Lambeth Fantastical

March 04, 2024

Lambeth Fantastical March 2024
A Vampire in Venice, A Silly Walk, A Devil Girl from Mars and A Silent Pioneer

Born in St Thomas's hospital on March 5th 1976 Lucian Msamati has chalked up an impressive track record in the genres of the fantastical. His appearances include the Doctor Who episode 'Vampires of Venice', Salladhor Saan in Game of Thrones, and John Faa in 'His Dark Materials'Max Wall was born in Stockwell in on March 12th 1908. He grew up in Glenshaw Mansions in Brixton Road, also once home to Charlie Chaplin and his brother Stanley. He almost died here in 1916 when a bomb dropped from a German Zeppelin killed his aunt and sister.He is most famous for his hilarious silly walk routine performed in music halls, television and numerous Royal Variety Shows. John Cleese cited the routine as the inspiration behind his iconic Monty Python sketch The Ministry of Silly Walks.He played one of the kidnapped inventors in 1969s Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, King Bruno the Questionable in Terry Gillingham's Jabberwocky (another Monty Python link. Later in his career he appeared in six episodes of Coronation Street.Patricia Laffan (Streatham 1919) and Cecil Hepworth (Lambeth 1874) both share the 19th of March as their birth date.

Laffan appeared in 18 films, playing Empress Poppaea in Quo Vadis (1951) as well as roles in the late 50s TV series Dial 999. Her foray into the fantastical came with her starring role in Lion Studio's Devil Girl from Mars (1954). Her imposing six foot five stature won her the role of Nyah, sent from Mars to acquire human males to replace the dwindling Martian population. While the movie is less than critically well thought of, it did provide useful experience for Gerry Anderson (Stingray, Thunderbirds etc) who worked on it as sound editor. It also said to have provided a spur to Afro Futurism pioneer, Octavia E Butler, who quipped after watching it that she could write something better. The gigantic robot which also features in the film was said to be influenced by Gort, the equally gigantic robot in the much more well received 1951 film 'The Day the Earth Stood Still'

Laffan's biography, written in 2021 by Andrew Ross, was entitled 'Devil Girl Remembered'.

Hepworth was a hugely influential pioneer of British silent cinema. Son of a magic lantern showman, he became a film producer, director and script writer, and formed Hepworth Studios in Walton on Thames the 1920s. His works included the first cinematic interpretation of Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland, filmed in 1903 and fantasy film The Tinted Venus (1921).His name lives on today through the Cecil Hepworth Playhouse in Walton on Thames.