MovieChat Forums > To the Manor Born (1982) Discussion > Marjory + other minors

Marjory + other minors

posted 16 years ago by catrionalowe84
18 replies | jump to latest

Excepting Audrey & Richard, who's everyone's favourite character? I realise that's quite a limiting question, but there are quite a few: Marjory, Mrs Pou, Brabinger, the Rector, Ned, the Brigadier? Mine's got to be Mrs Pou, she's so funny, & good on her for trying to push Audrey & Richard together!

Did anyone else find Marjory a bit annoying? Okay, she's a great & loyal friend to Audrey, but she seems to me like such a goody-two-shoes. I mean, all she seems to do is visit Audrey & work for good causes - not that I'm saying that's a bad thing, but doesn't she have anything else to do? Where does she get her money from? I admit Audrey doesn't do much either, but she's presumably living off what Marton left her. And the way Marjory fawns all over Richard is sickening. Obviously he's a wonderful guy - I certainly wouldn't say no to him, & I'm about twenty years younger than he is in the series! - but she is so obvious about it, agreeing with everything he says & gazing at him adoringly. Yeuch.

Catriona x

"Fate shuffles the cards and we play" (Schopenhauer)

[–] brandy5 16 years ago

Marjory most probably lives on 'old' money inherited. Audrey lives on what was left over from the sale of the Manor after buying the lodge. Marton didn't leave anything but debts apparently. Re your question about Richard's accent; he was a small boy when he left Europe and normally younger children easily pick up the accent of their adopted country. His mum was older when she left Europe so would normally keep her original accent.

[–] hifijohn 9 years ago

marjory didnt seem to have much of a life. she just hung around with audrey and knitted.she never seems interested in doing anything, traveling, meeting people or have an occupation, not for money but just to have something to do.she doesnt even drive but rides on a bike.she dresses poorly too.

[–] dlc-6 16 years ago

It'll be hugely unpopular to say this, but I thought Richard should have married Marjory! Admittedly, that would have bollixed up the series though. She adored Richard obviously, and I thought he was closer to her in temperament than to Audrey. But alas, he never seemed interested much in her--it might have made it a little more interesting if he had been. Personally, I found Marjory's honesty and 'goody-two-shoes' demeanor preferable to the scheming and aristocratic aloofness of Audrey (though arguably this character specialty of Keith's is what makes the series work so well). Also, Angela Thorne was dialed down to frumpy to make Keith look better. To see the tables turned, take a look at Thorne as Lady Truscott in the Good Neighbors episode 'Our Speaker Today' made roughly the same time.

[–] catrionalowe84 16 years ago

I certainly don't think Richard should have MARRIED Marjory, but I admit I've wondered what might have been different if there'd been a little love triangle thing there somewhere! As you say, she adored him from the start - Audrey was forever slagging Richard off & Marjory stood up for him, getting a telling-off from her friend in the process - but what would have happened if Richard HAD returned Marjory's interest, at least at first? What would Audrey have done? I think she'd probably have had a go at splitting them up. In the second series, when Podge comes to visit & it looks like she & Richard are getting cosy, Audrey does everything she can to prevent it (even though it turns out nothing is actually going on). Audrey certainly isn't the type to stand aside & watch! I see what you mean about them being closer in temperament, but there are parallels between Richard & Audrey as well - the stubbornness, sneakiness etc.

It seemed to me that Marjory's actual romantic ideas about Richard seemed to die down gradually, although she did still adore him. (While I think about it, don't you think Richard used her sometimes? He kept annoying Mrs Pou by hinting that he might have intentions towards Marjory rather than Audrey, & sometimes used Marjory to get at Audrey, eg asking Marjory to organise the Hunt Ball in Series 1 just so Audrey would get annoyed & do it herself.) She seemed happy enough when Richard & Audrey finally got engaged, so I'd like to think she wasn't secretly nursing a broken heart or anything. Then again, she seemed drawn to Adam (whom I call Richard's Mini-Me) in the Special, so maybe she does still like that sort of man! Can't say I blame her...

Catriona x

"Fate shuffles the cards and we play" (Schopenhauer)

[–] unionjgirl 15 years ago

I don't think Marjory was all that innocent. I just re-watched the Hunter's Ball episode, and Marjory was pretty conniving herself. She knew what Audrey wanted, but she cut her off at the pass, accepting Richard's plea for an organizer. And then she proceeds to let Audrey take over the planning (because she didn't have the capacity to plan it on her own anyway), and then lied to Richard to get him to escort her and leave Audrey with no invitation. Even though it didn't work out wholly in her favor, she did connive just as much as Audrey in that event, and that put me off her a bit. I found myself pretty frustrated watching it.

But it's really just that episode (even though there are moments later when you can tell she's sort of trying to seduce him, in a small town kind of way), other than that I think she was nice, but not very funny. Her lines aren't very snappy, even Brabinger had more punch-lines.

[–] missy-orrell 16 years ago

It's been a while since the last comment.

I'm quite a new fan of the show and I have to say that I find Marjory a little annoying.
Excepting Ned and Brabinger I haven't really taken to any of the minors. I much prefer to keep my attention fixed on Richard and Audrey because I find them the most interesting.

[–] 16 years ago

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[–] catrionalowe84 16 years ago

Hurray, replies! I thought no-one was going to speak on this again!

The Rector definitely had his good moments, though he was obviously a bit biased about Audrey, lol - his expression when she bought the Manor back was brilliant. Brabinger was very sweet, staying with Audrey through the 'hard times' when he could probably have found a much better position elsewhere - if I remember correctly, Richard offered him a place at the start before he realised he was Audrey's butler. And I thought Mrs Pou was wonderful, though if my own mum had interfered in my love life the way she was so obviously trying to get Richard & Audrey together, I'd have slapped her!

Ned was good, wish we'd seen more of him. I then saw Michael Bilton in "Waiting For God", as the sex-crazed OAP Basil, & I kept thinking, "Wow, Ned had a lot hidden!" lol.

I only found out recently Angela Thorne was RPJ's mother - bet she's proud of him, he's done well for himself. I certainly melted over him in "Persuasion", & I almost never fancy blondes. Not that I have anything against them, it's just how it is.

Catriona x

"I'm free!" - Mr Wilberforce Clayborne Humphries, "Are You Being Served?"

[–] 16 years ago

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[–] catrionalowe84 16 years ago

No, I didn't know about it either. I remember seeing Peter Penry-Jones on the credits & wondering if they were related - I mean, it's not exactly a common name, is it? Well, what a gorgeous man they made between them, lol! I've never seen "Spooks", though I've heard it's v good. And I LOVE Richard Armitage, so maybe I'll have a peep someday.

Uncle Greville was so cool - I just loved it when he called Gayforth "Gayboy", lol. Would he get away with it these days, I wonder? And when Audrey said to both him & Lumsden, "Please don't get up" & they both made a move to stand up, lol. It's just the tone of voice - it's genius!

Catriona x

"I'm free!" - Mr Wilberforce Clayborne Humphries, "Are You Being Served?"

[–] Bilwick1 15 years ago

It was nice to see Marjory, in the reunion special, having some life of her own outside life at the manor, and instead of just being the also-ran in the pursuit of Richard, having at least a fledgling romance of her own.

[–] eden_echo 15 years ago

Ned (Michael Bilton), who was also in Waiting for God as sex crazy Basil and in Grace and Favour as Mr. Thorpe.

Did anyone else find Marjory a bit annoying?

No, I liked her crush on Richard and how he knew it but never said anything about it.

"I promise you before I die, I'll surely come to your doorstep"

[–] catrionalowe84 15 years ago

Oh yeah, HOW good was Michael Bilton in "Waiting For God"? I thought Basil was such a fantastic character!

As for Marjory's crush on Richard - I thought he used it to get at Mrs Pou a few times, when she kept dropping the not-so-subtle hints about him & Audrey. It was mainly in the beekeeper episode where he flirts with Marjory just to annoy his mother, & when Marjory realises his arm's around her she gets rather trembly. I thought that was rather unfair of him, a bit adolescent almost.

Catriona x

"I'm coming up through life's soil in spite of the weedkiller"

[–] murph24 15 years ago

Speaking of Michael Bilton, it was such a pleasant (and unexpected) surprise to see him popping up as John Gielgud's butler in the original BRIDESHEAD REVISITED.

As for Marjory, she had some great lines of dialogue - and Angela Thorne knew exactly how to deliver them. Take for example the penultimate episode, when she and Audrey were discussing "dear" Uncle Greville -

AUDREY: He made a squalid million.

MARJORY: Honestly?

AUDREY: No one ever makes a million honestly. He squandered it on loose women, then made another million or two - all very seedy.

MARJORY (Wistfully): Oh, I wish I could find a man who'd squander a million on me.

AUDREY: I said loose women, Marjory.

MARJORY: Oh, I could loosen up no end if the man was right!

[–] catrionalowe84 15 years ago

Lol, yes she certainly did. I saw her recently in a comedy sitcom made a few years after "TTMB", called "Three Up, Two Down", & her character was an upper-class woman who, due to circumstances, was forced to share a basement flat with the father of her son-in-law, whom she regarded as v common. I remember thinking, "From Marjory to Audrey"! Hope they release the rest of it soon, I really enjoyed it. And yes, good to see Michael Bilton in "Brideshead" - I kept expecting him to come out with some witty retort to his master any minute, perhaps something crude as I'd been watching him in "Waiting for God" a few days previously, lol.

Catriona x

"I'm coming up through life's soil in spite of the weedkiller"

[–] murph24 15 years ago

Yes, I enjoyed watching Angela Thorne in THREE UP, TWO DOWN - nice to see her playing the "high and mighty" leading lady for a change. She and Michael Elphick made an entertaining pair.

And I admired her greatly in OH! WHAT A LOVELY WAR, which was her film debut; she made it when she was twenty-nine years old and quite the beauty. It's a surreal study of World War I, particularly its devastating impact on one British family. Thorne had some genuinely touching moments as Betty Smith, a member of the family who nurses at the front; she does her job steadfastly, but is horrified by the carnage - especially when she sees her brother carried in on a stretcher.

BETTY SMITH (writing a letter): Thank you for the copy of the Times. I'm glad that, in spite of all, it is still a victory. It does not seem so here. It is beyond belief, the butchery. The men look so appalling when they're brought in, and so many die.

One of the things I cherish about TO THE MANOR BORN is that it introduced me to Angela Thorne.

PS: Gerald Sim (the Rector) also has a memorable cameo in OH! WHAT A LOVELY WAR playing - surprise! - a priest. I guess he's the "go-to guy" when they're casting men of the clergy.

[–] brandy5 15 years ago

BTW - did you see Angela Thorne as the lovely Lady Truscott in the series 'The Good Life' - the episode was "Our Speaker Today". She was really beautiful and well dressed, quite unlike the nunty Marjory Frobisher.

I love all the characters in "To The Manor Born" especially Marjory, but for a lady who must be at least in her later 30's she certainly acts like an adolescent schoolgirl with a crush around Richard.

[–] Future_Games 9 years ago

Marjory
Old Ned
Brabinger
Mrs. Patterson
Brigadier

ROCK STARS HAVE KIDNAPPED MY SON