Winifred Florence Shotter (5 November 1904 – 4 April 1996) was an English actress best known for her appearances in 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 of the 1920s and early 1930s. Initially a singer and dancer in the ensembles of

musical comedies Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movement ...

, Shotter was spotted by the comedian and producer

Leslie Henson Leslie Lincoln Henson (3 August 1891 – 2 December 1957) was an English comedian, actor, producer for films and theatre, and film director. He initially worked in silent films and Edwardian musical comedy and became a popular music hall comed ...

. He recommended her to his colleague

Tom Walls Thomas Kirby Walls (18 February 1883 – 27 November 1949) was an English stage and film actor, producer and director, best known for presenting and co-starring in the Aldwych farces in the 1920s and for starring in and directing the film adapt ...

, who was in search of a leading lady to succeed Yvonne Arnaud in his series of farces at the

Aldwych Theatre The Aldwych Theatre is a West End theatre, located in Aldwych in the City of Westminster, central London. It was listed Grade II on 20 July 1971. Its seating capacity is 1,200 on three levels. History Origins The theatre was constructed in the ...

, London. From 1926 to 1932, Shotter played in eight of the farces, in a regular company headed by Walls and Ralph Lynn. She appeared in several films during the 1930s, including adaptations of four of the Aldwych plays. After the Aldwych series ended, Shotter appeared in numerous

West End West End most commonly refers to: * West End of London, an area of central London, England * West End theatre, a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London, England West End may also refer to: Pl ...

shows, worked briefly in Hollywood, and continued to appear in British films. During the Second World War she joined the

Entertainments National Service Association 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 Nav ...

(ENSA), performing for troops in Europe and Asia. An example is French Leave, a play by Reginald Berkeley, sub-titled: A Normandy Story, where she appeared with Lawrence O'Madden. After the war she joined the BBC as an announcer on the relaunched television service. During the 1950s she gradually withdrew from performing and retired to Switzerland with her second husband.

Life and career

Early years

Shotter was born in London, the eldest of the six children (five of them girls) of Frederick Ernest and Harriet Payne Shotter. The four younger daughters, Constance, Margaret, Eva and Barbara, all followed Winifred into the acting profession. Their only brother, Victor, became a television executive."Barbara Shotter"
''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was f ...

'', 3 January 2013 Her father worked as a tie cutter and later as the manager of a leather factory."Winifred Shotter"
''

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'' ...

'', 16 April 1996 Before Winifred there was no stage tradition in her family, but from her days as a schoolgirl at Maidenhead High School she was determined to perform. She made her London debut, at the age of 14, in a travesti role in ''Soldier Boy'' at the

Apollo Theatre The Apollo Theatre is a Grade II listed West End theatre, on Shaftesbury Avenue in the City of Westminster, in central London.

.Gaye, pp. 1182–1183 Over the next five years she was a member of the ensemble in

at the

Winter Garden Theatre The Winter Garden Theatre is a Broadway theatre at 1634 Broadway in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. It opened in 1911 under designs by architect William Albert Swasey. The Winter Garden's current design dates to 1922, when ...

, with small roles in the hit show '' Sally'' (1921) and then in ''

The Beauty Prize ''The Beauty Prize'' is a musical comedy in three acts, with music by Jerome Kern, book and lyrics by George Grossmith and P. G. Wodehouse. It was first produced by Grossmith and J A E Malone on 5 September 1923 at the Winter Garden Thea ...

'' (1923), both of which starred

. In 1925 she made her New York debut at the Gaiety in the

revue A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance, and sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural presence of its own du ...

''By-the-Way''.

Aldwych farce

When she returned to England, Henson recommended Shotter to his co-producer

for the ingenue role of Rhoda Marley in the new

, '' Rookery Nook''. This was the third in the series of farces presented by Walls at the

in the 1920s and early 1930s. The heroines in the first two had been played by the hugely popular Yvonne Arnaud, who left the company to play in variety. As her successor, Shotter made an immediate impact: in the words of ''

'', "This was 1926, and it was considered delightfully shocking that an actress should make her first appearance in a play in a pair of pyjamas." Her colleague Molly Weir recalled her as "an enchanting 'flapper' who had to be hidden for fear of discovery by prim visiting relatives, and she sent the house into screams of warning appreciative laughter as she raced downstairs from the bedroom and across the stage clad only in exquisitely revealing pink crepe-de-Chine camiknickers."Weir, Molly
"Obituary: Winifred Shotter"
''The Independent'', 29 April 1996 Shotter remained a member of the Aldwych company for the next six years, playing roles written expressly for her in six farces by

Ben Travers Ben Travers (12 November 188618 December 1980) was an English writer. His output includes more than 20 plays, 30 screenplays, 5 novels, and 3 volumes of memoirs. He is best remembered for his long-running Aldwych farce, series of farces first ...

and two by others. She played Kitty Stratton in '' Thark'' (1927), Joan Hewlett in ''

Plunder Looting is the act of stealing, or the taking of goods by force, typically in the midst of a military, political, or other social crisis, such as war, natural disasters (where law and civil enforcement are temporarily ineffective), or rioting. ...

'' (1929), Betty Ramsbotham in '' A Cup of Kindness'' (1930), Cora Mellish in '' A Night Like This'' (1930), Doris Chataway in '' Marry the Girl'' (1930 – by George Arthurs and Arthur Miller), Rose Adair in '' Turkey Time'' (1931) and Peggy Croft in ''Fifty Fifty'' (1932 – by H. F. Maltby). During this time she married Brigadier Michael Green; the marriage lasted from 1931 until 1951, when they divorced. Most of the farces were adapted for the cinema. Shotter appeared in films of '' Rookery Nook'' (1930), ''

'' (1931) and '' A Night Like This'' (1932), directed by Walls and featuring the principals of the Aldwych company."Winifred Shotter"
British Film Institute. Retrieved 28 February 2013 She was the only member of the stage cast to feature in the 1934 film of ''Marry the Girl'', directed by

Maclean Rogers Maclean Rogers (13 July 1899 – 4 January 1962) was a British film director and screenwriter. Selected filmography Director * '' The Third Eye'' (1929) * '' The Mayor's Nest'' (1932) * ''Up for the Derby'' (1933) * '' The Crime at Blossoms'' ...

, with

Hugh Wakefield Hugh Wakefield (10 November 1888 – 5 December 1971) was an English film actor, who played supporting roles. He was often seen wearing a monocle. Hugh Claude Wakefield was born in Wanstead, Essex. He also had a distinguished stage career, whi ...

, Sonnie Hale and

John Deverell John Deverell (30 May 1880 in London, England – 2 March 1965 in Haywards Heath, Sussex, England) was a British actor. Selected filmography * ''John Forrest Finds Himself'' (1920) – The Hon. Vere Blair * '' Children of Chance'' (1930) – Haro ...

in roles played on stage by Walls, Ralph Lynn and

Robertson Hare John Robertson Hare, Order of the British Empire, OBE (17 December 1891 – 25 January 1979) was an English actor, who came to fame in the Aldwych farces. He is remembered by more recent audiences for his performances as the Archdeacon in the p ...

1930s and 40s

According to ''The Times'', Shotter was essentially a stage performer, but "like any actress of her generation, she could not afford to ignore Hollywood." She visited America in the mid-1930s and made one film for MGM, ''Petticoat Fever'', a farce featuring Robert Montgomery and

Myrna Loy Myrna Loy (born Myrna Adele Williams; August 2, 1905 – December 14, 1993) was an American film, television and stage actress. Trained as a dancer, Loy devoted herself fully to an acting career following a few minor roles in silent films ...

. The film did good business, but Shotter did not greatly care for America, and she returned to England as soon as she could. In addition to adaptations of the Aldwych plays she appeared in more than a dozen other British films through the 1930s, including '' On Approval'' with Walls, Hare, Brough and her Aldwych predecessor, Yvonne Arnaud, and '' Summer Lightning'', an adaptation of

P G Wodehouse Sir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse, ( ; 15 October 188114 February 1975) was an English author and one of the most widely read humorists of the 20th century. His creations include the feather-brained Bertie Wooster and his sagacious valet, Jeeve ...

's novel of the same name, co-starring with Lynn. In the West End, Shotter starred in a series of plays, including Wodehouse's ''Good Morning, Bill'', with

Lawrence Grossmith Lawrence Randall Grossmith (29 March 1877 – 21 February 1944) was an English actor, the son of the Gilbert and Sullivan performer George Grossmith and the brother of the actor-manager George Grossmith Jr. After establishing his career in Edw ...

, in a 1934 revival. '' Chase the Ace'' (1935) was a departure for her: it was not a comedy but a thriller. The role was poorly written, and she returned to comedy in plays including ''High Temperature'' at the

Duke of York's Theatre The Duke of York's Theatre is a West End theatre in St Martin's Lane, in the City of Westminster, London. It was built for Frank Wyatt and his wife, Violet Melnotte, who retained ownership of the theatre until her death in 1935. Designed by t ...

, in which, according to Ivor Brown in ''

The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper Sunday editions, published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group, Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. ...

'', "Miss Winifred Shotter has mainly to be under-clad and over-worried, which she does very prettily." During the Second World War Shotter joined ENSA, entertaining the troops in India and Europe. When BBC television transmissions resumed in 1946 she was appointed as one of three announcers, together with Jasmine Bligh and McDonald Hobley.

Later years

After her divorce from her first husband in 1951, Shotter remarried the following year. Her second husband was the actor Gilbert Davis (1899–1983), whom she had first met in Hollywood. After this she wound her career down. She made her last film in 1955, playing Mrs Swayne in '' John and Julie''. Her later West End appearances included the role of Barbara Fane in a 1954 revival of Ian Hay's 1936 comedy, ''

Housemaster {{refimprove, date=September 2018 In British education, a housemaster is a schoolmaster in charge of a boarding house, normally at a boarding school and especially at a public school. The housemaster is responsible for the supervision and car ...

'', with

Jack Hulbert John Norman Hulbert (24 April 189225 March 1978) was a British actor, director, screenwriter and singer, specializing primarily in comedy productions, and often working alongside his wife (Dame) Cicely Courtneidge. Biography Born in Ely, Cam ...

. ''

The Manchester Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the G ...

'' observed that Shotter "gives the final touch of pre-war mood to the comedy"."The Old School Problem", ''The Manchester Guardian'', 21 January 1954, p. 6 Her last stage play was a farce, '' Caught Napping'', at the

Piccadilly Theatre The Piccadilly Theatre is a West End theatre located at 16 Denman Street, behind Piccadilly Circus and adjacent to the Regent Palace Hotel, in the City of Westminster, London, England. Early years Built by Bertie Crewe and Edward A. Stone ...

in 1959. Shotter and her husband settled in Switzerland in a house at

Montreux Montreux (, , ; frp, Montrolx) is a Swiss municipality and town on the shoreline of Lake Geneva at the foot of the Alps. It belongs to the district of Riviera-Pays-d'Enhaut in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland, and has a population of approxi ...

, overlooking

Lake Geneva , image = Lake Geneva by Sentinel-2.jpg , caption = Satellite image , image_bathymetry = , caption_bathymetry = , location = Switzerland, France , coords = , lake_type = Glacial la ...

. After his death she returned to England, where she died aged 91 at Redhill in Surrey. She had no children from either marriage.

Filmography

* '' Rookery Nook'' (1930) – Rhoda Marley * '' On Approval'' (1930) – Helen Hayle * ''

'' (1930) – Joan Hewlett * ''

The Chance of a Night Time ''The Chance of a Night Time'' is a 1931 British comedy film directed by Herbert Wilcox and starring Ralph Lynn, Winifred Shotter and Kenneth Kove. The screenplay was written by Ben Travers based on his play ''The Dippers'', and the cast include ...

'' (1931) – Pauline Gay * ''

Mischief Mischief or malicious mischief is the name for a criminal offenses that is defined differently in different legal jurisdictions. While the wrongful acts will often involve what is popularly described as vandalism, there can be a legal differenti ...

'' (1931) – Diana Birkett * '' A Night Like This'' (1932) – Cora Mellish * ''

Jack's the Boy ''Jack's the Boy'' is a 1932 British comedy film directed by Walter Forde and starring Jack Hulbert, Cicely Courtneidge, Francis Lister and Peter Gawthorne. It became well known for its song "The Flies Crawled Up the Window", sung by Hulbert, ...

'' (1932) – Ivy * ''

The Love Contract ''The Love Contract'' is a 1932 British musical film directed by Herbert Selpin and starring Winifred Shotter, Owen Nares and Sunday Wilshin. The screenplay concerns a young woman who becomes the driver of a wealthy stockbroker who lost her f ...

'' (1932) – Antoinette * '' Summer Lightning'' (1933) – Millicent Keable * '' Sorrell and Son'' (1933) – Molly Pentreath * ''

Up to the Neck ''Up to the Neck'' is a 1933 British comedy film directed by Jack Raymond and starring Ralph Lynn, Winifred Shotter and Francis Lister. It was made at British and Dominion's Elstree Studios.Wood p.80 Plot Shy bank clerk Norman B. Good comes in ...

'' (1933) – April Dawne * '' Night of the Garter'' (1933) – Gwen Darling * '' Just My Luck'' (1933) – Peggy Croft * '' Lilies of the Field'' (1934) – Betty Beverley * ''

D'Ye Ken John Peel? ''D'Ye Ken John Peel?'' (released in America as ''Captain Moonlight'') is a 1935 British adventure film directed by Henry Edwards and starring John Garrick, Winifred Shotter and Stanley Holloway. It was made at Julius Hagen's Twickenham St ...

'' (1935) – Lucy Merrall * '' The Rocks of Valpre'' (1935) – Christine Wyndham * '' Marry the Girl'' (1935) – Doris Chattaway * ''

Petticoat Fever ''Petticoat Fever'' is a 1936 American comedy film directed by George Fitzmaurice and written by Harold Goldman. The film stars Robert Montgomery, Myrna Loy, Reginald Owen, Winifred Shotter and Otto Yamaoka. The film was released on March 20, 1 ...

'' (1936) – Clara Wilson * '' His Lordship Regrets'' (1938) – Mary / Mabel * '' Candles at Nine'' (1944) – Brenda Tempest – Cecil's Wife * '' The Body Said No!'' (1950) – TV Announcer * '' John and Julie'' (1955) – Mrs. Swayne ::Source:

British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves film-making and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Shotter, Winifred 1904 births 1996 deaths Aldwych farce Actresses from London English film actresses 20th-century English actresses