Web Page 1072
1st September 2012
Top Picture: Charles Hawtrey
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Picture: Carry On Poster
Charles Hawtrey
George Frederick Joffre Hartree known as Charles Hawtrey, was a boy
soprano, who made several records before moving on to the radio. He wasb orn in
Hounslow, in 1914, to William John Hartree and wife
Alice Hartree He took his stage name from the theatrical knight, Sir Charles Hawtrey, and encouraged the
suggestion that he was his son. However, his father was actually a car
mechanic.
His career was to span almost 60 years. Following study at the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts in
London, he embarked on a career in the theatre as both actor and director and
into the cinema where he regularly supported Will Hay
in the 1930s and 40s in films through to the Carry On films and television work.
He acted in films from an early age, appearing in an impressive array of
movies while still a boy, and as an adult his youthful appearance made him an
excellent foil. He also took a hand at directing but became best known as a
leading participant in the Carry On films series of films
throughout the 1960s and 1970s, mostly playing characters that ranged from the
wimpish through to the effeminate. His last film was Carry On Abroad
(1972), after which he was dropped from the series because his growing
alcohol consumption, was beginning to affect his work.
The last straw occurred in 1972 when, in a bid to finally gain higher
billing, he withdrew from a Carry On Christmas television programme
giving just a few days' despite appearing in promotional material. After he was
stopped being used in Carry On roles he
slipped into pantomime and provincial summer seasons, where he played heavily
on his Carry On persona.
Little is known about his early years or later private life. He guarded his
relationships very carefully, perhaps no surprise in an age when homosexual
behaviour in Britain was illegal and punishable by a prison sentence. His
outrageous drunken promiscuity
however, did not portray him in a positive light to an unsympathetic
world; nor did his general demeanour and increasing eccentricity earn him many friends.
He retired to deal where he owned a house full of old brass bedsteads which
he had hoarded, believing that "one day he would make a great deal of
money from them".
A lot of strain was put on him by his mother, who suffered senile dementia in later years. His mother
would collect toilet rolls and on a visit to the studios blocked the women's'
toilets with paper. Charles was also prone to such tendencies and would often gather
up of the leftover sandwiches from a buffet for the Carry On cast.
Barbara Windsor recalls his alcoholism, and his
outrageous flirting with footballer Georgie Best. While filming Carry On
Spying she thought he had fainted from fright at a dramatic scene on a conveyor
belt—in fact he had passed out because he was drunk. When he came on set with a
crate of R. White's Lemonade, everyone knew that
he had been on another heavy drinking binge. Nevertheless he was an integral
face to the Carry On family, smoking Woodbines profusely between takes.
After retirement to an old smugglers cottage in Deal in
the 1980s, where he devoted much time to drinking. He was well known for
promenading along the seafront in extravagant attire, waving cheerfully to the
fishermen, and his frequenting of establishments patronised by students of the Royal Marines School of Music. He
caused a scandal in August 1984 when his house caught fire after he went to bed
with a teenage boy and left a cigarette burning. Newspaper photos from the time
show a fireman carrying an emotional, partially clothed Charles Hawtrey down a
ladder to safety. This was the only picture ever taken without him wearing a
wig.
In October 1988, he was taken to hospital after breaking his leg in a fall
in front of a public house. He was discovered to be suffering from peripheral vascular disease, a
condition of the arteries brought on by a lifetime of heavy smoking. He was
told that in order to save his life, his legs would have to be amputated. He refused, allegedly saying he preferred to
die with his boots on, and died almost a month later, aged 73. On his deathbed,
he supposedly threw a vase at his nurse who asked for a final autograph - it
was the last thing he did. His ashes were scattered in Mortlake Crematorium and
no friends or family attended. He appears to have run out of both!
He once said of the ‘Carry On’ films; ‘ Those films haven't made me rich but
they've given me a world wide identity. We worked for bread money. It is
interesting to see his salary eturns for just four of his films. ‘Don't Lose Your Head’
(1966) £4,500, ‘Follow That Camel’
(1967) £4,000, ‘Carry on Doctor’
(1967) £1,500 and ‘Carry On... Up the
Khyber’ (1968) £3,500
Stay
in Touch
Peter
You Write:
Christine writes about the booklet “The Time of our Lives”
Particular memories for me were Friday
nights at Manor Court Youth Club, I was there the night Kennedy died too. I
recall two groups who played quite regularly I think. The Black Cats and The
Sons of Man (Oriana's chap I think).
I also used to go to the Lido on sunny
days (they always were in our youth) and was brave enough to jump from
the top board occasionally. I was disappointed when revisiting years later to
see how it had deteriorated as you describe. It was a pretty basic pool and
surrounds, lots of concrete but we used to enjoy cycling there from Kinross and
having a swim.
AND, I too was at the live recording of
Juke Box Jury and know that a very pregnant Marianne Faithfull was on the jury!
News and Views:
Neil Armstrong,
the first man on the moon, has died aged 82. The Commander of the space ship
Apollo 11 died after complications arising from a recent cardiac bypass.
On this day 1st September 1960-1965
On
01/09/1960 the number one single was Apache - The
Shadows and the number one album was South Pacific
Soundtrack. The top rated TV show was Rawhide (ITV) and the box
office smash was Psycho.
A pound of today's money was worth £13.68 and Tottenham Hotspur were on the way
to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.
On 01/09/1960
the number one single was Apache - The
Shadows and the number one album was South Pacific
Soundtrack. The top rated TV show was Rawhide (ITV) and the box
office smash was Psycho.
A pound of today's money was worth £13.68 and Tottenham Hotspur were on the way
to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.
On 01/09/1962
the number one single was I Remember You -
Frank Ifield and the number one album was West Side Story
Soundtrack. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street
(Granada) and the box office smash was Lawrence of Arabia.
A pound of today's money was worth £12.89 and Everton were on the way to
becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.
On 01/09/1963
the number one single was Bad to Me - Billy J Kramer and the number one album
was Please Please Me - The Beatles. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street
(Granada) and the box office smash was The Great Escape. A pound of
today's money was worth £12.64 and Liverpool were on the way to becoming the
Season's Division 1 champions.
On 01/09/1964
the number one single was Have I the Right? - Honeycombs and the number one
album was A Hard Day's Night
- Beatles. The top rated TV show was No Hiding Place (AR) and the
box office smash was Dr Strangelove.
A pound of today's money was worth £12.24 and Manchester United were on the way
to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.
On 01/09/1965
the number one single was I Got You Babe -
Sonny and Cher and the number one album was Help - The Beatles.
The top rated TV show was Coronation Street
(Granada) and the box office smash was The Sound of Music. A pound
of today's money was worth £11.69 and Liverpool were on the way to becoming the
Season's Division 1 champions.
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