Tuning in…
Tuning in…
Castaway
1 appearance
Actor who left a military career to become a performer, trained at Sandhurst and served in the Indian Army.
On the island
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.
In conversation
Presenter asks
0:08Did you come from a theatrical family?
No, I don't. I don't at all. I come from a military family, actually.
Presenter asks
0:15How 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
0:39But 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 keepsakes
The luxury
Not recorded.
Presenter asks
1:37How 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
2:55How 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
4:30After 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.”