Tuning in…
Tuning in…
Desert Island Discs
Presented by Roy Plomley
Actor who left a military career to become a performer, trained at Sandhurst and served in the Indian Army.
Eight records
I wrote the I think the first one was called Cry in the Night, which I thought was a very serious, rather intelligent psychological play.
And my play was put on round these music halls, and the title was changed from Cry in the Night to Desire in the Night.
was a review called High spirits which was on at the Hippodrome Theatre, which is now, of course, the talk of the town.
at the Duke of York's Theatre, I think it was, yes, in a play called Meet a Body with the late Brian Rees.
there was a play at the Strand called Wolf's Clothing with Muriel Pavlo and Derek Farr.
Dear DelinquentFavourite
He put me in a play which started at the Westminster Theatre and subsequently went to the Aldwych Theatre, called Dear Delinquent with Anna Massey and David Tomlinson.
fifteen hundred performances, uh just three and a quarter years. Marvellous. I enjoyed it all immensely.
The keepsakes
The luxury
Not recorded.
In conversation
Presenter asks
Did you come from a theatrical family?
No, I don't. I don't at all. I come from a military family, actually.
Presenter asks
How did it all start? Did you see a lot of theatre as a child?
Yes, because my parents were very keen theatre goers. In fact, they founded The Bexhill Amateur Theatrical Society, commonly known as the Bats. And I suppose really as a child I was heavily involved with this, and this could be really where it all rubbed off.
Presenter asks
But first you became a soldier?
I come from a military family and my father asked me to go into the army, and I really mean asked because he was a most generous minded man, and although he knew I wanted to go into the theatre, he said that whereby he couldn't really help me in any way in that direction. Were I to go into the army, he might at any rate be able to give me some some guidance. And so I tried this and I went to the Royal Military College at Sandhurst before the war. It's now the Royal Military Academy, I believe. And I trained very hard indeed to be a soldier, and I finally went out to the Indian Army. And really, I just spent my time there saving up sufficient money to buy myself out of the army and buy my passage home.
The recording
Timestamps play the recording from that turn
Presenter
This download is the only extract the BBC has of this edition of Desert Island Discs. The presenter was Roy Plumley.
Presenter
Did you come from a theatrical family?
Presenter
No, I don't. I don't at all. I I come from a military family, actually.
Presenter
How did it all start? Did you see a lot of theatre as a child? Yes, because my parents were very keen theatre goers.
Presenter
And apart from that, they they were very keen amateur.
Presenter
actors. In fact, they founded
Presenter
The Bexhill Amateur Theatrical Society, commonly known as the Bats. And I suppose really as a child I w I was heavily involved with this, and this could be really where it all rubbed off.
Presenter
And I finally decided to become an actor. But first you became a soldier?
Presenter
Yes.
Presenter
Um
Presenter
I I as as I say, I came from a military family and my father
Presenter
asked me to go into the army, and I really mean asked because he was a most generous minded man, and although he knew I wanted to go into the theatre, he said that
Presenter
whereby he couldn't really help me in any way in that direction.
Presenter
Were I to go into the army, he might at any rate be able to give me some some guidance.
Presenter
And so I tried this and I I went to the
Presenter
Royal Military College at Sandhurst before the war.
Presenter
It's now the Royal Military Academy, I believe.
Presenter
And I trained
Presenter
Very hard indeed.
Presenter
to be a soldier, and I finally went out to the Indian Army.
Presenter
And really, I I just spent my time there.
Patrick Cargill
I'm not sure.
Presenter
Saving up sufficient money to buy myself out of the army and buy my passage home. Oh, dear. How did you set about getting into the theatre?
Presenter
Well, I got a bit frightened when I was half way back from from India.
Presenter
And so I sent a a a cable to a man called Matthew Forsyth, who at that time
Presenter
ran the repertory company at Bex Hill on Sea.
Presenter
And I I sent a cable saying
Presenter
Um have chucked up the army. I'm coming home and hoping to go into the theatre.
Presenter
Very grateful for any introductions.
Presenter
And uh I'd worked for him as a sort of
Presenter
unpaid amateur extra, you know, in large productions down in Bax Hill.
Presenter
And when I arrived back in England I found myself with ten shillings and sixpence in my pocket.
Presenter
and although I had a through ticket from Agra to Bex Hill,
Presenter
Uh at Victoria Station in London my mother met me and there was a short space of time before the next train went.
Presenter
And she said, How about a cup of tea? and we went across to a restaurant to have a cup of tea, and it came to half a crown, I remember, and I saw my mother fumbling in her handbag for money, and I said, No, no, no, no, I'll pay, I'll pay.
Presenter
And I paid for this, and I thought, my goodness, me eight shillings, you know And she was kind enough to pay the taxi at the other end, and I opened the front door
Presenter
And there was a letter for me sitting on the hall table, and I opened it up, and it said appear for rehearsal at ten o'clock to morrow morning, Matthew.
Presenter
Blend it.
Presenter
How long did you stay in Bax Hill Rep?
Presenter
Uh well, of course the war was approaching. Hitler had heard that I'd left the army and took a chance.
Presenter
And um
Presenter
I I managed to close that theatre after quite a few months. It's open again. I'm glad to say it is and successfully so.
Presenter
Um I then went on to Halifax, where I managed to close that too after a few months.
Presenter
and then up to Dundee. I didn't close that because from there I went back into the army again, and indeed back out to India again, where I spent most of my war years.
Patrick Cargill
Very good.
Presenter
And when the war was over?
Presenter
Uh when the war was over, I I wrote again to Anthony Hawtry, who had been running the company.
Presenter
in Dundee.
Presenter
and he very kindly immediately reemployed me my second great break.
Presenter
You played in rep for quite a long time, didn't you?
Presenter
Yes, for a total of about fifteen years, I suppose.
Presenter
Uh marvellous. I I mean I know everybody so all actors say this, but there is no doubt about it that the
Presenter
Rep is a is a wonderful existence for an actor, I think. Very exciting and and
Presenter
Of course you do learn your career, I guess. Yes. You were at Windsor for a long time. Well, Windsor was was the best. I was there for seven years.
Presenter
under the auspices of John Count Sulho.
Presenter
I really think was responsible for
Presenter
so to speak, putting what finesse there may be.
Presenter
in me onto my acting.
Presenter
and to whom I'm greatly indebted.
Presenter
And uh from there I managed to
Presenter
gradually to creep away.
Presenter
into the bigger world of the theatre. Now after your long apprenticeship in repertory, what was your first West End engagement?
Presenter
Well the first one
Presenter
was a review called
Presenter
High spirits
Presenter
which was on at the Hippodrome Theatre, which is now, of course, the talk of the town.
Presenter
had a a fantastic cast. It was headed by Cyril Richard and Diana Churchill.
Presenter
and included all sorts of people who have since made
Presenter
Tremendous impression in in the profession. People like Ian Carmichael.
Presenter
Joan Simms, Dillis Ley, Ronnie Stevens, Leslie Crowther.
Presenter
And I'm sure I've missed out lots of others. And full West End cast. And full full West End cast. And after that? Then at the Duke of York's Theatre, I think it was, yes, in a play called Meet a Body with the late Brian Rees.
Presenter
And there was a play at the Strand called um
Presenter
Wolf's Clothing with Muriel Pavlo and Derek Farr. You'd started to write plays yourself.
Presenter
Yes, I had, actually, very shortly after the war I'd started to write plays and
Presenter
I suppose every one could write a play if they tried.
Presenter
I I managed to write six or seven. None of them have been really tremendously distinctive.
Presenter
But I wrote the I think the first one was called Cry in the Night, which I thought was a very serious, rather intelligent psychological play.
Presenter
It did fairly well round the rectory companies.
Presenter
and was finally bought by a company and sent round
Presenter
A time when the music halls were beginning to die and they took
Presenter
theatre plays and put them on twice nightly.
Presenter
And my play was put on round these music halls, and the title was changed from Cry in the Night to Desire in the Night.
Presenter
And was a great success, I'm happy to say, financially.
Patrick Cargill
Pleasant if
Presenter
Splendid. Let's hear some more players that you appeared in.
Presenter
Uh let me see from there.
Presenter
Um Jack Minster, whom I had met
Presenter
At Windsor, the director.
Presenter
He um
Presenter
He'd taken a liking to me, I'm happy to say, and he he put me in a play
Presenter
which started at the Westminster Theatre and subsequently went to the Aldwych Theatre, called Dear Delinquent with Anna Massey and David Tomlinson. And I had a small but most effective part of
Presenter
David Tomlinson's man servant in this.
Presenter
And the first night.
Presenter
At
Presenter
The Westminster Theatre was a a rather electric occasion.
Presenter
And I remember I afterwards was downstairs in my subterranean dressing room. I think there used to be cellars down there in the Westminster. And I was down in one of those dressing rooms.
Presenter
and a a few faithful relatives, you know, had come to see me and were
Presenter
congratulating me in the dressing room after, and suddenly the door opened.
Presenter
and it framed
Presenter
To my absolute astonishment, no coward.
Presenter
And he stood there and he looked at me and he said, Bloody marvellous and walked out again.
Presenter
And that was the first time I met the great man and met him, I'm happy to say subsequently since on many occasions.
Presenter
You had a long, long run in Boeing Boeing.
Presenter
Yes, fifteen hundred performances, uh just three and a quarter years. Marvellous. I enjoyed it all immensely. You've recently been in a revival of a Noel Card player. Yes, successful revival. A wonderful, blithe spirit, yes, marvellous with Beryl Reed.
Patrick Cargill
Yeah, successful revival.
Presenter
Yes. Just finished a long run well, a six month run of the Globe Theatre. Followed by a short but spectacular tour. Yes, indeed. We we closed on a Saturday night, fairly recently, in London. In London, and we took an aeroplane on Sunday morning.
Presenter
and arrived in Toronto. We were actually supposed to open on that Monday night in Toronto, but we did in point of fact.
Presenter
Open on the Tuesday.
Presenter
And uh it it was a strange sort of transference from a
Presenter
A theatre I don't quite know how many seats the Globe Theatre holds, but uh roughly eight hundred, shall we say.
Presenter
To a theatre which held three thousand two hundred and fifty people. Yes. And to sort of adapt oneself in a matter of two or three hours to that was quite extraordinary.
Presenter
But it was great fun. We did very well there, actually. Patrick, we've talked about your career in the theatre.
Presenter
What about films?
Presenter
Films, well I haven't made all that number of films, um at least for a man of my advancing years in in the profession but um those I have made I thoroughly enjoyed. I I think filmmaking is tremendous fun and I love it.
Presenter
In particular I I enjoyed Inspector Cluso with Alan Arkin. Hm. There was Hammerhead, which uh took me on a wonderful location to Portugal for five weeks. Very nice. I made the second Beatle film, Help.
Presenter
where we went to the Bahamas for five weeks, to Nassau, no less. Yeah, and that was lovely.
Presenter
And then more recently there's been The Magic Christian with Peter Sellers and Ringo Starr.
Presenter
There's been
Presenter
The Marty Feldman picture. Every home should have one.
Presenter
And the last one I made uh is um
Presenter
The film version of the television series Up Pompeii with Mikey Howard, which we haven't seen yet. No, which I think is going to be a rat, too.
Presenter
And in amongst all that, of course, was the Countess from Hong Kong, which was a most exciting moment for me, really, because.
Presenter
A chaplain selected me to play this part in this film.
Presenter
It was fascinating really because he told me that had he been thirty years younger he would have played the part himself. So I felt it must be a fairly good one. Oh yes.
Patrick Cargill
Yeah.
Presenter
When did you start appearing in television?
Presenter
I think it was round about nineteen fifty three, somewhere round about there.
Presenter
Um
Presenter
A man who had been a a stage director in
Presenter
one of the many reptili companies I'd appeared in.
Presenter
had left and gone to the BBC as a d as a director and a writer, Sean Sutton.
Presenter
And he used to that you you will recall it
Presenter
lovely children's hours plays that used to be on many years ago.
Presenter
And he used to write most of these, and I was in several of them, and they they were serials, and and I was in lots of these, sometimes playing a rather nasty gestapo gentleman in a long black leather coat and a sort of Gretagerbo velure.
Presenter
That really was where where it all started. Yes. Then you spent some years as a comedian's labourer? Yes, and indeed, um I I I think the most valuable years.
Presenter
I was feed or stooge or straight man or whatever you care to call it to, I should think, almost every comedian in the country. And this was a most tremendous experience.
Presenter
And then well now, of course, uh I'm in the midst of um
Presenter
I think my most successful series which is Father, Dear Father.
Presenter
which we've done quite a number now and I'm happy to say has been an enormous success in this country. Yes. And indeed in Australia too.
Presenter asks
How did you set about getting into the theatre?
Well, I got a bit frightened when I was half way back from India. And so I sent a cable to a man called Matthew Forsyth, who at that time ran the repertory company at Bexhill on Sea. And I sent a cable saying, Have chucked up the army. I'm coming home and hoping to go into the theatre. Very grateful for any introductions. And I'd worked for him as a sort of unpaid amateur extra, you know, in large productions down in Bexhill. And when I arrived back in England I found myself with ten shillings and sixpence in my pocket. and although I had a through ticket from Agra to Bexhill, at Victoria Station in London my mother met me and there was a short space of time before the next train went. And she said, How about a cup of tea? and we went across to a restaurant to have a cup of tea, and it came to half a crown, I remember, and I saw my mother fumbling in her handbag for money, and I said, No, no, no, no, I'll pay, I'll pay. And I paid for this, and I thought, my goodness, me eight shillings, you know. And she was kind enough to pay the taxi at the other end, and I opened the front door. And there was a letter for me sitting on the hall table, and I opened it up, and it said appear for rehearsal at ten o'clock tomorrow morning, Matthew. Blend it.
Presenter asks
How long did you stay in Bexhill Rep?
Well, of course the war was approaching. Hitler had heard that I'd left the army and took a chance. And I managed to close that theatre after quite a few months. It's open again. I'm glad to say it is and successfully so. I then went on to Halifax, where I managed to close that too after a few months. and then up to Dundee. I didn't close that because from there I went back into the army again, and indeed back out to India again, where I spent most of my war years.
Presenter asks
After your long apprenticeship in repertory, what was your first West End engagement?
Well the first one was a review called High spirits which was on at the Hippodrome Theatre, which is now, of course, the talk of the town. It had a fantastic cast. It was headed by Cyril Richard and Diana Churchill. and included all sorts of people who have since made tremendous impression in the profession. People like Ian Carmichael. Joan Simms, Dillis Ley, Ronnie Stevens, Leslie Crowther. And I'm sure I've missed out lots of others.
“And I finally decided to become an actor. But first you became a soldier? Yes. I come from a military family and my father asked me to go into the army, and I really mean asked because he was a most generous minded man, and although he knew I wanted to go into the theatre, he said that whereby he couldn't really help me in any way in that direction. Were I to go into the army, he might at any rate be able to give me some some guidance.”
“And I just spent my time there saving up sufficient money to buy myself out of the army and buy my passage home.”
“When I arrived back in England I found myself with ten shillings and sixpence in my pocket.”
“The first night at The Westminster Theatre was a rather electric occasion. And I remember I afterwards was downstairs in my subterranean dressing room. and a few faithful relatives had come to see me and were congratulating me in the dressing room after, and suddenly the door opened and it framed … To my absolute astonishment, Noël Coward. And he stood there and he looked at me and he said, Bloody marvellous and walked out again. And that was the first time I met the great man.”