That's right. I shouldn't admit to knowing this, but one of the episodes in which Grainger/Brough performs his WSC impression is when the staff are camping out overnight in tents on the shop floor. Although by no means a great actor, Brough had performed impressions of Churchill during the War, when he was performing with ENSA (the Entertainment National Service Association). He resembled him more and more as the years passed (or perhaps I should say he increasingly resembled an exaggerated caricature of WSC), particularly when wearing his spectacles. RHM
Date: Thu, 26 Sep 2013 13:22:38 -0400 From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [ChurchillChat] Re: 'Churchill', narrated by Sir Ian McKellen On a couple of occasions on the show Mr. Grangier did adopt the Churchill persona, as it was obvious that he was a natural. I can't remember which episodes or what about, but probably having to do with overcoming his natural meekness and show a determination to resist the strictures of Captain Peacock. Joseph L. Hern Attorney at Law 156 State Street Boston, MA 02109-2585 tel: (617) 248-1919 cel: (617) 773-1919 fax: (617) 248-6844 email: [email protected] On September 26, 2013 at 4:20 AM Grimsdyke <[email protected]> wrote: Gosh, now that you've mentioned this, I don't think I'd registered this about Are You being Served although I've watched it often in its time. Thank you very much for pointing it out, Charlie. I shall scour the shelves for a copy of one of the episodes, and hope to catch Arthur Brough's vocal delivery. I like the way you've described the effect it had on you to see and hear him! On Thursday, September 26, 2013 5:11:20 AM UTC+12, Charles Montgomery wrote: One of the most Churchillian(to me) actors I have seen was Arthur Brough 1905-1978 who appeared as a regular as Mr. Grainger on the British comedy, Are You Being Served, for several years. I always liked his character and thought he looked and sounded like Churchill without even trying. His bald head, face, cheeks, scowl, and timbre made me think, "Never surrender." when I saw him. I did look but could not find any credits to him which indicated he ever played Churchill in his long career. Charlie From: Grimsdyke <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Sent: Wednesday, September 25, 2013 12:21 AM Subject: [ChurchillChat] Re: 'Churchill', narrated by Sir Ian McKellen Hello Pat :-)...to be honest, I haven't yet heard any actor with quite the timbre that Churchill had. In 'Into the Storm' I was impressed with Brendon Gleeson's portrayal of WSC. His out-thrust jaw, the pugnacity of his expression, the stoop that he affected - these were all very close to the original. I don't quite remember the voice, but from what I do remember, it certainly was better - to a huge degree, than the 'Churchill' voice on McKellen's documentary. On Wednesday, September 25, 2013 5:36:12 AM UTC+12, PatFinn1940 wrote: Hi, Grimsdyke-- I am definitely a great admirer of Churchill; I have been for as long as I can remember. My earliest recollection of the great man is the documentary series 'The Valiant Years', which I watched as a child. And I also remember watching his funeral service on TV. Who do you think would have been a better reader of Churchill's words in this particular documentary? I took it for granted that the person knew what he was doing; as an American, I am not as well acquainted with 'Churchill voice-imposters' as many British Churchillians might be. I'm just curious. (And I am opening that question up to everyone here on the board, BTW.) And thanks for your kind words. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "ChurchillChat" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/churchillchat. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "ChurchillChat" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/churchillchat. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "ChurchillChat" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/churchillchat. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
