Gracie Fields - Biography

Gracie Fields was born in Rochdale on the 9th January 1898 the eldest of four children born to Fred and Jenny Stansfield. She was discovered at the age of ten when she was overheard by a music hall singer Lily Turner who recruited her to sing back her song "What Makes Me Love You As I Do" from the audience. From thereon Gracie became a child performer and through a succession of concert parties and singing groups established a career by the age of 18. She was signed by a Manchester impresario Percy Hall to a ten year contact where anything she owned over £5.00 per week was split equally with Mr Hall. In 1915 She appeared in a revue "Yes I Think So" where she met Archie Pitt who promptly took over the management of her career from her mother, bought out Mr Halls contract. Over the next few years he promoted her in various reviews cumulating in her appearance in "Mr Tower Of London" which eventually brought her to London in 1923. Overnight she was proclaimed a star. Archie married her in 1923 and tied her into a loveless marriage "to protect his investment". Archie was fifteen years older and was a shrewd businessman. Gracie started her recording career in 1923 with two sides for HMV whose masters were broken in the 1930's She continued to record for HMV until 1935 producing over 100 double sided 10" and 12" 78's. These usually consisted of a comedy number on the A side complimented by a serious, romantic or sentimental recording on side B. In 1931 she recorded what was to become her signature tune "Sally" which was the theme song for her first film "Sally in Our Alley" In 1932 she met Harry Parr-Davies a Welsh composer who went on to play for her in live engagements, and composed hits Sing As We Go" "Wish Me Luck" and "Pedro The Fisherman". She continued to make films throughout the 1930's and 1940's latterly in America. She moved to the REX label in 1935 and continued to record with them until 1938 using the same formula as before but gradually moving toward more serious and romantic songs. During the 30's she became estranged from her husband and found solace from this difficult relationship on the island of Capri where she built a home and restaurant to where she semi retired after the war. In 1938 she recorded for the Regal Zonophone label until 1940. During this time she became seriously ill with cancer. Having survived the ordeal she broadcast her thanks to the nation who had sent her half a million cards and letters during her illness. She concluded this performance with and emotive rendition of Paul Reubens "I Love The Moon". Parliament was ordered to adjourn early by the speaker of the house to enable MP's to listen to her. In 1936 she met Monty Banks who directed some of her films before becoming her second husband in 1940. After her operation for cancer she was ordered to rest for two years but immediately became embroiled with the War departing with Monty to entertain the troops in France. When Italy entered the War on the side of Germany Monty was declared an enemy alien and was to be interned for the duration of the war. Gracie would not stand for this and told the authorities she would be interned with her husband. After intervention by Winston Churchill it was agreed that she would go to Canada and the United States to earn money for the war effort. At about this time she recorded a version of her pre war hit "The Biggest Aspidistra In The World" which vilified Hitler and his generals. As a result she was declared a war industry by Hitler and narrowly missed death when the hotel she stayed in in Arras France was destroyed in a Luftwaffe raid only days after she left for England and America. Gracie had an extensive concert tour throughout the war years in Canada and the United States having her own radio shows earning dollars to contribute to the war effort. She experienced negative feedback from the British press who branded her a traitor and a deserter because in their eyes had chosen her husband over her country. Her reputation was damaged an never fully recovered its pre war standing. She returned to England to entertain the troops and factory workers in 1941 and 1943 She continued to record and there exists a number of evocative live recordings of her performance in front of all three services. She also recorded a number of 78's while in America for the American arm of Decca records. Most of 1944 and 1945 was spent touring the far east and Australia to entertain the troops. She made three "straight" films in Hollywood in 1943 and 1945 before retiring from the silver screen. She despised filming as to her it lacked a connection with her audience which was an integral part of her appeal and success. After the war she returned to Capri and was unsure if she would be accepted by the British public after the bad publicity of the war years. She made a triumphal return to the London Palladium in 1947 followed by a specially commissioned BBC radio series "Gracie's Working Party's" where she broadcast each week from a number of British cities which also included local performers. While returning to Capri on the Orient Express in January 1950 Monty had a heart attack and died in her arms before medical help could be summoned. She coped with this by throwing herself into work but while continuing her recording career with Decca and later with Phillips and Columbia her personal appearances became less prolific. She was offered the lead in Annie Get Your Gun but turned it down. She began to appear on Television on both sides of the Atlantic appearing in the first edition of Sunday Night At The London Palladium in 1955, followed by straight appearances in "A Tale Of Two Cities" "Mrs 'arris Goes To Paris and "The Old Lady Shows Her Medals" In 1956 she starred as the first televised adaptation of Miss Marple which co starred Roger Moore and Jessica Tandy. During the 1960's she continued to tour occasionally in Canada, England and Australia concluding with a farewell concert fro New York which was recorded in 1965. In 1970 she started an association with "Stars On Sunday" singing religious and other inspirational songs such as "My Way". Having married for the third time in 1952 to Boris Alperovici she had spent more and more time on Capri from this time onwards. In 1978 she made a surprise guest appearance as the finale of The Royal Variety Performance where she sang Sally for the last time in public. She flew to the United States early in 1979 where she recorded what was to be her final television performance on The Merv Griffiths Show singing "The Biggest Aspidistra In The World which had always been more favourably received than Sally right through the war years. She returned to Capri and performed a private concert on the Royal Yacht in Naples Bay in the summer of 1979. On the way back to Capri she contracted pneumonia and after hospital treatment rallied for a while. On the morning of 27th September 1979 she died from a heart attack at the age of 81.
Gracie Fields was awarded the Companionship of the British Empire in 1937. She was also awarded the freedom of the borough of Rochdale in the same year. This was followed by investiture in the Order of St John of Jerusalem in the following year in recognition of her charity work. (She had opened and maintained an orphanage from the early 1930's). She was elevated as a Dame Commander of The British Empire in the New Years Honours list in 1979. It was widely suggested that her dual nationality and her perceived unpopularity during the war contributed to the honour being bestowed so late in her career.
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