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I loved Diana's work and once got to work with her but as for being our best Star.
She was good at what she did.
Aitch,
As yesterday was Dianas birthday I intend give you this proposition .It is that Miss Dors was the greatest female movie star Britain has ever produced, an actress of exceptional talent greatly underused.From the Huggetts to Yield to the night and finally Steaming she had a screen presence more than her Monroe type looks,but her celebrity life loomed large over her acting ability and her honesty and candour shone through terrible, comical and dramatic real life.If you take the literal meaning of the term "movie star" and what it means in todays terms ,Diana takes the title as Britains greatest female movie star.
Rant and homage over.
I loved Diana's work and once got to work with her but as for being our best Star.
She was good at what she did.
Aitch,
I saw a fascinating documentary a couple of years ago Who Got Diana Dors' Millions where her son Mark Dawson was trying to track down her missing money. She had a coded system for bank accounts in different names all over the country, and the code was so good it proved difficult for even seasoned professional code breakers to unravel. This revealed the lady to have an exceptionally high degree of intelligence, but I would assume that just like Monroe and Jayne Mansfield, the blonde hair and bimbo facade was all people were interested in.(harryfielder @ Oct 26 2005, 12:23 PM)
I loved Diana's work and once got to work with her but as for being our best Star
She was good at what she did.
Aitch,
I think she started to gain respect more as an actress when she put on weight and the glamour faded and the real character actress in her came to the fore. Unfortunately for Monroe and Mansfield they both died very young and so remain forever immortalised as blonde bimbos.
I saw her briefly in person when I was a child, she came to Sheringham in the early 70s during carnival week.
There are other female actors who have been better at the craft. But she was probably best at the self-publicity necessary for being a "Star" in the Hollywood sense.(harryfielder @ Oct 26 2005, 11:23 AM)
I loved Diana's work and once got to work with her but as for being our best Star
She was good at what she did.
Aitch,
She was always worth watching and it's a shame that it was only when she grew older that people began to realise how good she really was. But then again, it was the blonde bombshell image that got her noticed in the first place. It's a tough business.
Steve
Liz Taylor?(Steve Crook @ Oct 26 2005, 12:48 PM)
There are other female actors who have been better at the craft. But she was probably best at the self-publicity necessary for being a "Star" in the Hollywood sense.
FELL
Wasn't Joan Collins in the same British film starlet training school as Ms Dors? Joan Collins showed a lot of promise as a young actress but most people associate her with much later work in efforts like The Stud and Dynasty.(Fellwanderer @ Oct 26 2005, 02:14 PM)
Liz Taylor?
FELL
I'd completely forgotten about Joan Collins.(samkydd @ Oct 26 2005, 01:23 PM)
Wasn't Joan Collins in the same British film starlet training school as Ms Dors? Joan Collins showed a lot of promise as a young actress but most people associate her with much later work in efforts like The Stud and Dynasty.
The Stud and Dynasty
FELL
I certainly did! So what was it all about then?
Samkydd: You didn't really believe all that clap trap about the coded message!
Another good contender. OK, I'll say that Dors was "One of the best" at self-publicity.(Fellwanderer @ Oct 26 2005, 01:14 PM)
Liz Taylor?
FEL
Steve
Some Screenonline Updates for April, at:
http://www.screenonline.org.uk
Feature on Diana Dors, with film reviews:
http://www.screenonline.org.uk/peopl...051/index.html
Including a new review for (among others) 'Diamond City':
http://www.screenonline.org.uk/film/...593/index.html
Mansfield was far from being a bimbo - she had an IQ of 149. Yep, she's a fave of mine.Monroe and Mansfield they both died very young and so remain forever immortalised as blonde bimbos.
Spotlight on JAYNE MANSFIELD
I worked on camera with Diana in the 70s in Just William. I was a mere 14 yrs old but she was like a mother to all the kids in the LWT show. She was one of the nicest people I have ever worked with. 100% from me...(A Pemberton @ Oct 24 2005, 08:20 PM)
As yesterday was Dianas birthday I intend give you this proposition .It is that Miss Dors was the greatest female movie star Britain has ever produced, an actress of exceptional talent greatly underused.From the Huggetts to Yield to the night and finally Steaming she had a screen presence more than her Monroe type looks,but her celebrity life loomed large over her acting ability and her honesty and candour shone through terrible, comical and dramatic real life.If you take the literal meaning of the term "movie star" and what it means in todays terms ,Diana takes the title as Britains greatest female movie star.
Rant and homage over
MrPastry - as a lifelong "Just William" and Richmal Crompton fan (and there are a few more on this board) I'd love to hear about your involvment with this series.(MrPastry @ Apr 4 2006, 06:37 PM)
I worked on camera with Diana in the 70s in Just William. I was a mere 14 yrs old but she was like a mother to all the kids in the LWT show. She was one of the nicest people I have ever worked with. 100% from me...
Thanks
Rob
Diana Dors was/is a true icon of British films.
I was lucky enough to meet her back in the early 1980's on the Six O'clock Show (A Friday night teatime show hosted by Michael Aspel) at the, then, LWT studios here in London.
After the show Diana stayed behind to chat to us (my friend and I) and kindly gave us her autograph and posed for a photo with us.
A true lady, a true star and a great actress.
We miss you Diana.
Obviously I'm not allowed to read The Chap magazine but the current issue may be of interest
The Chap - MAGAZINE
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