The Invisible Man and The Dalek Invasion
The Invisible Man
The 10th of November marks the birth date of Claude Rains. Born in Clapham on November 10th 1889. One of only three children who survived a family of thirteen he almost died himself in the trenches of World War One when he was caught in a mustard gas attack. The incident left him partially blind in one eye and suffering permanent vocal chord damage, which gave him the distinctive voice needed to play one of his best remembered roles. That of the Invisible Man in James Whale's 1934 Universal Studio interpretation of the HG Wells novel. Rains was one of three south London actors cast by Whale in his classic horror movies of the 30s. Boris Karloff (born William Henry Pratt in Dulwich in 1887) preceeded Rains in 1931s Frankestein, and Elsa Lanchester (born in Lewisham in 1902) who appeared in the Bride of Frankestein 1935. Lanchester herself had previously starred in three silent movies written specifically for her by HG Wells (Blue Bottles, Daydreams and The Tonic).
Despite being invisible or wrapped in bandages for the majority of the movie Rains went on to have an illustrious Hollywood career, with vilainous roles including Prince John in The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) and King Herod in his final film The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965). In true Hollywood fashion he was married six times. His other horror related movies include The Wolf Man in 1941, in which he played Sir John Talbot and The Phantom of the Opera, 1943, in which he played the phantom.
The Dalek Invasion
The 21st of November 1964 saw the BBC transmission of the first episode of the six part Doctor Who serial Dalek Invasion of the Earth. Publicity shots, taken of Daleks on Westminster Bridge and the Thames walkway behind St Thomas Hospital, caused a huge sensation with the press taking snaps of passers by and tourists with the Dalek, and their pictures and appearingin the pages of many national newspapers the following day.
In the serial itself the Doctor's companion, schoolteacher Barbara, played by Jacqueline Hill, makes a frantic dash along the Thames path to the rear of St Thomas Hospital, pushing the wheelchair bound leader of the human resistance and narrowly avoiding being spotted by a Dalek patrol crossing Westminster Bridge.
The serial marked the departure of Carol Ann Ford as the Doctor's grandaughter. Ford had been with the series since the first episode, An Unearthly Child, which marks its 60th anniversary on November 23rd. When the Doctor agrees she should remain in the 22nd Century to build a life with her new found love David, William Hartnell delivers a touching farewell monologue to the sound of Big Ben ringing out to mark the victory of humanity over the Daleks. It is said that the monogue, in which he promises to return one day to find her, was also a genuine goodbye to the actress from William Hartnell.
Other News
My monthly Doctor Who themed guided walk around Waterloo will launch on the London Guided Walks platform on Thursday 23rd November.
Comments
Post a Comment