I enjoyed music, humour and drama on a Singapore Airlines Flight. The first film I watched was the history of You'll Never Walk Alone.
You'll Never Walk Alone
The song was written by Rogers and Hammerstein for the musical Carousel.
Gerry and the Pacemakers, a Liverpool band, recorded it and it was a hit in the UK and USA in 1963. They sang it at a football match in Liverpool. The song was so popular that it became a regular song at Liverpool's matches, home and away. From there the song spread to other football matches worldwide.
The film includes interesting material on the Hillsborough (football stadium) disaster, in which fans tragically died.
According to the film, the Sun newspaper, instead of joining in the local and nationwide mourning about the Hillsborough tragedy, blamed football fans for stealing from the dead. The Liverpudlians were so angry that for years afterwards many refused to buy the Sun newspaper.
In addition to other musical tours of Liverpool (including the Cavern and the statue of the Beatles), you can see statues at the football stadium.
You'll Never Walk Alone summed up the need of the bereaved, feeling alone, without their nearest and dearest, needing to feel the comfort of the crowd.
After all that tragedy, I felt in need of some light relief.
Rowan Atkinson, who I remember most as the hapless Mr Bean, appeared in his new persona as a detective or spy defending the Prime Minister. Lots of absurd slapstick, culminating in a scene at a Scottish castle where Rowan Atkinson's character stumbles about in a suit of armour causing predictable disasters, all the funnier because you smile in anticipation.
After that I went back to music, the highlight of my flight (what a pun!) was the film about Queen and Freddie Mercury.
The promotion for the film points out that he started his career as a baggage handler at Heathrow in London!
The mystery of his having an ex-wife despite being so gay and getting aids, was explained. Simple really. He marries his sweetheart Mary Austin. He goes off on tour. Gets lonely. Is propositioned by a male. Gets into drugs, orgies. Anything goes. Everything goes. He gets aids and dies. Meanwhile she has married a nice stable guy - who has the girl 24/7 but cannot compete with the memory of famous Freddie Mercury who can still summon his ex-wife when he learns he is dying.
What more can Wikipedia add? Usefully, the places where you can see mementoes of Freddie Mercury.
Sites To Visit
Statue of Freddie Mercury at Montreux, Switzerland.
Statue in Madame Tussauds, the Netherlands.
English Heritage Blue Plaque to Freddie Mercury in 22 Gladstone Avenue, Feltham, London, England.
Plaque to Freddie Mercury, 22 Gladstone Avenue, Feltham London. His first home in London.
Copy of statue of Freddie Mercury in Montreux, on sale at shop in Switzerland also online:
https://www.queenonlinestore.com/Mercury-Phoenix-Trust/Accessories/Freddie-Mercury-Montreux-The-Statue/2JAA0JLV0W5
https://www.queenonlinestore.com/The-Studio-Experience-Montreux/
Useful Websites
Gerry & The Pacemakers singing You'll Never Walk Alone on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OV5_LQArLa0
Freddie Mercury
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_(band)
http://www.queenonline.com/
https://switzerlandtravelcentre.co.uk/
Making the Freddie Mercury Plaque for London, England, with Queen footage
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjWEA6rlAPI
Mary Austin talking about her first husband, Freddie Mercury
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvVC_U11S6U
Travel
https://www.montreuxriviera.com/en/P976/freddie-mercury-statue
Singapore Airlines
singaporeair.com
Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. Please share links to your favourite posts.
You'll Never Walk Alone
The song was written by Rogers and Hammerstein for the musical Carousel.
Gerry and the Pacemakers arriving in the USA.
Gerry and the Pacemakers, a Liverpool band, recorded it and it was a hit in the UK and USA in 1963. They sang it at a football match in Liverpool. The song was so popular that it became a regular song at Liverpool's matches, home and away. From there the song spread to other football matches worldwide.
The film includes interesting material on the Hillsborough (football stadium) disaster, in which fans tragically died.
According to the film, the Sun newspaper, instead of joining in the local and nationwide mourning about the Hillsborough tragedy, blamed football fans for stealing from the dead. The Liverpudlians were so angry that for years afterwards many refused to buy the Sun newspaper.
In addition to other musical tours of Liverpool (including the Cavern and the statue of the Beatles), you can see statues at the football stadium.
You'll Never Walk Alone summed up the need of the bereaved, feeling alone, without their nearest and dearest, needing to feel the comfort of the crowd.
After all that tragedy, I felt in need of some light relief.
Rowan Atkinson, who I remember most as the hapless Mr Bean, appeared in his new persona as a detective or spy defending the Prime Minister. Lots of absurd slapstick, culminating in a scene at a Scottish castle where Rowan Atkinson's character stumbles about in a suit of armour causing predictable disasters, all the funnier because you smile in anticipation.
Statue of Freddie Mercury in Montreux, Switzerland. Photo by Bernd Bragelmann in Wikipedia.
The statue is in the Market Place facing Lac (Lake) Leman.
The mystery of his having an ex-wife despite being so gay and getting aids, was explained. Simple really. He marries his sweetheart Mary Austin. He goes off on tour. Gets lonely. Is propositioned by a male. Gets into drugs, orgies. Anything goes. Everything goes. He gets aids and dies. Meanwhile she has married a nice stable guy - who has the girl 24/7 but cannot compete with the memory of famous Freddie Mercury who can still summon his ex-wife when he learns he is dying.
What more can Wikipedia add? Usefully, the places where you can see mementoes of Freddie Mercury.
Sites To Visit
Statue of Freddie Mercury at Montreux, Switzerland.
Statue in Madame Tussauds, the Netherlands.
English Heritage Blue Plaque to Freddie Mercury in 22 Gladstone Avenue, Feltham, London, England.
Plaque to Freddie Mercury, 22 Gladstone Avenue, Feltham London. His first home in London.
Copy of statue of Freddie Mercury in Montreux, on sale at shop in Switzerland also online:
https://www.queenonlinestore.com/Mercury-Phoenix-Trust/Accessories/Freddie-Mercury-Montreux-The-Statue/2JAA0JLV0W5
https://www.queenonlinestore.com/The-Studio-Experience-Montreux/
Useful Websites
Gerry & The Pacemakers singing You'll Never Walk Alone on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OV5_LQArLa0
Freddie Mercury
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_(band)
http://www.queenonline.com/
https://switzerlandtravelcentre.co.uk/
Making the Freddie Mercury Plaque for London, England, with Queen footage
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjWEA6rlAPI
Mary Austin talking about her first husband, Freddie Mercury
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvVC_U11S6U
Travel
https://www.montreuxriviera.com/en/P976/freddie-mercury-statue
Singapore Airlines
singaporeair.com
Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. Please share links to your favourite posts.
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