The Killing of Sister George : the Gateways club

Dir. Robert Aldrich (1968). Beryl Reid plays June Buckridge, an actress on a popular tv show. In this scene June and her girlfriend (Susannah York) are celebrating because they think June's character (Sister George), who was to be killed off on the show, is going to be spared and June will get to keep her job after all. They do a Laurel and Hardy routine and then one of the executives who produces the show (Coral Browne) arrives with some news. The scene was shot on location at the Gateways club in London, which was a popular lesbian club in the 1940's-60's. You can read more about the club here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gateways_club
and its proprietor Gina Ware here:
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/gina-ware-729295.html
Ware is briefly in this scene playing herself. She's wearing a sparkly black dress — when the Coral Brown character enters the club she asks her if she's looking for anyone.

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• beryl
• reid
• susannah
• york
• coral
• browne
• gina
• ware
• gateways
• club

[gogeddit11]

I am one of the Mission Belles. We hated the chipmunk voices they dubbed on. We sounded nothing like that! I added our sound to the clip on utube killinggeorge.mp4 We actually had a record on Decca called 'when a girl really loves you' which probably have gone down well with the girls at the time. We were so ignorant that we tried to disassociate ourselves from the film when we realised what it was about!!! dur!

[littleediesleotard]

@gogeddit11 Very interesting! I'm going to check out that other clip.

cheers,

Madeleine

[BlondeBardie]

What this was a real club?.

[littleediesleotard]

@BlondeBardie if your Google is broken click on "more info" under the video.

[maclasch]

This is awesome - I'm betting those dancing extras are just regular patrons of the club. It's neat to get a glimpse at some real lesbians of the day. They look a little scared, yet some so proud. This scene is truly groundbreaking.

[djoldtimer1]

I used to be the d.j. in the burnell arms , and worked with them for a couple of years ,

and we used to have a lot of laughs . they were a great band and very friendly group of ladys . It was a shame they never got a record deal as they would have got to number 1 with any record they sang . I miss working with them .

[tessey119]

Gina is sitting on the door but usually she sat next to the bar, watching the bar staff incase they stole 50p from the till. Smithy was an old timer and there are a lot of regulars in the film.

The Chelsea residents used to complain at closing time about the roar of motorbike engines and the fights.... lesbians bars... what fun!

[c0llid0r]

@LushBudget totally agree...rip dusty, susannah, coral and beryl...never see their likes again..x

[hebneh]

Lesbians a-go-go!

I've never seen this movie (or this scene) but at the time, this was yet another groundbreaking moment in films, with actual lesbians appearing in a major motion picture. This would've been too graphic and real to have been a Hollywood movie at the time.

[LushBudget]

RIP dear sweet and pretty Susannah York. This was the bar Dusty Springfield frequented, and yes the extras were real bar patrons at the time. What a delicious piece of history, the gay communities stories need to be told like anyone else's, and this was one of the first...an awesome movie. Beryl Reid, Susannah York  and Coral Browne are all just so wonderful in this.

[kennysyt]

RIP Susannah York :-(

[paleastrinalover]

@cal0815  Oh? Really? Where did they congregate?