Kate and I have been watching a selection of Ealing comedies this weekend (Kind Hearts And Coronets, The Man In The White Suit, Passport To Pimlico) and it struck us that are names that you just don't hear very often these days. Here are some names which I reckon are overdue for a return to everyday surname use:-
Fotheringay
Fassbinder
Mainwaring (pronounced "Mannering" for those of you outside of good old Blighty)
Fitzsimmons*
Wormholt
Fennimore
Actually, a lot of those seem to begin with F. Obviously more pleasing to say. How about you? Any favourites?
* With you on that one, Irish Gumbo
8 comments:
I'm a big fan of Powell and Pressburger's films ( A Matter Of Life And Death, Black Narcissus etc. )and in their forgotten classic I Know Where I'm Going they feature a character called Torquill. How's that for a ridiculously effete, upper-class name?
Damnit, I've been watching old silent movies so I have nothing to say!
You've made me want to watch Kind Hearts and Coronets now though.
cerebus660 - Torquill, nice, I like it.
Anna - "I shot an arrow in the air. She fell to earth in Berkeley Square."
I've always wanted to be named Fizzbang.
Except you KNOW the kids at school would call me Jizzbangs, especially if they saw "there's something about Mary" and that would never do.
So I'm changing it to Hiacynthia.
I think I prefer Fizzbang to Hiacynthia and shall call you that from now on.
I always liked Menzies because it's not pronounced like it's spelt. I've never seen that name over here in the States, just attached to that old Australian P.M.
I didn't watch anything this weekend...
But I do want to see Hangover - does that count?
Always Already - Ah, good Scottish choice. StJohn is the Englisg equivalent of not being prononced like it's spelt.
Belle - Ah, The Hangover. Well, having spent three and a half years working on a film about four friends who meet up for a reunion who then try to piece together what happened to them the night before and finally being ready to release it, I can safely say that I'd be happy if every copy of The Hangover dropped off the face of the Earth. Timing, eh? (I mean, we settled on a tagline a few weeks ago - "Four friends. One reunion. What could go wrong?". Someone somewhere is taking the piss...)
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