Its been over twenty five since Carol White’s death
and most film fans have probable forgotten her but during the late 1960s, Carol
White was considered one of the most promising actresses in British cinema.
Born in 1943 in Hammersmith, London, she worked in the entertainment business
from the age of ten when she attended London’s Corona Drama School, and within
a short time she had made her film debut in a children’s film called Circus Friends (1956). After a wee part
as a schoolgirl in Carry on Teacher (1959)
she filmed what was to be her first love scene at the age of sixteen in the
film Never Let Go (1960) opposite
Peter Sellers and, boyfriend at the time, Adam Faith. A number of roles
followed including The Man in the Back
Seat (1961) and Gaolbreak
(1962) before her
breakthrough role in BBC TV’s Cathy Come
Home (1966) preceded by another BBC TV play Up the Junction (1965) both of which were directed by Ken Loach and
launched her on the road to international stardom.
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| Circus Friends 1956. |
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| Carry on Teacher 1959. |
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| 1960. |
Unfortunately alcoholism and drug abuse damaged her
career, and from the early 1970s she worked infrequently. Carol White died on
September 16th 1991 in Florida, at the age of 48.
Beat Girl (Wild for
Kicks) 1960.
“Psychologists think most human neurosis comes from too much
contact with other human beings” so says wealthy Paul Lindon (David Farrar) who
has just brought his new French wife Nichole (French actress Noelle Adam) home following
their wedding in Paris. The 24-year-old French beauty is only half the
prominent architects age, something that strikes home when she meets Paul’s
daughter, the rebellious Jennifer (Brigette Bardot wonnabee Gillian Hills), who
immediately takes a dislike to her stepmother. The large austere family home
that all three now share has few homely attractions. Jennifer describes it as a
morgue with Nichole commenting on the houses barrenness - all of which does not
help its repressive constraining atmosphere.
The films narrative centres on the relationship between the
two women and an area of London known as Soho. Nichole has a past to hide that
involves an old friend called Greta (B-Movie actress Delphi Lawrence) who is
the star performer at a strip club owned by her boyfriend Kenny King
(Christopher Lee taking a break from Hammer Films). Jennifer’s frequents the
Soho Coffee Bars where mainly spoilt little rich kids hang out listening and
dancing to ‘cool decadent jazz’. They include the obligatory working class lad
Dave (good use of pop singer Adam Faith in his first film, although his second
movie, along side girlfriend of the time Carol White, Never Let Go (1960) had already been released), Tony, a general’s
son whose mother was killed in the Blitz, who drinks to much (played by Peter
McEnery also in his debut movie, an actor who had a prominent role in Victim in 1961 along side Dirk
Bogarde) and Tony’s well bred girlfriend Dodo (Shirley Anne Field who famously
played Arthur Seaton’s girlfriend Doreen in Saturday Night and Sunday Morning
(1960))
Directed by French filmmaker Edmond T Greville Beat
Girl (1960) or as it was known in the USA Wild for Kicks, is a product of its time with its dodgy script and
terrible corny dialog. There were small roles for Oliver Reed and Carol
White and a larger one for Nigel Green, best known for his role as Colonel
Ross in The Ipcress File (1965) and
who also appeared in a range of British movies including the thriller The Man Who Finally Died (1963) alongside Stanley Baker. Also
making his debut was composer John Barry with his first movie commission.
Incidentally the films soundtrack was the first to be released on a LP (a large
piece of vinyl with a picture cover!). Filmed at the MGM-British Film Studios
at Borehamwood Hertfordshire its location shooting took place in Soho London
with club scenes filmed in the Chislehurst Caves in Kent, Southern England.
This was another of
these films’ that received critically bad reviews but was popular with
cinemagoers. It had problems with the censor that delayed its general release.
The setbacks were down to displays of topless nudity and strip tease along with
scenes of juvenile delinquency involving public road racing and ‘playing’
chicken on a railway line! The movie was
eventually given an adult only “X” certificate; thankfully my copy of the DVD
was the uncut version that certainly made it a more appealing piece of British
cinematic history.
Never Let Go (1960)
Carol White was only sixteen when she appeared in John
Guillermin's 1960 British thriller Never Let Go and if I remember
rightly, still at stage school. She appeared as Jackie, Lionel Meadows’s very
young girlfriend someone he continually threatens and abuses, and who turns out
to be the weak link in his gangland operation. Meadows, a crooked car dealer
who handles stolen cars is played by Peter Sellers in one of his very rare
straight roles. Richard Todd plays John Cummings a struggling toiletry salesman
who struggles to buy a Ford Anglia that he requires for his job. The car is
stolen by a petty thief Tommy Towers (singer Adam Faith in an early Budgie type
role) an incident that sets off a series of events that leads to lethal
consequences.
British movies of this era were beginning to
demonstrate a less comfortable view of the criminal fraternity and a less
flattering one of the police. The film reveals how a middle aged family man
(Cummings) takes the law into his own hands to extract revenge when, in his
opinion, the police are not acting quick enough in solving the crime and
retrieving his stolen car. A violent film, with a good original story, that
gives an insight into British Society as it entered a more affluent age. Some
very believable acting from all involved with Sellers at his scary best, look
out for the expertly staged fight scene at the end of the film, great stuff.
The Man in the Back
Seat 1961.
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The British B-movie was essentially a low budget film,
quickly made and destined for the bottom half of the double bill that was the
normal cinema programmes from around 1930 to 1965. They were normally shown
before the interval and were characteristically shorter than the main feature,
anything between 55 to 75 minutes and typically belonging to the thriller or
comedy genres and would use the modern dress of the day saving unnecessary
expense. These films generally went unnoticed by the critics of the day. Some studios used them to showcase new talent
while some directors used them as a stepping-stone to obtain the ‘glorious
heights’ of the main feature. A small
amount of directors who made major films in the 1940’s used B-movies to prolong
their careers into the late 1950’s and early 1960’s. One such director was Vernon Sewell who made
B-movies with a touch of flair that in fact was missing from many of them.
One such crime thriller was The Man in the Back Seat
that was unusually stylish and gripping for a 1961 British B-movie. Malcolm
Hulke, remembered mainly for his work on the TV series Doctor Who, wrote the screenplay, along with Eric Paice, based on a
story by the English crime writer Edgar Wallace. This extremely well plotted
story is a prime example of narrative writing at its very best where one things
leads quite literally to the next in a way that never wastes a moment of its 57
minute running time, something one or two of our modern directors could learn
from.
The movie is superbly shoot at night in crisp black and
white by Reginald Wyer and stars four main named actors, Darren Nesbit (Where Eagles Dare 1968) as the cold
hearted Tony, Keith Faulkner, who you will recognise as Bob Cherry in Billy Bunter and Ginger in Just William, as Tony’s easily
influenced best mate Frank who in turn is married to Jean a very young looking
Carol White, who was 18 years old when the film was released but whose acting
skills are already showing great promise. Harry Locke, a well-known British
character actor plays Joe Carter the unfortunate bookie - mind you he does not
have very much to say, spending most of the film unconscious!
The basic premise of this tense wee movie involves two petty
crooks Tony and Frank in the robbery of a bookie at the local dog track.
Unbeknown to our two rather incompetent villains Joe Carter has strapped his
moneybag to his wrist by means of a set of police handcuffs! So to relieve the comatose
book maker of the evenings takings they have to remove Joe, still attached to
his bag, and shift him in the back of his own saloon car: not exactly what they
had planned playing yo-yo with the body and all the time digging themselves a
bigger hole in which to climb out of. As I intimated before, a cracking B-movie
that is a credit to all those involved in it.
A Matter of WHO 1961 UK.
Described as a
drama/thriller, the problem is Terry Thomas. Following a string of comedy films
Thomas accepted what should have been a straight role to stretch his acting
ability but it did not work. It would seem on this evidence quite incapable for
him to act out a character that's meant to be taken seriously. But even so that's
not to say the film is laugh a minute, just some daft moments that includes a
wee vintage car. The main draw back is you can't take Don Chaffey’s movie, A
Matter of WHO (1961), as an engagingly realistic thriller, more of a
dull unfunny comedy, which is a shame as it has quite a good story line.
World Health
Organisation Investigator Archibald Bannister (Thomas) is tasked with tracking
down the source of a smallpox infection to stop an epidemic. It’s when a flight
lands at a London Airport on route from Nice in the South of France that
Stephan Cooper is found to have smallpox. Cooper and his attractive wife
Michele (Berlin born Sonja Ziemann) are due to be met by his oil exploration
partner Edward Kennedy (American Alex Nicol) - both men work for an Independent
Oil Company. The back-story is a B-Movie type criminal plot involving oil
exploration rights.
"Germs
are smarter than people" seems quite an adequate tagline. My initial interest
in this movie steams from a cast list that includes the underrated Carol White,
a special favourite of Movie Ramble. Also featured are Honor Blackman and an
early role for Richard Briers. Based on a story by Patricia Lee and Paul
Dickson with a screenplay by Milton Holmes it has Roy Castle singing the theme
song. Made at MGM British Studios at Boreham Wood, the Alpine sequences were
filmed on location in Austria.
Gaolbreak (1962)
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| Carol in 1962. |
Francis Searle, an English film director, writer and
producer who started making one-reel shorts in 1936, was known for making good
quality B-movies in the 50’s and 60’s with very little finance and minimal
resources, generally bringing them in under budget and within time. The only
‘A’ film he directed was A Girl in a
Million in 1946 which was written by Muriel and Sydney Box and starred Hugh
Williams, Joan Greenwood and Basil Radford. His sixty minute Gaolbreak is typical of the crime
drama’s he was famous for. It does not generate a great deal of excitement and
looks pretty tame by today’s standards, even the criminals don’t swear! Although
it still warrants a look as one of Carol White early credited roles where her
anguished role-playing stands out amongst the more experienced cast
members.
I’ll Never Forget What’s ‘Is Name (1967)
How Britain changed since the beginning of the
sixties. Just compare the difference between Carol White’s roles from 1960’s Never
Let Go with 1967s I’ll Never Forget What’s ‘Is Name in which
she plays, what was called at the time,’ a dolly bird’ in fact there where
quite a few dolly birds in Michael Winners swinging London travelogue including
Marianne Faithfull and Wendy Craig. In this movie Carol was listed only behind
such luminaries as Orson Welles and Oliver Reed and her role playing Reeds love
interest warranted, thankfully, a great deal of screen time.
Reed is not always very convincing as advertising guru
Andrew Quint. Quint works for Jonathan Lute (Welles) a monstrous father figure
but he’s had enough, so he chops up his desk with an axe and leaves not only
the firm but also his wife, children and two mistresses. Going back to a job as
a literary agent on a modest magazine he meets secretary Georgina Elben (White)
and falls in love. Lute must entice his main man back to win him a prestigious
advertising award.
Winner’s film is described as a comedy, but that’s not
necessary the case with its disturbing undertones, note the human hunt that
takes place at the posh school reunion and footage of atomic bomb explosions
and Nazi mass graves. The movie is credited with being the first mainstream
film to use the word fuck in its dialogue when Miss Faithfull shouts at Mr.
Reed ‘You fucking bastard’ (and you thought it was the Sex Pistols?) Also the
Americans apparently were not too happy with a scene that implied oral sex
between Reed and Carol White! The 1960’s have a lot to answer for?
Slave Girls
(Prehistoric Women) (1967)
Following the success of One Million Years
BC (1966), which you may remember starred a scanty clad Raquel Welch,
Hammer Films began making a number of historical period pieces which became
known collectively as ‘Hammer Clamour” thanks to the inclusion of young beautiful
starlets and visual lavishness but done with a minimal budget. One of these
films Slave Girls (1967), originally released in the USA
as Prehistoric Women, formed part of what was unofficially referred to as
the “fur bikini” trilogy, along with When Dinosaurs Ruled The
Earth (1970) and the film which provided all the left over sets and
costumes, One Million Years BC (waste not, want not).
While working as a guide on an African safari a hunter,
David (an unconvincing Michael Latimer) ends up a captive of a hostile tribe of
warriors who worship the spirit of a white rhinoceros. Somehow or another he
ends up back in prehistoric time where bikini clad dark haired women rule, any
unfortunate women with blonde hair are used as slaves and entertainment for the
cruel raven haired amazon Queen Kari (Martine Beswick). The men are viewed as
inferior and are kept locked up! David falls for one of the blonde’s, Saria
(Edina Roney) and all hell breaks loose because the queen wants David for her
own use (nudge nudge wink wink). Will our intrepid hunter escape from the
possessive queen and rescue his blonde bimbo and return to his own
time?
Well if you’re found of b-movie’s, scanty clad girls, a bit
of animal worship, coupled with weak dialog, a corny storyline and some dodgy
acting this is the film for you. Hammer has certainly made better movies!
Directed by Michael Carreras who worked exclusively for Hammer Films normally
as a producer or executive producer and only on a rare occasion as director.
Why did I want to see this particular movie? Well the reason is that one of my
favourite British actresses had a small part in it, in fact a very small part indeed,
which surprised me considering how high up the cast list she appears. I must
make a point of finding out why Carol White appeared in this particular film
considering she was reaching the pinnacle of her career. This film was released
after Cathy Come Home (1966) and before Poor Cow (1967).
Poor Cow (1967)
Ken Loach was never happy with this his first feature film
but if he had not completed it he would never have developed his own distinct
thump print on the many films that followed. Forced by film industry
conventions Poor Cow (1967) gave him a lesson in how not to direct for the
cinema.
Poor Cow was based
on the book of the same name by Nell Dunn and written after Up The Junction, which was made into a
Wednesday Play by Loach in 1965 along with two other TV plays The Coming Out Party (1965) and the
exceptional Cathy Come Home in 1966.
All of which starred Carol White, the last of which was probable the best
received of all her work. Based on this previous work with Carol, Loach was
happy to cast her as Joy, the leading role in Poor Cow.
Carol White’s interesting account of the film brought home
its realism and the touch of naivety that made her such a catch for Loach. I
quote from the New York Times dated 10th February 1968 ‘Nell Dunn
wrote it (Poor Cow) about a girl she met in the slums, said
White. ‘Gosh! I hope her husband in prison hasn’t seen it, because she’ll
really get it. I guess he has, though. Do they show movies in prison? We wanted
to show what can happen to a girl in the slums. These people really exist. They
don’t ask for much in life, but their own lack of knowledge about life and
their ignorance about how to get a job and get out of their environment does
them in. Even if you’re pretty, your accent loses you the job, and you fall
back on the easy way out – stealing, or nude modelling, or hitting the streets.
I could’ve ended up like that’
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| with Terence Stamp. |
Loach’s documentary approach got the best out of Carol, and
gave her some of the best roles of her career. She stated in her 1982
autobiography Carol Comes Home ‘we had got to the stage where we
communicated by telepathy, if something was wrong with a scene we both knew
what it was before we stopped to discuss it. I trusted him, we just talked out
each scene before we shot it, then we improvised it’ Loach’s biggest regret
was shooting Poor Cow in colour, ‘You can’t stop colour being pretty’
He felt that the film would have been taken a lot more seriously had it been
shot in black and white. Similar to Cathy Come Home, Poor Cow
focuses on the drabness of working class life experienced by the Joys of this
world and still speaks for many today. The film treads a thin line between
fiction and real life, bringing the social concerns and realism of his
television work to the big screen.
While Ken Loach was making Bread and Roses (2000) in
Los Angeles he was approached by Steven Soderbergh requesting permission to use
clips from Poor Cow in a flashback
sequence in his film The Limey (1999) that incidentally also starred
Terence Stamp.
Dulcima (1971)
John Mills plays a
farmer who has the reputation
of drinking most of his money away
allowing his farm to fall into a state of disrepair. He meets a pretty young girl called Dulcima (Carol White) who takes pity on him agreeing
to become his housekeeper. She
is happy to be earning some money
and he’s happy to have some company. Eventually Dulcima moves on to the farm
initially to save a long walk too and from her parent’s home and to keep out of
the way of her bulling father. The farmer finds he's falling in love with his
beautiful young housekeeper and hopes that he can persuade her to marry him.
Complications occur
when Dulcima starts seeing the gamekeeper from the adjoining estate, a man far
nearer her own age, invoking increasing jealousy in the old man. However, one
day she discovers the farmer has a large amount of money hidden away in an upstairs
room and decides it may be well worthwhile agreeing to marry him, but she
begins to fall in love with the gamekeeper.
Directed by Frank
Nesbit Dulcima (1971) evokes the late sixties period brilliantly,
an every day story of Gloucestershire farming folk with underrated performances
from both Carol White and John Mills. This film is only available from
specialist DVD suppliers on the internet, worth tracking down if you enjoy a
good old fashioned tale of love and jealousy, or, if you’re like me, a fan of
Carol White!
Made 1972
I first saw this movie when Hannah McGill introduced
this ultra rare showing of Made at the EIFF in 2010 in which allowed
us to see why Carol White was regarded as such a great talent. Based upon
Howard Bakers stage play No One Was Saved
said to based on the lyrics of the classic Beatles song Eleanor Rigby. Valerie (White) feels caught up in a domestic rut,
coping with the stresses of single-parenthood and dealing with a terminally ill
mother. She meets the rock singer Mike (a rare appearance by singer songwriter
Roy Harper) who injects some much-needed passion in to her life. Two other men
are interested, one a do-gooding priest and the other a wannabe poet who works along
side Valerie at the local telephone exchange. Both of whom she rejects for the
freewheeling singer, a decision that will carry an emotional cost.
John Mackenzie, who had worked with Ken Loach on the
TV plays Up The Junction and Cathy Come Home and who went on to
make The Long Good Friday (1980) gave Made an authentic lived in
feeling, social reality with rock music; it would have been interesting to see
what Ken Loach would of made of it? Hannah McGill described Whites performance
as electrifying, brave and touching to that I must add sensitive and moving.
Unfortunately you may never get another chance to see this movie again as its
now very rare.[1]
Some Call It Loving USA
1973.
Made between Made (1972) and The Squeeze (1977) Some Call It Loving (1973)
was directed and produced by New York born James B Harris who was best known
work was as a producer working with director Stanley Kubrick on The Killing (1956), Paths of Glory (1957) and Lolita
(1962). The movie was also known as Sleeping
Beauty and was based on a short story by John Collier with Harris adapting
the story and writing the script. Filmed in California at the John Paul Getty
mansion in Malibu it offered the newly pregnant Carol White quite a strong role
as Scarlett who was both a religious fanatic and a provoking object of desire
who spends a lot of time on screen dressed in a nun's habit with the remainder
of her time dressed in a collection of garish, flesh revelling gowns.
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| Carol with Veronica Anderson. |
Carol described this bizarre and erotic adult fairy tale "as a
story filled with contradictions in a place where man's fantasies become a
reality". She went on to say that
the plot wasn't always easy to follow and though the underlying theme was aimed
at the intellect, the more obvious, perhaps more exposed, aspects reached
cinema audiences. It explores unconventional sexual and emotional behaviour in
the guise of 'game playing' or as Hollis Albert said in the Saturday Review
"a film that has some of the most elegant eroticism yet seen on the
screen"
 |
| Sleeping Beauty. |
Zalman King, best known for directing episodes of the erotic drama
series Red Shoe Diaries between 1992
and 1997, plays the man living out his fantasy, Robert Troy purchase's a
carnival side show that includes an attractive young lady, played by Mia
Farrow's sister Tisa, who has been asleep for eight years. Richard Pryor plays
a terminally sick alcoholic and Troy’s best friend Jeff. It has been alleged
that Pryor drank himself into a daily stupor just to get into the role!
Veronica Anderson, who was previously seen in the TV series Colombo in 1972, plays Scarlett's female
lover.
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| Tisa Farrow. |
The filming of the movie was plagued with bad luck. A large wooden
crucifix fell from the wall in a church and pinned Carol to the floor, she was
not badly hurt but Tisa Farrow was not as lucky. She had a fall and broke her
arm. Other minor delays and accidents held up the film as well as Carol
becoming sick with stomach pains. When the film was finally released it did not
get good reviews and is not widely available today. But worth sourcing for
Carol White's unusual role as Scarlett.
The Squeeze 1976
This was my fourth film in 2010 EIFF’s Retrospective:
After the Wave, which featured lost and forgotten British Cinema between 1967
and 1979. Overlooked by memory and in some cases technology, many films in this
section are not available on DVD anywhere in the world including the criminally
neglected The Squeeze.
Based on the novel Whose Little Girl Are You by David
Craig it tells the story of an alcoholic ex-police inspector Jim Naboth (Stacy
Keach) who is drinking himself to death. Naboth’s ex-wife Jill (Carol White) is
abducted by sadistic thugs lead by Keith (David Hemmings) and Vic (Stephan
Boyd), to force Jill’s current husband (James Fox) to rob his own security
firm.
A very good 1970’s crime thriller which has the feel
and excitement of an old-fashioned ‘B’ movie, the ones in which censorship was
ignored. Keach gives a terrifyingly authentic performance as an alcoholic.
Freddie Star, who plays Teddy, the ex-cops best friend and career, is a
astounding. Carol White, in a surprisingly frank role gave her normal class
performance.
West London plays a big part in the film with location
shoots at Notting Hill including the regular carnival that takes place each
year and at the West Way junction with its community of social misfits living
below. A great build up to a thrilling climax ended this enjoyable cinematic
treat.
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| Carol White 1966. |
With your hair so white you could light up the night
Burning out like a shooting star
From the stage to The Squeeze, from T.V. to striptease
I loved you in the back of my car
Nobody's gonna tell you what to do
Nobody's gonna mess around with you
You'll never give up the fight, not Carol White
[Chorus]
Cathy come home, where have you been, it's been so long since you went away
From monochrome to the silver screen, the Battersea Bardot, that's what they
say
With that smile in your eyes you could tell me no lies
Play it hard, take the smooth with the rough
Just a pearl in world full of users of girls
One jump ahead for a while, not long enough
Nobody's gonna tell you what to do
Nobody's gonna mess around with you
You'll never give up the fight, not Carol White
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| Carol White – British Film Actress 1943 - 1991 RIP. |
Slightly before my time, but my goodness wasn't she lovely.
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