He directed shows himself, calling extra rehearsals if things were getting even a little sloppy mid-run, and coming down hard on anyone who attempted to ad lib. 'It was then she physically attacked me. I believed that no-one in our family should be anything but a star.. Developed and created Craft kits for children and teens. In travis mcmichael married; susie anthony wife of earl anthony Meanwhile, if you think about it, if you changed out of your pyjamas if you wear any into your clothes, then got to the theatre and for the rest of the afternoon you had 32 dress changes to make, then you go out for a cup of tea and change again, then you do 32 in the evening. As a subscriber, you are shown 80% less display advertising when reading our articles. Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours. Perhaps uniquely, Stanley Baxter has succeeded in making himself invisible. Moira asked me what was wrong and I said something about the emotion of it all. I shouldn't have done, but I did. I kept getting those sheeps eyes every time she passed me in the theatre and she appeared to be heartbroken. I turned to walk away. Bill had girlfriends, but he spent almost all his spare time at the Baxter house, sitting in Stanley's bedroom and talking till the small hours about art and philosophy, 'until we fell asleep, exhausted'. 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. In 1997, he decided to spend a month at the villa they owned in Cyprus. Home; Uncategorized; moira robertson baxter; Posted on January 19, 2023; By . I didn't want to know, but gradually I was falling in love.'. One more try. But he hadnt been in that afternoon. Early on she used to say, That woman's following you around like a wee dug! And she was right. He had recorded a radio version of Compton Mackenzies book, Whisky Galore! They included women, from Shirley Bassey to, later, the Princess of Wales, each precisely observed. Hello, Mr Baxter. (Later in my quest, I rang the clubs charming PR woman. Friday afternoon. Just a couple of years later he landed a five-picture deal with Rank Films. 293 followers. Is it possible that we can have a chat with him? What else did I expect? For a journalist, it can be difficult to tell. Although we'd spend lots of time in each other's beds, nothing happened. 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). No mention of his wife, Moira, though. My call was answered by Mr White himself, who seemed suspicious of my reasons for ringing. Then, in early autumn, I heard that Channel 4 was working on a compilation of the best of Baxters television shows, to be screened this Christmas. They moved to London and Moira gave up the theatre, to be a housewife. 'Silly boy,' the actor noted pithily in his diary. Moira wrote him a very sane and balanced letter. No other intimate had ever talked about him in public. It was a golden period for British film-making, and he appeared in mildly successful black-and-white movies like the Highland comedy Geordie and Very Important Person, in which he starred alongside James Robertson Justice and Leslie Phillips. After all, the pair had spent endless hours discussing sexuality, preferences and honesty. On December 23, 1950, Williams made another note in his diary: 'Stanley wrote to say he is going to marry Moira. But Ill tell you the basic outline. As his mother Bessie, a blacksmith's daughter, accompanied him on the piano, the boy belted out saucy music hall numbers with titles such as I'm One Of The Lads Of Valencia: 'You can't beat a Spaniard for kissing, Oh ladies, just think what you're missing!' Kenny thought I was making a terrible mistake, says Stanley. Surely his peers would wish to pay homage? Moira tried to take her own life on two occasions. 'Marcus took me completely by surprise. He couldnt say when Baxter was expected next, but took my number to pass on. A public face is no longer enough if youre a public figure. Im not a personality, he once said. Read the full biography of Moira Robertson, including facts, birthday, life story, profession, family and more. In 1959, Stanley realised the writing was on the wall for variety theatre in Scotland and moved to London. almost as often as a chambermaid turns down bed sheets.'. He died aged just 26 and Stanley was heartbroken. 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. Which is not good, when youre in your sixties, is it? He is an absolute control freak, said the critic Mary Brennan. Marcus was a constant support. Yes, was the terse reply. The relationship made a sort of sense, says Stanley. Their new home, a large ground-floor flat, at 73 Clouston Street, was just a few doors along from Moiras previous flat. Moira Robertson Managing Director Moira has been involved in the media, data and conferences sector for over 20 years, managing teams of sales professionals and directly providing sales solutions herself. ', Stanley was terrified. The lavish, multi-layered dresses worn by classic pantomime dames are built on a bodysuit of gripping Lycra whose fierce constriction can leave the body raw and bruised by the end of each performance. 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. She then went to their new Glasgow flat to cook spaghetti for his supper.". At the same time, Moira's mental health deteriorated. Some of it I knew from later editions: Hobbies: swimming, cycling, reading. Calls went unreturned, faxes unanswered. His sketch shows were months in the making and the talk of the nation spectacular, controversial, unlike anything ever seen. I wrote to Stanley Baxter at his home, requesting an interview. Stanley managed to survive the threat to his career just and Moira, as expected stood by her man. There was no reply from the intercom buzzer. In that moment, I thought the world had changed. So funny that hes disappeared. She wandered, like Ophelia through Hamlet, but she would have moved to the ends of the earth for me.. In the front room of Moira Robertsons parents home in Dumbarton, Stanley slowly, cautiously, uttered the words I do. He failed to convince. It was in CSE that Baxter met openly gay men for the first time. . When Baxter retired in 1872 . WHERE do you start, with only a name to go on? And he met Moira Robertson, a 22-year-old who had worked her way up from the wardrobe department to the stage. One night on his way home he was arrested after being entrapped by North London police in a toilet and charged with Importuning. A stage smile. London. 'I'm not. So he decided that rather than cut his cloth down because hes not a stand-up Channel 4 comedian, is he? And he said dismissively, 'Oh yes, I've had all my friends'.'. I never wanted to be gay. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. But it would be wrong to imagine he has found peace. But although the urgency had gone, the curiosity remained. I wondered if I could have a word? I dont know if you got it? Stanley Baxter. In December 1965, Baxters wife Moira suggested that Williams and her husband should go on holiday together in Beirut. THE PRICE of fame seems to have shot through the roof; just ask Michael Barrymore or Gazza. Data returned from the Piano 'meterActive/meterExpired' callback event. Moira Robertson could be forced to hand over 45,000 after being jailed . And she was very good about letting them go to bed with me. Actor Stanley Baxter has come out at the age of 94 revealing his late wife Moira gave her blessing for him to bring men home. A visit to the local library to see the electoral register confirmed that S stood for Stanley. Im not sure that Stanley would say it just now, but he had this kind of sexual whats the expression? But over the years, Moiras mental health issues worsened. It was partly a feeling of I'll show them, that I could be as heterosexual as the rest of them.. I called his office, who promised to ring back with a comment, but didnt. 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. Anyway, here it is: a piece from a time before the internet or ubiquitous mobiles, when the celebrity age was just beginning but you still had to go to the library to look at the electoral register. Jul 1988 - Present34 years 4 months. 'I got into this business to be loved. 'It was real weakness on my part,' he says now. She punched me and my glasses flew off. hed rather not do them. Anxious, he took a taxi to the house. Kenneth asked Stanley what future he could expect if he married Moira Robertson. . Grandmother Wright carried out the crime in order to help pay off her son's drug debt. . It had been run over in the street. His pantos became legendary. Brian Beacom For The Daily Mail Again. She was only using the gate to rest. The STANDS4 Network. . You. Stanley had to move out, he says, for the sake of his own sanity. PMC New Covid hospital admissions are now at the fourth-highest rate of the pandemic, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). And the decision may have played a part his wifes untimely death. It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse. It is important that we continue to promote these adverts as our local businesses need as much support as possible during these challenging times. Moira wasnt entirely unhappy with the situation. Perhaps that is why hardly anyone noticed when, after 1985, he left the television spotlight altogether, just as the glare was getting hotter. No. He told Kenneth Williams as much. A lot of people are interested in this. Say goodbye? '. WHEN DOES curiosity become intrusion? This is no mean achievement. STANLEY Baxter has come out as gay, revealing for the first time that his marriage was a faade. ', To pacify her, Baxter promised they would marry, if she would consent to wait a year. Yes, there would be a show. ', Beset with doubts, he confessed to Moira that all his previous affairs had been with men. . . Well, if I do, perhaps yours will be the one. After all, she was with the man she adored. And your editor. How much had the big television specials cost to make? What would the neighbours think? HP10 9TY. Baxter appeared alongside Jimmy Logan and Rikki Fulton in extravagantly-produced shows with Ziegfeld-scale sets and dancing girls, but also made his first BBC television appearance in 1951. Newsquest Media Group Ltd, Loudwater Mill, Station Road, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. But he didnt tackle the issue. View the profiles of people named Moira Robertson. Can I call you tomorrow, then, to see if youve changed your mind? We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. Perhaps it was time to forget it, let him be. Having worked in Hong Kong, Dubai, Singapore and London and across numerous sections, including finance, procurement, defence and e-commerce . Meanwhile, on January 15, 1951, the engagement became national news, yet this didnt really register with Stanley. By Kathryn Ingate. 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 This builders daughter and art school graduate was a clever and attractive, if rather ethereal, young woman. Choosing to eliminate the obvious first, I checked the phone book. After 11 months of waiting, I was becoming frustrated. By He never appeared as himself. It was all very selfish of me and a bit macho. Its such hard, hard work. 'I was in love with Bill,' Stanley says, 'but he certainly wasn't in love with me. In 1949, it was illegal to be gay and entrapment of homosexual men by covert police officers was common. How would I know what he looked like? He met Moira daily for lunch. Moiras death left Stanley bereft. Instead of gaining the confidence to join them, he shied away, repelled by the high camp 'all chiffon hankies and make-up and flouncing about. 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! Stanley Baxter was a star on the Glasgow talent circuit aged six, in 1932. But where? My mother didnt think any woman was good enough for me [Bessie Baxters principal purpose in life was to grow a showbiz star] but there was more to her criticism of Moira. Hes always quite pernickety about who hell speak to, which is why I dont want to say too much about him at the moment. He probably knew the way I felt about him. As he grew up, she was intensely jealous and would shoo away any girls who admired him: 'She started telling me about these two boys who once took a wee girl into a haunted house up the road and did terrible things to her. Smiling at me. Stanley Baxter. Stanley reckoned his wife's place was in the home. They went on a trip to Amsterdam together in 1964, although Williams who described their sitting in clubs with a load of poofs returned to Britain early. The dark, often highly dramatic script of their life together began when he joined the Citz in 1948, shortly after being demobbed. Thinking about that took me back to my first major feature for the IOS, commissioned as an act of reckless faith by the editor Ian Jack and Richard Askwith, who ran the Review magazine and remains one of the finest copy editors I have ever come across. Her husband's career blossomed, with a series of cinema roles that led to star billing in films such as The Fast Lady. 'It was like a 3,000 volt electric current going through me. And Stanley noticed her little eccentricities, her remoteness, her rejection of life's boring rituals of cleaning, cooking, washing laundry, had become more pronounced. We would like to show you a description here but the site won't allow us. You know, the same sort of thing as Kenneth Williams. Shall we say affinity, I asked? Im not entirely sure who I am. / moira robertson baxter. ', Until, inevitably, it did. "Kenny thought I was making a terrible mistake," says Stanley. . Lara Clark, who said she was terribly sorry, but she couldnt show me round: the RAC liked to keep a low profile. Edrington's success stems from a heritage of exceptional people dedicated to craftsmanship. We need you! It wasnt like theatres of today, which are heavily populated with gay people. So that was the answer: a recluse in the phone book. It was so long ago, the production team was disbanded straight after the last show, and theres nobody left here who worked on it. We hope you've really thought about how important it is., And I said nonchalantly, Oh, not nowadays. After switching to ITV with the promise of a colossal budget for The Stanley Baxter Picture Show, he met a 28-year-old German accountant named Marcus. How? I told him of how she was slipping into little overdoses, and I would be going round to see her and reviving her. He says now that he'd known for years that he found men more attractive than women, because at the Saturday morning cinema club he could not take his eyes off the half-naked Johnny Weissmuller as Tarzan, rather than Maureen O'Sullivan's Jane. "And that he was losing a friend." He did impersonations of Laurel and Hardy, and Mae West. . I was utterly overwhelmed. If there was one place where he could still feel at home, it was the world of Scottish pantomime. But more than that, he feared his fiercely ambitious mother. Once stardom had been achieved, he limited his television appearances and won an unusual amount of power over how they were made. but not to publish it. Editors' Code of Practice. And so, Robertson & Baxter was formed. His biographer Brian Beacom examines why the brilliant Scots entertainer with a thousand faces refused to show his real one to the world. It was absolutely selfish. Would it have happened anyway? THE LEAVES on the pavement were being sucked upwards by the cold wind, or turned to mush by rain. Not Stanleys fee, particularly, but you have to pay the Musicians Union, youve got to pay all the dancers, Equity and so on. Yes I did, and I spoke to you through my agent. In January, 1962, he was focused hard on his career. It was real weakness on my part.. Ill let you know through my agent, OK? I thought she would be still be heartbroken. Despite his success, he had, in fact, always had a certain invisibility. In a 1963 entry, Williams described Baxter as disarming, honest, charming and hilariously funny all at once. Alec Guinness and John Gielgud had both been charged with Importuning. London, England, United Kingdom. Any camper attached to a vehicle registered in Washington must be licensed in Washington; the RV Disposal Fee applies. Writer and broadcaster, Interviewer of the Year for the Mail, winner of Radio Academy gold with BBC Radio 4. Or just give her the only thing she had ever asked for to be with him. Certainly not Kenneth Williams: 'I remember sitting with him in an Italian restaurant, and telling him that I was very low. Carrying a plastic shopping bag. He went on to star in a children's series called Mr Majeika, about a schoolteacher who is actually a wizard. Why did Stanley agree to marry Moira? 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. 'She guessed wrongly what being with a gay man entailed.'. Yet, the relationship was doomed from the start. They would meet for lunch every day. Scots who never visit a theatre for the rest of the year still find their way to the panto, where the scenarios and jokes have the familiarity of ritual. (this was eventually broadcast on Radio 2 earlier this week). This was the defining moment of Stanleys life. He wanted to be left alone, so why not? I felt vulnerable. She was desperate for a baby, something Baxter refused to contemplate. Overwhelmed by the knowledge that he was making a mistake that would ruin both their lives, Baxter sat on the wedding bed and sobbed. But even today he finds it difficult to discuss the case, referring to it as 'le scandale'. You wont tell me which part of London, will you? Stellenbosch Chiropractic founder, Moira Robertson, has been living and working as a Chiropractor in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from 2003 - 2015. After the war in Europe was over, in June 1945, a 19-year-old Baxter was told to report to the Seaforth Highlanders regiment. He was sent to India, and then further East to Burma, where he was promoted to corporal and assigned duties as a typist (Class 3). 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. heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment. That would seem to indicate that there might be a return at some point, even just a one-off? Thats a difficult question. Everythings being raked around in here ready for Christmas. I told her my preference and said, Thats why I am breaking off the relationship. Stanley Baxter is arguably the funniest man and one of the most fetching women in Britain. Should I have taken her to Cyprus? 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 And the sex was fine not rockets going off or anything.. You can tell Ive talked to the press before, cant you? When co-founder Robert Thompson left to open his own business in 1860 John Baxter - a clerk within the company - became partner. I still don't. A psychiatrist diagnosed schizophrenia, but she refused to take medication. He suggested I contact Mentorn Films, who were recording new links for the show. , updated There, he saw a notice appealing for performers to join the Combined Services Entertainment unit [CSE]. A loved one. Faye has joined us as receptionist and front of house expert on a maternity . Hed be a bit suspicious if a tabloid or something like that was trying to turn him over. Meanwhile, Moira had landed part-time work with a milliner but it didnt seem to hold her interest. It said, words to the effect of, 'I'll let you off if you don't want to marry me'. That never happened: once television began to damage theatre audiences, many serious Scottish actors were forced into variety. Instead, Baxter told Moira he could no longer live with her. Baxter recalls how he would be allowed by his wife to bring men home, at a time when homosexuality was illegal in Britain. 'I could be as heterosexual as the rest of them.'. The most outrageously funny man on British television 50 years ago was Stanley Baxter. Sometimes it can blur ones sense of right and wrong. Chic, with hooded eyes, Moira could have been Bette Davis's younger sister. Stanley Baxter delighted over 20 million viewers at a time with his television specials. Baxter had married Moira Robertson, an actress at the Citizens Theatre, in the early Fifties. Private passions are what we care about most, skeletons in the cupboard; but even knowing the colour of the upholstery will do. 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. Bringing businesses together in the emerging, disruptive technology space across; FinTech, Quantum Technologies and Quantitative Trading Technologies through face to face and virtual meetings and events. Later that week, Marcus visited her they got on well and found her nursing a dying pigeon by the fire. 3mo. . Free UK delivery on orders over 15. Their relationship was fraught with difficulty Williams called it a very shaky ship but it was underpinned by deep affection. He adds, his voice dark: 'The truth is, I don't really want to be me.'. The book was 10 years old, but it was worth a try. Robertson & Thompson was founded by Fife-born William Alexander Robertson as a wholesale whisky blender and agent in Glasgow in 1855. It is that he has carefully, precisely and often cruelly embodied the particular woman herself. . There's no doubt about that. That was that. Stanley Baxter is one of my all-time favourites, he said. There was to be no further co-operation. Offer price valid until 06/11/2020. There are folk who could tell you what kind of Christmas it was by recalling that years panto. I explained a great part of the problem was Moira. . Did Bessie Baxter have any idea of Stanleys true sexuality? His agent was still stonewalling, and his old television company had forgotten him. Baxter had married Moira Robertson, an actress at the Citizen's Theatre, in the early Fifties. Instead, he was arrested.