|
|
Post by petrolino on May 14, 2017 0:33:31 GMT
I've been reading various articles written about the actor Robert Donat. I always enjoy seeing him in movies. I read that Judy Garland was a massive fan, Charles Laughton proclaimed him the most gracious of all men, and Peter Sellers (apparently) once called him God! Do you like any movies with Robert Donat? 'The life of an Oscar winner who grew up in Manchester was remembered in a special ceremony led by his son. Star of stage and screen Robert Donat, who was named Best Actor at the 1939 Academy Awards for 'Goodbye, Mr Chips,' was born in Withington in 1905. Son Brian, 74, travelled from Toronto, Canada, to unveil a plaque at the 42 Everett Road house where Robert lived with parents Ernst and Rose. He also attended a special screening of another of his dad’s hit films, Hitchcock classic The 39 Steps, at the Cornerhouse cinema on Oxford Road. Brian said that his father – who attended St Paul’s C of E Primary School and Manchester Central High School For Boys – always retained ‘a tremendous soft spot for Manchester’. He said: “The headmaster at the school encouraged Robert to take to the stage. But it was his elocutionist, who taught him to overcome a stammer, who was probably the biggest influence on his future career because he was encouraged to recite from a young age.” In 1921, a 16-year-old Robert, whose Polish father owned a textile engineering firm, won his first acting job – in a stage performance of Julius Caesar at the Prince of Wales theatre in Birmingham. His film debut came in 1932’s Men of Tomorrow. Over the next 10 years, he starred in a string of successful movies – and beat off the challenge of Clark Gable, for Gone With The Wind, and Lawrence Olivier, for Wuthering Heights, to win his Oscar.'
- Celebrating Robert Donat, Manchester Evening News
Thanks! |
|
|
|
Post by marianne48 on May 14, 2017 1:52:34 GMT
One of my favorite actors--I loved his voice in particular. Too bad he didn't make more movies, but he was never in the best of health, apparently. After his success in The 39 Steps, Hitchcock wanted to cast him in Sabotage, The Secret Agent, and Rebecca, but he wasn't well enough to take the roles. I wished he could have starred in those as well. Vacation From Marriage is also one of my favorites.
|
|
|
|
Post by petrolino on May 14, 2017 2:00:33 GMT
One of my favorite actors--I loved his voice in particular. Too bad he didn't make more movies, but he was never in the best of health, apparently. After his success in The 39 Steps, Hitchcock wanted to cast him in Sabotage, The Secret Agent, and Rebecca, but he wasn't well enough to take the roles. I wished he could have starred in those as well. Vacation From Marriage is also one of my favorites. I kept reading he suffered from chronic asthma which can be deadly. I have asthma all my life, carry a Veontolin inhaler with me whenever possible. One of my favourite English actresses, the brilliant Charlotte Coleman, died of an acute asthma attack at the age of 33. |
|
|
|
Post by mattgarth on May 14, 2017 2:07:35 GMT
Donat was scheduled to take on the title role in CAPTAIN BLOOD, but ill health forced him to withdraw. The part then went to Errol Flynn and it made him a star.
|
|
|
|
Post by petrolino on May 14, 2017 2:13:42 GMT
Donat was scheduled to take on the title role in CAPTAIN BLOOD, but ill health forced him to withdraw. The part then went to Errol Flynn and it made him a star. 'Captain Blood' is a terrific movie. |
|
|
|
Post by OldAussie on May 14, 2017 2:20:17 GMT
I've revisited Mr Chips and 39 Steps in the last few years. Other than those, I believe I saw about 4 of his other films many years ago.
He is a special performer who is not only instantly likable but exudes intelligence, a rare combination.
|
|
|
|
Post by petrolino on May 14, 2017 2:24:29 GMT
I've revisited Mr Chips and 39 Steps in the last few years. Other than those, I believe I saw about 4 of his other films many years ago. He is a special performer who is not only instantly likable but exudes intelligence, a rare combination. Good point; I've yet to see a performance from Donat I didn't warm to on at least some level. |
|
|
|
Post by neurosturgeon on May 14, 2017 2:51:26 GMT
Donat is also a favorite of mine. If you haven't seen it, might I suggest The Ghost Goes West? It is a fun film, but I also love him in The Citadel.
|
|
|
|
Post by petrolino on May 14, 2017 3:03:05 GMT
Donat is also a favorite of mine. If you haven't seen it, might I suggest The Ghost Goes West? It is a fun film, but I also love him in The Citadel. 'The Ghost Goes West' is awesome! If you've not seen it, check out Rene Clair's fantasy 'I Married A Witch' (1942). I like 'The Citadel' too. Thanks. |
|
|
|
Post by koskiewicz on May 14, 2017 14:14:10 GMT
...Donat was the "quintessential Mr Chips"...one of my all time favorite classics...
|
|
|
|
Post by mikef6 on May 14, 2017 15:37:34 GMT
A generally unknown but quite good film is called The Adventures Of Tartu (aka Sabotage Agent) (1943, directed by Harold S. Bucquet). Donat plays a kind of Zorro figure in Nazi controlled Romania. He must pose as a playboy Nazi and get a job in a factory in Eastern Europe that is on the verge of developing a new kind of deadly poison gas. The action and suspense is swift and effective; it never slows down; the peril never ends. Donat is a hoot as the feckless Tartu and a serious and clever spy when he is not. This is true hidden gem well worth looking for. (Even though the focus of the thread is on Donat, I have to mention that a young Glynis Johns steals this film. Her performance will haunt you.)
More on the swashbuckling side: 1934’s The Count of Monte Cristo (directed by Rowland V. Lee) with Donat as Dantes may be the definitive version of the classic novel.
|
|
|
|
Post by mattgarth on May 14, 2017 15:48:37 GMT
Donat had a fine swan song part as 'The Mandarin' in INN OF THE SIXTH HAPPINESS -- and uttered a prophetic final line ... "We shall not see each other again."
|
|
|
|
Post by Doghouse6 on May 14, 2017 15:48:38 GMT
A generally unknown but quite good film is called The Adventures Of Tartu (aka Sabotage Agent) (1943, directed by Harold S. Bucquet). Donat plays a kind of Zorro figure in Nazi controlled Romania. He must pose as a playboy Nazi and get a job in a factory in Eastern Europe that is on the verge of developing a new kind of deadly poison gas. The action and suspense is swift and effective; it never slows down; the peril never ends. Donat is a hoot as the feckless Tartu and a serious and clever spy when he is not. This is true hidden gem well worth looking for. (Even though the focus of the thread is on Donat, I have to mention that a young Glynis Johns steals this film. Her performance will haunt you.) More on the swashbuckling side: 1934’s The Count of Monte Cristo (directed by Rowland V. Lee) with Donat as Dantes may be the definitive version of the classic novel. Speaking of a haunting performance, Donat as Sidney Carton in A Tale Of Two Cities (1935, directed by Jack Conway) is unforgettable. I'm very much in agreement with your assessment of The Adventures Of Tartu. which I caught for the first time relatively recently. Haven't seen that version of The Count Of Monte Cristo, so I presume there's yet another Donat treat in store for me. Please forgive a small correction: that was Ronald Colman in A Tale Of Two Cities. Considering Donat in the role provides an interesting thought experiment. |
|
|
|
Post by mikef6 on May 14, 2017 15:59:12 GMT
Please forgive a small correction: that was Ronald Colman in A Tale Of Two Cities. Considering Donat in the role provides an interesting thought experiment. Yikes! That's more than a "small correction." That is a hide-your-head-in-shame, leave town, change your name, and get plastic surgery kind of mistake. In my own defense, both Donat and Coleman have distinctive voices and physical bearings, plus I am posting in the morning with only one cup of coffee inside me. I think I will edit that sentence out of my post and save it for a Ronald Coleman thread. Thanks for the alert. |
|
|
|
Post by Doghouse6 on May 14, 2017 16:12:56 GMT
Please forgive a small correction: that was Ronald Colman in A Tale Of Two Cities. Considering Donat in the role provides an interesting thought experiment. Yikes! That's more than a "small correction." That is a hide-your-head-in-shame, leave town, change your name, and get plastic surgery kind of mistake. In my own defense, both Donat and Coleman have distinctive voices and physical bearings, plus I am posting in the morning with only one cup of coffee inside me. I think I will edit that sentence out of my post and save it for a Ronald Coleman thread. Thanks for the alert. Well, y'know, we've all been there. And it's a completely understandable synaptic wrong turn...not like misremembering, say, Marjorie Main as Gilda. So please don't go to all that trouble; we like you just as you are. Oh, and props to Matt for beating me to the punch. |
|
|
|
Post by london777 on May 14, 2017 16:21:26 GMT
A generally unknown but quite good film is called The Adventures Of Tartu ... This is true hidden gem well worth looking for. You do not have to look far. It is out of copyright and widely available as a free download in mp4 format. For example here: The Adventures Of Tartu |
|
|
|
Post by mikef6 on May 14, 2017 16:36:21 GMT
Ah, Mike -- wasn't that Ronald Colman as 'Sidney Carton' in TWO CITIES'?? (although I agree that Donat would also have been excellent in the role) Yep, it sure was. My forehead is now totally flat from me slapping it. lol. Thanks. |
|
|
|
Post by mattgarth on May 14, 2017 16:44:27 GMT
I also edited it out, Mike. Like McLaglen says to Cary Grant in GUNGA DIN, 'I did not want the regiment to witness your shame.' :-)
But thanks for creating an interesting thread about a favorite performer.
Another Donat mention -- an early role as Laughton's romantic rival 'Thomas Culpepper' in THE PRIVATE LIFE OF HENRY VIII.
|
|
|
|
Post by london777 on May 14, 2017 17:20:26 GMT
... Laughton's romantic rival 'Thomas Culpepper' in THE PRIVATE LIFE OF HENRY VIII. Not the Glue Man?
Thomas Colpeper, J.P. |
|
|
|
Post by politicidal on May 15, 2017 15:09:54 GMT
I think the only film of his I saw was The 39 Steps (1935) but he was very good in that.
|
|
