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Rita in David and Broccoli
| The 60's were a golden decade for Rita Webb. She kicked off 1960
playing Minnie the maid in the lost classic TV play 'David
and Broccoli' it was a small but notable part in
an interesting play.
Another Dixon of Dock Green
was added to her credits in 1960, this time playing a character
called Marge Davies in an episode titled "All
Cats Are Grey" described as "A big sleazy
character" playing nagging wife to David Graham, she yells
at him "Don't you tell
me to shut up, you great leery slob you, it wouldn't hurt you
to stay in".
Rita also appeared in an episode of BBC's classic "Maigret"
series. in an episode called "Liars"
she appears briefly in the opening scenes as Leonie a vicious
tongued harridan who spits insults at her neighbours from her
window above, shouting out "Hey
Rateu" (Dallas Cavell), "dirty
old black Smith, paid yer tax yet, or have yer drunk the money?"
she then cackles with enjoyment as Rateau falls down drunk, then
turns on another passer by "It's
little Jean Paul, the school masters boy, how's your Father dear?
or isn't he your Father?" more cackling
follows as Jean Paul runs away followed by the shows famous opening
signature tune and credits with views of Leonie making faces at
her window, complete with blacked out teeth, after the episode
title fades we see a gun fired at Leonie s window and in a close
up shot the bullet blasts through the glass and hits Leonie straight
in the face and sees the end of the character on screen as she
falls backwards in slow motion.
In 1962 Rita wrote to producer Holland Bennett, saying "It's
many years since I wrote to you, I came across an old letter (copy)
I once wrote you, & I can only come to the conclusion, that
you must have thought me a little mad, to say the least. Upon
reflection, Perhaps I am, or am I, what so many people call me
a character. Whatever it is, I’m a character without a job."
her bad spell didn't last too long. and she was soon back on the
box working alongside the likes of Sid James, Dickie Henderson
and Frankie Howerd.
It was in 1964 that Rita got to work with Norman Rossington in
the Comedy "Tea At The Ritz",
it was not unlike the 1957 film "The Smallest Show On Earth
" with Peter Sellers and Margaret Rutherford. Rita played
Mrs Hilda Gutter the usherette, pushing a tea trolley around in
the interval instead of serving Ice cream, Ann Lancaster and Ronnie
Stevens also starred.
Rita was often in parts like that of Mrs Priddle, a lovable cockney
neighbour with gossipy lines like "Some
of the stories I've heard about him! Well I wouldn't have him
if his backside hung in diamonds!" flattering
remarks like "you're a
good looking women in your own right, you are. You ought to have
somebody who lavishes love upon yer"
or reminiscent lines like "Do
you know he could belt me round the mouth one minute, and the
next minute I'd be cuddled up to him. In a throbbing mess of love
and desire for the bleeder"
Rita was always a welcome friend to the TV viewer. She took on
other notable parts in "Liza
Of Lambeth" and "The
Four Seasons Of Rosie Carr" A part which
her brother Henry thought was "The best thing she ever did!".
Playing Granny Carr she is seen Lying on her death bed and tells
her Granddaughter "I never
made much of a show while I was alive, but by gaud, I'll ride
out of this lot like a perishing duchess!"
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Tea At The Ritz-1964 |
More tea at The Ritz-1964 |
Rita & the cast of the Dickie Valentine show
1962 |
Ken Loach gave her meaty parts in the 1965 "Wednesday
Play" season. In "Three
Clear Sundays” Rita played Britannia Lee.
Her son Danny Lee (Played by Tony Selby) is in prison and gets the
death sentence for Killing a guard. Rita dominates the production
and in one scene she is trying to persuade a juror (Reg Lever) to
give her son the 'Not guilty' verdict. She tells him "You
see that figure up there, holding what they call 'The Scales Of
Justice' They're the
actual 'Scales Of Justice' and you know what she'd say if she could
speak? She’d ask for the inspector of weights and measures!
Them weights are very dodgy sir" The
plan failed and Danny was sentenced to death.
Rita visits Danny in prison shouting at the guard "I
wanna go in there and kiss my Danny. His my baby you know! His always
been a good boy to his mum and given me money! Ere don't you tell
me I can't go in and kiss him. I'll have you reported! I'll write
to the queen about you-Stinkers!!"
The day of Danny's hanging we see Rita walking along with her other
sons croaking "I'll tell
yer Lou, if they've got enough to nick yer, they've got enough to
charge yer. And if they've got enough to charge yer, they've got
enough to convict yer. And if they convict yer, don't you think
they won't hang yer! Because they bloody well will the Bastards!
The whole bleedin' systems bent!" hip
flask in hand she knocks it back.
Rita had good reviews for her part. Robert kemp said "Rita
Webb was a remarkable but entirely credible monster as his mother"
while Richard Sears writing for the Daily Mirror raved "There
were some wonderful scenes with Danny's mother, played by Rita
Webb with hagish joviality" The stage commented
"Unquestionably it gave an opportunity to Rita Webb
that she has long deserved. If anyone could be said to have shared
the honours with Tony Selby it was she. She never let us love
the old harridan with a rasping voice and sloppy emotions, but
we had to admire her as matriarch of 'tea leaves'.while variety
praised "Outstanding portrayals came from Rita webb as his
raucous, unscrupulous hoyden of a mother."
Some viewers at an audience research report thought that Rita
over played her part, while a number of others considered her
particularly good!" Rita's brother Henry also appeared as
a prisoner in one brief scene. The play was a success and we even
get to hear Rita singing some haunting melodies throughout the
play.
Not long after the show went out Rita was interviewed about her
career on "Late Night Line-Up"
for the BBC, with the opening question "Rita,
you are famous for playing Cockney parts but do you have to be
a Cockney to do this?" we may never know the
answer has it seems the programme has not survived!
Rita's next "Ken Loach" outing came in the highly successful
"Up the Junction"
Rita played the chirpy old dear 'Mrs Harding' when we first see
her, she is in a wash room chatting "Smashing
dinner today, always go up and have a good dinner on a Wednesday,
when my son gives me the money. I had roast mutton, roast potatoes,
cabbage and mint sauce, and a nice bit er tart ter follow, half
a crown that's all they charge. I don't feel like cooking me own
dinner do you? It drives yer barmy it do, cooking yer own dinner
when yer all on yer own" she pops up
throughout the play and in one scene she tells her friends "You
know what? I'm courting again! I met him up at the mission; you
know one of them shilling dinners for old age pensioners. He kept
asking me to go up to tea. Course I knew he had a place of his
own and that his wife had been dead eighteen months, but I didn't
fancy going up there. Cos yer know what men are dontcha? But I
went up Sunday, cooked his dinner for him. Cor it were narf cold
up there! ere you ought tar got a fire going for me I says! Why
you cold duck he says get under them covers!"
Rita also appeared in Ken Loach's "Coming
Out party" as a character called "Floss".
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| The Arthur Haynes Show
was hugely popular in the 60's, and Rita Webb would become one of
its regular cast. She was seen week after week in hilarious sketches.
Rita also flew to America and appeared on the "Ed
Sullivan Show" was featured in the programme
"Music Hall"
made her first appearance on "The
Benny Hill Show" and played "Salome"
in Ken Russell’s highly controversial TV play "Dance
Of The Seven Veils" In a letter dated May 22nd
1969 Rita wrote "How far is 'Salome' from the virgin
Mary-it only needs a little imagination! you must watch me in Salome,
I wear a woollen body stocking-it will put you off women for life,
& save you a lot of money!!" adding "Ken
Russell is a lovely bloke!!" |
Rita made her first appearance on "Steptoe
and Son" in 1965 as "Freda" Harold's
aunt in the classic episode "And
Afterwards At..."Rita gets to squabble
with Gretchen Franklin over some tea towels, after being told
that they were used to wash up with, Rita shouts
"That's very nice using the presents before you gets married.
Well that's that then I won't be able to take them back to the
shop now will I? and while I’m about it, I am yer mother's
sister yer know, yet I was bung right at the back of the church,
while there was other people, not even family mind yer who was..."
She gets cut off by Steptoe who shouts "Alright Freda will
yer give yer ears a chance" Rita spits back "Oh
I realise we were lucky to even be invited at all! And if he
had have got married that have been the last we'd seen of him!
Why I haven't even had a drink yet..."
she gets cut off again as Harold shouts back at her and the
rest of the guests, eventually throwing them out of the house!
Rita did Another "Dixon Of
Dock Green" in 1965 playing Mrs Noakes
in episode "All Clear"
her character refuses to leave her poorly furnished slum dwelling
when an un-defused bomb has been found. In one scene she reminisces
about the war saying "I
remember it all, not a thing you could ever forget. Night after
night the zoom, zoom, zoom of those devils ahead"
Later after being asked by Dixon about the bomb site on the
corner she recollects "Just
in the corner, now that would have been Mrs Hilton's house...who
was it who had it before her? She didn't come 'til after her
the war...Ah yes, I remember. Mr and Mrs Nugent, but they were
evacuated so it was empty right up until...wait a minute, I
don't know about a bomb but there was a bit knocked off the
corner of their house when they got back."
as the episode progresses and she still won't budge Dixon tells
her she will have to go to the church hall, telling her "All
your friends will be there" she replies
"Friends? Huh, they're
all gone. People move out, new ones come. It isn't like the
old days, you know. I suppose it's what comes of getting old."
(she shakes her head, sadly) Dixon replies "There's still
plenty of life left in you" and she bucks up and says "Yeah,
and come to think of it, I should hate to think old Hitler Killed
me after all!"
The episode continues inside the church and after all is clear,
Rita finds that she has been burgled of her life savings and
remarks "I don't begrudge
'em, but it's us old un's who made it possible. We struggled
and skimped ourselves to pay the rates that gave them their
education. The good wages and conditions in the factories today
was won for them by men like my hubby. Then some dirty rotter
goes and steals what little you have. It destroys your faith
in your own countrymen, that's what it does."
Rita also appeared on the first episode of "Til
Death Us Do Part" she was in one short
scened own the local pub singing drunkenly with Alf and co.
her second appearance with "The Garnetts" came in
1967 in the bank holiday knees-up special "Til
Closing Time Us Do Part" Rita is one
of the regulars down the pub, and is teamed up with Arthur Mullard
again as her husband, she gets to sing "No One
Loves A Fairy When She's Forty" while wearing
a short bobbed wig. At the end of the programme she starts singing
"Knees up mother brown" and gets
everybody up as they dance into the street. Jeffie also appeared
in the background as he and a fellow musician supplied the music
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| TV lost some fine performances over the years. And
"Thirty Minute Theatre"
was no exception. Many performers thrived in these half
hour gems, and Rita Webb had her finest hour in one such
play! "Someone's Knocking
At Me Door" was a starring role for
Rita. Although even the Radio Times seemed to ignore the
fact, in that week’s edition, apart from the listing
it does not get a mention.
Rita's finest hour may have come, but it was practically
ignored by most critics. The play was filmed in colour
(although most viewers without the good fortune to own
a colour TV, watched on their black and white sets) Rita's
part of Lizzie Truckle was played opposite Harry Fowler.
Bryan Pringle as 'The White Sudsy Man' also took part,
as did Ann Lancaster.
Rita's Lizzie was a tough old bird, with lines like "They
warn yer about this in the papers, they do. Watch out
for the doorstop sharks, they say. Watch out for the terrible
tallyman." and "I
Told yer I was skint, didn't I? why, if my 'Arry-boy don't
get back wiv his dole money by eight O'clock I won't be
even able to go to Bingo."
Rita had trouble getting her character right in rehearsals
and wrote to producer Sunny Amey "I read
the whole script through very carefully & quietly
yesterday, & realised that my whole conception, 'playing'
& shouting was all wrong." adding
"as you say, I’m so used to learning
quickly, & just giving the "gist", but this
is different". She also wrote to Sunny
after getting a revised script saying "I
was also pleased to see on revised script that the part
of Lizzie taking her false teeth out had been cut. In
any case I wouldn't have done it. 1st because I haven't
got false teeth, secondly I regard this as thoroughly
sickening & totally unnecessary!! & regard this
more obscene than showing your bust, in fact this could
be beautiful (not mine of course, too big for beauty)
Ha Ha!" Sunny wrote to Rita at the
end of filming saying "You were absolutely
marvellous throughout the day yesterday, and I think you
achieved wonders."
The play and all it's parts may have gone unnoticed, but
Rita Webb ended the 1960's on a high, it had been a jubilant
decade, with many outstanding performances to her credit..
After 20 years on our TV screens, it is safe to say she
truly was "Britain's Best Loved Character Actress!"
Thirty Minute Theatre 1969
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60's TV listings
1960
David And Broccoli-26.01.60 as Minnie the maid, BBC
A Stop On The Way-11.03.60, as Sleazy landlady
Armchair Theatre: Leather Jungle-10.04.60, ABC as First
Women
The Snapshot Hour-31.08.60, ARTV (Plays wife to George
Roderick in a domestic scene with Hughie Green)
Police Surgeon: Lag On The Run-24.09.60-, ABC as Mrs
Briggs
Dixon Of Dock Green: All Cats are Grey-01.10.60, as Marge
Davies , BBC
The Mystery Of Edwin Drood: EP6 Central Problem-02.11.60
as Mrs Billikin,ARTV
The Love Of Mike: They're Off-07.11.60, ARTV 1960
The Mystery Of Edwin Drood: EP7 The Strangler-09.11.60
as Mrs Billikin, ARTV
Citizen James: The Money-08.11.60, BBC
The Hughie Green Show-1960, Granada
Bootsie And Snudge-1960
1961
Churchill's Memoirs The Valiant Years: The Gathering Storm-11.02.61,
BBC/ABC, as Housewife
Cheerio Lou-13.03.61, BBC
Tonight-01.06.61, BBC
Deadline Midnight: Bid For Glory-03.06.61, ATV as Mrs
Condrini
The Younger Generation: Goodbye Charlie- 08.09.61 as
Old Fan,Granada
Citizen James: Crusty Bread-09.10.61, BBC
The Jelly End Strike-13.10.61, BBC as Ada
A Resounding Tinkle-30.11.61, Granada, as Tea Lady
Maigret: Liars-18.12.61, BBC as Old French lady
Citizen James: Washing Day-18.12.61, BBC
Our House-1962 ABC
1962
Comedy Playhouse: Sealed With A Loving Kiss-09.02.62,as
Trolley Lady,BBC
Sunday Night Play: The High Mountain-08.04.62, BBC PR: Harold
Clayton
Citizen James: The Tennis Ball-14.09.62, BBC
Citizen James: The Transistor-12.10.62, BBC
Citizen James: The Librarian-09.11.62, BBC
The Badger Game-30.11.62, BBC, as Ruby
The Dickie Henderson Show Christmas Show-25.12.62, ARTV
Call Oxbridge 2000-25.12.62, ATV as Miss Mander
1963
Armchair Theatre: Wednesday Caller-26.05.63, ABC
Compact: A Day At The Seaside-04.06.63, BBC as Gipsy
Rachel
Tea At The Ritz-06.06.63, Granada, as Mrs Gutter
That Was The Week That was-23.11.63, appearance
cancelled due to Kennedy assassination, BBC
Points Of View-29.11.63, BBC, Reading in vision
No Hiding Place: Solomon Dancey¹s Luck-23.12.63.ARTV
as Mrs Briggs
1964
Points Of View-23.03.64 (Pre recording date), BBC, Reading
The Four Seasons Of Rosie Carr: Summer in Matlock Street-04.07.64,
as Granny CarrBBC
Theatre 625 -Women In Crisis: My Grandmother 04.10.64 as
Mrs Halliday, BBC2
The Frankie Howard Show-18.12.64,BBC
Scott On...Birds-19.12.64 (Special),BBC2
The Arthur Haynes Show-31.10.64
The Arthur Haynes Show-12.12.64
The Arthur Haynes Show- 19.12.64
1965
The Arthur Haynes Show-02.01.65-ATV
The Wednesday Play: Three Clear Sundays- 07.04.65 as Brittania
Lee,,BBC
Late Night Line Up-23.04.65, BBC, Interviewed on Career
Liza Of Lambeth: Part 1 Innocence-25.04.65 as Mrs Hodges,
BBC Scotland
Liza Of Lambeth: Part 2 Guilt-02.05.65 as Mrs Hodges,
BBC Scotland
Scott On...Money-15.05.65, BBC2
Scott On...Food-05.06.65, BBC2
London Palladium-06.06.65, ATV, with Arthur Haynes
LAte Night Line Up-16.07.65, BBC, Interviewed about Three
Clear Sundays
Mogul: Tosh and Nora-04.08.65, BBC, as Mrs Priddle
Late Night Line Up-16.09.65, Interviewed on "What's
In", BBC
Steptoe And Son: And Afterwards At- 04.10.65,BBC
The Billy Cotton Show-17.10.65 (recorded), BBC
The Wednesday Play: Up The Junction-03.11.65 as Mrs Harding
,BBC,
Dixon Of Dock Green: All Clear-13.11.65, as Mrs Noakes,
BBC (D)
The Arthur Haynes Show-20.11.65-ATV
The Arthur Haynes Show-04.12.65-ATV
The Arthur Haynes Show-11.12.65-ATV
The Arthur Haynes Show-18.12.65-ATV
The Great metropolis-09.04.66- BBC, as Old Sarah
Wednesday Play: Coming Out Party-22.12.65, BBC, as Floss,
The Arthur Haynes Show-25.12.65-ATV
Ed Sullivan Show-1965, CBS (New York)
1966
The Arthur Haynes Show-01.01.66
The Arthur Haynes Show-08.01.66
The Arthur Haynes Show-15.01.66
The Arthur Haynes Show-09.04.66
The Arthur Haynes Show-16.04.66
The Arthur Haynes Show-23.04.66
The Arthur Haynes Show-30.04.66
The Frankie Howard Show-01.03.66,BBC
Armchair Theatre: And The Walls Came Tumbling Down-23.04.66,
ABC
Late Night line Up-10.05.66, BBC
Till Death Us Do Part: Arguments, Arguments-06.06.66, as
Singer, dir: Douglas Argent, BBC
The Ken Dodd Show-07.08.66, BBC
The Ken Dodd Christmas Show-25.12.66,BBC
1967
Mister Aitch: ...Said The Spider To A Fly-17.03.67, ARTV
as a French Au pair
Till Death Us Do Part: Till Closing Time Us Do Part-27.03.67,
BBC, as Rita, wife to Arthur Mullard
To Lucifer A Son: Comedy playhouse-29.06.67, BBC, as 2nd
Woman
Hold On It's The Dave Clark Five-31.08.67, ATV
Trailer For BBC2 Colour-13.12.67 (filmed)
Omnibus: Dance Of The Seven Veils-22.12.67 as Salome, BBC
The Benny Hill Show-26.12.67, ATV
The Golden Shot-1967-ATV
1968
The Dickie HEnderson Show: It's My Camera Not Yours-13.03.68
artv
Dee Time-06.04.68, BBC
La Palace Of Fun Called 'Cockneyland' Opens In London's
East End-07.04.68, Rita arguing with man
Detective: Dover And The Poison Pen Letters:-24.05.68 as
Freda Gomersall,BBC1
Orlando-1968, ARTV
Show Of The Week: The Jimmy Tarbuck Show-21.07.68, BBC
Show OF The Week: Jimmy Logan-18th
Aug 1968 BBC2
Dee Time-16.11.68, BBC
The Benny Hill Show-11.12.68, BBC
Tarbuk's Back-1968-ATV
1969
Bill Tennett Show-1969, BBC
Jimmy Logan Show-1969, BBC
Eamon Andrews Show-1969, BBC
Bruce Forsyth Show-1969, BBC
Dee Time-23.08.69, BBC, Interviewing Covent Garden Porters
The Monday Show-26.08.69, BBC, as Queen Boadicer
Thirty-Minute Theatre: Someone's Knocking At Me Door-19.10.69,
BBC, Lizzie Truckle
Music Hall-09.11.69, ATV (shown by NBC in USA as Kraft Music
Hall Presents Sandler & Young)
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Photos copyright of Geraldine Lewis and Louise
Webb
additional photos supplied by Aaron Smith
These images are the exclusive ownership of the copyright holders
and are strictly prohibited from being reproduced, copied or used
by any individual anywhere else other than this website
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