Baker, in turn, would look around at the crew, mutter 'Oh, that man!' 'Well,' said Jewel, almost looking disappointed, 'she blooming well will do!' This led to her television series, Be Soon (named after another of her catchphrases), in 1957 and a supporting part in the sitcom Our House in 1960, followed by her own sitcom, The Best of Friends, in 1963. Learn more about merges. Data returned from the Piano 'meterActive/meterExpired' callback event. Baker came to national attention in BBC television's The Good Old Days in 1955. I must get a little hand put on this watch."[4]. Comedy was . Packed full of interesting things it arrives in your inbox all 52 weeks of the year. He has been second feature always. privacy policy, Papers of Hylda Baker (1905-86), actress and comedienne. Verify and try again. You have chosen this person to be their own family member. Hylda Baker, the diminutive Lancashire comedienne with the catchphrase, "she knows, y'know!", has died at the age of 78. Fergusson, who has established a niche in the nation's hearts as the man-hungry Marina in Last of the Summer Wine, has spent the past five years researching the life of one of the great British comediennes and actresses. So intense was the mutual hatred by this stage that, on one occasion, Baker furtively kicked Jewel hard on the shin after he had attempted yet again to openly mock her, and on another night she even spat in his face. Hylda Baker | Discography | Discogs Hylda Baker More Images Profile: English comedian, actress and music hall performer. Mr Platt is very good in the part and I would be happy to make a series with him. As the Blackpool season continued, the pettiness of their behaviour grew worse, with both of them introducing unexpected lines and physical bits of business to baffle, anger and unnerve each other, sometimes to the extent that whole scenes collapsed in chaos. She appears to have kept everything - all her scripts, fan mail, bills and theatrical ephemera; but not everything has been deposited. Registered in England & Wales | 01676637 |. "I really enjoyed finding out about Hylda's past," she added. Baker replied in kind, saying: 'Jimmy and I have never had a row, we never even had a quarrel, because he just didn't speak to me! As everyone sat around the large dinner table, the party was going well until Baker's agent opined: 'Do you know, Hylda, this play is going to be a very big hit.' A system error has occurred. Official Charts Company. Her zodiac sign is Aquarius. Add to your scrapbook. "She Knows Y'Know [DVD]: Amazon.co.uk: Hylda Baker, Cyril Smith, Joe Gibbons, Montgomery Tully: DVD & Blu-ray", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hylda_Baker&oldid=1125109884, The papers of Hylda Baker relating to her life and career are housed in, This page was last edited on 2 December 2022, at 06:49. In her 70s she developed Alzheimer's disease and in 1981 she moved to Brinsworth House, the retirement home for performers, in Twickenham, London. Failed to remove flower. 1 9 6 0 - 1 9 6 2 (UK) 13 x 55 minute episodes 26 x 45 minute episodes Our House was written by Norman Hudis - fresh from scripting the first five Carry On films - and was grounded very much in that particular genre of comedy. '', Doncaster-based Jean was born in Wakefield, and then moved with her family to Bridgend in South Wales. Which leaves the devastation laid bare for everyone to see and clean up! [7] A film version of the series was made by Hammer Films in 1972[8] (the same year she was a subject of This Is Your Life when she was surprised by Eamonn Andrews). After suing the production company for an on-set injury in which she broke her leg (after slipping on beer on the set), the series ended, as did her television acting career. 6041). She had a starring role in the low-budget black-and-white British comedy film She Knows Y'Know (1962). inaccuracy or intrusion, then please They then realised, with a heavy sigh, that they would have to get both stars to agree to this proposal. Baker, equally incredibly, responded in the same spirit: 'Oh, well, I'm willing if you are. Baker, in turn, had been contacted by producers at London Weekend Television, who had plans to develop a new sitcom for her called Not On Your Nellie. So we rely on what were told and the evidence afterwards. Copyright: Granada Television, Spring & Autumn. Jewel, his face suddenly flushed red with anger, looked over to her and snarled, 'You wicked bitch!' Get VFC newsletters direct to your inbox. Please report any comments that break our rules. She was born in Farnsworth, Lancashire and began to perform in the musical halls at the tender age of 10. It was the most beautifully poignant piece of material I've ever read and gave me the key to her character in the later part of her life. Some of her work includes Oliver!, Saturday Night and Sunday Morning, Nearest and Dearest, She Knows Y'Know, Up the Junction, Our House, Where the Difference Begins, and Not On Your Nellie. 1,709 were here. On one such occasion, there was a scene in which Eli was supposed to come in with two portions of fish and chips (wrapped-up separately in newspaper) and Nellie had to say some lines that contained so many complicated malapropisms that they had needed to be written out for Baker on the inside of her chip paper. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion. Welcome to The Regent Antiques, Auctions & Cinema. Nor was there much organisation or arrangement apparent in the mass of papers received. However the series was short-lived and, along with her difficulty in remembering her lines, she was also refusing to attend rehearsals. ``Basically I was always a playground show-off. she is one of famous actress and comedienne (1905-1986) with the age years old group. She liked to relax by playing billiards and golf, and for many years travelled everywhere with a malodorous pair of pet Brazilian capuchin monkeys called Mickey and Co-Co, whom she dressed in matching jackets, described as her 'little men', and allowed to wreak havoc behind the scenes whenever she left them alone to go on stage. You can customize the cemeteries you volunteer for by selecting or deselecting below. Born and brought up in Farnworth, Lancashire, she is perhaps best remembered for her role as Nellie Pledge in the Granada ITV sitcom Nearest and Dearest (19681973) and for her role in the 1960 film Saturday Night and Sunday Morning. An email has been sent to the person who requested the photo informing them that you have fulfilled their request, There is an open photo request for this memorial. [13], In 1971, Baker's chauffeur Noel Moncaster absconded with 2,500 of her cash. No animated GIFs, photos with additional graphics (borders, embellishments. The sea was coming over along the wall along the length of the sea defences, causing considerable flooding. Hylda Baker, better known by her family name Hylda Baker, is a popular British actress and comedienne (1905-1986). The two siblings are completely different and Eli wants out of the business, but he can't leave until Nellie is married. Its rarity is reflected, for instance, in the records concerning the management of a touring theatrical production in the 1940s, by insights into the early days of TV performances in the 1950s, and by the fan-mail showing the effects of instant fame. Who Is Hylda Baker's Husband? Having suffered two ectopic pregnancies in her twenties, she had been desperate to adopt children, but - mainly because of her peripatetic profession - had to settle for her monkeys, two Chihuahuas called Cha-Cha and Bella, and a dachshund named Shitsie Mitzi. Between them, they decided that the best way to keep the internal politics 'pacific' would be for Jimmy Jewel to start the speech and then Hylda Baker to finish it. Failed to report flower. muttered the actor. (1968) based on the Lionel Bart stage original. So Eli sets about finding a husband for his old-fashioned sister. You are nearing the transfer limit for memorials managed by Find a Grave. Building View. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Further information & advice on importing. Subscribe now for regular news, updates and priority booking for events, All content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0, except where otherwise stated, About our . It also did not help that the two of them together, by disposition, seemed to embody their very own War of the Roses. It may have been, in fact, an early symptom of the gradual mental decline that, about ten years later, would be formally diagnosed as a form of dementia, but she was definitely finding it depressingly difficult now to commit any portion of a script to memory. The force of the wind was easily 50mph. Book with the Visit Fylde Coast and StayBlackpool guide. At ten, Baker made her debut at the Opera House, Tunbridge Wells, and continued to tour as a single variety act singing, dancing and performing impersonations. (1997) - and summaries of her life and career are available in J Richards, Stars in Our Eyes: Lancashire Stars of Stage, Screen and Radio (1994), and Nick Burton, "Hylda Baker", in Really Lancashire, no. Readers comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. Once again, the hapless duo backed quickly out of the doorway as if they had been strapped to a piece of elastic. Perhaps her most famous work was in TV sitcoms in the late 1960s and early 1970s, starring alongside Jimmy Jewel in Nearest and Dearest and as landlady of the "Brown Cow" in Not on Your Nellie. Photos larger than 8Mb will be reduced. Instead, in Hylda's own handwriting, there was a full account of how she felt, how she was coping, what she feared, and her reaction to her illness - she clearly thought that she was going mad. Oliver! When they needed to film the exterior scenes out on location, more ingenious means were required, and her lines were duly reproduced in huge letters on billboards, hung on hedges and even stuck on the side of a furniture van parked on the other side of the street. Looking up to this bizarre figure, Hylda would tell the Water is incredibly heavy 1 cubic centimetre weighs 1 gram just imagine how heavy a bucket of water is. Thank you for fulfilling this photo request. Year should not be greater than current year. The show won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Entertainment in 1998. This browser does not support getting your location. Rehearsals started out as tetchy affairs, and then became progressively more unpleasant as Baker attempted to weave aspects of her old stage act into certain scenes, and encourage the writers to make her trademark catchphrases (such as 'Oooh, I must get a little hand put on this watch!') But Fergusson sadly admits: ``If you're under the age of 25 it's hardly likely that you'd even recognise her name . 1974: Not On Your Nellie (17 episodes) 1972 . contact IPSO here, 2001-2023. ``I called in to see her niece,'' she recalls, ``and I told her that I needed some additional material, that indicated that Hylda had problems, that she was being extremely difficult. Jewel would ask once he realised that there had been unexpected laughs. 5 Credits. Where the Difference Begins. This was just one scene, he thought, and a rare chance for him to shine on his own, and now she was demanding that it be altered so that she could take some of the laughs away from him. She was also deeply superstitious, and, like many performers of her generation, considered the colour green to be such bad luck ('Never wear green,' she would always say. We'd like to use additional cookies to remember your settings and understand how you use our services. Are you sure that you want to delete this photo? Reisz had seen her performing her sketches at the Chiswick Empire theatre. Her dad took these photos at the time. She Knows You. Yorkshire-born Jewel, an intelligent and technically gifted comedian, had been in show business since 1925, first as a solo act in the music halls mainly playing baggy-panted fools, then as part of a thirty-two-year partnership with his cousin Ben Warriss (preceding Morecambe & Wise as the first major northern double act to get their own series on British radio and television), and then, more recently, as a lugubrious character actor in dramas as well as comedies. We lived just about opposite Hylda Bakers house. It really can happen and has happened in the past as you can see in these old photos. 'Did she kill your laughs?' Photo: Carrie Dennison Flooding at junction of Cross Way/Queens Walk Cleveleys in 1977. For memorials with more than one photo, additional photos will appear here or on the photos tab. The comic died 10 years ago. The growing success of the show, perversely, served only to crank up this conflict with the commissioning of each subsequent series. was a painter and signwriter, who also worked part-time in the music halls as a comedian. We are lucky at The Herald. She would usually appear on stage dwarfed alongside a tall, silent, blank-faced companion called 'Big Cynthia' (actually a man in drag) to whom she would bid to communicate via such one-sided conversations as: 'Where were you, eh? Then Jewel turned up, discovered what had happened, and protested furiously that he was as much the star of the show as she was, and therefore he deserved the number one dressing room just as much as she did. She responded by stepping up to the cameras, raising her hand, and, ignoring both Jewel and the puzzled studio audience, summoned the writers backstage with her. British Actress Hylda Baker was born on 4th February, 1905 in Farnworth, Lancashire, England, UK and passed away on 1st May 1986 Epsom, Surrey, England, UK aged 81. She sued the driver of the vehicle for damages and loss of earnings. See more. They tell us about the chance of something happening which is based on likelihood not on fact! Baker refused a settlement offer of 4,000 and took the matter to the High Court where she was initially awarded 2,921 in 1964,[12] but this was increased to 4,073 (plus costs) at an appeal hearing in 1965. This dark-haired barrel-shaped comedienne and character actress was the daughter of a Lancashire comedian. There was an error deleting this problem. Her stage act included a gossip from the North of England, with a silent, sullen companion named "Big Cynthia", almost always played by a man in drag (such as Victor Graham, and lastly by Matthew Kelly). The writer, with a shiver of trepidation, nodded politely and then ventured inside. The first act of the play sees Hylda alone in her dressing room before her full stand-up routine and Jean believes this gives people a chance to see what she was really like. The email does not appear to be a valid email address. 1 / 3. In fact, everybody is invited.'. This site is part of Newsquest's audited local newspaper network. Edit a memorial you manage or suggest changes to the memorial manager. Baker's struggle to remember her lines had grown significantly worse. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories. Visible. If you have a complaint about the editorial content which relates to Try again later. Hylda was cremated and her ashes placed in a plot used for retired variety performers. Editors' Code of Practice. Please ensure you have given Find a Grave permission to access your location in your browser settings. Hylda Baker made her mark in the world of entertainment when she worked on "Saturday Night and Sunday Morning" (1961). . A Gannett Company. Try again. Local sources told us that the flood water reached as far inland as the tram tracks. Close this window, and upload the photo(s) again. But she was, in the final analysis, a comic genius.''. It must have been a terrible end to what had been a glittering career in the fifties, sixties, and early seventies. Try again later. Baker was born in Farnworth, Lancashire, the first of seven children. Which is just what happened here with metal bent and concrete furniture tossed about as if light as a feather. Join us in our mission to support and promote British comedy across the decades. When the father of Eli and Nellie Pledge dies, they are left in charge of his pickle empire. Thornton-Cleveleys, England, United Kingdom. As soon as they opened the door, therefore, he got up and barked at them: 'If she does the curtain speech, I'm on the next train back to London!' Jewel would respond in kind. '', Fergusson also admits there have been several spooky moments with the show along the way. Even though the idea of trapping the two stars together, in the same place and stage for one entire summer, must have struck those who knew them as a recipe for disaster, the sheer commercial appeal of the show somehow managed to make the producers think that the gamble was worth the risk. Jewel's dressing-room, unfortunately for them, was directly next door, and, as the walls were so thin, he had, 'sat sitting there', overheard every word. While she resorted to her usual scene-stealing tricks, he became far crueller in his cunning. But it was as the outrageous Marina that she finally found national fame. It was a brutal experience from start to finish, with the pair of them wasting their inventiveness on attacking each other instead of using it to improve their play. In a Manchester cabaret nightclub, Baker tried to fulfil a two-night booking with her stooge, the famous Cynthia character (in reality a tall man, in drag, who never spoke) and totally forgot her all-too-familiar act. The sitcom, none the less, was still regularly topping the ratings for ITV with around 7-8m viewers each week, and so, once the series was over, it was decided (tapping into the trend for transferring TV hits to the cinema) to make a movie version of the show. Please enter your email and password to sign in. Editors' Code of Practice. Love the Fylde Coast? She'd have cue cards littered out of camera-shot all over the set. . Jewel, deeply embittered to still be entrenched in such an environment, would quietly seethe as, in spite of these clandestine cues, she continued to 'dry' on some occasions or else mix up the order of her words (as well as continue with all of the old scene-stealing strategies). Our understanding here at Visit Cleveleys is that the storm of December 2013 was a one-in-200-year storm. Take a look at this video clip. Those ads you do see are predominantly from local businesses promoting local services. 2205 Harbor Blvd. We mentioned the possibility of erosion of the sea wall if beach levels were to drop too far. ', Jewel, however, knew that he needed to make the next series because he was again struggling financially, and so, fighting hard against the temptation to reply in kind, he lied through his gritted teeth to reporters, saying of Baker only one polite sentence: 'I got on well with her.'.