In 1966, Schofield ran off with an Italian heiress. Hattie Jacques ( / deks /; born Josephine Edwina Jaques; 7 February 1922 - 6 October 1980) was an English comedy actress of stage, radio and screen. Find the best deals on Women's Jewelry from your favorite brands. As Britt Eklands Spanish maid in The Bobo, Jacques found Peter Sellers tempestuous, to say the least. Harry Worth, encountered at the Palladium, was a martyr to piles. [176] She was played by Ruth Jones, who Robin Le Mesurier thought "had captured my mother perfectly". Jacques's former grandmother in law was Georgina Le Mesurier Hattie Jacques's former sister in law was Michelle Halliley Hattie Jacques's former husband John Le Mesurier's uncle in law was William Goodenough . Joan Le Mesurier said: Hattie was wonderful and uninhibited on stage but in her private life, it was as if she was holding something back all the time. He married Carry On star Hattie Jacques in the same year and the pair later divorced in 1965. . Although Jacques confirmed this version of the origin of her name, another story was that the dancer and singer Josephine Gordon named Jacques as such after the musical, Her other appearances included on radio, with, The series was split into two parts: 18 September 1952 12 February 1953 and 21 May 26 June 1953, The programme was also the first collaboration between the two writers. Deals and discounts in Cookbooks you dont want to miss. A member of the backstage staff compared her "blacked up" appearance with the American actress Hattie McDaniel, known for her work in Gone with the Wind, and Jacques adopted the name for the rest of her life.[21][e]. May 7, 2017 - Image result for John Schofield Hattie Jacques. Morwenna Banks and Amanda Swift consider Jacques to have been "unimaginatively cast as the 'fat person'" in ITMA,[193] while in Sykes, her weight was rarely referred toand Jacques said that Sykes "hardly ever made jokes about my size which was a refreshing change". Save up to 50% on Swimwear when you shop now. For his part, Schofield concentrated on his career as a music manager, signing the rock band East Of Eden, which went on to have a Top 10 hit with Jig A Jig. He used to say, Ill just check the obituaries to start to see if Im still here. He had a wicked sense of humour and I knew hed enjoy the joke. But it was not to last. Find the best deals on Fitness Nutrition from your favorite brands. [117], Jacques's private life became complicated in 1963. A keen fisherman and sailor, he moved from Hertfordshire to Brixham, in Devon, where he had holidayed with first wife Brenda when they were courting. While Sykes and the Carry Ons kept her in the public eye, privately, Hatties weight was becoming a problem. These are the best Kitchen Linens deals youll find online. [162] By the time the show appeared in Brighton in 1979 the relationship between the two "was rapidly deteriorating", and, although the pair praised each other in public, Jacques felt hurt by Sykes's treatment of her. [62], Jacques became pregnant in 1952, but worked through most of her pregnancy, appearing in the Players' revue The Bells of St Martins between August and November 1952: she slid down the table and did the splits at the end[63]something The Times thought was "especially good",[64] although The Manchester Guardian considered that she was "monumental of person but surprisingly thin of voice". John Le Mesurier and Hattie Jacques present a united front on This Is Your Life. I hate being the size I am with all my heart and soul, she once confessed. In July 1930 Jacques started her secondary schooling at the Godolphin and Latymer School in Hammersmith,[10][11] and also attended a local dance school, the Dean Sisters Academy, where she was a principal dancer in the academy's shows. She was wearing a pair of dark glasses. Hatties biographer, Andrew Merriman, describes John as a devastatingly handsome, charismatic East Ender, to whom she was immediately attracted, adding: He was articulate, charming and funny, and flattered Hattie shamelessly. Deals and discounts in Tablets you dont want to miss. Hattie Jacques and John Le Mesurier: The love triangle their son Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. Hattie (film) - Wikipedia Ted thought the laughs would come on the size gags but, being radio, and coupled with the fact my voice didn't have the timbre of a 'heavy', that didn't really work out A large lady with a little voice hit the spot, so 'Sophie Tuckshop' was bornthe terrible child who never stopped eating". ', Do you think you could send a car for me? she sobs down the telephone to her film bosses at Warner Brothers, who want to know why she is not on set. That made it easier for us". An article in The Guardian by Mark Lawson mixed fiction with reality when he wrote that "standards of hygiene have slipped since Hattie Jacques ran NHS wards". All Rights Reserved. John Schofield. Hattie (TV Movie 2011) - Plot Summary - IMDb Robin Le Mesurier: 'Parents affairs but they did love each other' Hatties close pal Bob Monkhouse once recalled: I wasnt surprised by the speed of her success because it was so hard to find women at that time, particularly in radio and almost immediately in TV, who could do what Hattie could do. [182] Sunday Life said that for decades she was "Britain's favourite silly, sexually frustrated, fat woman". The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. [78][79][i] Jacques's arrival on Hancock "provided an additional boost to the series", according to television historian Richard Webber. Graham Fellows . The BBC Four show, Hattie, focuses on Jacques' affair with car dealer John Schofield while she was married to Dad's Army star John Le Mesurier. Jacques went to Godolphin and Latymer (later to produce Nigella Lawson and Davina McCall), and because her puppy fat failed to melt, she was teased for her bulk just as in later life shed regularly receive obscene phone calls from men who liked large ladies. (BBC) The pinnacle of embarrassment came when the pair appeared on This Is Your Life in 1963 - Le Mesurier touted as her loving husband while behind closed doors, she was sleeping with Schofield. Le Mesurier found it increasingly hard to cope with the situation and flew to Tangiers for a break. It was only after she declared openly her love for his rival, that Le Mesurier realised he had lost his wife to her younger boyfriend. Shop our favorite Dog Supplies finds at great prices. Hattie Jacques had a talent for larger-than-life comedy, but her weight may have contributed to numerous ailments. DC Thomson Co Ltd 2023. I knew better. [11] She left Godolphin and Latymer in the summer of 1939 with unremarkable grades. Bruce Copp, who ran the Chelsea restaurant The Hungry Horse, remembered Hattie going to visit him, in dark glasses and a headscarf, with a cut below her eye. Supported by Hattie financially she invested in many of his madcap schemes he was lured into the music world, trying his hand as a band manager. Our split-up was totally amicable. When you have a sick child, you handle it in different ways. But that didnt allow the movers and shakers of show business to see her, to perceive her as anything but that fat lady. The couple last saw each other in March 1945, and last corresponded with each other in May of the same year. [173] In November 1995 a blue plaque was unveiled by Eric Sykes and Clive Dunna colleague from her Players' Theatre daysat her former house: 67 Eardley Crescent, Earls Court, London. Here he settled happily into a life of anonymity, doing The Times crossword and pottering around the seaside. Do not sell or share my personal information. and the offer was raised accordingly. [28] It received favourable reviews; the Gloucestershire Echo described the piece as "a noble play", and thought that Jacques was "very solidly in step". Save up to 50% on Skin Care when you shop now. [158] From 1976 onwards Sykes and Jacques appeared together in the stage play A Hatful of Sykes, both in the UK and internationally. [67][g] She then directedbut did not appear inthe Players' Christmas pantomime of 1952, Babes in the Wood. The greatest clinch in British cinema is Jacques and Williams in Carry On Doctor. [75][76], A second pregnancy led to the birth of a son, Kim, "who came rollicking and laughing into the world in October 1956, a trifle before his allotted time", according to Le Mesurier. [10][c], In 1944, after being auditioned by Leonard Sachs,[20] Jacques made her professional theatrical debut as Josephine Jacques[21]adding a "c" to her birth name as she did so[22][d]at the Players' Theatre, London in a revue called Late Joys. He allegedly also became violent towards Hattie although he never hurt his first wife. Find the best deals on Small Appliances from your favorite brands. Hattie had married the Dads Army star in 1949 but after 14 years, she fell in love with someone new, Cockney car dealer John Schofield. [55], Throughout 1951 Jacques continued to mix work in different media, including appearing as Mrs Fezziwig in the film Scrooge starring Alastair Sim;[56] from 3 August until 25 January 1952 she appeared in a second radio series of Educating Archie,[57] as well as appearing in the related stage show, The Archie Andrews Christmas Show at the Prince of Wales Theatre from December 1952 to January 1953. Gerald Thomas. Location: Sandgate, Kent, UK. These are the best Fashion deals youll find online. Schofield, a driver for the Harlem Globetrotters, was looking for a distraction. Right here at FameChain. . [10], In the summer of 1967 the Carry On producer Peter Rogers assembled the cast for the 15th film of the series, Carry On Doctor. Married comic actors Hattie Jacques and John LeMesurier seem the perfect couple, with their two young sons and the legendary Christmas dinners they host for their friends. Wattis's role, Charles Brown, was originally offered to Le Mesurier, but he turned down the role as he wanted "to make it on [his] own" without his wife's help. I never liked jokes about Hattie being overweight because that wasnt the point with Hattie. Deals and discounts in Nails you dont want to miss. Her sons refused to allow Sykes entry to the funeral because they resented the way he had treated her during the stage show;[160] Sykes was upset by the exclusion and failed to understand why he had been banned. Mr Schofield. "[192] The approach of writers differed in how they dealt with the characters they asked Jacques to portray. So with Hattie being obviously a good comedian, a good comedy actress, everyone wanted to employ her, so she became famous very quickly. Carry On star Hattie Jacques' turbulent affair with 'East Ender' Find out where to watch online amongst 45+ services including Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video. But in 1958, she starred in the first Carry On film and the first of 14 she would appear in and she was typecast from the off by playing a battleaxe medical officer in Carry On Sergeant. This error message is only visible to WordPress admins, Revealed: Trees planted to help achieve net zero are adding to Scotlands carbon emissions, Dreading the hordes? BBC - Sandgate's Hattie Jacques story One night after a charity benefit, they ended up in bed and embarked on a passionate affair. Eric Sykes hits out at Hattie Jacques drama - BBC News [2] Jacques' son Robin Le Mesurier later described Jones' performance as "(having) captured my mother perfectly".[3]. Carry On Loving: John Le Mesurier with Hattie Jacques before their divorce in 1965 But it was not to last. [91] She became known by the team as a "Mother Hen" figure,[92] and was a close friend to many of her co-stars, including Kenneth Williams and Joan Sims, whom Jacques provided with a great deal of advice and practical help. (film) Hattie is a television film about the life of British comic actress Hattie Jacques, played by Ruth Jones, her marriage to John Le Mesurier ( Robert Bathurst) and her affair with their lodger John Schofield ( Aidan Turner ). In order to protect her sons from further press intrusion she declined the honour. These are the best Videogames deals youll find online. There's More Than Meets The Eye With Hattie Jacques But again, the mockery: Blimey, good job Adolf hasnt got a bomb that size! Her salvation was to join the Players Theatre, a music hall situated under the arches of Charing Cross, notorious for its rowdy patrons, who harked back to an era of mutton-chop whiskers, hot pies and rum punch. The other notable absentee from the funeral was Joan Sims, who "stayed in her home and spent the day drinking, reading old letters from Hattie and wallowing in self pity", according to Merriman. Hattie will be screened on BBC4 in January. Hattie. He suffered a stroke, after having been struck down by a rare virus, which damaged his heart and lungs. Falling in love with Cockney car dealer John Schofield, Hattie moved him into . As . [154], In 1974 Jacques's sons were arrested for possession of cannabis, and her house was searched by police. The "Archie" of the title was the ventriloquist's dummy Archie Andrews, operated by Peter Brough. She was married to the actor John Le Mesurier from 1949 until their divorce in 1965, a separation caused by her five-year affair with another man. Her confidence knocked, Jacques raided the fridge and her weight ballooned to 20st. She is best known as a regular of the Carry On films, where she typically played strict, no-nonsense characters, but was also a prolific television and radio performer. Although he tried to save the marriage, it took a toll on his . . The first series ran until December 1960; a second series ran from September 1961 to April 1962. Rock star Robin Le Mesurier's Carry On mum moved lover in with Dad's (Youll never carry her over the threshold No, but a gang of us might.) Le Mesuriers legendary calculated vagueness had a lot to do with his reliance on extra-strong cigarettes i.e. [17] Around this time she became romantically involved with an American soldier, Major Charles Kearney. She couldnt get medical cover for films (her role in Carry on Abroad had to be truncated and she was reduced to 11th on the bill), so she took to the road in a stage version of Sykes, the long-running sitcom about a brother and sister and their scrapes in Sebastopol Terrace. I'm pathologically shy". Sykes had been impressed with Jacques since he visited the Players' in 1948. And another blow came when, in the same week as her two boys, aged 18 and 21, appeared in court charged with cannabis possession, she received official notification of the intention to appoint her as an OBE. She was Gretchen Von Schmettering and Dymphna Dobson in Norman Wisdom vehicles; Wisdom, she said, was difficult and self-centred. British Academy of Film and Television Arts, Hattie Jacques on stage, radio, screen and record, "Ruth Jones stars in BBC Four drama Hattie", "Ruth has captured my mum Hattie perfectly", "Jacques, Josephine Edwina (Hattie) (19221980)", "Handley, Thomas Reginald (Tommy) (18921949)", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hattie_Jacques&oldid=1147667622, This page was last edited on 1 April 2023, at 12:05. [171] Peter Chapman of The Independent stated that Jacques was "blessed with remarkable grace, delicacy and warmth, giving her an almost unique comic appeal". Image result for John Schofield Hattie Jacques | How to be likeable [10] Her biographer, Frances Gray, described the Players' as being Jacques's drama school, as she acted, directed, wrote lyrics and "developed the persona she was to use in pantomime for years, the large, bossy, but vulnerable fairy queen". Her biographer, Frances Gray, considers Jacques had a "talent for larger-than-life comedy which never lost its grip on humanity", while she could also display "a broader comic mode" as a result of her "extraordinary versatility". He sabotaged her performance by stepping on her lines, reducing her to tears. Hattie Jacques and her heartbreak | Express Yourself | Comment But he fell ill on his arrival and ended up in hospital in Gibraltar with a collapsed lung, pneumonia and jaundice after trying to make his way back home. Just her arms coming round the sides.. Save up to 50% on Hair when you shop now. Her brother also changed his name at the same time. Save up to 50% on Trending when you shop now. Instead of sex, Jacques would have to learn to reconcile herself to a career of put-downs from Bernard Bresslaw and his ilk. [111], In October 1961 Jacques appeared on Desert Island Discs, and said that she would be too lonely on such a quiet island for someone of her temperament. I preferred her role as Eric Sykes sister because her weight was never referred to. They became man and wife in 1949. The end came during the summer of 1966, just months after Le Mesurier remarried. And as her biographer, Andy Merriman, pointed out, she had an aura of kindness around her, which is the quality finally registering with the audience. [3][a], The Jaques family were predominantly non-theatrical, with the exception of Mary who appeared in the small role of Harry Hathaway in the Christmas pantomime Robinson Crusoe at the Palace Theatre, Cologne, in 1920. [160] While appearing in Blackpool in 1977 Jacques's health became problematic as she suffered from arthritis and ulcerated legs, which required daily dressing. So her many fans would have been surprised had they known the truth about her private life. She braved the Blitz for trysts with an American soldier who made the earth move. John had gone to visit the Players' Theatre in London with fellow actor Geoffrey Hibbert - and Hattie was one of the performers. We just gradually grew apart. Hattie meets the young and handsome John Schofield, whose son died of the disease. This ensured that the press blamed him for the break-up, casting Jacques as the victim in the matter. [150] In February 1972 Jacques was at home with her son Robin to watch Le Mesurier win the British Academy of Film and Television Arts "Best Television Actor" award for his portrayal of a "boozy British aristocrat who became a spy for the Soviets"[151][152] in Dennis Potter's television play Traitor. [116] Jacques later named the film as her favourite of the series, as she was allowed to drop her "battleaxe" persona and play the romantic lead opposite James. May 7, 2017 - Image result for John Schofield Hattie Jacques. However, in 1963, after a charity fund raiser for leukaemia, Hattie meets the young and handsome John Schofield, whose son died of the disease. That's not enough money!" [144] Another Carry On film followed in 1971, Carry On at Your Convenience, where she played Beattie Plummer, the housebound wife of Sid Plummer, played by Sid James. Large, flirtatious and, in her way, rather beautiful, Hattie Jacques seemed to sail through an ocean of liaisons and relationships. Did Hattie Jacques have a lover? - Quick-Advices [5] Mary enjoyed the theatre, and took Jacques to live performances from an early age. Before the Carry Ons steered Hattie down the almost purely comedy route, she had impressed in several dramatic roles including a number of Dickens adaptations. After all, we ran an open house with friends popping in unannounced and not infrequently staying with us for days or weeks on end. She concentrated on the script and its interpretation instead of winning easy laughs by playing 'the fattie'. In the same week that the two boys appeared in court, she received official notification of the intention to appoint her as an OBE. He really loved Hattie; she was everything, she was all woman.. In the end, I just realised that he was not there when I wanted him to be, so we separated. The play ran at the Lyric Theatre for a month before going on a five-month tour of the UK. The couple became romantically involved after the driver gave her the attention and support that Le Mesurier did not. !, but it failed to chart. But it would have been foolish not to know that this was different. Although she was married to Le Mesurier, 50, by whom she had two sons, Robin, nine, and Jake, six, she was immediately attracted to the charismatic East Ender. She had to wear long billowy dresses patterned tents. [114] That year's film, Carry On Regardless, was the fifth in the series; Jacques received a fee of 100 for the small role of a disgruntled hospital sister, who appeared briefly on screen alongside the English character actor Kynaston Reeves. Hattie Jacques: How we filmed her bittersweet tale - Logo of the BBC She was born in Kent in 1922 as Josephine Edwina Jaques, later adding the c to her surname in a bid for Frenchification. [53] The reviewer in The Times thought that Jacques was "as appealing as last year",[54] in her performance as Ali Baba's wife, Cogia. In 1962, unbeknown to John, Hattie began a relationship with chauffeur John Schofield. [23] Almost immediately she became a regular performer with the company, appearing in music hall revues and playing the Fairy Queen in their Victorian-style pantomimes. Schofield began to try to seduce a number of Hatties friends even trying to woo the newlywed Joan Le Mesurier. [125] In August that year she appeared as Madame Arcati in an ITV production of Blithe Spirit.