British Pathe

Hampstead, London.

L/S of Donald Ogden Stewart who is an American humorist and playwright. He is sitting at a table in a garden, surrounded by bronze statues and garden furniture. M/S of Donald at the table working on a typewriter. M/S of statues in his garden, they are not instantly recognisable...

Hampstead, London.

L/S of Donald Ogden Stewart who is an American humorist and playwright. He is sitting at a table in a garden, surrounded by bronze statues and garden furniture. M/S of Donald at the table working on a typewriter. M/S of statues in his garden, they are not instantly recognisable as any particular thing, M/S of a statue called 'The Horse and Rider'. The narrator talks about Donald's unorthodox taste in art.

His wife, who is the writer Ella Winter, comes out of the house carrying a tea tray. She also brings with her Peter the monkey on a lead. She puts the tea tray on the bench and takes the monkey over to one of the statues where she ties the lead around the top. M/S of Ella tethering the lead to the statue.

C/U of a statue in the garden called 'The Dancer' by Marino Marini. M/S of Peter the monkey on the table and Donald at the typewriter. His wife puts his tea on the table, Peter keeps jumping on to the table from the statue and tries to interrupt. The narrator says the statue that Peter uses as a perch cost £2000. C/U of Donald leaning on his hand and looking despairingly at Peter. M/S of Peter stealing a pencil out of the pot on the table. C/U of Peter on her statue eating the pencil.

M/S of Ella trying to retrieve the pencil and Peter jumping from the statue to the table where Donald is sat. M/S of Donald typing and Peter stealing another pencil, she jumps back to her statue and chews it. The narrator says Peter is actually a female monkey and named in memory of 'all things that never grow up'. Ella grabs the pencil which falls on the floor and runs off towards the house. C/U of statue 'The Dancer'.

M/S of Peter on the table pulling the paper out of the typewriter, she jumps onto her statue and chews the paper, Ella is in the background.

Note: Donald Ogden Stewart wrote the screenplays for "Life With Father", "Smilin' Thru'" and "The Philadelphia Story"