A Poldark Primer: Getting Ready for the New Masterpiece Classic

Cafe contributing author TerryB provides all you need to know about the latest Masterpiece miniseries on PBS. You can follow Terry on Twitter as @IUPUITerry.

Poldark. Until recently, the name resonated with folks-of-a-certain age that viewed--and generally loved--the 29-episode series that appeared on PBS’s Masterpiece Theatre in the mid-1970s. Or, with fans of the 13-book series by Winston Graham, which the author began in 1945 and concluded in 2002 with his final novel Bella Poldark. 

This weekend marks the beginning, for American viewers, of the newest incarnation of Poldark: an eight-part series starring Aiden Turner (The Hobbit trilogy, the TV series Being Human) as Ross Poldark. Its broadcast earlier this year in Great Britain was received so enthusiastically that the BBC has already renewed it for a second season. This overview of the show's setting and characters will help you get ready for the first episode on Masterpiece this Sunday, June 21st.

The scenic Cornish coast.

The Setting: The Poldark saga takes place almost entirely in England’s Cornwall. Life is hard, the weather is often unforgiving, and the land is rocky and barren in most parts. Life in the southwest corner of the British Isles is, however, undergoing slow and dramatic changes. Political power and influence belongs to rich landowners and the nobility. Newly-rich merchants and bankers struggle to join the upper class. Below them are the great mass of the population--miners, farmers, fishermen, and smugglers. Class distinctions are still in force, but in flux as nearby France is tearing itself apart as the poor rise up against the government and the upper class. Change in industry, including the use of steam engines and manufacturing advances, is finding a place in the Empire. John Wesley’s Methodism and Catholicism are challenging the Church of England among the lower classes. Revolution of some sort is everywhere.

Ross Poldark – son of a landowner; member of the gentry class. Owns a small estate on the Cornish coast with mines and farmland. In the U.S., the title of the first Poldark novel was The Renegade, which suits our hero’s nature. Our story begins with Ross returning to Cornwall from the war in America to find his father dead, his fortune and house in ruins, and his fiancée about to marry another man.

Elizabeth Chenoweth – Ross left for America with the law on his heels, leaving his intended bride--one of the most beautiful women in England--with a vague promise of return. When rumors spread that Ross had been killed in America, Elizabeth (and her class-conscious mother) cast about for a new love, settling on Ross’ cousin Francis.

Francis Poldark – Ross and his cousin grew up nearly side-by-side, albeit a prickly relationship. Francis is heir to the main Poldark estate with a huge copper mine, a large income, and a large manor house. He is destined to be an important man in the county. A bit of a fop with an interest in gambling and wenching, his future begins to change when he marries his cousin’s bride-to-be.

Verity Poldark – Francis’ sister. A dowdy young woman with no marriage prospects. She has a close, sisterly relationship with her cousin Ross. Verity is resigned to managing the Poldark home, Trenwith, for her father and brother until she meets a seafaring man with a troubled past.

Charles Poldark – the elder brother of Ross’ father. A bulldog of a man, Charles takes his position as family patriarch very seriously and rules his children and estate with an iron fist.

George Warleggan – childhood classmate of the Poldark cousins and the son of merchants in Cornwall. His family has become one of the wealthiest and most powerful in the area. George is ruthless in his quest for acceptance by the aristocracy and the accumulation of money. He also covets Elizabeth.

Jud and Prudie Paynter – servants and friends of Ross’ father. Fond of drink and regularly drunk, the pair are best-suited to finding excuses not to work. Ross allows them to stay because of their relationship with his family. Jud also works part-time as a smuggler and generally finds trouble at every turn.

Demelza Carne – the daughter of an abusive, impoverished miner from a nearby village. At a local fair, she meets Ross, who hires her as a kitchen maid. Under his roof, she grows into a woman--meddlesome, impulsive, independent--with a thirst for knowledge and a strong feeling of loyalty to her employer. Demelza has a major impact on nearly everyone’s life.


For more Poldark at the Cafe, check out our review of the original Poldark series and our interview with its star Robin Ellis.

The Five Best James Bond Theme Songs

He's lunched with Cubby Broccoli--the late 007 film producer--and has a James Bond memorabilia collection that would be the envy of Auric Goldfinger. Today, guest blogger TerryB counts down his picks for the five best Bond theme songs.

Twenty-three official James Bond films. I’ve been a fan of the 007 films since my college roommate encouraged me to join him at a James Bond Film Festival on campus. Seeing On Her Majesty’s Secret Service in a very cold auditorium amplified the film’s snowy setting. The projectionist cranked the film’s sound after Bond’s wife Tracy is killed in the final moments. The counter-point of the James Bond theme over the film’s emotional ending was a sort of sneer to emotion and reminded us that Bond was an agent first. I fell in love with Bond music that night.

I’ve always said that when *I* win the lottery, one way I’d love to spend the money is mount a one-night concert of all the Bond theme song artists, each performing their theme(s), in order of release. Until that concert can be arranged, here’s a different sorting--my choices for the five best 007 theme songs:

5.  Casino Royale – “You Know My Name,” performed by Chris Cornell.  Written by Chris Cornell and David Arnold. Perhaps the most gritty of all the James Bond themes, this song was meant to be a reflection of the new James Bond (Daniel Craig) and that his Bond was conflicted and not the seemingly indestructible agent played by Roger Moore and Pierce Brosnan. The lyrics describe James Bond’s world this way: I've seen diamonds cut through harder men/Than you yourself/But if you must pretend/You may meet your end/The coldest blood runs through my veins/You know my name.

4.  A View to a Kill – “A View to a Kill,” performed by Duran Duran. Written by John Barry and Duran Duran.  Although Barry had never collaborated with a band for a Bond song, the fast-living, hyper-successful Duran Duran somehow seemed a natural choice to join him in 1985, and the result remains one of the biggest hits of any 007 track. The first Bond theme song to chart #1 in the U.S., it’s lyrically loony: A sacred why/A mystery gaping inside/The weekend's why/Until we dance into the fire/That fatal kiss is all we need. Still, it has a stomping, throbbing beat that was a perfect marriage for James Bond and one of the biggest bands of the time.

3. Live and Let Die – “Live and Let Die,” performed by Paul McCartney and Wings.  Written by Paul and Linda McCartney. Probably the only Bond theme song that has little to do with the film, except sharing a title, this song’s piercing flute notes and eccentric bridge were quite effectively married to the film’s many chase sequences. Turning an innocent into a world-weary cynic (or killing them) is often the path of many Bond heroines. The song lyric captures their journey so well: When you were young and your heart was an open book/You used to say live and let live (You know you did, you know you did, you know you did)/But if this ever changing world in which we live in/Makes you give in and cry/Say live and let die.

2. The Spy Who Loved Me – “Nobody Does It Better,” performed by Carly Simon. Written by Marvin Hamlisch (music) and Carole Bayer Sager (lyrics). A fitting type of theme for nearly all of the Roger Moore-era 007 films, romantically-inclined, but painting Bond with equal palettes of love and vengeance. And both are deadly. The lyric wins for working in the film’s title smoothly and keeping the song palatable for Top 40 radio: I wasn’t looking, but somehow you found me/I tried to hide from your love light/But like heaven above me, the spy who loved me, is keeping all my secrets safe tonight. The title yielded a phrase used in marketing later Bond films: the 13th 007 opus Octopussy ("Nobody does it better…thirteen times") and the 2006 release Casino Royale (the commercials used the song's title, "Nobody Does It Better", as a catch phrase).

1. Goldfinger – “Goldfinger,” performed by Shirley Bassey. Written by John Barry (music) and Anthony Newley & Leslie Bricusse (lyrics). This was the film that perfected the 007 “formula.” Director Guy Hamilton was purported to have suggested the song “Mack the Knife” to John Barry, “a gritty and rough” song on which to model this film’s theme song. Shirley Bassey tops the list with her gutsy, machine gun delivery of the lyric, enunciating every word sharply. And what words would befit a villain’s theme better? For a golden girl knows when he's kissed her/ It's the kiss of death from Mister Goldfinger. At the 2013 Academy Awards, in tribute to 50 Years of James Bond Films, Dame Shirley Bassey performed the song to wide acclaim and a standing ovation.

Our Favorite Celebrity Autograph Collector Talks about His Fascinating Hobby

Hugh Jackman and Terry.

From Joan Fontaine to Liza Minnelli to Meryl Streep to Hugh Jackman, Terry has collected the autographs of--and has his photo snapped with--thousands of celebrities. Today, he visits the Cafe to talk about his amazing collection and share a few "trade secrets" for novice autograph collectors.

Cafe: How did you get started with collecting autographs?

Meryl Streep's autograph.

Terry:  My very first autograph, which I still have, came from actor Fess Parker. He was the headline act in a circus in Evansville, Indiana when I was 7 years old. My dad was connected to someone in the circus and we got to go back stage to meet Daniel Boone. The collecting bug hit me again when I was a junior at Indiana University in the mid-1970s. Many celebrities, politicians, actors, and musicians appeared on campus. I bought a blank, 100-page sketchbook—my take on the little autograph books that people used in Hollywood’s heyday--and my first autograph in the book is actor Vincent Price. I am now collecting autographs in my 14^thsketchbook!

Cafe: What are some of your favorite autographs in your collection and why?

Terry: I love them all, in some manner, because they are from people I like or people that I’ve met. But some favorites are: Liberace (he drew his piano and candelabra); all the U. S. presidents I’ve met (Ford, Clinton, and Obama); composer John Williams (writing out a musical quotation for the Indy Jones theme); a map of the last voyage of the USS Indianapolis before it was sunk that is signed by 40 survivors; many, many autographs from actors who appeared as Munchkins of the 1939 MGM film The Wizard of Oz, and playbills signed by the casts of the shows I’ve seen on Broadway.

Cafe: I know you've also had your photograph taken with a host of celebrities. What are some of your favorite photos?



With Jennifer Garner.

Terry: In my office, I have pictures of me with Jennifer Garner and Liza Minnelli. I got to meet actress Jennifer Carpenter about a year ago and got my photo taken with her twice because she’s one of my favorites. I have a friend that describes that ideal celebrity autograph encounter as getting them to sign an autograph book, getting them to sign a picture, and getting a photo taken with them. I’d add to that getting the picture taken with them signed at a later meeting! So in that case, I like photos with Dan Wheldon (my favorite Indy car driver), Taylor Dayne, and Judith Light.

Cafe: What's your best guess on how many celebrity autographs and photos you've collected over the years?



Adrien Brody.

Terry: About 15,000? I’ve started a catalog. I’m less than halfway through my collection and I’ve got a list of 7,301. Plus I probably have another 2,500 books that are signed, too. It’s amazing how quickly a collection can grow. There are some events that will yield dozens in a short time period. Sometimes, days go by and I get none. During the recent Super Bowl in Indy, in a week’s time, I got 53.

Cafe: Have you ever paid for an autograph? How are autographs valued?

Terry: I have. There are some celebrities that sell their autographs to augment their income, or at least offset the cost. For example, if you write to Joan Fontaine (PO Box 222600, Carmel, CA 93922) and ask for a signed photo, she’ll ask you for $5 to pay for it. If you send your own, she’ll sign it for free. At collector events, like the Horrorhound Weekend (http://www.horrorhoundweekend.com/), you can expect to pay a guest for each autograph they sign (usually $20 - $30 each); some even charge you to pose for a picture with them. I once saw horror film director George A. Romero at a convention. He was charging $25 per signature and he averaged 60 signatures an hour, based on my observation. He signed for 7 hours on each of the three-day convention and probably walked with $30,000+ for the show. It’s a big business.

Lily Tomlin poses with Terry.

Value is a real challenge sometimes. People have collected autographs for hundreds of years. The desire to have a personal memento from a famous and/or important person still drives the autograph collecting field. So value can be based on who it is, how rare it is, and supply/demand.

Think of an icon and their autograph is probably valuable. Babe Ruth's signature has strong and continually appreciating value, yet it is not rare. A large supply exists because he was a good signer for many years. James Dean's autograph has a similar demand but is in extremely small supply resulting from his premature passing.

But rarity isn’t based on whether or not the signer is dead. For example, David Ogden Stiers is popular with folks who collect M*A*S*H memorabilia and, as he voiced several characters in animated films, with Disney collectors. The demand for his signature is high and the supply is not great. Recently, an estimated 200 trading cards with his signature were featured in a Star Trek set released in late 2011. These cards now regularly sell for $100 or more on eBay.

Oscar-winner Marlee Matlin and Terry.

Value is also affected by the format it appears on. In ascending order of value, the base price of a person's autograph typically is on a small piece of paper or a small card. Next is a document — a legal agreement or contract, even a check — followed by a typed letter signed (TLS). After this comes a signed photograph (SP) and, at the top of the value chain, a handwritten and signed letter (ALS). Content and condition also play a role. In the end, it depends on how much you want it and what you are willing to pay.

Cafe:  OK, can you give up a tip on how to be a successful autograph collector--you know, a trade secret?

Terry: I mostly collect in person now so it helps to know who is coming to town and to plan going to a venue’s stage door before or after the event. Also, it helps to get an idea of where people might be staying, too. It’s not a hobby for someone who wants to walk right up and get a signature or a picture. You find yourself standing around a lot, watching and waiting. But once you’ve done it long enough, you’ll be surprised at how easy it is.

If you are going to collect TTM (or through the mail), it helps to send your own item to get signed and write a good, sincere letter. There are many websites that can help you with addresses; my favorite is http://www.startiger.com/. Familiarize yourself with someone’s autograph, too, as many stars use agencies or secretaries to sign for them. Before eBay, easy access to addresses online, and a more heightened sense of the value of a star’s autograph, collecting TTM was easier and you got more successes. In the end, write to people that you enjoy and want to collect—quality over quantity.

And if you are going to purchase an autograph, buy from someone you trust. Understand their return policy and ask where they got it. Again, the more research you can do before hand on an item will help you understand its value. A company that is good to check out is Autograph World (http://www.autographworld.com/).

In the Summer of '79: Hot Nights in a Cool Theater with Friends

Terry B.--film buff, celebrity autograph collector, and one of the BEMAD guys--shares a memory from his college days. 

Movie patrons want to escape. They fortify themselves with popcorn, sodas, and candy. They settle in their seats waiting to be entertained and to watch a story unfold. Or, they might also just be trying to exchange a hot summer night for a cool, dark place to hang out without breaking the bank.

The Princess Theatre in downtown Bloomington, Indiana, was the place for all this in the summer of 1979.

It was when I spent my first summer at school, sharing an apartment with three other guys, and trying to find a job. If you’ve ever spent a summer in central Indiana, you know how hot and humid the weather can be. Being poor, we couldn’t afford to run the air conditioner in the apartment so nights spent in the University library were more to stay comfortable than to read and study.

But at least one evening a week, I made a trip to the Princess with my best friend. For $1, you got admission for movies that change every week. For $1 more, you could get popcorn and a soda. Favorite seat: main section, second row, second seat in. Be enveloped by that screen for two hours, kicked back in your chair, legs up over the row in front of you. Totally engrossed.

*sigh*

The movie fare that summer was intense. The moments I remember best included first marveling, then being bored, by the long shots of the redesigned USS Enterprise in beginning of Star Trek: The Motion Picture. Samantha Eggar licking clean one of her “children” in David Cronenberg’s The Brood. David Warner fighting killer bats in Nightwing. And Season Hubley helping a confused George C. Scott search for his runaway daughter in Paul Schrader’s dark Hardcore.

Of course, it wasn’t necessarily the movie that mattered. It was great to stay cool, forget a job search for a while, and enjoy some time in the company of cinematic friends. And, of course, visit my favorite movie palace, one of thousands across the country, each with patrons who love them.

The Princess Theatre was built in 1892 and was often renovated to compete with newer theatres. It competed with several local opera and vaudeville houses before becoming a fulltime movie theatre in 1936. The exotic glazed relief terra cotta tile façade of the Princess Theatre was redesigned in 1923 and the auditorium doubled in size, in the hope of making it competitive with the recently built Indiana Theatre, a few blocks away. My favorite movie theater is now gone, killed in 1985 by the falling roof of its extended auditorium. The façade remains. So do my memories.

That was the summer of 1979 in Bloomington, Indiana.