Spoiler Alert
Kenneth More's best film IMO is Reach For The Sky. it's the true story of Douglas Bader, a young RAF pilot, who after a horrific plane crash in 1931 loses both his legs. he's expected to die, but recovers and learns with great courage to walk on artificial legs with out a stick. however, he's discharged from the job he loves in the RAF.
He meets and marries Thelma, played by the reliable Muriel Pavlow and works at his boring desk job. however, he becomes a good golfer, despite his disability and that gives him some pleasure without replacing his one true love, flying.
it's said one person was glad that war broke out, Douglas Bader. he gets back in the RAF and before long is a Squadren Leader. he leads his men into The Battle Of Britain, but after the battle is won he's captured by the German's. Douglas escaped several times before he ended up at Colditz Castle where he remained for the rest of the war
as i said before Kenneth More is teriffic in the role. he did play Douglas more sympathetically than he actually was in real life. it was true what the film said that he was an inspiration to his fellow pilots, but while More as Bader had a good relationship with his ground grew, the reality was different and he had a reputation for being a bit of a bully
Bader's last public appearence was on the BBCs pro celebrity golf series. he took ill and couldn't finish his round
Kenneth More's finest hour as WW2 RAF Ace
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movieman1957
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Mr. More has always been one of my favorite actors, not just British. He is so "everyman" and that is meant as a compliment. I haven't seen the film you mention but I think he is quite good in "Sink The Bismark" and "Genevieve."
Good, solid work. Nothing fancy and always easy to believe.
Good, solid work. Nothing fancy and always easy to believe.
Chris
"Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana."
"Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana."
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moira finnie
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Wow, Stuart, thanks for the reminder of an unforgettably good performance by Kenneth More. It's been years since I've seen Reach for the Sky (1956), but I do remember how affecting More was when he blended the determination of his real life character with the man's boisterous desire for life.
Having fallen for More as a kid when he brought Jolyon Forsythe's gentle humanity to life in The Forsythe Saga, I would love to see all his movies again, especially his work opposite Vivien Leigh in The Deep Blue Sea (1955) and Susannah York in The Greengage Summer (1961), both of which are far more sensual and romantic than films made in more explicit times. Of course, in an entirely different way, I don't think that the Doctor in the House series would've worked without Kenneth More & Dirk Bogarde complementing one another.
Have you read Kenneth More's autobiography, "More or Less"? It was like being in his company and I could almost hear that jolly little chirp in his voice that he had when I read it.
TCM has shown several of his movies in the recent past here in the states, including the delightful Genevieve (1951), A Night to Remember (1959), Sink the Bismarck (1960) and one of my faves, in an odd way, a movie that is not for the faint of heart, Dark of the Sun (1968).
Having fallen for More as a kid when he brought Jolyon Forsythe's gentle humanity to life in The Forsythe Saga, I would love to see all his movies again, especially his work opposite Vivien Leigh in The Deep Blue Sea (1955) and Susannah York in The Greengage Summer (1961), both of which are far more sensual and romantic than films made in more explicit times. Of course, in an entirely different way, I don't think that the Doctor in the House series would've worked without Kenneth More & Dirk Bogarde complementing one another.
Have you read Kenneth More's autobiography, "More or Less"? It was like being in his company and I could almost hear that jolly little chirp in his voice that he had when I read it.
TCM has shown several of his movies in the recent past here in the states, including the delightful Genevieve (1951), A Night to Remember (1959), Sink the Bismarck (1960) and one of my faves, in an odd way, a movie that is not for the faint of heart, Dark of the Sun (1968).
Moira I agree about More and Bogarde in Doctor In The House, but Kenneth only appeared in the first films as did Donald Houston. however, Donald Sinden reprised his role from the first film in the 2nd sequal.
in the first film Bogarde romanced nurse Muriel Pavlow, then in Doctor At Sea it was the turn of Bridget Bardot. however, in Doctor At Large he's reunited with Pavlow and proposes Marriage. what i couldn't understand was in Bogarde's last Doctors film, Bogarde's Sparrow now a top surgeon, was romancing Samantha Edgar. what happened to Muriel's nurse Joy!
i too like The Greengage Summer. i can't remember, but was there a hit of lesbianism in the film with the older female character. sadly Susannah's got spikey hair that instead of making her look young actually makes her look her age. the one star from the film that seems to have got a second wind into her career is 62-yr-old Jane Asher, who played the kid sister in the film. she's playing a fictional Queen Mother in a series called The palace
in the first film Bogarde romanced nurse Muriel Pavlow, then in Doctor At Sea it was the turn of Bridget Bardot. however, in Doctor At Large he's reunited with Pavlow and proposes Marriage. what i couldn't understand was in Bogarde's last Doctors film, Bogarde's Sparrow now a top surgeon, was romancing Samantha Edgar. what happened to Muriel's nurse Joy!
i too like The Greengage Summer. i can't remember, but was there a hit of lesbianism in the film with the older female character. sadly Susannah's got spikey hair that instead of making her look young actually makes her look her age. the one star from the film that seems to have got a second wind into her career is 62-yr-old Jane Asher, who played the kid sister in the film. she's playing a fictional Queen Mother in a series called The palace
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moira finnie
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i think he outgrew them when he made Reach For The Sky. though Donald Sinden made both his Doctors after he did The Cruel Sea.
Leslie Phillips who supported Peter O'Toole in Venus replaced Bogarde in the Doctor films. he was known for his catchphrases 'Hello' and Ding Dong' when chatting up a pretty girl
Leslie Phillips who supported Peter O'Toole in Venus replaced Bogarde in the Doctor films. he was known for his catchphrases 'Hello' and Ding Dong' when chatting up a pretty girl
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klondike
I have to be careful when discussing Kenneth More. ("The Clouded Yellow, Night To Remember, Sink The Biz") and not confuse him with Jack Hawkins ("Gideon's Day").
I'd probably vote for his SINK THE BISMARCK performance as my favorite of his performances, but he had a lot. I suspect so many of his films could be even better, but I don't know them. I'll stumble across THE CLOUDED YELLOW and wonder where it's been all my life.
Even his recently released SHERIFF OF FRACTURED JAW (part of a Jayne Mansfield boxset with WILL SUCCESS SPOIL ROCK HUNTER) is a good performance in a silly (er, dumb) film. He does his bit.
And BATTLE OF BRIT is a grand performance by him, too. Maybe I should be looking for bad performances by him, like Glenn Ford's TERROR ON A TRAIN. "Whew - at least he had ONE bad one!"
I'd probably vote for his SINK THE BISMARCK performance as my favorite of his performances, but he had a lot. I suspect so many of his films could be even better, but I don't know them. I'll stumble across THE CLOUDED YELLOW and wonder where it's been all my life.
Even his recently released SHERIFF OF FRACTURED JAW (part of a Jayne Mansfield boxset with WILL SUCCESS SPOIL ROCK HUNTER) is a good performance in a silly (er, dumb) film. He does his bit.
And BATTLE OF BRIT is a grand performance by him, too. Maybe I should be looking for bad performances by him, like Glenn Ford's TERROR ON A TRAIN. "Whew - at least he had ONE bad one!"