VIDEO UPDATE : JOAN ARRIVES IN AMSTERDAM! APRIL 19TH 2012..

Joan has safely arrived in Amsterdam for her sell out run at The De LaMar Theatre Friday and Saturday night.. I look forward to popping over for the weekend to catch the show.. Watch this space! Here is a short video of Joan arriving at her hotel!

PHOTO OF THE DAY : JOAN'S GOT THE LOOK.. OF THE 80'S ...

This classic 80's image features Joan in full Alexis mode..

DVD ALERT : DYNASTY SEASON 8 .. REG 2 DVD .. JULY 2012..

Delighted to learn that season 8 of 'Dynasty' will be released by Paramount on July 30th in the UK & Ireland... Pre-order link coming soon!

TV ALERT : ELIZABETH TAYLOR : AUCTION OF A LIFETIME . TONIGHT!!. C4 .. APRIL 18TH 2012



WITH LIZA

WITH MICKEY ROONEY

Just to mention that a wonderful feature length documentary about the life of the legendary Dame Elizabeth Taylor, told by way of her equally legendary possessions recently sold through Christie's auctions in New York and London.. Joan has contributed to the programme along with Liza Minnelli, Mickey Rooney, Gianni Bulgari, Valentino and many more.. Filmed in London, Paris, Rome, New York and Los Angeles at locations including The Dorchester and The Ritz.. The programme airs tonight at 21.00 on Channel 4 in the UK & Ireland....

PHOTO OF THE DAY : A PERFECT POSE FOR JOAN!

This promo shot from the mid 80's features Joan in a stunning pose!

PHOTO OF THE DAY : JOAN'S A HEAD AND SHOULDER ABOVE THE BEST!

This stunning shot of Joan from the 80's was taken during a magazine shoot....

PHOTO OF THE DAY : ALEXIS GIVES JOAN A BREAK!

This photo features Joan taking a break from filming an episode of Dynasty....

PHOTO OF THE DAY : PRETTY IN A PICTURE..THAT'S JOAN!

This photo from 1982 features Joan with her portrait by Patrick Nagel, famous for his art deco style portraits, he also designed the covers for Duran Duran's albums and portraits for Playboy!

50'S FOCUS : THE SQUARE RING 1953

THE J. ARTHUR RANK ORGANISATION
Presents
AN EALING STUDIOS FILM

THE SQUARE RING
       starring

             Jack Warner    Robert Beatty    Maxwell Reed     Bill Owen    Kay Kendall    Bernadette O' Farrell
                       Eddie Byrne   Sidney James   Alfie Bass   Bill Travers   Ronald Lewis   Joan Sims
                                                          and  Joan Collins as Frankie
    Art Director - Jim Morahan   Edited by Peter Bezencenet  Director of Photography - Otto Heller
Screenplay by Robert Westerby  From a play by Ralph W Peterson   Additional Dialogue - Peter Myers
     Assistant Director - Norman Priggen  Produced by Michael Relph   Directed by Basil Dearden

              (c) 1953   Ealing Films .. 83 MINS .. B/W .. REG 2 DVD - OPTIMUM BLASSICS

Made in 1953, Joan plays the small role of  Frankie, the girlfriend of a disillusioned boxer played by her then real life husband, Maxwell Reed. The film relates the events of an evening at a provincial boxing stadium an was originally a stage play by Ralph W. Peterson. Reed plays Rick Martell, a boxer known for throwing fights, who has lost all his self respect and hides it behind a mask of pure bravado! Life was almost imitating art as Reed himself was feeling less than adequate, blaming Joan for upstaging him in their scenes together. She felt uneasy around him and the frightened look she conveys in the film was not all down to her acting!
Critics at the time of it's release gave the film mixed reviews, one commenting that:
" An uneven mix. Veering between comedy and tragedy."

Joan at this time was beginning to become fed up of been a Rank starlet, as she hated the roles she was been offered. She was also dissatisfied with the incompetence of the hairdressers and makeup artists they employed. She was appalled at the levels of makeup she had to wear,"Three inches of slop", she commented in an interview in 1980. But it did teach her to properly clean her face every evening, of all makeup, she also started to do her own makeup on film sets, which she still does to this day.
After "The Square Ring", Rank had no other roles for both Joan and Reed, so they decided to accept a limited run of the Pulitzer prize winning Thornton Wilder play "The Skin of Our Teeth". In it Joan played the part of Sabina, a maid and a temptress in the household of George Antrobus, played by Reed. Joan was not only delighted with the excellent reviews she received, but also that she had proved her RADA bosses wrong, in that she was a film star who could take the lead in a West End role. Kay Kendall also makes an appearance in the film, she earlier appeared in Joan's first film "Lady Godiva Rides Again". Kay was eager to do comedy roles, but she was under contract to Rank and had to contend with the roles they gave her.
She commented at the time.
" It has ponderous dialogue. I had to wear pincushion shaped costumes and a wig that made me look like Danny Kaye in drag!"
A TV version starring Sean Connery in the role of Rick, along with Alan Bates was broadcast as an ITV play of the week in 1958.
"The Square Ring" is classic British movie making with a cast of familiar faces including "Carry On" favorites Sidney James and Joan Sims and is made in the true Ealing tradition.

    (c)  2010    Mark Mc Morrow...

DVD FLASHBACK : THE SQUARE RING .. OPTIMUM CLASSIC .. REGION 2 .. 2008 ..

This 2008 reg 2 dvd release from Optimum Classics features Joan's 1953 boxing drama 'The Square Ring', in which she played the small role of Frankie, girlfriend of one of the boxer's, Rick, played by her then husband, Maxwell Reeed... This Ealing Studios production is presented in an excellant print, with no extras..

PHOTO OF THE DAY : JOAN A PERFECT POSER!

This shot from the late 70's features a lovely shot of Joan.....

DVD ALERT : TALES THAT WITNESS MADNESS .. OLIVE FILMS .. JUNE 2012

Delighted to learn that Joan's 1973 portmanteau film 'Tales That Witness Madness', will be released on dvd/blu-ray by Olive Films on June 26th on Region 1.. This shocker has a wonderful cast including Kim Novak, Jack Hawkins, Donald Pleasence and Georgia Brown.. Thrilled that it finally gets a dvd release! You can pre-order from link on the side-bar.....

PHOTO OF THE DAY : THOSE WERE THE GOOD OLD DAYS!

This photo from 2011 features Joan with old friend interior designer Nicky Haslam, whom she met up with at Ivan Massow's birthday party......

PROMO UPDATE : HELLO! APRIL 16TH 2012

Joan features in this week's Hello! magazine on sale now! You can read the two page article below!

PHOTO OF THE DAY : HATS OFF TO JOAN.. SHE'S SURE ALL WHITE!

This stylish 70's shot of Joan see's her wearing the fashions of the time!

PHOTO EXTRA : CHARLES IS A TEASER WITH THE WOMEN WHO LUNCHES!

Joan had a lovely Easter lunch at Club 55 i St Tropez with friends with top celebrity hairstylist Charles Worthington, tv presenter Gloria Hunniford and artist Trace Emin.. Thanks to Joan for sharing this photo..

PHOTO OF THE DAY : HIGH FLYER JOAN..NEVER TAKES THE BUS!

This unusual shot features Joan in a scene from the 1957 drama 'The Wayward Bus', which concerned a group of stranded bus passengers..

DVD FLASHBACK : COSH BOY ... VCI ENTERTAINMENT ..

Continuing my roundup of dvd releases of Joan's film's, the 1952 crime drama 'Cosh Boy', screened in this release under it's American title of 'The Slasher', is available as a double bill from VCI Entertainment /Kit Parker Films... Released in 2010 this Region 1 release features a full uncut print of 'Cosh Boy' along with the 1953 melodrama 'Twilight Women' from the same producer.. Both films are enjoyable 50's fare, controversial in their time, with casts featuring many familar faces of the time...'Twilight Women' starred Freda Jackson, who later played Joan's wicked mother in 'The Good Die Young', Rene Ray also appeared in 'Good', while Lois Maxwell starred in Joan's earlier film 'The Woman's Angle' and Dora Bryan was in 'Lady Godiva Rides Again',.. Joan's good friend Laurence Harvey appears as a gangster, a role he frequently played.. Both films are well worth a view and great to have both on the same disc!

50'S FLASHBACK : COSH BOY 1952

INDEPENDENT FILM PRODUCERS
PRESENTS
A ROMULUS PRODUCTION
From LIPPERT PICTURES

COSH BOY

starring

JOAN COLLINS as RENE ..
With
JAMES KENNEY      ROBERT AYRES     BETTY ANN DAVIES     HERMIONE BADDELY
 NANCY ROBERTS   HERMIONE GINGOLD   LAURENCE NAISMITH    JOHNNY BRIGGS
         IAN WHITTAKER   SIDNEY JAMES
   Director of Photography - Jack Asher      Art Director - Bernard Robinson  Edited by Charles Hasse
        Music by Lambert Williamson  Screenplay by Lewis Gilbert & Vernon Harris from the stage play -
          "Master Crook" by Bruce Walker   Assistant Director - John Bremer  Produced by Daniel M Angel
                                Directed by Lewis Gilbert ....
    (c)  Romulus 1952  ...   73 mins ..  B/W .. Region 1 DVD from VCI ENTERTAINMENT ..

Made in 1952, "Cosh Boy" was adapted from the play "Master Crook", by Bruce Walker, which also starred James Kenney, who plays the villian Roy, in this film version.  Released around the same time as the notorious court case of Derek Bentley, the young backward boy hanged for the murder of a policeman, partly because his accomplice Christopher Craig, was too young to hang. "Cosh Boy" fell foul of the British censors of the time as they picked up on the similarities in the case and the character of Alfie (Whittaker) is simple and takes the blame for the crimes committed by the thug Roy (Kenney). The censors awarded the film the first of the new X Certificate for adult themed films. They also softened some of the coshing scenes as they were deemed strong content for the time.  Critics commented...

SUNDAY  GRAPHIC  :

" I don't remember such an outcry when it was played on the London stage. I suppose they assume that theatregoers are far steadier fellows than the film public!"

The film was shot at Riverside studios and Hammersmith, with Joan playing another of her teen gone bad roles, although the character of Rene is more virginal than in the other of her "Coffee Bar Jezebel" roles! Rene although fond of a good time, either at the local dance club or a day out on the river, still manages to convey an innocence, which is apparent when she is ambushed into a sexual situation with the ruffian Roy. Joan looks stunning and she brings a touch of youthful glamour to a drab looking London! Incidentally Hermione Baddeley plays Joan's mother in the film, a real battleaxe, who Joan herself had a run in with. Hermione who lived with Joan's old RADA mate Laurence Harvey, didn't take kindly to pretty young actresses and told Joan to her face, " So! This is the new Jean Simmons! Let me tell you, my dear, Jean has nothing to worry about! You don't have her looks. You don't have her talent! And you certainly don't have half the things the papers have been saying about you!" Hermione was obviously typecast, as she plays a ferocious old harridan in this film!  Hermione Gingold also appears as the dotty hooker Queenie and she also appears in Joan's later film "Our Girl Friday". James Kenney later turns up in "The Good Die Young", while Laurence Naismith appears with Joan in later productions, "Quest For Love" and "The Persuaders".
"Cosh Boy" is influenced by Italian neo realist films such as "Bicycle Thieves", it also has the distinction of been banned in Sweden and Birmingham!
More recently the British Film Institute put "Cosh Boy" on the shortlist for it's " 100 Greatest Films of All Time".
While not as shocking today as it must have seemed in the fifties, it still was a film ahead of it's time and deserves it's place in British film history!

(2010) Mark Mc Morrow.....

PHOTO OF THE DAY : LAID BACK JOANIE KEEPS THE PRESS AT ARMS LENGTH!

This rare shot features Joan posing in her London home, sometime in the early 70's.....