Anecdote No. 1

I love clever theater and movie stories.  This is from the actor Frank Langella's recent book, Dropped Names.  It was told by the English actress Celia Johnson, who I adored in the oh-so-sophisticated 1945 David Lean movie Brief Encounters, based on a Noel Coward play.  And I never liked Trevor Howard more than I did in that movie either.

The story, as told by Celia Johnson, is about her neighbor and fellow actor, Alastair Sims:

One day, I was pulling into the courtyard in the pouring rain, and I could hear the phone ringing. I'd just been to the market and I had quite a lot of bags with me.  I came round to open the boot, the pelting rain flooding over my hat and into the bags.  One bottom began to break and I was trying desperately not to drop the eggs.  Still the phone kept ring incessantly.  Bloody hell, I thought, go away.  I got everything in the kitchen on the counter.  I was soaked and furious.  The phone did not stop.  I picked it up and shouted into it:

Hallo!

Celia?  Alastair here.  Darling, I just saw you in the market.  You were marvelous!