Peter O' Toole JEFFREY BERNARD IS UNWELL (1999)

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Richard M Roberts
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Peter O' Toole JEFFREY BERNARD IS UNWELL (1999)

Postby Richard M Roberts » Fri Dec 20, 2013 3:09 pm

Back from California, and bummed about Peter O' Toole, one of the ones we should have figured out a way to keep around permanently.

Here's one of his last really great performances, from the West End stage, not on DVD and finally scared up on Youtube since his passing. If you haven't seen it, take a couple of hours and enjoy his performance as one of Britain's other great cynics:









So long Mr. O'Toole, as Groucho Marx called him, the man with a double-phallic name.



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Re: Peter O' Toole JEFFREY BERNARD IS UNWELL (1999)

Postby Gary Johnson » Sat Dec 21, 2013 2:36 pm

I think we should be amazed he lived as long as he did considering the life he led. Most of his drinking buddies left us in their fifties.

And although he appeared in a lot of turkey's, he himself was never the embarrassment of the project. And that's saying something -- Remember, he was in the cast of SUPERGIRL (1984).
Off the top of my head, I can always enjoy him in NIGHT OF THE GENERALS (67), LORD JIM (65), BECKET (64) -- He's crazier in that than the more touted RULING CLASS (72) -- THE STUNTMAN (79) (which brought him back from purgatory....or where ever actors go when Hollywood believes you are washed up....) and of course, the obscenely perfect MY FAVORITE YEAR (82)....

"I'm not an actor. I'm a movie star!!"

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Re: Peter O' Toole JEFFREY BERNARD IS UNWELL (1999)

Postby Richard M Roberts » Sun Dec 22, 2013 5:35 am

Gary Johnson wrote:I think we should be amazed he lived as long as he did considering the life he led. Most of his drinking buddies left us in their fifties.

And although he appeared in a lot of turkey's, he himself was never the embarrassment of the project. And that's saying something -- Remember, he was in the cast of SUPERGIRL (1984).
Off the top of my head, I can always enjoy him in NIGHT OF THE GENERALS (67), LORD JIM (65), BECKET (64) -- He's crazier in that than the more touted RULING CLASS (72) -- THE STUNTMAN (79) (which brought him back from purgatory....or where ever actors go when Hollywood believes you are washed up....) and of course, the obscenely perfect MY FAVORITE YEAR (82)....

"I'm not an actor. I'm a movie star!!"




We should be amazed that we had him for as long as we did when we nearly lost him to stomach cancer in the mid 1970’s, (his last film could have indeed been Otto Preminger’s horrible ROSEBUD (1975)) and that he continued on for so long with a large amount of his digestive system removed and looking like the carcass the cat dragged out after Thanksgiving for so many decades. But I wager O’Toole was a tough old bugger, and he continued on amazingly on his own terms (I think he only stayed off the booze in toto through the 80’s) still giving off amazing performances even in the paycheck-picker-uppers he was forced as so many aging but brilliant Brit Actors are to do as their careers go on.

So many great films and TV Movies apart from the ones mentioned: MURPHYS WAR (1971), ROGUE MALE (1977), ZULU DAWN (1979), HIGH SPIRITS (1988, cut to ribbons in it’s released form, but O’Toole is delightful in it), a wild Brit TV version of UNCLE SILAS (1989, released here as DARK ANGEL), and, one of my favorites, the 1995 BBC version of P.G. Wodehouse’s HEAVY WEATHER (1995), with O’Toole playing classic British Upper-Class Twit as Clarence, the Pig-obsessed Earl of Emsworth. His last great part had to be the 2006 VENUS, but he still soldiered on being riveting in whatever he did, regardless of the quality of the surrounding production.

His was just one of these last remaining bits of quality from the 20th Century that drifted over into the 21st, now irreplaceable, rare, and getting rarer all the time. He will be missed.


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Re: Peter O' Toole JEFFREY BERNARD IS UNWELL (1999)

Postby Gary Johnson » Sun Dec 22, 2013 11:54 am

Richard, I thought you might enjoy this if you haven't stumbled across it before. Two of your favorite actors, Mr. O' Toole and Mr. Welles together on BBC's Monitor in 1963 discussing Hamlet with the host and a academician. The two actors are in perfect sync with each other, agreeing on every point, while constantly shooting down the thoughts of the Shakespearian expert.
Both Orson and Peter seem to be enjoying themselves fully.

http://youtu.be/smMa38CZCSU

(I couldn't get the UTube button to work for me...)

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Re: Peter O' Toole JEFFREY BERNARD IS UNWELL (1999)

Postby Richard M Roberts » Sun Dec 22, 2013 1:51 pm

Gary Johnson wrote:Richard, I thought you might enjoy this if you haven't stumbled across it before. Two of your favorite actors, Mr. O' Toole and Mr. Welles together on BBC's Monitor in 1963 discussing Hamlet with the host and a academician. The two actors are in perfect sync with each other, agreeing on every point, while constantly shooting down the thoughts of the Shakespearian expert.
Both Orson and Peter seem to be enjoying themselves fully.

http://youtu.be/smMa38CZCSU

(I couldn't get the UTube button to work for me...)



I have it, but thanks for posting it. Unfortunately incomplete, but it is great to hear both O'Toole and Welles talk HAMLET.

O'Toole was either an intelligent, interesting interview, or a games player if he didn't like the interviewer. He'd show up completely shloshed for a Carson interview, or answer David Letterman's questions with only a nod (though he seemed to loosen up with Letterman later on and have fun with him), but there are many marvelous, thoughtful interviews with more savvy folk like Charlie Rose here in the States or any number of British Interviewers.

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Re: Peter O' Toole JEFFREY BERNARD IS UNWELL (1999)

Postby Mike O'Regan » Mon Dec 23, 2013 6:20 pm

I've seen this play. It was, indeed, excellent. I used to be an avid reader of Bernards column here in the Daily Mirror, back in the day. O'Toole was the business in this role, though even he would not have been able to keep up with Jeffrey when it came to drinking.

I haven't seen O'Toole in anything for years. I think the last thing I watched was The Stuntman back in the early 80's.

RIP


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