Barry, thanks for the mentions, much appreciated. I've been doing a deeper dive on Churchill and WW2 since I commented on them last here on your channel and here's a few more interesting facts. He was 66 when he became Prime Minister and was 71 when he lost that job to the opposition in 1945 after five years of all out war while working day and night six or seven days a week.
Very overweight, a daily cigar smoker, and a heavy drinker, many around the world thought he was too old then as he took a daily nap for an hour every day, always after his second bath, and often preferred to work from his bed or the tub, a whiskey or a cigar often in hand. Luckily, he chewed on them more than smoked them. He loved to stay up very late into the wee hours with friends, often working very late, and today would be called an elderly night owl and a regular party animal.
However, after leading the opposition party in Parliament for six more years he was elected PM once again in 1951 at the ripe old age of 77 and led the UK for four more years until age 81, at the dawn of the Soviet "Iron Curtain", which was coined by him while the Cold War was in full swing. In those years he was also the main British champion of building a United States of Europe along with a handful of his peers like the French diplomat and industrialist Jean Monnet on the Continent, and the beginnings of the EU were then born. He was also a staunch believer in the United Nations mission.
At 81, after being the PM for two terms and leading the House opposition in the interim for six more years, he then went back to being the opposition leader and served in the House until he was 90. A 103 year old D-Day veteran told Joe Biden this weekend "Don't get old" but it seemed to work very well for Winston Churchill 70 plus years ago when new medicines, medical technology, and nutritional supplements simply did not exist.
The best portrayal of him on film is by the phenomenal actor Gary Oldman in Darkest Hour (2017) now streaming on Netflix and Amazon. He perfected his speech patterns, walk, and mannerisms and is a joy to watch explode upon the screen. I can't recommend it enough as a companion to Larson's Splendid and the Vile, a truly wonderful read.
While searching for the next Churchill to help lead us out of the seemingly impossible political mess we are now in, perhaps we should check the retirement homes, the local golf courses, or possibly the nearest cigar bar for an energetic but paunchy old chap or lady, preferably a veteran with a ton of life experience in overcoming adversity, a passion for inspiring other people to rise up and fight the good fight, keep the faith, and to keep on keeping on.
Yes, that Gary Oldman portrayal was brilliant! For a guy who drank and smoked as much as he did, to have made it to the age of 90 was a tremendous achievement!
I'll be on the lookout for that energetic older companion - thanks for the tip! LOL
He won the Oscar, Golden Globe, and BAFTA Best Actor awards for 2018 for it. He's been in a Cold War spy thriller TV series lately called Slow Horses, now three seasons in, with one more in the can. They are also doing a sequel and I think that deal is done. I have to catch a few episodes now just to watch him work his magic.
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy was a film with a similar theme and he played Smiley to perfection as a top MI6 analyst trying to find a Russian mole giving all their secrets to Moscow. All based on a true story. It's a slow burn but riveting and so well done if anyone likes 1970s period pieces or how real high level espionage actually takes place. Not exactly James Bond and super models.
Barry, thanks for the mentions, much appreciated. I've been doing a deeper dive on Churchill and WW2 since I commented on them last here on your channel and here's a few more interesting facts. He was 66 when he became Prime Minister and was 71 when he lost that job to the opposition in 1945 after five years of all out war while working day and night six or seven days a week.
Very overweight, a daily cigar smoker, and a heavy drinker, many around the world thought he was too old then as he took a daily nap for an hour every day, always after his second bath, and often preferred to work from his bed or the tub, a whiskey or a cigar often in hand. Luckily, he chewed on them more than smoked them. He loved to stay up very late into the wee hours with friends, often working very late, and today would be called an elderly night owl and a regular party animal.
However, after leading the opposition party in Parliament for six more years he was elected PM once again in 1951 at the ripe old age of 77 and led the UK for four more years until age 81, at the dawn of the Soviet "Iron Curtain", which was coined by him while the Cold War was in full swing. In those years he was also the main British champion of building a United States of Europe along with a handful of his peers like the French diplomat and industrialist Jean Monnet on the Continent, and the beginnings of the EU were then born. He was also a staunch believer in the United Nations mission.
At 81, after being the PM for two terms and leading the House opposition in the interim for six more years, he then went back to being the opposition leader and served in the House until he was 90. A 103 year old D-Day veteran told Joe Biden this weekend "Don't get old" but it seemed to work very well for Winston Churchill 70 plus years ago when new medicines, medical technology, and nutritional supplements simply did not exist.
The best portrayal of him on film is by the phenomenal actor Gary Oldman in Darkest Hour (2017) now streaming on Netflix and Amazon. He perfected his speech patterns, walk, and mannerisms and is a joy to watch explode upon the screen. I can't recommend it enough as a companion to Larson's Splendid and the Vile, a truly wonderful read.
While searching for the next Churchill to help lead us out of the seemingly impossible political mess we are now in, perhaps we should check the retirement homes, the local golf courses, or possibly the nearest cigar bar for an energetic but paunchy old chap or lady, preferably a veteran with a ton of life experience in overcoming adversity, a passion for inspiring other people to rise up and fight the good fight, keep the faith, and to keep on keeping on.
Yes, that Gary Oldman portrayal was brilliant! For a guy who drank and smoked as much as he did, to have made it to the age of 90 was a tremendous achievement!
I'll be on the lookout for that energetic older companion - thanks for the tip! LOL
He won the Oscar, Golden Globe, and BAFTA Best Actor awards for 2018 for it. He's been in a Cold War spy thriller TV series lately called Slow Horses, now three seasons in, with one more in the can. They are also doing a sequel and I think that deal is done. I have to catch a few episodes now just to watch him work his magic.
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy was a film with a similar theme and he played Smiley to perfection as a top MI6 analyst trying to find a Russian mole giving all their secrets to Moscow. All based on a true story. It's a slow burn but riveting and so well done if anyone likes 1970s period pieces or how real high level espionage actually takes place. Not exactly James Bond and super models.
Yes, I liked Tinker Tailor...I will have to look for Slow Horses... Cheers!
It's only on Apple TV. No wonder I didn't finish it. My free trial expired.