The Pirates Of Penzance

Louise Gold played Edith one of Major General Stanley’s daughters, filmed at Shepperton Studios in 1982. Like several of the cast members she also appeared in a production of that producers stage version of The Pirates Of Penzance.

Unfortunately all the minor characters (and the chorus) were dubbed. The principals, or at least Angela Lansbury, recorded their parts for the film, but the chorus did not. The explanation for this, from one of the pirates, is as follows:

  “All the songs in the film of Pirates of Penzance were mimed to the original Broadway cast. The minor parts were cast in England and mimed to their American counterparts. When we did the West End show, any of us who could actually sing were offered a part, but for the film it was not a requirement” Timothy Bentinck

To clarify, it should perhaps be pointed out that among those performers minor parts in the film, who didn’t do the West End show, for whatever reasons (two of them were appearing in Windy City for a start), there were several decent singers including: Zoot Money, Ken Leigh-Rogers, Maurice Lane, and, Neil McCaul amongst others.

 

Cast

Pirate King – Kevin Kline

Ruth – Anglela Lansbury

Mabel Stanley – Linda Ronstadt

Major General Stanley – George Rose

Frederic – Rex Smith

Sergeant – Tony Azito

Samuel – David Hatton (sung by Stephen Hanan)

Edith – Louise Gold (sung by Alexandra Korey)

Kate – Teresa Codling  (sung by Marcie Shaw)

Pinafore Captain – Rondo Bruni

Orchestra Conductor – Preston Lockwood

 

Chorus Daughters:

Nellie - Leni Harper

Emma - Clare McIntyre

Agatha - Louise Papillon

Isobel - Tilly Vosburgh

Grace - Nancy Wood

 

Chorus Pirates:

Hugh - Anthony Arndel

Strephon - John Asquith

Ffolkes - Tim Bentinck

Charming - Ross Davidson

Sheridan - Mike Grady

Moonshine - Simon Howe

Jolyon - Tony Millan

Alphonse - Zoot Money (sometimes known as G.B. Zoot Money, also sometimes known as G B Money)

Pablo - Andrew Paul

Benjamin - Ken Leigh Rogers

Norman - Mike Walling

 

Felons & Tarantara Corps:

Frankie Cull, David Hampshire, Phillip Harrison, Jerry Manly, Rhys Nelson, and, Kenny Warwick

 

Tarantara Corps:

Peppi Borza, Nicolas Chagrin, Maurice Lane, Neil McCaul, Garry Noakes, and, Chris Power

 

Hassani Troupe/ Tumblers:

Mohamed Aazzi, Mohamed Serhani, Ali Tahiri, Larbi Ben Mansour, Mohamed Larbi Hammani

 

Pinafore Company:

John Bett, Lennie Byrne, Jo Cameron Brown, Zulema Dene, Marta Eitler, Carole Forbes, Jack Honeyborne, Carol Macready, Brian Markham, Valerie Minifie, Linda Spurrier, and, Ursula Stedman

 

Production Team

Director – Wilford Leach

Assistant Director - Barry Langley

Producer – Joseph Papp

Co-Producer - Timothy Burrill

Executive Producer – Edward R Pressman

Production Company – Universal

Associate Producers - Stephen Katz, and, Andrew Tribe

Production Supervisor - Alexander De Grunwald

Based on: the operetta by W.S. Gilbert and A. S. Sullivan

Lyrics – William. S. Gilbert

Music – Arthur S. Sullivan

Music Adapted by – William Elliot

Music Production by - Peter Asher

Original Productions – 30 December 1879 at The Royal Bijou Theatre, Paignton, with Miss Kate Neville as Isabel and Miss Marian May as Edith, and then, 31 December 1879, at The 5th Avenue Theatre, New York, with Miss Billie Barlow as Isabel and Miss Jessie Bond as Edith

Director of Photography – Douglas Slocombe

Camera Operator - Chic Waterson

Editor – Anne Coates (sometimes known as Anne V Coates)

Music Editor - John Strauss

Production Assistant - Jeannie Stone

Continuity - Maggie Unsworth

Fight Consultant – B. H. Barry

Choreographer – Graciela Daniele

Art Directors – Ernest Archer and Alan Cassie

Casting by – Debbie McWilliams & Rosemarie Fisher

Production Design – Elliot Scott

Construction Manager - Syd Nightingale

Property Master - Barry Wilkinson

Chief Electrician - John Harman

Set Decoration – Peter Howitt

Costume Design – Tom Rand

Wardrobe Supervisor - Diane Jones

Make Up Supervisor - Jill Carpenter

Hair Stylist – Ramon Gow

Sound Editor – Les Wiggins

Sound Recording – David Hildyard & Frank Filipetti

Special Effects - Brian Johnson

Supervising Accountant  - Brian Bailey

Still Photography - Bob Penn

Unit Publicist - Geoff Freeman

Filmed at – Shepperton Studios

Made in – UK 1982

 

For a review/account of the film, please click here.

The Chorus Pirates each invented their own names for their characters.

Around this time 1982, several film versions of The Pirates Of Penzance were made. This page is about to the one produced by Joseph Papp, and directed by Wilford Leach, at Shepperton Studios in the UK, in 1982. Other film versions of The Pirates Of Penzance made  around this time include:

The Pirates Of Penzance, produced by Goldcrest Films, and directed by George Walker at Twickenham Studios, in the UK in 1982. This version involved The London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Alexander Faris.

The Pirate Movie, produced by Joseph Hamilton, and directed by Ken Annakin, in Australia in 1982. This has been described as a somewhat weird version of the story.

Amusingly, given that at the end of the Operetta The Pirates get let-off because they are noblemen, one pirate in this film really is a nobleman, namely Timothy Charles Robert Noel Bentinck, who went on to inherit the title of 12th Earl Of Portland, Tim also went on to play David Archer in the BBC Radio 4 soap The Archer's .

Apparently this Pirates of Penzance film got referred to in a 1996 film called Clayton’s Friends.

All the principal players (namely: Kevin Kline, Linda Ronstadt, George Rose, Rex Smith and Tony Azito), with the exception of Angela Lansbury, had previous appeared in Papp’s Broadway production of The Pirates Of Penzance in the same roles.

Louise Gold, Timothy Bentinck, Peppi Borza, David Hampshire, and Simon Howe went on to appear in Papp’s London production of The Pirates of Penzance at Theatre Royal Drury Lane. They also appeared as members of The Pirates Of Penzance cast in  The Pirates Of Penzance (Gala Preview) and in the 1982 Royal Variety Performance

Meanwhile, Rhys Nelson, Chris Power, and Windy City cast members Maurice Lane and Neil McCaul were also in the 1982 Royal Variety Performance

In the stage version of The Pirates of Penzance Louise Gold played the role of Isabel, although she also understudied Edith (the role she played in the film). The Only one of the three girls whom Louise Gold has not played is Kate, interestingly in the second ever production of The Pirates Of Penzance, at The 5th Avenue Theatre in New York, that role was played by Miss Rosina Brandram, whom Louise Gold would later portray in the film Topsy Turvy. Coincidentally, at some point during the Doyly Carte tour of the United States, Rosina Brandram also appeared in the role of Edith.

The Dark Crystal is another example of a film where quite a number of characters were dubbed, including, Louise Gold’s, Skekayuk.

Valerie Minifie had previously appeared in Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Reading Production).

Linda Ronstadt had previously been a Guest Star in one of the last editions of The Muppet Show, which of course Louise Gold puppeteered on.

Chief Electrican John Harman had previously been The Gaffer on The Great Muppet Caper and  The Dark Crystal, coincidentally the latter is only other film that Louise Gold has performed in where she did not do her character’s voice.

Debbie McWilliams was also involved in the casting of Labyrinth.

Louise Gold, Neil McCaul, and, G. B. Zoot Money subsequently appeared in the film Billy The Kid And The Green Baize Vampire.

Louise Gold and G.B. Zoot Money subsequently sang on (different sides of the single) Billy The Kid And The Green Baize Vampire (Soundtrack single).

Louise Gold and Neil McCaul have since in Angry Housewives, which Maurice Lane eventually choreographed.

Louise Gold, and Neil McCaul have since appeared in The Lost Musicals productions: Red Hot & Blue, Panama Hattie, and, 110 In The Shade.

Louise Gold returned to Shepperton Studios about 13 years later to work on another film with a strong pirate theme, Muppet Treasure Island.

Some 16 years later Louise Gold appeared in another G & S film, Topsy Turvy, this time, at least she did get to do her own singing.

Louise Gold has gone on to appear on stage in another G&S operetta, The Gondoliers, in 2003.

Neil McCaul went on to appear on television in A Week In The West End.

Zoot Money may have gone on to appear in Dear Ralph.

Louise Gold returned to Shepperton Studios some ten years later in her puppeteer guise for The Muppet Christmas Carol, on which Art Director Alan Cassie was Supervising Art Director, and on which Brian Bailey also worked.

Louise Gold, Alan Cassie, and, Brian Bailey also went on to work on another Pirate film at Shepperton Studios namely Muppet Treasure Island.

Ross Davidson went on to appear on television in Roland Rat The Series.

Alan Cassie went on to build sets for the television series The Secret Life Of Toys, which Louise Gold puppeteered on.

Mike Grady went on to appear in Up The Garden Path.

Some twenty six years later Louise Gold, and Neil McCaul, along with Tilly Vosburgh, took part in a memorial tribute to Tilly’s father A Celebration Of The Life And Work Of Dick Vosburgh.

Actor Chris Power may possibly have been the studio director of ITV’s 50 Greatest Shows.

 

Links about The Pirates Of Penzance (1982 film)

Internet Movie Database entry: http://us.imdb.com/Title?0086112

BFI Database Entry: http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/125109

Movie Stills, http://dramafan.tripod.com/kevinkline/popbwpic.html on a site about Kevin Kline ( http://dramafan.tripod.com/kevinkline/index.html )    in particular: http://dramafan.tripod.com/kevinkline/popbw5.html of Pirates with the girls

The G&S Discography: http://www.cris.com/~oakapple/gasdisc/pirpapp.htm The Pirates of Penzance entry

Timothy Bentinck's website, see section on his work: http://www.bentinck.net/frame1.htm

At A Glance Film Reviews : http://www.rinkworks.com/movies/m/the.pirates.of.penzance.1983.shtml review of Pirates Of Penzance

Linda Ronstadt’s Homepage, an Unofficial fan site: http://www.crosswinds.net/~ronstadt/pirates.htm section dealing with and detailing The Pirates of Penzance.

Rex Smith’s fanpage, http://www.rexsmith.com/front.html some articles about him which include mentioning The Pirates Of Penzance

A Parent’s guide to using this film for educational purposes: http://www.teachwithmovies.org/guides/pirates-of-penzance.html

Rotten Tomatoes Film reviews: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/movie-1016365/reviews.php page about The Pirates of Penzance

P Movies: http://members.tripod.com/donignacio/movpiratesofpenzance.html Review of The Pirates of Penzance by Michael Lawrence

Rambles net: http://rambles.net/pirates_penzance.html Review of The Pirates of Penzance by Laurie Thayer

E! Online Movie Facts entry: http://www.eonline.com/Facts/Movies/0,60,13369,00.html

Hollywood com entry: http://www.hollywood.com/movies/detail/movie/227854

Moonstruck review of The Pirates of Penzance: http://www.imagi-nation.com/moonstruck/albm66.html

Juggling in The Movies entry: http://www.juggling.org/movies/title/Pirates_of_Penzance.html

Variety: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/click/movie-1016365/reviews.php?critic=all&sortby=default&page=1&rid=180627 review of The Pirates of Penzance

Cast album.org database’s entry for the video of this film: http://www.castalbums.org/recordings/8485

 

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