BOOKS
Published on January 26, 2013
Comments 49

“Rathbone” – a new play by Michael Druxman

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Michael B. Druxman’s new play about Basil Rathbone is now out. I’ll be talking to Michael about this in a few days but in the meantime here’s the trailer! We are told to expect an exploration of his “dark side” – sounds intriguing, no? 🙂

The Amazon link:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1482007002

And the Kindle edition:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00B66UQ2O

49 Comments

  1. lilian gish says

    your blog is awesome. I have been reading it for the last three hours. Love ole Baz 🙂

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  2. roesbette says

    I finally received my copy of “Rathbone” and read it in under an hour. I still feel that it didn’t scratch the surface of who BR is — whether the fault is the author’s or the mysteries that still surround BR’s relationship with Ouida. I didn’t get a strong sense of why he stayed with her, he seemed very much like a man without direction in some ways, and a henpecked one at that. I wonder if that’s the point.

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  5. Larry Clifton says

    HAVE WRITTEN BEFORE THAT I SAW RATHBONE GIVE A FINE LECTURE AND MET HIM, AS A TEEN. LATER, I MET EVA, HAD HER AUTOGRAPH RATHBONE’S AUTOBIOGRAPHY, AND SPOKE TO HER ABOUT HIM. SHE SIMPLY TOLD ME THAT “HE WAS HERS…MY BASIL, MY LOVE.” THAT MOMENT WILL STAY WITH ME. GOOLD LUCK ON THIS GREAT PROJECT. MY FILM PUPILS LOVE HIM.

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    • Ellen Foley says

      Curious to know what the film students have to say about His Bazness.Eva never should have let him go without a fight.She did say in her Bio that she would willingly have had his baby,so apparently there must have been a good deal of intense feeling on her part,and I think probably on his part,but fate had a different outcome in mind.

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  9. Ruby says

    I’d just like to thank Michael Druxman for doing this and ask if it’s going to be performed anywhere in the near future

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  10. cinegeek says

    Yeah, I have a question? Why a one person play? It seems so hard to make such a thing dramatic

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    • Countess says

      If You dont think a one man play can be dramatic you ought to have seen Vincent Price in “Diversions And Delights” about Oscar Wilde.

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  11. Ellen Foley says

    Can’t wait to watch his Bazness in The Mark Of Zorro on TCM in primetime with an intro from Robert Osborne this evening!Esp after reading about duels and the need to be totally in sync to avoid injury or worse to the players.Maybe that makes Baz a more considerate lover,take that Ouida,if you couldn’t avoid kicking him out of bed,consider yourself lucky not to be kicked out of his life for being such an itch!Plenty of other women would’ve enjoyed him for more than his beautiful mind and your money source.

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    • Levasseur Fan says

      OMG too right! Aren’t you just so freakin jealous of Ouida! I hope she appreciated him. And judging by that photo of him looking pleased to see someone he was pretty damn well equipped in the love department – woof! 😀

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      • Ellen Foley says

        Please tell more!Which picture?Where?I know he was called “brother long nose” by Ronnie Colman in If I Were King in one scene,probably Villon recognizes him as the king incognito

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  12. MC says

    That section about Ouida having to go to a hugely expensive private hospital, is that true?

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  13. Roberta says

    My question would be, why such focus on the end of Basil’s career? He cuts such a tragic figure from that perspective. And why did he let this awful woman do these thing to him?

    That’s two questions, sorry

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  14. NeveR says

    I’ll be interviewing Michael about his play in a few days, so if any of you have questions – why not post them here and I’ll make sure to include them 🙂

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  15. Marcena says

    I downloaded it onto my kindle today and enjoyed it, though I don’t think it reveals any dark side. Does anyone know if it’s true about Basil and Ouida buying Rodion and Caroline a house, Ouida decorating and furnishing it, but them refusing to live in it?

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  16. Roberta says

    I have now read the play and do not really see a “dark side” i have to say. I enjoyed it, and I like some of the characterisation of Basil, but I wish it had been longer and more detailed. I am very interested right now in Basil and Eva Le Gallienne as I have the feeling there was such potential in that relationship, and I was hoping for more about that.

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    • Ellen Foley says

      Without giving too much away,did you think it worthwhile?Just curious,and yes,I intend to buy it,too!He’s my fav all-time anything actor,with or without the Mrs

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      • Roberta says

        I am glad I read it, and I think it’s worthwhile. I think he opens up things more than answers questions, like what was the deal with his grandchildren? I don’t get a clear picture if they were staying away from him or Ouida drove them away. Lots and lost of questions

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  18. Judy D. says

    Am so starved for anything on our Bazz that I’ve ordered it. I know what I will be doing on Jan. 30 when it supposedly will arrive!! I’ll love our boy in any form–dark or with sugar and cream.

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      • Ellen Foley says

        And he was busy loving the ladies.No wonder Eva called him “hers”.I would too.He sounds like a caring man,in spite of what he had to endure at home,whatever he wouldn’t say.Never a cad,even if he did break Eva’s heart,maybe he called to tell her he was marrying OBBFR,and wanted to break it to her gently,but her Ouidaness told her it’s her or me and you stay away.I think Norma and Irving Thalberg would’ve helped his career without Ouida’s presence,Norma seemed very fond of him,and he wondered what would marriage between them been possible if they both weren’t so happily married.Well,she was until 1936,so maybe OR fought like a tiger to keep him.Could’ve given lessons when Liz Taylor took Eddie after Mike Todd,and Burton.

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    • kendrick says

      I think everyone has some sort of dark side, though I can’t imagine there is anything really grim in Basil’s life.

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  24. Roberta says

    Hmm, well, not sure about “dark side” – but if the play explores his relatuonship with Eva that will be interesting, congratulations Mr Druxman!

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  27. roesbette says

    I hope that this play answers definitively some of the questions we’ve been asking on this site.

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    • Roberta says

      I would not say it answers any questions definitively, not any of the questions being asked here at any rate. I don’t want to issue spoilers so I will only say there were no surprises for me, having read his autobiography, though that doesn’t mean the play isn’t good or doesn’t have things to say. i think if all people know about him is that he played Sherlock then this play might surprise them and encourage them to find out more.

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  28. Countess says

    “Come over to the dark side Luke,we get to wear cool capes!” Exploring someones “dark side” can mean alot of things…Some interesting, some just purlalent[?sp]. I reserve judgment till I see if he’s gona do a hatchet job on Basil.

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  29. Patricia the Seal says

    This is amazing I have been hoping someone would write something new! I am so going to buy this

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