Changing tack, I asked if Baxter had a fan club. At the same time, Moira's mental health deteriorated. Perhaps uniquely, Stanley Baxter has succeeded in making himself invisible. Comments have been closed on this article. I thought she would be still be heartbroken. 'She would think the television was talking to her.' This builders daughter and art school graduate was a clever and attractive, if rather ethereal, young woman. It was the one and only time she had ever reacted in this way. It was more than weakness. Just to talk to a faithful hand that takes all the chaff and grain together, keeps whats worth keeping, and with a breath of kindness, blows the rest away. Autumn turning to winter before my eyes, and Stanley Baxter was not at home. Jacobs convinced the court that Baxter could not have been 'soliciting' when he was arrested because, apart from two policemen, there was no one else in the lavatories. He never replied. And she was very good about letting them go to bed with me. So he just thought: No, its all too much for me. She had thought about becoming an actress herself and was very supportive of her childrens aspirations for the stage: Baxter put aside thoughts of teaching to go into the theatre, while his sister went off to work as an actress in Australia, under the name of Alice Dale.Baxter had already begun broadcasting on the wireless at the age of 14, and continued doing so even after he was called up at 17 to help the war effort by going down the mines. I like to retreat into playing other people. After all, he was only a comedian, not a criminal or a crooked politician. Download Admission Form; Fee Structure; Documents Required; Student Rules One last piece for the Independent on Sunday, The Invisible Man: Searching for the Reclusive Stanley Baxter. Used Buffer and WordPress to advertise programming. So he must have felt a shiver when the waspish diaries of his late friend Kenneth Williams were published two years ago. And after nearly a year of thinking about this man, after all the work I had done to find him, I had absolutely no idea what to say. Why did Stanley agree to marry Moira? But Stanley, and Moiras family, coaxed her to take medication. He left for a theatre tour of Australia in a Brian Rix farce, leaving his wife behind. Kenneth Williams certainly thought so. Private passions are what we care about most, skeletons in the cupboard; but even knowing the colour of the upholstery will do. He felt guilty when he moved out, unable to share a home with her any longer. X En poursuivant votre navigation sur ce site, vous acceptez l'utilisation de Cookies pour vous proposer des publicits cibles adapts vos centres d'intrts et raliser des statistiques de visites. Alpha Events. ABBREVIATIONS; ANAGRAMS; . He loved the applause 'a hundred people shouting 'Bravo' and I'm beating the adults to the prizes'. I don't think you know what you're talking about and I don't think you realise that the future will be bleak for you and difficult for me., Stanley was adamant. ng bi lc Thng Mt 19, 2023. I shouldn't have done, but I did. Hello, Mr Baxter. I had felt the relationship simply had to stop, so I broke it off. 'It was then she physically attacked me. Carrying a plastic shopping bag. ', Until, inevitably, it did. There was no biography, and no memoir; just a few intriguing references to be found in the published diaries of his close friend Kenneth Williams. Hes offered stage plays and everything all the time, but he doesnt want to lock himself into eight performances a week for six months, you know? covid vaccine causing ovarian cyst. No, you might publish it. There were things he might like to say, but it wouldnt be in keeping to do so. She visited the LWT studios while her husband's show was recording, and danced in the lobby when she was not allowed onto the stage. A stage smile. A tabloid, of course, would not be interested in the finer nuances of relationships, and one can understand why Baxter might have preferred to keep such matters to himself. And I did love her deeply, in my own way.. My dad said This is a very big step you're taking, Stanley. He had to get on with his life. She looked up at me, shrugged and said Oh, I don't care about that at all. "And that he was losing a friend." He couldnt say when Baxter was expected next, but took my number to pass on. For a journalist, it can be difficult to tell. And as the years progressed, the medicated Moira and Stanley became close again. This site is part of Newsquest's audited local newspaper network. And what does the master of disguise look like now? Nostrils flaring. My names Cole Moreton, from the Independent on Sunday. The honeymoon night predictably was a disaster. Yet my interest had been rekindled, my hopes raised, before being dashed against the same old stonewalling. Anxious, he took a taxi to the house. Helen Wright, 67, and Moira Robertson, 65, were also snared with 51,000 in cash at a . I dont deserve it, I know, but if anyone can help me at this dreadful period, it is him, Williams wrote before leaving home. She once flew to Belfast to be "reunited with the spirit of [theatre director] Tyronne Guthrie." Also known as. 'Marcus took me completely by surprise. The more I got to know of her I realised she was a lovely person, a woman of enormous heart.. She talked of killing herself, but he was shocked when a friend called round to find the front door wide open and Moira in the bath, the water crimson with blood. On December 23, 1950, Williams made another note in his diary: 'Stanley wrote to say he is going to marry Moira. moira robertson baxter. Me, said David White. There are folk who could tell you what kind of Christmas it was by recalling that years panto. At one point during my researches I was intrigued to meet a person in north London who had lived near the Baxters for a while in recent years, and who believed that they now lived apart, but that Stanley visited his wifes new home for lunch most days. When he first came to fame in the Fifties, his identity was largely irrelevant: we were content to let stars glitter from afar. Rushing to the window of their second storey flat, she climbed out onto the ledge and shouted, 'If I can't have you then I won't settle for anyone else. Suddenly, she raced to the front window of their second storey flat, opened it and climbed out onto the window ledge, yelling, If I can't have you then I won't settle for anyone else! What else did I expect? A PAIR of drug dealing Glasgow grans who were caught with over 24,000 worth of cocaine have been jailed. A wee'un would surely have grown up with problems and taken drugs.'. No, for the reason I just gave. One diary entry, for March 1954, described Baxter as suspicious and ungenerous and said that being with him was like sitting on an oven. Isabel Oakeshott receives 'menacing' message from Matt Hancock, Insane moment river of rocks falls onto Malibu Canyon in CA, Ken Bruce finishes his 30-year tenure as host of BBC Radio 2, Pavement where disabled woman gestured at cyclist before fatal crash, Pro-Ukrainian drone lands on Russian spy planes exposing location, 'Buster is next!' London. You can make a complaint by using the report this post link . But had Moira truly leapt at the idea of leaving Glasgow and friends and family behind? Moira tried to take her own life on two occasions. . He said, Oh well, if you did I should just follow you. . Can you just tell me, finally, what city he lives in? There was a sort of obsession.. Could they get me an interview? Despite his success, he had, in fact, always had a certain invisibility. moira robertson baxter. "Kenny thought I was making a terrible mistake," says Stanley. He told Moira the relationship was over. The Real Stanley Baxter by Brian Beacom is published by Luath Press Ltd, 20. There had been no mystery about the retirement, said Lennie, who talked about the physical demands of changing costumes so often. Sometimes that provides the extra spurt of energy or imagination needed to unearth a story. And we never really discovered who he was, other than a brilliant character actor and impersonator; as the rules of celebrity changed, he simply refused to play by them. Doesnt he do interviews at all? One more try. And there he was, coming up the steps to the door. Moira meanwhile, had pushed aside question marks against Stanleys sexuality, partly because she adored her boyfriend and loved his talent. About Us; Staff; Camps; Scuba. Add new skills with these courses Word: Mail Merge in Depth Cert Prep: Word Associate - Microsoft Office Specialist for Office 2019 . He plays in Scotland to capacity every time, but thats not the point. Moira Robertson was the wife of actor Stanley Baxter. He suggested I contact Mentorn Films, who were recording new links for the show. Home. . Yes, as a 14-year-old hed had a frolic with the maid (despite living in a West End tenement Bessie Baxter insisted upon live-in help) but this was an entirely new adventure. His agent advised him to engage the celebrity barrister David Jacobs, who had recently won a libel case for Liberace when a newspaper implied the flamboyant entertainer was gay. But rejection and the stress of his double life had chewed away his confidence. .Baxter was born in Glasgow in 1928, and raised in the genteel suburb of Kelvinside. Smiling at me. It was becoming obvious that the real Stanley Baxter was as studiously hidden as his Lycra supports. It was all good, clean, pre-Carry On fun. Stanley and Moira (born Moira Robertson) on their honeymoon in London in 1952. 11:52 EST 31 Oct 2020. Im going to cut you short. Baxter resolved to repress his sexuality when he returned to Glasgow two years later to live, as he put it, 'as a straight actor'. Help us build the largest biographies collection on the web! I told him of how she was slipping into little overdoses, and I would be going round to see her and reviving her. He was left with a terror of being held up to public shame. Moiras role, however, was reduced from Actress to Wife. THE LEAVES on the pavement were being sucked upwards by the cold wind, or turned to mush by rain. For decades he has hated to venture out: 'I didn't want to be seen as someone who was once Stanley Baxter,' he says. Moira didn't ever leap anywhere, he says softly. How would I know what he looked like? Anybody who has acquired that kind of carapace is not going to come on like John Inman, rushing out of a closet, shouting, Im free! They have prided themselves on conducting their life with dignity.. He rang back the next day, but the news was bad. He is completely woven into the Scottish psyche, says Mary Brennan, a critic for the Herald. Im not being naughty, but no. She now had to be a housewife, which she found very frustrating. Having made it big south of the border, he regularly returned to direct and star in big-budget productions. Moira Grant: m.grant@ssc.nsw.edu.au Director of Community Relations P-12 Yvette Graniero: y.graniero@ssc.nsw.edu.au: Director of People and Culture Ann McGovern: a.mcgovern@ssc.nsw.edu.au: Head of Primary P-4 Joanne Giannini j.giannini@ssc.nsw.edu.au: Director of Mary Bailey House Jackie Baxter j.baxter@ssc.nsw.edu.au Just a decade ago, his annual television spectaculars were as much a part of Christmas as turkey and hangovers: in December 1985, more than 14 million people tuned in to watch the monkey-faced Scotsman mimic the Queen, in a lavish show that included a full-scale orchestra and battalions of dancers. Then one night she invited me for my favourite spaghetti up to her little rented flat at 65 Clouston Street and I was seduced back into bed again., The appetite sated, Stanley reckoned the only way to break off the relationship once and for all was to be entirely honest with Moira. In December at the Citz, Stanley and Moira starred in the Christmas panto Red Riding Hood (Stanley played Granny McNiven, Moira played Red Riding Hood). He first asked me to write his biography more than 20 years ago, but was emphatic that he did not want it to appear while he was alive. Anyone who can dress up as Judy Garland with a nose like his and get away with it, has to be a genius. I wrote to Stanley Baxter at his home, requesting an interview. It looked right. Alec Guinness and John Gielgud had both been charged with Importuning. Moira Robertson Managing Director Alpha Events/Business Facilitator/Sales Coach London. Recluse. Her co-accused Helen Wright, 67, was also caught with drugs while police raided the . There was no reply from the intercom buzzer. As I approached the flats, a figure bundled up in odd layers of clothing and a heavy overcoat came towards me, and turned towards the gate. How? . 'I could be as heterosexual as the rest of them.'. Then youve got the orchestra, and dancers. Perhaps that is why hardly anyone noticed when, after 1985, he left the television spotlight altogether, just as the glare was getting hotter. Offer price valid until 06/11/2020. Brian Beacom For The Daily Mail
Im not giving any interviews at the moment. An edge in his voice. It was absolutely selfish. ', To pacify her, Baxter promised they would marry, if she would consent to wait a year. Baxter was a great talker among his close-knit circle of friends, said Mr Young, but was also wary of outsiders. Stanley's wife of over 45 years Moira Robertson died in 1997 . I began to be scared someone else would do better than me on stage, and my mother would clatter me.'. It was all very selfish of me and a bit macho. Would he like to explain why? But there was no chance of a reconciliation. Not Stanleys fee, particularly, but you have to pay the Musicians Union, youve got to pay all the dancers, Equity and so on. Yet, I had all sorts of excuses for developing a relationship. (this was eventually broadcast on Radio 2 earlier this week). He saw Moira frequently, but the fractured marriage was always difficult. We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse. He was happy to talk about the Scottish approach to pantomime, with its emphasis on storyline and tradition, but declined to talk about Baxter as a person. Absolutely not? In fact, Mum showed her disapproval of Moira right from the start., Stanley agrees. I hope you enjoy it, let me know what you think. So that was the answer: a recluse in the phone book. Since our merger with Granada theres nobody higher up who would have been involved either. And by the time the then-teenager landed a place in the entertainment corps during his National Service years, Stanley was convinced that acting was his destiny. I believed that no-one in our family should be anything but a star.. Grandmother Helen Wright, 67, carried out the crime to help pay off her son's drug debt, having recruited friend Moira Robertson, 65 - using the latter's home in Ballieston, Glasgow, as a . But it was because I knew I'd made the biggest mistake of my life.. 293 followers. Marcus was a constant support. I know it all sounds terribly old-fashioned but men had those expectations in those days., Now, Stanley admits another reason why he felt Moira should remain at home. Whatever changes come into society, they have already learnt discretion. In a television era rich with comic talent, from Morecambe and Wise to Tommy Cooper, Dick Emery to Mike Yarwood, everyone agreed Stanley Baxter was king. Stanley was bringing the values of a different time and place into a world that had changed. 'She told me she was hearing voices,' Baxter says. Add a New Bio. where are we up to? Stanley was freaked out at my turning up at his house. by | Jan 25, 2023 | when do pecan trees lose their leaves | congestion worse after sinus rinse | Jan 25, 2023 | when do pecan trees lose their leaves | congestion worse after sinus rinse What Williams didnt know, however, was the pressure Stanley had been under. He took an immediate shine to Baxter. I tried to keep things calm and said, Okay, okay, well if you want to get engaged, we could try it for a year or so and see what happens., Just after the window ledge moment, Stanley was handed a Get Out of Jail Free card. A bit boring! The decriminalisation of gay sex between consenting adults was still five years away. He could sing, dance, deliver broad panto comedy and perform pinsharp impressions of any star, male or female. I was apprehensive about getting involved for all the obvious reasons. Well, you, really. The relationship made a sort of sense, says Stanley. Wearing a calf-length tweed coat with a smart scarf folded across the throat. I think it was probably fashionable at the time to get married even if there were undercurrents of other things that people didnt realise about, said Mr Young. Hanover Public Library. It truly means nothing if our council is having to make decisions which . Other cuttings described him as practically a recluse. She was 69 years old. Stanley asked . If it doesn't work out, you just get divorced and you move on. And my father replied with a very heavy voice, No, it's not as easy as that., The following Monday, the Scottish Daily Express wrote of the 'quiet' wedding. 'I'm not. 'I didn't want to bring any child into the world who suffered what I suffered. Join Facebook to connect with Moira Robertson and others you may know. Gay men up and down the UK lived in constant fear of having their careers and lives wrecked. I guess I had come to really like Moira. In 1959, Stanley realised the writing was on the wall for variety theatre in Scotland and moved to London. 'There are many gay people these days who are fairly comfortable with their sexuality,' he says. The dark, often highly dramatic script of their life together began when he joined the Citz in 1948, shortly after being demobbed. . Beaten with sticks.'. Back home again, Baxter joined the Citizens Theatre in Glasgow, a fine company with aspirations to form a Scottish national theatre. In a 1963 entry, Williams described Baxter as disarming, honest, charming and hilariously funny all at once. And he said dismissively, 'Oh yes, I've had all my friends'.'. His performance of Eager Young Husband was the worst he would give in his life. For a nation still mourning the loss of Eric Morecambe, Baxter another survivor of the gentler, pre-television days of variety theatre seemed ready to succeed to the title of Britains Favourite Comedian. Possibly even liberation is distasteful, because it encourages people to come out and make features of themselves, whereas your social and sexual life should be, as Noel Coward had it, behind closed doors. Registered in England & Wales | 01676637 |. In London, Stanley found immediate success with TV satire On The Bright Side. Stanley Baxter is one of the most successful entertainers of his generation and for many years had his own Bafta-winning TV series. Its just prohibitive, you know, because they were such big specials. There were few people he could tell of his worries. Stanley had to move out, he says, for the sake of his own sanity. She kept calling for him and my mother wasnt too happy about this.
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