Book review - "Rumpole and the Angel of Death" (1994) by John Mortimer

 These stories weren't based on scripts.

• "Rumpole and the Model Prisoner". A different setting always works well - here Rumpole defends a prisoner accused of attacking a guard. Some lively satire of prison theatricals.
  
• "Rumpole and the Way Through the Woods"- Rumpole at the world of hunting foxes. Some comedy with a dog. I like it when Rumpole figures out the real killer and tells them.
  
• "Hilda's Story" - from Hilda's POV.
  
• "Rumpole and the Little Boy Lost"
• "Rumpole and the Rights of Man"
• "Rumpole and the Angel of Death"

Book review - "Rumpole a la Carte" by John Mortimer

 It's always tricky to find a copy of Rumpole and the Age of Miracles for some reason.

• "Rumpole à la Carte" - Rumpole defends a chef leading to funny jokes about modern cooking, good value.
  
• "Rumpole and the Right to Silence" - Rumpole defends a northern academic who doesn't want to reveal what he's been up to. Some fun of the north, academe and marriage.
• "Rumpole and the Summer of Discontent" - Satiring trade unions and strike action.
  
• "Rumpole at Sea" - Rumpole on a cruise ship with Justice Graves.
• "Rumpole and the Quacks" - Rumpole defends an Asian doctor accused of sexual misconduct on a patient. Mortimer isn't great on rape accusation, or Asians.
  
• "Rumpole for the Prosecution" - Rumpole is engaged to undertake a private prosecution. This was fun, great concept, decent mystery.
  

Book review - Rumpole#6 - "Rumpole's Last Case"

 "Rumpole and the Winter Break" - Rumpole defends a Muslim.

"Rumpole and the Blind Tasting" - some satire of wine with the Timsoms up for stolen win. Fiona Allways is too boring storywise so they bring in Liz Probert which was a good idea.

"Rumpole and the Bright Seraphim" - defends a soldier found dead in a woman's dress. Based on a true story, the military setting gives it freshness.

"Rumpole and the Judge's Elbow" - Guthrie on the bench and gets in trouble. Lots of fun.

"Rumpole and the Official Secret" - spies and murder, a rather outlandish tale on a way.

"Rumpole and the Old, Old Story" - Hilda kicks out Rumpole who moves in with the Erskine Browns which funny. Solid murder story.

"Rumpole's Last Case" - Rumpole thinks he's going to gamble his way out of trouble and you know it's not going to happen so it's quite funny and touching.

Book review - Rumpole #5 - "Rumpole and the Golden Thread" by John Mortimer (1983)

 "Rumpole and the Genuine Article" - Rumpole defends a forger, makes fun of the art world and deals with Justice Featherstone. Great fun.

"Rumpole and the Golden Thread". Rumpole goes to Africa- a country based on Nigeria and wins a case he's meant to lose. The setting makes this very fresh.

"Rumpole and the Old Boy Net". Very funny with Rumpole defending some old school tie types who run a brothel. Rumpole meets his new head of chambers, Soapy Sam Ballard - a nasty stuffy little Christian, presumably introduced because he's more of a decent antagonist than Guthrie.

"Rumpole and the Female of the Species". Rumpole decides to champion female barrister Fiona. Some very funny comedy although the sexual politics are dicey.

"Rumpole and the Sporting Life". Rumpole defends Fiona's sister who is accused of murder. Fun satire of country life.

"Rumpole and the Last Resort". Hilarious ep with Rumpole faking his own death.

Book review - Rumpole#4 - "Rumpole for the Defence" by John Mortimer (1982)

 Very very strong book.

"Rumpole and the Confession of Guilt" - Rumpole and his young son Nick - they have an ethical discussion which depresses Rumpole which is odd because his character is in the right. Nice that Hilda comes to his defence.

"Rumpole and the Gentle Art of Blackmail" - a male hooker (basically) is accused of blackmailing an Oxford star. Mortimer has fun with the world of Oxford and sexual hypocrisy. I always loved how Hilda learned to blackmail her husband.

"Rumpole and the Dear Departed" - Rumpole hilariously gets involved with a will dispute - it's fraud and involves a no-nonsense nurse communicating with the dead.  Great fun.

"Rumpole and the Rotten Apple" - Rumpole defends a corrupt cop - or is he? Fresh take.

"Rumpole and the Expert Witness" - Rumpole defends a doctor accused of killing his wife. The doctor is the son of an expert in the Penge Bungalow Murders. A chilling ending. Mortimer could do the more serious takes as well.

"Rumpole and the Spirit of Christmas" - Rumpole is outfoxed by a slimy prosecutor in a short story.

"Rumpole and the Boat People" - Rumpole defends an old mate of Hilda's, a sea side mystery.

Book review - "Rumpole's Return" by John Mortimer

 A novel rather than a collection of short stories. Rumpole avoided retirement at the end of The Trials of Rumpole but here it's happened. He's in Florida, which is hilarious, then escapes with Phyllida Trant makes a mistake of asking him for advice on bloodstains which he converts into an "invitation" to return.

Entertaining plots - Trant has a crush on the barrister who took over Rumpole's office, a scowling Heathcliff type; Rumpole defends an obscenity trial; Rumpole defends Guthrie's attempts at cheating on Marigold to Marigold (they did this plot already).

Unlike others in the series there's a large number of scenes not from Rumpole's POV. In particular a sequence where Nick investigates a cult.

Very funny. Plot cheats a little but it doesn't matter that much.

Book review - Rumpole#2 - "The Trials of Rumpole" (1979) by John Mortimer

 Rumpole and the Man of God - Rumpole defends a clergyman accused of shoplifting. I'm surprised they didn't use more the fact Rumpole's dad was a clegyman but there's very funny stuff including a great subplot where George Frobisher gets engaged to a flash lady.

Rumpole and the Case of Identity - Rumpole gets involved in Guthrie Featherstone's mid life crisis. Very fun.

Rumpole and the Fascist Beast - he defends an incompetent fascist, Mortimer lets his politics shine through. 

Rumpole and the Showfolk - some gentle satire of actors when he gets involved with a theatre set up in the North. Lovely.

Rumpole and the Course of True Love -  Rumpole defends a case where a teacher has slept with a student. A hot topic now. Rumpole states the case against very strongly but he does depict the girl as initiating it. Dicey.

Rumpole and the Age for Retirement - Rumpole's family and colleagues try to get him retire, and fail.

Book review - "Rumpole of the Bailey" (1978) by John Mortimer

 First collection of stories, which I've always loved.

Rumpole and the Younger Generation - we meet Hilda, Nick, the Timsons, the original chambers (including Gutherie, Albert, Claude Erskine Brown)... plus Hilda's dad who was then alive. Ends with Guthrie becoming head of chambers and school kid Nick deciding to do sociology at uni not law.

Rumpole and the Alternative Society - Rumpole visits some old WW2 mates and defends a woman whom he falls in love (Mortimer always was a bit lechy) who has sold a lot of cannibis. A touching ending where Rumpole sees this woman go away for three years because of her alpha leftie boyfriend (a very real type). They should have brought that character back. 

Rumpole and the Honourable Member - he defends a Labor MP accused of rape. The man has a sort of Hilary Clinton type wife and it results in Rumpole slut shaming the accused on the stand. His prospective daughter in law challenges him on that, Mortimer lets her state her case, but his sympathy is clearly with Rumple and his dogged "we are all the same under the law". Albert the clerk gets fired in this one - he really didn't stick around for long.

Rumpole and the Married Lady -we get Rumpole's take on divorce when he represents a woman wanting to leave her husband. Very funny, clever. We meet Phyllida Trant in this one.

Rumpole and the Learned Friend - Rumpole is, hilariously, junior to Guthrie Featherstone as they defend a safe breaker. We meet his great adversary Judge Bullingham and Rumpole risks his career in the name of justice. I'm struck re-reading (listening rather, this is an audio book) these tales how much was set up in the first series. Mortimer struggled to construct as memorable characters later on. That's a little unfair I know, just observing.

Rumpole and the Heavy Brigade - Rumpole defends a "simple" man accused of murder and gets him off while set up to use. The charming friendship between Marigold Featherstone and Hilda begins here.

Movie review - "The Dock Brief" (1962) **1/2 aka Trial and Error

 John Mortimer's classic one hour radio/TV/stage play padded out to feature length. It doesn't work as well but at least we have Peter Sellers in marvelous form as the barrister. Sellers excelled at wounded dignity - dumb people unaware of their own incompetence.

Richard Attenborough is fine though his fake nose was distracting. It was easy to get up movies in Britain back in the day wasn't it?

Fantasy sequences are used. Not bad. You just watch it and go "this is overlong". Or at least I did.

Movie review - "Lunch Hour" (1962) **

 Shirley Ann Field was one of the most gorgeous actors of early 60s British cinema - I mean she was really stunning. She's too hot for Robert Stephens here yet the plot is meant to have them in to each other.

This was based on a short John Mortimer play about a couple who sneak off for sex at lunch. That's the sort of idea that seems to naturally suit one act plays... it's been expanded out here but feels like padding.

Also isn't the point meant to be that they are married? Or he is? They don't feel married here. There's a lot of PDA - they make out in the storeroom, at the movies, in the park.

There's simply not enough story. There are fantasy sequences. Walking around. But really the guts of it is a ten minute argument.

Stephens is excellent - he looks like someone cheating. Field is... fantastic to look at, and gazes at Stephens with such adoration she seems to really like him. But why is she with him? My prejudice no doubt. But I think Maggie Smith, who also auditioned, would have suited the part better.

Book review - "Bring on the Empty Horses" (1975) by David Niven

John Mortimer once wrote that David Niven never quite acted as well on screen as he did after dinner telling anecdotes - but this collection of stories, his second volume of memoirs, gives some idea. It's a different shape to The Moon's a Balloon, consisting of a series of stories rather than an overall narrative - but this allows Niven to go into greater depth and detail for said stories. 

There are illuminating, entertaining sketches of other famous people he knew - Clark Gable, Bogart, Errol Flynn (one of the best pieces of writing on Flynn ever done), Ronald Colman, Cary Grant, Greta Garbo, Vivien Leigh (disguised), Mike Romanoff, Fred Astaire, Hedda and Louella, Marion Davies. There are some less famous people too, such as a prostitute Niven knew. He can go into more detail on the dead rather than the living (so Cary Grant and Garbo are more sketchy than say Errol or Bogie).

Niven appears too, as a happy go lucky soul who got along with everyone, was polite and sensible, but also knew great tragedy (he and Gable bond over dead wives). However the focus really is on other people and the result is one of the best memoirs on Hollywood's golden age ever written.

Radio review - BBC - "Rumpole and the Right to Privacy" (2009) by John Mortimer ***

Fun stuff as Rumpole defends an editor of a newspaper accused of breaching a man's right to privacy. A strong theme which provides good subplots and an interesting story; solid gags. This is strong Rumpole.

Radio review - BBC - "Rumpole and the Teenage Werewolf" (2009) by John Mortimer **1/2

A great title but a disappointingly tame entry as Rumpole defends a young man accused of sexually attacking others. It lacks a decent work subplot, there's not enough of the werewolf angle and the conclusion is too easy to spot (and easy for the accused to get out of - his delay is frustrating). Of course there are some good gags and moments, and Timothy West and Prunella Scales were terrific as Rumpole and Hilda but it's not enough.

Radio review – BBC - “Rumpole Redeemed” by John Mortimer ***

Rumpole loses out on a brief involving a Molloy, one of the rivals to the Timson family, but can’t help investigating. Strong story and a really nice thematic line running through about redemption.

Radio review – BBC - “Rumpole and the Primrose Path” by John Mortimer

BBC play version of a story from the popular series, with Timothy West making a fair fist of the title role. Rumpole is sent off to a retirement home, which is a great concept, as is the fact someone winds up dead there prompting a murder. A decent story and a likeable new character in Luci Gribble, head of chambers marketing who actually turns out to be a bit of a Rumpole fan.

Book review - "Rumpole of the Bailey" by John Mortimer

The first collection of stories from perhaps the most favourite fictional defense barrister of all time. I've read them a bunch of times so I can't be too objective but they remain terrifically entertaining.

The first story, "Rumpole and the Younger Generation:, introduces all the initial main characters in brilliantly distinctive strokes - Hilda, Gutherie Featherstone and his wife, Tom, Nick, Eskine-Brown and the Timsons. It's a shock to realise how few of them stay the course. There's also the Timsons.

Rumpole falls in love in "Rumpole and the Younger Generation"; he later gets in severe trouble with the barristers board, scares off his prospective daughter in law by attacking a rape accuser in court, gets his wife jealous, teachers his pupil Phyllida a valuable lesson and has various other adventures. Brilliantly witty, quite decent plot, memorable characters.

Book review – “Leo McKern” By George Whaley

Leo McKern seemed to have everything going against him for a young actor: short, stumpy, plump, one eye, left school at 15, uninspiring military service, working class, no artistic connections in the family, no training, a dud marriage behind him, etc. Not to mention the fact he started in Sydney of the 1940s, not exactly a hot bed of theatrical activity. But he was interested in a girl who passionately wanted to be an actor, and he found that he enjoyed it. He got some jobs around the traps and ended up following the girl to London.

For a man with no training or connections, McKern’s rise to steady work was astonishingly rapid. Within a few years he was happily ensconced at the Old Vic and was never out of work over the next fifty years.

In hindsight, and only in hindsight, you can understand why. There is always room in actor land for a tubby character player, especially one who is skilled at comedy and conveying menace, as McKern was – you can play jesters, sidekicks, porters, fathers, priests, etc. It also helps to have a wonderful speaking voice, a hard work ethic, and genuine natural talent, and McKern went on to have a great career. In addition to Rumpole, he worked with Olivier, the Beatles, Tyrone Guthrie, David Lean, Williamson, etc – films, theatre, TV, radio… the sort of career English actors can have.

Despite all this McKern still found things to whinge about – fear of typecasting as Rumpole (as if it mattered), too much work, not enough work, etc. Although he married his soul mate he cheated on her, and he clashed at times with his daughters. But in general it was a rich life and he seems to have been a nice person.

Whaley is very strong on acting and the theatre – it’s a shame when discussing McKern’s performances he didn’t concentrate more on analysing his art rather than listing fellow cast members and reviews. (This is excusable for theatre performances which Whaley didn’t see; less so for McKern’s film and TV roles) It’s also annoying that there isn’t a list of credits at the end. McKern deserved a bio and I enjoyed reading it, it’s just a shame Whaley didn’t dig a little deeper.

Play review – “Voyage Round My Father” by John Mortimer

Mortimer’s best known play, and apart from Rumpole his work which is mostly likely to survive over the years. I was familiar which much of the material from having read Mortimer’s other autobiographical works, not to mention the biographies on him, but still found it very moving, funny and effective. It’s a memory piece of a play, with a very strong character in the father and that wonderful Mortimer sense of humour.

Play review – “The Dock Brief” by John Mortimer

This short play (two acts) contributed immensely to Mortimer’s early literary reputation – it was very popular and even turned into a film, for which it doesn’t have quite enough story. But it has two great characters, and a memorable twist, i.e. a murderer gets off due to his lawyer’s incompetence. A little long – like another famous two-hander, Norm and Ahmed – but fun.

Book review – “Titmuss Regained” by John Mortimer

Sequel to Paradise Postponed which correctly picks Leslie Titmuss as the most interesting character – here he falls in love and is determined to prove the ex of his wife as a cad. He also becomes involved in environmental issues. This is Mortimer in Chekhov mode – lots of funny/sad stuff, everyone is in love with the wrong person. Well written and entertaining, like most Mortimer; I didn’t enjoy it as much as the first one – it has less sweep, and the characters aren’t as engaging. The dull doctor character comes in and you think he’s going to do something but he doesn’t really.