Whatever happened to class?

Joi Lansing (6th April 1929 – 7th August 1972)

Sonja Henie (8th April 1912 – 12th October 1969)

Dame Cicely Courtneidge (1st April 1893 – 26 April 1980)

Billie Holiday (7th April 1915 – 17th July 1959)

Mistinguett (5th April 1873 – 5th January 1956)

Carmen McRae (8th April 1920 – 10th November 1994)

Dame Penelope Keith (born 2nd April 1940)

Alberta Hunter (1st April 1895 – 17th October 1984)

Debbie Reynolds (1st April 1932 – 28th December 2016)

Mary Pickford (8th April 1892 – 29th May 1979)

Damehood

The lovely Dame Cicely Courtneidge was born 120 years ago this week...











Facts about Dame Cicely:

• She married the actor and dancer Jack Hulbert (who became her professional as well as personal partner) in 1916, a relationship that lasted until his death 62 years later.
• Her first and most enduring career was on the stage; she began in 1901 as a child in her father's musical comedies, and one of her final appearances was at a Silver Jubilee gala in 1977 alongside Ingrid Bergman, Wendy Hiller, Flora Robson and Diana Rigg.
• Her most-remembered stage appearance was in Ivor Novello's Gay's The Word in the 1950s.
• She made numerous movies - at the beginning taking mediocre roles just to pay off debts - but ended up a much in demand character actress; in 1962, in The L-Shaped Room she played an elderly lesbian, living in a drab London flat with her cat.
• Dame Cicely was the first to play the "Mum" character in the classic TV comedy On the Buses, a part later more associated with Doris Hare.

And here she is singing one of our favourite camp Music Hall numbers here at Dolores Delargo Towers, There's Something About A Soldier:

Cicely Courtneidge - There's Something About A Soldier

She was indeed one of Britain's finest variety artistes...

Dame Esmerelda Cicely Courtneidge DBE (1st April 1893 – 26th April 1980)