Mary Weir (17 March 1910 – 28 November 2004), known as Molly Weir, was a

Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

actress. She appeared as the character Hazel the McWitch in the

BBC #REDIRECT 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 ex ...

TV series ''

Rentaghost ''Rentaghost'' is a British children's television comedy show, originally broadcast by the BBC between 6 January 1976 and 6 November 1984. The show's plot centred on the antics of a number of ghosts who worked for a firm called Rentaghost, which ...

''. She was the sister of naturalist and broadcaster

Tom Weir Thomas Weir MBE (29 December 1914 – 6 July 2006) was a Scottish climber, author and broadcaster. He was best known for his long-running television series ''Weir's Way''. Early life and career Weir was born in Springburn, Glasgow, and the yo ...

Biography

Born in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

and brought up in the

Springburn Springburn ( gd, Allt an Fhuairainn) is an inner-city district in the north of the Scottish city of Glasgow, made up of generally working-class households. Springburn developed from a rural hamlet at the beginning of the 19th century. Its indu ...

area of the city, Weir began in amateur dramatics. In her early professional career, she was a well-known

radio Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmit ...

actress, featuring in many

comedy Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...

shows, such as ''

ITMA ''It's That Man Again'' (commonly contracted to ''ITMA'') was a BBC radio comedy programme which ran for twelve series from 1939 to 1949. The shows featured Tommy Handley in the central role, a fast-talking figure, around whom the other cha ...

''. Her greatest theatrical success came in '' The Happiest Days of Your Life''. She made her film debut in 1949, and had a regular role as the housekeeper, Aggie McDonald, in the radio and television

sitcom A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ne ...

Life With The Lyons ''Life with the Lyons'' was a British radio and television domestic sitcom from the 1950s (1950–1961 on radio, 1955–1960 on television). Overview ''Life with the Lyons'' featured a real American family. Ben Lyon and his wife Bebe Daniels h ...

''. During the 1970s and early 1980s she became famous as a writer, with several volumes of best-selling memoirs, notably, '' Shoes Were For Sunday''. She also appeared in a series of

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...

advertisements for ''

Flash Flash, flashes, or FLASH may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional aliases * Flash (DC Comics character), several DC Comics superheroes with super speed: ** Flash (Barry Allen) ** Flash (Jay Garrick) ** Wally West, the first Kid ...

'' the household cleaning agent. In 1969, she appeared in '' The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie'' starring

Dame Maggie Smith ''Dame'' is an honorific title and the feminine form of address for the honour of damehood in many Christian chivalric orders, as well as the British honours system and those of several other Commonwealth realms, such as Australia and New Zeala ...

. She and

Helena Gloag Helena Gloag (23 February 1909 – 15 June 1973) was a Scottish actress. She had roles as the grandmother in the television series ''My Ain Folk'' and appeared in films such as '' The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie'', ''Ring of Bright Water'', '' ...

played the Kerr sisters, the sewing mistresses of Marcia Blaine School for Girls. In 1970 Weir and Gloag reprised their collaboration in '' Scrooge'', playing old sisters in debt to Mr Scrooge, played by

Albert Finney Albert Finney (9 May 1936 – 7 February 2019) was an English actor. He attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and worked in the theatre before attaining prominence on screen in the early 1960s, debuting with '' The Entertainer'' (1960) ...

. In the 1970s she was one of the presenters of ''Teatime Tales'', a television series broadcast by STV in which she recalled her childhood. The series also featured

Lavinia Derwent Lavinia Derwent was the pen name of the Scottish author and broadcaster Elizabeth Dodd MBE (1909–1989). She was born in an isolated farmhouse in the Cheviot Hills some seven miles from Jedburgh and began making up stories about animals at an ...

and

Cliff Hanley Clifford Leonard Clark "Cliff" Hanley (28 October 1922 – 9 August 1999) was a journalist, novelist, playwright and broadcaster from Glasgow in Scotland. Originally from Shettleston in the city's East End, he was educated at Eastbank Acad ...

. In the 1980s, she lampooned this homely image in the comedy series ''

Victoria Wood As Seen On TV ''Victoria Wood: As Seen on TV'' is a British comedy sketch series written by and starring comedian Victoria Wood, with appearances from Julie Walters, Celia Imrie, Duncan Preston, Susie Blake and Patricia Routledge. The show was televised on B ...

'' and appeared in a pop video for

The Bluebells The Bluebells are a Scottish indie pop, indie new wave music, new wave band, active between 1981 and 1986 (later briefly reforming in 1993, 2008–2009, 2011 and 2018). Career The Bluebells performed jangle pop, jangly guitar-based pop not dis ...

1983 hit " Young At Heart". At the

1979 United Kingdom general election The 1979 United Kingdom general election was held on Thursday 3 May 1979 to elect 635 members to the British House of Commons. The Conservative Party, led by Margaret Thatcher, ousted the incumbent Labour government of James Callaghan with ...

, Molly Weir was one of "a galaxy of stage and television stars" to appear at an election rally in support of the

Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...

. She is also the subject of the 1988 song " Molly's Lips" by

The Vaselines The Vaselines are a Scottish alternative rock band. Formed in Glasgow, Scotland in 1986, the band was originally a duo between its songwriters Eugene Kelly and Frances McKee, but later added James Seenan and Eugene's brother Charlie Kelly on ba ...

, and later covered by

Nirvana ( , , ; sa, निर्वाण} ''nirvāṇa'' ; Pali: ''nibbāna''; Prakrit: ''ṇivvāṇa''; literally, "blown out", as in an oil lampRichard Gombrich, ''Theravada Buddhism: A Social History from Ancient Benāres to Modern Colombo.' ...

. After her death, Molly Weir's ashes were scattered on the banks of

Loch Lomond Loch Lomond (; gd, Loch Laomainn - 'Lake of the Elms'Richens, R. J. (1984) ''Elm'', Cambridge University Press.) is a freshwater Scottish loch which crosses the Highland Boundary Fault, often considered the boundary between the lowlands of Ce ...

, a favourite holiday location; and almost all her estate (of nearly £1.9 million), was bequeathed to charities.

Selected filmography

*''Comin' Thro the Rye'' (1947) *''

Floodtide ''Floodtide'' is a 1949 British romantic drama film directed by Frederick Wilson and starring Gordon Jackson, Rona Anderson, John Laurie and Jimmy Logan. The film was one of the four of David Rawnsley's films that used his "independent frame" ...

'' (1949) - Mrs. McTavish *'' Madeleine'' (1950) - Bit Part (uncredited) *''

Something in the City ''Something in the City'' is a 1950 British comedy film directed by Maclean Rogers and starring Richard Hearne, Garry Marsh and Ellen Pollock. It includes an early uncredited performance by Stanley Baker as a police constable. Plot Mr Ningle h ...

'' (1950) - Nellie *'' Flesh and Blood'' (1951) - Margaret *''

Cheer the Brave ''Cheer the Brave'' is a 1951 British comedy film directed by Kenneth Hume and starring Elsie Randolph, Jack McNaughton and Geoffrey Keen. It was made at Southall Studios as a second feature.Chibnall & MacFarlane p.127 A mild-mannered man gets ...

'' (1951) *''

You're Only Young Twice ''You're Only Young Twice'' was a British TV sitcom made and broadcast on the ITV network by Yorkshire Television from 6 September 1977 to 4 August 1981. Plot Set in Paradise Lodge retirement home, ''You're Only Young Twice'' was created and ...

'' (1952) - Nellie (voice, uncredited) *'' Forces' Sweetheart'' (1953) - Scots Maid *'' Small Town Story'' (1953) - Maid (uncredited) *'' The Diamond'' (1954) - Mrs. Sayer - Marline's Housekeeper (uncredited) *''

Life with the Lyons ''Life with the Lyons'' was a British radio and television domestic sitcom from the 1950s (1950–1961 on radio, 1955–1960 on television). Overview ''Life with the Lyons'' featured a real American family. Ben Lyon and his wife Bebe Daniels h ...

'' (1954) - Aggie *''

The Lyons in Paris ''The Lyons in Paris'' (also called ''The Lyons Abroad'' and ''Mr. and Mrs. in Paree'') is a 1955 British comedy film directed by Val Guest and starring Ben Lyon, Bebe Daniels and Reginald Beckwith. It was a sequel to the 1954 film ''Life with ...

'' (1955) - Aggie *''

John and Julie ''John and Julie'' (1955) is a British comedy film, starring Colin Gibson, Lesley Dudley, Noelle Middleton and Moira Lister, and featuring Peter Sellers and Sid James in early screen roles. Plot The film is set in 1953 in the week leading up t ...

'' (1955) - Landlady *''

Value for Money In economics, economic value is a measure of the benefit provided by a good or service to an economic agent. It is generally measured through units of currency, and the interpretation is therefore "what is the maximum amount of money a specif ...

'' (1955) - Mrs. Matthews (uncredited) *''

Let's Be Happy ''Let's Be Happy'' is a Technicolor 1957 British musical film starring Tony Martin, Vera-Ellen and Robert Flemyng and directed by Henry Levin. It was written by Dorothy Cooper and Diana Morgan in CinemaScope. This film was an updated remake ...

'' (1957) - Flower Girl *'' The Bridal Path'' (1959) - 2nd Waitress *''

Carry On Regardless ''Carry On Regardless'' is a 1961 British comedy film, the fifth in the series of 31 ''Carry On'' films (1958–1992). The film revolves loosely around the activities of a job agency, 'Helping Hands', run by Sid James's character, Bert Handy ...

'' (1961) - Bird Woman *''

What a Whopper ''What a Whopper'' is a 1961 British comedy film directed by Gilbert Gunn. It was written by Terry Nation, from a story by Jeremy Lloyd and Trevor Peacock. Pop singer Adam Faith stars as a writer who travels with some friends to Scotland to fake ...

'' (1961) - Teacher *'' The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie'' (1969) - Miss Allison Kerr *'' Scrooge'' (1970) - 1st Woman Debtor *''

Hands of the Ripper ''Hands of the Ripper'' is a 1971 British horror film, directed by Peter Sasdy for Hammer Film Productions. It was written by L. W. Davidson from a story by Edward Spencer Shew, and produced by Aida Young. The film was released in the U.S. as a ...

'' (1971) - Maid *'' Bless This House'' (1972) - Mary's Mother *''

Assassin Assassination is the murder of a prominent or VIP, important person, such as a head of state, head of government, politician, world leader, member of a royal family or CEO. The murder of a celebrity, activist, or artist, though they may not ha ...

'' (1973) - Drunk Woman *''

One of Our Dinosaurs Is Missing ''One of Our Dinosaurs is Missing'' is a 1975 comedy film set in the early 1920s, about the theft of a dinosaur skeleton from the Natural History Museum. The film was produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by Buena Vista Distribution C ...

'' (1975) - Scots Nanny *''Mr. Selkie'' (1979) - Grannie Ross *''

Captain Jack Captain Jack may refer to: People * Calico Jack (1683–1720), a pirate in the 18th century * Captain Jack (Hawaiian) (died 1831), Naihekukui, commander of Kamehameha's fleet and father of Kalama * Captain Jack (fl. 1830s on), Kaurna man in c ...

'' (1999) - Foula Operator

Books

* * * * * * * *

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Weir, Molly 1910 births 2004 deaths Actresses from Glasgow Scottish television actresses Scottish film actresses Scottish memoirists People from Springburn British women memoirists