A Postillion Struck By Lightning

de Dirk Bogarde

"My postillion has been struck by lightning." That phrase (describing the untimely on-the-job death of a 19th-century coach driver, I think) has been humorously inserted into out-of-context contexts for 100 years or more, and British actor Dirk Bogarde is apparently the first to use it as a book title. In England and environs he became famous in the 1950's for the light "Doctor In The House" films, then opted for difficult and serious roles during the 1960's. The first of the actor's biographies, this volume originally appeared in the UK in 1977 (hardback). Bogarde was to return to this collection of subjects often but "Postillion" was the first time that the outside world learned of his happy childhood near Brighton, his difficult grade school period in Scotland after 1934, his first acting interests and parts (being impressed with Karloff in "The Mummy" and a fan of "Bride of Frankenstein"), then jumping forward in time to a quick look at the world of acting being interrupted by WW2. Then there's another jump to his 1950's try in Hollywood, with mentions of future directors like Losey and Visconti (these last subjects would be deeply covered in later books). It would take many volumes to chronicle this journey of his. He saw the Queen Mary hull launched. He read T.E. Lawrence's "Seven Pillars of Wisdom" when it became obvious he would be called to war. He saw the opening of the Belsen camp in 1945. He met almost everybody in British film, living an enviable life.