Winston Churchill not only napped daily, but took very long, very hot baths.
They were drawn by his butler, Mr. Inces, and had to be kept at a particular temperature, measured by a thermometer.
Not only were the baths important to Churchill's well-being, but he often dictated from the bathtub (his secretary would sit just outside the bathroom, portable typewriter on her lap) and took meetings from there, as well.
There are terrific scenes in the HBO film, The Gathering Storm, and also HBO's Into The Storm with Churchill in the bathtub.
In The Gathering Storm, there's a scene with a pre-war Churchill dictating from the tub at Chartwell, while his typist is just outside. At one point he becomes irritated and throws his bar of soap out the bathroom door. Her facial expressions as she throws it back, never looking at Churchill of course, are marvelous.
In Into the Storm, Churchill is talking to President Roosevelt about the situation in the Pacific from a bathtub in the White House. (Roosevelt is sitting just outside.) When the Prime Minister is done, he rises from the tub, wraps a towel around his waist, and walks into the bedroom to address the President directly. At one point, the towel drops, leaving the Prime Minister naked.
"As you can see, Mr. President, I have nothing to conceal from you," Churchill deadpans.
When the Prime Minister is done, he rises from the tub, wraps a towel around his waist, and walks into the bedroom to address the President directly. At one point, the towel drops, leaving the Prime Minister naked. "As you can see, Mr. President, I have nothing to conceal from you," Churchill deadpans.
ReplyDeleteReally, ol' Winnie was the master of the Untoppable One-Liner. What could Roosevelt have done in response, popped a wheelie and taken the chair down the stairs in crow-hops?
xx evay
Churchill's one liners were often stolen from feature films, especially films staring the Marx Bros.
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