Friday, March 12, 2021

Say Hello to Yesterday


A couple of years ago I mentioned watching a movie called "Say Hello to Yesterday," from 1970, starring Jean Simmons and Leonard Whiting. It's the story of an unhappy married woman and a boisterous young man who meet on a train and have a daylong affair in London, and it includes lots of terrific footage of the city from that time period.

I was watching parts of it again recently, and wondering about some of the filming locations. The opening scenes, for example, take place on a middle-class housing estate, and I was curious to learn which estate it was. Turns out there's a whole web page (of course!) devoted to the streetscapes depicted in the film, and showing them then and now.

The housing estate from the opening scenes is in Slough, west of Heathrow. I'd already recognized some other locations, like Victoria station and Holland Park. But I learned from the web page that one is just a few minutes' walk from where I work -- an apartment building called London House, on Avenue Road near Regent's Park. This is supposedly the site of the empty apartment where the woman and the boy (as they are known throughout the movie) have their tryst.

I went over there yesterday on my lunch break. As you can see above, the building itself isn't all that remarkable. But it has some nice mid-century touches:


Here's a screen capture of the scene where Simmons and Whiting's characters arrive at the building. They walk through a covered entrance patio, seen here through the large glass windows of the lobby, toward the main doors.


And here's that entrance patio today, looking pretty much the same except for the addition of a ramp near the stairs.


In the movie, as they enter the building, the characters pass through a glass door next to an indoor/outdoor pond. Behind them on the right you can see a marble slab with some writing on it.


Here's the slab today, along with a modified pool and fountain. From it we learn that London House was erected in 1967, and the architects were E. S. Boyer and Partners.


In the lobby, Whiting's character talks to the doorman while Simmons goes on to the elevators. You can see a kind of groovy tile mural to the right.


The mural is still there and looking good. Amazing to think of all the comings and goings it has witnessed in the intervening half-century. (Incidentally, Leonard Whiting is the only member of the credited cast of the movie who's still alive. He was 20 at the time, and just a few years past his memorable role as Romeo in Franco Zeffirelli's "Romeo and Juliet." Simmons was about 40.)

Anyway, it was a fun lunchtime outing, and interesting to find a filming location so nearby -- especially since most of the rest of the movie was filmed down in Kensington and Chelsea. I wonder why they picked this particular building?

44 comments:

  1. What a fun exercise! I vaguely remember the film. Well, all I really remember is Leonard Whiting.

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    1. We ALL remember Leonard Whiting!

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    2. I saw Romeo and Juliet with my girlfriend when it first came out. I was 14. I remember absolutely nothing but Leonard Whiting's butt. It's a good thing I already knew the story.

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  2. Never saw the film, but I have long been fascinated by movie locations. At one stage I was obsessed with all the movie locations in Canada (mostly near Calgary) for the movie Brokeback Mountain - there is still a whole website with literally thousands of photographs of the locations, with intricate directions on how to find each spot for virtually every frame of the movie. Every scene in the movie has been matched with exact photographs. I would have loved to tour Canada back then just to see the movie locations! (The obsession did pass after a few years, I am glad to report).

    Much earlier I was a film extra on the movie Cry in the Dark (AKA Evil Angels), the movie with Meryl Streep and Sam Neill telling the story of Lindy Chamberlain, the Australian woman whose baby was killed by a dingo. I was fascinated at seeing how they transformed the house where my family and I were living at the time into one of the movie sets for several key scenes. All sorts of visual tricks, sight screens, paint jobs, temporary plants, intricate set dressing with props etc. And then I was equally fascinated at watching myself on the big screen months later. In the scene I was in, two locations were merged - the indoor scene was filmed in Melbourne, and the outdoor scene was filmed in northern Queensland, thousands of miles away. (I was in the outdoor scene). And I got to talk to Same Neill and Meryl Streep several times off camera, and once on camera. Stupid me never asked her for an autograph (but maybe I was being kind to her).

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    1. "DINGO ATE MY BABY!"

      (Yes, I know, that line's not really in the movie.)

      How cool that you had that experience as an extra! It must be really weird to see places you know in the film. I think it's just as well you didn't pester Meryl. :)

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    2. How cool
      Streep’s hair was a sight to behold

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  3. It looks like a '67 construction to me. It's interesting and obviously well cared for.
    Perhaps giving away or saying more than I should, but I often see women on the tram who I think may be neglected wives and opposite them might be sitting a virile young Indian (south Asian) or Asian (Chinese) student and I think, give him you phone number and ask him to call you some time. It may be over quickly the first time, but it will be better the second time. There is a name for women like that I hope the name is normal.

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    1. I imagine that would be true regardless of the ethnicity of the young man! (As long as he was interested, that is.)

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  4. Well done Steve! That is a great piece of film detective work. Perhaps you should send your images to the related website you highlighted in this blogpost.

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    1. I think I will! I noticed they don't have "now" shots of this building, though mine don't quite duplicate the frames of the film.

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  5. Very interesting! I have never seen the movie.

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    1. It's an adequate movie. I wouldn't say it's terrific. It's better for the nostalgia than the plot or the dialogue.

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  6. I remember him as Romeo...Haven't heard of this film. Nice photos.

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    1. We all saw "Romeo and Juliet" in English class, right?!

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  7. The only film to be made near me was Holiday on the buses
    In Sheffield it was the FULL MONTY of course

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    1. I don't know "Holiday on the Buses" but it looks like a hoot. I saw "The Full Monty" ages ago in the cinema.

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  8. Now I'm going to have to look for that movie, and then search that webpage.
    Nice little piece of then and now, art versus life, you've given us today!

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    1. I'm not saying it's a great movie, but it's worth checking out!

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  9. Oh my gosh. That boy was so beautiful in Romeo and Juliet.
    I'd say that the building has held up quite well in the ensuing years.

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    1. Wasn't he, though? I love that movie even now.

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  10. Very cool mural in that building. Thanks for taking us on the trip with you!

    They filmed parts of The Last of the Mohicans near me (and maybe The Hunger Games?). I should go check out that area!

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    1. I saw "The Hunger Games" but don't think I've ever seen "Mohicans."

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  11. well, that was fun though I've never seen the movie.

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    1. I love checking out these places in real life!

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  12. That was a delightfully fun project!

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    1. It was -- and nice to see how well-preserved the building still is.

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  13. Interesting to recognize so many scenes in the movie.

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    1. A lot can change in 50 years, but this stayed pretty similar!

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  14. What an interesting way to spend your lunchtime. How exciting to see the actual place where the film was made. That building looks like it would be fun to explore. Enjoy your day, hugs, Edna B.

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    1. It was fun. When I asked to photograph the mural, the doorman said sure, and I thought, "I bet other people have been here to do the same thing!"

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  15. You did a great job of tracking that down and comparing "then" and "now" pictures! Thanks for the interesting post!

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  16. They may have chosen it because it was available, cheap or someone knew of it/was affiliated with it. Every time I'm in my dad's hometown, I stop by the mural on the Roslyn Cafe building for a photo. I never even watched Northern Exposure!

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    1. If it was built in '67 it was a brand new building at the time, and probably quite posh. (It's still quite posh.) I never watched Northern Exposure either, but that's a pretty legendary place!

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  17. Now that is my kind of adventure! I love tracking down places like this. And, that building has held up well. I looked up the street view and the building was wrapped in scaffolding when that image was taken so I couldn't really see it. It looks like a great place to live. I love those mid-century touches. What a fun post!

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    1. Yeah, I looked at the street view image before I walked over there. I'm glad the scaffolding is gone now!

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  18. Really interesting. And amazing that it's still there in this world of disposable buildings.

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  19. What A Wonderful Walk Down Memory Lane - Nice Detective Work - Even If There Is A Web Site - You Still Went For An Adventure - Way Cool Brother - Enjoy Your Weekend

    Cheers
    P.S. Olga Girls Would Just Love An Uncle T Biscuit Right About Now

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  20. What a fun post! I actually love London House.Then and now, thanks for the photos. Tasty walk down Leonard Lane...

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  21. It had to be that groovy tile mural! When I used to live in NYC, I would stand near street/avenue crossings on my lunch hour and see if I could spot Famous People. I was such a rube. (I did spot Carol Channing and she scared the bejeesus out of me.)

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  22. The building might have been a filming location because it was available and not too expensive. I don't think I've ever seen a filming location, or at least, I've never recognized one. Supposedly John Travolta made a movie on the main drag of my neighborhood. I have no idea what movie it might have been. That street could serve as a small town main street, especially one from the past.

    Love,
    Janie

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  23. Somebody must have had time on their hands to take the shots in 2015. It's pretty cool to compare the two, side by side.

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