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vinyl LP front cover detail
woodcut ca 1500
coloring & calligraphy by Gogin Stair
detail photo by Styrous®
The Somonyng of Everyman (The Summoning of Everyman), usually referred to simply as Everyman, is a late 15th-century morality play. Like the John Bunyan 1678 Christian novel The Pilgrim's Progress, Everyman uses allegorical characters to examine the question of Christian salvation and what Man must do to attain it. An excellent topic for our world today!
In 1955 Burgess Meredith recorded a reading of the play with a cast of a stunning array of artists under the direction of Howard O. Sackler. Today is the birthday of Meredith and this is my tribute to him.
vinyl LP front cover
woodcut ca 1500
coloring & calligraphy by Gogin Stair
photo by Styrous®
The play is set in a wooded world of mystery and intrigue, this 600 year-old play
follows the journey of the character "Everyman" who is tasked by "Death"
to meet his maker "God" for a reckoning. Stalling for time, Everyman
begs for the chance to bring a single companion with him to his death.
He tries to enlist his Kin, Cousin, Goods, Beauty, Strength, and 5 wits,
but none will follow him to his death.
vinyl LP front cover detail
woodcut ca 1500
coloring & calligraphy by Gogin Stair
detail photos by Styrous®
This
was a seminal project as many of the readers on the recording went on
to other famous, fun and strange projects that influenced many segments
in the world of entertainment.
Cavada Humphrey would appear in the very weird soap opera, Dark Shadows: the show's inhabitants were ghosts, werewolves, zombies, man-made monsters, witches, warlocks, time travel, and a parallel universe (link below). John Heldabrand would appear in The Immoralist, a 1955 play written by Augustus and Ruth Goetz based on the novel by André Gide, which also starred James Dean, Louis Jourdan, and Geraldine Page. Heldabrand also in the 1956 television play A Night to Remember for the Kraft Television Theatre.
David Hersey is is one of the readers. however, he is a lighting designer who designed the lighting for over 250 plays, musicals, operas, and ballets. His awards include the Tony Award for Best Lighting Design for Evita, Cats, and Les Misérables, the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lighting Design for Cats, Miss Saigon, and Equus, and the 1996 Laurence Olivier Award for Lighting Design.
Janet Ward appeared in the films Fail Safe (1964), The Anderson Tapes (1971) and Night Moves (1975). She appeared in the television series Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Perry Mason, The Defenders, N.Y.P.D., Cannon, Barney Miller, Kojak and Law & Order.
Darren McGavin has a role in the reading; he was one of the stars in Summertime and in The Man with the Golden Arm (link below) which starred Frank Sinatra, Eleanor Parker, Kim Novak, Arnold Stang (both 1955). From 1958 to 1959, he played the title character in the 1950s television series Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer, and subsequently starred in the NBC Western series Riverboat, first with Burt Reynolds and then with Noah Beery Jr.
McGavin went on to have a prolific career in television,
appearing in numerous guest-starring roles throughout the 1960s and
1970s. He starred in the successful TV movie The Night Stalker
Julian Barry is an American screenwriter and playwright; his script for the 1974 film Lenny about comedian Lenny Bruce won him an Oscar-nomination. Barry adapted the script from his successful Broadway play of the same name. The film, directed by Bob Fosse and starring Dustin Hoffman and Valerie Perrine, was nominated for the so-called Oscar Grand Slam, one of some 40 films to be so honored. Barry wrote or rewrote screenplays for several notable films including The River starring Mel Gibson and Sissy Spacek, Eyes of Laura Mars starring Faye Dunaway and Tommy Lee Jones, and Rhinoceros, starring Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder, Me, Myself and I, starring George Segal and Jobeth Williams, and the American Playhouse production for PBS, A Marriage - Georgia O'Keeffe and Alfred Stieglitz, starring Christopher Plummer and Jane Alexander.
Frederick Rolf has been active in American theatre for over six decades. On Broadway he was featured as the Inquisitor in Saint Joan and in Time Remembered with Helen Hayes and Richard Burton. Some of his film credits include (Witness with Harrison Ford, Street Smart with Morgan Freeman and five Woody Allen films).
Stefan Gierasch made over 100 screen appearances, mostly in American television, beginning in 1951. He appeared in many films including in The Hustler (1961), The Traveling Executioner (1970), Jeremiah Johnson (1972), What's Up Doc? (1972), High Plains Drifter (1973), Carrie (1976), Silver Streak (1976), Victory at Entebbe (1976), Blue Sunshine (1977), The Champ (1979), Blood Beach (1980), Perfect (1985), and in 1994 he appeared in the Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito film Junior.
Terence Kilburn is known for his roles as a child actor, in films such as A Christmas Carol (1938) and Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1939) in the late 1930s and the early 1940s.
He was in the film National Velvet with a VERY young Elizabeth Taylor and the notorious 1962 film Lolita directed by Stanley Kubrick. He was also in Slaves of Babylon, a film with Richard Conte, Linda Christian and Julie Newmar,
I loved Newmar and thought she had the strangest looking face that was
sensual and exotic in a bizarre way, I guess that's why she was cast in
so many films like Babylon.
The Portland Community College For the Performing Arts Center staged a brilliant production of Everyman with stunning lighting and sets (link below).
Burgess Meredith was born in 1907 in Cleveland, Ohio, to Methodist revivalists, a religion to which he adhered throughout his lifetime. He became a reporter for the Stamford Advocate. In 1942, he enlisted in the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. After transferring to the Office of War Information, he made training and education films for America's armed forces.
In 1943 he performed in the USAAF's recruiting short The Rear Gunner and the U.S. Army training film A Welcome to Britain for troops heading to the UK in preparation for the liberation of Europe.
He was released from duty in 1944 to work on the movie The Story of G.I. Joe, in which he played the war correspondent Ernie Pyle.
He was known later in his career for his appearances on The Twilight Zone and for portraying arch-villain The Penguin on the 1960s TV series Batman (link below) and boxing trainer Mickey Goldmill in the Rocky film series. For his performances in The Day of the Locust (1975) and Rocky (1976), he received nominations for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. He later starred in the comedy Foul Play (1978) and the fantasy film Clash of the Titans (1981). He narrated numerous films and documentaries during his long career, including Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983).
Meredith played the Penguin in the television series Batman from 1966 to 1968 and in the 1966 film based on the TV series.
His role as the Penguin was so well-received that the show's writers
always had a script featuring the Penguin ready whenever Meredith was
available. He and Cesar Romero (the Joker) are tied for number of appearances on the show. He also made a brief cameo appearance as the Penguin in the 1968 episode of The Monkees titled Monkees Blow Their Minds.
My favorite film of his is Of Mice and Men (link below) based on the book by John Steinbeck. He portrays George trapped in his friendship with his sidekick, Lenny, played by Lon Chaney, Jr. The story takes place during the Depression. The score for the film was by American composer Aaron Copland.
His autobiography, So Far, So Good, was published in 1994. In the book he wrote that he suffered from violent mood swings caused by cyclothymia, a form of bipolar disorder.
Meredith died from complications of Alzheimer's disease and melanoma on September 9, 1997, aged 89, at his Malibu home. Friend Adam West spoke briefly at his memorial service.
Burgess Meredith & Howard O. Sackler ~ Everyman
vinyl LP record labels, side 1 & side 2
photos by Styrous®
Tracklist:
Side 1:
Side 1:
Everyman, Written By – Anonymous
A Part One
A Part One
Side 2:
B Part Two
Companies, etc.
Copyright (c) – Caedmon Publishers
Credits:
Directed By – Howard Sackler
Performer [Beauty], Voice Actor – Cavada Humphrey
Performer [Confession], Voice Actor – John Heldabrand
Performer [Cousin], Voice Actor – David Hersey (3)
Performer [Death], Voice Actor – Frank Silvera
Performer [Discretion], Voice Actor – Janet Ward
Performer [Everyman], Voice Actor – Burgess Meredith
Performer [Fellowship], Voice Actor – Darren McGavin (2)
Performer [Five-Wits] – Julian Barry (4)
Performer [God], Voice Actor – Frederick Rolf
Performer [Good-Deeds], Voice Actor – Sybil Baker
Performer [Goods], Voice Actor – Richard Purdy
Performer [Kindred], Voice Actor – Stefan Gierasch
Performer [Knowledge], Voice Actor – Carol Veazie
Performer [Messenger], Voice Actor – Terence Kilburn
Performer [Strength], Voice Actor – Richard Farmer (2)
Notes:
Includes a 24 page booklet
Barcode and Other Identifiers
Matrix / Runout (A runout): TC 1031 A // C0101 SC E4
Matrix / Runout (B runout): TC 1031 B // E4RP- 10110 - 1A // A1 // R
Matrix / Runout (A label): TC-1031-A
Matrix / Runout (B label): TC-1031-B
Burgess Meredith, Howard O. Sackler* – Everyman - A Moral Play
Label: Caedmon Records – TC 1031
Series: Monuments Of Early English Drama – Volume Two, Caedmon Literary Series –
Format: Vinyl, LP
Country: US
Released: 1955
Genre: Non-Music
Style: Spoken Word
Styrous® ~ Monday, November 16, 2020
Label: Caedmon Records – TC 1031
Series: Monuments Of Early English Drama – Volume Two, Caedmon Literary Series –
Format: Vinyl, LP
Country: US
Released: 1955
Genre: Non-Music
Style: Spoken Word
Viewfinder links:
Net links:
YouTube links:
Batman '66 Reunion (1989) Adam West, Julie Newmar, Cesar Romero, Burgess Meredith
Of Mice and Men (1939) Burgess Meredith & Lon Chaney Jr (1 hr., 46 min.)
Portland Community College ~ Everyman (49;18)
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