Dinsdale Landen

Dinsdale Landen0:00

Hello, I'm Kirsty Young, and this is a podcast from the Desert Island Discs Archive.

Dinsdale Landen0:05

For rights reasons we've had to shorten the music. The programme was originally broadcast in 1978 and the presenter was Roy Plumley.

Presenter0:31

On our desert island this week is the actor Dinsdale Landon. Now, Dinsdale, you've been to tropic climes, haven't you? You went off to the Far East. Yes, indeed. When was that? About twelve, thirteen years ago. Whose company? That was the Open Air Shakespeare Company from Regent's Park.

Presenter0:46

And we took The Taming the Shrew and Richard II, and I played Petruccio. Where did you go?

Presenter0:53

all over India, I mean all the major cities of India, and then we went on to the Far East, to Hong Kong, Singapore, Kuching.

Presenter0:59

Manila in the Philippines.

Presenter1:04

Oh yes, quite a lot, oh yes. Um and for example, if you go to somewhere like Calcutta, which I can assure you is pretty ghastly by any standards, I mean you've really got to get out to be sane, and come into the evening. So I used to hire a lot of cars or say, Ah, sounds really grand.

Presenter1:19

Got on buses or did, you know, just wandered around. Got off into the jungle. That's right. Countryside. Mm. So you have a pretty good idea what it'd be like to build a a hut out of bamboo.

Presenter1:29

Yes, I've got an idea. Whether I could actually do it, I don't know, but I've certainly seen these. Were you playing in in universities or in theatres? No, well y both actually, universities uh uh and theat'cause there were there are some theatres left over from, you know, the days of the British Raj.

Presenter1:45

Some of them are in pretty bad state, but nevertheless, I mean I remember one night distinctly a scorpion ran off with my stick of number nine, which is a makeup we use. That's quite a b a a big stick. It's quite a big stick and it was a pretty big scorpion and it off it went. So I had to go on with a lot of white makeup that night.

Dinsdale Landen1:54

Yeah.

Dinsdale Landen1:56

Required.

Presenter2:02

Looking more like Marcel Marceau.

Dinsdale Landen2:03

Give me online.

Presenter2:04

Yeah.

Presenter2:06

What's your first record? Muskrat Ramble. Why do you choose it?

Presenter2:09

I choose that because, um

Presenter2:12

It was, I suppose, one of the first jazz tunes I ever heard in Brighton many, many years ago, and I became very addicted to to jazz, and indeed to Sidney Bescher, who was going to play it.

Presenter2:24

And I think one of the reasons I did become addicted to jazz was I come from a very musical family and they were all very, very excellent at the classics, etc., etcetera. So being a

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And I've always been a bit of

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I mean I I mean that in the in not in the sort of um

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I don't want to burn down Buckingham Palace, because I'd love it. But uh I mean I I I find that if you know too many people are doing that then I'll tend to do the other thing. The family were playing classical music so you played jazz. That's right, which they didn't like very much but still they had to put up with it. Where did you play it? Well yes, I really wasn't good enough to play in a band but I did once or twice sit down there and bash out the chords from my scrap ramble very badly and I was sacked and eventually took the tickets.

Presenter4:06

Muskrat Ramble with Sidney Berserk, recorded in December 1944. Have you ever used your piano playing professionally in the theatre? Funnily enough, no, I hadn't until now, when I'm playing at the National Theatre in a play called The Flandre, and I actually do sit down and play the piano. Oh, that's you, is it? That actually is me. I thought it was somebody off. I had no.

Dinsdale Landen4:24

That actually must be

Presenter4:28

No, no, no, it is actually me live at the piano. Splendid. But it's a very simple tune. I mean, if they gave me a, you know, a great work of Beethoven's, there's no way I could cope.

Dinsdale Landen4:28

No, no, it's not.

Presenter4:36

Do you sing?

Presenter4:38

Yes, I do. Um I have you sung in public? Not as an adult. As a youth,'cause I was a choir boy.

Presenter4:45

Right, your second record.

Presenter4:47

My second record is um

Presenter4:49

The Foray's Requiem

Presenter4:51

The Sanctus. Was this something you sang as a choir boy? Well, no, it is not something I sang as a choir boy. Uh, indeed no, I wasn't I certainly wasn't good enough to sing it, but um it's been one of my favourite um pieces for choristers for God knows how many years.

Dinsdale Landen4:54

While in no

Speaker 45:20

Who's come in?

Presenter6:07

The sanctus from the Foray Requiem, the choir of King's College, Cambridge, conducted by David Wilcox.

Presenter6:14

You talked about Brighton just now. Is is that your native Heath? Is that where you were born? No, no, no, no. I was born in Margate. Oh, not very far away. Not very far away, in a different county. But we moved to Brighton. Had you seen a lot of theatre as a child? Not as a child, no. In fact, I don't think I saw quite anything at all until we moved to Brighton, and then I became absolutely hooked. Was there any one performer who influenced you, who made you think that's what I want to do?

Presenter6:38

Yes, I suppose there was. Yes, I think it must have been Paul Schofield.

Presenter6:42

Who had a great influence on my life? I thought he was, and indeed is a magnificent actor. And I saw him playing Alexander the Great, and I think that's when I was absolutely hooked. I also did a

Dinsdale Landen6:51

Yeah.

Presenter6:52

I was also um

Presenter6:53

Chosen to play a girl in the school play about Rossman's Universal Robots, I think it was called, by Carol Caper.

Presenter7:00

And I really was then absolutely hooked and wanted to get out of school as quickly as possible. Did you go to drugs? Yes, I did.

Dinsdale Landen7:05

Yeah.

Presenter7:06

Uh the Florence Moore Theatre Studios, which I don't know why it usually gets a laugh.

Presenter7:12

I don't see why it shouldn't. No, I don't know why, but people have never heard of it, that's why. Where is it?

Speaker 47:13

They lied.

Presenter7:18

That's I don't know. You've scored that. Hove.

Presenter7:22

You did a few jobs while you were still training.

Presenter7:25

Yes, I did. I have a record of paper rounds, for example, to pay to go to the drama school. I have a record of a performance here at the Dolphin Theatre, Brighton.

Dinsdale Landen7:27

Like

Dinsdale Landen7:30

Yeah.

Presenter7:34

Is that being recorded?

Presenter7:37

That was Bimbo, I think, wasn't it, in the Housemaster? In the Housemaster, yes, that's true. Then what? About sixteen? This is true. Yes, yes.

Dinsdale Landen7:39

Yes, that's right.

Presenter7:44

And when you left the studio in Hove Studio in Hove.

Dinsdale Landen7:48

What's particular?

Presenter7:51

Uh w well, my first job I I was as a as an ASM at uh Preston rep, where I stayed until I had to go into the nasty national service. What did you do in national service? Not a lot. Um

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I started off an air crew and failed pathetically because my maths was appalling.

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therefore was sent to um a camp called Boscombe Town.

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Where, like a lot of other people who were thrown off the course, there was very little to do. The raft was overcrowded.

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And uh

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So I um decided to form a dramatic society at Oscar, which indeed I did.

Dinsdale Landen8:24

Uh

Speaker 48:24

Yeah.

Presenter8:26

And um

Presenter8:28

Had marvellous fun for the next 18 months. Good. That's really all I did, was to run the the the the theatre. Yes. Did everything, directed it, played the leading parts, wrote the music, I mean built the sets. Oh you did musicals too? Oh yes, oh yes. Oh that was when you had some ambitions to be a dancer, wasn't it? Well that that's true, yes, because I went while I was in the RAF I went to see a film called Singing in the Rain and fell deeply in love with Gene Kelly. I mean defeat I mean.

Dinsdale Landen8:39

Okay, it is.

Dinsdale Landen8:40

Yeah.

Presenter8:57

and immediately rushed out to buy myself some tap shoes.

Presenter9:00

and indeed had tap lessons in Salisbury.

Presenter9:04

And you can imagine this wasn't exactly any butch exercise in the Royal Air Force, so I was sent up ruthlessly by everybody as I tapped away on my cubicle, driving everybody mad.

Presenter9:15

Two in time, dee da da da da.

Presenter9:18

And it has remained, you know, obviously my favorite term.

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Yes, well, I see you got it on your list. Yes, indeed I have. Yes, that's what I'd love to hear.

Speaker 39:24

Yes, you can.

Speaker 39:28

I'm singing in the rain.

Speaker 39:31

You're singing in the rain

Speaker 39:35

What a glorious feel, and I'm happy again. I'm laughing at clouds, so dark up for mine.

Speaker 39:49

The sun's in my heart Have a ready for love.

Presenter9:55

Gene Kelly singing in the rain. Now, what happened when you left the RAF? I was out at work.

Presenter10:01

Yeah.

Presenter10:04

And your next job? Uh yes, I was out of work for some time. Oh, well, I wrote everywhere and, um, you know, got the no replies, till eventually I went to get a job and succeeded in getting a a job as an ASM at Worthing Rep. Very handy, yes, except that one worked all night in those days.

Speaker 410:18

Very high.

Presenter10:22

But it was a

Presenter10:23

You know, wonderful experience. And during that time, I was also carrying spears, etc., etc., and the great Wolfit, Sir Donal Wolfit, came down. We'd been rehearsing this play for several weeks, and suddenly the managing director of the theatre said Sir Don Wolfit would like to see you in his dressing-room, so I was absolutely terrified, and went down and knocked on the door. There was this great man making up. You come in de boy. What was the play? Othello. Sorry. Didn't I say that?

Presenter10:45

And he said, I'd noticed you in the crowd and he said, Er

Presenter10:49

I said, You react very well He said I had a wonderful idea over the weekend He said I want Othello to go about with a Nubian slave all the time He said I've chosen you for the role and I said Well thank you very much so he said I want you to go away and black up all over.

Presenter11:03

Get a loincloth and a spear, and just follow me everywhere on the stage, everywhere I go.

Presenter11:09

She went, but stand well back, dear boy, and to the right or to the left of the stage. So, anyway, the curtain went up, and on I went, shaking like a leaf. In fact, even more nervous than I am now. And uh.

Presenter11:20

And the the the first half went very well. And he called me to my room and said, The director says, It looks wonderful, dear boy, and you're doing terrible. It's very impressive, this little Nubian slave rushing around the place. So the second part started

Presenter11:32

And of course, as you must understand, I I mean, I didn't know the sets at all. You see, this was the great dress for house before the opening performance. And it went on. It was proceeding. I suddenly thought to myself, My God, I know I shouldn't be here.

Presenter11:44

But he did say follow him everywhere. That is exactly what he said to me, didn't he, Dinsdar?

Presenter11:49

And eventually I thought, I know this is wrong, and I could see in front of me this white sort of silky thing, this great man, and he suddenly stood up and bellowed, this poor creature being me, Not in Desdemona's chamber, you idiot So I left rather pathetically and thought that was the end of my career.

Speaker 412:02

Not in Des Demona's chamber, you idiot

Speaker 412:07

Education.

Presenter12:09

Well, let's stay with your stage career for the time being. After Worthing, what? Did you move on to other reps? Yes, I did. I went then to uh Swansea rep. You went on an Australian tour, quite a bit. Yes, I did. After I then auditioned for uh The Old Fig.

Speaker 412:19

Yes, I

Presenter12:23

Not to play anything, but just auditioned. Um, I did, um Lancelot Gobbert in front of Robert Helpman and uh Michael Bentle.

Presenter12:30

and I then said I'm going to do Hamlet.

Presenter12:32

And so I walked to the back of the stage, and suddenly there was Robert Helpman and Michael Bentley standing next to me. They said, Well, come on, dear boy, we haven't got a lot of time.

Presenter12:40

To which I said,

Presenter12:42

You cannot play Hamlet just like that, you know. It takes time. Anyway, they both laughed and said, Would you like to come to Australia? The point of that story is that had they seen my Hamlet, of course I might not have gone to Australia, in fact I might not be sitting here now.

Presenter12:57

What did you play at Australia? Hamlet. Oh, no, of course. I mean, I didn't play anything. I just.

Dinsdale Landen12:58

Oh no, I mean

Presenter13:02

Uh nothing. I I had a spear, another spear. Another spear. And when you came back?

Presenter13:07

When I came back again out of work, uh

Presenter13:10

Until eventually I got a job at Hornchurch. Hornchurch, yes. Yes. What was your first West End appearance?

Speaker 313:12

Yeah

Presenter13:15

Uh Dead Secret with my hero Paul Schofield. Oh yes.

Speaker 413:18

Yeah.

Presenter13:20

I just played a very small part, like, uh

Presenter13:23

Alouse the cars at the door, or something like that. I didn't say much. And then you did the season at Stratford upon Aden. Yes.

Presenter13:30

Playing what? Playing all the clowns.

Presenter13:32

You played young Coppers? I did, yes, opposite that marvellous Alas Now Dead actor, Jackie McGowan. Now I've got a whole list of plays here, both in London and out. Which have been the the most important engagements to you?

Dinsdale Landen13:32

I

Presenter13:46

Well, I suppose the turning point really when people thought I was, you know, a serious actor as opposed to a

Presenter13:52

An idiot or a clown was the philanthropist. Ah, yes, Christopher Hampton.

Presenter13:59

And then um

Presenter14:01

London Assurance.

Presenter14:04

Well, I suppose the most important play I I I did

Presenter14:07

It was alphabetical order by Michael Frayne.

Speaker 414:09

Uh

Presenter14:09

Mm-hmm.

Presenter14:13

And now you're with the National. That's yes. Now the challenge of succeeding Ray Flynn, the the the great fast player, in in Plunder, must have been a little daunting. Very daunting indeed. In fact, I refused to luckily or I only luckily because um I'm an actor, I didn't see him, and I'm glad I didn't.

Presenter14:32

If you see what I mean, there of course I might have tried to imitate it, and I have not tried to do that at all.

Presenter14:39

And luckily it came off, um

Presenter14:41

You know. Well, you you. We're back doing it again now after the second time. And I gather that the the author who happily is still with us, Ben Travers, is delighted with what you do with Darcy Tuck. Well, so he tells me, yes. I mean, there's a remarkable, wonderful man. What is he now, ninety two? Ninety-two, yes. Great. And still loves women, cricket, and theatre in that order.

Presenter15:04

And as a double with plunder you're playing in Shaw's the Philanderer. You make up as as as young Shaw himself.

Dinsdale Landen15:08

Yeah.

Presenter15:11

That's right, yes. Well, he does give those instructions in in the preface, yes. He does say a bearded man with um lots of whiskers and and long hair. He was a kind of, as you know, a bohemian of of his time.

Presenter15:22

So that's what we've tried to do with the sandals and and all that.

Presenter15:26

Record number four.

Presenter15:27

The Violin Concerto, Sir Belis's Violin Concerto, played by David Oustra.

Presenter16:33

An excerpt from the Sebelius Violin Concerto, David Oistrach, with the Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Ros Destvensky.

Presenter16:41

Uh films haven't played a very big part in your career, have they? Not a lot, no, in fact. It's true to say, had I depended on the film industry, I think I'd have starved to death. What was the first one you did?

Presenter16:51

I don't even know what the last one was. What was your last picture? I don't know. I haven't made my last picture.

Presenter16:57

I'm trying to think. I think it was Rasputin the Madman. I missed that one. Yes, I think most people did. Where did you make that one? I made that at Pray. No glamorous location.

Speaker 317:02

I'm dead.

Presenter17:08

Must notice about my film crew, it really does make me laugh. And the next one was Digby the biggest dog in the world.

Presenter17:14

Ha ha ha.

Presenter17:15

You supported Big Big Pretty Classic Stuff.

Speaker 417:16

Pretty

Presenter17:18

And Mosquito Squadron, which of course was one of the great failures. Yes. I like the sound of We Joined the Navy. Yes. Where did you make that? Ah, yes, that was good. The location was good. Uh, Ville Franche.

Speaker 417:21

I like the sound.

Speaker 417:23

David.

Presenter17:29

Yeah. Very bad acting.

Presenter17:31

But a great occasion.

Presenter17:33

Any others you'd like to remember?

Presenter17:37

It was all dreadful. What was the um I've said Rasputin the Mad Horror, Matt Monk.

Presenter17:42

Um w every home should have one. That was uh have one what?

Speaker 417:45

Uh

Presenter17:46

Uh no pair, I think it was yes,'cause it wasn't me.

Presenter17:50

That's about it, to be honest.

Dinsdale Landen17:50

Man.

Presenter17:51

Who was in Every Home Should Have One? Marty Feldman was it.

Dinsdale Landen17:53

Oh Marty

Presenter17:56

Who was the au pair?

Presenter17:59

You didn't look. No, I well, I looked, but I've forgotten her name. I remember her face vividly. Let's get off this subject. Yes, I think we should rapidly.

Dinsdale Landen18:07

Okay.

Presenter18:10

Oh well, yes, uh having myself had such an appalling film career, this of course might change. Uh I th don't think I could go to this island without one of my favourite films, which was An American in Paris, and that wonderful tune sung by Jean Kelly and Georges Guetterer.

Presenter18:26

Um smarvellous, it's wonderful. And also I'd like to join in their whistling, because I whistle moderately well.

Presenter18:33

and it just cheers me up enormously.

Speaker 318:36

Wonderful, successioness, why I felt what I seek what I want. And control from that

Speaker 418:48

Vector toes on the beam, Levelo.

Speaker 418:57

Good care for me.

Presenter19:07

It's wonderful from the soundtrack of An American in Paris, Jean Kelly and Georges Guettarie. Now, television. Your career on the box got off to a cracking good start, didn't it?

Presenter19:17

Um, yes, yes, I I suppose it did. You mean with great expectation, great expectations, in which you played Pip, and also many installments?

Speaker 419:23

Yes, I know some

Dinsdale Landen19:24

Uh

Presenter19:25

Uh thirteen. Well that got you established pretty much. Yes, I also met my wife on it.

Dinsdale Landen19:27

But yes

Presenter19:29

Jennifer Daniels. She was playing uh Sierra Pocket, mm Pocket's um sister.

Presenter19:36

Have you acted together much since? No, no, not a lot. No. Uh we've done a couple of things, but we don't um I d I I th it's not a good thing, I don't think, to mix them.

Presenter19:46

You've never become in the least typecast as an actor. When you've

Presenter19:51

Had a series, you you've avoided going on and doing a second series of the of the same programme. That's right, yes, for example, when I did Mask of Janus, which was the first series for the BBC.

Dinsdale Landen19:56

That's right.

Presenter20:01

That was a very, you know, smooth well no, he wasn't smooth, but I mean he was a very sort of upmarket chap in the civil service. I mean, he was a c vice consul. And the next thing I did was to do a cockney layer about called Mickey Dunn.

Presenter20:12

So I've always tried to do that, yes. And the glittering prizes in which you've made considerable success, you you played a a rather shifty Don, I remember. Was he shifty? I didn't think he was shifty. Oh, wasn't he?

Presenter20:23

Oh drunken.

Presenter20:26

You played a rather drunken dance, a shifty intellectual

Dinsdale Landen20:29

Yeah.

Presenter20:29

It was after all the ladies.

Presenter20:32

And Fathers and Families, and uh another one you you did. Yes, that's right, yes. Have we mentioned all the good ones now, or are there any others? Well, I don't think we've mentioned two plays, which are great favourites of mine.

Presenter20:43

Plaintiff and the Defendant, and two Sundays written by Simon Gray.

Presenter20:47

When I met Alan Bates and we uh for the first time, he was a smashing man, a marvellous actor, and we alternated the parts and it was

Presenter20:55

I thought the best television.

Presenter20:57

Right, your sixth record.

Presenter21:00

Yes, now I I've been talking about playing parts. This is a

Presenter21:03

I'm really taking this because I I happen to have played Berlioz on on the radio last year. Berlioz is a tremendous character. Yes, absolutely. And I knew

Presenter21:12

You know quite a bit about his music, well I certainly knew nothing about him.

Presenter21:16

and then started obviously reading the memoirs and found out about this man. And he really is as the most extraordinarily colourful man, I think, in musical history. And I've chosen um

Presenter21:28

The symphony fantasti.

Presenter22:31

An excerpt from the Symphonie Fantastique of Bellier's The Concert Gabbar Orchestra.

Presenter22:36

conducted by Colin Davis. Now we've talked about putting up

Presenter22:41

Bamboo houses. Apart from that, how do you fancy yourself in the role of Robinson Crusoe? I'm told you're very good at running repairs at home, decorating, plumbing, all that sort of thing. I'm sure my wife didn't say this, but anyway. Um

Presenter22:56

Yes, I think I am a a multi-good uh DIY man. I I think I could cope, yes. What about food? Can you cultivate?

Presenter23:05

I suppose I could, yes. Can you fish? Yes, yes. You're confident, yes. But of course, when I say I can fish, of course, I haven't got anything there with me, have I? I mean, I've got to invent all this. You've got to invent the whole thing. I've got to make a spear or something and go underwater and cook to them.

Dinsdale Landen23:14

You start with

Dinsdale Landen23:15

I

Dinsdale Landen23:17

Yeah.

Presenter23:19

So, um

Presenter23:20

Okay.

Presenter23:21

Yes, I suppose I think I could cope with it. Would you try to escape? Oh, not for a bit, no. I think I'll stick it out f you know, um, for some time. I don't think I want to go immediately. Next record. The next record is this this is very strange, but nevertheless, but only having uh, you know, eight records to choose two from the same composer, I know will sound very weird to a lot of people, but nevertheless, it's my choice, and therefore I'm going to take it, so to help with what anybody says. And it's again, it's uh Forre's Pavan, and it's such a haunting tune.

Presenter23:52

And I didn't think I could be on this island for a long time and live without it.

Presenter24:56

Fors Pavan, the French National Radio Orchestra conducted by Sir Thomas Beacham. And now we come to your last record. What's that? Beethoven, the Symphony No. Six, the Pastoral Symphony.

Presenter25:08

'Cause I just think it's the most

Presenter25:10

Well, glorious music. And uh again I sound so self-centered. I don't mean to but be but I played Beethoven on on the television this year. Did you? Hmm. What? I missed that. Sorry? I missed it.

Speaker 425:22

Sorry, I'm not here.

Presenter25:24

Yeah, anyway, I did and he's again an incredible character and I've been in love with his music like everybody else for years.

Presenter26:28

Beethoven's Pastoral Symphony

Presenter26:30

After the storm.

Presenter26:31

Herbert von Karajan conducting the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. If you could take only one disc of the eight we played, which

Presenter26:39

Yeah, and I think I'd have to take the sanctus from the Forrees Requiem. Right. And one luxury to take to the island with you.

Presenter26:46

Yes, now I've given this some thought. I think I've got to take a crate of champagne.

Speaker 326:50

Only a

Presenter26:51

Well well can I have more? An adequate supply. A, uh I I I'd love the champagne and B, you see there most champagnes are are covered in paper, so I've got some paper to light this fire, which I'm sure I wouldn't be able to without paper. Ah yes, you also got the wood from the case. I've also got the wood from the case so I can have some fantastic fires.

Presenter27:12

And also being extremely drunk by them.

Speaker 427:12

It can also be

Presenter27:15

Right. And one book apart from the Bible and Shakespeare, which are already there, and we don't allow multi-volume encyclopedias. You don't. I'll take great expectations. Out of sentiment?

Presenter27:27

Yes and no, because A it of course it changed my life, but B um I do think it's the most wonderful book and I again I've thought about this a lot. One can keep referring to a book which is so rich in in in describing characters and you can read passages like for example I I could imagine

Presenter27:43

I would want to go on reading uh his description of Christmas forever. I mean, it's so wonderful. It is a wonderful book.

Dinsdale Landen27:47

Yes.

Presenter27:50

And thank you, Dinsdale Landon, for letting us hear your Desert Island discs. Well, thank you for asking me. Goodbye, everyone.

Dinsdale Landen28:05

You've been listening to a podcast from the Desert Islandists Archive. For more podcasts, please visit bbc.co.uk/radio four.