Ivor Novello: Hitchcock's First Wrong Man

[@songanddancefan7724]

BENEDICTION is an insult to the memory of Ivor Novello. All biographies of him and of those who worked with him describe him exactly as written on the plaque in Actors' Church, London: "In loving memory of Ivor Novello (David Ivor Davies), Composer, Actor, Author b.15.1.1893, d.6 March 1951 - The dearest friend, the kindest man, the best-condition'd and unwearied spirit, in doing courtesies (Shakespeare). It seems at worse, he was lazy and yes, probably promiscuous. The petrol affair was down to his naivety in believing one of his many thousands of adoring fans, who throughout used a false name. Shock and desperation probably stirred him into bribing the police. Ivor was extremely popular in Britain for most of his life and was often referred to as "Dear Ivor".

[@thingsthathappenedtomymoth2816]

Today I watched DOWNHILL and then your videos related to it. (I subscribed to your channel a few minutes ago, I am pleased to say.) I’m curious to know what your opinion is of the way in which Ivor Novello is portrayed in BENEDICTION. This is a brand new biopic of the poet Siegfried Sassoon, who was Novello’s lover for a brief time. The movie is quite well-acted, but Ivor Novello is characterized as shallow and cruel. I find very little on the internet about what he was like, but I can’t quite believe that this particular man would have been this way. I can well believe he had flaws and that he and Sassoon were unhappy, but I suspect he’s been vilified in BENEDICTION.

[@thesarriswheel]

Thanks for watching and subscribing, TTHTMM! I haven't seen Benediction yet but I'll seek it out and let you know when I do. In my research, I didn't find anything about Ivor Novello being cruel or nasty in any way. He was certainly a man who loved his vices, though.

[@thingsthathappenedtomymoth2816]

@@thesarriswheel Yes. Noel Coward, in praising him after his death, said he was a “flirt.” That covers much ground.

[@ziranli2527]

Hi dear I'm a huge fan of Ivor Novello. I'm interested in his personal life and have looked it up on the Internet, here's what I got: He had a fling with Sasson and they were both unhappy, Sassoon discribed Novello as "a consummate flirt who collected lovers just like he collected lilacs". And as far as I know Novello had countless lovers but he still stuck to Bobbie Andrews until he died, so I figured maybe they had an open relationship together. (They both had lovers) He may be a playboy in romance but was also discribed as kind, warm-hearted and generous when it comes to people. I used to think he was true and faithful, I have to say I'm a little disappointed, I still like him though. LOL

[@thingsthathappenedtomymoth2816]

@@ziranli2527 Thanks for answering. I’ll try to find out more about Ivor Novello. There’s a great difference between being a “flirt” and being cold and cruel. The movie makes Novello look very mean. It bothers me.

[@ziranli2527]

@@thingsthathappenedtomymoth2816 Yes, there's not much information about him. But if you google " was ivor novello nasty", the answer will shock you. But we can never know whether it was true or not, it bothers me as well. Can you also tell me if you find something about him? Thanks a lot.