Word: laughtons
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...those three years, Toast of the Town has also scored some notable firsts. Margaret Truman made her TV debut on the show. So did Bob Hope, Dean Martin & Jerry Lewis, Sam Levenson, Faye Emerson, Vaughn Monroe. Charles Laughton used the show to launch the Bible readings that are now a staple of the lecture circuit; Gloria Swanson publicly revealed her belief in God, and Hedy Lamarr renounced the role of seductress long enough to sing RockaBye, Baby exactly as she does to her own children...
...Charles Laughton is an actor associated with gusty appetites. He seems to be happiest hurling well-gnawed bones into a corner or pouring himself a drink. But he also enjoys sonority in language, rolling off his words smoothly and easily, lingering over those he likes best. Those who like to see Laughton enjoy himself, will have a field day with "The Beachcomber" and "Jamaica Inn," two old Laughton classics...
...Somerset Maugham's beachcomber, Laughton is puckish without losing his heartiness. He delights in his own dirty-pants-and-sneakers shagginess. For sonority, he has speeches about snow in England and about understanding natives. To show contentedness he smiles abstractedly at his empty beer glass. Eventually he is domesticated by a painfully sincere missionary (Elsa Lancaster), but by then the fun is over. An incredibly clever dog unlisted in the credits gives a superb performance...
...Jamaica Inn," Laughton is an epicurcan squire who supports his expensive tastes by wrecking ships and plundering them. His finery does not smother his heartiness, and he has some rich speeches about his own good taste and the inequality of man. Content here is in the pure wonder of a brimming glass of brandy. For his associates, Laughton has only his half-lidded contemptuous glance and a derisive sneer: "there is no one like me." He was right...
Comedienne Elsa Lanchester was between movies. Moreover, she was on three months' vacation from Los Angeles' popular Turnabout Theater, where she has reigned as revue queen for the past nine years (TIME, May 24, 1948). Husband Charles Laughton was off on a three-month tour reciting Shakespeare and the Bible. What should Elsa do with the time on her hands? A Hollywood promoter solved the problem for her. Last week, red-haired Elsa was making her first try as a chanteuse in the top-tab Persian Room of Manhattan's Plaza Hotel...