Hi everyone,

I received a phone call from Rita today. It was a huge thrill,
believe me!

Under normal circumstances, she would have sent an email message, but
she is having computer problems. Rita's younger daughter Aisha has
tried to upgrade the Mac OS to no avail, so Rita is hoping to
purchase a PC laptop in the near future. Hopefully, she will be able
to logon to her old email account.

We chatted for several minutes, and she brought me up to date
regarding several topics.

First of all, Rita is moving to Brighton, and soon. I believe she
said that she is also getting a small flat in the Holland Park area
of London.

Brighton is on the southern coast of England, directly south of
London. It is a fairly short train ride from London, as opposed to
where Rita once lived, in Polperro, Cornwall, on the southwest coast,
in the 1970s.

Rita's flat in Brighton is very near to the coast, and she will have
the top-floor flat, so she should have a good view of the ocean.
(Dora Bryan has lived in Brighton for years, and in fact, Rita will
be living quite near to Dora. Rita said that Dora's health is not
very good right now, unfortunately.)

Rita's new flat is smaller than her current flat, so she can't take
everything with her, so she is trying to give away some items in
order to lighten her load. She wanted to give away a set of five
glasses that Oliver Reed had given to her when they worked together
on "The Trap" (1966). Rita remembered that a good friend of mine in
Northumberland is a fan of Oliver Reed, so she wanted me to ask my
friend if she would like to take the glasses off Rita's hands. Of
course my friend is thrilled!

Rita will be shooting two films this summer. First, a film with Paul
Bettany called "There For Me" (2007). This has been in the works for
quite some time, but the producers have had problems getting hold of
enough money. Well, they have apparently got their money, and Rita
will begin filming on 24th June. She will play a Jewish mother.

In August, Rita is scheduled to play a nun (!) in "The Calling"
(2007). This film chronicles the "Family of Jesus: Healer", a newly
formed Catholic missionary order, as they leave family and friends
behind in the United States for the barren hills and swirling dust of
El Vallecito -- a poor squatter's village on the outskirts of Lima,
Peru. I wonder if Rita will end up traveling to Peru for some of the
filming?

You may recall that Rita filmed "Puffball" with Donald Sutherland,
directed by Nick Roeg, last Spring in Ireland. They have certainly
been taking their time in releasing it, but Rita said that it should
be out in October.

Also, you may recall that Rita came to the USA last August to film
some scenes for "The Hideout", directed by Pupi Avati. (Remember,
she stayed in Davenport, Iowa, and our club sent her a dozen roses as
a Welcome-to-America greeting?) She said that Pupi is busy with
another film right now, so we probably won't see "The Hideout"
released until next year.

Finally, for our club members in the UK, Rita can be heard on the
radio on 22nd June. She will be one of several actors interviewed on
a half-hour radio programme called "Angry, Sexy & Working Class", on
BBC Radio 2. Here are some further details:

Time - 19:00 to 19:30 (30 minutes long).
When - Friday 22nd June on BBC Radio Two

"Christopher Eccleston (Dr Who) pays tribute to the working-class
heroes and anti-heroes who defined the golden age of British films in
the late Fifties and early Sixties. They appeared in classics such
as 'Room At The Top', 'Saturday Night & Sunday Morning', 'A Taste Of
Honey', 'This Sporting Life', and 'Billy Liar'. Featuring interviews
with Rita Tushingham, Shirley Anne Field, Sir Richard Rodney Bennett,
Dora Bryan, Albert Finney, David Storey, Wendy Craig, Ken Loach, and
legendary cinematographer Walter Lassally, among others."

I'm hoping to get a friend of mine to record this programme, and will
then make it available to our club.

Kind regards,
Robert

my website: "The Rita Tushingham Home Page"
http://members.cox.net/rjd0309/tush/