Malcolm Scott "The Woman Who Knows"

Belated tribute to a forgotten star of music hall

   Malcolm Scott was a leading comedian in the Edwardian era who developed a highly satirical act dressed as a female figure of history, be it Elizabeth I or Katherine Parr. Highly popular in his day, he is now practically forgotten, but over ninety years after his death I hope to rekindle interest in him, with my book now published by Bear Manor Media. 

Scott in his send up of the Directoire style

   Scott came from a good family with a brother who became a famous admiral. However, when he was orphaned at 13, he was forced to take his fate in his own hands and eventually made his way to the stage, where he became a successful actor and found his metier in comedy dressed in female attire. He was a hugely successful pantomime dame, and by 1903 a star of music hall. His approach was far different to that of his fellow female impersonators in that he was not trying to fool anyone, but effectively sending himself up - along with everything else. Nothing was off-limits to him and he made a hit in London and New York with his satire of Maud Allan as Salome, at a time when the play was still banned. Throughout his career he was the doyen of Pierrot shows and later found fame on radio before his untimely death in his fifties.

   

   His recordings are sadly few and his sole film would appear to be lost, but I hope this belated tribute elevates him to share the limelight with the other greats of music hall. My book is the first to cover his life in some detail, and includes extensive lists of his performances, songs and monologues. It is available in hardback, softback and ebook directly from Bear Manor Media and other outlets. See details here A review here

https://bearmanor-digital.myshopify.com/products/malcolm-scott-the-woman-who-knows-hardback 

A book trailer for The Life and Times of Sydney Greenstreet (Bear Manor Media, 2018) which features many rare photographs. http://www.bearmanormedia.com/life-and-times-of-sydney-greenstreet-hardcover-edition-by-derek-sculthorpe

"A man who likes talking to a man who likes to talk."

 The Life and Times of Sydney Greenstreet

 Sydney Greenstreet made one of the most memorable debuts in film history when he played the grasping Kaspar Gutman in John Huston'sThe Maltese Falcon (1941). The film encapsulated much of the spirit of Dashiell Hammett's novel and became an instant classic, ushering in a new age of film noir. Greenstreet was sixty-one and had hitherto withheld his talents from the big screen. His career stretched back to 1899 when he first played in amateur dramatics and ended in 1951 with The New Adventures of Nero Wolfe. In between he played everything from Shakespeare to musical comedy, via farce and some of the most acclaimed plays of the 1930s.

   Greenstreet had a career like no other and I hope my book about him does justice to one of the finest character actors of his era. Included are well over 100 photographs, many of which have never been seen before.

   The Life and Times of Sydney Greenstreet is published by Bear Manor Media and will be available as a softcover, hardcover, ebook and audiobook. See the link below:

http://www.bearmanormedia.com/life-and-times-of-sydney-greenstreet-softcover-edition-by-derek-sculthorpe