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Post by helrunar on Jun 3, 2021 1:06:28 GMT
This query may be abusive--if so, please let me know (or Dem, simply delete). I just started watching this episode of To the Manor Born, a series I occasionally watched on US public television back at some point circa late 80s early 90s--around the 35 second mark, Penelope Keith asks for "a large bloomer." The shop lady picks up a big loaf of bread and wraps it up in a bit of paper for her. www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9qNH97hoaYObviously, "bloomer" in this context means "loaf of bread," but can anybody out there offer further specifics of this usage? I found a note about the word stating that it was "old British slang" for "mistake" or gaffe, which is a usage that is familiar to me from childhood reading and viewing. cheers, Hel
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peedeel
Crab On The Rampage
Posts: 61
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Post by peedeel on Jun 3, 2021 2:57:29 GMT
This query may be abusive--if so, please let me know (or Dem, simply delete). I just started watching this episode of To the Manor Born, a series I occasionally watched on US public television back at some point circa late 80s early 90s--around the 35 second mark, Penelope Keith asks for "a large bloomer." The shop lady picks up a big loaf of bread and wraps it up in a bit of paper for her. www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9qNH97hoaYObviously, "bloomer" in this context means "loaf of bread," but can anybody out there offer further specifics of this usage? I found a note about the word stating that it was "old British slang" for "mistake" or gaffe, which is a usage that is familiar to me from childhood reading and viewing. cheers, Hel The loaf of bread is called a bloomer because of he way it blooms like a flower as it rises in the oven (because of the distinctive notches on its top). And yes, bloomer was also slang for a mistake.
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Post by helrunar on Jun 3, 2021 4:11:07 GMT
That's fascinating. Thanks, Peedeel!
I literally had not seen this show in around 30 years. I don't think I had much idea of just what was going on the last time I had a look. It was nice to see Michael Ripper who I do think of as "Mr. Hammer Horror" in a minor role towards the end.
H.
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Post by šrincess šµuvstarr on Jun 3, 2021 9:45:58 GMT
Lady Tuvstarr in her best bonnet and pure white dress, and with her beautiful parasol, here from the 19th century.
Being very Victorian and easily shocked I can't mention them myself, as they are unmentionable, but I'm sure the naughtier men on this site are thinking about bloomers rather than bloomer when you discuss this word. It's shameful and I won't name names, but I think we can all guess who these black-hearted fiends are.
Edited to say Oh my, I mentioned them. My cheeks have gone bright red.
Edited again to say that now that I'm back home and have access to computer I am able to add additional unnecessary details until my heart is content. So I did.
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Post by The Lurker In The Shadows on Jun 3, 2021 11:01:23 GMT
By coincidence, I was watching an episode of 'To The Manor Born' last night (BBC Four is currently repeating the first series) and was surprised by the line, 'The mantelpiece up there positively bristled with stiffies.' In context, 'stiffies' referred to invitations printed on stiff card. But having only been familiar with it in its slang usage, it did cause a sharply raised eyebrow.
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Post by šrincess šµuvstarr on Jun 3, 2021 11:08:30 GMT
By coincidence, I was watching an episode of 'To The Manor Born' last night (BBC Four is currently repeating the first series) and was surprised by the line, 'The mantelpiece up there positively bristled with stiffies.' In context, 'stiffies' referred to invitations printed on stiff card. But having only been familiar with it in its slang usage, it did cause a sharply raised eyebrow. Being Victorian and a lady, I have no idea what a slang 'stiffies' is. However, given you sharply raised an eyebrow, I suspect the very worst. Also, the fact you know what it means makes me suspect you are a black-hearted fiend. Which is unfortunate.
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Post by helrunar on Jun 3, 2021 14:17:49 GMT
LOL Daniel. Now I've got this picture in my head of Penelope Keith smirking in front of a mantelpiece positively bristling with exotically colored and shaped dildoes.
Penelope smirked really well. Her character on the show could only be defined as a piece of work.
cheers, Hel.
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Post by helrunar on Jun 9, 2021 4:40:57 GMT
Sky (1975) was a very trippy 7 episode series produced for HTV West by former Avengers producer Leonard White. White went on to produce the equally offbeat 1987 series Shadow of the Stone, which had a Witchcraft theme so you know it's on my list. It's really hard to describe Sky. Elements of David Bowie's "Man who fell to Earth" glamrock persona, psychedelia, eco-Pagan apocalyptica, folk horror, and dysfunctional Brit-Seventies social malaise. The final episode really goes off the charts just when you think they're going to wrap it all up in a neat bow. Location filming at Glastonbury and Stonehenge. www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDn4jNKfVvvjz7vR7x1r9fXv6Gzkx4JGNI think it would have been better with four episodes--pacing is sometimes sluggish, but aficionados of the sub-genre and era won't mind. Script by Dr Who veterans Bob Baker and Dave Martin. (At some point this summer, I'm going to be finally viewing Baker's infamous Nightmare of Eden Who serial, which I missed when the Tom Baker episodes were running over here in public TV syndie during the 1980s and 1990s.) This serial seemed as if it might have somehow inspired Sapphire and Steel which was the work of a different author and production team, but had similar vibes of sometimes opaque strangeness and otherworldly ataraxy. H.
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Post by bluetomb on Jun 11, 2021 9:50:22 GMT
Sky (1975) was a very trippy 7 episode series produced for HTV West by former Avengers producer Leonard White. White went on to produce the equally offbeat 1987 series Shadow of the Stone, which had a Witchcraft theme so you know it's on my list. It's really hard to describe Sky. Elements of David Bowie's "Man who fell to Earth" glamrock persona, psychedelia, eco-Pagan apocalyptica, folk horror, and dysfunctional Brit-Seventies social malaise. The final episode really goes off the charts just when you think they're going to wrap it all up in a neat bow. Location filming at Glastonbury and Stonehenge. www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDn4jNKfVvvjz7vR7x1r9fXv6Gzkx4JGNI think it would have been better with four episodes--pacing is sometimes sluggish, but aficionados of the sub-genre and era won't mind. Script by Dr Who veterans Bob Baker and Dave Martin. (At some point this summer, I'm going to be finally viewing Baker's infamous Nightmare of Eden Who serial, which I missed when the Tom Baker episodes were running over here in public TV syndie during the 1980s and 1990s.) This serial seemed as if it might have somehow inspired Sapphire and Steel which was the work of a different author and production team, but had similar vibes of sometimes opaque strangeness and otherworldly ataraxy. H. Sky sounds like tremendous stuff. I love how deep into the (to modern eyes) strange and subcultural, vintage genre TV could get, much less of today's love of comprehensively sprawling but somehow often quite ordinary plotting. Will have to give it a look. I saw Sapphire and Steel recently and was quite mesmerized, the mix of languid pacing, strands of serious themes and offbeat, almost improvisational creepy weirdness is unlike most things I've seen. Also saw Nightmare of Eden recently. Didn't think it was too bad, hurt more by direction that doesn't really excite, intrigue or keep everything together satisfactorily than Baker/Martin (or indeed just Baker) messiness. As the Tom Baker era goes I'd put it among the lesser stories, but still some distance above Underworld, say.
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Post by helrunar on Jun 11, 2021 12:51:15 GMT
Bluetomb, thanks for the cheering words about Nightmare of Eden. I bought the disc because a trailer for it was on another Tom Baker disc I acquired and I couldn't stop laughing at it. I think whoever edited and devised that trailer was deliberately highlighting the comic elements. Also bought Horns of Nimon recently, chiefly because in my old age I've become something of a Graham Crowden fan. The Graham Crowden school of acting seems to have had as principle one "leave no scintilla of scenery unshredded." I hope the Princess isn't reading this thread because I found this comment about one of Crowden's recurring roles on telly: "In 1970, he appeared in the popular Thames Television series Callan as The Groper, a de-registered doctor, who had been in Wormwood Scrubs called on by Callan, when unofficial medical assistance was required (e.g. Series 3, "A Village Called G" and likely others between 1967ā73 though some are now lost)." The Groper... we all know what that means... shocking! Over three nights I watched Leonard White's 1987 series The Shadow of the Stone: www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZ7v_TtB-G352J389I199lVgfR_pN8l1DThis one is way better than Sky, which I found fascinating as a relic of Seventies interdimensional folk horror psychogeography, but it wasn't very well shot or acted (the fact that the series isn't in very good shape in terms of the surviving prints doesn't help). The acting on Sky was at amateur level (the actors sometimes look as if they're waiting for the director to tell them what to do), and the writing wasn't well paced. By contrast, The Shadow of the Stone was filmed on location in Gourock, Scotland. The screenplay by playwright Catherine Czerkawska makes use of some of the historically attested records of the trial of Marie (pronounced Mary) Lamont, only 20 or 21 years old when she was burnt at the stake as a Witch. What stands out in the series is the lead performance by Shirley Henderson. Tempestuous, fiery, passionate yet at times quietly introspective, her performance exudes a level of emotional realism quite rare in the tacky era of the 1980s. The whole series feels like a moment plucked out of time because the atmosphere is so brooding and uncanny. Henderson plays Elizabeth, a teenager who is the reincarnation of Marie Lamont. She portrays Elizabeth's inner turmoil as her past life memories of Marie's frustrations and torment comes increasingly to the surface when an American sailing teacher arrives having crossed the ocean on his yacht (which is some sort of fancy rig whose name I didn't retain). A young Alan Cumming plays a local lad who cares for Elizabeth but continually sabotages any hope he might have with her by making such impatient (and frankly stupid) comments as "Girls don't belong on boats!" and "What do girls know about maps?" I thought his character was a weak point in the narrative because this kind of thing sounds like something a 12 year old would utter, not someone circa age 17. They filmed at this megalithic stone as well. The legendry about it is fascinating. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Granny_Kempock_StoneWhat a fascinating story--Ms. Czerkawska seems to have written a play about Marie Lamont as well. H.
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Post by Dr Strange on Jun 11, 2021 13:27:30 GMT
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Post by helrunar on Jun 11, 2021 14:03:35 GMT
Very cool, Dr Strange--thanks!
It seems as if Czerkawska may have chosen to make use of the Isobel Gowdie material rather than some of what was recorded from Marie's confession. Poor Marie. What an awful end for such a young child.
H.
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hermit
Crab On The Rampage
Posts: 21
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Post by hermit on Jun 13, 2021 0:08:33 GMT
well i had planned for an evening of watching some episodes of the outer limits, but my headphones started messing me about so i switched the dvd off and had freeview on before i was gonna turn off for the night, and i started watching a movie that had just started called bite. then my headphones started working again so i stayed watching it. typical modern gore horror. tright up our street i guess lol
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Post by bluetomb on Jun 13, 2021 0:43:32 GMT
Bluetomb, thanks for the cheering words about Nightmare of Eden. I bought the disc because a trailer for it was on another Tom Baker disc I acquired and I couldn't stop laughing at it. I think whoever edited and devised that trailer was deliberately highlighting the comic elements. Also bought Horns of Nimon recently, chiefly because in my old age I've become something of a Graham Crowden fan. The Graham Crowden school of acting seems to have had as principle one "leave no scintilla of scenery unshredded." I hope the Princess isn't reading this thread because I found this comment about one of Crowden's recurring roles on telly: "In 1970, he appeared in the popular Thames Television series Callan as The Groper, a de-registered doctor, who had been in Wormwood Scrubs called on by Callan, when unofficial medical assistance was required (e.g. Series 3, "A Village Called G" and likely others between 1967ā73 though some are now lost)." The Groper... we all know what that means... shocking! Over three nights I watched Leonard White's 1987 series The Shadow of the Stone: www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZ7v_TtB-G352J389I199lVgfR_pN8l1DThis one is way better than Sky, which I found fascinating as a relic of Seventies interdimensional folk horror psychogeography, but it wasn't very well shot or acted (the fact that the series isn't in very good shape in terms of the surviving prints doesn't help). The acting on Sky was at amateur level (the actors sometimes look as if they're waiting for the director to tell them what to do), and the writing wasn't well paced. By contrast, The Shadow of the Stone was filmed on location in Gourock, Scotland. The screenplay by playwright Catherine Czerkawska makes use of some of the historically attested records of the trial of Marie (pronounced Mary) Lamont, only 20 or 21 years old when she was burnt at the stake as a Witch. What stands out in the series is the lead performance by Shirley Henderson. Tempestuous, fiery, passionate yet at times quietly introspective, her performance exudes a level of emotional realism quite rare in the tacky era of the 1980s. The whole series feels like a moment plucked out of time because the atmosphere is so brooding and uncanny. Henderson plays Elizabeth, a teenager who is the reincarnation of Marie Lamont. She portrays Elizabeth's inner turmoil as her past life memories of Marie's frustrations and torment comes increasingly to the surface when an American sailing teacher arrives having crossed the ocean on his yacht (which is some sort of fancy rig whose name I didn't retain). A young Alan Cumming plays a local lad who cares for Elizabeth but continually sabotages any hope he might have with her by making such impatient (and frankly stupid) comments as "Girls don't belong on boats!" and "What do girls know about maps?" I thought his character was a weak point in the narrative because this kind of thing sounds like something a 12 year old would utter, not someone circa age 17. They filmed at this megalithic stone as well. The legendry about it is fascinating. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Granny_Kempock_StoneWhat a fascinating story--Ms. Czerkawska seems to have written a play about Marie Lamont as well. H. I liked Horns of the Nimon a lot, thought the only real weak point was the Nimon itself. Should have either been a lot more Minotaur-y in look or gone full Cubist, seemed to me awkwardly in the middle. But otherwise the sci-fi ideas are cool and the ham is delicious. Quality work from Graham Crowden. The Shadow of the Stone sounds aces. Another for the list, thanks for the write up
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Post by helrunar on Jun 19, 2021 3:39:42 GMT
Tonight's viewing was this 1973 episode from the Brian Clemens series Thriller. "A Place to Die" is a moderately creepy example of early 70s "folk horror." While many of the shows in this series ran on US television at the time, this one was held back for several years as the subject matter was deemed too evil (or something) for decent upstanding Americans tuning in. www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYiKmRcGH9QI watched on the DVD set but I think the above link represents the complete story. H.
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