2005 interview part 5

Interview comes back to the early '70s and touches on "Flesh and Blood Show" and "Horror Hospital" again! His co-star Vanessa Shaw is brought up, and I'm glad. Always thought she was lovely and wanted to look like her when I first saw this as an awkward 12 year old. Richard Gordon mentions her name being changed from "Phoebe" to "Vanessa" for this "because he didn't want the leading lady's name being up there as Phoebe". Weird to look back on that being an issue. Phoebe, Vanessa, they both sound like out-of-date names to me but maybe back then Phoebe was considered very old-ladyish. Neither knew what became of her, other than Robin's "she ran off with a Frenchman after my affair with her!" They then go on to cover some of his stage work, and how he finds classical parts a joy to do. They wind it up with an amusing "behind the scenes" story shooting one of his more recent films, "Asylum".

LOVED seeing this interview! Robin seems just SO charming and smart and friendly and outgoing. Wish so badly I could have been there! Thanks so much to Darrell Buxton for conducting the interview AND posting it on YouTube for us all to see! :)

2005 interview part 4

Hilarious reminisces about "Queen Kong" in this part! Robin gets pretty silly. Then calms down as the topic switches to the "If...Britannia Hospital" series. He gets in the middle of a funny "behind the scenes" story and then a part of the interview is cut out! Hmmm! Anyway, this segment then ends with a question from the audience regarding Anthony Balch's association with William Burroughs, which Robin didn't know anything about, but Richard Gordon did and proceeds to elaborate on it while Robin sits by patiently looking interested as he nibbles on his fingernails and rubs his nose.

2005 interview part 3

Darrell talks to Richard Gordon and Robin about Horror Hospital in this segment...very fun to hear firsthand accounts of the behind-the-scenes stuff of my favorite movie! Although I wish this part was longer. Too soon it looks like the conversation is going to be steered toward "Confessions" talk, but happily Robin discourages that a bit and they veer off into more interesting territory: his relationships with the actors he worked with.

2005 interview part 2

In this part of the interview, Robin briefly fills us in on how he got his part in "Canterbury Tales" (although those of us who read his book already know!) and how he just recently saw the movie himself at an Italian film festival! Imagine being in a movie you've never seen before! Oh, those blase celebrities! ha ha. He also covers what Sid James was like, and how he worked on "several episodes of" Fenn Street Gang and Please Sir! -um, really, "several episodes"? I wish! I would have liked him to elaborate further on why, after Robin started the "Confessions" films the producer and director of the "Carry On" films "never spoke to him again". Was there a lot of competition between the two series? Richard Gordon is then brought on. They first talk about "Tower of Evil"...which leads me to wonder if the VHS copy I have has some parts cut out or what? I don't recollect Robin's character talking about jazz festivals OR being crawled all over by crabs. I will have to watch that one again, I guess, or find a DVD version of it to see if I've missed some scenes.

They start to chat about "Horror Hospital" when this segment comes to an end. I love watching Robin when the focus is on someone else talking, hehe, his cute personal mannerisms and such...