I was saddened to hear today that Ronald Searle died on December 30th. Despite a wealth of other work published here in the UK and across the world, he is best known for his cartoon strip about the shabby, private boarding school for girls, St. Trinian's. Most people of my age will remember the TV broadcasts in the 1970s of the series of films based on Searle's original cartoons. I remember savouring those anarchic scenes of violence and depravity set in, of all places, a girls' boarding school in the 1950s.
The school represents a portrait of a post war Britain: disillusioned and amateur, surviving on rationing and petty crime; where any comfort had to be stolen or illegally bought on the black market; where money could be made by those shrewd enough to spot it and quick enough to take it. This was a Britain bankrupt by the war and living on handouts from the yanks. A Britain that presented a respectable front to the world whilst turning a blind eye to its shady reality; best summed up by the phrase, fur coat and no knickers.
The cast of the first film, The Belles of St. Trinian's (1954), included: Alastair Sim, Joyce Grenfell, George Cole, Beryl Reid, Irene Handl, Joan Sims, Sid James and young Barbara Windsor in her first film role. It reads like a who's who of British comedy. As is the way with sequels, they got steadily worse with every subsequent production.
The Belles of St. Trinian's iconic score was written by one of the greatest composers of the 20th Century, Sir Malcolm Arnold. Who can forget the original St. Trinian's theme? It sounds like something written by the music teacher and badly played by the school orchestra - a brilliant concept by Arnold.
Finally, here's a scene from The Belles of St. Trinian's that brings it all flooding back. Thank you Ronald Searle - May St. Trinian's Flourish...
| Today's run at 17:18 | |||
| Distance | 4.04 km | Time | 22:22 |
| Pace | 5:32 min/km | Cadence | 81 spm |
| Comments: Very windy. Mild backache. | |||
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