COR!
T H E
C O M E D Y
M A G A Z I N E
Last of the
Summer Wine Issue 2
FEBRUARY 2021
Jacki Piper Interview
Contents Burns & Allen An affectionate celebration of the beloved couple
page 4 Summer Wine Memories A centenary salute to Frank Thornton and Peter Sallis
page 12 The Cor! Interview Welcome to Cor! Magazine. Editor: Robert Ross Designer: Gemma Fanning
Robert Ross exclusively chats  comedy husbands with Jacki Piper
page 18
HELLO CHUMS!
Editor's note Well, issue two and they said it would never last! I cracked that gag in 1993 for the original issue two of Cor! and nobody laughed then either. Oh, well. Many thanks for joining us for a second celebration of all things comedy, still deep in lockdown but happily insisting that this year comedy is the answer. Again! As it’s the month of Valentine’s, there’s a lot of love in the air for issue 2 of Cor! - The Comedy Magazine. There’s an affectionate, whistle stop kiss to the laughter legacy of on-stage and off partnership George Burns and Gracie Allen. We are also delighted to present an exclusive interview with the effervescent Jacki Piper, who happily spills the beans on a myriad of favourite screen and stage husbands! The year 2021 marks the 100th birthdays of two beloved comedy actors: Frank Thornton and Peter Sallis. Of course, both brought laconic joy to Last of the Summer Wine, the world’s longest-running situation comedy, and as a centenary salute I share a few precious memories from my charmed life up on location in Holmfirth, West Yorkshire. Happy days.
Oh, and talking of love. Our Hall of Fame this issue, again mirroring the old print version of Cor! from the 1990s, is my all-time favourite comedy hero: Mr. Sidney James. Back in the day, I showcased a late fifties Sid. Here he is as petty crook, Sid Carter, from production on Carry On Matron, in the Autumn of 1971. Love it. Obviously! And if you are enjoying Cor!, I urge you to join us across the social medias for our Daily Comedy fun on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, as well as the Comedy Historian live shows. Sign up to the free and fun monthly newsletter for all the latest news. It’s a laughter-filled, family-feel to our chats and hopefully you are gleaning a little bit of happiness during these most unusual of times. Remember, together we’ll be Okay.
Robert x 3
George Burns and Gracie Allen were married for nearly forty years, from January 1926 until Gracie's untimely death in August 1964. Â
The Craziest Couple George Burns and Gracie Allen
‘My husband will never chase another woman. He's too fine, too decent, too old.’ Few double acts can bring such instantaneous joy as George Burns and Gracie Allen: the cigar chomping, hard-done-by, bewildered straight man and the ditzy, prat-falling, whirlwind comedienne. On the vaudeville stage, Hollywood backlots and, most potently of all, American radio broadcasts, Burns and Allen became the archetypal, betweenthe-wars, romantic couple. They were wisecracking, modern, but reassuringly as dumb and gullible as the rest of us, or in Gracie’s case, ever so slightly dumber and more gullible than the rest of us. That was the joy of her performances: beautiful, feisty, and hilariously accident-prone, it was Burns, with a weary shake of the head, that punctured her most idiotic moments, elevating them to hymns of slapstick comedy. Over the years each fiercely acknowledged the other as the key element in what made the act work so well. Of course it was a mutual and equal comic chemical reaction. A brash New Yorker, Burns had been born Nathan Birnbaum in January 1896. Growing up fast in the wake of his father’s death, when young Nattie was just seven years old, he provided for the family by running errands, selling newspapers, shining shoes, and working as a syrup maker in his local sweet shop. Fast-talking confidence and smooth likability saw him enter show business and, in 1922, he met Californian folk dancer Grace Ethel Cecile Rosalie Allen. Gracie was performing with her sister Bessie, on the same vaudeville bill as Burns, at the Hill Street Theatre, Newark, New Jersey. George and Gracie clicked immediately. Burns was the creative genius, writing much of the material, and initially taking on the role of the comedian, while Allen was the stooge: the slow-thinking, inquisitive sidekick. Touring the vaudeville circuit, it struck them both like a bolt from the blue: audiences were definitely laughing at the intonation of Gracie on lines that were intrinsically not funny at all.
Reassuringly Burns did not try to analyse why this was, he simply decided to embrace it and switch. From that point on Gracie was the funny one, George was the feed. They were married on 7th January 1926, on stage at the Palace Theatre, Cleveland, signing up with the Keith-Albee-Orpheum Corporation the following year. Working this chain of theatres certainly heightened the market value of Burns and Allen, and they even ventured to England for a successful tour of the home counties, as well as to make their radio debut for the BBC. How spiffing. Still, it was a lastminute motion picture assignment that made them comedy deities. The film was Lambchops, a short comedy released in October 1929 by Vitaphone: a subsidiary of Warners Brothers, it was a studio desperate to capitalise on the smash success of their first all-talking, all-singing film, The Jazz Singer, by mopping up the routines of every vaudeville turn worth their salt. Studio space had been booked for comic Fred Allen who, at the eleventh hour proved unavailable. He was bed-ridden with a bout of the flu. At a party in New York the night before the filming slot, the agent of Burns and Allen, Arthur Lyons, alerted George of the gig. Told the fee would be $1,700, Burns agreed on the spot! Depicting a ramshackle and atypical domestic scene, the film was successful enough for Paramount Pictures to offer Burns and Allen a contract in 1930. Besides, Burns was enamoured of the pay cheque. He was keen to do anything and everything in movies. The Paramount deal certainly indulged that, with a string of onereel comedies, largely written by Burns himself. These introduced the cross-talking couple to an even wider audience, honing their homely, endearing comic personas on the hoof.
‘Lots of people have asked me what Gracie and I did to make our marriage work. It's simple - we don't do anything. I think the trouble with a lot of people is that they work too hard at staying married. They make a business out of it. When you work too hard at a business you get tired; and when you get tired you get grouchy; and when you get grouchy you start fighting; and when you start fighting you're out of business.’ George Burns
Concurrently, Burns and Allen were making headway on radio too. Over the years, Gracie’s wacky ramblings would milk much mileage out of her hilarious search for a missing brother. Through the Franklin D. Roosevelt era and beyond, even more hilarity was generated by the Gracie Allen for President running gag. George gleaned so much enjoyment from his wife’s insane flights of fancy that he would often simply write himself one introductory line and allow her to tailspin into delirious monologue. The combined force of their radio and film successes had certainly made them naturals for Paramount’s big budget musical revue The Big Broadcast (1932). Pivotal film guest appearances continued throughout the decade, notably supporting fellow Paramount contractee Bing Crosby, in We’re Not Dressing (1934), and being loaned out to support Fred Astaire in the RKO comedy musical A Damsel in Distress (1937). Leading lady Joan Fontaine proved less than agile on the studio floor. As a result much of the song and dance routines were gagged up for the trio of Astaire, Burns and Allen, notably the ‘Stiff Upper Lip’ number, performed in an amusement park hall of mirrors.
Gracie scored a couple of enjoyable solo star vehicles, The Gracie Allen Murder Case (1939), and Mr. and Mrs. North (1942), both of which involved amateur sleuthing alongside the comical set-pieces. Still, the Burns and Allen partnership was stronger than ever, particularly when the pair decided to move away from their usual flirtatious comedy and, as part of the fun, acknowledge the fact that they were actually married. Reflecting that they were now a decade or so too old for their jokes, the new domestic situation comedy format suited them perfectly and their radio series ran until May 1950. In the October, CBS kickstarted The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show on television, which ran until the September of 1958. The series only came to a halt upon Gracie’s retirement, but just over a month later NBC tried to continue the narrative with The George Burns Show. Here George was a low-rent producer on the look-out for a surefire hit, while dealing with an assortment of bizarre acts. Lots of pals from the old days popped by too, including Jack Benny, and Bea Benaderet - as George’s secretary - who was continually fending off attractive women for the sake of an unseen but often mentioned Gracie.
Out of the limelight, but still very much part of the act, even after Gracie died, in August 1964, George attempted to keep her comic spirit thriving. In September 1964 ABC Television debuted Wendy and Me. The Me was Burns, now a landlord keeping an eye on his clumsy tenant Wendy. Connie Stevens was Wendy, a Gracie clone, who would as often as not involve Burns in her scatty experiences. Eager to keep himself occupied with work, Burns would go on to produce several television shows, and tirelessly tour the nightclub circuit, re-inventing himself as an aged stand-up comedian. Moreover, his performance as veteran vaudeville comic Al Lewis in the film of Neil Simon’s The Sunshine Boys (1975) won him an Academy Award. At the age of eighty, he was the oldest recipient at the time. Now a comedy God, in more ways than one, Burns played the omnipresent creator in Oh, God! (1977), and two sequels. Spinning vaudeville gold from being very old, Burns lived long enough to see the unveiling in Los Angeles of both George Burns Road, in honour of his 90th birthday, and Gracie Allen Drive, in honour of his 99th. At the ceremony for the latter he remarked: “it’s good to be here at the corner of Burns & Allen. At my age, it’s good to be anywhere!”
Burns had a long-standing booking to play Caesars Palace, in Las Vegas, on his 100th birthday, and Bob Hope would quip that he would be sitting in the front row when he fulfilled the contract. In the event, Burns was too unwell to perform, dying a month and a half after hitting his century. In 1999 Lambchops, that little film that had started so much seventy years earlier, was selected for preservation by the Library of Congress National Film Registry, meaning it was considered “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.” Quite right too. George Burns and Gracie Allen, eternally together. A match made in comedy heaven and a couple who continue to make millions and millions of people happy. Even in his nineties, Burns was adamant about the secret of his success, explaining that: “the audience realised I had a talent. They were right. I did have a talent - and I was married to her for 38 years.” Just beautiful.
COR! Blu-Ray: The Strange World of Guerny Slade…Again (Network DVD, October 2020)
A 60th anniversary salute to an almost forgotten chapter in television history. Without this slice of anarchic, selfanalysing surrealism, the equations of Monty Python and Vic & Bob and Rik & Ade simply wouldn’t add up. The fourth wall is broken. Conversations take place with inanimate objects and dogs and ants. A poster girl comes to life. Executives actually wander in and address the very fabric of making a television series. Within the first few minutes of the opening episode, our protagonist ups and walks out from within his own situation comedy. It’s miraculous television. Su ce to say than that this bewildering and dazzling concoction by scriptwriters Sid Green and Dick Hills, for Light Entertainment enfant terrible Anthony Newley, is now acknowledged as a comedy milestone. From kisses to Chaplinesque parkbased pantomime from forty years before, to doing things that some sixty years later would be heralded as innovative when Fleabag did them, it is a given that any comedy library needs this series on its shelves. As the spine makes clear, Network had previously released the six episodes as a single DVD collection. This definitive package replaces that release splendidly. The very look of it is of the television archive. This box set seriously means business, with its negative transparencies and buff envelopes, and its bulging collection of extra features.
Review
by GISELLE ASALEM
Much maligned at the time, the series has never looked better with the original 35 mm film reels from 1960 now presented in sparkling high definition. As for the bonus material, the second disc includes some priceless treats. Some, like Newley’s woebegone and philosophical trails from the ill-fated 1963 repeat run, are familiar to students of television history but none the less fascinating and fantastic for that. Also included are two editions of The Anthony Newley Show, from January and April 1960. With some gloriously surreal sketches written by Green and Hills, these directly point toward the strangeness of Gurney Slade later that year, as well as allow guest star Janette Scott to indulge her kooky side, Peter Sellers to let rip on the drums, and Shirley Bassey to relish a pop chart face-off. And talking of pop, Newley also showcases his two timeless question songs: Why? and Do You Mind? Wonderful stuff. Also included here is A Night Out with Shirley Bassey, from June 1960, which sees Newley return the favour and guest on her variety show. Disc Two also features various production and publicity stills galleries. Mute, of course, but I suggest before pressing play on these you shout out: ‘Alexa. Play Anthony Newley’ for the ultimate feel good experience. The package also includes a comprehensive and beautifully illustrated booklet, featuring new articles penned by respected television experts Dick Fiddy, Andrew Pixley, and Andrew Roberts.
"I'm a walking television show" Gurney Slade
Gurne Slad
And as if that wasn’t enough, there’s a third disc. You’ve seen the strange world, now watch the small world: the feature film The Small World of Sammy Lee, that is. Funny and frantic, tense and thrilling, this perfectly captures the essence of 1963 Soho. Arguably Newley’s strongest film performance, it relies on his affable charm as its engine. It would be churlish to say that Newley’s egotistical and extraordinary musical fantasy film Can Hieronymus Merkin Ever Forget Mercy Humppe and Find True Happiness? would have made an even more welcome bonus film, not least because of its current commercial unavailability. Still, The Small World of Sammy Lee, a stand out film as a stand alone experience, carries even more gravitas when viewed in the context of Newley’s earlier television work. The film presentation also has its own array of bonus features, including an alternative ending, and a contemporary interview with Newley.
Not only does this set brush down and present a truly pivotal television series, but it also showcases just the smallest fraction of the multi-talents of Mr Anthony Newley. For this we should all be truly grateful. The Strange World of Gurney Slade…Again is priced at £22.99 and is available to buy direct from Network.
Above and Left: Sid Green, Anthony Newley and Dick Hills
‘Everybody involved with the series is so delighted that you and BBC Books have paid us such a honour. It’s a beautiful celebration.” Kathy Staff
Last of the Summer Wine: The Finest Vintage (BBC Worldwide Limited, 2000) The definitive tribute to television’s longest-running, best-loved situation comedy. The lyrical tales of three bumbling, elderly eccentrics had already delighted audiences for over a quarter of a century when this book was published. It includes exclusive interviews from all the leading players, from scriptwriter Roy Clarke and show runner Alan J. W. Bell, to leading actors Peter Sallis, Frank Thornton, and the late Bill Owen.
30 Years of Last of the Summer Wine (BBC Worldwide Limited, 2001)
BOOKS LAST OF THE SUMMER WINE The official BBC publications written by Morris Bright & Robert Ross
“Last of the Summer Wine is a smile show rather than a laugh show, and this book makes me smile.” Brian Wilde
Fundamentally the same book so please pay your money and take your choice - unless, like me, you are an utter comedy completist - this embraced a nostalgic cover line-up, with Brian Wilde’s Foggy to the fore. The new edition also updated the exhaustive episode guide, tracing every show from the January 1973 Comedy Playhouse to the current series. The scrumptious BBC archive, and private collection of photographer Malcolm Howarth, makes the book a visual treat.
“Thank you for such a lovely tribute. It’s practically the story of my life!” Peter Sallis
Last of the Summer Wine Memories A Centenary Tribute to Frank Thornton and Peter Sallis It was just over twenty years ago that I made my first trip to Holmfirth in West Yorkshire. It had long been home of the BBC situation comedy Last of the Summer Wine and, under the ever watchful eye of producer and director Alan J. W. Bell, had successfully kept going through shifting trends in television. Like Songs of Praise and Antiques Roadshow, Last of the Summer Wine was part of the fabric of Sunday evening viewing. For me it always had the spectre of ’Back to School’ about it, but by the time I had graduated to become a Comedy Historian the show had also happily become a haven for familiar faces from past small screen successes. Mike Grady, a mere youth in comparison to many of his co-stars but still a beloved veteran of Citizen Smith and Colin’s Sandwich, was delightfully bemused by the all-star comedy cast around him. From On the Buses’ Stephen Lewis to Coronation Street’s Jean Alexander, it was a nostalgia fest in the dales. So much so that, with tongue firmly in cheek, Mike half expected Tony Hancock to turn up!
4
Frank Thornton 1921-2013
The ‘new boy’ had been Frank Thornton, who had joined the cast at the age of 76 to play retired policeman Truly of the Yard. Thornton’s comedy credentials could match the long arm of the law itself, from Carry On to The Goodies, Steptoe and Son to sharing a hospital waiting room with Tony Hancock himself. Still it was as the rather pompous Captain Peacock in Are You Being Served? that he had became a comedy star. Internationally. The series, set in the department store of Grace Brothers, was a camp universe of limp-wrists and pussy jokes, but Thornton’s dogmatic, sly, supercilious and at times downright cowardly ex-military man was a stoic figure of comic authority. One withering glare could stop any demeaning behaviour in an instant. I remember Frank telling me that he would watch Last of the Summer Wine and wistfully ponder that Peacock’s old school tie could quite easier match up to Foggy’s old school tie. Then came the call. Little did Thornton know that actor Brian Wilde was leaving the show, for a second time, and this time he would be leaving for good.
Peter Sallis 1921 - 2017
"The female form was always a mystery to me. Anything else you acquire with moving parts, you get an owners manual." Clegg As impeccable and precise as Peacock had ever been, and as prompt and considerate on set as any director could hope, Frank Thornton slipped into the Summer Wine family with ease. And it was a family. An awe-inspiring collection of professionals, all working long, exhausting hours - largely on location - to produce at least ten half hours a year. At its head was Peter Sallis. He had been cast as Norman Clegg in 1972 - some quarter of a century before Frank Thornton was recruited. Of Funerals and Fish was an episode of Comedy Playhouse, the playground for one-off episodes that had the potential to spin-off into full blown series. Last of the Summer Wine certainly did and Sallis, along with original co-stars Michael Bates and Bill Owen, started a record-breaking run, from November 1973. Roy Clarke, the creator of the series, saw his three main protagonists as child-like pensioners, happily frittering away their twilight years not on dull retirement but joyful misadventure. It was indeed the last of the summer wine, a final bit of fun before the end of days. These eccentric and endearing characters refused to go gently into that good night. Having found West End success for directors such as Orson Welles and Tony Richardson, Peter Sallis dabbled with film and television work, notably falling foul of many a Hammer horror icon, and essaying that great man of letters in landmark serial The Diary of Samuel Pepys. In Peter Sallis writer Roy Clarke saw not only a consummate actor but also an everyman: a somewhat browbeaten chap who could represent the underdog, the man who has worked hard all his life, suffered a failed marriage, and now has precious little left to show for it. In other words, his Norman Clegg. Very much the mouthpiece for Clarke’s own thoughts and follies, Peter Sallis would play Clegg in every episode of Last of the Summer Wine; as well as Clegg's own father in First of the Summer Wine. Sallis took very seriously his place as the elder statesman of the Summer Wine universe. It was little wonder then that Sallis and Thornton bonded as a unit. Both vastly experienced, this was the manor of Sallis and Thornton knew it.
Sallis and Thornton were as different in character as Clegg and Truly. Sallis: quiet, reflective, almost rude if you didn’t know him well. He understood the Summer Wine set-up instinctively. Happily housed in his own trailer in-between takes, Sallis would rent a lovely little cottage whilst on location. It was his haven. Work was work. Free time was for him. Thornton, on the other hand, would eagerly stay with much of the cast in the welcoming Huddersfield Hotel. It was here where, unassumingly and without malice, he would often regale with tales from a long career, gleefully bouncing names like Athene Seyler and Donald Wolfit and other weighty theatrical legends. I fondly remember a conversation concerning his desire to capitalise on his Are You Being Served? popularity. He pondered on a good warhorse of a play that he could star in and tour across North America and Australia. The cult appeal of the series was at a peak in those territories, but Frank was at a lost as to what play he could perform: he wanted a funny play with an older male part as the lead. I thought for a moment: it had to be Sheridan Whiteside in The Man Who Came to Dinner. You always knew when you had impressed Frank Thornton. He looked you straight in the eye, gave you the slightest of sparkling smiles, and held your left shoulder with a vice-like grip: ‘That’s the perfect suggestion!’ he bellowed, ‘It’s not only hilarious, but my character gets to sit down throughout the whole play!’
On those glorious occasions when it was lunch from the tuck wagon with both Frank Thornton and Peter Sallis the conversation would often dip into my knowledge of their more obscure acting roles. When I waxed lyrical about his roles as a Russian Delegate in The Mouse on the Moon, or as a smitten patient of Virginia Maskell in Doctor in Love, Sallis would give me a bewitching look that seemed to effortlessly combine admiration for my having seen those films and pity for my having seen those films! I also admitted real affection for the rock ’n’ roll reworking of Romeo and Juliet that is Gonks Go Beat. Thornton, who played Mr A&R in that production gave me a look of thunder before breaking into a beam: ‘Good God!’, he said. ‘Nobody saw that film!’ It made that handful of times when I was actually invited to be in a scene of Last of the Summer Wine all the more special. Thornton and Sallis were so wise when it came to filming. They were calm and courteous and, as often as not, nailed it on the first take. Sitting in the White Horse Inn, at Jackson Bridge, a very welcoming hostelry which was often deployed for both exterior and interior pub scenes, we were given real alcohol. All I had to do was sit in-shot, sip booze, and pretend to have a conversation. What I was really doing was marvelling at the expertise of these distinguished actors, while also pinching myself at the incredulity of little me sharing a moment with them in the world’s longest running comedy series.
"My strongest memory of school is you with crumbs on your jersey...other peoples crumbs!" Truly I am left with many happy memories, and a genuine fondness for Frank Thornton, born in Dulwich, 15th January 1921, and Peter Sallis, born in Twickenham, 1st February 1921. They made it into their nineties, and they were still working. This spring they both would have turned one hundred. Thank you, gentlemen. I shall raise a glass or two of summer wine to you both.
Opposite: Summer Wine moments with Tom Owen. Above: Keith Clifford Below: Morris Bright and Robert Ross.
Collector's
ohn The Good Life by Jrbey Esmonde & Bob La nguin e Paperback novel: P 76. Books Limited, 19
Corner
Treasures from the Comedy Co age Archive
From its first broadcast, in April 1975, The Good Life was that rare beauty: an instant situation comedy classic. Scripted by John Esmonde and Bob Larbey, its star turn was Richard Briers as disillusioned and just turned forty protagonist Tom Good. As the book’s back cover blurb has it: ‘This is it in practical terms. I quit work and we become as damn near self-sufficient as possible. We’ve got bags of garden. We grow our own food. We keep animals - some chickens, a pig - produce our own energy, re-cycle rubbish. We design the things we need…’ That’s how the series started and that’s how this novel starts, going on to faithfully recapture the comedic goings on of the seven episodes that formed the first television series, as our hero walks away from the rat race and finds self-sufficiency in suburban Surbiton. Decades before a time of green-living was actively encouraged, this was the basis for one of the BBC's best-loved series. Of course, although on paper Richard Briers - late of situation comedy favourite Marriage Lines - was the undisputed star, in practise The Good Life was an ensemble piece for four brilliant actors. Rather charmingly the first novel is not only dedicated ‘To [producer] John [Howard Davies]’, but also ‘Richard, Felicity, Penny and Paul’. Quite right too. You certainly can not read these wonderful books without seeing the top-class farceurs that are Richard Briers, Felicity Kendall, Penelope Keith and Paul Eddington in your mind’s eye. Brilliant, timeless performances, immortalised in print here.
The Good Life E s m o nd e & B o b La r bey uin g n e P l: e v o n k c a b r e Pap 7. 7 19 , d e it im L s k o o B
M ore of by J oh n
The second novel, again screaming: ‘Now a BBC TV Comedy Series’, duplicated the image of Richard Briers and Felicity Kendall. There was also an insert of Penelope Keith as Margo Leadbetter, a character by now firmly established as a scene-stealer. Adapted from the original Esmonde and Larbey scripts by Christine Sparks, the action immediately picks up from the first book at the dawn of series two, relating the action six months on since Tom and Barbara went self-sufficient.
h c u m y r e v u o y k n a h Well, t
First published by Severn House in 1977, the title enjoyed a hasty paperback re-issue on Penguin Books later that year. In an age before home video release, these two novels were the perfect memento of a favourite television comedy. As collectibles of a bygone age of cross-media marketing, the books are essential.
How much?! Viewing figures for The Good Life would often clock in over fifteen million viewers, so its hardly surprising that these novels proved best-sellers. In-fact The Good Life was reprinted several times during the life of the television series. However, admirers are clearly keen to keep hold of their treasured copies for a book that would have set you back just 50p in the ‘seventies can now cost up to fifteen pounds today. More of The Good Life is an even rarer publication, so be prepared to fork out twenty quid for a pristine copy.
The COR! Interview! Mr. & Mrs. In Comedy
Jacki Piper
As it’s the month of Valentine's and love is in the air I thought it would be an apt pleasure to chat to Jacki Piper: a dear friend of mine who has had more than her fair share of husbands in a lifetime in stage and screen comedy. I wondered first of all whether Jacki could remember who played her first husband. ‘Gosh! I’m trying to think. I was in weekly repertory theatre in Rhyl, doing a different play each and every week. I remember the first play I did was written by Roy Plomley - he of Desert Island Discs fame - and it was a comedy about the most unlikely of subjects: Income Tax! As far as I can remember it was called Tax Free. It wasn’t that much of a play, to be honest, but I was playing the maid and it was a wonderful part.’ But was she married! ‘Heavens! I honestly can’t remember. I doubt it very much. All I know is I was getting lots of lovely laughter, plus I was being paid two pounds a week! At the end of that season I was off to Colwyn Bay, where I was going to be paid ten pounds a week. A fortune!’ Hobson’s Choice was a few years later, wasn’t it, but you were certainly playing a married woman in that: ‘Yes, that was much later. I was Maggie in that. Another terrific part, with the wonderful Bill Maynard playing my father. My Willie Mossop was Don Crann. He was a wonderful actor. He became well known for playing Postman Pat on stage. Such a good actor.’
Another good actor to play your husband was David Jason. ‘Ah! Yes, of course. A very good actor, on a very good script. When you are working on a script by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson, you know you are on safe ground.’ That was the Galton and Simpson Comedy episode Don’t Dilly Dally on the Way: ‘That’s right. Jimmy Edwards was the star comic. David and I were playing newlyweds who have bought Jimmy’s house, only to find that his wife, played by the always brilliant Pat Coombs, refuses to leave it for sentimental reasons. It was a lovely piece. It was a very early television role for David. And for me, come to that, and he was clearly brilliant. Happy memories, but that was a quick rehearsal. You record it. Then you go home. We only met that one time. It’s funny but of course you don’t get to know someone that well on a one-off television. It’s not like a theatre husband!’
The Cor! Interview
.”So by that rationale you would have got to know Jeffery Holland very well. ‘Well, quite. Jeff and I have shared several stage marriages! We were married in A Bedfull of Foreigners, the farce written by Dave Freeman. We played that for a lovely season at The Mill, Sonning. And we were husband and wife in the Ray Cooney farce, Run For Your Wife. Now, I love to improvise but you simply have to stick to the play when working on something by Ray Cooney. You alter one word and you can lose a laugh, and Ray is such a craftsman that he can guarantee seven laughs a page! It’s that precise. Ray is an absolute master. On Run For Your Wife, Ray’s direction would be so on the money that at the end of rehearsals our notes would take longer than the play!’ ‘There was such attention to detail and it’s such a complicated plot that it can sometimes be di cult to keep your concentration. That’s where working with someone like Jeff Holland is such a joy. He’s a very steady and calm influence on stage. A wonderful, wonderful actor, but also a lovely rock of a person. Nothing in the world seems to phase him. I adore him. Actually the very first time we worked together was on a commercial. I can’t for the life of me remember what we were advertising. Maybe it was beds! Anyway, we had to spend the whole day lying in a double bed together! Of course you have nothing to do but natter away all day, so we got on very well.’ Lying in bed with Jacki Piper, and getting paid for it! That sounds like the best day ever. ’Oh, you are sweet. It was good fun. I must say I’ve been extremely lucky with my husbands!’ I venture to say that as Jacki is one of the loveliest people ever, perhaps it’s her influence that makes the going so easy. But has there ever been an actor cast as her husband that she didn’t click with? ‘I can quite honestly say, no, there hasn’t. The only time I can recall is a play when I had a husband and a lover! It was a long, exhausting run, and the actor who played my husband did not get on with the actor who played my lover. Not at all! It got so bad that they would stand at opposite sides of the stage. Luckily I got on with them both so it became my job to communicate between them. If one had something to say to the other, they would send me a message and I had to relate it! Ridiculous, really, but we got through it.’
‘A long West End run can really begin to send you round the twist. Giles Cole was playing my husband in No Sex Please, We’re British. Giles is a brilliant writer and producer now, back then he was a brilliant actor. Strange things start to happen about three or four months in to a run like that. You can almost start to forget it, you know it so well. If that makes sense! Giles was a great help but even with him around I got to a year in that production and had to drop out of it. I was offered a second year but I refused. I was very young, of course, but back then, although I could film all-day and then do a play, I was still totally knackered. And I had had enough. I wouldn't dream of doing it now. I didn't have a day off. Even Sundays were opening a fete or doing some charity appearance that I never wanted to turn down. It was only when I was in hospital giving birth to our first son, Tim, that I suddenly realised: this is the first time I’ve had a lie-down in six years!’
‘I’ve been extremely lucky with my husbands!’’
Top: With Terry Scott in Carry On Up the Jungle (1970). Above: Triple-exposure with Richard O'Callaghan to promote Carry On At Your Convenience (1971).
The Cor! Interview
Inevitably our conversation turns to the death, late last year, of Jeremy Bulloch: ‘Oh, he was a lovely actor. I’ve lost quite a few of my favourite stage husbands over the last couple of years. Royce Mills was my husband in Don’t Dress For Dinner at the Duchess theatre. Derek Fowlds was my husband in Run For Your Wife at the Criterion. Dear, dear men. And Jeremy Bulloch, we were husband and wife in A Bedfull of Foreigners. We played it at the Pier Theatre, Bournemouth, first. Barry Howard was also in it. And Anita Graham. A lovely company. It was doing so well that Derek Nimmo came to see it, and he immediately decided to take us on a tour of the Far East!’
‘The Carry On people were an absolute joy. I had the time of my life.’ ‘Jeremy was an utter delight, but those Nimmo tours could certainly take it out of you. Jeremy suffered from asthma, poor dear, so as soon as we arrived in Cairo he couldn't leave his hotel room. The dust would have been murder for him, so he couldn't see the pyramids or do any of the lovely sight-seeing things we were doing. He took it in perfect good grace though. One of the sweetest of men. The funniest thing of all was that our real husband and wife came out to visit us. Together. My husband, Douglas, and Jeremy’s wife, Maureen, flew out together, and when Jeremy and I were leaping about on stage in the evening, Doug and Maureen would go off and have dinner together! It was a very cosy arrangement.’ And of course Terry Scott was on that tour with you. ‘Yes, absolutely, it was one of Terry’s last jobs. He was as professional and punctilious as ever. And because we were old pals, it was I who pushed his wheelchair. The honour was given to me. He would go everywhere in his wheelchair. Infact, he would only get out of it on two separate occasions: to go on stage and do the play, and at the airport duty free! Terry would get out of the wheelchair to choose his whiskey, simply because he didn’t trust me to get the right one!’ And Terry Scott is, of course, a screen husband to add to the collection. Jacki ponders: ‘Is he? Oh, Carry On Up the Jungle, you mean. I suppose he is. Did we get married in that one? We must have done. Of course. Because we have a treehouse and a baby at the end of the film! We must have gone through some sort of ceremony up the Limpopo River or something off screen because it was all proper and above board on the Carry Ons.’
‘You and I have talked at such length about all the fun and games on set for Carry On Up the Jungle I won’t repeat myself. People can get the DVD and read your books for that, su ce to say we laughed from the time we sat in the make-up chair at the crack of dawn until the time we wrapped on filming for the day. Pure laughter. Every single day. The Carry On people were an absolute joy. I had the time of my life.’ And married that lovely chap Richard O’Callaghan. Twice. ‘Oh well, Richard is still the same lovely person now as he was when we first met fifty years ago! It’s almost impossible to believe that it was fifty years ago, now very nearly fifty one years ago, since we made Carry On Loving together. Richard is just the most wonderful human being. Well, you know this to be true. He is just the kindest, most understanding of people.’ I’m guessing it was an instant rapport when you met. ‘Yes, it really was. We just got on and enjoyed each other’s company and, thankfully, as I know a lot of the Carry On fans really love Carry On Loving, seemingly we gelled together on screen. We made a very happy couple, so it was such a delight to do it all again around a year later, for Carry On At Your Convenience. Richard gets on with my real husband, Doug, so well. Even though Richard always jokes that he married me before Doug did. Which is true, I suppose!’
.Above: Welcoming Derek Fowlds to the cast of Run For Your Wife. Right: As Sally Martin in Carry On Loving (1970). ‘It was only when I was in hospital giving birth to our first son, Tim, that I suddenly realised: this is the first time I’ve had a liedown in six years!’ Doug is the most loveable of chaps, too. I love him. ‘Oh, everybody loves Doug, but I love him more than anyone!’ ‘We met when we were both in the same theatrical group, doing Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray. I was sixteen, playing the suicidal actress Sibyl Vane, and Doug was seventeen, playing the aged, homosexual Lord Henry Wotton. And we are still together, all these years later!’ It’s been an incredibly tough and unusual year for all of us, but can I ask you to pick a favourite memory from last February: ‘Oh. Such happy times. Well, last year at this time we were all together. Having the most laughs I have had in ages, doing a Carry On cruise! The sea was so rough you and I were almost falling off our seats and falling off the stage when you interviewed me. My darling Richard O’Callaghan was also on board. And Doug, of course. You brought together the happiest of companies. Valerie Leon, who I have known and loved for years was with us, and a new friend to me, Tony Slattery, who was an absolute darling. We all got on so well, eating together every evening. Such laughs! Doug and I danced to rock ’n’ roll in to the wee small hours. You, me, Doug, and Richard were playing Quoits a lot. For those who don’t know, Quoits is that ship-bound game played with rope rings. None of us knew what we were doing. We had no idea of the rules, at all, but it was such great fun. We would then retire to the bar for huge gin ’n’ tonics, and laugh until it was time to go to the dining room! What a dreadful job!’
‘And I’ll never forget playing crazy golf with you and Richard and Doug. In Bermuda! I would never have believed it could happen to little old me! Our dear friends Tony Slattery and his partner Mark Hutchison were watching us from a gorgeous wooden hut bar, sipping Pina Coladas and cheering the four of us on. Thinking about it: I’ve married Richard. Twice. I’ve been married to Doug for over fifty years. The only one I haven’t married is you. Maybe in a future life!’ I can’t wait! It really was the best of times. Talking of the Carry Ons, I know some fans watch Carry On Loving and Carry On At Your Convenience as a Jacki Piper and Richard O’Callaghan double bill for Valentines: ‘They do? How lovely! I never knew that. Oh, that’s such a sweet thought. I suppose they do work as companion pieces. We are playing different characters, of course, but we are the young lovebirds in both.’ The Carry On juvenile leads. ‘Exactly. I’m quite touched that some fans do that. Well, all I can say is if you do watch our Carry Ons this February, Richard and myself thank you very, very much, and we really hope you enjoy them.’
Postman's Knock
Dear Robert... I can’t quite remember the first time I met Robert (around 1990 I believe!). I managed to track down a Sid James and Kenneth Williams Appreciation Society of which Robert was also a member, and we soon swapped information about the Carry On and our contacts for some of the stars. Around this time I had just started working in Maidenhead (which is like a mini – Carry On set) and we soon met for a location tour before heading off to Pinewood (although we didn’t get in!). Another great memory was attending Frankie Howerd’s memorial service with Robert – many of the household names there would soon become friends of his! Very soon after I joined the Ross clan in London, to attend the premier of Carry On Columbus, a film incidentally I feel gets a raw deal some (most) of the time! My passion for the Carry Ons and British comedy was, and is still as strong as ever, however it was nothing like that of Robert’s. His encyclopaedic knowledge of the whole genre made it quite clear that he would one day make a career out of it. Some great articles in fan magazines were followed by the inauguration of the original Cor! magazine. They were brilliant, and I still have them! The Carry On Companion book soon followed, and I am proud to say I was at the launch in London. A very proud day for Robert and all who knew him, but in particular I clearly remember his lovely parents and his sister, Fiona, looking on with immense pride and pleasure. The journey had well and truly begun! Ultimately when I relocated to Norfolk I would see very little of Robert, however I have every book he has ever written – and like many can’t thank him and Gemma enough for the great shows that they have put on during this mad past year! Please Carry On Robert. I’m proud to know you and am so delighted that you and Gemma have made such a great team!
Wow! Thanks, Layne. Many happy memories indeed. Nearly thirty years ago now. Impossible! As you now, I too have a very soft spot for Carry On Columbus. The reappraisal starts here. Anyway, mate, I greatly value your support. I shall wear it always. Boom Boom! Robert x If you would like to send Robert a letter, you can do so by emailing us here: enquiries@robertross.co.uk
In Memoriam
Dave Prowse
Trisha Noble
Andy Gray
Dawn Wells
Harry Fielder
Cloris Leachman
In Memoriam
Gina Ryan
Michael Medwin
Marion Ramsey
Mike Walling
Sydney Lotterby
Barbara Windsor
In Memoriam
Archie Lyndhurst
Dustin Diamond
Tanya Roberts
John Sessions
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Derek Fowlds
Jeremy Bulloch
Social Media Shows Tuesday Talks One of the gloriously impromptu results of the first lockdown last Spring was the totally live and totally free interactive on-line shows. What started out as Gemma chatting to Robert about his various books, and fielding enthused questions from comedy fans around the world, has now become a monthly, themed celebration of all things comedy. For February 2021, it’s a Valentine’s special all about the Comedy of Love, so why not join in on the Comedy Historian Facebook page, live, from 7pm, on Tuesday, 16th February. For all updates on Robert’s books, shows, magazine articles, and everything else funny, do subscribe to the monthly newsletter. It’s free! And remember, this year comedy is the answer!
Hall of Fame
Sidney James 1913 - 1976
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