Marjorie Corbett (nee Hodgson) 12 May 1912 – 27 July 1995) was a British

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 ...

, voice actress, puppeteer, 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 (), lite ...

, she was the wife of

Sooty Sooty is a British children's television media franchise created by Harry Corbett incorporating primarily television and stage shows. The franchise originated with his fictional glove puppet character introduced to television in 1955, with the ...

's creator,

Harry Corbett Harry Corbett OBE (28 January 1918 – 17 August 1989) was an English magician, puppeteer and television presenter. He was best known as the creator of the glove puppet character Sooty in 1952. Biography Corbett was born in Bradford, W ...

.Wearing p.9

Earliest Appearances on Film

Corbett appeared on stage in several of the

Aldwych farce The Aldwych farces were a series of twelve stage farces presented at the Aldwych Theatre, London, nearly continuously from 1923 to 1933. All but three of them were written by Ben Travers. They incorporate and develop British low comedy styles, ...

s. In the 1930s, she appeared in nine films, including two adaptations of the Aldwych plays. She appeared as a

leading lady A leading actor, leading actress, or simply lead (), plays the role of the protagonist of a film, television show or play. The word ''lead'' may also refer to the largest role in the piece, and ''leading actor'' may refer to a person who typica ...

quota quickies Quota may refer to: Economics * Import quota, a trade restriction on the quantity of goods imported into a country * Market Sharing Quota, an economic system used in Canadian agriculture * Milk quota, a quota on milk production in Europe * Indi ...

such as ''

The Reverse Be My Lot ''The Reverse Be My Lot'' is a 1937 British drama film directed by Raymond Stross and starring Ian Fleming, Marjorie Corbett and Mickey Brantford. The screenplay involves a physician who discovers a medicine to combat a major outbreak of disease. ...

'' and

Michael Powell Michael Latham Powell (30 September 1905 – 19 February 1990) was an English filmmaker, celebrated for his partnership with Emeric Pressburger. Through their production company The Archers, they together wrote, produced and directed a serie ...

's ''

The Price of a Song ''The Price of a Song'' is a 1935 British crime film, directed by Michael Powell. It is one of 23 quota quickies Powell directed between 1931 and 1936. It features a largely forgotten cast – only Felix Aylmer, here in a minor role, woul ...

''.

Retirement and Sooty Years

During her retirement of acting on film, Marjorie married Sooty creator Harry Corbett when she later plays the original voice of Soo from ''

The Sooty Show ''The Sooty Show'' is a British children's television series, created by Harry Corbett, and produced for the BBC from 1955 to 1967, and then for ITV from 1968 until 1992. The show, part of the ''Sooty'' franchise, focuses on the mischievous adv ...

'' alongside Harry Corbett and later his son

Matthew Corbett Peter Graham "Matthew" Corbett (born 28 March 1948) is an English actor, singer, comedian, magician, puppeteer, television presenter and writer, best known for presenting ''The Sooty Show'' and later ''Sooty and Co''. He is the son of Sooty's ...

from 1964 until 1981. She later retired again in 1981 with her character Soo being revoiced by Brenda Longman.

Personal life and death

During her performance of Soo, Marjorie was a heavy smoker, which leads by voicing Soo to make her sound older and being asked to be replaced, Marjorie later retired again for 14 years until she died on 27 July 1995.

Selected filmography

* '' Thark'' (1932) * '' Turkey Time'' (1933) * ''

The Broken Rosary ''The Broken Rosary'' is a 1934 British musical film directed by Harry Hughes and starring Derek Oldham, Margaret Yarde and Vesta Victoria. It was made at Isleworth Studios.Wood p.81 Cast * Derek Oldham as Giovanni * Jean Adrienne as Maria ...

'' (1934) * ''

'' (1935) * ''

Pay Box Adventure ''Pay Box Adventure'' is a 1936 British crime film directed by W. P. Kellino and starring Syd Crossley, Marjorie Corbett and Roxie Russell. It was made at Elstree Studios as a quota quickie.Chibnall p.290 Cast * Syd Crossley Syd Crossley ...

'' (1936) * ''

'' (1937) * ''

'' - As Soo (1964–1981)

References

Bibliography

* Wearing, J.P. ''The London Stage 1940-1949: A Calendar of Productions, Performers, and Personnel''. Rowman & Littlefield, 2014. 1912 births 1995 deaths British film actresses Actresses from London 20th-century British actresses 20th-century English women 20th-century English people English puppeteers British puppeteers Female puppeteers {{England-film-actor-stub