Category Archives: Silvio Narizzano

Ending at Annabel’s

Annabel’s

 44 Berkeley Square, London


Our tour of Mother’s ’70s London art/society/music life ends this week, fittingly, at Annabel’s the members only nightclub and disco in the basement of the Clermont Club (a casino) where many of Mother’s evenings with Marian and Silvio and members of her ex-pat moms crew ended.  The club was founded in 1963 by Mark Birley and named after his then wife Lady Annabel Vane-Tempest-Stewart.  It is fifty years old this year and apparently still going strong–drawing the likes of Lady Gaga, Tom Cruise and Brian Ferry just as it once drew Princess Anne, Frank Sinatra, Aristotle Onasis, Ray Charles, Ella Fitzgerald and Tina Turner.  It was exactly the kind of place Mother loved and in London in the 70s being a beautiful young American divorcee with money and some talent was all it took to get her in.  The expat community was open to Mother in a way society in New York wasn’t and she really flourished there.
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Posted by Wendy Lawless  Annabel's, Brian Ferry, Chanel Bonfire, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, Georgann Rea, Lady Gaga, Marian Montgomery, Mark Birley, Ray Charles, Silvio Narizzano, Tina Turner, Tom Cruise

Treasure of Las Flores del Vicio

Carrol Baker as Treasure in Las Flores del Vicio

After their success with “Summer House”, Mother and Marian Montgomery kept working together and wrote music and songs for Silvio Narizzano’s Las Flores del Vicio (released in the US as Bloodbath).  It’s an insane phantasmagoria of sex and surreal indulgence set (and shot) in Spain that was locked up in a vault by the Spanish censors under General Franco.  It’s kind of Bunuel meets Hammer Horror and stars  Dennis Hopper at his craziest and most drugged out.  Carrol Baker’s character, Treasure, sings Mother and Marian’s final song as she dies in a fountain at the end.  It became a straight to drive-in and then video release in the US. in 1979 after the reels were finally freed.  You can see a clip by clicking on the link.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHQN_X2y8Dc

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Posted by Wendy Lawless  Bloodbath, Carroll Baker, Dennis Hopper, Francisco Franco, Georgann Rea, Las Flores del Vicio, Marian Montgomery, Marion Montgomery, Silvio Narizzano, Spain

Marion Montgomery & Mother

Mother’s friend, singer Marion Montgomery doing “Close Your Eyes” with Dudley Moore on piano.

In London Mother turned from writing poetry to writing songs with her new friend and fellow expat Marian (later changed to Marion) Montgomery.  Marion knew where Mother was coming from.  She’d been born Maud Runnells in Natchez, Mississippi, and got the hell out of there as soon as she could and started singing in clubs in Atlanta.  Later, at a gig in Chicago, Peggy Lee saw her and convinced Capitol Records to sign her.  In 1965 she went to London to sing with John Dankworth (later Cleo Laine’s husband) and fell in love with English pianist, musical director, (and arranger for Englebert Humperdink)  Laurie Holloway.  The two married and became well known in the British jazz and caberet scene.  Mother met Marian at a party and the two began writing songs together.  One, “The Summer House”, Marion sang live on the BBC.  Another was used in Silvio Narizzano’s (Georgy Girl) film Bloodbath.  More on that tomorrow!
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Posted by Wendy Lawless  Bloodbath, Chanel Bonfire, Cleo Laine, Dudley Moore, Englebert Humperdink, Georgann Rea, John Dankworth, Laurie Holloway, Marian Montgomery, Marion Montgomery, Peggy Lee, Silvio Narizzano, Wendy Lawless

One minute and 45 seconds of LAS FLORES DEL VICIO, and believe me, that’s enough.



Mother ran off to Spain with her pals Win Wells (here in the blue and white shirt, and heavy eyeliner) and Silvio Narizzano (Director of “Georgy Girl”), to write songs for the movie. Carroll Baker sings one while she drowns in a fountain during a wild party. Dennis Hopper also starred. 

Oh, and quiz for the day: Who was originally cast in the Carroll Baker role but fired when she arrived in Spain too big to fit any of her costumes? 

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Posted by Wendy Lawless  Carroll Baker, Chanel Bonfire, Dennis Hopper, drugs, Georgann Rea, Georgy Girl, movie shoot, Shelly Winters, Silvio Narizzano, Spain, Wendy Lawless, Win Wells