 |  | | | The actor Finlay Currie | There are 28 messages in this section. |
Jennifer Pizer from New Zealand. Posted 10 Jul 2002.
My name is Jennifer Pizer nee Currie, my Grandfather was Finlay Currie the actor. My father George was the only child of Finlay and Maude. In 1963 my father was flown from N.Z by the BBC to appear on This Is Your Life: Finlay Currie with Eammon Andrews.
We have recently obtained a copy of this programme from the BBC in London. When my father was in London he was given a wonderful set of photographs,which I now have, of Finlayin most of his films.
My father died 17years ago, and my brother and I feel we know very little about Finlay and his early life, so any information would be great.
We believe he was born in Edinburgh in 1878, his Father was in the Seaforth Highlanders at the time. When I was in London in January of 2002I managed to find where my Grandmother Maude is buried. If anyone could give me any information on where Finlay is buried I would be very grateful. I did visit the BBC archives and a very helpful young woman did look for information for me but none of the obituaries mentioned where he was buried. I know he died in a rest home near his home in Gerrards Cross Bukinghamshire in 1968. I look forward to hearing from anybody who may have any information on Finlay. My children Catriona and Conan live in London and would be happy to meet with anybody who could help us. | | |
|  | David Reilly. Posted 7 Aug 2002.
Hello Jennifer, although I can't help you with info about your Grandfather's resting place but there is a wonderful website full of Scottish ex-pats who seem to know everything about everyone remotely Scottish, and I am sure you will find a lot of answers there. your Grandfather was a wonderful old actor and I think he was in every picture made in Scotland. Good Luck, Davy.
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| | Ann Young. Posted 10 Sep 2002.
I'm sorry I don't have any information on Finlay Currie, but I would like you to know that as soon as our family saw his name on the credits we knew it was going to be a good film. Who could ever forget the film about India and those immortal words "Ah pity the man who hears the pipes an' wisnae born in Scotland". And then that performance in "Ben Hur". He stole the show as far as I was concerned. Good luck in your quest.
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| | Sue (Currie) Lemmon. Posted 9 Oct 2002.
My father always said Finlay was his fourth cousin, born in Edinburgh - his mother was Annie Currie who worked in the Post Office - I have a copy of his birth certificate if this of any help.
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| | Jack Hayhurst. Posted 29 Jan 2003.
I can update Jennifer Pizer re Finlay, and put her in touch with my cousin who knows quite a lot more. Can I have her email address ?
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| | Jennie Pizer from New Zealand. Posted 6 May 2003.
Thank you for the information you have given me.Please pass on my e-mail address to any one who may have information on Finlay
Jennie
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| | George Carr from Wirral. England. Posted 26 Aug 2003.
To Jennifer Pizer,
In my first letter I mentioned working in New Zealand in 1957-1959 with a George Currie,who said he was Finlay Curries brother,did you know him and were you in touch with him.
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| | George Carr from Wirral.England. Posted 26 Aug 2003.
To Jack Hayhurst could you send me Jennifer Pizer's e-mail address as I have some info she maybe interested in. My e-mail is [email protected]
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| | Margaret Currie from London Uk. Posted 2 Dec 2003.
Dear Jennifer Pizer
I think I may be able to help you with some information regarding your grandfathers resting place. If you would like to E mail me I will give you all the information I have
regards
Margaret.
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| | Sandy McLean from Edinburgh. Posted 5 Jan 2004.
I believe Finlay Currie was an organist and choirmaster in Edinburgh, perhaps the "This is your Life" highlights would be of personal interest should anyone have access to the tapes.
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| | Mark Carpenter from Cleveland, OH, USA. Posted 5 Jan 2004.
Jennifer..
This will no doubt seem a strange message, but I did research in college on your Grandmother...I would be happy to explain & share what I found. This was around 1980 & I still have the materials. Please respond directly to my email if you can. Thank you.
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| | Sue Lemmon from Aberdeen. Posted 23 Mar 2004.
Please can you ask Jennie Pizer to contact me or let me have her e-mail address
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| | Jane Joy from Ayrshire Scotland. Posted 14 Dec 2004.
Hello Sue,
I have a couple more Currie names to add to your 1617-1833 list. They are extra children for Peter Currie and Agnes Archibald. Inveresk.
I had sent you a copy, but the letter was returned as you have moved. I tried your email address too, but that came back as well!
Regards,
Jane Joy
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| | G Jacobs from Cornwall, UK. Posted 12 Jul 2006.
Very interested to read about Finlay Currie as I help look after his first daughter-in-law who is 99 years old and still striding round in perfect health.
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| | Ben Johns from Kent. Posted 5 Apr 2005.
I am the great great nephew of Finlay and would like to get in contact with Jennifer. It would be great if Jennifer could get in touch.
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| | Jose from Spain. Posted 13 Apr 2005.
I'm a Spanish fan of actor Finlay Currie. If anyone find his burial location, please send me an e-mail. Jose
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| | Jennifer Pizer from Auckland N.Z. Posted 20 Apr 2005.
Could you please pass on my email address to Ben Johns who posted a message on your scotland on film site on 5/4/05 asking for my email address in relation to my grandfather Finlay Currie
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| | Angela Parker from England. Posted 25 Apr 2005.
just to say i have long admired your grandad as a actor, and found your site while looking up his biography.
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| | John Macdonald from Australia. Posted 1 Aug 2005.
I admired him as an actor ...And am thrilled that his relations are in NZ ...and this thread is starting to gain a lot of respect and admiration from fans that loved him !!
John
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| | Jim Lilley from Dumfries, Scotland. Posted 28 Nov 2005.
Hello, I just wondered if the information on Finlay's grave location could be made public.
I have fond memories of his various roles played over the years. A great Scot and a credit to the country!
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| | Alan from Brixham, Devon. Posted 13 Jan 2006.
Dear Jennifer,
You might already have the attached information but, if not, I hope it's of interest to you.
Maude Courtney (1884-1959)
Maude Courtney, who was born in Brooklyn, New York, on 28 November 1884, was a niece of Peter McCourt, proprietor and manager of the Silver Circuit of theatres in the United States. She began appearing in public before her teens as an amateur reciter and singer. She later gained a reputation for singing old American war songs and is said to have made her professional debut at the Casino Roof Garden, New York, in June 1898.
On 21 January 1901 she opened at the Victoria Theatre, New York, in George Ade's 'variety farce,' The Night of the Fourth, whose cast also included Harry Bulger, Walter Jones, Tony Hart and, as Keenan Swift, Joseph Coyne. The piece was subsequently toured, arriving at the Amphion, Brooklyn, in three weeks after its Manhattan premier. Afterwards Miss Courtney became popular on vaudeville bills as 'the girl who sings the old songs,' as when, in May 1901, she appeared at the Orpheum, Brooklyn:
'Old songs are recalled and sung by Maude Courtney, who gives verses from such familiar numbers of a generation ago as "Dixie," "My Old Kentucky Home," "Maryland," "Tramp, Tramp, the Boys are Marching," etc. Miss Courtney sings these old ballads in a sweet and sympathetic voice that makes her hearers want to hear more the more she sings.'
(The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Brooklyn, Tuesday, 28 May 1901, p.6f)
Towards the end of 1901, Maude Courtney travelled to Europe, appearing in Paris and at the Palace Theatre of Varieties, London:
'Maude Courtney, the charming Brooklyn girl who used to sing war songs so pleasantly here, has made a hit at the London Palace with "The Honeysuckle and the Bee." The Topical Times [London] says: "Miss Courtney's performance is one of the most wholesome and pleasing which is has ever been my [joy] to come across," which proves that it is our Maude Courtney.'
(The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Brooklyn, Sunday, 2 March 1902, p.49d).
The Night of the Fourth,
Amphion Theatre, Brooklyn,
week of Monday, 8 February 1901
'Theatregoers who like fun of the fast and furious kind will find much that is diverting in The Night of the Fourth, Mathews and Bulger's new play. It is of the variety farce order and therefore built on the go as you please order. It is, however, produced on a pretentious scale, having better scenery and stage effects than the usual run of such entertainments. The company is a large one and contains a number of fun makers of repute. Philip H. Ryley takes the place of Mr. Mathews, who is said to be ill. He resembles him and copies his style, so that the senior member of the firm is not missed. Harry Bulger is a comedian of unchanging personality, droll mannerisms and quiet but effective humor.
Walter Jones, one of the first comedians to portray the commonly accepted stage type of a tramp, takes a leading part in the performance and creates much laughter. Tony Hart resembles Edward Harrigan's deceased partner [of the same name] in many respects and acts with the warmth and geniality of that one time favorite. David Andrada, an Eastern District young man, cleverly enacts a character part and his finely trained tenor voice is heard to advantage in the quartet singing, which, by the way, is one of the features of the show.
Miss Maude Courtney, a Brooklyn girl, made a hit with her singing of old songs, not alone because she has a sweet voice, but by her simple demeanor and gentle manners, in direct contrast to the forward and bold actions of one or two of her associates. The chorus is one of the best that has been seen in this borough for some time. The women are sprightly, they dance with more than ordinary skill and they sing well in the concerted pieces.'
(The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Brooklyn, Tuesday, 12 February 1901, p.9b/c)
Maude Courtney's career on the vaudeville and music hall stage continued for some years, making many appearances in the United States, the United Kingdom, South Africa, India and Australia.
She was latterly joined in sketches at the piano by her husband, 'Mr. C' otherwise Harry Calvo, who later became an internationally celebrated film actor under his own name of Finlay Currie.
Scottish-born Finlay Currie, (Finlay Jefferson Currie) was a former church organist and choirmaster who made his stage debut at 20 years of age. It took him 34 more years before making his first film, but he worked steadily for another 30 years after that. Although he was a large, imposing figure, with a rich, deep voice and somewhat authoritarian demeanour, he was seldom cast in villainous parts. He received great acclaim for his role as Magwitch in Great Expectations (1946), and one of his best remembered roles was as Shunderson, Cary Grant's devoted servant with a secret past, in People Will Talk (1951). Later in life he became a much respected antiques dealer, specialising in coins and precious metals. He died in England at age 90.
I have a postcard photo of Maude Courtney, but cannot send it in this message box.
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| | Alan from Brixham, Devon. Posted 16 Jan 2006.
Dear Jennifer,
You might already have the attached information but, if not, I hope it's of interest to you.
Maude Courtney (1884-1959)
Maude Courtney, who was born in Brooklyn, New York, on 28 November 1884, was a niece of Peter McCourt, proprietor and manager of the Silver Circuit of theatres in the United States. She began appearing in public before her teens as an amateur reciter and singer. She later gained a reputation for singing old American war songs and is said to have made her professional debut at the Casino Roof Garden, New York, in June 1898. On 21 January 1901 she opened at the Victoria Theatre, New York, in George Ade's 'variety farce,' The Night of the Fourth, whose cast also included Harry Bulger, Walter Jones, Tony Hart and, as Keenan Swift, Joseph Coyne. The piece was subsequently toured, arriving at the Amphion, Brooklyn, in three weeks after its Manhattan premier. Afterwards Miss Courtney became popular on vaudeville bills as 'the girl who sings the old songs,' as when, in May 1901, she appeared at the Orpheum, Brooklyn:
'Old songs are recalled and sung by Maude Courtney, who gives verses from such familiar numbers of a generation ago as "Dixie," "My Old Kentucky Home," "Maryland," "Tramp, Tramp, the Boys are Marching," etc. Miss Courtney sings these old ballads in a sweet and sympathetic voice that makes her hearers want to hear more the more she sings.'
(The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Brooklyn, Tuesday, 28 May 1901, p.6f)
Towards the end of 1901, Maude Courtney travelled to Europe, appearing in Paris and at the Palace Theatre of Varieties, London:
'Maude Courtney, the charming Brooklyn girl who used to sing war songs so pleasantly here, has made a hit at the London Palace with "The Honeysuckle and the Bee." The Topical Times [London] says: "Miss Courtney's performance is one of the most wholesome and pleasing which is has ever been my [joy] to come across," which proves that it is our Maude Courtney.'
(The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Brooklyn, Sunday, 2 March 1902, p.49d).
The Night of the Fourth,
Amphion Theatre, Brooklyn,
week of Monday, 8 February 1901
'Theatregoers who like fun of the fast and furious kind will find much that is diverting in The Night of the Fourth, Mathews and Bulger's new play. It is of the variety farce order and therefore built on the go as you please order. It is, however, produced on a pretentious scale, having better scenery and stage effects than the usual run of such entertainments. The company is a large one and contains a number of fun makers of repute. Philip H. Ryley takes the place of Mr. Mathews, who is said to be ill. He resembles him and copies his style, so that the senior member of the firm is not missed. Harry Bulger is a comedian of unchanging personality, droll mannerisms and quiet but effective humor. Walter Jones, one of the first comedians to portray the commonly accepted stage type of a tramp, takes a leading part in the performance and creates much laughter. Tony Hart resembles Edward Harrigan's deceased partner [of the same name] in many respects and acts with the warmth and geniality of that one time favorite. David Andrada, an Eastern District young man, cleverly enacts a character part and his finely trained tenor voice is heard to advantage in the quartet singing, which, by the way, is one of the features of the show. Miss Maude Courtney, a Brooklyn girl, made a hit with her singing of old songs, not alone because she has a sweet voice, but by her simple demeanor and gentle manners, in direct contrast to the forward and bold actions of one or two of her associates. The chorus is one of the best that has been seen in this borough for some time. The women are sprightly, they dance with more than ordinary skill and they sing well in the concerted pieces.'
(The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Brooklyn, Tuesday, 12 February 1901, p.9b/c)
Maude Courtney's career on the vaudeville and music hall stage continued for some years, making many appearances in the United States, the United Kingdom, South Africa, India and Australia.
She was latterly joined in sketches at the piano by her husband, 'Mr. C' otherwise Harry Calvo, who later became an internationally celebrated film actor under his own name of Finlay Currie.
Scottish-born Finlay Currie, (Finlay Jefferson Currie) was a former church organist and choirmaster who made his stage debut at 20 years of age. It took him 34 more years before making his first film, but he worked steadily for another 30 years after that. Although he was a large, imposing figure, with a rich, deep voice and somewhat authoritarian demeanour, he was seldom cast in villainous parts. He received great acclaim for his role as Magwitch in Great Expectations (1946), and one of his best remembered roles was as Shunderson, Cary Grant's devoted servant with a secret past, in People Will Talk (1951). Later in life he became a much respected antiques dealer, specialising in coins and precious metals. He died in England at age 90.
I have a postcard photo of Maude Courtney, but cannot send it in this message box.
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| | Ben Johns from Kent. Posted 14 Mar 2006.
If anyone has any info on my great Uncle Finlay then please email me [email protected]
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| | Kim from England. Posted 6 Apr 2006.
I have read all the messages posted but have yet to read of Finlays first marriage , my aunt (not by blood but has been aunt for 40 years) was married to Finlay.
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| | Chris Georgakas from centerville ,ohio. Posted 12 Jul 2006.
Great actor always added a great deal of believeability to his films.Does anyone know if he Findlay Currie had any great religious convictions?He appeared in many Christian films.
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| | Robert Borland from Troon. Posted 16 Oct 2006.
I am glad that someone finally mention his role of Magwich in Great Expectations.
When he first appeared out of the mist at the Graveyard I jumped out of my seat in fright. The cropped hair and craggy features plus his bulk made a great scene.
Yet later he played the older Magwich with great finesse. Young though I was, he impressed me!
The nearest I came to being as thrilled with fright was by Boris Karloff in Frankenstein.
Finlay Currie played many great parts and in some films he was the only actor worth watching!
Sorry I can't contribute with information but I had to put in my pennyworth to say how much I enjoyed his acting!
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| | Chris Georgakas from centerville ,ohio. Posted 16 Oct 2006.
Great actor always added a great deal of believeability to his films.Does anyone know if he Findlay Currie had any great religious convictions?He appeared in many Christian films.
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| | Chris Georgakas from centerville ,ohio. Posted 16 Oct 2006.
Great actor always
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