Margery Manners (18 March 1926 – 27 April 1997) was a music hall and variety performer,[1] singer and television actress. She was best known for her signature tune, "Bring Me the Sunshine of Your Smile".
Margery Manners | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Margery Manners |
| Born | 18 March 1926 Coventry, Warwickshire |
| Died | 27 April 1997 (aged 71) Paddington, Greater London |
| Occupation(s) | Variety performer, singer and actress |
Early life
editManners was born in 1926 in Coventry, Warwickshire. She began performing in concerts in the working men's clubs of Birmingham when she was 8 years old.[2] She learned how to sing, as well as play the guitar and accordion.[3]
Career
editManners became a professional performer at 12 years old, when she joined the popular 1930s show band Billy Merrin and his Commanders.[2] At 14, she toured the music halls singing as a "cowgirl crooner" with another show band, Big Bill Campbell and his Rocky Mountain Rhythm.[2]
From the age of 16, Manners became a well known pantomime principal boy,[2] topping theatre bills across the UK. She performed at venues including the London Palladium,[4] Palace Pier Theatre in Brighton,[5] and the Royal Court Theatre in Liverpool.[6] The song "Bring Me the Sunshine of Your Smile" became her signature stage tune,[4] and she was also known for performing songs such as "Have I Told You Lately that I Love You?"[7] and "Hop Scotch Polka".[8]
During World War II, she worked as a radio broadcaster on the BBC lunchtime series Workers' Playtime.[2]
In 1957, Manners starred in the last performance held at the Theatre Royal in Leeds, which was about to be pulled down.[9] In 1969, she toured variety theatres across Britain with the double act Bob and Alf Pearson in a nostalgic bill called The Golden Years of Music Hall.[2] During the 1970s, she toured in South Africa[2] and New Zealand.[10]
Manners also appeared in variety television shows including BBC Sunday-Night Play, The Passing Show and The Good Old Days. She performed as a pub singer in the 1968 film Mrs. Brown, You've Got a Lovely Daughter.[3]
Death
editManners died of cancer on 27 April 1997 at St Mary's Hospital, London, aged 71.[4][11]
References
edit- ^ Wright, Adrian (2023). Melody in the Dark: British Musical Films, 1946-1972. Boydell & Brewer. p. 295. ISBN 978-1-78327-749-0.
- ^ a b c d e f g Gifford, Dennis (30 April 1997). "OBITUARY: Margery Manners". The Independent. Retrieved 8 November 2024.
- ^ a b "Margery Manners | Actress, Soundtrack". IMDb. Retrieved 8 November 2024.
- ^ a b c "Music hall star dies aged 71". The Independent. 27 April 1997. Retrieved 8 November 2024.
- ^ "Articles, Images, and Programme for Music Hall at The Palace Pier Theatre, Brighton". www.arthurlloyd.co.uk. Retrieved 8 November 2024.
- ^ Museum, Victoria and Albert. "Search Results - V&A Explore the Collections". Victoria and Albert Museum. Retrieved 8 November 2024.
- ^ "Have I Told You Lately that I Love You - Featuring Margery Manners". The Sheet Music Warehouse. Retrieved 8 November 2024.
- ^ "Hop Scotch Polka - Featuring Margery Manners". The Sheet Music Warehouse. Retrieved 8 November 2024.
- ^ Behrens, David (4 April 2020). "Rare photos of how the show always went on in Yorkshire". Yorkshire Post. Retrieved 8 November 2024.
- ^ "Manners, Margery, 1926-1997". National Library of New Zealand. Retrieved 8 November 2024.
- ^ Lentz, Harris M. (1997). Obituaries in the Performing Arts. McFarland & Company. p. 116. ISBN 978-0-7864-0460-5.