just watched a very special Paul O'Grady Show where he interviewed Angela Lansbury and Scot's tv presenter Kirsty Gallagher, the daughter of 1990s European Ryder Cup winning Captain Bernard Gallagher.
who would have thought a woman of 83 could look so beautiful, but Angela managed it, dressed in a redish pant suit. she's in London to appear at the London Palladium in a tribute show to composer Jerry Hermen
Paul started of calling her Miss. Lansbury, as he did with Lauren Bacall when she made her two appearences, but unlike with Lauren, as the show progressed it became Angela.
Angela talked at first about her Labour M.P and i think one time leader of the party, grandfather George Lansbury, a true socialist, who's type as Paul said is needed in Britain today. Angela said her grandfather died of a broken heart in 1940. he travelled the world to meet the leaders of Germany, Italy and America in an effort to avoid WW2. she said his failure to pull it off was to much for him to bare
She also talked of going to see The Crazy Gang on the music hall stage (TCG were a top British music hall troupe that included famous double act Flanagan and Allen, who's theme song was Underneath The Archers).
there were clips from her stage shows Gypsy and Mame, which included a duet with Bea Arthur in the latter. Angela said that in movies she played women a lot older than her, where she had to dress down. This she found depressing, though she admitted The Manchurian Candidate was the movie role of her career. she did say Mame was the role that proved she could play a glamorous role. (it's a pity she didn't do a movie version of either Gypsy or Mame)
a di-hard fan came on and joined in the interview. both he and Paul said the 1973 London production of Gypsy changed their lives. the fan asked her why she only did Gyspy in the UK, but not Mame. Angela replied, she had it about up to here at the time and that she also didn't want to take her children out of school, to which the fan replied, That's understandable.
after taking about dressing down to play older women when she was younger, she told how she reversed it when she played Jessica Fletcher in Murder She Wrote. Paul said her Jessica was a role model. she replied that as she developed the character, whom she didn't want to be seen purely as a bissy, boddy, that she'd be liberated and would dress young. she thought older women appreciated her doing that.
When Kirsty joined them the subject turned to golf with Angela saying she played the game and was a good putter.
Paul said at the begining of the show Angela Lansbury today, Dame Diana Rigg on Friday. i won't sleep at the weekend.
now i'm looking forward to Friday
Angela Lansbury meets Paul O'Grady
just to add that Angela's grandfather George Lansbury was indeed leader of the Labour party following former Prime Minister Ramsey Macdonald. however, he himself never reached 10 Downing Street. he was a pacifist, who didn't like the direction the party was taking in the build-up to WW2.
one important thing about him he was one of the early supporters of a woman's right to vote in UK elections. he lived to see that fullfilled in part in 1918 then fully in 1928
i've also found out Angela recieved an OBE from the Queen in the 1990s, not quite a Damehood, but it proves though she spent most of her life in America that the powers that be thought her deserving of a major British honour
one important thing about him he was one of the early supporters of a woman's right to vote in UK elections. he lived to see that fullfilled in part in 1918 then fully in 1928
i've also found out Angela recieved an OBE from the Queen in the 1990s, not quite a Damehood, but it proves though she spent most of her life in America that the powers that be thought her deserving of a major British honour