@@melgm002 he was @melgm002. He hosted me at his house one time and had a dinner arty on the beach the next day. I still have about 15 or so of his letters. Thanks for the nice resonse
This really upsets me Jayne, a slow death in so many ways. As with vascular dementia like a thief in the night, but gradually stealing only what is most precious in life. Your identity (what makes you tick) . No horror film can match this human horror. A serious video thank you. xx
Jayne, I'm in CA, same age as Cathy Collins (aka Bo Derek), rival high schools, lol. I subscribed to your channel for the classical - adore Elgar, Vaughan Williams, and my husband and I thank you deeply for posting this excellent doc on a brilliant and sadly misunderstood genius kind man. We really loved and appreciated Dudley. God bless the Fructers for taking him in. God bless you also.
How I agree Nance with your last sentiment! So glad you have subscribed to this channel. I do hope you continue to find much of interest here. Thank you so much for commenting.
Such an insidious disease that robbed us of Dudley way too soon. I loved his work. He seemed a very jolly fellow when interviewed and I found him hilariously funny especially when he brought out that unique laugh of his. Was so so sad to him in later life, just not fair for such an amazingly talented man. Love you Duds! Rest in Peace and thank you for your laughter and terrific musical talent.
For my money, Dudley Moore was in the top 5 jazz pianists of all time. In case anyone is interested, there are 4 fabulous 30 minute "live" radio show recordings on here featuring the Dudley Moore trio and 4 guests singers. Cleo Laine, Marian Montgomery, Dakota Staton & Jimmy Witherspoon. Each number is introduced by Dudley Moore or Dud. The listing on here states 1971 but I think they were actually recorded in 1966/1967.
Dear Sir or Madam, I would love to hear these articles by Dudley Moore, I only became aware of the existence of this fabulous, unique human being, when I watched the film Arthur, thank you in advance.Best Regards.Ivany
@@ruedigersonntag1279 2 months late but here are the following recordings that robin was referring to, if youre still looking for it: (The Dudley Moore trio with Marion Montogomery) ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-WJSCbAwmxRY.html (The Dudley Moore trio with Cleo Lane) ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-5m6xUtic8n8.html (The Dudley Moore trio with Dakota Staton) ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-r5t5jrhIlME.html (The Dudley Moore trio with Jimmy Witherspoon) ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-fbdKLeEBjMQ.html
Whatever is this foolish and modish resort to the expression 'of all time' doing here? There have been jazz - or any - pianists for just over two hundred years: I leave anyone who is interested to calculate what a small fraction of 'all time' that is.
Longterm Dudley Moore fan. A very talented musician and composer. Thanks Jayne for featuring him here. Looking forward to checking out your RU-vid channel... full of quality music.
I live in Nova Scotia, and have visited White Point, where the documentary begins, many times. I was deeply saddened by Moore's passing, and at the time had no idea that he'd been spending time here in my part of the world. It's a beautiful spot, and the perfect place to relax in nature by an uncluttered shoreline, no wonder he kept coming back. I believe Dudley stayed near Port Mouton, which takes its name from a French word for sheep, as legend has it that early French explorers had a sheep that was so excited to see land after the long ocean voyage, it jumped into the water and swam to shore. It's the kind of outrageous bit of history that I'm sure he would have enjoyed.
What a stark contrast with built-up Dagenham East London, where he was born! Thank you for this interesting comment I wondered why he had apparently abandoned Britain ... and the jazz scene.
Dudley Moore had a very sad life and he did a movie called Arthur and Arthur 2 and Six Weeks and he was also in Santa Claus The Movie 1985 which was a huge flop in the box office but to me that was magic. I was only 6 half years old when I saw that movie it made me believe in Santa and Dudley Moore played Patch... I don't know what happened to him after that Arthur was his biggest hit and its so sad he died a slow death with Vascular Dementia. RIP Dudley Moore he deserved so much more in this life and it never was given to him***
In my imaginary dinner party Dudley makes the cut with Peter Cook, Marilyn, Bowie, Paul Whitehouse, Bob Mortimer, Lee Mack, Paul McCartney, Michelle Pfieffer , Marion Cotillard and Juliet Binoche.
It must have been rather 'irksome' for Dudley Moore in that his 'Beyond The Fringe' co-stars WERE NOT musicians and so didn't/couldn't properly appreciate his real talent in that area. (It's POSSIBLE that Peter Cook in particular might have been even subconsciously 'jealous' of Moore's musical ability...) It's also at least 'possible' that Cook's 'repressed enmity' regarding Moore was because DM was as funny, charming and as personable BUT HE WAS WORKING CLASS AND A SHORT CRIPPLE!!! ( Self-assured Cook must have found that puzzling. Even annoying... Ultimately frustrating?) I'm sure Cook thought success 'came easy' to Moore, just because Moore was a genuine 'natural', (as was Cook in a different fashion...) but Moore's charm seemed effortless. (Cook KNEW he had to work on his created persona...) I SUSPECT that Cook thought that Moore was the greater talent, though his ego would never have allowed him to consciously acknowledge that... (Moore's commercial success in the USA was because he was frankly more likable and charismatic than Cook, who thought that 'working for success' was 'common'... Cook expected the world to come to him. Moore knew he had to work. And possibly adapt.) In modern UK it is Peter Cook who is seen as 'The Great Genius'. The British do love an underdog and there is no doubt that Cook was that, though he simply wasn't as multi-faceted (as an actor/musician/comedian) as Dudley Moore was. Definitely a 'Comedian's Comedian', Cook couldn't 'adapt' or create in the way Moore could. Moore's International success, (and Oscar nomination and a Golden Globe award) must have REALLY annoyed the more Patrician Cook as his career went 'second tier'... The 'flip-side' of this of course is that Dudley Moore must also have harboured a certain insecurity even given his later success. (He WAS SEEN in the UK as Peter Cook's 'side-kick'...) And he was conscious of that. (Moore NEVER received the deserved critical acclaim that Cook, Bennett and Miller ultimately did in the UK...) And he should have. I RATHER THINK that despite Dudley Moore's success in the USA, he forever was hurt by the fact that he NEVER gained the critical appreciation in Great Britain that (playwright) Bennett did, (academic) Jonathan Miller did or (flawed genius) Peter Cook did? The IMPRESSION I get from this soulful documentary is that he found REAL SOLACE in music in the end. (Perhaps his truest passion...) Respect. xx SF
Dear Steve, you have covered the subject brilliantly. Dudley was a natural multi-talented individual and above all a fine musician, pianist and composer. There was a great deal of bittereness between Dudley and Peter Cook and as you rightly pointed out a world of difference in terms of their respective backgrounds. No wonder the Americans (like so many women) loved him. He had greater fame and glory but not fully following his real passion of muisc and perhaps having greater recognition as a composer. Thank you Steve, totally agree with you and I am so glad you found the video on this channel. Jayne xx
@@feline1104 What a kind response, thank you... I think that your posted film gives fans of Dudley some solace and comfort. Even as his health drastically failed he was surrounded by friends who loved him and encouraged and shared his true passion, music. Also worth considering is that despite the later problems in his relationship/friendship with Peter Cook, both men RETAINED a deep respect and even a 'love' for each other. (Though each said the occasional nasty thing about the other...) Of course, this is very common among artists who were formerly very close collaborators; Lennon/McCartney, Morrissey/Marr and even the British comedy duo Rob Newman/David Baddeil... An added thought, it's not commonly known that Peter Cook, (despite having no musical talent WHATEVER) was a huge fan of music. In the mid/late1960's, when Popular Musicians became a kind of 'New Social Aristocracy' it must have 'annoyed' Cook that Dudley, as well as being a very famous comedian/satirist, ALSO had the added respect of those 'New Princes' because of a shared musical talent. (And perhaps even a shared 'class' indeed?) I'm sure that A BIT of Peter Cook must have thought that The Beatles and The Stones were basically 'working class oiks'!!!!!!!!! (BUT MUCH MORE SUCCESSFUL, FAMOUS AND ATTRACTIVE THAN HE WAS!) Cook is perhaps the more interesting psychological study? A product of 'The Establishment' (the British Class System) he made a career of lampooning the very thing he was himself, yet he NEVER QUITE managed to entirely shed his ingrained 'Establishment' attitude, privilege or behaviours. Nor did he wish to? (I think there may well have been a certain 'self-loathing' in Cook that he couldn't truly acknowledge. His problems with alcoholism and lasting relationships may well have stemmed from this...) Cook's UNSURPASSED ability to parody authority/establishment figures was because he wasn't all that different himself. His frequent mockery of Dudley, while often 'in character', hinted at a base inability to understand or respect those not of his own 'class'... (When Cook attempted to 'DO' a working class character, (as with Derek and Clive) he resorted to low-brow, vulgar, base, scatalogical humour, ASSUMING that that was what working class people were like...) Dudley's psychological issues, (and they existed...) stemmed from his initial birth defect, short stature and THEN the nagging if unspoken thought that, because of his background, he wasn't QUITE GOOD ENOUGH to mix comfortably with the 'Posh' people.... A concern Cook was happy to exploit. (He could read and write music, but NOT classical Latin or Greek...) In AMERICA, nobody cared about that! xx SF
@@stevesandford1437 Once again a very informative comment. Being a jazz fan and some one that grew-up exposed to the likes of Spike Milligan, the Pythons and 'Not Only But Also', I can honestly say that theirs was a golden age for main-media entertaiment in my own view. I shall never laugh like that again and suspect I won't be as inspired musically or otherwise as then. Somehow my generation was shaped to a large extent by the BBC which alas has had its golden days! You are right about talented people clashing personalities while being so diverse in outlook and background. But this is how good things evolve and move forwards. Whatever the stresses behind these high profile relationships we should be perhaps thankful that at least our lives were brilliantly coloured by such a combination of talents. Thank you so much for all this great feedback. Jayne x
@@feline1104 Jayne, thank you again for your kind and conversational response. (Of course there is an argument to be made as to connection between 'Jazz' music and the kind of 'free-form' comedy/sketch performance initiated and exemplified by (in Britain) 'The Goons' and in the USA by Lenny Bruce, Woody Allen and others... ALL those ground-breaking comedians were HUGE jazz music fans... (In the case of Milligan and Allen, actual jazz musicians...) It MIGHT interest you to know, (though you may already know...) that the television show 'That Was The Week That Was' (TWTWTW -1962) which famously launched the career of David Frost, was INITIALLY proposed to the BBC by Peter Cook! (Cook couldn't do it because he was in NYC with 'Beyond The Fringe' on Broadway at the time.) TYPICALLY, Cook never forgave Frost for 'stealing' his concept! I agree with you that the BBC is no longer the Corporation it once was. (That's a shame...) If there ever were 'Sun Ships On Eighth Street' at the BBC they've LONG SINCE sailed!!! Do forgive me for continuing our conversation but I really think we are discussing an 'art' and concept that AT THE TIME was literally ground-breaking... (And practically forgotten today...) We DON'T see that kind of innovation today... PERSONALLY I think that rather a pity... (But at 60, I'm TERRIBLY old and out of touch!) xx SF
@@stevesandford1437 I'd have to dispute that Cook "had no musical talent whatever." True, in *Bedazzled* his "song" is entirely spoken (though his delivery is entirely in time!); however his falsetto contributions (along with Dud) in "The Leaping Nuns' Chorus" could give the Bee Gees a run for their money! He didn't bother with music because he didn't have to (imo).
I saw him play a concert in a Dagenham school just before he became famous. We were sitting in his direct line of sight next I presume to his parents. Music, jazz, was undoubtedly his first love: I loathed his comic films - all of them.
