The Happy Hoofer

Author: Celia Imrie
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781444822014
Category : Actors
Languages : en
Pages : 440

Book Description
In THE HAPPY HOOFER, Celia Imrie recounts a life hurtling (not always intentionally) into adventures both on stage and off. Whether it's finding herself on stage with half the scenery stuck to her cardigan, being kidnapped on her way to location, or enduring frozen mishaps at the Ice Hotel in Sweden, somehow she emerges almost unscathed from the chaos that can lie in her wake. Acting, she admits, is a mad, chaotic profession; and it is her refreshing honesty, sense of mischief and fun, as well as her almost unruffled determination in the face of it all, that make this autobiography a never-ending delight.

The Happy Hoofer

Author: Celia Imrie
Publisher: Hachette UK
ISBN: 1444709305
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 272

Book Description
If you've been enjoying her latest novels Sail Away and Nice Work (If You Can Get It), do not miss Celia Imrie's fantastic original memoir The Happy Hoofer. 'I've always been wilful ... I've always been stubborn and always determined.' One of our best-loved actresses, Celia Imrie would rather have been a dancer. As a child she planned to join the Royal Ballet and marry Rudolf Nureyev. Now she has become one of our finest and funniest performers, on stage, TV and screen - adored for her roles in Acorn Antiques and Dinnerladies, as well as films including Calendar Girls and Nanny McPhee. In her hugely entertaining autobiography, Celia Imrie recounts a life hurtling (not always intentionally) into adventures both on stage and off. Whether it's finding herself on stage with half the scenery stuck to her cardigan, or being kidnapped on her way to location. Somehow she emerges from the chaos that can lie in her wake almost unscathed. Acting, she admits, is a mad, chaotic profession and it is her refreshing honesty, sense of mischief, fun and almost unruffled determination in the face of it all that makes this autobiography a never-ending delight.

Orphans of the Storm

Author: Celia Imrie
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1526614898
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 476

Book Description
THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER The story of a mother's quest to find her children against all odds, set against the epic backdrop of the sinking of the legendary Titanic. 'Smashing . . . I was hooked on page one and literally could not put it down. I loved all that she wrote about the true story behind this thrilling tale' JOANNA LUMLEY Nice, France, 1911: After three years of marriage, young seamstress Marcela Caretto has finally had enough. Her husband, Michael, an ambitious tailor, has become cruel and controlling and she determines to get a divorce. But while awaiting the judges' decision on the custody of their two small boys, Michael receives news that changes everything. Meanwhile fun-loving New York socialite Margaret Hays is touring Europe with some friends. Restless, she resolves to head home aboard the most celebrated steamer in the world – RMS Titanic. As the ship sets sail for America, carrying two infants bearing false names, the paths of Marcela, Michael and Margaret cross - and nothing will ever be the same again. From the Sunday Times-bestselling author, Celia Imrie, Orphans of the Storm dives into the waters of the past to unearth a sweeping, epic tale of the sinking of the Titanic that radiates with humanity and hums with life. _____________________ 'Gripping . . . An epic adventure' ROSIE GOODWIN 'A gripping read' DAILY MIRROR, Summer reads

Charles Walters

Author: Brent Phillips
Publisher: University Press of Kentucky
ISBN: 0813147220
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 524

Book Description
A “lively biography” of the director who choreographed Fred Astaire, Debbie Reynolds and more: “a real backstager” on the making of Hollywood musicals (Wall Street Journal). From the trolley scene in Meet Me in St. Louis to Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers's last dance on the silver screen to Judy Garland's tuxedo-clad performance of "Get Happy", Charles Walters staged the iconic musical sequences of Hollywood's golden age. The Academy Award-nominated director and choreographer showcased the talents of stars such as Gene Kelly, Doris Day, and Frank Sinatra—yet Walters's name often goes unrecognized today. In the first full-length biography of Walters, Brent Phillips chronicles the artist's career from his days as a Broadway performer to his successes at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Phillips takes readers behind the scenes of beloved musicals including Easter Parade, Lili, and High Society. He also examines the director's uncredited work on films like Gigi, and discusses his contributions to musical theater and American popular culture. This revealing book also considers Walters's personal life and explores how he navigated the industry as an openly gay man. Drawing on unpublished oral histories, correspondence, and new interviews, this biography offers an entertaining and important new look at an exciting era in Hollywood history.

Not Quite Nice

Author: Celia Imrie
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1408846896
Category : Humour
Languages : en
Pages : 354

Book Description
Sunday Times Bestseller Theresa is desperate for a change. Forced into early retirement, tired of babysitting her bossy daughter's obnoxious children, she sells her house and moves to a picture-perfect town, just outside Nice. Once the hideaway of artists and writers, Bellevue-Sur-Mer is now home to the odd movie star and, as Theresa discovers, a close-knit set of expats. Settling to the gentle rhythm of the seaside, Theresa embraces her new-found friendships and freedom. But life is never as simple as it seems, and when skeletons fall out of several closets, Theresa starts to wonder if life on the French Riviera is quite as nice as it first appeared ...

Nice Work (If You Can Get It)

Author: Celia Imrie
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN: 163286665X
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 401

Book Description
Witty and enchanting, the second novel from the well-loved actress and author of Not Quite Nice follows the hilarious exploits of expats in the South of France. Somewhere on the French Riviera, tucked between glitzy Monte Carlo and Cannes' red carpets, lies the pretty town of Bellevue-Sur-Mer. Sheltered from the glittering melee, it is home to many an expat--including an enterprising team who plan to open a new restaurant. Snapping up a local property and throwing themselves into preparations, Theresa, Carol, William and Benjamin's plans are proceeding unnervingly well. But when Theresa encounters a mysterious intruder, she begins to wonder what secrets the building is concealing. Meanwhile Sally, an actress who gave up the stage to live in quiet anonymity, has decided not to be involved. The famous Cannes Film Festival is on and she is far too busy entertaining unexpected visitors from her past, and an intriguingly handsome Russian. As the razzmatazz of the festival begins to spill over into Bellevue-Sur-Mer, its inhabitants become entangled in complex love triangles and conflicting business interests. With the race on to get the restaurant open in time, the gang find themselves knee-deep in skulduggery, and realize they can no longer tell who's nasty . . . and who's nice.

A Nice Cup of Tea

Author: Celia Imrie
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1408883252
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 401

Book Description
___________________ 'Anything written by Celia Imrie is guaranteed to put a smile on your face' - Good Housekeeping ___________________ The beautiful town of Bellevue-sur-Mer, tucked between glitzy Monte Carlo and the plush red carpets of Cannes, is home to Theresa, Carol, William, Benjamin and Sally: five retired expats who have pooled their resources to set up La Mosaïque, a divine little restaurant. But there is trouble in paradise: the friends are desperately struggling to make ends meet, and when the much hoped for sale of their Picasso mosaic falls through they realise it will take every bit of their talent and gumption to save La Mosaïque... The witty and enchanting third novel from the well-loved actress and Sunday Times-bestselling author of Not Quite Nice and Nice Work (If You Can Get It), perfect for fans of Katie Fforde and Fern Britton ___________________ Praise for the Nice series... 'Her work has definite joie de vivre' - Wendy Holden, Daily Mail 'Hugely enjoyable' - Katie Fforde 'Utterly delicious' - Joanna Lumley 'Warm, light-hearted, fast-paced' - Joanne Harris 'Hugely entertaining' - Julian Fellowes 'Such a charming romp' - Fern Britton 'A shaft of early summer sunshine' - Daily Mail 'A delicious piece of entertainment' - The Times

The Nice Series

Author: Celia Imrie
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1526631075
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 1057

Book Description
The witty and enchanting Nice series, from the well-loved actress and Sunday Times-bestselling author Celia Imrie 'Utterly delicious in every way' Joanna Lumley Not Quite Nice Nice Work (If You Can Get It) A Nice Cup of Tea In the beautiful town of Bellevue-sur-Mer, tucked between glitzy Monte Carlo and the plush red carpets of Cannes, join Theresa, Carol, William, Benjamin and Sally: five retired expats whose adventures in love, friendship and business are never short of laughs - or disaster!

What the Eye Hears

Author: Brian Seibert
Publisher: Macmillan + ORM
ISBN: 1429947616
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 670

Book Description
Magisterial, revelatory, and-most suitably-entertaining, What the Eye Hears offers an authoritative account of the great American art of tap dancing. Brian Seibert, a dance critic for The New York Times, begins by exploring tap's origins as a hybrid of the jig and clog dancing from the British Isles and dances brought from Africa by slaves. He tracks tap's transfer to the stage through blackface minstrelsy and charts its growth as a cousin to jazz in the vaudeville circuits and nightclubs of the early twentieth century. Seibert chronicles tap's spread to ubiquity on Broadway and in Hollywood, analyzes its decline after World War II, and celebrates its rediscovery and reinvention by new generations of American and international performers. In the process, we discover how the history of tap dancing is central to any meaningful account of American popular culture. This is a story with a huge cast of characters, from Master Juba (it was probably a performance of his in a Five Points cellar that Charles Dickens described in American Notes for General Circulation) through Bill Robinson and Shirley Temple, Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, and Gene Kelly and Paul Draper to Gregory Hines and Savion Glover. Seibert traces the stylistic development of tap through individual practitioners, vividly depicting dancers both well remembered and now obscure. And he illuminates the cultural exchange between blacks and whites over centuries, the interplay of imitation and theft, as well as the moving story of African-Americans in show business, wielding enormous influence as they grapple with the pain and pride of a complicated legacy.What the Eye Hears teaches us to see and hear the entire history of tap in its every step.

High Kicks, Hot Chocolate, and Homicides

Author: Mary McHugh
Publisher: Kensington Cozies
ISBN: 1496703774
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 352

Book Description
“Hilarity and camaraderie.” —RT Book Reviews Murder takes center stage . . . It’s a Christmas miracle for the Happy Hoofers—Tina, Janice, Pat, Mary Louise, and Gini. They’ve scored a gig at New York City’s Radio City Music Hall with the legendary Rockettes, complete with sexy Santa suits and microphones on their shoes. But when a dazzling diva of a dancer is found dead under the stage, there’s quite a lineup of suspects. In between rehearsals and seasonal sightseeing—and the discovery of a multi-talented, multi-colored cat—the toe-tapping troupe has to sort out the intrigue before another victim kicks the bucket . . . INCLUDES COOKING TIPS AND TASTY RECIPES Praise for the Happy Hoofers Mysteries “McHugh delivers murder and mayhem.” —Jerilyn Dufresne “Hilarity and hijinks.” —Nancy Coco “Cozy adventure for mystery buffs.” —Library Journal