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Rita Moreno, Dan Burt, John Wilson, Holly Mumby-Croft

Lively and diverse conversation as Libby Purves meets Hollywood legend Rita Moreno and conductor John Wilson.

Libby Purves meets conductor John Wilson; lawyer and poet Dan Burt; actor Rita Moreno and Holly Mumby-Croft, mayor of Broughton in Lincolnshire.

Conductor and arranger John Wilson formed the John Wilson Orchestra in 1994. The orchestra specialises in authentic performances of classic Hollywood film musical scores including High Society, An American in Paris and Easter Parade. John painstakingly restored many of the original MGM scores which had been lost years before. The John Wilson Orchestra celebrates the golden age of Hollywood in a UK tour.

Dan Burt is a businessman, lawyer and published poet. Born into poverty and organised crime in one of Philadelphia's toughest neighbourhoods, Burt was destined to follow his family footsteps into punishing physical work with a sideline in crime. The remarkable change in his fortunes began when he was selected by Cambridge University to read English and went on to study law at Yale. His memoir, You Think It Strange, is published by Notting Hill Editions.

Rita Moreno is a singer, dancer and actor. Her big break came when she was cast in Robert Wise's 1961 musical West Side Story for which she won a Best Supporting Actress Academy Award. She subsequently featured in films including Carnal Knowledge and Summer and Smoke and is one of few actors to have won an Emmy, a Grammy, a Tony and an Oscar. Rita is attending a screening and Q and A session for Summer and Smoke which was directed by Peter Glenville. The screening is part of the centenary celebrations for the late British director taking place at the BFI Southbank.

Holly Mumby-Croft, 27, is the mayor of Broughton in North Lincolnshire. Broughton has a population of 7,000 and Holly is the youngest person ever to be elected mayor. After several turbulent years as a teenager she became a town councillor at the age of 24 and deputy mayor a year later.

Producer: Paula McGinley.

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43 minutes

In the studio

In the studio
L-R: Rita Moreno, John Wilson, Dan Burt, Holly Mumby-Croft

Credits

Role Contributor
Presenter Libby Purves
Interviewed Guest John Wilson
Interviewed Guest Dan Burt
Interviewed Guest Rita Moreno
Interviewed Guest Holly Mumby-Croft
Producer Paula McGinley

Broadcasts

  • Wed 30 Oct 2013 09:00
  • Wed 30 Oct 2013 21:30

Podcast