FIRST PICTURE: ADVERTS FOR LOCAL HOUSES IN THE DAILY SKETCH OF 1957. HOUSES AT BARGAIN PRIZES!!!!
SECOND PICTURE: THE TOP OF COSHAM HIGH STREET 1910
BACK TO THE DAILY SKETCH OF TUESDAY, APRIL 2, 1957
TRY THIS FOR A HEADLINE! THE STORY REALLY MAKES YOUR HEART BLEED!
MONEY SCARES THEM.
To hire somebody like Dirk Bogarde to make a film you'd have to pay him at least £20,000 for the eight or ten weeks you have him on your pay roll. The same goes for most big British stars. Some like John Mills and Jack Hawkins have been in the £50,000 a year income bracket for years.
On the face of it that should make them very rich men. But it doesn't. No film star to-day has a chance in a million of ever making a million. The staggering fact is this: Our stars are constantly thinking: up ways of keeping the wolf from their palatial doors. Money terrifies them. Lots of it—or lack of it.
The big bogy is income tax. Unlike authors, who have their Income spread over thrqe years, actors have to cough up annually. And it's usually a great big cough, too. Dirk Bogarde is lucky if he gets £3,000 out of the £20,000. Even the steady £50,000 a yearers seldom see more than £6,000 of what they earn. To the general public this still seems ,a healthy chunk of cash. But is it, when weighed against the gargantuan expenditure entailed in being a movie star?
Whenever the subject of money is raised, actors look coy. Mention their big salaries to them and they roar — with bitter laughter. Jack Hawkins is likely to roar like a wounded bull and tell you that most of his Roehampton neighbours probably have more money than he ever will.
Mrs. Donald Sinden is even more explicit. " It is impossible for actors to save money," she said. " This small house Donald and I own is the only asset we have. And Donald's been an actor for 19 years. " If Donald was thrown out of work to-morrow we would have nothing to live on. As a film star, he gets plenty of prestige but no security." When I asked where the money went, she told me that just being Donald Sinden, movie star, made enormous inroads into their net earnings. Clothes for premieres were a big item. "Stars and their wives or husbands have to be well dressed," she said. " This is essential. We owe it to the public, who sometimes wait in the rain for hours to see us, to be glamorously dressed. " The public also demands that its movie stars live glamorous lives. That has to be worked out the best way the star and his budget will permit."
Mrs. Sinden said that she and Donald were anxious about the education of their children. " We just can't make any security for them," she said. " If we take out an insurance policy to safeguard their education, what guarantee have we that Donald will earn enough to pay the premiums over a number of years? " This is always a worrying thing. No one can tell when Donald will no longer be considered fashionable as a star. It's happening all the time in the theatre. " Yet at school our kids are regarded as young millionaires.! It's ridiculous, but you can't blame people thinking that, when you hear what stars earn— BEFORE TAXATION."
Mrs. Sinden said that unlike doctors or solicitors or other professional people, stars had to pay out a lot of money for simple domestic privacy. ! "If Donald takes the kiddies on buses or eats with them in cheap cafeterias, he is mobbed by fans. So he has to take them to more exclusive places and pay exclusive prices."
Then she summed up the plight—and fear—of all movie stars. " Like all stars Donald has slogged hard all his life to get where he is. When he retires he will not have much put aside. " And unlike the other professions he has no capital to show or sell. " AFTER ALL, WHO WANTS TO BUY A SHARE IN A RETIRED MOVIE STAR?"
Well Mrs Sinden how time has changed things, Donald is still well employed at 86 years of age and staging his own One Man Show and unusually for show business still married to the same woman. Oh! And of course he is now Sir Donald Sinden so I expect he no longer worries about being a Retired Movie Star!!!!
Stay in touch and Take Care
Peter
DUSTYKEAT@aol.com
Pj.keat@ntlworld.com
YOU WRITE:
Jonathon writes:
Thanks for your I -Spy comments.As a boy I also loved to fill in the I-Spy books and had virtually the whole collection. It was a huge thrill to spot the rare objects that scored 50 points such as a VR post box in I-Spy in the Street ........I have often wondered if they are still in publication and whether the modern child of the computer generation would also enjoy them today...........I am sure they would .............I must try and get some for my grandchildren.
I don't remember sacrificing my book to get a feather......I thought I got my books back,,,,,,,,,,,,,still my memory is not strong on that issue.
NEWS AND VIEWS:
At the National Portrait Gallery in London there is an exhibit called ‘From The Beatles to Bowie’ The sixty’s exposed. This exhibition explores the leading pop music personalities who helped create 'Swinging London' in the 1960s. Over 150 photographs, together with a range of memorabilia, illustrate how the photographic image, music and performance made these popstars the leading icons of their time. Featuring key pop cultural figures the exhibition begins in 1960 with groups such as The Shadows and The John Barry Seven. As the decade progressed, early portraits of singers such as Cliff Richard, Adam Faith and Billy Fury were followed by those of bands such as The Kinks and The Who. The classic rivalry between The Beatles and The Rolling Stones is played out visually by a variety of top photographers. The exhibition is on until 24th January.
ON THIS DAY 6TH DECEMBER 1960-1965
On 06/12/1960 the number one single was It's Now Or Never - Elvis Presley and the number one album was South Pacific Soundtrack. The top rated TV show was Armchair Theatre (ABC) and the box office smash was still Psycho. A pound of today's money was worth £13.68 and Tottenham Hotspur were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.
On 06/12/1961 the number one single was Little Sister/His Latest Flame - Elvis Presley and the number one album was Ipswich Town. The top rated TV show was "Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was One Hundred and One Dalmations. A pound of today's money was worth £not very interesting and 13.25 were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.The big news story of the day was Sunday Night at the London Palladium (ATV)".
On 06/12/1962 the number one single was Lovesick Blues - Frank Ifield and the number one album was On Stage with the Black & White Minstrels - George Mitchell Minstrels. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was Lawrence of Arabia. A pound of today's money was worth £12.89 and Everton were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.
On 06/12/1963 the number one single was She Loves You - The Beatles and the number one album was Please Please Me - The Beatles. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was The Great Escape. A pound of today's money was worth £12.64 and Liverpool were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions. The big news story of the day was Christine Keeler jailed for perjury.
On 06/12/1964 the number one single was Little Red Rooster - Rolling Stones and the number one album was A Hard Day's Night - Beatles. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was Dr Strangelove. A pound of today's money was worth £12.24 and Manchester United were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions. The big news story of the day was Martin Luther King preaches at St Paul's Cathedral
On 06/12/1965 the number one single was The Carnival is Over - Seekers and the number one album was The Sound of Music Soundtrack. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was The Sound of Music. A pound of today's money was worth £11.69 and Liverpool were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.
No comments:
Post a Comment