Dame Diana appearing at the National Thu March 19th

Dandy Forsdyke · Post by **Dandy Forsdyke** » Fri Mar 20, 2009 5:09 pm

Timeless A-Peel wrote: Joanna was 5'8" in her TNA days, but I suspect, like Honor, she's lost a couple inches (Honor because all the cushioning between her vertebrae got worn away doing all those fight scenes on the concrete studio floor). I know Joanna has back problems from her time on TNA, so that might explain it.

Imagine the compensation if that happened today. They risked so much in those days - Joanna hanging from a helicopter, Diana a newbie on a horse, etc.

Timeless A-Peel · Post by **Timeless A-Peel** » Fri Mar 20, 2009 9:45 pm

Dandy Forsdyke wrote:
Timeless A-Peel wrote: Joanna was 5'8" in her TNA days, but I suspect, like Honor, she's lost a couple inches (Honor because all the cushioning between her vertebrae got worn away doing all those fight scenes on the concrete studio floor). I know Joanna has back problems from her time on TNA, so that might explain it.
Imagine the compensation if that happened today. They risked so much in those days - Joanna hanging from a helicopter, Diana a newbie on a horse, etc.

And all uninsured, too. I know Gareth had back surgery in the eighties, too, and I can't help but think that was the result of TNA as well. Even Patrick cracked a few ribs filming the scene in Love All where Steed grabs Tara right before she jumps out of the window. He didn't even realise he'd done it until the show was finished, and someone pushed him into a swimming pool. And Honor, of course, was the one who so blithely explained to her doctor that her fight scenes were responsible for the fact that all the skin was worn off her spine. Because her and Gareth and Joanna actually did their own stunts, they suffered the most--plenty of anecdotes about Joanna splitting her lip open and getting big ugly bruises on her shins, or Gareth slicing his forehead open and bleeding all over the carpet. It's quite horrifying what they got away with back in the sixties and seventies. (I've read about Diana's later troubles as well. Her spine's a bit crooked as well, I believe, and it's troubled her for some time).

DiVicenzo · Post by **DiVicenzo** » Sat Mar 21, 2009 11:58 am

Now that is suffering for your art! A couple of years ago I was in 'Twelfth Night' on a mini-tour of SW France and thne it was to be my West End-ish debut but alas! in the rehearsals back in London the guy playing Sir Toby Belch grabbed me in a scene and fell on top of me and I fell on top of this stack of chairs and cracked my ribs - i thought I would die....then, I had to pull-out of the play as Sir Andrew Aguecheek because the next day i couldn't even get out of bed....
As for Diana you can tell now in later life that her back is a little rounded but she has always walked with poise - well, she floats - so it's hardly noticeable. And, of course she was in a wheelchair for a time.

DiVicenzo · Post by **DiVicenzo** » Sat Mar 21, 2009 12:00 pm

PS: Just seen and read your new signature Timeless - excellent!

Timeless A-Peel · Post by **Timeless A-Peel** » Sat Mar 21, 2009 4:10 pm

DiVicenzo wrote:Now that is suffering for your art! A couple of years ago I was in 'Twelfth Night' on a mini-tour of SW France and thne it was to be my West End-ish debut but alas! in the rehearsals back in London the guy playing Sir Toby Belch grabbed me in a scene and fell on top of me and I fell on top of this stack of chairs and cracked my ribs - i thought I would die....then, I had to pull-out of the play as Sir Andrew Aguecheek because the next day i couldn't even get out of bed....
As for Diana you can tell now in later life that her back is a little rounded but she has always walked with poise - well, she floats - so it's hardly noticeable. And, of course she was in a wheelchair for a time.

Ouch!

I'm sorry to hear that, Barry. Not only painful, but a disappointment as well.

Yes, Diana's always had excellent posture, but then she's worked at it (I still love that scene--can't recall the episode now--where Steed puts a book on her head and she wanders around without letting it fall). She also suffered a pinched nerve. The scrapbooks I bought for the TNA material have a few Diana and Honor articles from the early eighties, and they're quite informative. Diana complains about her back in this one:

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r192 ... 0013-1.jpg

I don't imagine being pregnant was terribly gentle on it, either.

(Oh, and thanks thanks for the kind words about my signature. That quotation's one of the few gems we have from the Keel era. Steed's not used to people wandering off and doing things without telling him. That's more his line.

)

DiVicenzo · Post by **DiVicenzo** » Sun Mar 22, 2009 10:55 am

Timeless A-Peel wrote:
DiVicenzo wrote:Now that is suffering for your art! A couple of years ago I was in 'Twelfth Night' on a mini-tour of SW France and thne it was to be my West End-ish debut but alas! in the rehearsals back in London the guy playing Sir Toby Belch grabbed me in a scene and fell on top of me and I fell on top of this stack of chairs and cracked my ribs - i thought I would die....then, I had to pull-out of the play as Sir Andrew Aguecheek because the next day i couldn't even get out of bed....
As for Diana you can tell now in later life that her back is a little rounded but she has always walked with poise - well, she floats - so it's hardly noticeable. And, of course she was in a wheelchair for a time.
Ouch! I'm sorry to hear that, Barry. Not only painful, but a disappointment as well.

Yes, Diana's always had excellent posture, but then she's worked at it (I still love that scene--can't recall the episode now--where Steed puts a book on her head and she wanders around without letting it fall). She also suffered a pinched nerve. The scrapbooks I bought for the TNA material have a few Diana and Honor articles from the early eighties, and they're quite informative. Diana complains about her back in this one:

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r192 ... 0013-1.jpg

I don't imagine being pregnant was terribly gentle on it, either.

(Oh, and thanks thanks for the kind words about my signature. That quotation's one of the few gems we have from the Keel era. Steed's not used to people wandering off and doing things without telling him. That's more his line. )

Thanks for ther article - do you have the whole article with photo you could email please? I'd love to sahre with the members of MoR - if that's OK with you

Timeless A-Peel · Post by **Timeless A-Peel** » Sun Mar 22, 2009 3:51 pm

DiVicenzo wrote:
Timeless A-Peel wrote:
DiVicenzo wrote:Now that is suffering for your art! A couple of years ago I was in 'Twelfth Night' on a mini-tour of SW France and thne it was to be my West End-ish debut but alas! in the rehearsals back in London the guy playing Sir Toby Belch grabbed me in a scene and fell on top of me and I fell on top of this stack of chairs and cracked my ribs - i thought I would die....then, I had to pull-out of the play as Sir Andrew Aguecheek because the next day i couldn't even get out of bed....
As for Diana you can tell now in later life that her back is a little rounded but she has always walked with poise - well, she floats - so it's hardly noticeable. And, of course she was in a wheelchair for a time.
Ouch! I'm sorry to hear that, Barry. Not only painful, but a disappointment as well.

Yes, Diana's always had excellent posture, but then she's worked at it (I still love that scene--can't recall the episode now--where Steed puts a book on her head and she wanders around without letting it fall). She also suffered a pinched nerve. The scrapbooks I bought for the TNA material have a few Diana and Honor articles from the early eighties, and they're quite informative. Diana complains about her back in this one:

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r192 ... 0013-1.jpg

I don't imagine being pregnant was terribly gentle on it, either.

(Oh, and thanks thanks for the kind words about my signature. That quotation's one of the few gems we have from the Keel era. Steed's not used to people wandering off and doing things without telling him. That's more his line. )

Thanks for ther article - do you have the whole article with photo you could email please? I'd love to sahre with the members of MoR - if that's OK with you

Not a problem. I have a few Diana articles from the eighties, which all make interesting reading (Diana declaring "I am not a kept woman" is a highlight. I don't think anyone could "keep" Diana

DiVicenzo · Post by **DiVicenzo** » Mon Mar 23, 2009 12:20 am

You're a marvel Thanks ever so much!

Timeless A-Peel · Post by **Timeless A-Peel** » Mon Mar 23, 2009 2:13 am

DiVicenzo wrote:You're a marvel Thanks ever so much!

Share and enjoy!

Hope you get a kick out of them.

Philippa · Post by **Philippa** » Mon Mar 23, 2009 7:50 am

Those scans are great, thanks for posting