Episode 3 of the Solution to Donald's Trefusis - Cinema Cinema Cinema

Quickly a breakdown of the info available.

Film A - Trefusis saw this aged 17, he was born three years after the war ended. So, born 1921 (not 1920 as I originally postulated), film is out 1937 (although this still fits with a 1920 date, odd, must be the fact that while the IMDB lists the film as being released in 1937, it probably didn't come out in the UK until a year later). Leonard the 'chicken chaser' was in the film, his nickname for which he was world famous derived from a chicken.

Perhaps his best scene, involved ice-cream and the selling of a code book. Julius and Arthur were also on top form.

So who are we talking about? Let's ask Sir Googleton Smyth:

Apparently it's the Marx brothers, as Leonard, a.k.a Chico was so called as he originally chased a lot of women, and not in fact Chickens as one would presume if told someone was a chicken chaser.

And the film is?

A Day at the races


Featuring the famous ice cream scene.

Trefusis says 'what larks' but insists he's a 'letter out'....That letter being 'M'? Marx? As in Marx Brothers? As in the EXACT PEOPLE I WAS JUST TALKING ABOUT?

Amazing.

So, the dance?

Apparently it's a dance called the Lindy Hop which is based on the Charleston, named after the Lindbergh baby - Charles Lindbergh who I think was the first pilot to fly directly at Hitler in broad daylight....but more of that later. Lindbergh was the man who first flew solo across the Atlantic, in 1927. He was also known as The Lone Eagle.

This video shows the Lindy Hop which as a dance might explain why people were so thin back then.


There was a dancer, uncredited in the famous dance scene and it looks like it's Dorothy Dandridge.

So, 30 years later and Stephen Fry is born, we are now transported to 1957 when a film about Charles Lindbergh is released. This is FILM B....and what, Duke Googleeton is it?

The Spirit of St Louis

Film star in it? James Stewart he played Lindbergh in the film.

Bertolt Brecht, Kurt Weill and Paul Hindemith wrote a musical play about Lindbergh, called?

The Flight Across the Ocean


All falling into place a lot easier than the last episode's clues.

So, the producer of Film A is mentioned, in this case the IMDB tells us this is:

Irving Thalberg (Not Sam Wood as the imdb says initially)


Apparently F Scott Fitzgerald based the character of Monroe Stahr in The Last Tycoon upon Thalberg.


So back on track with the mentioning of the dancer lady from Film A again. And we're pretty sure it's


Dorothy Dandridge. And it was Halle Berry who dedicated her oscar to Dandridge when accepting it.

Then Trefusis/ Fry goes on about the 'first first' which is a phrase I've not heard before.

The first first's name leads us to the answer of our puzzle apparently. But what the hell is a first first?

Maybe it's a deliberate play on Ferst? So who was the first Ferst?

Gah!....more clues please.

Slaves were common in the Roman empire, who was the Statesman who turned his back on the power in rome? He has a city named after him and in it there was a death in 1911- whoever died then had the same name as the first first..

The statesman has got to be Cicero right?

But what city? How's about Cicero Illinois / New York / Wisconsin or Indiana, take your pick?

And in 1911?

Nothing yet....but it's late and I need sleep...

-UPDATE-

Awake again and I realise it's not Cicero. It has to be:

Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus

He famously turned his back on Rome and obviously the city named after him is Cincinnati.

Where, and this is early Googley so forgive the mistakes:

Catherina Hattler died in 1911.

Or perhaps it's Mary Broockbank who also died that year.


More updates later...


-UPDATE -

Just realised that the first first has got to refer to the first 'first lady' of American politics. Martha Washington. Perhaps not though but it fits too well not to be the case.

I was having a moment of doubt and then i found this:

MARTHA DANDRIDGE CUSTIS WASHINGTON

So, the first connection is Dandridge.

More later as I figure it out....


-UPDATE-


So according to Donald Trefusis' twitter feed it's not 1911, but 1914. So, the answer appears to be a carrier pidgeon named Martha Washington, named after the first first. It was the last known example of a passenger pidgeon.

Passenger Pidgeons.

She was frozen and transported to the Smithsonian musuem.


Incidentally if you do a search for Boswell and Smithsonian you get this:

James Boswell in the Smithsonian Magazine.

Might be nothing....but might be something. Or it might be nothing.



Or maybe, it might be something.


--UPDATE--

Reading Trefusis' Twitter feed gives us this:

My feeling is that when you have the answers, you should make a note of them and await the final instalment, when all will be clear. DT

So it seems that looking for links between this part and episode 2 might be a waste of time.

Very Interesting Update

I decided to take a chance and harness the power of the internet, bowing to those with far greater knowledge in this area I emailed Patricia Brady, an historian who has written a book about Martha Washington. I didn’t think she’d have time to reply but she did and answered my questions fully which was very kind of her, I suggest you check out her website here.

Anyway, here’s the essence of her reply to my question about there being a possible link from Martha Washington to Dorothy Dendridge via a slave connection.

There is one known (for sure) line of descent from MW's grandson, GW Custis,
and a slave. They are a well-known family in DC. There is another
less-verified but quite possible descent from her son Jacky Custis. Some
people have argued, incorrectly, I think, that MW's had a secret half-sister
by her father and a black/Indian woman.

Well this is very interesting and it was very good of Patricia to reply to me. She also provided me a possible other lead which I will follow up before posting details of it here.