Moby Dick

[cnrobinson]

I was watching 'Moby Dick' last night (DVD free with The Times) and in the sequence in the tavern is Alf Edwards, I think, playing concertina! I don't know if this has come up before but his 'tina looks a bit more recent than 1841 (when it is set).

 

On the ship the shantyman is A L Lloyd. I've never noticed them before. Did Alf or Bert star in many Hollywood blockbusters or is this their only celluloid appearance?

 

Chris

[John Wild]

I was watching 'Moby Dick' last night (DVD free with The Times) and in the sequence in the tavern is Alf Edwards, I think,  playing concertina! I don't know if this has come up before but his 'tina looks a bit more recent than 1841 (when it is set).

 

On the ship the shantyman is A L Lloyd. I've never noticed them before. Did Alf or Bert star in many Hollywood blockbusters or is this their only celluloid appearance?

 

Chris

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

I was watching that as well. I had seen the film years ago but did not play concertina then so did not pay attention to that bit, nor did I remember it when I saw it again.

 

We had a meeting of the East Kent Concertina Players this afternoon, and I took the DVD to show the others that scene on my laptop. Thank you for identiying the player/singer for me.

 

I have a copy of the book, and felt compelled to check it. Two points are worth noting:-The chapter in the book corresponding to the scene in the film did not mention concertinas or any music. secondly, the book was originally published in 1851, so it is only just within the time range - but had concertinas travelled to North America so soon?

 

- John Wild

[Ray Goninon]

I was watching 'Moby Dick' last night (DVD free with The Times) and in the sequence in the tavern is Alf Edwards, I think,  playing concertina! I don't know if this has come up before but his 'tina looks a bit more recent than 1841 (when it is set).

 

On the ship the shantyman is A L Lloyd. I've never noticed them before. Did Alf or Bert star in many Hollywood blockbusters or is this their only celluloid appearance?

 

Chris

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

[Ray Goninon]

I was watching 'Moby Dick' last night (DVD free with The Times) and in the sequence in the tavern is Alf Edwards, I think,  playing concertina! I don't know if this has come up before but his 'tina looks a bit more recent than 1841 (when it is set).

 

On the ship the shantyman is A L Lloyd. I've never noticed them before. Did Alf or Bert star in many Hollywood blockbusters or is this their only celluloid appearance?

 

Chris

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Alf Edwards leant the movie studio the concertina you saw. They then took out the reeds so it couldn't make a noise when it was played in the movie.

Alf played on his 48 key English Wedgestone and was dubbed in later.

 

The concertina you noticed was a sigle action clarinet concertina. The lower reeds are fanned shaped on the end to give a clarinet sound.

When Alf got the concertina back the reeds were in a seperate box and Alf was unable to assemble it so Richard Evans did it for him.

I sold the concertina to a man (Bob Senior) in England in about 1985.

 

Alf played the music in the movie Tom Jones. When Tom appeard on screen a theme tune was played. Alf said it was very demanding.

 

Ray.

Edited September 19, 2005 by Ray Goninon