Dan Stevens, Now What?

We shan't go into details, but Dan Stevens chose for Julian Fellowes to pen him out of the script after Season Three of Downton Abbey.  This leads to the question: "What was there better than this gig?".  Truly, what? He was filming in beautiful locations for an ongoing television show that was topping the charts.  Not to mention he never had to wear a corset (a definite bonus).  Possibly he wanted to get out while he was still on top, but I'm afraid hardly any Downton fans will take that as an answer.

So what is he up to now?

Summer in February (filmed with Dominic Cooper and Emily Browning)
The Fifth Estate (filmed the Julian Assange story staring Benedict Cumberbatch)
The Tomorrow People (uncredited voice of TIM)
A Walk Among the Tombstones (that sounds morbid)
The Guest (in post-production)

The Nightlife

Lady Rose enters the scene and we all get to party in London like its the Roaring Twenties, from the comfort of our living rooms.  America may have been the ones to have perfected the art of the speakeasy, but London was not about to be outdone in the nightlife scene.

In 1912, in 9 Heddon Street just off of Regent's Street, was where the first night club was established.  Christened The Cave of the Golden Calf, assumedly for the Old Testament story of the Israelites worshiping a false god and putting Moses into quite a state of panic, it was occupied by the elite.  The wealthy and the bohemian flocked to its doors, proving the idea of a night club was a solid business venture.   Philip Hoare in his book, Oscar Wilde's Last Stand, provided the following colorful, if not condescending, description:

"Up in Regent Street young men wearing tight suits and nail varnish were sipping crème de menthe in the Café Royal, while down a dark cul-de-sac lurked a new and devilish sort of place where Futurists cavorted: a `night club' profanely named `The Cave of the Golden Calf'. Vague rumours had reached her that nowadays, the backstreets harboured all manner of such places, attended by members of the social elite. Such intimations confirmed all the suspicions of her class. At the root of these evils lay the name of Oscar Wilde, still unspoken in polite households. He may have been dead for more than a decade, but Wilde's decadence endured."

 

 

The Cave of the Golden Calf shut its doors only two years later, but the idea of a place to drink and dance flourished.  By the 1930s, over 50 licensed night clubs were being visited by the upper class on a nightly basis.  Some were made for dance floors, others for cabarets.  The names of the most famous clubs drifting in and out of discrete tea conversations included the Kit Cat Club (the name of the club in the musical Cabaret, although it is spelled Kit Kat Club) and the Coconut Grove (which is most likely the club Marilyn Monroe refers to in The Prince and the Show Girl).  Akin to its distant speakeasy cousins in America, the police enjoyed raiding these "bottle parties", but that didn't stop many from evading the licensing laws.

As for the Golden Calf, it lives on as a new bar, The Living Room W1.  It was at one point, prior to these owners, turned into a post office.  It can be seen on the cover of David Bowie's album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars.

Thanks to Exploring 20th Century London, for details on London clubs found on their website.

O'Brien is in Search of a New Post

Siobhean Finneran as O'Brien.

In case you have not heard, Siobhean Finneran only wanted to perform with the cast for three seasons, and so it is with great sadness that Julian Fellowes will write her out of the script in the first episode of Season Four.  Finneran stated that she no longer wished to continue doing the series, and one must give her full credit to fill her life only with things she wants to do.  Bravo to her.  But what about the rest of us?  A true dynamic of the cast will disappear after episode one.

Further details can be found on the Huffington Post.

The American Brother

Paul Giamatti on-set with the crew of Downton Abbey.

Paul Giamatti will appear in one episode of Season 4 of Downton Abbey as Cora's American brother.  It would appear either the casting directors or Julian Fellowes enjoy this Conneticut native's style as he was also filming Romeo and Juliet Fellowes' style earlier this year.  Giamatti has a rather lengthy acting career behind him, totally 83 credits alone on IMDB.  I personally am excited to see him in Saving Mr. Banks, which will be coming to America before Downton Abbey.  Saving Mr. Banks is a behind-the-scenes look at making the beloved Mary Poppins books into the Disney film.  To be perfectly frank, I am just excited to see Pamela Travers (performed by Emma Thompson) become peevish over made up lyrics and tossing papers out the window.

For a full look at the new cast of Season 4, check out Masterpiece's website.

Edith's Gothic Romance

Lady Edith and her publisher.

 

 

As with all story plots, certain elements creep up again and again.  Edith finds her publisher has a personal history, one connected with Charlotte Bronte's famous plot line.

 

Jane Eyre is a gothic romance, filled with enigmas, old houses, and fires in the middle of the night.  Without ruining the spoilers, the best way to summarize its story is to note that a penniless governess comes to Thornfield Hall and uncovers its secrets, both of the house and the man who runs the estate.  Just like any Bronte sister story, it is perfect to watch on a damp foggy night, curled up with a cup of tea and a blanket inside.  In 2011, a film-length version was released with Michael Fassbender, Mia Wasikowska and Dame Judy Dench.  In 2006, the BBC released a version with Ruth Wilson and Toby Stephens, which will take most of your evening but leaves out few details (plus Georgie Henley of the Chronicles of Narnia series makes a perfect mini Jane).  Of course, if you want to read the original novel, it can be found on any classics shelf at Barnes and Noble.



A Brief and Narrow History of Bagpipes

 

Bagpipes as an after-dinner treat up in Scotland in season three.

 

In general, most of us do not live our daily lives to the sound of the Scottish pipe.  Dinners are not accompanied by the instrument, and for the sake of bag pipers everywhere, I am glad it is not a tradition to wake others up with the sound.  Bag pipes have been the sound of war for the country of Scotland for generations, but no one would want to face the fury of a non-caffeinated person who was sleeping prior to the musical alarm.

 

It has become a tradition at the funerals of American firefighters and police for there to be at least a single performer with his/her bag pipes to signal the loss of a life.  Although the Scottish highland pipes are often used, the tradition is Irish.  In the 1840s, when the potato famine drove many away from Erin gra mo chroi, they left Ireland for better prospects in America.  Very often, the Irish were forced to find work in the most dangerous fields, the only ones available to them.  They became police and fire fighters for their new country, and when they commemorated a fallen man, a traditional Irish funeral was held.  The Irish pipes are smaller than the Scottish ones, giving less oomph to their sound.  That is the reason many of us currently can recognize the loud blats of a Scottish horn pipe; the louder instrument won out.



The Jazz Singer

Actor Gary Carr as the jazz singer.

 

 

With the upcoming approach of Downton Abbey Season 4 in America, comes the approach of new faces.  Actor Gary Carr will be losing his British accent to perform as a jazz singer from Chicago.  Here's hoping there will be some swinging times in the fourth season.

Let Me Call You Sweetheart

Dame Maggie Smith and Shirley MacLaine on set.

 

She swears, she sings, she wears an inordinate amount of feathers and jewels in her hair, and she is willing to discuss finances.  Ahh, the British interpretation of a dominant American female.  Naturally, it was lovely to find a character who gets under the skin of the Dowager Countess.  It leads to lines such as:

Violet: "I'm so looking forward to seeing your mother again. When I'm with her, I'm reminded of the virtues of the English."

Matthew: "But isn't she American?"

Violet: "Exactly."

According to Parade, it was Shirley MacLaine's idea to sing the love song "Let Me Call You Sweetheart" to Dame Maggie Smith, and Julian Fellowes ran with it.  Apparently the idea of the American serenading a lady who doesn't know what a week-end is amused him to no ends.  To read the full details, visit the Parade's website.

A Sticky Wicket

Team Downton

 

 

Cricket, or the game that takes forever, shall always be a mystery to Americans.  P.G. Wodehouse hit upon this in his novel Picadilly Jim when the butler endeavors to explain it to an American.  Mr. Crocker bluntly asks, "Doesn't anything ever happen at cricket?" to which his trusty butler smiles and takes on the meaning of sticky wicket (which basically means the turf is wet, which is great for American football and a disaster for the British cricket).  No one can blame Branson for not wanting to learn how to play, as there are more rules than in a basic jurisdiction.

Here are a few basics associated with cricket, just so you can sound highly knowledgeable when watching cricket on the BBC.  Sports dress is called one's kit, so getting changed for cricket would be referred to as getting kitted out.  Please do not use the term pants when you are looking at their uniforms.  Pants only works in America, it refers to underwear in England.  Try the term trousers. Cricket team players wear white, referred to as whites (imagine that), so it is easier to see the red cricket ball as it is being bowled. Cricket Clubs have their own sweaters, with coordinating piping colors to match their club. Cricket helmets are highly encouraged, as it is not a pretty sight to see someone bludgeoned by a cricket ball.

Preeclampsia and Pregnancy

Sybil and Tom Branson welcoming the latest edition into their family.

 

 

Please note: In case you haven't watched Season 3 of Downton Abbey, please do not continue reading this post.  Spoilers!

 

Preeclampsia, which can also be titled toxemia or pregnancy-induced hypertension, is a disorder that affects both the mother and the unborn child during a pregnancy.  Its most recognizable signs include swelling (usually most noticeable in the ankles), elevated blood pressure and protein in the urine.  Doctors and scientists have been puzzling over its cause for nearly 2,000 years, since it was first recognized and noted.  For every minute we are given on this earth, somewhere a women dies in pregnancy or childbirth.  In the United States currently, preeclampsia is responsible for approximately 18% of all maternal deaths. 

 

In the 18th century, doctors grew to an understanding that eclampsia was different than epilepsy.  Their solution was to let blood (first in the arm and then the temporal artery was employed), administer opium to calm the afflicted mother, and splash water on the face.  If at all possible, they tried to rush the child into premature birth, but they wouldn't start this process until the mother's body was ready.  By the 19th century, doctors could spot the signs of eclamptic hypertension, symptoms such as headache, loss of vision and stomach pains, but that did not guarantee they were better prepared for the full power eclampsia has on a mother during birth.

 

Could a cesarean section have saved Sybil as Dr. Clarkson insisted?  Possibly.  The only effective treatment for preeclampsia is delivery.  Perhaps if she had been administered magnesium sulfate, to slow the seizures, but this was not common practice until the 1950s.  Perhaps there is no certain outcome to Sybil's labor, but it is certain that it can not be viewed without a box of tissues present.  If this episode was too much emotion, I would not suggest watching the BBC's Call the Midwife.

 

For more information on this condition in mothers, visit the National Institute of Heath's Public Records or Preeclampsia Foundation's Fact Sheet.

 

Weddings in White

Mary and Edith, performed by Michelle Dockery and Laura Carmichael, in white.

 

 

We can thank Queen Victoria for turning white wedding dresses vogue.  Prior to her wedding to Prince Albert, women simply went to their dressmakers for the latest style in whatever color was of the fashion or brought out their eyes.  White, as is still the case in many countries to this day, was considered the color of mourning.  But along came Victoria, dressed in a silky-white gown she had designed herself, and within a decade of her marriage, white was the only color a bride would dream of wearing for her walk down the aisle.  Unlike the Queen, I doubt either Crawley sister will ever consider using bits and pieces from her wedding dress for other outfits in the future.

 

I do believe I am partial to Edith's gown, but I love Lady Mary's choice of flowers.  Calla lilies split their time between wedding bouquets and funeral arrangements, which is most certainly a large task for them.  For weddings, they symbolize purity. For funerals, they symbolize resurrection.  Either way, their stems are so large they give a nervous bride something firm to grasp as she walks down the aisle.

 

 

For further information on Queen Victoria's wedding gown, you can begin at the Washington Post. 

Anyone for Tea?

While abroad this past summer in Ireland, I spotted this sign at Hotel Meyrick in Galway.  It is so lovely to know that no matter where one goes, one may find Downton fans.