Dorothy Reynolds Movies
Dorothy Reynolds was best known for her work on the British stage, not as an actress -- although she was busy enough in that field -- but, rather, as the co-lyricist and librettist for Salad Days, in collaboration with composer Julian Slade. That 1954 work -- the most successful musical ever produced in England up to that time (with over 2,200 performances) -- as with their other, earlier collaborations, grew out of Reynolds' association with the Old Vic in Bristol. She also appeared in the original cast of the show, both at Bristol and in London, and on the 1954 cast recording (still in print as of 2008). As a screen actress, Reynolds appeared in small roles in a tiny handful of feature films, including Peter Ustinov's Lady L (1965) and Richard Attenborough's Oh, What a Lovely War (1969); she was, as one might gather from those credits, a particular favorite of actors-turned-directors. Most of her screen work from 1964 until her retirement in the mid-'70s, however, was confined to British television, including appearances on Trevor Preston's magic-based mystery series Ace of Wands (1970) and the Cilla Black anthology vehicle Cilla's World of Comedy (1976). But her lasting legacy around the world will be Salad Days, which remains one of the most beguiling musicals ever to come out of England. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide
Oh! What a Lovely War is an every-man-for-himself adaptation of Charles Chilton's 1963 play, as staged in London by Joan Littlewood. The tragedy of World War I is redefined in bawdy music-hall terms, beginning with a verbal free-for-all involving the Crowned Heads of Europe. The war is presented as the "new attraction" at the Brighton Amusement Pier, complete with syrupy cheer-up songs, shooting galleries, free prizes and a scoreboard toting up the dead. Throughout the proceedings, the camera concentrates on a middle-class family, whose five sons end up as cannon fodder. The final image is a veddy proper British picnic on a graveyard. Of the many fleeting satiric images parading past the camera, one of the most indelible is the sight of several generals playing leapfrog as the world all around them goes to hell in a handbasket. The awesome all-star cast includes Laurence Olivier, Ralph Richardson, Maggie Smith, John Gielgud, Michael Redgrave, Jack Hawkins, John Mills, Susannah York, Dirk Bogarde and Phyllis Calvert. We haven't seen this many Englishmen in one place since the last Wimbledon match. The whole affair was supervised by Richard Attenborough, making his directorial debut (a question: why was he up to the challenge of this musical extravaganza, yet seemed helpless in the face of 1985's A Chorus Line?). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ralph Richardson, Meriel Forbes, (more)
- 1965
Lady L (Sophia Loren) is an 80-year-old woman who recalls her amorous adventures in flashback in this light sex comedy. While working as a laundress, Lady L falls for the gambler and anarchist Armand (Paul Newman), who gets mixed up with an inept group trying to assassinate the senile Prince Otto (Peter Ustinov). She ends up marrying the suave aristocrat Dicky (David Niven) in this entertaining but uneven feature. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sophia Loren, Paul Newman, (more)
