Jane Carr (born Dorothy Henrietta Brunstrom; 1 August 1909 – 29 September 1957) was the stage name of

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

stage Stage or stages may refer to: Acting * Stage (theatre), a space for the performance of theatrical productions * Theatre, a branch of the performing arts, often referred to as "the stage" * ''The Stage'', a weekly British theatre newspaper * Sta ...

and

film actress An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

Rita Brunstrom.

Biography

Born in the

Northumberland Northumberland () is a county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Abbey. It is bordered by land ...

seaside town of

Whitley Bay Whitley Bay is a seaside town in the North Tyneside borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It formerly governed as part of Northumberland and has been part of Tyne and Wear since 1974. It is part of the wider Tyneside built-up area, being around e ...

, Carr attended Harrogate Ladies College. Her first husband was James Bickley, a civil engineer, the eldest son of a farmer and wheelwright, born on 4 October 1896 at

Wythall Wythall is a village and civil parish in the Bromsgrove District, in the north-east corner of the county of Worcestershire, England. Wythall parish borders Solihull and Birmingham, and had a population of 11,377 in the UK census of 2001. The ...

Warwickshire Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, and the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare at Stratford-upon-Av ...

, to whom she was married on 14 September 1931 at the Register Office,

Marylebone Marylebone (usually , also , ) is a district in the West End of London, in the City of Westminster. Oxford Street, Europe's busiest shopping street, forms its southern boundary. An ancient parish and latterly a metropolitan borough, it me ...

, London. According to ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' (f ...

'' dated 2 December 1936, Jane was engaged to Major A. J. S. Fetherstonhaugh, D.S.O., M.C., the only son of Colonel and Mrs. Fetherstonhaugh of The Hermitage,

Powick Powick is a village and civil parish in the Malvern Hills District, Malvern Hills district of Worcestershire, England, located two miles south of the city of Worcester, England, Worcester and four miles north of Great Malvern. The parish include ...

Worcester Worcester may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Worcester, England, a city and the county town of Worcestershire in England ** Worcester (UK Parliament constituency), an area represented by a Member of Parliament * Worcester Park, London, Engla ...

. However she subsequently married John Donaldson-Hudson, the grandson of Charles Donaldson-Hudson, from

Cheswardine Cheswardine is a rural village and civil parish in north east Shropshire, England. The village lies close to the border with Staffordshire and is about 8 miles north of Newport and 5 miles south east of Market Drayton. At the 2001 Census, the p ...

Hall,

Shropshire Shropshire (; alternatively Salop; abbreviated in print only as Shrops; demonym Salopian ) is a landlocked historic county in the West Midlands region of England. It is bordered by Wales to the west and the English counties of Cheshire to ...

on 7 January 1943 at the Registry Office,

Westminster Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster. The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, B ...

. John Donaldson-Hudson was one of the partners in

John Logie Baird Ltd John Logie Baird FRSE (; 13 August 188814 June 1946) was a Scottish inventor, electrical engineer, and innovator who demonstrated the world's first live working television system on 26 January 1926. He went on to invent the first publicly dem ...

, and Jane Carr's face appeared as one of the first images to be shown as a BBC television image on 15 November 1932, using apparatus designed by

John Logie Baird John Logie Baird FRSE (; 13 August 188814 June 1946) was a Scottish inventor, electrical engineer, and innovator who demonstrated the world's first live working television system on 26 January 1926. He went on to invent the first publicly dem ...

, as was that of

Prince Monolulu Ras Prince Monolulu (26 October 1881 – 14 February 1965), whose real name was Peter Carl Mackay (or McKay), was a horse-racing tipster, and something of an institution on the British racing scene from the 1920s until the time of his death. He ...

. Jane was divorced from John Donaldson-Hudson before September 1947. Jane and John had a daughter, Charlotte Donaldson-Hudson, who relates the details of Noël Coward visiting her mother's flat in London at about the time of the Festival of Britain preparations in 1950. She said: Jane Carr's daughter, Charlotte Donaldson-Hudson (born 17 December 1944), the great granddaughter of Charles Donaldson-Hudson talked about Noël Coward writing the song and playing it on the pianos at her mother's flat in a BBC radio broadcast from 4 May 2011, about the festival of Britain. The programme is available a
BBC iPlayer: Random Edition
In Spring 1955 Jane Carr married Henry J. Robert Stent, the managing director of Trust House hotels. Less than two months after her 48th birthday, she died of cancer at London's

Middlesex Hospital Middlesex Hospital was a teaching hospital located in the Fitzrovia area of London, England. First opened as the Middlesex Infirmary in 1745 on Windmill Street, it was moved in 1757 to Mortimer Street where it remained until it was finally clos ...

and is buried in an unmarked grave at

Mendham, Suffolk Mendham is a village and civil parish in the Mid Suffolk district of Suffolk in eastern England. Located on the east bank of the River Waveney around a mile east of Harleston, in 2005 its population was 440. The parish includes the hamlets of W ...

. Her 1st cousin once removed is Richard Brunstrom, the former Chief Constable of

North Wales North Wales ( cy, Gogledd Cymru) is a region of Wales, encompassing its northernmost areas. It borders Mid Wales to the south, England to the east, and the Irish Sea to the north and west. The area is highly mountainous and rural, with Snowdonia N ...

Constabulary.

Career

Carr began to work in the theatre in 1928, and in September 1932 she joined

Harry S. Pepper Harry Stephen Pepper (27 August 1891 – 26 June 1970) was a British pianist, songwriter, composer, actor, and BBC producer, whose career stretched from Edwardian era seaside entertainments to BBC television in the 1950s. Life Born at Putney,'' ...

Stanley Holloway Stanley Augustus Holloway (1 October 1890 – 30 January 1982) was an English actor, comedian, singer and monologist. He was famous for his comic and character roles on stage and screen, especially that of Alfred P. Doolittle in ''My F ...

Doris Arnold Doris Grace Arnold (4 November 1904 – 5 October 1969) was a BBC Radio presenter and producer, and a pianist. Born in Wimbledon, Surrey, in 1904, Arnold joined the BBC in 1929, as a typist. She first appeared on air as a stand-in for a piani ...

Joe Morley Joe Morley (December 3, 1867 in Kinver, South Staffordshire, England – September 16, 1937 in London) was a British classic banjoist who achieved great fame and renown in his homeland and abroad. During his lifetime, he composed hundreds of ...

, and C. Denier Warren to revive the White Coons Concert Party show of the

Edwardian era The Edwardian era or Edwardian period of British history spanned the reign of King Edward VII, 1901 to 1910 and is sometimes extended to the start of the First World War. The death of Queen Victoria in January 1901 marked the end of the Victor ...

for

BBC Radio BBC Radio is an operational business division and service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a royal charter since 1927). The service provides national radio stations covering ...

. She went on to appear in one of the earliest BBC television broadcasts on 15 November 1932 and was cast in a number of films through the 1930s, 1940s and early 1950s. One of her early films, ''

The Triumph of Sherlock Holmes ''The Triumph of Sherlock Holmes'' is a 1935 British mystery film directed by Leslie S. Hiscott and starring Arthur Wontner. It was based on the 1915 Sherlock Holmes novel '' The Valley of Fear'' by Arthur Conan Doyle. It is the fourth film ...

'' (1935) is available on the Internet.available a
Archive.org: The Triumph of Sherlock Holmes (1935)
/ref>

Filmography

* '' Let Me Explain, Dear'' (1932) * ''Love Me, Love My Dog'' (1932) * '' Up for the Derby'' (1933) * ''

Orders Is Orders ''Orders Is Orders'' is a 1933 British comedy film starring Charlotte Greenwood, James Gleason and Cyril Maude about an American film crew who move into a British army barracks to start making a film, much to the commander's horror. Much of the ...

'' (1933) * ''

Dick Turpin Richard Turpin (bapt. 21 September 1705 – 7 April 1739) was an English highwayman whose exploits were romanticised following his execution in York for horse theft. Turpin may have followed his father's trade as a butcher ea ...

'' (1933) * '' Taxi to Paradise'' (1933) * '' Those Were the Days'' (1934) * '' On the Air'' (1934) * ''

The Outcast Outcast or Outcasts may refer to: *Outcast (person), a person with social stigma or untouchability Literature * ''Outcast'' (Ballas novel), 1991 book by Iraqi-Israeli author Shimon Ballas * ''Outcast'' (Sutcliff novel), 1955 children's novel by R ...

'' (1934) * ''Intermezzo'' (1934) * ''

Murder at the Inn ''Murder at the Inn'' is a 1934 British crime film directed by George King and starring Wendy Barrie, Harold French and Jane Carr. It was a quota quickie, made at Teddington Studios by the British subsidiary of Warner Brothers.Wood p.78 Cast * ...

'' (1934) * '' Oh No Doctor!'' (1934) * ''

The Night Club Queen ''The Night Club Queen'' is a 1934 British musical mystery film directed by Bernard Vorhaus and starring Mary Clare, Jane Carr and Lewis Shaw.Wood p.83 Cast * Mary Clare as Mary Brown * Jane Carr as Bobbie Lamont * Lewis Shaw as Peter Brown ...

'' (1934) * '' The Church Mouse'' (1934) * '' Lord Edgware Dies'' (1934) * ''

Youthful Folly ''Youthful Folly'' is a 1934 British drama film directed by Miles Mander and starring Irene Vanbrugh, Jane Carr and Mary Lawson. It was a quota quickie made at Shepperton Studios for release by Columbia Pictures.Chibnall p.281 It portrays the l ...

'' (1934) * '' Keep It Quiet'' (1934) * ''

The Lad ''The Lad'' is a 1935 British comedy film directed by Henry Edwards and starring Gordon Harker, Betty Stockfeld and Jane Carr. It was made at Twickenham Studios. The film is based on a novel by Edgar Wallace. Plot Bill Shane is The Lad, an opp ...

'' (1935) * '' The Ace of Spades'' (1935) * '' Get Off My Foot'' (1935) * '' Annie, Leave the Room!'' (1935) * ''

'' (1935) * ''

Night Mail ''Night Mail'' is a 1936 British documentary film directed and produced by Harry Watt and Basil Wright, and produced by the General Post Office (GPO) Film Unit. The 24-minute film documents the nightly postal train operated by the London, ...

'' (1935) * ''

Hello, Sweetheart ''Hello, Sweetheart'' is a 1935 British comedy film directed by Monty Banks and starring Claude Hulbert, Gregory Ratoff and Jane Carr. The film was made by the British subsidiary of Warner Brothers at the company's Teddington Studios.Wood p.86 I ...

'' (1935) * '' The Interrupted Honeymoon'' (1936) * '' It's You I Want'' (1936) * '' Millions'' (1936) * ''Little Miss Somebody'' (1937) * '' The Lilac Domino'' (1937) * ''

Captain's Orders ''Captain's Orders'' is a 1937 British drama film directed by Ivar Campbell and starring Henry Edwards, Jane Carr, Marie La Varre, Wally Patch and Basil Radford. The film's sets were designed by Clifford Pember, in his final production. Cast ...

'' (1937) * ''

Melody and Romance ''Melody and Romance'' is a 1937 British musical comedy film directed by Maurice Elvey and starring Hughie Green, Margaret Lockwood and Jane Carr. It was made at Beaconsfield Studios with sets designed by Norman G. Arnold, and features an uncredi ...

'' (1937) * '' The Seventh Survivor'' (1941) * ''

Alibi An alibi (from the Latin, '' alibī'', meaning "somewhere else") is a statement by a person, who is a possible perpetrator of a crime, of where they were at the time a particular offence was committed, which is somewhere other than where the crim ...

'' (1942) * '' Sabotage at Sea'' (1942) * '' Lady from Lisbon'' (1942) * '' It's Not Cricket'' (1949) * ''A Night with the Stars'' (1950) * ''Stop the Merry-Go-Round'' (1952) * ''

Sunday Night Theatre ''Sunday Night Theatre'' was a long-running series of televised live television plays screened by BBC Television from early 1950 until 1959. The productions for the first five years or so of the run were re-staged live the following Thursday, pa ...

'' (1 episode, 1952) (TV) * '' The Saint's Return'' (1953) * '' 36 Hours'' (1953) (US: Terror Street)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Carr, Jane 1909 births 1957 deaths People educated at Harrogate Ladies' College People from Whitley Bay Actresses from Tyne and Wear English film actresses English television actresses 20th-century English actresses Burials in Suffolk British comedy actresses