Jessie Margaret Matthews (11 March 1907 – 19 August 1981) was an English actress, dancer and singer of the 1920s and 1930s, whose career continued into the post-war period.
After a string of hit stage musicals and films in the mid-1930s, Matthews developed a following in the USA, where she was dubbed "The Dancing Divinity". Her British studio was reluctant to let go of its biggest name, however, which resulted in offers for her to work in
Hollywood being repeatedly rejected.
After the decline of her film career, Matthews achieved a comeback in her native Britain when she took over the role of Mary Dale in the popular
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 th ...
serial
''The Dales'' (previously known as ''Mrs Dale's Diary'').
Early life
Jessie Margaret Matthews was born on 11 March 1907 to Jane Matthews (née Townshend) in a flat above a butcher's shop at 94
Berwick Street
Berwick Street is a street in the Soho district of the City of Westminster built between 1687 and 1703. Berwick Street runs between Oxford Street to the north and Peter Street at the south.
History
Berwick Street was built between 1687 and 1 ...
,
Soho
Soho is an area of the City of Westminster, part of the West End of London. Originally a fashionable district for the aristocracy, it has been one of the main entertainment districts in the capital since the 19th century.
The area was develop ...
, London, in relative poverty, the seventh of sixteen children (of whom eleven survived). Jessie's father, George Ernest Matthews, was a
fruit-and-vegetable seller.
Shortly after her birth, the family moved around the corner to 5 Livonia Street. Aged five, the family again moved, this time to 11 Carlos Street,
Camden Town
Camden Town (), often shortened to Camden, is a district of northwest London, England, north of Charing Cross. Historically in Middlesex, it is the administrative centre of the London Borough of Camden, and identified in the London Plan as o ...
, where she attended St Matthew's School. In 1915, Matthews and her family returned to live in Soho, at 9 William and Mary Yard, a flat above stables, which was at the top of
Great Windmill Street
Great Windmill Street is a thoroughfare running north–south in Soho, London, crossed by Shaftesbury Avenue.
The street has had a long association with music and entertainment, most notably the Windmill Theatre, and is now home to the Ripley ...
; the buildings were later demolished. She then attended Pulteney Street London County Council School for Girls.
Career
Beginnings
Matthews took dancing lessons as a child in a room above a local public house at 22 Berwick Street.
[City of Westminster green plaques ] She first went on stage on 29 December 1919, aged 12, in ''
Bluebell in Fairyland'', by
Seymour Hicks
Sir Edward Seymour Hicks (30 January 1871 – 6 April 1949), better known as Seymour Hicks, was a British actor, music hall performer, playwright, actor-manager and producer. He became known, early in his career, for writing, starring in and p ...
, with music by
Walter Slaughter
Walter Alfred Slaughter (17 February 1860 – 2 March 1908) was an English conductor and composer of musical comedy, comic opera and children's shows. He was engaged in the West End as a composer and musical director from 1883 to 1904.
Life ...
and lyrics by
Charles Taylor, at
The Metropolitan Music Hall,
Edgware Road
Edgware Road is a major road in London, England. The route originated as part of Roman Watling Street and, unusually in London, it runs for 10 miles in an almost perfectly straight line. Forming part of the modern A5 road, Edgware Road undergoes ...
, London, as a child dancer.
She made her cinema debut in 1923 in the silent film ''
The Beloved Vagabond''.
[ She also had a small part in '']Straws in the Wind
''Straws in the Wind'' is a 1924 British silent drama film directed by Bertram Phillips and starring Betty Ross Clarke, Queenie Thomas and Fred Paul.
Cast
* Betty Ross Clarke as The Wife
* Queenie Thomas as The Woman
* Fred Paul as The Husb ...
'', released the following year, in which her sister Rosie also appeared. 1923 also saw Jessie make her West End debut when she appeared in C. B. Cochran
Sir Charles Blake Cochran (25 September 1872 31 January 1951), generally known as C. B. Cochran, was an English theatrical manager and impresario. He produced some of the most successful musical revues, musicals and plays of the 1920s and 193 ...
's production of Irving Berlin
Irving Berlin (born Israel Beilin; yi, ישראל ביילין; May 11, 1888 – September 22, 1989) was a Russian-American composer, songwriter and lyricist. His music forms a large part of the Great American Songbook.
Born in Imperial Russi ...
's '' Music Box Revue'' at the Palace Theatre. This was followed by a part in the chorus of ''London Calling!'', a revue by Noël Coward
Sir Noël Peirce Coward (16 December 189926 March 1973) was an English playwright, composer, director, actor, and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what ''Time'' magazine called "a sense of personal style, a combination of cheek and ...
and Ronald Jeans
Ronald Jeans (10 May 1887 – 16 May 1973) was a British playwright with a career spanning nearly 50 years.
Early life
Ronald Jeans was born in Oxton, Merseyside, the younger son of Sir Alexander Grigor Jeans (1849–1924), the founder and ma ...
presented by André Charlot
André Eugène Maurice Charlot (26 July 1882 – 20 May 1956) was a French impresario known primarily for the successful musical revues he staged in London between 1912 and 1937. He also worked as a character actor in numerous films.
Early li ...
.
Matthews was then in the chorus in ''Charlot's Review of 1924'' in London. She went with the show to New York, where she was also understudy to the star, Gertrude Lawrence
Gertrude Lawrence (4 July 1898 – 6 September 1952) was an English actress, singer, dancer and musical comedy performer known for her stage appearances in the West End of London and on Broadway in New York.
Early life
Lawrence was born Gertr ...
. The show moved to Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
, and when Lawrence fell ill, Matthews took over the role, and received glowing reviews.
Early fame
Matthews first achieved star status in ''The Charlot Show of 1926'', a show which saw her dance in ballet with Anton Dolin, and in musical comedy with Henry Lytton Junior. Matthews and Lytton married the same year, but they were divorced after only a few years. During this period, she was given a £25,000 contract with Cochran, equivalent to over £1m in 2022. She made her debut as a leading lady on Broadway
Broadway may refer to:
Theatre
* Broadway Theatre (disambiguation)
* Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
** Broadway (Manhattan), the street
**Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...
in ''The Charlot Show of 1927'', a production coupled with ''Earl Carroll's Vanities
''The Earl Carroll Vanities'' was a Broadway revue that Earl Carroll presented in the 1920s and early 1930s. Carroll and his show were sometimes controversial.
Distinguishing qualities
In 1923, the ''Vanities'' joined the ranks of New York ...
''.
In 1927, Matthews starred in ''One Dam Thing After Another'' by Ronald Jeans, a West End revue with music by Richard Rodgers
Richard Charles Rodgers (June 28, 1902 – December 30, 1979) was an American Musical composition, composer who worked primarily in musical theater. With 43 Broadway musicals and over 900 songs to his credit, Rodgers was one of the most ...
and Lorenz Hart
Lorenz Milton Hart (May 2, 1895 – November 22, 1943) was an American lyricist and half of the Broadway songwriting team Rodgers and Hart. Some of his more famous lyrics include " Blue Moon", " The Lady Is a Tramp", "Manhattan", "Bewitched, Both ...
, which featured Matthews introducing their hit song "My Heart Stood Still
"My Heart Stood Still" is a 1927 popular song composed by Richard Rodgers, with lyrics by Lorenz Hart. It was written for the Charles Cochran revue ''One Dam' Thing after Another'', which opened at the London Pavilion on May 19, 1927. The sho ...
". It was in this show that she first met her co-star Sonnie Hale
John Robert Hale-Monro (1 May 1902 – 9 June 1959), known as Sonnie Hale, was an English actor, screenwriter, and director.
Early life
John Robert Hale-Monro was born in Kensington, London, the son of Belle Reynolds and actor Robert Hal ...
. The following year, they introduced Coward's romantic duet "A Room with a View" in ''This Year of Grace
''This Year of Grace'' is a revue with a book, music, and lyrics by Noël Coward.
It opened in London on 22 March 1928 at the London Pavilion and ran for nearly 10 months, directed by Frank Collins, with a cast featuring Sonnie Hale, Maisie Gay, ...
'', and her performance in the revue was acclaimed by critics. She was similarly successful in another revue ''Wake up and Dream'' (1929), in which she and Hale introduced Cole Porter
Cole Albert Porter (June 9, 1891 – October 15, 1964) was an American composer and songwriter. Many of his songs became standards noted for their witty, urbane lyrics, and many of his scores found success on Broadway and in film.
Born to ...
's "Let's Do It, Let's Fall in Love
"Let's Do It, Let's Fall in Love" (also known as "Let's Do It (Let's Fall in Love)" or simply "Let's Do It") is a popular song written in 1928 by Cole Porter. It was introduced in Porter's first Broadway success, the musical ''Paris'' (1928) by Fr ...
".
Matthews' fame reached its initial height with her lead role in Cochran's 1930 stage production of ''Ever Green
Ever may refer to:
* Ever (artist), creator of street art, from Buenos Aires, Argentina
* Ever, Kentucky
* -ever, an English suffix added to interrogative words in forms like ''wherever''
* KT Tech EVER, a South Korean mobile phone manufacture ...
'', which premiered at the Alhambra Theatre Glasgow. The musical, by Rodgers and Hart, was partly inspired by the life of music hall star Marie Lloyd
Matilda Alice Victoria Wood (12 February 1870 – 7 October 1922), professionally known as Marie Lloyd (), was an English music hall singer, comedian and musical theatre actress. She was best known for her performances of songs such as " T ...
and her daughter's tribute act
A tribute act, tribute band or tribute group is a music group, singer, or musician who specifically plays the music of a well-known music act. Tribute acts include individual performers who mimic the songs and style of an artist, such as Elv ...
resurrection of her mother's acclaimed Edwardian
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 Victori ...
stage show as Marie Lloyd Junior. At its time, ''Ever Green'', which included the first major revolving stage in Britain, was the most expensive musical ever mounted on a British stage. The show saw Matthews introduce another Rodgers and Hart standard, "Dancing on the Ceiling
''Dancing on the Ceiling'' is the third solo studio album by American singer Lionel Richie, released on July 15, 1986. The album was originally to be titled ''Say You, Say Me'', after the Academy Award-winning track of the same name, but it wa ...
".
Film star
Matthews' first major film role was in the musical '' Out of the Blue'' (1931), but it was a commercial failure. However, the following year, she starred in '' There Goes the Bride'', directed by Albert de Courville
Albert Pierre de Courville (26 March 1887 – 15 March 1960) (born in Croydon, England) was a writer and director of theatrical revues, many of which featured the actress and singer Shirley Kellogg, whom he married in June 1913.
Career
In abo ...
, which was a success. This was followed by '' The Man from Toronto'', released the same year, and another film for de Courville, ''The Midshipmaid
''The Midshipmaid'' is a 1932 British comedy film directed by Albert de Courville and starring Jessie Matthews, Frederick Kerr, Basil Sydney and Nigel Bruce. The film is based on the 1931 play of the same title by Ian Hay and Stephen King-Hall. ...
''.
Matthews enjoyed great success with her appearance in the ensemble film ''The Good Companions
''The Good Companions'' is a novel by the English author J. B. Priestley.
Written in 1929, it follows the fortunes of a concert party on a tour of England. It is Priestley's most famous novel and established him as a national figure. It won ...
'' (1933), an adaptation of J. B. Priestley
John Boynton Priestley (; 13 September 1894 – 14 August 1984) was an English novelist, playwright, screenwriter, broadcaster and social commentator.
His Yorkshire background is reflected in much of his fiction, notably in ''The Good Compa ...
's novel and play directed by Victor Saville
Victor Saville (25 September 1895 – 8 May 1979) was an English film director, producer, and screenwriter. He directed 39 films between 1927 and 1954. He also produced 36 films between 1923 and 1962.
Biography
Saville produced his first f ...
. 1933 also saw her starring in ''Waltzes from Vienna
''Waltzes from Vienna'' is a 1934 British biographical film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, sometimes known as ''Strauss' Great Waltz''. It was part of the cycle of operetta films made in Britain during the 1930s.
Hitchcock's film is based on th ...
'', an operetta telling the story behind the production of "The Blue Danube
"The Blue Danube" is the common English title of "An der schönen blauen Donau", Op. 314 (German for "By the Beautiful Blue Danube"), a waltz by the Austrian composer Johann Strauss II, composed in 1866. Originally performed on 15 Februa ...
" by Johann Strauss II
Johann Baptist Strauss II (25 October 1825 – 3 June 1899), also known as Johann Strauss Jr., the Younger or the Son (german: links=no, Sohn), was an Austrian composer of light music, particularly dance music and operettas. He composed ov ...
, directed by a young Alfred Hitchcock
Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featur ...
. This was followed by another ensemble film, '' Friday the Thirteenth'' (1933), in which she appeared on screen with Hale, who was by then her husband, for the first time.
She then starred in the film version of ''Evergreen
In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has foliage that remains green and functional through more than one growing season. This also pertains to plants that retain their foliage only in warm climates, and contrasts with deciduous plants, which ...
'' (1934), which featured the newly composed song "Over My Shoulder"; it would to go on to become Matthews' personal signature song, later giving its title to her autobiography and to a 21st-century musical stage show of her life.
This was followed by ''First a Girl
''First a Girl'' is a 1935 British comedy film directed by Victor Saville and starring Jessie Matthews. ''First a Girl'' was adapted from the 1933 German film ''Viktor und Viktoria'' written and directed by Reinhold Schünzel. It was remade as th ...
'' (1935), in which she appears as a cross dresser
Cross-dressing is the act of wearing clothes usually worn by a different gender. From as early as pre-modern history, cross-dressing has been practiced in order to disguise, comfort, entertain, and self-express oneself.
Cross-dressing has play ...
, and then ''It's Love Again
''It's Love Again'' is a 1936 British musical film directed by Victor Saville and starring Jessie Matthews, Robert Young and Sonnie Hale. In the film, a chorus girl masquerades as a big game hunter to try to boost her showbiz career.
The fi ...
'' (1936), where she had an American co-star, Robert Young. Exhibitors voted her the sixth biggest star in the country that year.
Matthews then began to appear in films directed by husband: ''Gangway
Broadly speaking, a gangway is a passageway through which to enter or leave. Gangway may refer specifically refer to:
Passageways
* Gangway (nautical), a passage between the quarterdeck and the forecastle of a ship, and by extension, a passage th ...
'' (1937), '' Head over Heels'' (1937) and ''Sailing Along
''Sailing Along'' is a 1938 British musical comedy film directed by Sonnie Hale and starring Jessie Matthews, Barry MacKay, Jack Whiting, Roland Young, Frank Pettingell, Noel Madison and Alastair Sim. It includes many staged song and dance ro ...
'' (1938). Following the end of Hale's contract with Gaumont British
The Gaumont-British Picture Corporation produced and distributed films and operated a cinema chain in the United Kingdom. It was established as an offshoot of the Gaumont Film Company of France.
Film production
Gaumont-British was founded in 18 ...
, she starred in her last film for the studio, ''Climbing High
''Climbing High'' is a 1938 British comedy film directed by Carol Reed and produced by Michael Balcon with a screenplay by Sonnie Hale, Marion Dix and Lesser Samuels. It stars Jessie Matthews, Michael Redgrave, Noel Madison, Margaret Vyner and ...
'' (1938) directed by Carol Reed
Sir Carol Reed (30 December 1906 – 25 April 1976) was an English film director and producer, best known for ''Odd Man Out'' (1947), '' The Fallen Idol'' (1948), ''The Third Man'' (1949), and '' Oliver!'' (1968), for which he was awarded the ...
. In 1938, she was the fourth biggest British star at the box office.
Matthews and Hale returned to the stage in 1939 in their own musical production, ''I Can Take It'', which had a successful provincial tour. It was due to open at the London Coliseum
The London Coliseum (also known as the Coliseum Theatre) is a theatre in St Martin's Lane, Westminster, built as one of London's largest and most luxurious "family" variety theatres. Opened on 24 December 1904 as the London Coliseum Theatre ...
on 12 September, but the outbreak of the war on 3 September meant the show was cancelled.
World War II
Her warbling voice and round cheeks made her a familiar and much-loved personality to British theatre and film audiences at the beginning of World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. She was one of many British-born stars in the Hollywood film '' Forever and a Day'' (1943) (in whose cast Matthews was virtually unique, by virtue of not being an expat
An expatriate (often shortened to expat) is a person who resides outside their native country. In common usage, the term often refers to educated professionals, skilled workers, or artists taking positions outside their home country, either ...
: while in New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
preparing for a Broadway
Broadway may refer to:
Theatre
* Broadway Theatre (disambiguation)
* Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
** Broadway (Manhattan), the street
**Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...
role, Matthews had been recruited to film a role originally intended for Greer Garson
Eileen Evelyn Greer Garson (29 September 1904 – 6 April 1996) was an English-American actress and singer. She was a major star at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer who became popular during the Second World War for her portrayal of strong women on the hom ...
in Hollywood over three days). She returned to the West End stage in Jerome Kern
Jerome David Kern (January 27, 1885 – November 11, 1945) was an American composer of musical theatre and popular music. One of the most important American theatre composers of the early 20th century, he wrote more than 700 songs, used in over ...
's ''Wild Rose'', a revival of ''Sally'', in 1942.
Matthews' popularity waned in the 1940s after several years' absence from the screen, followed by an unsatisfactory thriller, ''Candles at Nine
''Candles at Nine'' is a 1944 British mystery film directed by John Harlow and starring Jessie Matthews, John Stuart and Beatrix Lehmann.
A wealthy man taunts his relations and staff about which of them shall inherit his estate after he chang ...
'' (1944). She directed and featured in the short film, ''Victory Wedding'' (1944), starring John Mills
Sir John Mills (born Lewis Ernest Watts Mills; 22 February 190823 April 2005) was an English actor who appeared in more than 120 films in a career spanning seven decades. He excelled on camera as an appealing British everyman who often portra ...
and Dulcie Gray
Dulcie Winifred Catherine Savage Denison, (''née'' Bailey; 20 November 1915 – 15 November 2011), known professionally as Dulcie Gray, was a British actress, mystery writer and lepidopterist.
While at drama school in the late 1930s she met ...
.
During the war, she entertained troops in Continental Europe
Continental Europe or mainland Europe is the contiguous continent of Europe, excluding its surrounding islands. It can also be referred to ambiguously as the European continent, – which can conversely mean the whole of Europe – and, by ...
as a member of ENSA
The Entertainments National Service Association (ENSA) was an organisation established in 1939 by Basil Dean and Leslie Henson to provide entertainment for British armed forces personnel during World War II. ENSA operated as part of the Navy, ...
.
Post-war career
Post-war audiences associated Matthews with a world of hectic pre-war luxury that was now seen as obsolete in austerity-era Britain. She appeared in variety tours, and returned to musical theatre in ''Maid to Measure'', which began touring in 1947 before coming to the Cambridge Theatre
The Cambridge Theatre is a West End theatre, on a corner site in Earlham Street facing Seven Dials, in the London Borough of Camden, built in 1929–30 for Bertie Meyer on an "irregular triangular site".
Design and construction
It was des ...
in London's West End. However, it closed after only four and-a-half weeks. Matthews began to venture into straight theatre, and appeared in a two-week run of Terence Rattigan
Sir Terence Mervyn Rattigan (10 June 191130 November 1977) was a British dramatist and screenwriter. He was one of England's most popular mid-20th-century dramatists. His plays are typically set in an upper-middle-class background.Geoffrey Wan ...
's ''Playbill'' at the King's Theatre in Hammersmith
Hammersmith is a district of West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It is the administrative centre of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, and identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.
...
in 1949. This was a double bill in which she took parts in ''Harlequinade'' and ''The Browning Version''. Matthews then starred in the revue ''Sauce Tartare'' at the Cambridge Theatre, which ran for several months and would prove to be her last West End role until 1966. In 1950, she undertook a tour of Britain playing Eliza Doolittle
Eliza Doolittle is a fictional character and the protagonist in George Bernard Shaw's play ''Pygmalion'' (1913) and its 1956 musical adaptation, ''My Fair Lady''.
Eliza (from Lisson Grove, London) is a Cockney flower woman, who comes to Profe ...
in ''Pygmalion''.
Matthews toured Australia from 1952 to 1953 in ''Larger Than Life'', a play adapted from Somerset Maugham
William Somerset Maugham ( ; 25 January 1874 – 16 December 1965) was an English writer, known for his plays, novels and short stories. Born in Paris, where he spent his first ten years, Maugham was schooled in England and went to a German un ...
's novel ''Theatre''. Back in the UK, 1954 saw her touring the country in Noël Coward
Sir Noël Peirce Coward (16 December 189926 March 1973) was an English playwright, composer, director, actor, and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what ''Time'' magazine called "a sense of personal style, a combination of cheek and ...
's ''Private Lives
''Private Lives'' is a 1930 comedy of manners in three acts by Noël Coward. It concerns a divorced couple who, while honeymooning with their new spouses, discover that they are staying in adjacent rooms at the same hotel. Despite a perpetuall ...
'', playing the leading female role of Amanda. The following year, she was reunited with Sonnie Hale to star in a comedy, ''Nest of Robins'', which toured British theatres. The duo also went on tour with the play in 1957, in what would be their final appearance on stage together.
Matthews was back on cinema screens when she played Tom Thumb
Tom Thumb is a character of English folklore. ''The History of Tom Thumb'' was published in 1621 and was the first fairy tale printed in English. Tom is no bigger than his father's thumb, and his adventures include being swallowed by a cow, tan ...
's mother in the 1958 children's film ''tom thumb
Tom Thumb is a character of English folklore. ''The History of Tom Thumb'' was published in 1621 and was the first fairy tale printed in English. Tom is no bigger than his father's thumb, and his adventures include being swallowed by a cow, tan ...
''. Following the completion of the film, she moved to Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
, where she opened a drama school. She continued to work as an actress, appearing in '' Dinner with the Family'' (1959), made for Australian television. Matthews returned to live in the UK in 1960.
In the 1960s, Matthews found new fame when she took over the leading role of Mary Dale in the BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
'', formerly known ''Mrs Dale's Diary''. Despite a campaign by the show's fans, who included the
, the series ended in 1969 after 21 years on air.
Live theatre and variety shows remained the mainstay of Matthews' work throughout the 1950s and 1960s, with successful tours of Australia and South Africa interspersed with periods of less glamorous but welcome work in British provincial theatre and
.
in 1970.
She continued to make cabaret and occasional film and television appearances throughout the 1970s, including a one-off guest role in the popular
''. Her final appearance in a stage musical was playing Mrs Doasyouwouldbedoneby in ''The Water Babies'' (1973), an adaptation of the
''.
. The same year, she returned to the theatre in ''
''.
Her last television appearance was in "A Picture of a Place", an episode of the
for the year's best performance in concert.