Worthy of a Knighthood and a Damehood

Discussion of the actors, directors and film-makers who 'made it all happen'
Post Reply
stuart.uk
Posts: 1805
Joined: January 21st, 2008, 12:25 pm
Location: Dundee, Scotland

Worthy of a Knighthood and a Damehood

Post by stuart.uk »

If I can start, if you can forgive me, with sport before going onto movie stars, one person I think worthy of a Knighthood is football legand Kenny Dalglish. When many are pushing David Beckam for a title IMO Kenny deserves it more. He's won 102 caps for Scotland scoring 30 goals in the process and played in 3 World Cups. He was also a legend at Celtic before going onto greater things at Liverpool, winning European cup medals as well as National Championships. One of his greatest achievements was when as player/Manager of Liverpool he led them to a league and F.A Cup double. He was also Manager at the time of the Hillsbourgh disaster which saw over 90 of Liverpool fans killed, crushed before an F.A Cup semi final. After many yrs out of Management Kenny is back, at 60s, at Liverpool, turning the club around after a difficult period. I'm sorry for the personal rant, now for the movie and tv stars.

Angela Lansbury, deserving of a Damehood, despite working most of her career in the U.S

Olivia De Havilland, but extemely unlikely to get a nod

Claire Bloom, who's career as spanned well over 60-yrs, working with Chaplin, Burton, Olivier and more recently Colin Firth. A female Dorian Gray who at 80 looks 20 yrs younger

Virginia McKenna, as well as making great movies has worked tirelessly for The Born Free Foundation, which she set up with late husband Bill Travers.

Tommy Steele, the UKs first rock an roll singer, who turned himself into a world class alround entertainer. Has for the last 40-yrs worked almost exclusively, by choice, on the UK stage, which would explain his absence on the global front, but his huge talent is still there

Julie Walters would be a popular choice as would be her sometime comedy partner Victoria Wood, who IMO is like, but more talented than Noel Coward

Pop star turned tv presesnter Cilla Black and Lulu, who in her 60s is as good as she ever was

Julie Christie and Albert Finney as well

No longer with us I would have gonged Cary Grant, Ronald Colman, Leslie Howard (For his war movies), Deborah Kerr, Rosamund John, Claude Rains, David Niven, Jean Simmons, Vivien Leigh and Greer Garson
User avatar
charliechaplinfan
Posts: 9040
Joined: January 15th, 2008, 9:49 am

Re: Worthy of a Knighthood and a Damehood

Post by charliechaplinfan »

The honours should not be about honouring people who have achieved a lot in their working life but about those who have earned above and beyond and for charitable/patriotic/noble causes. Most of the famous people who have been elevated to Dame/Knighthood don't belong in this category. It is the pinnacle of the awards that the Queen has to give yet it seems to be handed out to people who have survived in the music or entertainment industry. If you give a knighthood to Elton John you've got to give one to Tom Jones etc I have no problem with honours going to those famous people that have done great charitable works.

Why should Olivia De Havilland get an award from the Queen? What has see ever done for Britain? I love her as an actress, she might have done lots of charitable works in her time but she has lived outside these shores for most of her life. The same with Elizabeth Taylor who has done splendid work with the Aids charities. She didn't live here. Neither does Sean Connery, there are plenty of examples of high honours. Surely these awards are for those who pay our taxes and weather our climates. What about the people in your local community who give up their spare time to help the unfortunates, use their own money and time for others? Are they Sir/Dames are these people ever elevated so highly? No they are occasionally recognised with a lower honour, it's not politically expedient to honour these people and it is incredibly hard to get recognition for the ordinary person. I know a lady who gives up so much time working in schools, with disabled people and women's groups taking no payment but enjoying that her time can give others pleasure. She puts her own money into these charitable causes and she is far from rich. Can we get an honour for her? No, not even a reponse.

It's very political and it makes me very cynical.
Failure is unimportant. It takes courage to make a fool of yourself - Charlie Chaplin
User avatar
Rita Hayworth
Posts: 10068
Joined: February 6th, 2011, 4:01 pm

Re: Worthy of a Knighthood and a Damehood

Post by Rita Hayworth »

I totally agree with charliechaplinfan ... I have been thinking about this for the past 24 hours and I for one; feel that getting a Knighthood or Damehood should have more stricter controls from the British Royalty Family who I feel is making a mockery out of it. The whole thing is gotten way out of hand here.
User avatar
charliechaplinfan
Posts: 9040
Joined: January 15th, 2008, 9:49 am

Re: Worthy of a Knighthood and a Damehood

Post by charliechaplinfan »

It's not the Royal family, although they are gifted by the Queen they are recommended to her by her government. The Queen is non political, I'm not sure that she even has the power to recommend people she feels are worthy although many members of the Royal household will eventually 'earn' some kind of honour, many though working very long hours in their employers service.

It struck me that the one filmstar I would like to have seen raised to the Damehood and certainly chose to live her at least partially was Audrey Hepburn, her work with Unicef was amazing.
Failure is unimportant. It takes courage to make a fool of yourself - Charlie Chaplin
Libertine
Posts: 67
Joined: June 10th, 2011, 4:14 pm
Location: Hollywoodland

Re: Worthy of a Knighthood and a Damehood

Post by Libertine »

It seems to me, that these honor is given to all these stars sooner or later, just because they are "there", and just to make everybody see and know that they are British, even if they are not living in the UK since a very long time - see Liz Taylor. I didn't even know she was British until I heard she's Dame Elizabeth Taylor. :oops: On the other hand, I'd say Liz deserved this, because her work against AIDS was amazing in itself, but she and her work would have been better of with some donation instead of a title.. yet, I assume she liked the title too.
[color=#400080][i]Perhaps I am mad. How should I know? I think I am normal.[/i]
~Tallulah Bankhead[/color]

I made myself a signature, but found out I can not use it.... world is cruel. :(
http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb192/leaudlunique/avatars%20and%20banners/tallulah.png
User avatar
charliechaplinfan
Posts: 9040
Joined: January 15th, 2008, 9:49 am

Re: Worthy of a Knighthood and a Damehood

Post by charliechaplinfan »

I've been pondering this a little more over night. It seems incongruous when someone who left our shores many years before and has never bothered to live here since should be given our highest honour. I'm not knocking Liz and her brilliant work for her Aids charity. There is speculation sometimes in our tabloids that runs along the lines of 'such a body has this award why has this such a body got one, it must be their turn next' it should be an honour and not an expectation.

I also feel, I'm going to sound old fashioned here, that the recepients should lead relatively unblemished lives, I'm not saying they should never been allowed to have made a mistake or two but upstanding members of the community, please.

This particular subject is one of my bugbears, as are the celebrities, I'm talking about you Sean Connery amongst others, who sit it out in a tax haven and chose to lecture us on how the country is run. If you want a say, stay here and pay your taxes.

I'm not really a grumpy woman but on these subjects I can fume :oops: :)
Failure is unimportant. It takes courage to make a fool of yourself - Charlie Chaplin
User avatar
silentscreen
Posts: 701
Joined: March 9th, 2008, 3:47 pm

Re: Worthy of a Knighthood and a Damehood

Post by silentscreen »

Alison, you are more than entitled to your opinions. It's obvious that a lot of thought goes into them. :)
"Humor is nothing less than a sense of the fitness of things." Carole Lombard
User avatar
charliechaplinfan
Posts: 9040
Joined: January 15th, 2008, 9:49 am

Re: Worthy of a Knighthood and a Damehood

Post by charliechaplinfan »

Hello, Brenda. Nice to see you here again :D I bet your brother thinks along similar lines.
Failure is unimportant. It takes courage to make a fool of yourself - Charlie Chaplin
User avatar
JackFavell
Posts: 11926
Joined: April 20th, 2009, 9:56 am

Re: Worthy of a Knighthood and a Damehood

Post by JackFavell »

I totally agree with you, Alison, even though I like Mr. Connery's acting and....attributes. A knighthood should be bestowed upon the best of the best, above the norm, or for the most noteworthy goodness and charity, and he or she who serves the country and Queen.

When Ralph Richardson was awarded his knighthood, he could not even enjoy it. He was mortified at press campaigns (and Olivier himself in a fit of pique which he regretted) saying Olivier should have gotten it first, though Richardson was the older, more experienced actor. Both did far more than act well, though. What I mean to say is, the political part of it has been there for a long time.
RedRiver
Posts: 4200
Joined: July 28th, 2011, 9:42 am

Re: Worthy of a Knighthood and a Damehood

Post by RedRiver »

I could use a dame for a night. Does that count?
User avatar
charliechaplinfan
Posts: 9040
Joined: January 15th, 2008, 9:49 am

Re: Worthy of a Knighthood and a Damehood

Post by charliechaplinfan »

JackFavell wrote:I totally agree with you, Alison, even though I like Mr. Connery's acting and....attributes. A knighthood should be bestowed upon the best of the best, above the norm, or for the most noteworthy goodness and charity, and he or she who serves the country and Queen.

When Ralph Richardson was awarded his knighthood, he could not even enjoy it. He was mortified at press campaigns (and Olivier himself in a fit of pique which he regretted) saying Olivier should have gotten it first, though Richardson was the older, more experienced actor. Both did far more than act well, though. What I mean to say is, the political part of it has been there for a long time.
I think Laurence Olivier felt a great rivalry with the other great actors of his generation, I think this had it's pros and cons, it must have spared him on to do bigger ad better things but robbed him of a graciousness that would have made him greater as a man.
Failure is unimportant. It takes courage to make a fool of yourself - Charlie Chaplin
Post Reply