Lambeth Fantastical February 2024 (Part 1) - Three from Herne Hill
The Twilight Zone Director, The Lost Fairy Tale, and The Creator of a Fiendish Supervillain
The underpass at Herne Hill railway station boasts a forty metre wall mural. Originally painted by artist Victor Szepessy it celebrates well known landmarks and famous residents of the area. No less than three of those residents, each with connections to the realms of the fantastical, have February birth dates.
Ida Lupino - Born at 33 Arberg Road on February 4th 1918, Ida Lupino was the daughter of music hall performers Connie O'Shea and Stanley Lupino, and the niece of Lupino Lane, who imortalised the Lambeth Walk from the hit musical 'Me and My Girl'.
After appearing in a number of early British movies she moved to America where her illustrious film career saw her given top billing alongside the likes of Humphrey Bogart and Edward G Robinson. In the 50s she started her own production company and in the 60s and 70s she was a much sought after television director, directing popular TV shows such as Gilligan's Island and Bewitched.
Her connections to the fantastical are linked to the cult Rod Serling Twilight Zone series. For the episode 'The Masks' she became the only women ever to direct a Twilight Zone episode. As a consequence of this she also become the only Twilight Zone director to also appear in an acting role when she took the lead in an episode entitled 'The Sixteen-Millimeter Shrine'.
The last two films she starred in were in the horror/scifi genres. 'The Devil's Rain' (1975) also featured Star Trek's William Shatner and had a walk on part for a young John Travolta. 'The Food of the Gods' (1976) was based on an HG Wells novel of the same name and featured animals turning gigantic after consuming a strange food substance from outer space. The script was written by Bert I Gordon, who's previous B movie credits included 'The Amazing Colossal Man' (1957), 'Earth vs the Spider' (1958) and 'Village of the Giants' (1965), an earlier adaptation of 'Food of the Gods'.
John Ruskin - Born on February 8th 1819 writer, philosopher and art critic, John Ruskin, spent his childhood in Herne Hill, growing up at 28 Herne Hill where he was educated by his parents and private tutors.
His connection to the fantastical lies in his fairy tale 'The King of the Golden River', also known as 'The Black Brothers: A Legend of Stiria'. Written for twelve year old, Effie Gray, who would later become his wife , it concerns three brothers who live in a lush green valley in Austria. The two elder brothers fall foul of the Southwest Wind, who floods the valley and leaves it a barren wilderness. In true fairy tale fashion it is then up to the younger Brother, Gluck, to set off on a quest to the Golden River high in the mountains in order to save the day.
Although largely forgotten these days Ruskin's published book of the tale was highly acclaimed and extremely popular in the Victorian era. It has been likened to a Grimm Brothers' fairy story. For me it has a more of a Hans Christian Andersen feel to it. The Grimms were interpreting traditional oral tales, Ruskin, like Andersen, created a wholly original set of characters and a plot full of twists and exciting adventures.
The original publication was illustrated by Richard Doyle, the uncle of Sherlock Holmes creator, Arthur Conan Doyle. A later edition was illustrated by Lambeth born Arthur Rackham, who also illustrated an edition of Grimms' Fairy Tales, as well as Alice in Wonderland and many other classic children's novels.
Sax Rohmer - A short walk from Ruskin's childhood home, on the opposite side of the road, is 51 Herne Hill, once the home to genre writer Sax Rohmer. There is a blue plaque to the side of the house, placed there by the Greater London Council.
Rohmer, real name Arthur Henry Sarsfield Ward, was born in Birmingham on February 15th 1883. He lived in Herne Hill from 1934 till 1946, when he and his wife relocated to America.
His first work of fantastical fiction in 1903, 'The Mysterious Mummy', was published in Pearson's, the magazine in which HG Wells' 'War of the Worlds' first premiered in illustrated serial form. His later works include the supernatural themed 'The Sins of Sevarac Babalan', 'The Brood of the Witch Queen', and 'The Green Eyes of Bast'.
He is best known his his archetypal global super-villain Dr Fu Manchu, leader of the international crime syndicate the Si-Fan, and exponent of dark, unworldly powers. The character first appeared in 'The Mystery of Dr. Fu-Manchu' in 1913 and went on to appear in 13 novels, culminating in 'The Emperor Fu Manchu' in 1959. Samaru, a female version of Fu Manchu, equally powerful and just as devious, appeared in five other novels.
By today's standards the Fu Manchu character is considered stereotypical. However, Rohmer did present him in a positive light, showing him to be highly intelligent, often honourable, and driven by anti-imperialist sentiments. Denis Nyland and Dr. Petrie, the western detectives who are constantly thwarted and outsmarted by Fu Manchu, regard him with great respect and a good deal of awe as their worthy adversary.
It's probably the movie versions that cemented Fu Manchu's reputation as a stereotypical character. He was first portrayed on the big screen by Harry Agar-Lyons in two matinee serials of the silent era, and then by Swedish actor, Warner Oland, in the 1930's. He was later played by Boris Karloff, Christopher Lee, Peter Sellers, Nicholas Cage, Spanish horror icon, Paul Naschy, and Glen Gordon in a 1950s TV series, as well as Spanish speaking actors in Spanish and Mexican versions. All of these leads taken by non Chinese actors, heavily made up to appear oriental. The only movie to buck the trend was 'Daughter of Fu Manchu' (1931), which cast the legendary Anna Mae Wong in the lead role.
In recent years Fu Manchu has made appearances in slightly different depictions in Lambeth born Kim New Newman's Anno Dracula series and in one of Ben Aaronovitch's 'Rivers of London' stories.
Other News
Myself and Peter Brown have pulled together another poetry themed walk. Words of Love will be on Valentine's Day with a late morning and early afternoon option. Details in the link below. You'll also have noticed that this is February blog Part One. Watch out for Part Two, coming soon, with an anniversary of a different nature and details of the monthly Lambeth Fantastical Guided Walk for February.
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