STRAYCAT EXCAVATIONS

Bobcat, 4.5 Tonne Mini Excavator

Paul 0408 367 071

■ When I was a lad my tastes were mainly for the popular music of the day or rock and roll. I would never have believed that as I grew older I would become a fan of Gracie Fields.

Gracie Fields belonged to the generations before me but now I appreciate her singing and have recently watched her old films. I am sure that many of our readers would be fans of Gracie Fields. Grace Stansfield was born in Lancashire in 1898 and made her professional stage debut at the age of 12 in a stage show.

Her younger sisters were Betty and Edith She married her manager Archie Pitt in 1923. The theatre audiences loved Gracie

In 1928 she recorded Because I Love You for HMV and that was the start of a recording career that would continue throughout her lifetime.

Gracie's first film in 1931 was Sally in Our Alley where she sang her hit song Sally

The film was a huge box office success. She made four films for the Twentieth Century Fox studios but they were all filmed in England

The film Ship Yard Sally which featured her most popular song Wish Me Luck As You Wave Me Goodbye was directed by her second husband Monty Banks

By 1937 Gracie was the highest paid film star in the world. Gracie's other films included Looking on the Bright Side, Sing as We Go, This Week of Grace and Keep Smiling

Her films are available for purchase on the