Joyce Grenfell

File:Grenfellcd.jpg

CD cover of Joyce Grenfell collection of songs.

Joyce Grenfell OBE (10 February 1910 – 27 November 1979), born Joyce Irene Phipps, was an English film and television actress, comedian, and singer-songwriter.

Early life

Born in London, she was the daughter of architect Paul Phipps and an eccentric American mother, Nora Langhorne, the daughter of an American railroad millionaire and sister of Nancy Astor.

As such, Joyce Phipps grew up around money and privilege. Wanting to pursue a career in the theatre, she made her stage debut in 1939 in the "Little Revue." In 1942 she wrote what became her signature song, "I'm Going to See You Today."

Career

During World War II, Grenfell toured India, North Africa, and the Middle East with a company performing for British troops. In 1989 her wartime journals were published under the title The Time of My Life: Entertaining the Troops. Her singing and comedic talents on stage led to offers to appear in motion picture comedies. Although she performed in a number of films, she continued with her recording career, producing a number of humorous albums as well as books.

As a writer at the BBC during and just after the war, she collaborated with Stephen Potter in writing the "How" series of 30 satirical programmes from How to Talk to Children to How to Listen. During the 1950s she made her name as a sidekick to such comedy greats as Alastair Sim and Margaret Rutherford in films such as The Happiest Days of Your Life (1950) and the St Trinian's series. She was also a member of the influential Pilkington Committee on Broadcasting from 1960 to 1962.

Grenfell is now best remembered for her one-woman shows and monologues, in which she invented roles including a harassed nursery teacher ("George - don't do that"). She gained additional popularity as a result of her frequent appearances on the BBC's classical music quiz show, Face the Music.

Grenfell was a member of the Church of Christ, Scientist, a religious organisation based on Christianity and spiritual healing.

Death and after

Diagnosed with cancer, she retired from performing and died in 1979. Her autobiography, The Time of My Life was published in 1990. In 1998, the Royal Mail memorialised Joyce Grenfell with her image on a postage stamp as part of a series of stamps celebrating "Heroes of Comedy".

In 2002, her friend and author Janie Hampton published the book Joyce Grenfell. In a 2005 poll to find The Comedian's Comedian, she was voted amongst the top 50 comedy acts ever by fellow comedians and comedy insiders.

Maureen Lipman has often toured with her one-woman show Re: Joyce where she recreates some of Grenfell's best known sketches. This performance is now also available on DVD.

Joyce Grenfell was created an Officer of the British Empire (OBE) in 1946. It was confirmed after her death that she would have been made a Dame Commander (DBE) in the 1980 New Year's Honours List.

Filmography

• A Letter from Home (1941)
• The Lamp Still Burns (1943)
• The Demi-Paradise (1943)
• While the Sun Shines (1947)
• A Run for Your Money (1949)
• Poet's Pub (1949)
• Alice in Wonderland (1949)
• Stage Fright (1950)
• The Happiest Days of Your Life (1950)
• Laughter in Paradise (1951)
• The Galloping Major (1951)
• The Magic Box (1951)
• The Pickwick Papers (1952)
• The Million Pound Note (1953)
• Genevieve (1953)
• The Belles of St. Trinian's (1954)
• Forbidden Cargo (1954)
• The Good Companions (1957)
• Happy Is the Bride (1957)
• Blue Murder at St. Trinian's (1957)
• The Pure Hell of St. Trinian's (1960)
• The Old Dark House (1963)
• The Americanization of Emily (1964)
• The Yellow Rolls-Royce (1964)

External links

• Joyce Grenfell at IMDb
• Joyce Grenfell at the BFI's Screenonline