A while ago I wrote about Vera Lynn, the 'forces' sweetheart'. As tomorrow will be the 70th anniversary of the start of WW2, I was amazed to see that Vera is the oldest person ever to appear in the music charts - her new album is currently no. 20! Not bad for someone in their 90s.
It seems that I'm not the only one to love the nostalgia of the old days. The old Victorine Studios in Nice, that produced such memorable films in the '50s as 'To Catch a Thief' by Hitchcock, starring Cary Grant and Grace Kelly, has now been reborn by popular demand as Studios Riviera. Another film from the same studios starred that French bombshell Brigitte Bardot in the never-to-be-forgotten 'Et Dieu..Crea la Femme' (And God Created Woman) in 1956.
When BB first burst onto the film scene, France was in post-war austerity and her vivaceous looks and wanton displays on film made her box-office dynamite. Unfortunately time never stands still, and BB is 75 this month. Famously she has eschewed cosmetic surgery as she now concentrates on animal welfare and her love of St. Tropez.
To mark BB's 75th, the first ever exhibition of her life opens on the 29th of this month in Boulogne-Billancourt where she filmed 6 of her films. If you're in the region, don't miss it. Called The Carefree Years, it includes extracts from her films, details of her lovers, posters and, of course, images of the young BB with heavy eyeliner and a riot of tumbling blond hair. The exhibition runs until next January, entrance 11 euros.
And me? I'm feeling a little old too so will take some time out to recharge my batteries. Don't worry....I'll be back reinvigorated on the 20th.
Showing posts with label Dame Vera Lynn. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dame Vera Lynn. Show all posts
7th June 2009
I always liked Vera Lynn, even though her songs were before my time. It was back when singers were famous for the quality of their voice rather than their dancing ability!
I was thinking of her yesterday whilst watching the news items in Bayeux on the 65th anniversary of the first D-Day liberation there. Sarkozy not only forgot to send the Queen an invitation, but also Dame Vera - both, in my view, instrumental in the allies' success, Vera winning over hearts and minds with her optimistic songs.
Surprisingly, Vera never came to France during the war to entertain the troops, although she gained her famous title 'The Forces' Sweetheart' from the British Expeditionary Forces in France. That was the result of a ballot run by the Daily Express for their favourite singer. Her programmes were heard all over Europe, people listening in cellars, haystacks, anywhere they were hiding.
She corrected her absence by buying a home in Golfe Juan in the Alpes-Maritimes, where for the past 30 years she and her husband Harry spend much of their time. At 92 she still has glowing skin and sparkling blue eyes - healthy like her French neighbours. She always felt that she would have been successful in France during the war years as "they sang my sort of song" - with a story to tell.
But We'll Meet Again is more than just a melody - it's the story of hope and courage of a whole generation, never to be forgotten.
I was thinking of her yesterday whilst watching the news items in Bayeux on the 65th anniversary of the first D-Day liberation there. Sarkozy not only forgot to send the Queen an invitation, but also Dame Vera - both, in my view, instrumental in the allies' success, Vera winning over hearts and minds with her optimistic songs.
Surprisingly, Vera never came to France during the war to entertain the troops, although she gained her famous title 'The Forces' Sweetheart' from the British Expeditionary Forces in France. That was the result of a ballot run by the Daily Express for their favourite singer. Her programmes were heard all over Europe, people listening in cellars, haystacks, anywhere they were hiding.
She corrected her absence by buying a home in Golfe Juan in the Alpes-Maritimes, where for the past 30 years she and her husband Harry spend much of their time. At 92 she still has glowing skin and sparkling blue eyes - healthy like her French neighbours. She always felt that she would have been successful in France during the war years as "they sang my sort of song" - with a story to tell.
But We'll Meet Again is more than just a melody - it's the story of hope and courage of a whole generation, never to be forgotten.
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