
$20,000 Worth of Cigars
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$20,000 Worth of Cigars
I read that during the production of the movie Darkest Hour, the actor portraying Winston Churchill smoked $20,000 worth of Romeo y Julieta Cubans. The article stated over 400 cigars were smoked by the actor at $50 per.


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Re: $20,000 Worth of Cigars
Gary Oldman's (played Churchill) view is that the crew was trying to kill him. Winston himself never smoked as much.
We shall defend our smokes, whatever the cost may be, we shall smoke on the beaches, we shall smoke on the landing grounds, we shall smoke in the fields and in the streets, we shall smoke in the hills; we shall never surrender.
He'd be appalled at the cost of cigars today. Probably die young from consuming wayyy too much Dundee Cake.
Gary Oldman Got Nicotine Poisoning Playing Winston ChurchillGary Oldman wrote:I got serious nicotine poisoning. You'd have a cigar that was three-quarters smoked and you'd light it up, and then over the course of a couple of takes, it would go down, and then the prop man would replenish me with a new cigar -- we were doing that for 10 or 12 takes a scene.
We shall defend our smokes, whatever the cost may be, we shall smoke on the beaches, we shall smoke on the landing grounds, we shall smoke in the fields and in the streets, we shall smoke in the hills; we shall never surrender.
He'd be appalled at the cost of cigars today. Probably die young from consuming wayyy too much Dundee Cake.
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Re: $20,000 Worth of Cigars
The dumb-ass, didn't have to smoke 'em, just hold 'em. They were just a prop. I can see going through 400, if you get a fresh one for each take, etc. The cigar in the pic in the above post looks like it was just lit. Nicotine poisoning indeed.Rusty wrote: ↑Thu Dec 14, 2017 4:45 pmGary Oldman's (played Churchill) view is that the crew was trying to kill him. Winston himself never smoked as much.
Gary Oldman Got Nicotine Poisoning Playing Winston ChurchillGary Oldman wrote:I got serious nicotine poisoning. You'd have a cigar that was three-quarters smoked and you'd light it up, and then over the course of a couple of takes, it would go down, and then the prop man would replenish me with a new cigar -- we were doing that for 10 or 12 takes a scene.
We shall defend our smokes, whatever the cost may be, we shall smoke on the beaches, we shall smoke on the landing grounds, we shall smoke in the fields and in the streets, we shall smoke in the hills; we shall never surrender.
He'd be appalled at the cost of cigars today. Probably die young from consuming wayyy too much Dundee Cake.
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Re: $20,000 Worth of Cigars
This is the sort of pedantry, up with which I shall not put.sweetandsour wrote: ↑Thu Dec 14, 2017 5:03 pmThe dumb-ass, didn't have to smoke 'em, just hold 'em. They were just a prop. I can see going through 400, if you get a fresh one for each take, etc. The cigar in the pic in the above post looks like it was just lit. Nicotine poisoning indeed.Rusty wrote: ↑Thu Dec 14, 2017 4:45 pmGary Oldman's (played Churchill) view is that the crew was trying to kill him. Winston himself never smoked as much.
Gary Oldman Got Nicotine Poisoning Playing Winston ChurchillGary Oldman wrote:I got serious nicotine poisoning. You'd have a cigar that was three-quarters smoked and you'd light it up, and then over the course of a couple of takes, it would go down, and then the prop man would replenish me with a new cigar -- we were doing that for 10 or 12 takes a scene.
We shall defend our smokes, whatever the cost may be, we shall smoke on the beaches, we shall smoke on the landing grounds, we shall smoke in the fields and in the streets, we shall smoke in the hills; we shall never surrender.
He'd be appalled at the cost of cigars today. Probably die young from consuming wayyy too much Dundee Cake.
I think he didn't have that choice (to just hold them). Did you read the story?
All smoking is good smoking and I think you made a valiant effort. <mozart laugh>Actors are asked to do a lot for their craft. Oftentimes this involves getting into crazy shape or gaining or losing weight for a role, but there are other things that actors have to do repetitively during filming that can take a toll. When veteran actor Gary Oldman signed on to play Winston Churchill in the upcoming Darkest Hour biopic, he also signed on to smoke cigars like Churchill was known for. Only, he didn't take into account how many times he would have to do multiple takes. In fact, all the smoking led him to dealing with nicotine poisoning.
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Re: $20,000 Worth of Cigars
B.S. One doesn't really smoke a cigar anyway. You just play with it. Ask Bill Clinton.Rusty wrote: ↑Thu Dec 14, 2017 5:14 pmThis is the sort of pedantry, up with which I shall not put.sweetandsour wrote: ↑Thu Dec 14, 2017 5:03 pmThe dumb-ass, didn't have to smoke 'em, just hold 'em. They were just a prop. I can see going through 400, if you get a fresh one for each take, etc. The cigar in the pic in the above post looks like it was just lit. Nicotine poisoning indeed.Rusty wrote: ↑Thu Dec 14, 2017 4:45 pmGary Oldman's (played Churchill) view is that the crew was trying to kill him. Winston himself never smoked as much.
Gary Oldman Got Nicotine Poisoning Playing Winston ChurchillGary Oldman wrote:I got serious nicotine poisoning. You'd have a cigar that was three-quarters smoked and you'd light it up, and then over the course of a couple of takes, it would go down, and then the prop man would replenish me with a new cigar -- we were doing that for 10 or 12 takes a scene.
We shall defend our smokes, whatever the cost may be, we shall smoke on the beaches, we shall smoke on the landing grounds, we shall smoke in the fields and in the streets, we shall smoke in the hills; we shall never surrender.
He'd be appalled at the cost of cigars today. Probably die young from consuming wayyy too much Dundee Cake.
I think he didn't have that choice (to just hold them). Did you read the story?
All smoking is good smoking and I think you made a valiant effort. <mozart laugh>Actors are asked to do a lot for their craft. Oftentimes this involves getting into crazy shape or gaining or losing weight for a role, but there are other things that actors have to do repetitively during filming that can take a toll. When veteran actor Gary Oldman signed on to play Winston Churchill in the upcoming Darkest Hour biopic, he also signed on to smoke cigars like Churchill was known for. Only, he didn't take into account how many times he would have to do multiple takes. In fact, all the smoking led him to dealing with nicotine poisoning.
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Re: $20,000 Worth of Cigars
With the advent of movies one can watch at home - from video tapes through to online streaming - directors have to be a lot fussier with their shots. Now the viewer has control of the viewing experience; we can rewind, pause, play in slow motion, etc. and it simply won't do to see a fresh cigar in one shot and a nub in the next.
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Re: $20,000 Worth of Cigars
I don't know. He certainly knew the cost in his own day. A delightful read (I'm a Churchill buff) is Churchill's Cigars--it details his habits, including writing letters indicating to all his suppliers that they were, in fact, his sole provider. One of his butler's once remarked on the fact that Churchill's daily cigar consumption was more valuable than the butler's weekly wage.Rusty wrote: ↑Thu Dec 14, 2017 4:45 pmGary Oldman's (played Churchill) view is that the crew was trying to kill him. Winston himself never smoked as much.
Gary Oldman Got Nicotine Poisoning Playing Winston ChurchillGary Oldman wrote:I got serious nicotine poisoning. You'd have a cigar that was three-quarters smoked and you'd light it up, and then over the course of a couple of takes, it would go down, and then the prop man would replenish me with a new cigar -- we were doing that for 10 or 12 takes a scene.
We shall defend our smokes, whatever the cost may be, we shall smoke on the beaches, we shall smoke on the landing grounds, we shall smoke in the fields and in the streets, we shall smoke in the hills; we shall never surrender.
He'd be appalled at the cost of cigars today. Probably die young from consuming wayyy too much Dundee Cake.
I'm not sure anything could actually kill the man other than old age. Multiple heart attacks and strokes, enough booze to make Skip blanche, rich food every day all day, and he died with a liver as clean as a child's.
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Re: $20,000 Worth of Cigars
... at 90 yo. Another smoking death. <more mozart laughing>hugodrax wrote: ↑Thu Dec 14, 2017 6:15 pmI don't know. He certainly knew the cost in his own day. A delightful read (I'm a Churchill buff) is Churchill's Cigars--it details his habits, including writing letters indicating to all his suppliers that they were, in fact, his sole provider. One of his butler's once remarked on the fact that Churchill's daily cigar consumption was more valuable than the butler's weekly wage.Rusty wrote: ↑Thu Dec 14, 2017 4:45 pmGary Oldman's (played Churchill) view is that the crew was trying to kill him. Winston himself never smoked as much.
Gary Oldman Got Nicotine Poisoning Playing Winston ChurchillGary Oldman wrote:I got serious nicotine poisoning. You'd have a cigar that was three-quarters smoked and you'd light it up, and then over the course of a couple of takes, it would go down, and then the prop man would replenish me with a new cigar -- we were doing that for 10 or 12 takes a scene.
We shall defend our smokes, whatever the cost may be, we shall smoke on the beaches, we shall smoke on the landing grounds, we shall smoke in the fields and in the streets, we shall smoke in the hills; we shall never surrender.
He'd be appalled at the cost of cigars today. Probably die young from consuming wayyy too much Dundee Cake.
I'm not sure anything could actually kill the man other than old age. Multiple heart attacks and strokes, enough booze to make Skip blanche, rich food every day all day, and he died with a liver as clean as a child's.
He drank every day but never to excess as he pointed out.
Fox in London has some of his letters. I think supplying to Churchill or the royal family would have been treated as a mark of serious prestige.
He complained when told the Dundee cake they usually bought had to go because they were living too well but couldn't afford it. This was during his political exile. I decided to try Dundee cake after reading that. What's good enough for Churchill... By '39 and right through the war years Churchill had a chef who made a variation on Dundee Cake. Here's the recipe, we're told.
http://www.housebeautiful.co.uk/lifesty ... ruit-cake/
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Re: $20,000 Worth of Cigars
Always curious about Dundee cake. It's just a snippet, but a wonderful sign of the authenticity of secondary elements that the filmmakers got right in The Gathering Storm. Seems to me it's like an English panettone.Rusty wrote: ↑Thu Dec 14, 2017 6:36 pm... at 90 yo. Another smoking death. <more mozart laughing>hugodrax wrote: ↑Thu Dec 14, 2017 6:15 pmI don't know. He certainly knew the cost in his own day. A delightful read (I'm a Churchill buff) is Churchill's Cigars--it details his habits, including writing letters indicating to all his suppliers that they were, in fact, his sole provider. One of his butler's once remarked on the fact that Churchill's daily cigar consumption was more valuable than the butler's weekly wage.Rusty wrote: ↑Thu Dec 14, 2017 4:45 pmGary Oldman's (played Churchill) view is that the crew was trying to kill him. Winston himself never smoked as much.
Gary Oldman Got Nicotine Poisoning Playing Winston ChurchillGary Oldman wrote:I got serious nicotine poisoning. You'd have a cigar that was three-quarters smoked and you'd light it up, and then over the course of a couple of takes, it would go down, and then the prop man would replenish me with a new cigar -- we were doing that for 10 or 12 takes a scene.
We shall defend our smokes, whatever the cost may be, we shall smoke on the beaches, we shall smoke on the landing grounds, we shall smoke in the fields and in the streets, we shall smoke in the hills; we shall never surrender.
He'd be appalled at the cost of cigars today. Probably die young from consuming wayyy too much Dundee Cake.
I'm not sure anything could actually kill the man other than old age. Multiple heart attacks and strokes, enough booze to make Skip blanche, rich food every day all day, and he died with a liver as clean as a child's.
He drank every day but never to excess as he pointed out.
Fox in London has some of his letters. I think supplying to Churchill or the royal family would have been treated as a mark of serious prestige.
He complained when told the Dundee cake they usually bought had to go because they were living too well but couldn't afford it. This was during his political exile. I decided to try Dundee cake after reading that. What's good enough for Churchill... By '39 and right through the war years Churchill had a chef who made a variation on Dundee Cake. Here's the recipe, we're told.
http://www.housebeautiful.co.uk/lifesty ... ruit-cake/
Curious that, at least in later life, he wouldn't tolerate pipes or cigarettes at Chartwell unless the guest was too important to be told off.
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Re: $20,000 Worth of Cigars
I haven't had a Panettone (wrong culture) but when I look it up it appears pretty close. The signature look of Dundee cake is from the almonds on the top. Apparently that comes from Mary Queen of Scots. Churchill's cake returns to glacé cherries. He seems to share another characteristic with Luther. Both of them suffered from depression. Churchill called it his 'black dog'. These people have to be working. So between painting, writing, bricklaying, making lakes, and all the other landscape work at Chartwell he kept himself going. He was very proud of the quality and speed of his bricklaying. And there is a lot of it. I visited Chartwell when I was in England I was astonished at the extent of his work.hugodrax wrote: ↑Thu Dec 14, 2017 7:15 pmAlways curious about Dundee cake. It's just a snippet, but a wonderful sign of the authenticity of secondary elements that the filmmakers got right in The Gathering Storm. Seems to me it's like an English panettone.Rusty wrote: ↑Thu Dec 14, 2017 6:36 pm... at 90 yo. Another smoking death. <more mozart laughing>hugodrax wrote: ↑Thu Dec 14, 2017 6:15 pmI don't know. He certainly knew the cost in his own day. A delightful read (I'm a Churchill buff) is Churchill's Cigars--it details his habits, including writing letters indicating to all his suppliers that they were, in fact, his sole provider. One of his butler's once remarked on the fact that Churchill's daily cigar consumption was more valuable than the butler's weekly wage.Rusty wrote: ↑Thu Dec 14, 2017 4:45 pmGary Oldman's (played Churchill) view is that the crew was trying to kill him. Winston himself never smoked as much.
Gary Oldman Got Nicotine Poisoning Playing Winston ChurchillGary Oldman wrote:I got serious nicotine poisoning. You'd have a cigar that was three-quarters smoked and you'd light it up, and then over the course of a couple of takes, it would go down, and then the prop man would replenish me with a new cigar -- we were doing that for 10 or 12 takes a scene.
We shall defend our smokes, whatever the cost may be, we shall smoke on the beaches, we shall smoke on the landing grounds, we shall smoke in the fields and in the streets, we shall smoke in the hills; we shall never surrender.
He'd be appalled at the cost of cigars today. Probably die young from consuming wayyy too much Dundee Cake.
I'm not sure anything could actually kill the man other than old age. Multiple heart attacks and strokes, enough booze to make Skip blanche, rich food every day all day, and he died with a liver as clean as a child's.
He drank every day but never to excess as he pointed out.
Fox in London has some of his letters. I think supplying to Churchill or the royal family would have been treated as a mark of serious prestige.
He complained when told the Dundee cake they usually bought had to go because they were living too well but couldn't afford it. This was during his political exile. I decided to try Dundee cake after reading that. What's good enough for Churchill... By '39 and right through the war years Churchill had a chef who made a variation on Dundee Cake. Here's the recipe, we're told.
http://www.housebeautiful.co.uk/lifesty ... ruit-cake/
Curious that, at least in later life, he wouldn't tolerate pipes or cigarettes at Chartwell unless the guest was too important to be told off.
I wasn't aware that he wouldn't tolerate pipes and cigs. When was this?
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Re: $20,000 Worth of Cigars
Yeah, I would purposely mess up scenes too if they were shoving cigars in my face.
"What's that you say? Only two scenes left? I better keep my cell phone in my pocket with the volume up and well timed alarms set. Hey you, stage help, fetch me another cigar."
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Re: $20,000 Worth of Cigars
I thought “Darkest Hour” was one of the best films of its kind. Oldman’s performance was Oscar worthy.
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