Orton's protest/joke obviously extends way beyond Lady Lewisham, and he has a point about some acquisitions made by public libraries. Presumably, this is the Lady in question, saying such nice things about teenagers. One wonders if she ever did anything more rebellious than place her elbows on the dinner table?
Oh THAT Lady Lewisham. AKA Raine, Dowager Countess Spencer, daughter of Barbara Cartland, Stepmother of Diana Princess of Wales. She may have spoken with a plummy accent but I think she had quite a 'colourful' life.
Dear old Seamus Android. I think "shades woman" might be Barbara Kelly, who was Bernard Braden's wife. Philip Larkin and Monica Jones used to deface (their own) books too. I seem to remember reading somewhere that they took particular pleasure as a holiday game in inserting phrases which reversed the meanings of Iris Murdoch's sentences and adding expletives where they might be least expected. I loved Joe Orton's lascivious comment to an uncomprehending Seamus that he had a great time in prison.
Defacing library books is wrong, but that is a delightful clip.
ReplyDeleteOrton and Oldman blur together in my mind. This could be either.
ReplyDeleteWho's the woman in the shades, I wonder? (I'm sad enough to recognise the other two.)
Orton's protest/joke obviously extends way beyond Lady Lewisham, and he has a point about some acquisitions made by public libraries. Presumably, this is the Lady in question, saying such nice things about teenagers. One wonders if she ever did anything more rebellious than place her elbows on the dinner table?
ReplyDeleteOh THAT Lady Lewisham. AKA Raine, Dowager Countess Spencer, daughter of Barbara Cartland, Stepmother of Diana Princess of Wales. She may have spoken with a plummy accent but I think she had quite a 'colourful' life.
ReplyDeleteDear old Seamus Android. I think "shades woman" might be Barbara Kelly, who was Bernard Braden's wife. Philip Larkin and Monica Jones used to deface (their own) books too. I seem to remember reading somewhere that they took particular pleasure as a holiday game in inserting phrases which reversed the meanings of Iris Murdoch's sentences and adding expletives where they might be least expected. I loved Joe Orton's lascivious comment to an uncomprehending Seamus that he had a great time in prison.
ReplyDelete