Esther McCracken (née Armstrong, 1902–1971) was a British actress and playwright.

Biography

She was born Esther Helen Armstrong in

Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is ...

on 25 June 1902 and was educated at the

Central Newcastle High School Newcastle High School for Girls is an independent day school for girls aged 3–18 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. The Junior School is at Sandyford Park and the Senior School is located in the neighbouring suburb of Jesmond. The school was ...

, where she won the cricket-ball throwing competition every year. From 1929, she acted with the Newcastle Repertory Company. Her first play ''The Willing Spirit'' was produced in 1936. It was her second play, '' Quiet Wedding'', in 1938, which made her reputation as a writer of domestic comedy and took her to

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

. It was later

filmed Filmmaking (film production) is the process by which a motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, starting with an initial story, idea, or commission. It then continues through screenwriting, castin ...

by Anthony Asquith in 1941, and by

Roy Boulting John Edward Boulting (21 December 1913 – 17 June 1985) and Roy Alfred Clarence Boulting (21 December 1913 – 5 November 2001), known collectively as the Boulting brothers, were English filmmakers and identical twins who became known for thei ...

in 1958, as '' Happy Is the Bride''. Her next plays, ''The Willing Spirit'' in 1936, ''Counter Attraction'' in 1938, and ''White Elephants'' in 1940, were less successful, but '' Quiet Weekend'', in 1941, surpassed her earlier success and ran for over a thousand performances. It was filmed in 1946. She married Angus McCracken, a famous northern rugby player and accountant in 1936, but he was killed in action in Naples, Italy in 1943. In the following year, she married Mungo Campbell, the shipping magnate. She went on to introduce the BBC radio variety programme '' Wot Cheor Geordie'', which ran from 1940 to 1956. The signature tune was the very popular "Wherever ye gaan, you're sure to meet a Geordie". She also wrote more serious plays in her later career, including ''

Living Room In Western architecture, a living room, also called a lounge room (Australian English), lounge (British English), sitting room (British English), or drawing room, is a room for relaxing and socializing in a residential house or apartment. Su ...

'' in 1943, '' No Medals'' in 1944 (filmed as ''

The Weaker Sex ''The Weaker Sex'' is a 1948 British drama film directed by Roy Ward Baker and starring Ursula Jeans, Cecil Parker and Joan Hopkins. It was one of the most popular films at the British box office in 1948. The film's subject was what ''The Ne ...

''), and '' Cry Liberty'' in 1950. The initials of McCracken, her husband and a friend are included in the name of MEA House in Ellison Place, Newcastle, which was set up through their efforts. This is the first British building purpose-built to house a range of voluntary services. She died in August 1971. The actress

Imogen Stubbs Imogen Stubbs (born 20 February 1961) is an English actress and writer. Her first leading part was in '' Privileged'' (1982), followed by '' A Summer Story'' (1988). Her first play, '' We Happy Few'', was produced in 2004. In 2008 she joined ...

is her granddaughter.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:McCracken, Esther English women dramatists and playwrights English stage actresses 1902 births 1971 deaths People educated at Central Newcastle High School 20th-century English actresses 20th-century English women writers 20th-century English dramatists and playwrights