A bookman and his customer at 84 Charing Cross Road

Recognize this bookman?

Trick question, sort of, especially for those unfamiliar with a certain movie version of a certain book.

It's actor Anthony Hopkins and he's no bookman (quite the reader, though ), but he did play one in a favorite movie among antiquarian booklovers--84 Charing Cross Road. 

The 1987 movie was adapted from the 1970 book by Helene Hanff, which chronicled the correspondence between Hanff, a New York writer and lover of English literature and the London bookseller, Frank Doel, who supplied her with the books she discovered she wanted.

This picture of Hopkins playing Doel is on a theater lobby card that also features Anne Bancroft in the role of Helene Hanff. Bancroft signed her photo so now I have the signature of the actor who played Helene Hanff to go along with the signature of Helene Hanff.



Now if I can just get Frank Doel, I mean Anthony Hopkins--make that Sir Anthony Hopkins--to sign the other half of this card...




Comments

  1. I have a Frank Doel signature
    mauricevidowsky@hotmail.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nice! Would love to see it. Is it posted somewhere for viewing?

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

How to open a book

A Bookaholic and Bibliophile in Ukraine

Henry Altemus Company - Philadelphia