Penelope Keith

Penelope Keith0:00

Hello, I'm Kirstie Young, and this is a download from the Desert Island Discs archive. This edition may be slightly different from what was actually broadcast, but it is the only version we have. It comes from the British Library's radio collection. The recording didn't contain the guests' eight music choices, so we've rebuilt the original show by using discs from the BBC Gramophone Library. For Wrights' reasons, we've had to shorten the music.

Penelope Keith0:26

Full details can be found on the Castaways page on the Desert Island Disc's website.

Penelope Keith0:31

The programme was originally broadcast in nineteen seventy six.

Penelope Keith0:34

And the presenter was Roy Plumley.

Presenter0:53

This week, our castaway is the actress Penelope Keith. Penny, could you face up to loneliness?

Penelope Keith0:59

Yeah.

Penelope Keith1:00

Yes, I think I could. Have you ever experienced it? Not total loneliness. I like to be alone for a day or two. That's about as m as most as I've had.

Penelope Keith1:08

What would you be having?

Presenter1:09

happiest who got away from.

Penelope Keith1:11

Um

Penelope Keith1:12

Having to do five things at once. Uh

Presenter1:15

Ha ha ha ha.

Penelope Keith1:15

Yeah.

Presenter1:16

Uh

Penelope Keith1:16

Uh

Presenter1:16

Is music a a major interest of yours?

Penelope Keith1:19

Yes, yes, I like it a lot.

Presenter1:21

Have you any skill? Do you play an instrument?

Penelope Keith1:21

Have you

Penelope Keith1:22

I was taught the piano for nine years at school, and then I put a sewing machine needle through my finger, and that put an end to my piano playing career. But I think I don't think I was destined to be a great musician. Do you sing? Have you played in a musical? I have played in a musical. I haven't got a very tuneful voice. It's very loud.

Presenter1:30

But I think

Penelope Keith1:40

Uh

Presenter1:40

But That's something, isn't it? What was your plan in choosing these eight records?

Penelope Keith1:45

Um I think

Penelope Keith1:47

Some of them to remind me of happy times in my life, others just because I love the music, just like listening to it.

Presenter1:52

Watch the first one.

Penelope Keith1:54

The first one is You Are My Sunshine. This is my earliest musical memory. I used to play this with my mother, who's been a marvellous influence on my life, at the piano. And so I always think of her when I hear when I hear this.

Penelope Keith2:13

You are my sunshine, my only sunshine.

Penelope Keith2:19

You make me happy when skies are grey.

Penelope Keith2:25

You'll never know, dear, how much I love you.

Penelope Keith2:32

Yeah.

Speaker 12:32

Uh

Penelope Keith2:32

Please don't take my sunshine away.

Speaker 12:36

Uh

Presenter2:37

You Are My Sunshine sung by Trini Lopez. What's your second choice?

Penelope Keith2:42

My second choice is Elgar, uh the introduction Allegro for strings. I just love Elgar and I can't imagine life without it.

Presenter3:43

Poet of Elgar's Introduction and Allegro for Strings, the London Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Sir Adrian Bolt. What part of the country do you come from, Penny?

Penelope Keith3:51

I was born in Sutton, in Surrey.

Presenter3:53

Yes.

Penelope Keith3:53

So I'm a Londoner.

Penelope Keith3:55

Yeah.

Presenter3:55

Anyway,

Penelope Keith3:56

Theatrical

Presenter3:56

The

Penelope Keith3:56

Yeah.

Presenter3:56

Back

Penelope Keith3:56

No, none at all, none at all. My mother, I think, probably wanted to go into the theatre.

Presenter4:01

Did you see a lot of theater?

Penelope Keith4:02

I saw a lot of theatre. Yes, I was very lucky. I wasn't trotted round museums and things as a child during my school holidays, but I was always taken to the theatre. Drury Lane musical always, every holiday. Yes. Were you encouraged at school as well? Yes, yes, very much so. Very heavy emphasis on drama in my school. And I eventually went to drama school to the Weber Douglas. What sort of perch did you visualise yourself playing? I don't think I visualized playing anything. I certainly knew I was never a Juve. I quite a tall girl. And uh so I knew I'd never make Juliet. And it'd be rather a long time to wait for the nurse, but I hope there might be a few things in the middle.

Presenter4:34

Maybe a few things in the middle.

Presenter4:37

But what was, in fact, your first professional job?

Penelope Keith4:40

My first professional job was at Chesterfield Rep, where I played A Pregnant Lady in Tunnel of Love, which was a comedy.

Presenter4:48

Uh Chesterfield was a weekly rep.

Penelope Keith4:49

Weekly rep, yeah, six months, different play every week.

Presenter4:52

ASM as well. The system state manager.

Penelope Keith4:53

Yes, assistant stage manager as well, making flowers. I seem to remember making flowers and begging and borrowing props from the local shops.

Presenter5:01

Staying up all night once a week to strike the set.

Penelope Keith5:03

That's right, yes, yes.

Presenter5:04

Making the tea.

Penelope Keith5:05

Making the T V, yes, all those lovely things, sweeping the stage.

Presenter5:08

Course. What was the best thing you did?

Penelope Keith5:11

I think it was playing the part of the maid in Breath of Spring.

Presenter5:15

Well that's a very funny part.

Penelope Keith5:17

Yes, it's a wonderful part, a marvellous part. It's about some old people who steal mink coats and she has been in jail and that was a wonderful part.

Presenter5:21

Yeah.

Presenter5:23

How long did you stay at Chesterfield?

Penelope Keith5:25

Six months. And then on to Lincoln, which was fortnightly. Fortnightly? Jam on it. Yes, indeed, yes. How long?

Presenter5:31

Yeah.

Penelope Keith5:32

Hull Off and On for about eighteen months. I went first ASM ing and playing, and then I went back and played the occasional part, off and on, as I say.

Presenter5:42

And did you do more reps after that?

Penelope Keith5:43

Yes, I went to Manchester, and I went to Salisbury.

Presenter5:46

What took you out of Rep?

Penelope Keith5:48

I suppose the big break was when I joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in'sixty three' and went up to Stratford for the season.

Presenter5:54

Let's break at this point for your third record.

Penelope Keith5:56

My third record is Frank Sinatra. Had great difficulty choosing which one, but I've come up with Here's That Rainy Day.

Speaker 16:04

Funny how love become

Speaker 16:11

Cold rainy day

Speaker 16:18

Funny.

Speaker 16:21

That rainy day is here

Presenter6:33

Prank Sinatra

Presenter6:34

So after all that rep you joined the Royal Shakespeare Company, which in a way is i is a rep as well. It was back to the bottom of the ladder a little.

Penelope Keith6:42

Oh yes, carrying spears.

Presenter6:44

Mm-hmm.

Penelope Keith6:45

and crowding.

Presenter6:46

Yes. What was going on at Stratford? Well, that was the year of the Wars of the Roses. Of course. And sometimes you used to do the whole trilogy, all all three plays.

Penelope Keith6:56

That's right. In a day, starting at ten thirty, so the half was called at five to ten, and we got out of the theatre at about ten to eleven in the evening. Yes, did many of the audience stay with you? Not so much in Stratford. A few did, a few hardy types. But when we came down to London to the Aldwych with all three, we did three trilogies at the Aldwych and they were always packed with the people who'd been there from morning to night.

Presenter7:20

Yes, it's a it's a good steady dose of Shakespeare

Penelope Keith7:22

Yes, yes, it's quite a lot. You do know who all the dukes are at the end, you see. That's the marvellous thing.

Presenter7:26

Yes, yes, it's a very rewarding experience. And very good productions as I remember. A great deal of ketchup was shed.

Penelope Keith7:32

A great deal of

Penelope Keith7:34

Yeah.

Presenter7:34

Yes, but the battle scenes were very effective.

Penelope Keith7:36

Beautiful.

Presenter7:37

What else did you do for the RSC?

Penelope Keith7:39

We did a production of Julius Caesar.

Presenter7:41

Hmm.

Penelope Keith7:41

in which I was a part of the crowd.

Penelope Keith7:44

Fifteen of us managed to look like three and a half, I think to remember. And um there was a large crowd scene when Antony does his great persuasive speech to the masses, friends, Romans, and countrymen. We'd all been directed to shout at him. For some unknown reason on the first night, the rest of my fifteen or sixteen compatriots kept quiet. So when Antony yelled out, friends which we all shouted, Romans shouted

Penelope Keith8:07

A countryman, lend me your ears. I was heard to yell, Have an ear, which was picked up by various critics, and I managed to get notices as the sixteenth citizen.

Presenter8:18

Ha ha ha ha.

Presenter8:21

You did some break for

Penelope Keith8:22

Yes, I did some brecht for the Royal Shakespeare Company in Puntilla at the Aldrich. I also did some brecht at the Queen's Theatre, which sounds quite unlikely, in Shaftesbury Avenue, a play called St. Joan of the Stockyards. My first line in that production was, in an American accent, where twenty thousand workers in the Lennox meat plant.

Presenter8:42

Saving exactly that.

Penelope Keith8:42

Said in exactly that tone of voice, I can I can remember it now.

Presenter8:43

I can

Presenter8:45

It's very hard to get a laugh on that end of the place. What was the first commercial play we did?

Penelope Keith8:47

Uh

Penelope Keith8:51

The first commercial play I did was a play called Suddenly at Home by Francis Durbridge.

Penelope Keith8:56

which was at the fortune.

Presenter8:58

Had a long run.

Penelope Keith8:58

Long run, yes, indeed. I was with it for nine months. I got killed every night for nine I was smothered.

Penelope Keith9:04

Yes. My great challenge in that was not to breathe for about five minutes, or I should be lying dead on the sofa in full view.

Penelope Keith9:11

A long run, indeed, yes.

Presenter9:12

Did you turn it first?

Penelope Keith9:13

We well, yes, that's the first time I ever toured. We did Wimbledon and Southsea. Now, Wimbledon is probably my nearest theatre to my own home. And I remember on the last night at Wimbledon, I decided to give up

Penelope Keith9:25

dinner party for the company. So I was murdered in Act One.

Penelope Keith9:29

I quickly got changed, got into my car, went home, prepared the dinner.

Penelope Keith9:33

Drove back to the theatre, took my curtain call, and then we all went back and had a nice meal.

Presenter9:36

Very handy to be able to do it.

Penelope Keith9:38

Yes, indeed.

Presenter9:40

And after that?

Penelope Keith9:41

After that, in the theatre, I went off and did various plays in rep. I did a play called Plaza Suite up in Chester.

Penelope Keith9:49

I did uh various productions at Greenwich, The House of Bernard Alba, Cats Play, How the Other Half Loves by Alan Ayckbourne, which I also played at Leatherhead.

Speaker 19:56

Yeah.

Presenter9:56

Try

Presenter9:58

Well you had the good fortune to be seen by Alan Agborn.

Penelope Keith9:58

Yeah.

Penelope Keith10:02

Yes, indeed, while I was in that production.

Penelope Keith10:05

And then I was asked to play Sarah and the Norman Conquests.

Presenter10:08

Now the Norman Conquest, uh an another trilogy, three different plays about the same characters, and all taking place at the same time.

Presenter10:15

Did you find it difficult to stay in the right play?

Penelope Keith10:19

It wasn't difficult. One was aware that one could slip into another play quite easily, so concentration had to be very heavy every night.

Penelope Keith10:27

I remember one night one of the actors

Penelope Keith10:30

who was pouring me a glass of wine, went straight into a speech from the other play, and I looked rather heavily and he coughed, and on we went.

Presenter10:35

And on we went.

Penelope Keith10:38

Yes, that's another long run. That was two months at Greenwich and ten months at the Globe.

Presenter10:43

Now you're in Michael Frayne's new play, Donkey's Years. You're playing Lady Roseenberry Driver, the the master's wife at an Oxford College at the Globe. You're being billed as the funniest woman in London. How do you feel about that?

Presenter10:56

It isn't going to help you to get back in another production of St. Joan in the Stockyard, is it?

Penelope Keith11:00

Probably not, but that might be a good thing. Um, I think I'm probably only the funniest woman in the West End with the aid of microphrane, definitely. So I think it will be forgotten quite soon, I hope. Probably not by my friends.

Presenter11:12

Probably not.

Presenter11:13

It's not gay to type you.

Penelope Keith11:15

I hope not. I don't think so. I don't see why it should. I enjoy playing comedy, and if some one else comes up with a marvellous comedy part, being the funniest woman in the West End could help.

Presenter11:26

Record number four.

Penelope Keith11:27

I love musicals. I love going to the theatre very, very much. That's the thing I miss most about working in the theatre, is going to the theatre.

Penelope Keith11:34

And for me the overture to Condide.

Penelope Keith11:37

is what an overture to a musical should be and I find it amazingly exciting.

Presenter12:41

Leonard Bernstein conducting the overture to his own musical version of Condide. Now let's talk about the mechanical media. Have you done a lot of films?

Penelope Keith12:50

No, very few. I've done the odd day or two on a film, so I don't really know what it's about. My longest part was in a film called Every Home Should Have One, where I

Penelope Keith12:59

played a rather strong, au pair girl who made an entrance on a motor bicycle from top to toe in black leather. I think I had about nine or ten days on that, but I don't really know much about film making.

Presenter13:10

And television, of course. When did you start in television?

Penelope Keith13:13

I started, I suppose, in about I think'sixty one. I played a lady called Primrose in the army game.

Presenter13:19

What sort of lady was she?

Penelope Keith13:21

She was a rather dowdy lady with glasses on her hair scragged back, flat shoes and dernful skirts.

Presenter13:27

You describe her.

Penelope Keith13:27

The Abyss.

Penelope Keith13:28

PEH

Presenter13:30

You had a very good role in a series called Kate as a magazine editor.

Penelope Keith13:34

Yes, my name was Wenda Padbury, and I was the rich bitch, the girl you love to hate.

Presenter13:40

That went on for a long time.

Penelope Keith13:41

Yes, it went on there were three lots of those.

Penelope Keith13:44

So that was three lots of six months working over a period of three years.

Presenter13:47

Yes. And the palaces, of course.

Penelope Keith13:49

Yes, the palaces. I enjoyed that very much. I'd never done a costume.

Penelope Keith13:53

drama on the television before, and that was wonderful. I enjoyed that a lot.

Presenter13:56

And now you're in the exceedingly successful The Good Life as Margo. How many programmes have you done?

Penelope Keith14:01

We've just done twenty-one, three lots of seven.

Presenter14:06

They haven't all gone up yet.

Penelope Keith14:07

No, the third series I think is due to start in September.

Presenter14:09

Record number five.

Penelope Keith14:10

Well record as I said I adore musicals.

Penelope Keith14:13

And there was a musical that I saw five times in all, called Gypsy.

Penelope Keith14:18

And I'd like

Penelope Keith14:19

The song will some people from that.

Presenter14:22

And who is this?

Penelope Keith14:23

Sing it. To sing it, Angela Lansbury, who I saw four times.

Penelope Keith14:26

I think of all the sights that I gotta see at, all the places I gotta play, all the things that I gotta be at. Come on, Papa, what do you say? Some people can be content, playing bingo, and paying rent.

Speaker 214:43

That's peachy for some people, for some hum drum.

Penelope Keith14:49

The people to be But some people ain't me

Presenter14:59

Angela Lansbury in Gypsy, which brings us to record number six.

Penelope Keith15:04

And song from another musical. As you see, I am besotted by them. I would have to have Noel Card with me on my my desert island. He makes me laugh, I think, probably more than anybody else. And there was a wonderful musical called Sail Away.

Penelope Keith15:17

And there was a song in that called Useful Phrases, and I laugh every time I hear it.

Speaker 215:28

The chicks and the chaps and the fins and laps Were reduced to a helpless stammer The ancient Greeks took at least six weeks To learn their Latin grammar The guttural wheeze of the Portuguese Filled the brains of the Danes with horror

Speaker 215:43

And verbs not lust Caused the final bust In Sodom and Gomorrah.

Speaker 215:50

If it hadn't been for that bloody building falling flat, I should not have had to learn Italiano.

Presenter15:56

Neil Card and some useful phrases from Sail Away.

Presenter16:00

Now, on this desert island, have you travelled to the Far East or any tropic climes?

Penelope Keith16:06

I have been to India once. I did a film in India about two or three years ago.

Penelope Keith16:11

And we were lucky enough to stay in the Maharaja of Mysore's palaces.

Presenter16:15

It's not going to be the same.

Penelope Keith16:16

Ha!

Penelope Keith16:17

I thought it might not. N and that's I've been to Morocco recently. I was in rather a nice hotel.

Presenter16:22

Yeah.

Presenter16:24

Nevertheless, it all helps you with the ambience. Where you work for a girl guide? No NEFA. No camping.

Penelope Keith16:30

No camping at all, no.

Presenter16:31

Could you rig up some kind of shelter?

Penelope Keith16:33

I think I probably could. I'm quite capable at things like that, so I think I probably could, yes.

Presenter16:38

You are a gardener.

Penelope Keith16:38

Yes, I am a girl.

Presenter16:39

That would be useful.

Penelope Keith16:40

A very, very keen gardener.

Presenter16:43

Any fishing?

Penelope Keith16:44

No, and I wouldn't like the thought of pins in fishes' mouths at all.

Presenter16:48

Are you a good cook?

Penelope Keith16:49

Yes, I enjoy cooking a lot. Do try Uh Escape. Yeah.

Penelope Keith16:52

Dear, oh dear Yes, but I'm such a coward. I would give up after sort of swimming out of my depths and come back, I think.

Presenter17:00

Record number seventh.

Penelope Keith17:01

Record number seven. This is Gymnopedie by Eric Sarty.

Presenter17:05

And who shall play it?

Penelope Keith17:06

Aldo Ciccciulini.

Presenter18:02

Sat is Troi Gymnopeti, played by Aldo Cicciolini.

Presenter18:06

And that brings us to our last record.

Penelope Keith18:08

My last record is a Beatles record. I would need something to jump around and do exercises to and just feel happy about, and this is a wonderful record. All you need is love, which I also believe.

Speaker 118:20

Nothing you can make the copy made

Penelope Keith18:24

Uh

Speaker 118:24

No one you can save but can't be saved. Yeah.

Speaker 118:28

Nothing you can do but you can learn how to be you in time

Speaker 118:32

See

Speaker 118:37

All you need is love.

Speaker 118:42

All you need is love.

Speaker 118:47

All you need is love

Speaker 118:51

Love is all you need.

Presenter18:54

The Beatles

Presenter18:55

If you could take just one disc out of the eight you've played us.

Penelope Keith18:58

It would have to be the Elgar.

Presenter18:59

Introduction and laboring of the strings.

Penelope Keith19:00

Lego for strings.

Presenter19:02

and one luxury to take.

Penelope Keith19:04

Well

Penelope Keith19:05

I would rather like.

Penelope Keith19:07

a very large case of Lapsang Suchong tea.

Penelope Keith19:11

And please will you throw in a very beautiful China teapot?

Presenter19:13

Oh yes, that we can arrange.

Penelope Keith19:15

Good.

Presenter19:15

Yeah. And one book apart from the Bible, Shakespeare, and big encyclopedias.

Penelope Keith19:20

Yes, I would like Proust at la recherche du Temper du.

Penelope Keith19:23

I've never read it, and I would have the time then. In French?

Penelope Keith19:27

Every other volume in French, because I did in fact go to school in France, so I have got some French, but I'd like every other one.

Presenter19:33

Very good compromise. And thank you, Penelope Keith, for letting us hear your Desert Island discs.

Penelope Keith19:39

Thank you very much for I have enjoyed it so much.

Presenter19:41

Goodbye everyone.

Penelope Keith19:50

You've been listening to a download from the Desert Island Discs Archive.

Penelope Keith19:54

For more downloads, please visit the Radio 4 website.