Seven steps to Brighton...

Did you know the final episode of M*A*S*H was aired today in 1983? Apparently, it was the most watched television program in history.

Which got me thinking about Alan Alda, which for some bizarre reason, then got me thinking about that 7 seven steps to Kevin Bacon thing. You know – that process where you need to trace a connection between a Hollywood actor to Kevin Bacon in a maximum of seven steps.

So I thought, hmm, can I get from Alan Alda (in M*A*S*H) to a Brighton connection in 7 steps? Well, knock me down with a line from Suicide is Painless, I did:

• Alan Alda was in What woman Want with Mel Gibson
• Mel Gibson was in Lethal Weapon with Danny Glover
• Danny Glover was in The Color Purple with Whoopi Goldberg
• Whoopi Goldberg was in Girl Interrupted with Angelina Jolie
• Angelina Jolie was in Tomb Raider with Daniel Craig
• Daniel Craig was in The Power of One with Morgan Freeman
• Morgan Freeman was in Driving Miss Daisy with Joan Plowright, who
  
  Lives in Brighton…!

I'm off to put my 'smart a***' pants on now...

Sarah
VisitBrighton

The names Bond, James Bond...

After my post yesterday about Genevieve someone else in the office started blinding us with all the Brighton Bond links and, blimey, there are enough to shake a dagger shoe at!

Here are our favs:

• Timothy Dalton got all macho on Beachy Head in The Living Daylights


• The mine in a View to a Kill was at nearby Amberley


• Brighton resident Anna Quayle played Frau Hoffner in the original Casino Royale


• Steven Berkoff, also a Brighton resident, played Russian General Orlov in Octupussy


• Desmond Llewelyn (who played Q) used to live in Brighton


• The music to Live and Let Die was composed by the one and only Mackers, who has a house in Hove


• Ian Fleming recouperated from a heart attack in Brighton in 1951 and again from pleurisy in Brighton 1964

And winner for the most tenuous link ever - Simon Vance, who reads the Casino Royale audio books, was born in Brighton. Really, its true!

Quite franky, all these Bond references are making me want to rush home and play with my motion combat training simulator and exploding alarm clock. Oh, poo I can't - I blew it up at 7.01am this morning...

A Brighton National Treasure?

Did you know its Robert Altmans Birthday today? He'd have been 83 if he was still around. I love his ensemble films and having just lent a colleague Gosford Park, I started spouting forth to who ever would listen (which wasn't really anyone to be honest) about the merits of Genevieve, which I watched last night. No, not Genevieve Nnaji, the, practically never heard of by anyone but me, Nigerian actress, but rather the 1953 film comedy about veteran cars.

Hate cars? Would rather chew off your own ear than watch the London to Brighton Veteran Car run? Think again. This film is a gem! If it was a human being, it would be Michael Palin or Victoria Wood. Its quite simply the national treasure of British comedy... and yes, I've seen the Lavender Hill Mob and Titfield Thunderbolt. It conjurs up the differences between men and women perfectly and, excuse the terrible pun, but the cars really are just a vehicle for what are very worldwide themes - love, romance and good old fashioned competitiveness!

The history of it is really fun too - only a day was spent filming in Brighton, due to dire budgets and most shots of Genevieve being driven from behind masked the fact that it wasn't Genevieve at all - rather a mock up, which was actually pulling a lorry filled with the entire cast and crew - it was cheaper that way! John Gregson also couldn't even drive when he got the part - no-one had thought to ask.

So, why not check out the Special Edition DVD and you'll get the film as well as a fascinating documentary with these and lots of other filmic facts. Its a snip at £6.97!

You can buy it online here, as well as some other Brighton film favourites.

Sarah