RETURN VISIT TO GERALD MOHR'S FINAL RESTING PLACE

LIDINGÖ KYRKA, STOCKHOLM, JUNE 2006

Thursday 8 June 2006

On the morning after my return to Stockholm, my friends and I took the tunnelbana and bus out to Lidingö Kyrka to visit Gerald's stone and to see how the Swedish winter had treated what I had left behind last year. I arrived at his stone ahead of my friends and immediately cleared away the ivy leaves which were growing across his stone. Only the flower cup and the heart-shaped fridge magnet I had left last year remained. I had brought artificial forget-me-nots to place in the cup on his birthday on 11 June, but instead of waiting till then, I placed them in the cup immediately to add colour. I had also brought a sprig of heather, grown in my garden, which I planted immediately beneath his stone, to represent his Scottish fan. All being well, it will flower every September.

Sunday 11 June 2006

On what would have been Gerald's 92nd birthday I returned and, in a celebration of his life, I attached a card I had prepared earlier, similar to the one I had left last year but with a different photo and with the addition of his autograph. The day was warm and sunny and, as the sun rose, the card was lit in bright sunshine, radiating the warmth of his smile and the laughter in his eyes on the photo. Once more, my friends were with me. We stayed for about 30 minutes in the peaceful garden.

Tuesday 13 June 2006

The Lidingö Tidning newspaper ran a half-page article on my return visit.  Hereunder is a photo of the article.

TRANSLATION OF NEWSPAPER ARTICLE:

SCOTTISH FILM FAN ON RETURN VISIT

Last year LT wrote about Scot Linda Wood, who has devoted her life to re-establishing the reputation of American B-movie actor Gerald Mohr.  Now she has returned to Sweden and Lidingö.

Linda Wood, from Glasgow, Scotland, with the help of the internet, has rekindled her love for the American film star Gerald Mohr.

When LT wrote about her a year ago, she had recently rediscovered the charming baddie, had created her own website about him and had found out that, after he died of a heart attack in Sweden in 1968, he was buried in the graveyard of Lidingö church.

For his birthday, 11 June, she laid a bouquet of forget-me-nots at his grave.

Since then she has learned much more about Mohr.  She has been in touch with Tim Dietrich from Hawaii, the son of Mohr's second wife, the Swede, Mai Dietrich.

She has also discovered that he visited Sweden several times in the 50s and 60s.  Between the years 1954-55 he recorded several episodes of the gangster series "Foreign Intrigue" here, and 2 years later also made a pilot episode for a show to be called "Rough Sketch", but it came to nothing.

During his 1968 visit, which culminated in his early death, he was recording a pilot episode for a likely new TV series, "Private Entrance", in which Mohr played a hotel detective at a Swedish hotel.  Mohr also produced the show in conjunction with an American film company and SF, Svensk Filmindustri.

Linda has also discovered the Swedish film "Wild West Story" from 1964 in which Mohr played the baddie.  Linda laughs and says "It must be quite unique where the goodie speaks Swedish and the baddie English!"  A glance at the titles show an illustrious Swedish cast were involved, including Carl-Gustaf Lindstedt, Lena Granhagen, Ingvar Kjellson and Carli Tonehave.  "If anyone knows anything more about the film or other Mohr recordings from Sweden, then I'd like to know." says Linda.

Wording under the photos: 

Gerald Mohr in "Foreign Intrigue", which was partly filmed in Sweden.

Newly placed flowers at the Memorial Glade at Lidingö church.

Main picture: Happy Scots who share Linda Wood's (middle) passion for the actor Gerald Mohr as well as doing some sightseeing in Stockholm and Lidingö.  Accompanying her are Sheila Marshall and Louie Donald.

With thanks to James Walker, Edinburgh, for translation.

Wednesday 14 June 2006

On the morning of the day I flew back home to Glasgow, I visited the Garden of Remembrance one last time, and this time I was alone. However, groundsmen were driving around in motorised grasscutters, so it was by no means quiet on this occasion! Once more I spent 30 minutes in the area, but the time came when I had to leave. I hope to be able to return again.

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