Mark Canter
Mark Canter came into our lives many years ago when Danny Carroll (later Danny La Rue) brought him into “Heaven and Hell” for a coffee. Ray and I found him very quiet because Danny did most of the talking, as usual. But through the years we slowly got to know him and realized the wonderful talent he had for designing and creating costumes, and also his amazing wit, humour, and fun for life. This was all prior to the “Casino de Paris” days. We were just two actors who ran “Heaven and Hell Coffee Bar” in Old Compton Street.
To my mind, Mark was England’s Erté, a costume designer ‘par excellence’. His costume designs made Danny La Rue look as though he really had star quality and talent; far, far more than he really actually had. When you were to compare him up against the likes of Sonne Teal and Ricky Renee, truthfully, there was no comparison.
From the drawing board to the finished costume
Mark was such a very clever and witty man. He would always have us in stitches. Oh, how we would laugh! My friend Joe Castle played such a big part in Mark’s life for many years. They were together until Mark passed away.
Mark and Joe
A Costume Design for Barbara Windsor
I was very lucky to have Mark design each and every costume for me for “ZEE & Co”.
Mark, Ken Dodd and Joe in my dressing room in Liverpool.
Mark had designed all the costumes for my act. The photo above is when he and Joe came to the Adelphi Theatre to see the show. Basically, Ken Dodd gave me my chance at that time, and I stayed with him for almost a year. Ken had never seen costumes like them before. He was flabbergasted, as he so often mentioned to me. I am so grateful to Mark Canter and his costumes, which were completely black and silver for “Zee & Co.” They all contributed a great deal to my act becoming an international attraction through-out the world.
Black velvet, beaded with diamanté
A Mark Canter Creation for our appearance in “Dick Whittington” at the London Palladium. He stuck to the black and silver theme which was part of our act. I insisted that Mark Designed my costumes, and they agreed! “Quelle suprise!”
A few more of Mark’s designs
When Danny opened his Club in Hanover Square, Mark designed all his costumes. As Danny’s star rose, so did Mark’s, but the strangest thing was that Danny, and also his partner Jack Hanson, never ever gave Mark the full credit that he so rightfully deserved. If a reporter or the BBC wanted to interview Mark, Jack or Danny would always make up an excuse that made it impossible for the interview to take place. This was a regular occurrence. Somehow. they never wanted Mark to get his rightful credit. Were they frightened that they might have lost him if he became too famous? The costumes that Mark designed for Danny were stunning!
Another Mark Canter costume
Apart from designing for Danny, Mark also designed for Barbara Windsor and Shirley Bassey and Diana Dors, and a whole Jewish and Arab contingency for which all the dresses were made by Darnell of London, one of the top Houses in its day. And the dresses cost an arm and a leg. Also, for a short time Mark branched out into the Fresh Meat business by designing costumes for us at the Casino de Paris Striptease Theatre Club. He’d never seen so many tits in all his life! We did a Shakespearean edition on Shakespeare’s 400th Centenary, for which Mark designed the costumes. They were fantastic, true to the period, and, remember, they all had to come off in pieces! Oh how we laughed at dress rehearsals. I remember one instance in particular When I produced a Dracula number (If I didn’t know about Dracula who should?). I had already had such trouble with the Gold Brothers when I told them that I was going to use a coffin on stage. The pair of them nearly died! (Then I would have needed two coffins!) No way were they going to have a coffin on stage at the “Casino de Paris”. So, I compromised and made up a frame and covered it in black velvet. It looked exactly like a coffin and it kept the Golds happy. With all the hassle I had with the brothers, I forgot to tell Mark a few things. Come dress rehearsal, I said, ”This is where she picks up the crucifix and the stake.’ From the back of the stools, I heard a loud scream. It was Mark. ‘What crucifix? What stake? Eric, why the fuck didn’t you tell me beforehand? You tell me now?’ But, Mark being Mark, within half an hour there was crucifix, and a stake. That was Mark, he could cope with anything. Oh, how we would laughed later that evening! I would always say, ‘What crucifix? What stake?’ Of course, they both finished up starkers in the coffin in the end! No!!! Not Mark and the Golds! (Although it would have been interesting because rumour had it that Elliott Gold was built like a donkey!) No! But, Dracula and Audrey Crane, his lady disciple. Oh, how we laughed that day!
Mark and Ray, forever the Actor!
I remember one story Mark used to relate. He took his gold watch that he had bought at Kuchinsky’s (a very fashionable jewellers in the 60s) in Knightsbridge back to be repaired because there was a slight problem with the movement, which needed adjusting. After being allowed in by the uniformed guard, because the front door was always locked. Too many robberies! The young man behind the counter removed his eyeglass after examining the gold watch thoroughly. He hummed and hawed a little, and said to Mark, ‘You know the watch is quite a few years old and really it’s not in its first bloom of youth.’ Quick as a button Mark replied, ‘Neither am I, but I’m not ready for the scrap heap yet!’ With that, he swept out the shop, with gold watch in hand, leaving the poor salesman with egg on his face for thinking he might have talked Mark into swapping the watch for a new model. The guard quickly opening the door in case Mark let his vent out on him! That was the wit of Mark Canter, he always had an answer!
Mark and Ray. “Halcyon Days”
A Mark Canter Chinese creation
When I had my show, “Zee’s Summer Magic”, for John Redgrave Productions in the Isle of White, Mark Canter designed a complete set of Chinese costumes for my Chinese sequence for the whole company. This is just one of the costumes. There were too many to mention.
Another Mark Canter Design from the drawing board to creation
Another Mark Canter Creation
Danny La Rue was known for his costumes, which were all the creations of Mark Canter, but really Danny was just the clothes horse! They were all the genius that was Mark Canter, and long may they flourish!
Mark was such a very clever man, with such a razor sharp wit. He would always have us in stitches. Oh, how we would laugh!
“God Bless You Mark.” Never Forgotten!
What crucifix? What stake? Have the laugh on me, Mark!
This design is not Mark Canter’s. It’s from the Ivy Restaurant menu, which I purloined, (being very theatrical), but I thought it would round off the blog very nicely.
N.B. I have removed the Marlene Dietrich photos for the time being , until I find the Mark Canter ones.
ericlindsay 
Mel Brooks and his London Stage Version of “Young Frankenstein”.
I decided to see “Young Frankenstein” before it closed because I was enamored with the film, which I saw four times, and I think that Mel Brooks is a genius, a brilliant comic, a great writer, and a very clever film director. All that in just one small package which spells ‘MEL BROOKS’!
Mel Brooks
Well I should have saved my money. The best thing about the Show was the Curtain.
Nimax Theatres Ltd., I believe, is the company that owns the Garrick Theatre.
The Garrick Theatre
Instead of acquiring another theatre, as they seem to do like like a baby octopus, they should spend some of their shekels on cleaning up and refurbishing the Garrick Theatre. It is a disgrace! When you sit in the dress circle you expect the seats to be comfortable. Not at the Garrick! The padding has practically worn down to the wood, and those that are in a fairly good condition are even worse, because you can finish up with a spring hallway up your arse!
Last year when I saw Kenneth Branagh and Rob Brydon in “The Painkiller” at the Garrick, I sat in the dress circle, maybe it could have been the same seat, and finished up with arse ache! That was a ‘Real Painkiller’ and how appropriate! What a pun that is!
Well, things haven’t improved!
The usherettes stand at the doorway chewing gum and selling programmes, and they do not move. They’re busy talking! and talking! and talking! I think it was about the boys make-up! They are not interested in showing you to your seat. I was told ‘Row D, Centre!’ by he or she or it. I didn’t know what it was! All I do know is that usherettes are supposed to usher, move their arses, and take you to your seat. Not stand in the entrance talking and chewing and looking very bored. No wonder the show is coming off! Most probably they are in the same quandary as the audience because they also don’t know where the rows are. I entered the theatre and couldn’t see a bloody thing! Remember I’m 88, no spring chicken! After stumbling around I found Row D. The aisles and quite a few seats are not numbered. Just a few have faded numbers. So you finish up counting from a number you can see to find your seat.
Nimax Theatres Ltd., do the bloody theatre up!!!
‘This is a fine start to my evening’s enjoyment’, I thought.
The Show itself was not good or really that funny. It was more like a No.1 touring version of the original West End production. In fact, I’ve seen better in the provinces. All I could think was that when Mel Brooks saw it, he quickly collected his money and caught the next plane back to the U.S.A. Very wise!
I was so disappointed with the show that I left at the Interval.
I don’t blame the cast or the production. If the seats would have been comfortable and the usherettes would have done their job, maybe I would have seen the whole show from a different prospective
But I have to blame the two usherettes and Nimax Theatres Ltd., who started it all, and got me really pissed off, and put me into such a bad mood!!! What a disaster!!!
I haven’t talked much about the show, because truthfully there was nothing really much of importance to talk about.
NOW “42nd. Street” at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. WOW!
That’s, what you call a Show!
I went from the ridiculous to the sublime! The show and the cast are fantastic! You just cannot fault it.
With a cast of over 50, it is a gem and should run for years.
I couldn’t believe that this was the same theatre that I played in when I was ‘ZEE and CO.” with Cannon and Ball when we made the T.V. Special so many, many, many years ago.
Lulu was excellent, you couldn’t fault her.
I left the Theatre a very, very, very happy bunny! That is what Show Business is all about! Great Theatre! Wonderful memories of when I was working there. and seeing a wonderfully spectacular show.
Posted by scorpio13th on October 5, 2018 in 42nd. Street, Garrick Theatre, Joe Castle, Lulu, Mel Brooks, Nimax Theatres Ltd., Uncategorized, Young Frankenstein, Zee & Co
Tags: 1950s British tour of Dracula, 1950s coffee bars, 1950s Soho prostitutes, 42nd SDtreet, A handy witty comment or one liner, Actor Theatre Managers, Agatha Christie, Albert Einstein, Alec Baldwin, Alexandra Theatre, Alma Cadillac, Andi Brooks, Angela Jackson, Angela Lansbury, Angela Zablo, Anne Delyse, annual report, April Ashley, Audrey Crane, Barons Keep, Bela Lugosi, Benedict Nightingale, Bette Davis, BLITHE SPIRIT, Brenda Saunders, Bruce Brace., Cannon and Ball, Carol Burnett, Cary Grant, Casino De Paris, Casino De Paris Striptease Theatre Club, Charles Russell, Chita Rivera, Colette, Confucious, Dame Margot Fonteyn, Daniel Radcliffe, Danny La Rue, David Ellen, David Frost, David Merrick, Desiderious Erismus, Diamind Lil, Diamons Lil, Diane Darling, Donald Bodley, Dr. Faustus, Dr. Murray Banks, Dracula, Duchess Theatre, Eartha Kitt, Elaine Stritch, Elizabeth Carr, Elmer Rice, Eric Lindsay, Erte, Fay Compton, Fay Duncanson, fireworks, Frances Day, Francesca Annis, Frank Dello Stritto, Funny Girl, Garrrick Theatre, Gerry Maycock, Glenn Close, guest star, Harcourt Williams, Heaven & Hell Coffee Bar, Heaven and Hell Coffee Lounge, Helen Mirren, Henry Kendall, Hermione Baddeley, Hermione Baddley, Hermione Gingold, Hotel Malaysia Singapore, iane Darling, Jack Hanson, James Woolf, Jane Fonda, Jenny Lynn, Joan Crawford, Joan Davis, Joan Rivers, Joe Castle, John F. Kennedy, John F.Kennedy Jnr., John Gielgud, Joyce Redman, Judson Barteaux, Kathy Keeton, Kay Hammond, Khoo Teck Puat, Kim Cattrall, Kinky Boots, Kit Harrington, Lady Chinchilla, Lana Turner, Lance Hamilton, Lauren Bacall, Laurence Harvey, Laurence Olivier, Lee Kuan Yew, Lee Remick, Lesley Glory, Lulu, Lydia Lova, Lyle’s Cavalcade of Mystery, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Mae West, Mae West Great Balls of Fire, Malcolm Vadel, Margaret Leighton, Margaret Rutheford, Margot Fonteyn, Marilyn Monroe, Mark Canter, Mark Twain, Marlene Dietrich, Mel Brooks, Michael R. Burch, Monique Starr, Mrs. Henderson Presents, Myra Breckonbridge, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Nell Gwynn, Nimax Theatres, Ninette De Valois, Noel Coward, Old Compton Street, Oscar Wilde, Pamela Bevan, Parmiters Secondary, Paul Gross, Paul Valery, Peter De Vries, Philip Seow, press cuttings, Private Lives, Prophets, Quentin Crisp, Radio City Music Hall, Ralph Richardson, Ray Jackson, Reece Allen, Regency Coffee Bar in East Sheen, Rhoda Rogers, Ricky Renee, Robert Harbin, Robert Helpmann, Ron Paul, Ronald Reagan, Rosemary Andree, Sax Rohmer, Scorpio the leopard, Seagulls Over Sorrento, She Always Knew How Mae West A Personal Biogrphy, Sheridan Smith, Sir Robert Helpmann, Slaughter, Soho, Sonne Teal, Stephen Sondheim, Stormy Summers, Street Scene, Suki Zee, Sunset Boulevard, Susan Wilding, Sybil Thorndike, Sydney Opera House, Taylor Pero, Tennessee Williams, The 2 I's, The 2I's, The Dolly's A Go Go, The Final Test, the Kosset Carpet Cat, The Magic Castle at Seven Dials, The Maids, The Painkiller, The Regency Coffee Bar, The Tony Awards, Theatre Royal Drury Lane, Those Dangerous Years, Tina Fey, Tobacco Road, Tod, Tod Slaughter, Tokyo, Trixie Kent, Tyrone Guthrie, Under The Frozen Falls, Uzo Aduba, Vampire Over London Bela Lugoai In Britain, Vampire Over London: Bela Lugosi in Britain, Virginia Woolf, Vivien Leigh, W.Somerset Maugham, Warner Oland, Will Rog, Will Rogers, Wilson Mizner, Winston Churchill, Wise Men, Witty Ladies, Woody Allen, Yangtse Incident, Young Frankenstein, Zawe Ashton, Zee & Co., Zee and Co.