Ivor Novello...

[fajrdrako]

I finished reading Ivor Novello: A Biography by James Harding, though the copy I read had this as the most attractive cover picture of its subject. A fascinating book. How did I not know about this man till a few weeks ago, when he was so famous - at least in England - in the first half of the twentieth century?

I got curious about him when I heard one of his songs at a concert, "And Her Mother Came Too". I reminded me of a Noel Coward song. Turns out that Noel Coward and Ivor Novello were good friends. Intrigued and curious, I picked up this biography.

It's a fascinating description of a glamorous movie-star life in a time of glamour. When Novello was born in 1893, the family was horrified by his large nose - they thought he would be as ugly as his Uncle Ebenezer. That was probably the last time anyone thought Ivor was anything but preternaturally gorgeous. At an early age, he set out to charm everyone, and continued to do so till the day he died, in 1951. It seems that everyone who knew him loved him, except for those who loved or adored him. One commentator described him as "the least pretentious person I have ever met" - and personally, I can't think of higher praise.

He was also multi-talented and first gained fame as the composer of "Keep the Home Fires Burning", a song so famous even I have heard of it. He was a successful playwright who usually played the leading man in his own plays, and the public flocked to his shows - as long as he played the lead. He was a movie-star of both the silent screen and talking movies - starring in one of Hitchcock's first, in fact. He was a leading actor, playwright, and producer. He composed, wrote, and starred in many lavish musicals, with titles like "Glamorous Night" and "King's Rhapsody", and even one charmingly entitled "Gay's the Word" - charming because he was bisexual. "Eighty years later one of bis choirboy lovers [from his days in the boy's choir at Cambridge] could still remember Ivor's irresistible methods of seduction. No one that he knew of, he recalled, had ever said no." Ivor once had sex with Winston Churchill, who, late in his life, told Noel Coward about it. I wished this biography had said more about his private life, but probably lacked information. An actor called Bobbie Andrews was with him most of his life.

No one's life is perfect, and Ivor had his difficult times - but there little of the tragedy and temperament typical of actors, and the touch of melancholy is ephemeral. One of his plays was about a composer who wanted to write great classical music but was condemned to make a fortune writing pop music - clearly the comment was autobiographical. I'd never heard of any of his plays, for all they were blockbusters of his time.

Comments

[lilithlotr.livejournal.com]

I've been aware of him for the majority of my life, although I can't for the life of me think why - maybe because I was so into everything 30s. And certainly there is the award.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Yes. I'm sure I heard his name any number of time without really having any idea of who he was. Now I know!

[jonquil.livejournal.com]

If you watch Gosford Park (and why haven't you?) you'll see Jeremy Northam playing Ivor Novello, and doing both his own piano-playing and his own singing.

I want the bio-pic NOW.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I have seen Gosford Park - obviously Novello's name went in one ear and out the other! Since I didn't know who he was. I think I assumed he was fictional. Okay, I know, that was dumb. I thought of him as "the guy played by Jeremy Northam".

[jonquil.livejournal.com]

Since everybody else in the movie is fictional, it's perfectly reasonable to assume IN is too.

But aren't the songs delightful?

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Oh, the songs are wonderful. Now I want to find a CD of Ivor Novello songs - I would love to hear the showtunes from one of his shows! Or just a compendium of his music. I love his lyrics (often done by his collaborators, such as Haskell, I realize) but the melodies sound great too.

[msilverstar]

I kindof knew who he was, all those PBS historical dramas and Noel Coward and all. But wow, didn't know the details!

Two writers you might enjoy: Jessica Mitford (hysterically funny autobiography about growing up in the petit nobility and becoming a communist) and Patrick Leigh Fermor (walked across Europe just before WWII).

[msilverstar]

And OMG, he seduced Winston Churchill???? My mind boggles, in a good way.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Exactly who seduced whom is unclear. Noel Coward said he asked Churchill if he'd ever had sex with a man. Churchill said yes, once, because he'd wanted to see what it was like. "Who was it?" asked Coward, curious.

"Ivor Novello," Churchill replied.

"And what was it like?" asked Coward, clearly a nosy bugger.

"Musical," said Churchill.

Novello knew Churchill because Churchill's secretary, Eddie Marsh, as a longtime friend and mentor to Novello.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Clearing I am missing something, since I haven't watched enugh PBS historical dramas. I usually avoid such things.

Thanks for the recs of Jessica Mitford - who seems to crop up in a lot of the biographies I read! - and Patrick Leigh Fermor. He sounds interesting!

[kittyfisher.livejournal.com]

When I owned a piano, one of my favourite songs to play and sing was 'I'll Gather Lilacs in the Spring, a melody full of yearning and lyrics so sentimental you could melt them down into sugar. Wonderful!

And boy, was he pretty!

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

The book talks about Novello writing 'I'll Gather Lilacs in the Spring' - I want to hear what it sounds like.

He certainly was pretty. It's amazing that he also seems to have been so nice - good-natured, level-headed and intelligent, too. And really not vain. Amazing!

[silverwhistle.livejournal.com]

Ivor is fun! I have some CDs.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Eee! I am envious. Can you recommend some CD titles? As soon as I can afford it, I'm going to get some.