Hollywood experience – Dirk Bogarde

In 1960, famous British film and theater actor, Dirk Bogarde (1921-1999) went to Hollywood to film a movie called “Song Without End”. The movie was about the life of famous virtuoso pianist Franz Lizst.

After making that movie, Dirk Bogarde said that Americans are very uncultured and that he has no intention to ever come to Hollywood again.

Why?

Here is one line from the script that Liszt says in the movie, and which completely made mad Dirk Bogarde, who was known as perfect connoisseur of music and literature:

“Hi, do you know my friend? This is George Sand. That’s your friend Chopin. This is Hubert. Common meet George Sand.”

read more...

Zuma Fact: #146: Karaoke!

The word “Karaoke” means “empty orchestra” in Japanese.

read more...

When, not how - Sir Malcolm Sargent

An acquaintance of Sir Malcolm Sargent (1895-1967), famous British conductor, asked him once what does a musician has to know in order to play cymbals in the orchestra.

"Practically nothing,” Sargent replied, "He just has to know when".

read more...

Zuma Fact: #145: Poisonous snake!

Poisonous snake smells like fresh picked cucumber.

read more...

Bagpipes or a pig? – Thomas Beecham and Alfred Hitchcock

A fan of the famous English conductor Thomas Beecham (1879-1961) asked him once what music instrument would he recommend to her baby boy.

"The bagpipes," Beecham suggested, “because they sound exactly the same when you have finished learning them as when you start learning them”.

 

 

 

Famous English film director Alfred Hitchcock (1899 - 1980) also made a funny joke about bagpipes. He said:

"I understand that the inventor of the bagpipes was inspired when he saw a man carrying an indignant, asthmatic pig under his arm. Unfortunately, the man-made sound never equalled the purity of sound achieved by the pig."

read more...