PORNOGRAPHY! HANG ON A MINUTE…

…where’s all the gay stuff?

By Kieron Arnold

I‘ve been a fan of Peter Wyngarde since the mid-1960’s when I first saw him in the Avengers episode, ‘A Touch of Brimstone‘. I’ve always wanted something that had actually belonged to him; just a little trinket that he’d actually owned, and so for the past 6 months I’ve been scouring saleroom catalogues and online auctions without much luck. Those things that I have happened upon where, I’m sad to say, were way out of my price range.

During my regular hunts, there’s been something I’ve noticed which kind of flies in the face of all the myths and relentless rumours that have surrounded Peter Wyngarde’s sexuality for decades. I’m talking about the items of “porn” (which I’d describe more as ‘erotica’ than hardcore filth) which has popped up in sales at some of the country’s most respected auction houses having once belonged to Peter, some of which is described as coming from his Estate*. Every last piece of the items listed, from the playing cards and magazines to the sex shop standee, all feature hot girly action!

Conspicuous by its complete absence has been anything that could remotely be described as homoerotic or which one might suppose would be of interest to a “gay” man. Can anyone explain?

When I contacted Tina Wyngarde-Hopkins about this she merely said, “Let the evidence speaks for itself.” It was then that I asked if I could collate this stuff and write a small article around it, and so here it is.

Ms. Wyngarde-Hopkins has faced unspeakable abuse at times from people online who believe they knew Peter better than she did, despite the fact that most of them never met him while she, on the other hand, enjoyed a 30-year relationship with him.

“People like that don’t bother me anymore,” she said. “Let them think what they want, it will never change the facts I know the truth, as do those who were also close to Peter. What some knuckle-dragger or vinegar-faced queen chooses to believe is just flotsam and jetsam. All these items are out there in the public domain, so it’s not something I’ve conjured up.”

What you’ll see below are lots from the online catalogues of two separate auction houses. All I can say to those people out there who are still clinging to the same time-worn myths: If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it’s a duck!

*East Bristol Auctions, 1 Hanham Business Park, Memorial Road, Hanham, Bristol, BS153JE

The items I’ve found online

Auction House Description

A collection of assorted ephemera from Wyngarde’s estate – mostly of a pornographic nature, to include; several original Edwardian postcards of nude females, a set of pornographic playing cards, and a collection of photographs of an erotic nature showing orgies and other group activity (not shown), a copy of ‘ Miss ‘ magazine and other items. Non-pornographic items include a personal photograph of Wyngarde with an unknown lady, several black and white photographs of actresses and other items from his estate.

Auction House Description

Video double-feature of The Bare Breasted Countess / The Unfaithful Wives (Cinecenta Film Distributors 1970’s) double-feature. ‘ X ‘ rated. and poster. Folded. Measures approx; 76cm x 102cm. From the private collection of Peter Wyngarde.

Auction House Description (above and below)

The Estate of Peter Wyngarde; an original vintage 1970’s (1975) Marlboro cigarettes advertising erotic calendar. Each page featuring a different topless photograph, with the month details to top. Retains original binder to top.

Auction House Description

An original 1970’s large cardboard sex shop display / advertising standee of a nude actress. The standee of cardboard construction, with wooden reinforcement to rear. Measures approx; 75cm tall. Rare.

NOTE:

Neither Tina Wyngarde-Hopkins or Thomas Bowington (Bowington Management), entered any Peter Wyngarde related items into the aforementioned auctions, or had any connection to them whatsoever.

REVIEW: Epilogue To Capricorn

Episodes

All On Tape: Broadcast – Saturday 31st October, 1959
Man Hunt: Broadcast – Saturday 7th November, 1959
Point of No Return Broadcast – Saturday 14th November, 1959
Child’s Play: Broadcast – Saturday 21st November, 1959
Time Factor: Broadcast – Saturday 28th November, 1959
Traitor’s Gate: Broadcast – Saturday 5th December, 1959

Character: Peter Vauxhall

Some Background

Little is known about this six-part series that was made by ATV (Associated Television), written by Roddick John (who would later write episodes of ‘The Saint’, ‘Z Cars’ and The Edgar Wallace Mystery Theatre’), and both produced and directed by John Nelson Burton. Burton only joined ATV in 1959, so ‘Epilogue To Capricorn’ was his first piece of work cor he company. He would go on to direct episodes of ITV’s ‘Play of the Week’ ‘Love Story and ‘Sunday Night Theatre’

Broadcast under the banner of ‘The Saturday Special’, the series star was Jean Kent, who played Lady Kerwin in 5 of the episode, Adrienne Corri* as Jill Howard (thee episodes) and Peter Wyngarde as Peter Vauxhall – three episodes: ‘All On Tape’, ‘Point Of No Return’ and ‘Traitors Gate’.

It was fortuitous that the series went out live as, initially, Peter’s character was only meant to be in the first two installments named above, but such was the furore at his departure (both ATV and The TV Times were to received a deluge of complaints from fans), he was brought back for another episode.

*Peter would appear with Adrienne Corri in the ITC series ‘Sword of Freedom’: ‘The Sicilian‘ (1958) and the Department S – ‘The Man Who Got A New Face’.

Series Synopsis

Six-part serial about a World War II mystery which is being documented for the British government’s War Office. Robert Faulkner (Richard Johnson), a foreign correspondent is called in by the War Office to compile a dossier on a disastrously unsuccessful top secret wartime operation called Operation Capricorn. It becomes evident that the operation was not a failure because of bad luck, but because of somebody’s treachery. The question is – whose?

Top secret information about Operation Capricorn is recorded on tape, and is highly compromising to several people. Stolen, it becomes dynamite.

Critic’s Comments

“After such a weak cliffhanger last week, I must confess that if I watch further episodes – and at the moment I’m not inclined to – I will only watch because Peter Wyngarde is in it. For me, this actor is always a delight to watch, though I think they must have twisted his arm to make him say the dialogue.” Guy Taylor – The Stage: 5th November, 1959

Peter’s Comments

“Epilogue To Capricorn’ probably had the most excruciatingly bad script I’d ever had the misfortune to read. It probably had one of the best titles for any series in the world, but definitely the worst script.

So, the actors got together with the director, who was wild and crazy and was eager to do different things, and he said: “What do you want to do then?” I said, “Throw away the script; throw it in the bin and we’ll just ad-lib. We more or less know what the characters are and we could take it from there.” It became a top TV series of that time, because nobody knew what was happening.”

A bit of Trivia

~ While Peter was very fond of Adrienne Corri, he absolutely hated Jean Kent, who he described as a “Prize bitch”! There were numerous clashes between the two on set. The fact that the series went out live didn’t help the situation any, since Kent would try to ruin any scene Peter was in.

~ The series has often been listed with the alternative title, ‘Suspense’. This is incorrect. ‘Suspense’ was an anthology series also produced and directed by John Nelson Burton, which ran from 1959 to 1960, but ‘Epilogue To Capricorn’ had no connection to.

REVIEW: Rupert of Hentzau

Episodes and broadcast dates:

The Queen’s Goodbye: Sunday 19 April 1964
Return to Zenda: Sunday 26 April 1964
Audience with the King: Sunday 3 May 1964
The Wheel of Chance: Sunday 10 May 1964
A Perilous Reunion: Sunday 17 May 1964
The Decision of Fate: Sunday 24 May 1964

Character: Rupert

Above: Peter as Rupert of Hentzau

Some Background

Rupert of Hentzau is a sequel by Anthony Hope to ‘The Prisoner of Zenda’, written in 1895 but not published in book form until 1898. The novel was serialized in The Pall Mall Magazine and McClure’s Magazine from December 1897 through June 1898.

The story is set within a framing narrative told by a minor character from ‘The Prisoner of Zenda’. The frame implies that the events related in both books took place in the late 1870s and early 1880s. This story commences three years after the conclusion of Zenda, and deals with the same fictional country somewhere in Germanic Middle Europe, the kingdom of Ruritania.

Above left: Peter, Barbara Shelly and George Baker during rehearsals.

Most of the same characters recur: Rudolf Elphberg, the dissolute absolute monarch of Ruritania; Rudolf Rassendyll, the English gentleman who had acted as his political decoy, being his distant cousin and lookalike; Flavia, the princess, now queen; Rupert of Hentzau, the dashing well-born villain; Fritz von Tarlenheim , the loyal courtier; Colonel Zapt , the King’s bodyguard; Lieutenant von Bernenstein, a loyal soldier.

The1964 British television series ran for six half-hour episodes and successive Sunday afternoon’s at 5.30pm. The series was recorded at BBC Television Centre, London, but all six episodes are listed as “lost”, having been wiped by the BBC themselves after broadcast.

The Character of Rupert

The character of Count Rupert of Hentzau is an allegory for the corrupting influence of power. Rupert is a charismatic and charming man who uses his power to manipulate and control others. He is a symbol of the dangers of unchecked ambition and the corrupting influence of power. Rupert’s character is marked by his sly ambition, leaving a trail of deception and intrigue in his wake.

Story Synopsis

The story is set three years after the events of the ‘The Prisoner of Zenda’. The dutiful but desperately unhappy Queen Flavia (Barbara Shelley) is married to her cousin, the Ruritanian King, Rudolf V (George Baker). She writes to her true love Rudolf Rassendyll (also played by George Baker). The letter is to be delivered by hand by von Tarlenheim (Tristram Jellinek), but von Tarlenheim is betrayed by Bauer (Anthony poole) and his servant, James, and it falls into he hands of exiled Rupert of Hentzau (Peter Wyngarde) and his loyal cousin the Count of Luzau-Rischenheim (Derek Blomfeld). Hentzau sees in it a chance to return to favour by presenting the leter to the pathologically jealous and paranoid King.

Rassendyll returns to Ruritania to aid the Queen, but is forced to impersonate the King after Rupert fatally shoots Rudolf V in a remote hunting lodge. After tracing Bauer to the house of Mother Holf (Nora Gordon), Rassendyll and Rupert engage in an epic duel. Hentzau is mortally wounded, and Rassendyll burns the letter. However, he is assassinated in his hour of triumph by Bauer and thus is spared a crisis of conscience over whether or not to continue the royal deception for years.

Rassendyll is buried as the King in a state funeral, while Colonal Zapt* (John Phillips) and Rassendyll’s servant, James, stage a fire at the hunting lodge that burns the King’s body beyond recognition. Rudolf V is buried as Rudolf Rassendyll, while Flavia reigns on alone, the last of the Elphberg dynasty.

*In the book, the Colonel’s name was was Sapt.

Breakdown of the episodes As they appeared in the Radio Times

‘The Queen’s Goodbye’ – Sun, Apr 19, 1964
Exiled from Ruritanta for treason, Rupert of Hentzau returns secretly, determined to discover what takes Fritz von Tarlenheim to Wintenberg.

‘Return to Zenda’ – Sun, Apr 26, 1964
Rudolf Rassendyll is again forced to imitate his cousin Rudolf V after Rupert of Hentzau fatally shoots the King in a remote hunting lodge.

‘Audience With The King’ – Sun, May 3, 1964
Rudolf Rassendyll sets a trap and Rupert of Hentzau receives an eagerly-awaited summons.

The Wheel of Change – Sun, May 10, 1964
Rudolf Rassendyll goes on a journey with surprising results, and the King receives an unexpected visitor.

‘A Perilous Reunion’ – Sun, May 17, 1964
Queen Flavia is reunited with her true love Rudolf Rassendyll but the circumstances are less than ideal.

‘The Decision of Fate’ – Sun, May 24, 1964
Rupert of Hentzau meets the play-actor face to face and the future of the kingdom is resolved.

A bit of Trivia

For the part of Rupert in the series, Peter was required to wear some tight riding breeches which the director, Gerald Blake, felt were a bit too revealing in the crotch area. In the absence of anything with which to disguise the offending bulge, Peter had stuffed cotton wool down the front of the breeches.

It was Sally Home who was played Helga von Tarlenheim in the series , and who had previously worked with Peter in ‘Duel of Angels‘ and ‘Night Conspirators‘, who first noticed the newly padded area when Peter walked on set at BBC TV Centre, exclaiming: “Oh, Peter, do take it out, it looked much better before!”