MEMORIES OF SIDNEY

WE know Bonnie Lythgoe as the effervescent, fun loving producer and judge on television dance shows such as So You Think You Can Dance who is a frequent visitor to our city. Long before her TV and theatrical work, she was one of the teenage cast members in the 1967 groundbreaking movie To Sir With Love with Sidney Poitier. (That’s Bonnie bottom right in the photo.) Now based in London, we wrote to Bonnie for her memories following the sad death of the iconic onic actor. “I was a teenager when I met him on the film. He was so friendly, inspirational and truly magnetic. He was a great mentor to all of the cast and had time for all a of us. Although he did love pranks. I told t Sidney in confidence that I loved Sean Connery and wanted to meet him. Sean was filming nearby and the t next day I was filming a scene when I had h my desk lid up u and Sidney was w supposed to walk w in and tell me to close the

desk. I started to shout at him and slam the desk down defiantly as part of the script but when I looked up Sean Connery was there instead. Sidney laughed so much because he could see how flustered I was. When we did the end of school dance in the movie, he had his own style of dancing. We all tried to copy him but he kept getting faster and faster and we couldn’t keep up. He really had some moves. Around 40 years after the movie I was a guest at the Emmy’s and saw Sidney there. I rushed over to say ‘Hi’ forgetting in my excitement that it was so many years ago. I started to explain about the movie connection and he stopped me and with a big grin said, ‘I know who you

are – the pupil who walked into the classroom with the baby and drove me mad.’ He was the most wonderful, charismatic man and mentor and I feel so privileged to have worked with him. They broke the mould with Sidney Poitier.” Another of the greats has left us.