| Alastair Sim: The Star Of Scrooge And The Belles Of St Trinian's. - Mark Simpson. |
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Blame it on beans! That's biographer Mark Simpson's intriguing theory regarding the dramatic change in Alastair Sim's professional fortunes at the end of the1950s. Success followed success for the actor during the 1940s and '50s, on stage in a run of acclaimed plays written by fellow Scot, James Bridie, and on the big screen in a number of memorable roles including Scrooge and Miss Fritton in "The Belles of St Trinians".
But when Heinz Beans ran a series of television adverts in 1958, viewers were convinced that the voice-over by actor Ron Moody was the "unmistakeable" tones of Alastair Sim. He went to court, but what would today seem like a strong case was portrayed as a frivolous publicity stunt and Alastair lost.
Mark Simpson goes on to concede that the beans incident was only one of the actor's troubles at this point. James Bridie, the source of many of his most celebrated stage roles was now dead and the cosy Ealing-style comedies so beloved of cinema audiences in the '50s were being usurped by kitchen sink realism. In this new wave of films the type of eccentric Alastair portrayed so well, if featured at all, was more likely to be sinister than sympathetic.
This meticulous biography was 10 years in the writing, at least in part because its subject rarely granted interviews. He was guarded about his private life, perhaps not surprisingly. Alastair met his wife Naomi when she was a 12-year-old aspiring thespian and once his own career blossomed, Alastair "adopted" the young George Cole. Mark Simpson points out that neither suggested at any time that husband or mentor acted inappropriately.
The author, however, is not wholly uncritical, reminding us that later in his career Alastair could be guilty of reprising a small range of well-honed persona on stage and screen and that his principled stance of refusing to sign autographs left admiring fans bewildered or hurt.
Most have fond memories of a handful of fine films - "Green For Danger", "Laughter In Paradise", "An Inspector Calls" - but he worked steadily almost his entire life appearing in over 50 films and around 70 plays, sometimes also directing.
His refusal to engage with the media means that Alastair Sim will inevitably remain an elusive and apparently contradictory figure, but Mark Simpson has demonstrated admirable tenacity and produced a highly readable profile. |
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