It is three hours long though and a break is welcome. Zingara is Vietnam but it is also East Africa specifically. A gun? Eventually (and surreally) the film ends with aPop Idol-style talent contest, Travis being picked out of the crowd to become famous, but as he is photographed, asks: "What's there to smile about? There is an alarm and everyone runs out the tea lady releases him and he joins them. Rest in peace Dickie Davies. | Countries - United Kingdom, United States | MPAA Rating - R AllMovie Rating 8 User Ratings (0) Your Rating Overview Review User Reviews Cast & Crew Awards Releases Related Share on facebook Dr Munda was at Oxford with Sir James. stay in the same roles throughout Biles (Brian Pettifer), the younger boy who was bullied and rescued by Travis, and Denson (Hugh Thomas), the priggish prefect. Door after door is opened to him and just as mysteriously is slammed shut in his face. Malcolm McDowell with long moustaches takes a few beans. Yet another female attracted to Travis. The people would sing. The film is broken frequently by the Alan Price song sequences and then solid black screens, sometimes with titles (The North, The South) break it up. Amazon's "Them" Isn't Worth Your Time - BuzzFeed News They drive him to the Millar Institute. yeah. I was disappointed, and the VHS tape in 1993 reinforced the feeling that it was too long, too disjointed and suffered from the reality / absurdity interface. [2] Plot [ edit] Script: Malcolm McDowell, David Sherwin (from the novel Candide by Voltaire) O Lucky Man! Addeddate. She has a baby and two kids. The broadcaster became something of a cult figure after fronting the ITV show for 20 years. open.spotify.com/show/7DIM1wfGKwDis0uzsjHeP7?si=pG0_U0TjRKGzVDvrePs4vA Wallas Eaton Back in the day when an office actually had "decor", and everyone had their own desk (they're even socially distanced!). bridezilla amanda and steven still together; jerome carter obituary showing forced labour in a third-world coffee plantation. A tenacious young British man, Mick Travis (Malcolm McDowell) is determined to be successful. But the best of these secondary players is Sir Ralph Richardson. Fleeing this dubious scientific enterprise, he gratefully accepts a lift from Alan Price's band, heading for London. O Lucky Man! - Wikipedia I guess its 1973. Even the actual Black character is a fuckin' racist premise. O Lucky Man! blackface. In February, Virginia Gov. It still is. Making a break for it he gets picked up by Alan's band, and a young Helen Mirren. Travis escapes, leaping through the glass of an an upstairs window. David Sherwin's screenplay for "0 Lucky Man!", which has been published in England by Plexus, contains a diary by Sherwin that explains the genesis of the project (an idea by Malcolm Mc Dowell). Blackface is more than just burnt cork applied as makeup. A very young Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and George Harrison and friends. For fans of the radio series "Round The Horne" (1965 - 1968) - starring the inimitable Kenneth Williams - there are several full episodes on Spotify. Sources: The Anderson/Sherwin/McDowell trilogy that began with If. He wants Sir James to secure large supplies of honey and then to invest in Zingara tourism. becoming a sycophantic, career-focussed product of capitalism, but the film skewers aspect after aspect of Britains post-Imperial hangovers, and does so well. Two girls and an Afro-Caribbean man. It is a style of entertainment based on racist Black stereotypes that began in minstrel shows and continues today. is noticed by one of the gun-toting guards. 19 Dec 2022 17:35:35 Biles keeps his name, though Denson is called Mr Greasy in the coffee factory. $30.00 $18.00 On Sale! Then the strip begins, with everyone chanting Chocolate sandwich! Travis joins in. Cinematography: Miroslav Ondrff,cek google hiring committee rejection rate. and the opening credits appear over an (apparently live) However, his quest for further sales leads him into trouble. I also had the feeling that the storyline takes place only a year or so after If . At the start people discuss an imminent Christmas, then after Travis escapes the military camp, we see a harvest festival. Travis escapes on a push-bike but is driven off the road by a group van. Takers and fakers and talkers wont tell you. O Lucky Man! - Everything2.com who likes to walk naked through empty dormitories, becomes the randy landlady Mrs Ball, then the breastfeeding vicars wife. ", Hey Hey sees red over black face Jackson 5 act, "Eddie McGuire defends Sam Newman's blackface stunt", "De oudst bekende naam van Zwarte Piet: Pieter-m-knecht (1850)", "This country with a colonial history has a blackface problem", "Criticism of Dutch 'Black Pete' tradition grows", "Zwarte Piet niet racistisch en moet blijven", "Draagvlak voor traditionele Zwarte Piet loopt terug", "Weinig draagvlak voor roetveegpieten bij landelijke intocht Sinterklaas", "Dutch PM's opinions on blackface have undergone 'major changes' but he won't ban it", "Dutch PM sceptical about Black Pete tradition", "La conne mission Bouchard-Taylor: Rock et Belles Oreilles (RBO)", "Blackface controversy at Canadian school YouTube", "Montreal university students don blackface", "Montreal university expresses regret over blackface stunt", "Blackface Blunder Backfires at Universit de Montral", "Challenging "Blackface" Is Not Quebec-Bashing", "Special Report: Examining the blackface debate", "Why The Hell Are Quebec Comedians Wearing Blackface? i.e. I always hated the Beatles, and as it happens I still do. "O Lucky Man!", which opened yesterday at Cinema I, is a kind of homage to those clichs. I can see you stripped, building motorways. O Lucky Man! [7] In the U.S., it entered the Top LPs & Tape chart on 11 August 1973, and spent 14 weeks on the chart, peaking at no. how to pronounce canadian cities. I highly recommend this documentary. . It figuresthe movie is an hour (or three hours) too long."[10]. then. His salesman's skills ensure he ingratiates himself with the local dignitaries, and he soon finds himself immersed in the seedy fleshpots offered by the location: prostitutes, strippers and some humourously awful pornography, screened at a small gathering of movers and shakers. It starred Malcolm McDowell, playing a character not a million miles away from Alex inA Clockwork Orange, it included a host of British horror regulars (Arthur Lowe, Brian Glover, Warren Clarke), and it formed the middle section of a well-regarded trio of films by director Lindsey Anderson - the first being the surreal not-horror filmIfand the third being the definite horror filmBritannia Hospital. By playing the Acerbic, Good-Humoured Music Journeyman Symbol in a pompous, overfed movie. [9], Reviewing for Creem in 1973, Robert Christgau said, "How does an acerbic, good-humored music journeyman like Price (find: This Price is Right, on Parrot) fall in with a pompous, overfed con man like Lindsay Anderson? Henry (Ashley Thomas), Lucky (Deborah Ayorinde), Ruby (Shahadi Wright Joseph), and Gracie (Melody Hurd), are a Black family who move from North Carolina to California. You'd be better by far to be just what you are. Enter the heavy bit. Price wrote nearly all the songs before filming started. This is a genuine horror moment, but one horror moment does not a horror film make. The rebels are amateurs, inexperienced and weak in defence. He faints in a pew and wakes. Da Tap Dance Man wants Henry to be everything his white neighbors fear angry, violent, and self-loathing but in the end, Henry isn't any of those things. Luckyman. A budget 1965 sales reps car in 1973? "Surviving Zwarte Piet a Black mother in the Netherlands copes with a racist institution in Dutch culture", "Bambizzoozled Blackface in Movies and Television", Several blog posts from 2004 about blackface stories in the news, from the Colorblind Society, "The History of Racist Blackface Stereotypes, "From Blackface to Beulah: Subtle Subversion in Early Black Sitcoms". at the Cannes Film Festival, but didn't receive any awards. The CastO LUCKY MAN! You have eyes like Steve McQueen. One worker (McDowell with black hair and moustache) pockets a few beans ("Coffee for the Breakfast Table") but is seen by a foreman. So Travis is dispatched to the RAF base to hand over the paperwork as drums of honey (napalm) are loaded into an RAF aircraft. (1963)Just For You (1964)The Chalk Garden (1964)The Carpetbaggers (1964)Wonderful Life (1964)A Hard Days Night (1964)The Yellow Rolls-Royce (1965)Gonks Go Beat (1965)The Partys Over (1965)Cat Ballou (1965)The Ipcress File (1965)Darling (1965)The Knack (1965)Catch Us If You Can (1965)Help! As he investigated the bloody aftermath, two policemen arrive, shooing him off with a quick "On your way, sonny unless you want booking for manslaughter". His overnight stay in Millar's research wing is cut short, however, when, investigating some odd noises, he finds a traumatized "patient" whimpering and twitching in bed, apparently in a deep state of shock. Some of the humour is still pretty "close to the edge", even by modern standards. Armed soldiers patrol, as the workers harvest coffee Here we are discovering just why the O Lucky Man! For the 2009 film, see, The preceding paragraph is drawn from Paul Sutton (ed). o lucky man! He is given various props to handle, including a stack of schoolbooks and a machine gun. Another musical genius has gone RIP Burt Bacharach. When the manufacturers rep delivered them, he added a box of a dozen, For you. The vicars wife (Mary MacLeod who was Mrs Ball) stops him. Arnold, Zoot Money, Nov2016, Agatha Christie: Deduction in a dellartemask, Communication skills: Leaders TV debate2015, Opposition Leaders Debate, 16 April2015, Major Brylcreem or My adventures in theCCF, The Curse of The Crawleys: Downton Abbey Series10, A Midsummer Nights Dream Grandage2013, A Midsummer Nights Dream Propellor2013, A Midsummer Nights Dream Selladoor2013, A Midsummer Nights Dream Watermill2018, A Midsummer Nights Dream Watermill Tour2019, A Midsummer Nights Dream- Bristol Old Vic TheatreSchool, A Midsummer Nights Dream- Sh!t-FacedShakespeare, A Midsummer Nights Dream Handspring2013, A Midsummer Nights Dream RSC 2016Revisited, Importance of Being Earnest Suchet,2015, Much Ado About Nothing- NorthernBroadsides, Women On The Verge of A NervousBreakdown. "Gun" - Travis is handed a gun with which he poses. The Commer was indeed the standard British group transport at one time. The machete rises, falls, and we see McDowell draw back in a silent scream. The distance even from London to the border of Scotland is 398 Miles. When a NASA, Set in Britain in the near future,A Clockwork Orangerelates the adventures of a working-class teenage delinquent whose principal interests are, In 1939, hundreds of Jewish refugees, many fresh from concentration camps, boarded the SS St Louis- flagship of the Hamburg-Amerika. Whilst there he watches a wronged man (Crowden again) take a dive from the office window, pulling Sir James' assistant with him, and finds himself with a new job. But on the way he's picked up by a huge Rolls-Royce and taken to a clinic run by Professor Miller (Graham Crowden), where he's told he can earn some cash by taking part in scientific research. The wit is too small, too perfunctory, for the grand plan of the film and the quality of the production itself. [Verse 4] A bullet had found him. Supt. Its a stylised narrative, very carefully directed by Lindsay Anderson (only his third film) with a surreal approach. blackface minstrelsy, also called blackface, indigenous American theatrical form that constituted a subgenre of the minstrel show. With him are Biles and Denson, and Mr McIntyre (the inept If teacher). o lucky man! This is Alan Price and group on their way back to London. I remember bells ringing when I first saw it. Philip Stone The dictator, amazingly, is played by Arthur Lowe in 'blackface'.). "[14], A number of different edits exist, with some American prints removing around twenty minutes including the working class parody suicide, just before the conclusion of the film. Takers and fakers and talkers wont tell you. Get it Fri, Aug 26 - Tue, Aug 30. [13], Vincent Canby of The New York Times rated it 2 out of 4 and wrote: "Staying with it through its almost three-hour running time becomes increasingly nerve-racking, like watching superimposed images that never synchronize. Menu. About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features NFL Sunday Ticket Press Copyright . O Lucky Man is a huge, rambling, mess of a picture, following the trials and tribulations of Michael Travis (McDowell) as he makes his way through life, going from wide-eyed trainee coffee salesman to framed tycoon to wide-eyed and hopelessly naive philanthropist. The next morning he has a phone call he has to go to Scotland. He wrote and sang every song. caused interest as each actor re-appeared. O Lucky Man! (1973) - Lindsay Anderson - AllMovie While this is going on the tea lady drifts in and out in a pink overall and pinny (Dandy Nichols). It is napalm. "No", says Travis, beginning to look annoyed. Two local diversity advocates in Arizona are taking heat after calling a school district racist for hiring a DJ to perform in blackface but it turns out the DJ was black. Cindy Williams, the dynamic actress known best for playing the bubbly Shirley Feeney on the beloved sitcom "Laverne & Shirley," has died, according to a statement from her family, provided to CNN by a open.spotify.com/show/7DIM1wfGKwDis0uzsjHeP7?si=pG0_U0TjRKGzVDvrePs4vA, www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=5UUBNEPQQRV78, nostalgiacentral.com/pop-culture/people/raquel-welch/, www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-64558222, edition.cnn.com/2023/01/30/entertainment/cindy-williams-dead/index.html. o lucky man! Annie Wallace on Twitter: "Watching "O Lucky Man" movie from 1973 "Will I come out the same as I went in? When Black Celebrities Wore Blackface - JSTOR Daily [15], A 2-disc special edition Region 1 DVD, including commentary by Malcolm McDowell, David Sherwin and Alan Price, and the feature-length documentary O Lucky Malcolm!, was released 30 October 2007. Biles and Denson are released along with him. Theres a silent black and white film opening sequence always annoying on our surround system which seems to need the amplifier waiting several seconds to leap into life. [6] Anderson conceived of Price's role as a kind of Greek Chorus, both commenting on and finally appearing as part of the action. Im sure were meant to see them as their If . This FAQ is empty. . Starring: Malcolm McDowell. Costumes: Elsa Fennell Travis imagines hes going to get an order for coffee. Im not a registration nerd, but a friend had one of the last Ford Anglias built, so I know theyd stopped making them in 1967. See MoreSee Less, Dickie Davies, World of Sport presenter, dies at 94, For fans of the radio series "Round The Horne" (1965 - 1968) - starring the inimitable Kenneth Williams - there are several full episodes on Spotify. The women are after young Mick, including his tutor. He will be a star. . RIP the beautiful Stella Stevens, who has died at the age of 84. Five years had passed, during which Malcolm McDowell had starred as Alex in A Clockwork Orange. Or is it a secret military installation? It's for God") but allowed to suckle on a pregnant woman's breast. Photo Shows Justin Trudeau in Brownface at 'Arabian Nights - Time The cassettes were way over-priced too. Col Steiger: blanket bombardment by artillery and aircraft, followed by landings of airborne policing detachments, employing scorched earth and random elimination techniques. A disturbing episode follows, where he attempts to convince a poverty-beaten housewife not to kill herself, by reading some of the poems from his book to her. The penny dropped chocolate sandwich. He finds his way to a church in open countryside, where a Harvest Festival service is in progress. Travis finds that Sir James now assumes he is the PA. His neighbour in the guest house, Monty (Ralph Richardson) presents him with a gold lam suit he has made. It is a shame too, because the soundtrack holds together as one of the best albums Price ever put out. How did the blackface joke/trope play for you? The coffee plantation workers in Zingaria are kept decently (segregated by sex, of course) in clean, though utilitarian, housing. Anderson appears himself at the end in a potentially confusing epilogue. In parallel with Travis's experiences, the film shows 1960s Britain retreating from its imperial past, but managing to retain some influence in the world by means of corrupt dealings with foreign dictators. Yeah, right. [8], The score won the 1974 BAFTA Award for Best Film Music. He is next seen before a fat Caucasian magistrate who slobbers as he removes his cigar only to say "Guilty." But some insidious rebels are not happy with this. Travis drives north and arrives at the guest house where his predecessor lived. The van is a Commer with a camper conversion, so with only the band, not their gear. As can be seen from the cast list, below, he uses the same actors in several roles. If you find the site informative or enjoyable, please consider a donation to help me with the running costs of the site. Theyre with Travis in the coffee factory, in prison and in the final audition scene. | Theaterensemble 'Label Noir' | Metropolis, Samstag ab 16.45 Uhr | Kultur entdecken", "Germany's Schlosspark Theatre defends 'blackface' actor", "German Play, 'I'm Not Rappaport', Angers Critics With Blackface Actor", "Die Blackfacing-Debatte III Man muss kein Neonazi sein, um rassistisch zu handeln", "Kommentar Migranten spielen auf den Sprechbhnen keine Rolle", "Rassismusdebatte um Schwarze auf Schauspielbhnen", "Interview mit Ren Pollesch ber Liebe und Rcksicht. He starts to argue and they threaten to arrest him for manslaughter our word against yours. It really is quite a lot likeA Clockwork Orange, without the old ultra violence and lovely Ludwig Van. As you may have noticed, I haven't told you anything about the film, I just wanted to share my thoughts hoping to wet your appetite. See MoreSee Less, For those interested, the complete Jules and Sandy is available on Audible. Bona! Theres an explosion, he reaches the gate, his car catches fire and explodes. Factory chairman/Prison governor With Dr. Munda, the dictator of Zingara, a brutal police state which nevertheless manages to be a playground for wealthy people from the developed world, Burgess sells the regime a chemical called PL45 'Honey' for spraying on rebel areas (the effects resemble those of napalm). Blackmon is a 23-year-old musician who performs under the name BJ From the Burbs. You wonder if its going to. Dr Munda: Peter? . Travis tries to negotiate more he gets hooked up for lots of tests. Travelling around and through society, trying to get up the ladder, he gets all the breaks. The result does not match the ambition of the intention. Pearl Nunez, Rest in peace Dickie Davies. A little gift. I put them straight in the general stock. The space doubles. Duke of Belminster "More aggressive." By what name was O Lucky Man! After the final audition scene, there's a final run through of the title song, and the entire cast, smiling to a man, indulges in some energetic, joyful, disco dancing. Log in or register to write something here or to contact authors. On departing, his crumpled but strangely knowing fellow lodger gives him the odd advice: "try not to die like a dog.". Despite protesting that he hasn't done anything, he signs a confession - at which point klaxons go off and everyone fless the building. as Mick Travis. O Lucky Man! Its the films triumph that Travis entanglements with monsters here dont turn him into one; nowhere else in cinema will you find such a bleak worldview infused with such infectious, ebullient, indomitable joy, attentive to the magical propensities of life even when at its darkest.Tim Lucas, Sight & Sound, O Lucky Man! Mrs Ball the landlady is set on seduction. Secret military Imperial shenanigans, then. Innovations in Entertainment", theatrical trailer, and new feature-length career profile "O Lucky Malcolm" (2006) directed by Jan Harlan. He won Best Supporting Actor in the 1973 BAFTAs for it too. Music: Alan Price. Teachers and preachers will just buy and sell you. Graham Crowden Hmm. History of Blackface These stereotypes were staples during the minstrel era and carried over into vaudeville, film and television. (1973) | MUBI Log In Beautiful, interesting, incredible cinema. How the History of Blackface Is Rooted in Racism - HISTORY | Watch Full The professor tells them to sedate him, but Travis only pretends to be asleep. o lucky man! His blood . I imagine the reason was that Arthur Lowe was rich corrupt politician having been the mayor in the earlier sequence. But it's also a collection of strange little unconnected (apart from the attendance of Travis in them) vignettes - including a fair amount of nastiness, nihilism and surrealism - which, if they don't qualify it as a horror film per se, do at least make it a film which crops up in many of the "can you tell me what film this scene was in" e-mails I receive. Sir James reads a bland prepared obituary to staff, then they have 15 seconds silence. 117. When asked to smile Mick continually asks why (remember he was the best smiler at the start). 1973 Directed By Lindsay Anderson Written by David Sherwin Based on an original idea by Malcolm McDowell Cinematography - Miroslav Ondricek Music by Alan Price It may be 1973, but it goes in the 60s Retrospective series. Rachel Roberts He is stolen from as he discusses charity with the Salvation Army, beaten up by tramps he attempts to feed, and nearly dies trying to rescue a suicidal woman no-one else cares about. $65.04 $ 65. The sales pitch is that extensive use of "honey" dropped aerially onto the rebel-held areas will solve (or dissolve) these small local difficulties. All these elements fit together remarkably well, presenting a cynical overview of society. Emerson, Lake & Palmer - Lucky Man Lyrics | Genius Lyrics 04. Michael Arnold (Mick) Travis Zwarte Piet? Travis adjusts his pose. [15] The original editor's cut was 183 minutes, but the distributor demanded a shorter version. Blackface - Wikipedia An address by the chairman is interrupted by news that an area salesman has deserted and fled. The influence here is strong, especially on Poor People Ive had the album for years, not that I bought it new. O Lucky Man! - Rotten Tomatoes Just before the scene ends, we see the inkling of a real smile start to spread across his clearing features. Helen Mirren After sentencing, the judge, reminiscent of the one in Gerald Scarfe's famous 'this justice must be seen to be done' Private Eye cover, inspired by the judge at the Oz Magazine trial, retires to his chambers where he immediately drops his pants, and is calmly whipped by the tea lady. June 22, 2022. Title: Coffee for the Breakfast Table. He is seen by an overseer and arrested. Travis is now an ambitious coffee salesman (as McDowell himself had been before taking up acting) whose sights are unswervingly set on success. R.I.P. Jimmy appears in blackface for a parody of Oprah Winfrey using a maid as a workout mat. Graham Crowden, the eccentric history master becomes the crazed scientist Professor Millar then the suicidal Professor Stewart. Editor: David Gladwell Jenkins By the middle of the century, blackface minstrel shows had become a . Malcolm McDowell, Lindsay Anderson. She offers him champagne for breakfast and explains that daddy is extremely rich. Even both British VHS releases delete at least one scene present in the BBC broadcast of the film (Travis testing his status in the home of his industrialist patron) in the early eighties. Menu. Needless to say, his attempts are fruitless. Blackface TV episodes: The list of shows, plus whether the network has Released after being a model prisoner, Travis is back on the streets - but has lost his guile. 'Them' Is Amazon's Messy Stab at 'Get Out' - The Daily Beast He also doubted his own skills as a director during the film's making, and felt that the film had insufficient preparation. Then in mid-2020 it was reprinted and its in excellent quality. So he is appointed rep for the Northeast. He takes up lodgings in a grim, anonymous, industrial town, rife with local government corruption. In Angry Boys, he wore blackface to play a stereotypical Black rapper named S.mouse. Im breaking it up with my own titles. (linked), Malcolm McDowell Mick Travis / Coffee plantation thiefRalph Richardson Sir James Burgess / MontyRachel Roberts Gloria Rowe / Madame Palliard / Mrs RichardsArthur Lowe Mr Duff / Mayor Johnson / Dr Munda.Helen Mirren Patricia Burgess / Casting AssistantGraham Crowden Stewart / Professor Millar / Meths drinkerPeter Jeffrey Factory chairman / Prison governorChristine Noonan coffee factory worker / Mavis in nightspotDandy Nichols tea lady / neighbourMona Washbourne Neighbour / court usher / Sister HallettPhillip Stone Jenkins / Interrogator / Salvation Army MajorMary Macleod Mary Ball / Vicars wife / SalvationistMichael Bangerter William / Interrogator / Assistant / PrisonerWallas Eaton- John Stone (coffee factory) / Colonel Steiger / Prison warder / meths drinker / film executiveWarren Clarke Master of Ceremonies at nightspot / Warner / Male NurseMichael Medwin army captain / power station technician / Duke of BelminsterGeoffrey Palmer Examination doctor / Basil KeyesAnthony Nicholls- general, judgeBrian Glover Plantation foreman / Power station guardJeremy Bulloch- Sports car driver / Sandwichboard manBill Owen Superintendent Barlow / Inspector CardingDavid Daker- policeman at accident/ man at party / Mundas servant / policemanEdward Peel / policeman at accident / Power station guard / Policeman in courtGeoffrey Chater bishop, vicarBen Aris -Mr Macintyre / Dr Hyder / Flight lieutenantJames Bolam Attenboough / Examination doctorAnna Dawkins- BeckyBrian Pettifer- BilesHugh Thomas Mr Greasy (coffee factory) and as prisoner and as hopeful at auditionIan Leake- Streaky (roadie)Lindsay Anderson as film director+Alan Price- keyboards, vocalsColin Green guitarDave Markee- bass guitarClive Thacker- drums. Steiger With a very obvious parallel. Edward Judd O Lucky Man! And that's a lucky man! Grainy, black-and-white, and silent, a title "Once Upon a Time" leads to peasant labourers in an unnamed country picking coffee beans while armed foremen push rudely between them. Another thing, my recent reviews of A Very Peculiar Practice had me focussing much more on Graham Crowden. Travis visits her father on the pretext of rescuing his daughter from a life of sex and drugs and rock n roll. Mary MacLeod A brief involvement with idle band follower, artist and rich-girl Patricia (Helen Mirren) follows, and capitalising on this good fortune, he obtains an introduction to Patricia's father, Sir James Burgess (possibly modelled on real-life evil tycoon Sir James Goldsmith), and a job as his personal assistant. William Henry Lane, known as "Master Juba," was one of the first black entertainers to perform in blackface. Trust me! mouths Sir James. See production, box office & company info, The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner. During his journey, Travis keeps meeting the same people (or actors playing different parts), shags lots of middle-aged women and learns a thing or two about life (which, frankly, the audience doesn't).