rawlingson end

[mr. piper]

in the early 70's the late and very great Vivien Stanshall (of Bonzo dog doodah band & tubular bells fame) did an album entitled "Sir Henry At Rawlingson End". It was both sides of an album all about sir henry, his house, his family  and any number of strange people. it is a narration with some songs and poetry, it was wholly in the style of this eccentric, brilliant and creative man with some of the wierdest descriptions of his day to day exploits, it takes a couple of playings to really understand it but it reveals itself as being very clever if you do. john peel used to play a section of it each week, and tried unsuccessfully for weeks to get viv into the studio, but her never came on time as he was generally too drunk, now they are both gone.

i know that it was made into a film with Trevor Howard as henry, i have seen some of it, does anyone else know what i am babbling on about, and do you know where to get the vid?

[tonymclark]

I remember the LP being played by John Peel and loving it.

Sadly, I don't remember a film version.

[inferno]

Great film : also called "Sir Henry at Rawlinson End", starred Trevor Howard in the title role, and was made in 1980. My favourite line (and I really hope I am remembering this correctly) refered to the butler - "Old Scrotum the wrinkled retainer". Try this link:

http://www.learmedia.ca/product_info.php/products_id/69

You may need to type it in the address bar to get there.

Cheers

[beglington]

Wasn't Old Scrotum played by Ronnie Barker?

[bagboy]

I have the audio version and recall the tv prog with affection. My husband can recite large chunks of this, it is one reason I married him. When I am being petulant he chants at me "I don't know what I want but I want it now!" in a very good Sir Henry voice

[Zen]

All I remember about it are the lines "If I had all the money that I have spent on drink,I would spend it on drink!!"

[Zen]

Video now no longer available,I believe the CD is still
"Sir Henry is a comic masterpiece" - N.M.E."
From beneath his syrup-splashed sou'wester, Sir Henry (Trevor Howard - 'The Third Man'/ 'Mutiny On The Bounty'), brandy-baffled rhinoceros fuhrer of Rawlinson End , glowered at his faceless curry. "This is inedible muck, and there's not enough of it".

Welcome to the wacky world of the Rawlinsons. With a song on its lips and a high-dee-ho kick of its cloven hoof. There's laughs aplenty. Yes there's humour, pathos, romance, and good home-cooked horse sense. Last one home pays for the treatment.

An English drunk shoots his brother (plenty of laughs here) and the brother turns into a ghost. (That's the scary bit, I told you there was pathos - and the following bits are pathetic too.) The ghost has a dog (this'll crease you) who relieves himself on the drunk (told you). The drunk wanders around a bit and so does his young brother on stilts. This brother finds barbers in the lake and we have a song here. Lots more of the same and this brings us to about half way...

Then the drunk's wife throws a chicken at his head and he spends the rest of the film stunned. (Lots of romance as mentioned). Then we pad it out a bit with flashbacks and more songs, then it gets really confusing and the narrator comes in and tries to sort things out.

Oh, I forgot to mention the two Germans.

[mr. piper]

"Nestling in green nowhere, lotus fed miss havershambling oxymath and erumite" is some of the description of the manor.

after his wife had allowed two ex theatrical house cleaners in (Terry Nice&Nigel Tidy)he rages-"I'll see them of the premises myself!, the hounds are all fagged out after yesterdays jehovahs witnesses, and we don't want anymore blood on the lawn". as he attacks them he describes the encounter, "He sent the shadows scurrying like convent girls menaced by a tramp!"

few people have astonished me with their clarity of intellect as Viv, he lived on an house boat in chertsy, and i was dismayed at the news of his death.

[Bongo Sid]

Details of the film are on the marvellous IMDB at this link: www.imdb.com/title/tt/0081520/

Although the film is funny in places it was made on an ultra-low budget and isn't a patch on the sublime LP. Vivian was a one-off and never really got the acclaim he deserved. We shall not see his like again...sigh.