Bea post 1978
April 24 1979
The stage
Equity annual general meeting
Included, The president spoke of the plight of British
Theatre and of Equity’s campaign to get VAT removed from theatre seats, of the
ITV dispute and the coming second channel. He spoke of the BBC, of the film
industry and, in some detail, of Equity’s domestic affairs, paying special
tributes to three former Presidents of the Union who had died in the previous
year: Beatrix Lehmann, Andre Morell and Sir Feliz Aylmer.
Nov 20, 1980 The stage
(mentions radio performance that is referred to in the obit
letter)
Well qualified
That great actor Wilfrid Lawson is the subject of a Radio
Three profile programme scheduled to go out on December 2 at 8.30pm.
The material for the tribute, entitled, This fabulous Genius,
has been compiled by Peter Cotes, and among those participating on tape will be
J.C. Trewin, the late Beatrix Lehmann, Donal Pleasance, Leonard Rossiter, Eric
Shorter, Trevor Howard, Joseph Losey and John Boulting. The producer is Alan Haydock.
Cotes is, in fact, well qualified to compile such a programme;
he directed Lawson in The father back in 1953 and is an expert on the “big”
style of acting Lawson specialised in.
Saturday 28th Feb 1981
Screen international reviewed by Marjorie Bilbow
The cat and the
canary
Comedy horror based on the play by John Wilard,
Story outline (go
back and re-read after watching)
Audience rating: for fans of the stars and horror fans
interested in seeing another re-make of the good old oldie.
Business prediction average in popular cinemas
Critical comment: This begins well with Wendy Hiller and
Beatrix Lehmann giving richly melodramatic performances as Alison Crosby and
Mrs Pleasant and all the more avaricious of the possible heirs exchanging
insults and innuendoes which suggest developing sub-plots. And the staging of
the reading of the Will, with the screen image of the long dead Cyrus playing
host at the head of the dinner table, makes a very diverting variation on the
original story. But, from then on, Radley Metzger lets the batteries run down by
treating the plot as if it were more of a detective mystery than a good old
fashioned creepie packed with screams and laughter provoking shock effects of
bodies falling out of cupboards and hairy hands clutching at pretty throats.
There is more talk than action and too little comedy to compensate for the loss
of suspense as the story winds to its predictable end.
Sep 25, 1983 Observer
MY TWENTY MINUTES
IN POLITICS
Author:
Redgrave, Michael
Extract from biography about People’s convention with diary
extracts
(biography on order from TH)
Mentions Bea only in relation to giving a speech and seems
rather reluctant about the whole thing.
Nov 29, 1984 The stage and television today
Chit chat
Thesps with a Bee [sp] in their bonnet
Dame Wendy Hiller (photo)
Dame Wendy Hiller, Michael Denison and the pianist Eric
Hope, who frequently shared the poetry readings and musical soirees given by
the late Beatrix Lehmann for the Pro Arte Society, informed a distinguished
gathering at the Purcell Room the other evening of their wish to see a Poetry
Reading Prize established in her memory at the Central School of Speech and
Drama.
Bee, as her friends knew her, had left her collection of
theatrical books to the school.
After the evening’s recital, Dame Wendy spoke admiringly of “Bee”
Lehmann’s Lavinia in Mourning becomes Electra at the Westminster in the 30s,
the only time, believe it or not, she told us, that she had actually seen this
remarkable actress on the stage.
Michael Denison paid tribute to Bee’s three years as
President of Equity in the 40s, while Eric Hope invited friends and admirers to
send donations to the Pro Arte Society, c/o Lloyds Bank, Southampton Row,… to
help get the prize off the ground.
Among Bee’s other interests, he reminded us, was the law,
which might account for the ranks of judges, barristers and solicitors in the
Purcell Room. For a further explanation one had only to note the name of the
barrister-cum playwright Jacques Sarch, on the programme, responsible for
devising the items that ranged far and wide, from Humbert Wolfe to T.S. Eliot,
via Chopin, Poulenc and Villa Lobos. Anybody, like myself, who was chilled to
the bone by Denison’s horrific rendering of Edgar Allan Poe’s The tell tale
heart should immediately have reached for their cheque books!
April 11, 1987
Poetic choice
Author:
de Jongh, Nicholas
John’s obit.
“earlier he had perhaps been overshadowed by his brilliant
sisters – the novelist Rosamond and the actress, Beatrix, both of whom ranked
very high in their fields, …
Jul 10, 1987 Guardian
Publication or Rosemond Lehmann’s album
(requested at BL)
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