Harold Lewis Fielding (4 December 1916 - 27 September 2003) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

theatre producer A theatrical producer is a person who oversees all aspects of mounting a theatre production. The producer is responsible for the overall financial and managerial functions of a production or venue, raises or provides financial backing, and hire ...

. Fielding was one of Britain's foremost theatrical producers who produced several musicals, including ''

Mame MAME (formerly an acronym of Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator) is a free and open-source emulator designed to recreate the hardware of arcade game systems in software on modern personal computers and other platforms. Its intention is to preserve ...

'', '' Charlie Girl'', ''

Half a Sixpence ''Half a Sixpence'' is a 1963 musical comedy based on the 1905 novel ''Kipps'' by H. G. Wells, with music and lyrics by David Heneker and a book by Beverley Cross. It was written as a vehicle for British pop star Tommy Steele. Background ...

'', ''

Show Boat ''Show Boat'' is a musical with music by Jerome Kern and book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. It is based on Edna Ferber's best-selling 1926 novel of the same name. The musical follows the lives of the performers, stagehands and dock worke ...

'', '' Scarlett'', ''

Barnum Phineas Taylor Barnum (; July 5, 1810 – April 7, 1891) was an American showman, businessman, and politician, remembered for promoting celebrated hoaxes and founding the Barnum & Bailey Circus (1871–2017) with James Anthony Bailey. He wa ...

'', '' Sweet Charity'', '' The Biograph Girl'', and ''Ziegfeld''. He also produced "Music for the Millions", a touring variety show. The son of a stockbroker, Fielding was born in

Woking, Surrey Woking ( ) is a town and borough in northwest Surrey, England, around from central London. It appears in Domesday Book as ''Wochinges'' and its name probably derives from that of a Saxon landowner. The earliest evidence of human activity is fr ...

, England, and educated privately. As a child prodigy, he studied violin with Josef Szigeti. He also handled

Tommy Steele Sir Thomas Hicks (born 17 December 1936), known professionally as Tommy Steele, is an English entertainer, regarded as Britain's first teen idol and rock and roll star. After being discovered at the 2i's Coffee Bar in Soho, London, Steele reco ...

's early career, and commissioned ''Half a Sixpence'' for him. His office was Fielding House, 53-54 Haymarket, London. He was interviewed by Sue Lawley on ''

Desert Island Discs ''Desert Island Discs'' is a radio programme broadcast on BBC Radio 4. It was first broadcast on the BBC Forces Programme on 29 January 1942. Each week a guest, called a "castaway" during the programme, is asked to choose eight recordings (usua ...

'' on BBC Radio 4 on 17 June 1990. In 1996, Fielding was awarded a Gold Badge from

BASCA The Ivors Academy (formerly the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors – BASCA) is one of the largest professional associations for music writers in Europe. The academy exists to support, protect, and campaign for the interests ...

in recognition of his special contribution to Britain's entertainment industry. Fielding married Maisie Joyce Skivens in 1955, and was widowed in 1985. They had no children. He suffered a series of strokes in 1998, and retired to a private nursing home in

Kingston upon Thames Kingston upon Thames (hyphenated until 1965, colloquially known as Kingston) is a town in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, southwest London, England. It is situated on the River Thames and southwest of Charing Cross. It is notable ...

, where he died.''WhatsonStage'' obituary
/ref>

References

External links

''The Times'' obituary

*Th
Collection relating to Harold Fielding's production of Cinderella
is held by the

Victoria and Albert Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum (often abbreviated as the V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.27 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and nam ...

Theatre and Performance Department. 1916 births 2003 deaths English theatre managers and producers Impresarios 20th-century English businesspeople {{theat-bio-stub