(Updated from 2012.) It is happy news that one of the finest-ever Churchill films, Jennie, starring the late Lee Remick, is available in all seven episodes on  YouTube.  Click here for episode 1.

The film was originally a television documentary, “The Life and Loves of Jennie Churchill,” broadcast on ITV in Britain and PBS in the USA in 1974.

Gregory Peck on a great actress

Twenty-five years ago the old Churchill Centre held a dinner for Lee Remick on the Queen Mary in Long Beach. We wanted to present her with our Blenheim Award for notable contributions to THE understanding of Winston Churchill. It was a bittersweet occasion, because she was dying of cancer. Indeed it was her last appearance in public.

I am glad to say we succeeded in raising her spirits at a terrible time. But we could not have done it without Gregory Peck. He began with a recollection:

It was my privilege to work in only one film with Lee Remick. It was called “The Omen.” The plot involved Satanism, with some horrifying special effects. It was a spine tingler, excruciatingly suspenseful. It was complete nonsense—and a blockbuster! People lined up for blocks to see it.

The studio executives took bows as the money rolled in. But only Lee and I knew the secret of the film’s extraordinary success:

We did it! It was our special artistry, our sensitive portrayal of a married couple very much in love, to whom all these dreadful things were happening. We provided the human element that made it all work.

Mr. Peck said all this very much tongue-in-cheek. Then he added what he had really come to say:

There cannot be another American actress so well suited, by her beauty, her high spirits, her intelligence, and more than that, by the mystery of a rare quality which I would call a depth of womanliness, to play the mother of Winston Churchill….

Playing opposite this clear-eyed Yankee girl with the appealing style and femininity that graces every one of her roles just simply brings out the best in a man.

She was irreplaceable

Lee Remick was one of the most remarkable actresses America ever produced—from her debut in “A Face in the Crowd” (1957) and “The Long Hot Summer” (1958) through her Oscar nomination as the wife of Jack Lemmon in “The Days of Wine and Roses” (1962) and her final film, “Emma’s War” (1986).

She won seven Emmy nominations for her outstanding roles in television docudrama, including the role of Eisenhower’s wartime chauffeur/mistress, Kay Summersby, as well as Jennie Churchill.

Although it was a great honor to welcome Gregory Peck, it was a very sad night, because we all knew she would not long be with us. Her husband, the British film producer Kip Gowans, made sure to advise Mr. Peck, who hadn’t seen Lee in years and would otherwise have been taken aback. Great man that he was, he never hinted he had observed any change in his one-time co-star. And what a tribute he gave her.

From Hillsdale College Churchill video reviews:

Thames Television, seven 52 min. episodes, 1974, starring Warren Clarke as WSC and Lee Remick as Lady Randolph. Produced by Andrew Brown, directed by James Cellan Jones, written by Julian Mitchell. Despite what strong temptations have tempted others to give a skewed portrait of Winston’s mother, Mitchell proved that the truth is as dramatic as fiction, producing one of the top five Churchill bio-films. Lee Remick was not a Jennie lookalike, wrote critic Stewart Knowles: “What cast the illusion were clothes, wigs, and the talent of a great actress.” Viewable on YouTube starting with Part 1. You will not be satisfied with just one episode.

“Churchill in Film and Video,” Part 1: Dramatizations
“Churchill in Film and Video,” Part 2: Documentaries

Further reading

“Remembering Lee Remick,” 2021. (With more on our 1991 tribute.)

“American Jennie and Other Books on Lady Randolph Churchill,” 2021.

“His Mother’s Son,” edited by David Lough,” 2018.

Lee Remick 1935-1991

May 2021 marks thirty years since we lost dear Lee Remick. She was the accomplished actress who brought Winston Churchill’s mother vividly to the screen.

One of the finest-ever Churchill films,  Jennie: Lady Randolph Churchill, is available on CD. It was originally a television documentary, “The Life and Loves of Jennie Churchill,” broadcast on ITV in Britain and PBS in the USA in 1974. Co-starring with Remick were Ronald Pickup as Lord Randolph Churchill and Warren Clarke as young Winston.

Lee and Greg

In 1991, two months before she died,  we held an award dinner for Ms. Remick on the Queen Mary in Long Beach. It was a gala evening to celebrate her film contribution to our knowledge of Churchill’s life and times. And a bittersweet occasion, for she was stricken with cancer. This would be her last appearance in public. We did her proud, thanks to the participation of a special guest, Gregory Peck, who added luster and eloquent words.

It was fun to watch people’s reactions as Mr. Peck and his wife Veronique walked the ship’s passageways. But sadly, Lee was heavily medicated, difficult in speech. Mr. Peck hadn’t seen her in years. Her husband, British film producer Kip Gowans, briefed him in advance. The consummate professional, Gregory Peck spoke as if nothing had changed:

It was my privilege to work in only one film with Lee Remick. It was called “The Omen.” The plot involved Satanism, with some horrifying special effects. It was a spine tingler, excruciatingly suspenseful. It was complete nonsense—and a blockbuster! People lined up for blocks to see it.

While the studio executives took bows as the money rolled in, only Lee and I knew the secret of the film’s extraordinary success: We did it! It was our artistry, our sensitive portrayal of a married couple very much in love, to whom all these dreadful things were happening. We provided the human element that made it all work.

“A depth of womanliness”