John Inman in Brighton, England, 14 May 1998 (posted on 5.25.98)

- posted at: http://www.clever.net/rice/www/Canteen/Read/ -

thanks to:

- "Mrs. Slocombe" (houk@umich.edu) -

*

Mrs. Slocombe writes:

On Thursday, May 14 my flight from Detroit to Gatwick landed in a thunderstorm, but only
half an hour late in spite of a late start. I took an express train straight from Gatwick
to Brighton, bearing all of my luggage for ten days with me so that I could go directly
from Brighton to London later in he day.

By the time I arrived in Brighton it was warm and sunny. I was dismayed to find that,
because of bomb scares, there was absolutely no place at Brighton station to leave luggage.
After about half an hour I learned that there was only one place in Brighton where luggage
could be left - at Brighton Backpackers. I took a cab there and was transported back into
the 1960's of my youth, with one long-haired fellow playing a guitar and others sitting
around motionless, the ultimate in laid back. The proprietor eventually appeared, collected
an extremely reasonable amount of money, and took my luggage away. He seemed a bit
surprised to find me still waiting when he returned. When I asked about a receipt he looked
so befuddled that I quickly agreed that I didn't need one, and walked down along the nearby
waterfront, not quite to the famous Pier. I then headed in the general direction of the
Pavilion and the Theatre Royal, with a lengthy excursion en route into the narrow, but
rather fancy "Lanes" with shop after shop beckoning.

I hurried on, and arrived at the Theatre nearly an hour before the matinee performance. I
went in because I was thoroughly over-heated, having expected the weather to be 20 or 30
degrees cooler. In Mr. Inman's honor I wore my fashionable purple hat with blue-print band.
In the cool of the Lobby I asked the ticket-selling young woman if it would be possible to
meet John Inman after the performance. She looked dubious, so I asked if I could leave him
a note. She said she would try to see that he received it. So I wrote a longish letter,
there being plenty of time, mentioning everything from meeting him at a book-signing in Ann
Arbor, to having a photo of him received as a WTVS premium that I would like personally
autographed, to having learned about this play, "My Fat Friend," on the BBC Live Chat that
he did, etc. The gal then told me the rather lengthy way to go outside afterward and find
the stage door, blue in color, a couple of blocks taking three rights from the front.

The inner lobby opened, so the elderly British lady I had been talking with and I went in,
only to discover that the theatre itself hadn't opened - only the inner lobby with bar. We
did not partake, but found two comfortable chairs and sat down to wait. Who should shortly
come bustling by in a very Humphries-like walk but Mr. Inman. "Oh," I said in startled
tones, "There he is." He immediately turned and flashed a friendly smile as he hurried back
stage, in a spiffy blue suit and tie with white shirt. "He really does know you!" said the
woman in surprise. I said I was sure he hadn't recognized me, but he appreciates his
"public."

Shortly thereafter we were permitted to go into the theatre itself. It is a jewelbox of a
theatre with some of the old decor and richness one doesn't see much any more. The play was
funny, with good lines almost non-stop, and featured John Inman in a very Humphries-like
role, though avowedly homosexual. His fat friend, artificially upholstered until the last
act, was Kim Hartman, whom some of you will remember from 'Allo, 'Allo! or however it is
spelled, in which she was the blonde girlfriend of the German officer. After the conclusion
of the play John Inman came forward and talked for a while with the audience, thanking them
and making some cracks about his fellow performers who were still on stage in various
chairs of the living room set. I may be one of the oldest members of this Canteen, but I
was one of the youngest in the audience that afternoon. I don't know whether older people
preferentially attend matinees, but I think that may well be the case. There was not as
much laughter as I would have expected, and none but my own in few cases, and deafness to
some thrown-away lines may have been the reason.

Afterward I hurried around, and was told that it would be ten minutes or so, since John had
to change. A couple of other ladies appeared who had also written him a letter, and we were
so busy talking we scarcely noticed when he arrived. They talked with him first. They had
seen him in the same play 22 years before, and he was able to tell them who had then been
playing the Fat Friend part.

Kim Hartman then appeared and both of them signed the covers of our programs, including a
third lady that just got the autographs and then left again. I brought out my photo of him
which he autographed and it got him talking about his visits to Detroit, especially a
winter one, just at the time that David Croft's This Is Your Life, or whatever the British
version is called, and they televised Inman's bit outside against the Detroit skyline,
taking forever, he thought he'd freeze to death. He revealed that he is coming back to
Detroit WTVS in August or September. BTW I forgot to mention that he came out in a
different ensemble from that in which he had entered the theatre, featuring yellow, and I
won't try to give details - very natty.

Almost as an afterthought I asked if I could take his photo, but he insisted on my being in
it too, and right in front of the "My Fat Friend" poster, and putting his arm around me, so
I expect it will be impossible to excise me from the photo. Oh, well, it may not even come
out. It was taken by the stagedoor man.

P.S. added later: It turned out that the film had not been advanced enough to get a full
first picture, and guess who was in the resulting half-picture? Me! No John Inman at all!
Aaaarrrrgh!

END