Julie Hill and 90 year old Stanley Wilson got in touch with me about recreating the characters of Stan laurel and Oliver Hardy for the Hullywood Icons project. We created some Stan and Ollie moments at the Street Life Museum:Hull Museums in the old town of Hull. At 90 Stan is one of the oldest Hullywood Icons so far. Interestingly Hull has the distinction of being the very last piece of British soil that Laurel and Hardy trod, as they sailed from there in 1954. They also performed at Hull New Theatre, drank at Olde English Gent and stayed at Royal Station Hotel on 07/07/1947.
Freddie Garland got in touch with me about recreating a scene from Breakfast at Tiffany’sher favourite childhood film. We settled on 1884 Dock Street Kitchen on Dock Street in Hull as a location and created some gorgeous images of Freddie Garlanda as Audrey Hepburn playing Holly Golightly.
Breakfast at Tiffany’s is a 1961 American romantic comedy film directed by Blake Edwards and written by George Axelrod, loosely based on Truman Capote’s novella of the same name. Starring Audrey Hepburn and George Peppard, and featuring Patricia Neal, Buddy Ebsen, Martin Balsam, and Mickey Rooney, the film was initially released on October 5, 1961 by Paramount Pictures.
Hepburn’s portrayal of Holly Golightly as the naïve, eccentric socialite is generally considered to be the actress’s most memorable and identifiable role. Hepburn regarded it as one of her most challenging roles, since she was an introvert required to play an extrovert.There has been speculation that Holly Golightly is a call girl, which has caused controversy.
Breakfast at Tiffany’s was received positively at the time, and won two Academy Awards: Best Original Score and Best Original Song for “Moon River”, which was also selected as the fourth most memorable song in Hollywood history by the American Film Institute in 2004. The film was also nominated for three other Academy Awards: Best Actress for Hepburn, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Art Direction.
One of Freddie’s favourite song is Moon River you can hear it here:
Amanda Lowe asked me if she could be Julie Andrews playing Mary Poppins above the Hull skyline.
Mary Poppins is a 1964 American musical fantasy comedy film directed by Robert Stevenson and produced by Walt Disney, with songs written and composed by the Sherman Brothers. The screenplay is by Bill Walsh and Don DaGradi, loosely based on P. L. Travers’ book series Mary Poppins. The film, which combines live-action and animation, stars Julie Andrews in the role of Mary Poppins who visits a dysfunctional family in London and employs her unique brand of lifestyle to improve the family’s dynamic. Dick Van Dyke, David Tomlinson, and Glynis Johns are featured in supporting roles. The film was shot entirely at the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California using painted London background scenes.
Mary Poppinswas released on August 27, 1964 to universal acclaim, receiving a total of thirteen Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture—an unsurpassed record for any other film released by Walt Disney Studios—and won five; Best Actress for Andrews, Best Film Editing, Best Original Music Score, Best Visual Effects, and Best Original Song for “Chim Chim Cher-ee”. In 2013, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”. Mary Poppins is widely considered to be Walt Disney’s “crowning achievement”, being his only film to garner a “Best Picture” nomination at the Oscars in his lifetime.
When Rupert Creed suggested recreating a scene featuring Spike, a truly feral Welshman and flat mate from hell played by Rhys Ifans, from the 1999 romantic comedy Notting HillI couldn’t say no!
The Mc Glinchey’s approached me about recreating the famous scene from the 1969 American Western film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid in which Paul Newman as Butch Cassidy and Robert Redford as the Sundance Kid make a leap of faith.
The film directed by George Roy Hill and written by William Goldman is based loosely on fact, the film tells the story of Wild West outlaws Robert LeRoy Parker, known as Butch Cassidy (Paul Newman), and his partner Harry Longabaugh, the “Sundance Kid” (Robert Redford), who are on the run from a crack US posse after a string of train robberies. The pair and Sundance’s lover, Etta Place (Katharine Ross), flee to Bolivia in search of a more successful criminal career, where they meet their end.
The Mc Glinchey’s made their leap at the Khyber Pass in Hull’s East Park
Gregory’s Girl is Alison Whitfield’s favourite film she enlisted husband Gary Whitfield to play Gregory which he did with much aplomb. Here Alison talks about why she loves the film.
‘Gregory’s Girl is pretty much the perfect film. Great individual performances and sublime comedy moments. it highlights how friends can create good things for each other and that the best fun in life costs nowt. Gregory although previously besotted with Dorothy, embraces his unexpected date with Susan with positive results’.
Here we recreate the lying down dancing and whistling moments from the film…
Helen Marie Smith got in touch with me about recreating the iconic farewell scene from Brief Encounter at Hull’s Paragon Station. Brief Encounter isa 1945 British romantic drama film directed by David Lean about British suburban life, centring on Laura, a married woman with children, whose conventional life becomes increasingly complicated because of a chance meeting at a railway station with a stranger, Alec. They inadvertently but quickly progress to an emotional love affair, which brings about unexpected consequences.
Helen enlisted the services of her friend Gary Crossman to play Trevor Howard in the shoot.
Sarah Rose Crawford got in touch with me about recreating Bond girl Honey Rider’s (Ursula Andress) famous emergence from the sea scene in Dr. No on Hessle Foreshore. The weather was spectacularly good in the bright early November sunshine but a long way from that of Jamaica where the film was made however this is Hullywood and we made good.
For the first Bond girl Honey Ryder, Julie Christie was considered, but discarded as the producers felt she was not voluptuous enough. Just two weeks before filming began, Ursula Andress was chosen to play Honey after the producers saw a picture of her taken by Andress’ then-husband John Derek. To appear more convincing as a Jamaican, Andress had a tan painted on her and ultimately had her lines redubbed by voice actress Nikki van der Zyl due to Andress’ heavy Swiss German accent
Jo Hill contacted me about recreating the famous bed scene in which Uma Thurman as Mia Wallace smokes a cigarette whilst holding a gun lies on a bed. I couldn’t resist the challenge. We completed the shoot at Mercure Hull Royal Hotel who lent us a room for the shoot.
Hullywood Icons 