crashmonitor Posted December 28, 2016 Author Share Posted December 28, 2016 Well spotted David Nixon and I might be wrong about that bit too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrPin Posted December 28, 2016 Share Posted December 28, 2016 1 hour ago, crashmonitor said: Well spotted David Nixon and I might be wrong about that bit too. No he lived near me, and he had a nice house. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ARIMA Posted December 28, 2016 Share Posted December 28, 2016 6 hours ago, crashmonitor said: Always fascinating to me, so any additions to my nomination would be appreciated. I was watching an old film over Christmas, linked below, and I was surprised that I had not heard of the star, Constance Smith, as imho she was far better looking than any of her contempories...Margaret Lockwood, Viviene Leigh or Elizabeth Taylor. Digging deeper, I found she had quite a remarkable life, where indeed worldwide fame had beckoned, but she fell into obscurity and is today unknown. Signed by Fox in the 1950s as the new Grace Kelly and given the priviledge of presenting Oscars it was assumed she would be the next big thing. Her first major starring role was the one linked below. But surprisingly Fox dropped this beauty almost immediately and I reckon her fiery Irish temperament might have been the reason. Initially married to the English actor Bryan Forbes, she later twice tried to murder her fiancee, Director Paul Rother, ans served time in prison. He still married her in 1974. She died in penury in 2003 (having spent her last years as a cleaner) and forgotten. Surely a book in there, none was ever written. Smith, stunning but homicidal and compared to Hedy Lamarr in looks..... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constance_Smith Beautiful oirish eyes... but clearly mental. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stormymonday_2011 Posted December 28, 2016 Share Posted December 28, 2016 Kathy Kirby and Dorothy Squires were both big stars in the UK in their day who ended up 'relying on the kindness of strangers'. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kathy_Kirby https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorothy_Squires Jessie Matthews was a huge star in the 1930s who faded into obscurity but whose career was rescued by the Radio soap opera Mrs Dales Diary. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jessie_Matthews The common feature was that they were all bonkers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrPin Posted December 28, 2016 Share Posted December 28, 2016 Save the bonkers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidg Posted December 28, 2016 Share Posted December 28, 2016 5 hours ago, Ill_handle_it said: Benny Hill died like a poorper but without any need to do so. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benny_Hill ] Rumours circulated that he was gay, but he always denied them.[16] My mum worked with Benny Hill in rep in the 50s and said he was gay (my mum was a stage manager - whatever that is?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrPin Posted December 28, 2016 Share Posted December 28, 2016 1 minute ago, davidg said: My mum worked with Benny Hill in rep in the 50s and said he was gay (my mum was a stage manager - whatever that is?) 1) I am not surprised. His sexuality is really of no interest 2) So what, he did a job as a comedian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpectrumFX Posted December 28, 2016 Share Posted December 28, 2016 16 minutes ago, davidg said: My mum worked with Benny Hill in rep in the 50s and said he was gay (my mum was a stage manager - whatever that is?) That explains why he was always running away from those busty women. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
honkydonkey Posted December 28, 2016 Share Posted December 28, 2016 2 hours ago, MrPin said: 1) I am not surprised. His sexuality is really of no interest 2) So what, he did a job as a comedian In the 50s it would have been of interest to the authorities I imagine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrPin Posted December 29, 2016 Share Posted December 29, 2016 5 hours ago, honkydonkey said: In the 50s it would have been of interest to the authorities I imagine. Yes, indeed, as would have been my uncle. We all knew, even though we weren't told, and nobody mentioned it. My dad mentioned it a couple of months back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidg Posted December 29, 2016 Share Posted December 29, 2016 12 hours ago, honkydonkey said: In the 50s it would have been of interest to the authorities I imagine. They didn't seem that interested in luvvies - I guess they didn't have any state secrets to hide. Frankie Howerd was another. My mum worked with him at Gt. Yarmouth rep and it was pretty well known he was gay then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ill_handle_it Posted December 29, 2016 Share Posted December 29, 2016 https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.express.co.uk/life-style/life/559201/Rainbow-presenter-Geoffrey-Hayes-interview/amp Geoffrey Hayes from the children's TV show. Not dead or broke but did some shelf stacking and drove a taxi. Like most actors, I’ve had spells of unemployment and for four months I worked two nights a week shelf-stacking in my local Sainsbury’s. I didn’t do it for the money – it was just that I’d been out of work for five months and was hanging around the house becoming a pain. My wife told me to do something to take my mind off it. I also did a stint taxi driving. Now I’m retired and when I look back at my TV career, I feel very lucky. I’ll always be grateful for Rainbow and the life it’s given me.” Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrPin Posted December 29, 2016 Share Posted December 29, 2016 3 minutes ago, Ill_handle_it said: https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.express.co.uk/life-style/life/559201/Rainbow-presenter-Geoffrey-Hayes-interview/amp Geoffrey Hayes from the children's TV show. Not dead or broke but did some shelf stacking and drove a taxi. Like most actors, I’ve had spells of unemployment and for four months I worked two nights a week shelf-stacking in my local Sainsbury’s. I didn’t do it for the money – it was just that I’d been out of work for five months and was hanging around the house becoming a pain. My wife told me to do something to take my mind off it. I also did a stint taxi driving. Now I’m retired and when I look back at my TV career, I feel very lucky. I’ll always be grateful for Rainbow and the life it’s given me.” Were you the camp hippo, Mr HandleIt? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ill_handle_it Posted December 29, 2016 Share Posted December 29, 2016 I am contractually obligated not to confirm or deny my involvement with project Rainbow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crashmonitor Posted December 29, 2016 Author Share Posted December 29, 2016 32 minutes ago, Ill_handle_it said: I am contractually obligated not to confirm or deny my involvement with project Rainbow. Series finished in 1993. 1,000 episodes today would make you rich, especially if you have licence payers bent over a barrel. Rainbow though was Thames. Big names like Jan Leeming back then earned next to nothing. Now some BBC newsreaders earn the quarter of a million. I guess the reeducation of racist Northern plebs wasn't in the job description back then so I guess the job is more involved these days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The XYY Man Posted December 29, 2016 Share Posted December 29, 2016 1 hour ago, Ill_handle_it said: I am contractually obligated not to confirm or deny my involvement with project Rainbow. Come on handles, no need to be so coy - we won't say nowt. So did you Rod Jane and Freddy..? XYY Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hectors House Posted December 29, 2016 Share Posted December 29, 2016 Charles Hawtree Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crashmonitor Posted December 29, 2016 Author Share Posted December 29, 2016 10 minutes ago, Hectors House said: Charles Hawtree Apparently the stars earned diddly squat in the low budget Carry ons. Just needed to stick around and become a National Institution like Barbara Windsor and make money in the Media Age. I guess the Carry on curse didn't lend to longevity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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