Dame Gracie Fields 1898-1979

"Our Gracie" as she was lovingly known by at least 2 generations of people, the down to earth comedienne was a superstar selling 4 million records at the height of the depression.

Her life is well documented with many biographies, Gracie made 14 films, 4 American telecasts including: "Miss Marple with Roger Moore and Jessica Tandy", "A Tale Of Two Cities" with Denholm Elliot. "Mrs Arris Goes To Paris" and an "Old Lady Shows Her Medals".

10 Royal variety/Command Performances 1928-78. Gracie left hand coloured 1939 picture by myself.

Her war effort normally goes under the radar she raised millions for the British war effort, in Canada and America, she was the hardest working star of the lot. 

It did her no good to be classed a traitor because it really was not true, she came to England three times during the war without Monty Banks who she married in March 1940.

When Italy joined on the side of Hitler Monty did not have nationalisation papers and as such would have been regarded as a prisoner of war, hence Gracie going to Canada and America who could blame her protecting her loved one? Both The Queen and Gracie were considered important enough to kill to lower moral with the English.

All was forgiven well almost in 1948, when she sang; "Take Me Too Your Heart Again" at The London Palladium. I personally feel her Hollywood years as a film star were the best. "Holy Matrimony" 1943 with Monty Wholley, her own favourite on you tube and; "Molly And Me" 1945 again with Monty Wholley is so popular on you tube 1.2 million views, her last film; "Paris Underground" a WW11 thriller again 1945, is so popular the star was Constance Bennett and quite a nasty bitch by all accounts

 I uploaded the films because The offical Gracie Fields appreciation are to busy being Divas to do this... typical of their style for the last 13 years.

Many of her recordings are available some rare material on 3 cd's "Ramona" 1928-40, 20 tracks "Requests 1930-52" 20 tracks,and "The Real Gracie Fields" 100 tracks all supplied from my own collection...

A few years ago I was given many personal cards and letters of Gracie and Boris whom she wed in 1952, 2 years after Monty died on a train from a heart attack. I even have her Canadian Dollars signed too.

I have been a Gracie fan for 57 years since hearing her Gramophone records as a kid, I am still around and enjoying "Our Gracie" I watched her last Royal Variety performance in 1978, with my mother who cried her eyes out with sheer joy, sadly Gracie died 10 months later aged 81 at her capri home , Boris passing away in 1983. 

Vera Lynn and Anne Shelton were the younger WW11 entertainers who stayed close to The BBC microphones, although Vera did a small tour in Burma and Anne sang and recorded 2 tracks with Glenn Miller both ladies had their own Radio shows Vera with "Sincerely Yours" and Anne with "Calling Malta"

Most of the hangers on are long gone too, I will mention no names, sometimes you can see the wood for the trees... Gracie toured many theatres of was more than all the others often on the front line, aged in her late 40's, after the war she continued to appear on telly in "Startime" for ATV and Gracie and Just Gracie for BBC "Her This Is Your Life" from 1960 can be seen on you tube again uploaded by myself

Left Gracie in "Mrs Arris Goes To Paris" 1958.

Stars On Sunday was Gracie Fields favourite show and she appeared on many times, sadly "A Gift For Gracie" 1971 from Yorkshire Television with Bruce Forsyth and others is considered lost...

That's a rap for now just enjoy Gracie Fields a true original and a superstar.

Chris Rogers 2023.

Noele Gordon 1919-1985

There was a time in the 60's and 70's Noele  above was never off our ATV screens. Over 2000 episodes of Lunchbox  1957-1963 were made at the old Aston studios. One complete episode survives and a few bits and pieces.  

The photo above is a stunner what a looker Noele was? Crossroads ran from 1964 to 1988, Noele was written out in 1981 much to many people's horror, she did reappear in 1983 for a few episodes and then gone forever. Larry Grayson was a close friend of Noele's you can see him on his own This Is Your Life on you tube which I uploaded a few years back so popular it is too take a look!

 Lionel Rubin was the drummer with Jerry Allen and his trio, on Lunchbox he passed away in January 2021. He was contacted in 2017, and asked if he wanted to talk about Noele and his answer was sadly no.

His details were passed on to the Crossroads appreciation society and no more is known. On facebook you can join the Crossroads appreciation society or The Noele Gordon appreciation Society, what fabulous articles to read take a look.

Noele was a stage star of the 40's, and appeared in Diamond Lil with Mae West in 1948, I understand Noele was not a fan of  Mae West?

Brigadoon was Noele's favourite theatre show the part of Meg Brockie in the 1950's Meg was her Crossroads name too in the 60's. 

Noele had 2 roles on screen 29 Arcacia Avenue as an over the top neighbour and The Lisbon Story 1946, Below but Most copies have bits of Noele missing. 

Noele studied Tv in the States and her magazine programmes became the staple diet of early ITV Midlands network, and Lunchbox was another show although her singing was an acquired taste.

Alan Grahame is the only surviving member of the Jerry Allen group, he kindly spoke to me several years ago, his wife had dementia and he told me Noele was godmother to one of his children, his wife was a dancer on Lunchbox.

Nolly left.

Crossroads was a soap that was on between regional and national news programmes on ITV.

I recall the time was 5:25 pm daily.

 I myself met Noele in 1979, at a charity football match at Groves football ground, off the Stourbridge Road Halesowen. All in white she had a double decker bus as a rest room, she could be seen smoking upstairs, Noele did a lot of work for charity. I used to go to the Grosvenor  hotel on the Hagley Road Birmingham, Larry and Noele were quite often there..

I remember Bill Buckley from Tv's That's life singing Meg is Magic outside ATV studios in 1981, when she was fired, that awful picture of Noele with dark glasses and a ciggy in her mouth, was iconic  like Norma Desmond in

 Sunset Boulevard...

 Noele  in an interview said:" Watch Me I will prove there is life after Crossroads and she did just that."..

A friend did not like Noele but was a fan after seeing her on stage he said she was sensational. A British version of Ethel Merman for sure.

Sadly Stomach cancer. took Noele's life in 1985 after two operations it was terminal, sadly Noele stopped living once sacked from Crossroads, it had been her life. I visited Noele's grave the day after her funeral a lovely bouquet from Danny La Rue, and Wayne King, dedicated to a fighter on the card. A tribute from Pat Pheonix, Elsie Tanner from Coronation Street, and a lovely bouquet from The Sunday Mercury who Nolly was writing a column for at the time of her passing.

Nolly the lady of Scottish Heritage born in East Ham is Buried next to Jocky her mother in a Ross On Wye Cemetery, one of her biggest fans was Tigg Gordon known to us as Lynn, who sadly passed late in 2022 hope your watching from above? You would have loved this for sure.

 I am saw "Nolly" with Helena Bonham Carter, written by Russell T Davies, who wrote it's A Sin. Noele and Crossroads are as camp as Christmas it's self  What an outstanding programme I stayed up to the early hours watching it. You will love it...

Chris Rogers 2023,

Clarice Cliff: Dusty Springfield and Dorothy Squires two tough ga...

Clarice Cliff: Dusty Springfield and Dorothy Squires two tough ga...: Dusty was without doubt one of the finest voices to come from the uk? both women  Dot too were quite something without question, both had an...

Rita Williams Queen of the covers a forgotten voice 1920-71.

 Rita Williams is just a memory today? her voice was hailed as the queen of the covers, first with Crown records 1936 and later with Embassy both labels cheap covers sold at Woolworths too.

A friend long gone sent me a note about Rita, saying he met her all 4ft 7 of her she was quite tiny and wore pixie kind of clothes. The interesting bit for me is her long affair with Teddie Holmes, Gracie Fields pianist at one time.

Philip Green used Rita and her smooth vocals on quite a number of Columbia red 78rpms in the late 40's, she also acted with Hattie Jaques and Eric Sykes, In Sykes and A 1964.

Rita below 1957. Band Of Gold for Embassy 1956 again a cover of a US cover the British Singer was Rosemary Squires...

Rita also did jingles to for Radio Luxembourg.

Top  left Teddie Holmes with Gracie Fields South Africa 1945.

Rita recorded two Gracie Fields numbers Now Is The Hour 1947, and Popa Won't You Dance With Me 1948.  The Rita Williams singers performed on record with Shirley Bassey and Gracie Fields among the many other artists. 

A selection of Rita's records for Embassy can be found on You Tube, so do take a listen.

The last record Rita Made was for Gemini records Your Nearer in 1970 it sounds very plush indeed.

Chris Rogers music historian 2022.

Game set and match!

This blog is for one person I know you or your friends are reading this? I am going to give you one last chance to stop! If you don't I will expose you for who you are.

I have so much evidence you! and  the others have provided over the last 18 months.

You have my email address another data breach? If I do not get a full apology from you then I will tell the full story on the net TRUST me! and all the others involved too..

All the Best,

Chris Rogers.

Dusty Springfield and Dorothy Squires two tough gay icons.

Dusty was without doubt one of the finest voices to come from the uk? both women  Dot too were quite something without question, both had an emotional painful delivery of a song.

Dorothy quite a different person a very sucessful singer with Billy reid, the voice and composer, yet again a tough women powerful and stubborn like Dusty, if something was wrong nither would be affraid to say both had huge Gay followings for various reasons, sometimes Dusty thought she was a female drag queen on various occasions. 

Dot looked like a drag queen for years and we loved her for it, her life was off the scale, raunchy, difficult, and roller coaster in every sence of the world.

Left Dot Squires and Right Dusty. Dorothy was famous in the 40's, 50's,& 60's and Dusty 60's, till the 90's.

Dorothy through her divorce with Roger Moore became a gay icon for a different reason, we like tragic people, because in some ways they represent a part of us. Both artists had big orchestras, lovely clothes Duggie Darnell designed for both ladies.

Both had DS as their intials too the only song I can find that both ladies sang was; Who Can I Turn To (When nobody Needs Me) both versions are on youtube, very differnt styles but heart Wrenching performances A cushion of sound via orchestrations was a trade mark of Dusty and Dot. Take a listen and see what I mean.

Johnny Pearson, Ivor Raymonde and Michael Legrand were among Dustys orchestration, Dot had Nicky Welsh a very essentic man but a first class arranger, he got something extra out of Dorothy that no one could get.

I believe both ladies were Bipolar with many ups and downs, insecure, stubborn, tempremental and difficult but most great people are.

Dot joked with Dusty who would reach heaven first? with the intials DS. Both ladies had drink and drugs issues, it never got the best of Dot, but Dusty had afew fallow years in the 70's, but bounced back with The Pet Shop Boys, many older people were over the moon as she was an icon to them.

Purple hearts were Dots answer to problems or low mood, till someones dog eat them and she was asked to leave living with friends they were not impressed. Dot admired Dusty and her choice of songs.

Dusty did not do well in the US, sadly never reaching her potential.

Some fans of Dot were also fans of Dusty and visa versa, perhaps a connection through life and showbiz. If I had to choose a Dusty track Going Back would be the one, with Dot it has to be Till.

Both, dusty aged 59, who died in 1999. and Dot aged 83, who died  in 1998, both from cancer A couple of ladies that lite the world up Dusty Irish, Dot Welsh. Both stars suffered from undiagnosed Bipolar disorder....

Chris Rogers 2022.

Dorothy Squires the press cuttings.. Part 1

 I am very endebted to Thomas Bunn/Bunny Thomas for his unfailing love of Dorothy Squires 1915-1998 as a real fan he has a vast amounts of posters, photographes, tickets and press cuttings all safely kept for us all to enjoy once again.

I am sure they would be most welcome to her many fans, Dot herself hated the press, but they give a real insight into her world, and her many adventures over the years.

Dates are given where known as the collection is rather large and in no particular order just fun snippits, and I hope they stir up some happy memories of the charismatic unique and quite mad (but we loved her for it) Dorothy Squires Sue should have been Dots middle name lol lol lol..

If a butterfly landed on her window she would sue bless her heart.... Here below is her good friend  Diana Dors coming to Dorothys defence early 70's payola case....

Chris Rogers/Thomas Bunn 2022.