal favorite of his roles was in The Green Man (1956). No, he wasn’t green; it was the name of a pub. Saw the film a lifetime ago, and have never forgotten it. I guess he was just born to play an insanely frustrated freelance assassin! His performance as Miss Fritton in the St. Trinian’s films is certainly memorable as well.

Also from IMDb, a quote from him: “It was revealed to me many years ago with conclusive certainty that I was a fool and that I had always been a fool. Since then I have been as happy as any man has a right to be.”

And it showed!
“Boys, don’t forget what happened to Nicky the Nark!”
“Boys, don’t forget what happened to Nicky the Nark!”
Remember.jpg (40.61 KiB) Viewed 3382 times
Last edited by Lucky Vassall on March 21st, 2014, 2:27 pm, edited 1 time in total.
[size=85]AVATAR: Billy DeWolfe as Mrs. Murgatroid, “Blue Skies” (1946)

[b]“My ancestors came over on the Mayflower.”
“You’re lucky. Now they have immigration laws."[/b]
[i]Mae West, The Heat’s On” (1943[/i])

[b]:–)—[/b]
Pinoc-U-no(se)[/size]
RedRiver
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Re: Alistair Sim

Post by RedRiver »

One of the better film actors I've seen.
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Lucky Vassall
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Re: Alistair Sim

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Explanation of the above Photo caption quote:

“Boys, don’t forget what happened to Nicky the Nark!”

Alistair Sim’s cautionary to the young “detectives” in Hue and Cry (1946). I gather that Nark is a Britishism equivalent to Stool Pigeon (and every movie-goer knows what happens to stool pigeons). No relation to the newer Americanism “Narc” for narcotics agent.

If you get a chance to see Hue and Cry, I would recommend it, if only for Sim’s performance. The film isn’t the greatest; it’s the standard kids-get-the-best-of-the-baddies plot. But his character is certainly the high point. (No, he isn’t one of the baddies; he’s the detective story writer the kids enlist to trap the crooks.)

The film is also worth viewing for two historical reasons:

1. It was the very first comedy released from the Earling Studios.

2. Many scenes were filmed in actual London outdoor settings. We get to see what much of London looked like right after the war. Reminded me of the photos of San Francisco’s little Shake, Rattle and Burn 40 years earlier.

The pictures of Sim, above, are from that film, and below I’m including a couple of shots, also from the film, that demonstrate the destruction. Don’t believe I’ve ever seen actual filmed views of ‘45 London before. Troubling that the kids in the film seem to have a casual, seen-it-every-day attitude. Sharp eyes may catch a non-London ringer.
London 1.jpg
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London 2.jpg
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London 3.jpg
London 3.jpg (56.15 KiB) Viewed 3340 times
[size=85]AVATAR: Billy DeWolfe as Mrs. Murgatroid, “Blue Skies” (1946)

[b]“My ancestors came over on the Mayflower.”
“You’re lucky. Now they have immigration laws."[/b]
[i]Mae West, The Heat’s On” (1943[/i])

[b]:–)—[/b]
Pinoc-U-no(se)[/size]
RedRiver
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Joined: July 28th, 2011, 9:42 am

Re: Alistair Sim

Post by RedRiver »

I gather that Nark is a Britishism equivalent to Stool Pigeon

How very interesting. When I was in college, and indulging in a less than legal habit, a "narc" was someone who informed the police about the users of this and other substances. In other words, a stool pigeon!
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Lucky Vassall
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Re: Alistair Sim

Post by Lucky Vassall »

kingrat wrote:Lucky, I believe there are some views of bombed London in The Bells Go Down (1943), but my memory may be faulty.

A Canterbury Tale (1944) has some grim views of the ruins of Canterbury. Fortunately, the cathedral survived the raids.
Thanks for the tips. I'll have to check them out. By the way, the views in Hue and Cry are even worse than suggested by the photos. There's lots of scenes of kids playing in the wreckage, and the first scene includes a boy pretending he's a bomber attacking!
[size=85]AVATAR: Billy DeWolfe as Mrs. Murgatroid, “Blue Skies” (1946)

[b]“My ancestors came over on the Mayflower.”
“You’re lucky. Now they have immigration laws."[/b]
[i]Mae West, The Heat’s On” (1943[/i])

[b]:–)—[/b]
Pinoc-U-no(se)[/size]
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Lucky Vassall
Posts: 272
Joined: January 27th, 2014, 2:40 pm
Location: San Francisco, CA

Re: Alistair Sim

Post by Lucky Vassall »

RedRiver wrote:How very interesting. When I was in college, and indulging in a less than legal habit, a "narc" was someone who informed the police about the users of this and other substances. In other words, a stool pigeon!
Never heard it used that way, but I guess you're right, certainly you're "closer" to the facts than I am. (I'm just about the age the kids in the film are now.) I always assumed it only referred to an actual undercover narcotics agent. Interesting how the two terms meet in the middle!
[size=85]AVATAR: Billy DeWolfe as Mrs. Murgatroid, “Blue Skies” (1946)

[b]“My ancestors came over on the Mayflower.”
“You’re lucky. Now they have immigration laws."[/b]
[i]Mae West, The Heat’s On” (1943[/i])

[b]:–)—[/b]
Pinoc-U-no(se)[/size]
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