MOST POPULAR ACTRESS

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLIII, Issue 20930, 8 January 1938, Page 18

MOST POPULAR ACTRESS

LIFE OF GRACIE FIELDS NOT ALL BEER ANt) SKITTLES Born Gracie Stansfield at Rochdale, Lancashire, on January 9, 1898, the daughter of Fred Stansfield, the wellknown actress Gracie Fields has had a varied career. As a little girl, shawl around her shoulders and clogs on her feet, she used to sing in the streets of Rochdale, hoping that someone would hear her and make her a star. Neighbours told her to “go home to her mother and stop making “foony” noises. Gracie used to go backstage at the local theatre with her mother when returning the ‘theatrical company's laundry; picked up tunes and sang, eventually making her first public appearance at a Rochdale cinema in 1906. She appeared with a juvenile troupe subsequently, earning a shilling a week. At 15 she applied for a job as chorus girl, but her photograph was returned with "Hardly suitable’’ written in the corner. In 1914 Miss Fields played her first pantomime engagement as the Princess of Morocco in ‘‘Dick Whittington.” She played in several revues, but made her first really important success in "Mr Tower of London." This modest little show, which was booked for small provincial halls all over England, made enormous sums of money, eventually reached the-London stage and ran to 4000 performances, of which Gracie did not miss one. Miss Fields married Archie Pitt about this time. In 1926 Miss Fields appeared in “By Request,” which ran for three years, and she appeared at many variety theatres and became one of the most successful music hall artists. Stupendous Welcome Many successful stage appearances and song recitals followed, and in 1935 the actress went to South Africa, where her arrival was. stupendous—traffic in Cape Town was disorganised when hundreds of thousands clamoured to welcome her. Her tour'was a complete triumph. Having tasted travel, she has a longing to travel all over the world. She was voted the most popular of all British screen stars by exhibitors’ poll in 1936; is one of the most popular singers, but makes broadcasts only rarely. Miss Fields is the highest paid woman screen star in the world. Greatest interest outside stage and screen work are her family and the Gracie Fields Orphanage, which she founded at Peacehaven, near Brighton, in April, 1936. Her ambition is Jo earn enough money to endow the orphanage permanently. Gracie does more for charity than almost any other stage or screen

artist in England. She has made several return visits to her native Rochdale, where she receives a | tumultuous welcome, and gives a week’s performance for local charities, raising as much as £4OOO in a visit. Miss Fields has never forgotten her old friends in Rochdale and is adored by them all. When she goes there she stays with old friends, such as the old clog-maker who used to make clogs for her and her sisters when they were children. At the time of the Coronation of King George VI she was given the freedom of the Borough of Rochdale. The announcement was received with wild enthusiasm by the townsfolk. It is a great honour, as she is the first woman to be added to the "Roll of Freedom.” "She has never forgotten us,” a local councillor said: "we will never forget her.” Gracie has a special staff and offices to cope with fan mail, etc., and has to allow £5OOO a year to cover the cost of fan mail. She receives as many as 50 plays a day with requests to read them, and as many as 100 songs asking her to sing them. Begging letters totalled requests for £60,000 in one week alone. She has made many gramophone records, of which almost 5,000,000 have been sold in the British Empire. “Our Gracie receives an average of 550 requests each week to open bazaars, judge beauty contests, etc. At a recent election she received almost 20 requests from political candidates asking her to speak from their electioneering platforms—but she refuses to dabble in politics. Even had a request from a Mayfair socialist asking £5OO to get her husband out of a -scrape! She luu bad * thip

named after her—excursion steamer "s.s. Gracie Fields.” Miss Fields has a villa on the Isle of Capri, to which- she goes whenever possible to rest. She is so popular in England that fans allow her no peace, and in spite of her boundless and genial disposition, she once said that she wished people would remember that "under the’ grease-paint is a very tired woman—please don't make me run away and hide.”

Gracie has simple tastes never uses cosmetics, stays at home with her family and her husband whenever possible. Her agent has volumes of Press cuttings, running into thousands of pages, which Gracie has never looked at. She says: "I might look at them when I’m old—just to

sec what they thought of me when I was young. Apart from her amazing talent and versatility, she owes her popularity to the fact that is completely unspoilt by success and is the most human of stars. Her British films include: “Sally in Our Alley,” “Looking on the Bright Side," “This Week of Grace,” “Love, Life and Laughter,” "Sing as We Go,” “Look Up and Laugh,” "Queen of Hearts,” “The Show Goes On.”

Shirley Ann Richards, Cinesound star, is paying the penalty of popularity and is paying with good grace most of the time But she wishes strangers would not ring her on the ’phone asking for appointments. Persons she has never heard of are always telephoning, claiming acquaintance. They say they met her on such and such an occasion etc., etc. One young man who telephoned recently was very persistent. First of dll he suggested a dinner appointment. Gently rebuffed, he asked permission to call. Being told that was not desired he became a little peevish and insisted that he had to meet Shirley Ann sometime. "Perhaps we shall” soothed Shirley Ann, "but I don’t think we shall hasten the meeting by this telephone conversation. At that, the young man rang off.