| Gracie Fields | |
|---|---|
 from the film Stage Door Canteen (1943) |
|
| Born | January 9, 1898 Rochdale, Lancashire, England |
| Died | September 27, 1979 (aged 81) Il Canzone Del Mare, Capri, Italy |
Dame Gracie Fields, DBE (January 9, 1898–September 27, 1979), born Grace Stansfield, was an English/Italian singer and comedienne who became one of the greatest stars of both cinema and music hall. Stage Door Canteen ( 1943) is a Musical film produced by Sol Lesser Productions and distributed by United Artists. Events 475 - Byzantine Emperor Zeno is forced to flee his capital at Constantinople. Year 1898 ( MDCCCXCVIII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Rochdale is a large Market town in Greater Manchester, England Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England, bounded to the west by the Irish Sea England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Events 489 - Odoacer attacks Theodoric at the Battle of Verona and is defeated again Year 1979 ( MCMLXXIX) was a Common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1979 Gregorian calendar) Capri ( Italian pronunciation Cápri usual English pronunciation Caprí is an Italian island off the Sorrentine Peninsula, on the south side Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British Order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. Events 475 - Byzantine Emperor Zeno is forced to flee his capital at Constantinople. Year 1898 ( MDCCCXCVIII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Events 489 - Odoacer attacks Theodoric at the Battle of Verona and is defeated again Year 1979 ( MCMLXXIX) was a Common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1979 Gregorian calendar) England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience primarily by making them laugh Music hall is a form of British theatrical Entertainment which was popular between 1850 and 1960
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Early life
Born over a fish and chip shop owned by her grandmother in Molesworth Street, Rochdale, Lancashire, she made her first stage appearance as a child in 1905. Fish and chips (sometimes written " fish ’n’ chips " is a popular Take-away food originating from the United Kingdom. Rochdale is a large Market town in Greater Manchester, England Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England, bounded to the west by the Irish Sea Her two sisters, Edith and Betty, and brother, Tommy, all went on to appear on stage, but Gracie was the most successful. Her professional debut in variety took place at the Rochdale Hippodrome theatre in 1910 and she soon gave up her job in the local cotton mill. A variety show or variety entertainment is an entertainment made up of a variety of acts especially Musical performances and Comedy Skits and A cotton mill is a Factory housing spinning and Weaving Machinery Cotton was a leading sector in the Industrial Revolution, as cotton
She met comedian Archie Pitt and they began working together. Pitt would come to serve as her manager and the two married in 1923. Their first revue in 1915 was called Yes I think so and the two continued to tour Britain together until 1922 in the revue Mr Tower of London.
Fame
Fields came to major public notice when Mr Tower of London came to the West End. West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London 's "Theatreland" Her career rapidly accelerated from this point with straight dramatic performances and the beginning of a recording career. Drama is the specific mode of Fiction represented in Performance.
One of her most successful productions was at the Alhambra Theatre in 1925. The show, booked by Sir Oswald Stoll, was a major success and toured for ten years. She made the first of ten appearances in Royal Variety Performances in 1928, gaining a devoted following with a mixture of self-deprecating jokes, comic songs and monologues, as well as cheerful "depression-era" songs all presented in a "no-airs-and-graces" northern, working class style. The Royal Variety Performance is a gala evening held annually in the United Kingdom, which is attended by senior members of the British Royal Family, normally A monologue is an extended uninterrupted speech or poem by a single person This article deals with the effects of the Great Depression of the 1930s - also known as the Great Slump - on the United Kingdom. Northern England, The North, The North of England or (less commonly The North Country refers to the parts of England north of an ill-defined line Working class is a term used in academic Sociology and in ordinary conversation to describe depending on context and speaker those employed in specific fields or types Fields had a great rapport with her audience, which helped her become one of Britain's highest paid performers, playing to sold out theatres across the country.
Her most famous song, which became her theme, "Sally," was worked into the title of her first cinema film, Sally in Our Alley (1931), which was a major box office hit. A box office is a place where tickets are sold to the public for Admission to a venue She went on to make several films initially in Britain and later in the United States (for which she was paid a record fee of US$200,000 for four films), despite never enjoying the process of performing without a live audience. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the
Ironically, the final few lines of the song 'Sally' were written by her husband's mistress, and Gracie sang this song at nearly every performance she made from 1931 onwards.
Charity work
The late 1930s saw her popularity peak and she was given many honours: the Order of Officer Sister of St. John of Jerusalem (for charity work), the Commander of the British Empire (CBE) (for services to entertainment) in 1938, and the Freedom of the Borough of Rochdale. The Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem or Order of St John is a British -based royal order of Chivalry, and is The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British Order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. Freedom of the City is an honour bestowed by some municipalities in Australia, Canada, Ireland, France, Italy, New Zealand
She donated her house, "Tower," in London's The Bishop's Avenue (which she had not much cared for and which she had shared with her husband Archie Pitt and his mistress) to a maternity hospital after the marriage broke down. The Bishops Avenue in the London Borough of Barnet is one of London 's most exclusive residential thoroughfares At the time, she was seeing Irish painter John Flanagan, who she later said that he was the only other person apart from Boris Alperovici (a later husband) who she loved.
In 1939, she became seriously ill with cervical cancer. Cervical cancer is Malignant Cancer of the Cervix uteri or cervical area The public sent over 250,000 goodwill messages and she retired to her villa on Capri. Capri ( Italian pronunciation Cápri usual English pronunciation Caprí is an Italian island off the Sorrentine Peninsula, on the south side After she recovered, she recorded a very special 78 record simply called Gracie's Thanks, in which she thanks the public for the many cards and letters she received whilst in hospital.
World War II
World War II was declared whilst she was recovering and Fields travelled to France to entertain the troops. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including In 1940, she married film director Monty Banks, following her divorce from Pitt. A film director, or filmmaker, is a person who directs the making of a Film. Montague (Monty Banks ( July 18 1897 &ndash January 7 1950) was a Comedian and Film director However, because Banks remained an Italian citizen and would have been interned in the United Kingdom, she was forced to leave Britain for North America during the war. Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest Although she continued to spend much of her time entertaining troops and otherwise supporting the war effort outside Britain, this led to a fall-off in her popularity at home, where she was portrayed by the press as a traitor and deserter. Nevertheless, she performed many times for Allied troops, travelling as far as the islands of New Guinea, where she received an enthusiastic response from Australian personnel. The Allies of World War II were the countries officially opposed to the Axis powers during the Second World War. New Guinea, located just north of Australia, is the world's second largest island, having become separated from the Australian mainland when the area now known For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. [1]
Post-war
After the war, Fields continued her career on a less active basis. She began performing in Britain again in 1948 and starred at the 1951 Festival of Britain celebrations. The Festival of Britain was a national exhibition which opened in London and around Britain in May 1951 She proved popular once more, though never regaining the status she enjoyed in the 1930s. She continued recording, but made no more films, moving more towards light classical music as popular tastes changed.
Although there is some doubt that her British citizenship was ever re-granted after the war[2] (she lost it due to her marriage), she did a great deal of charity work, and established a permanent home on the Isle of Capri, Italy.
Monty Banks died in 1950. Fields married Boris Alperovici two years later. After that, she began to work even less, but still sold out theatres even into her seventies.
In 1956, Fields played Miss Jane Marple in a US TV production of Agatha Christie's A Murder is Announced (IMDB entry). Jane Marple, usually known as Miss Marple, is a Fictional character appearing in twelve of Agatha Christie Agatha Mary Clarissa Lady Mallowan, DBE (née Miller; 15 September 1890 &ndash 12 January 1976 commonly known as Agatha Christie, was an English A Murder is Announced is a work of Detective fiction by Agatha Christie and first published in the UK by the Collins Crime Club in June The production also featured Jessica Tandy and Roger Moore, and predates the Margaret Rutherford films by some five years. Jessie Alice Tandy ( June 7, 1909 &ndash September 11, 1994) was a British - American stage and film actress Sir Roger George Moore KBE (born 14 October 1927) is an English Actor. Dame Margaret Rutherford DBE ( May 11, 1892 &ndash May 22, 1972) was an Academy Award -winning English
In 1978, she opened the Gracie Fields Theatre in Rochdale, Lancashire. Rochdale is a large Market town in Greater Manchester, England Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England, bounded to the west by the Irish Sea It is located next to Oulder Hill Community School. Oulder Hill Community School High School is a mixed gender comprehensive Community school Secondary school and Sixth form for 11 - 18 year olds located Her final appearance was at the Royal Variety Show at the age of 80, when she sang "Sally" in the finale. In February 1979, she was created a Dame Commander of the British Empire seven months before her death at her home on Capri, aged 81. The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British Order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. She is buried in the non-Catholic cemetery on Capri.
Rochdale Boroughwide Cultural Trust holds the Gracie Field Archive.
Famous songs
- "Sally"
- "Sing As We Go"
- "Thing-Ummy-Bob (That's Gonna Win The War)"[1]
- "The Biggest Aspidistra in the World"
- "Only a Glass of Champagne"
- "Angels Guard Thee"
- "Nuns' Chorus"
- "Now Is the Hour"
- "The Isle of Capri"
- "Walter, Walter, Lead Me to the Altar"
- "Christopher Robin is Saying His Prayers"
- "Wish Me Luck As You Wave Me Goodbye"
- "When I Grow Too Old to Dream"
- "If I Knew You Were Coming I'd've Baked A Cake"
- "The Twelfth of Never"
- "Those Were The Days" -Famously performed live at [The Batley Variety Club] in [1968]
Filmography
- Sally in our Alley (1931)
- Looking on the Bright Side (1932)
- This Week of Grace (1933)
- Love, Life and Laughter (1933)
- Sing as We Go (1934)
- Look Up and Laugh (1935)
- Queen of Hearts (1936)
- The Show Goes On (1937)
- We're Going to Be Rich (1938)
- Keep Smiling (1938)
- Shipyard Sally (1939)
- Stage Door Canteen (1943)
- Holy Matrimony (1943)
- Molly and Me (1945)
- Paris Underground (1945)
References
- An in depth look at the amazing Gracie Fields
- Gracie Fields: A Biography by Joan Moules
- Gracie Fields: The Authorised Biography (1995) by David Bret
- "Gracie Fields" by Jeffrey Richards (in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography)
Footnotes
- ^ Thompson and Heneker, (1942) THE THING-UMMY-BOB (That's Gonna Win The War) sung by Arthur Askey and Gracie Fields
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Fields, Gracie |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | singer and comedienne |
| DATE OF BIRTH | January 9, 1898 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Rochdale, Lancashire, England |
| DATE OF DEATH | September 27, 1979 |
| PLACE OF DEATH | Capri, Italy |
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