Esther McCracken (née Armstrong, 1902–1971) was a British actress and playwright.

Biography

She was born Esther Helen Armstrong in

Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is ...

on 25 June 1902 and was educated at the

Central Newcastle High School Newcastle High School for Girls is an independent day school for girls aged 3–18 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. The Junior School is at Sandyford Park and the Senior School is located in the neighbouring suburb of Jesmond. The school was f ...

, where she won the cricket-ball throwing competition every year. From 1929, she acted with the Newcastle Repertory Company. Her first play ''The Willing Spirit'' was produced in 1936. It was her second play, ''

Quiet Wedding ''Quiet Wedding'' is a 1941 British romantic comedy film directed by Anthony Asquith and starring Margaret Lockwood, Derek Farr and Marjorie Fielding. The screenplay was written by Terence Rattigan and Anatole de Grunwald based on the play ''Qui ...

'', in 1938, which made her reputation as a writer of domestic comedy and took her to

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. It was later

filmed Filmmaking (film production) is the process by which a motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, starting with an initial story, idea, or commission. It then continues through screenwriting, casti ...

by Anthony Asquith in 1941, and by Roy Boulting in 1958, as '' Happy Is the Bride''. Her next plays, ''The Willing Spirit'' in 1936, ''Counter Attraction'' in 1938, and ''White Elephants'' in 1940, were less successful, but '' Quiet Weekend'', in 1941, surpassed her earlier success and ran for over a thousand performances. It was filmed in 1946. She married Angus McCracken, a famous northern rugby player and accountant in 1936, but he was killed in action in Naples, Italy in 1943. In the following year, she married Mungo Campbell, the shipping magnate. She went on to introduce the BBC radio variety programme ''

Wot Cheor Geordie ''Wot Cheor Geordie'' was an early attempt by the BBC to produce a radio variety programme broadcast from Regional Studios and in a local dialect. ''Wot Cheor'' is a greeting in Geordie dialect. The show Wot Cheor Geordie was a radio variety ...

'', which ran from 1940 to 1956. The signature tune was the very popular "Wherever ye gaan, you're sure to meet a Geordie". She also wrote more serious plays in her later career, including '' Living Room'' in 1943, '' No Medals'' in 1944 (filmed as ''

The Weaker Sex ''The Weaker Sex'' is a 1948 British drama film directed by Roy Ward Baker and starring Ursula Jeans, Cecil Parker and Joan Hopkins. It was one of the most popular films at the British box office in 1948. The film's subject was what ''The New ...

''), and ''

Cry Liberty Cry Liberty is a play by the British writer Esther McCracken. After a premiere at the Theatre Royal, Newcastle, the work's West End at the Vaudeville Theatre lasted for 26 performances from 21 April to 13 May 1950. It was considerably less success ...

'' in 1950. The initials of McCracken, her husband and a friend are included in the name of

MEA House MEA or Mea may refer to: Education * Minnesota Education Association * MEA Engineering College, Perinthalmanna * Michigan Education Association Fictional characters * Mea (''Popotan''), a maid for three sisters in the visual novel ''Popota ...

in Ellison Place, Newcastle, which was set up through their efforts. This is the first British building purpose-built to house a range of voluntary services. She died in August 1971. The actress Imogen Stubbs is her granddaughter.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:McCracken, Esther English women dramatists and playwrights English stage actresses 1902 births 1971 deaths People educated at Central Newcastle High School 20th-century English actresses 20th-century English women writers 20th-century English dramatists and playwrights