Star of the silver screen that made over 300 films is honoured in Bognor

SussexWorld

Moore Marriott who appeared in fils during the 30's and 40's is remembered as a blue plaque is unveiled in Bognor, West Sussex

Transcript

00:00I think everyone's here. Good afternoon everybody and thank you for joining us

00:04here in rainy, oh sorry that's last week, in sunny Bognor Regis. For those who

00:11don't know me I'm Tom Marshall and I founded the Wilhay Appreciation Society

00:15back in 2009. Along with Haar Bottle there, we've done events

00:25commemorating Wilhay and Graham Moffat and today of course More Marriott. We are

00:32now a group of nearly 10,000 members who not only remember the comic actor Wilhay

00:37but of course his co-stars Graham Moffat and the legendary More Marriott. Firstly I

00:44would like to thank Mike and Anne for allowing us to install the memorial plaque

00:49here today on their home where More Marriott semi-retired to when he moved to

00:56Bognor in the late 1940s. According to his obituary in the Bognor Regis

01:01Observer, the Saturday the 17th of

01:09December 1949, it was here that More fulfilled his real ambition to become an

01:15architect, designing the castle style one-room flat which is at the rear of

01:20what used to be Glees shop up front here. I'd also like to thank the Mayor and

01:26Mayoress of Bishop's Wallop for turning up as well and I'd like to thank all the

01:32members of the Wilhay Appreciation Society who donated money towards the

01:36plaque that we're going to unveil today and to Steve for supplying the broken

01:40biscuits. I'm delighted to say that we are joined by Wilhay's granddaughter

01:49Virginia today. I've had a message from Graham Moffat's children who sadly

01:53couldn't make it to say they wish they could be here so thank you to them as

01:56well and of course we are joined by More's family. More's grandchildren Jill,

02:03Jack, Georgina and Bob plus More's great-granddaughters Sonia and Sally. So

02:10thank you everybody who's traveled so far from up north to be here because no

02:14one's come from down south.

02:18More's granddaughter Liz is sorry that she and her brother Roger

02:30couldn't be here today but Liz has sent a message from Australia to say she's a

02:34proud granddaughter and is sure that More would have been a lovely man. She's

02:39looking forward to seeing lots of photos and videos. It only remains for me to

02:43wish More Marriott a happy 139th birthday and to pass you on to a man who

02:50has just returned from playing Eric Morecambe at the Edinburgh Fringe and

02:54we're delighted to have him here today to say a few words about More Marriott.

02:57Ladies and gentlemen Mr. Bob Goldie.

03:03I hope someone's celebrating my 139th birthday in a few years time. Quite a lot of years I hasten to add.

03:09But I'm sorry I haven't learnt my speech but I have written some nice words I hope you'll agree.

03:14I'm no authority on the work of Will Hay. I never met him nor did I perform, see him

03:20perform on stage but I saw all his films and I've been a fan ever since. These are

03:27the opening lines of the foreword of Ray Seaton and Ray Martin's 1978 book

03:31Good Morning Boys Will Hay Master of Comedy and that quote was kindly written

03:37by the late great British comic Eric Morecambe whom as an actor I've played in

03:44various stage and screen productions over the last 15 years and much like

03:49Eric on Will Hay I'm certainly no official authority on the life and works

03:53of the brilliant More Marriott but I have adored everything he's done and I'm very

03:59much looking forward to chatting with a lot of people here today who can tell me

04:03more about More as well. George Thomas More Marriott born on this day in 1885 a

04:13middle-sex boy of actor parents who somehow even as a relatively young actor

04:18would go on to become the definitive comedy old man of British cinema. Now I

04:23became a big fan of black-and-white comedy films in my childhood when the

04:28BBC and if you remember used to play them on BBC 2 in the early evening so

04:31after I got back from school George Formby, Arthur Askey, Laurel and Hardy

04:37Harold Lloyd and of course all 17 of the Will Hay franchise as well the best of

04:43which in my humble opinion were the films which also co-starred Moore and

04:49Moffat joined by Will of course himself in their madcap situations. They made a

04:57big impression on me actually they they were quick-witted you know with their

05:01slapstick and wordplay comedy and quite frankly they were inspirational that's

05:05what I wanted it that's what I thought and they still remain regularly viewed

05:10in my home I've got four kids all of which varying ages from 21 to 45 years

05:16old they know who Will Hay, Graham Moffat and Moore Marriott are in fact we

05:21used to keep chickens in the garden and our favorite hen was called Harbottle

05:25named of course after Moore's famous characters but sadly that hen was stolen

05:31by Mr. Fox. Anyway in Pantomime every year I perform and well I always try and

05:38sneak in the odd line or two for Moore's famous characters. Last year in fact my

05:45character Dane Dolly and and the village idiot character were carrying

05:50something together. Well come on he said put some beef in it. Well I am putting beef in it.

05:55Anyway I'm deeply honoured to be here today and to be asked by Tom and on what would

06:01have been Moore's 139th birthday joined by the fans family of this great actor

06:06but pay no attention to the man behind the curtain so let's just think for a

06:15minute sorry it's not much longer let's just think for a minute how great he was

06:21to put it into context how we rate our film stars nowadays and when we think of

06:26some of the greatest and most respected actors of our time we probably mentioned

06:30the likes of people like Keira Knightley who's appeared in 44 films Dustin

06:34Hoffman 66 films George George Clooney he's made 68 films Johnny Depp has only

06:41made 70 films believe it or not comedy actor Will Ferrell 87 movies Morgan

06:47Freeman the great Morgan Freeman only 110 films Susan Sarandon 170 movies

06:53even Michael Caine has only made 177 films I mean I could go on Brad Pitt

06:59106 Robert De Niro 128 but Moore Marriott over 300 300 films silent and spoken word

07:09comedies straight drama shorts and feature film now this this is a huge career achievement and

07:16a real tribute to his talent and as a 54 year old character actor myself it's an envy enviable

07:22career to say the very least and one that certainly merits the respect and acknowledgement

07:27we're giving him today by commemorating where Moore Marriott ended his days here in Bognor

07:32with a fantastic plaque and so to Tom and all the organizers and contributors of the WHAS you

07:39certainly haven't wasted your time so I just like to conclude with a quote from one of Moore's

07:46brilliant characters with a poem featured in Ask a Policeman from 1939 and please do join in if you

07:54know it hang on I just need a couple of props three quid this cost me on eBay right it seems

08:13appropriate when the tide runs low in the smugglers cove and the endless horseman is seen above he

08:22drives along with his wild hello that's the time when the smugglers go out in their little boat to

08:28the schooner and bring back the kids of brandy a rum and put them in the devil's cave below

08:32wholehearted thank you to the ever brilliant and hilarious Moore Marriott

08:40I think we should unveil this plaque as the wind seems to want to yeah if I could ask

08:57more Marriott's grandchildren to come up please that would be lovely

09:10would you like to would you like to reveal this side and then Bob can pull that side

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