And sadly, as a performer, her career slowly drifted into obscurity almost as soon as she uttered her most immortal line. Fenella Fielding starred with Kenneth Williams in both Pieces of Eight and Carry On Screaming. "Socially, the 1960s could not have been more glamorous. It’s lovely to have my work acknowledged in a serious way… It would never have occurred to me that this might happen. It was a gem! When one review called Fielding a "beautiful butterfly of comedy", he exploded. One possible future husband died, another couldn't get over his alcoholism and had to be abandoned. But they remained close and she was proud of him when, without her help, he became an important figure in the party and eventually entered the House of Lords.Latterly, there was work with Rik Mayall and Adrian Edmondson in Guest House Paradiso and a role as an eccentric granny in the gritty teenage drama, Skins. Directed by Samuel Donovan. Her mother turned up at the Lyric Theatre bearing a peace offering of sorts: a whole, fried chicken.
Her GP said, "I have known her for 30 years and she would wish to take a graceful bow and leave the stage like the lady she is." She did Morecambe & Wise Christmas specials and some voice work for both the cult hit series, The Prisoner, and a Magic Roundabout project - Dougal and The Blue Cat.
You can read about the ongoing work of the Fenella Fielding Foundation to celebrate her life and career. Not exactly a lovely way to start a day's filming. She never married, despite a string of interested male admirers. "Worse was to come as she branched out into film and television. It was hard not to take it to heart. These years were especially happy for her.
Report from Fenella's Stephen Greif with Fenella at her 90th Birthday PartyFrom 2012-18 Fenella performed readings of Greek classics translated by David Stuttard. But, for Fenella Fielding, her best work always took place on stage. Alex, a boy who lives with and cares for his eccentric grandmother Miriam whilst his father is largely absent, lives his life by responding to the roll of a die, which is how he decides to punch Alo. Fielding was rarely completely out of work. Fielding had a glamorous nightlife in the 1960s. (There's a shop selling copies of her autobiography in hardback and audio book too.I still find it hard to believe that Fenella is no longer with us. But sadly, seventeen days after a massive stroke, she did pass away. With Sam Jackson, Sean Teale, Will Merrick, Laya Lewis. Carry On Screaming reunited Fielding with with her old nemesis, Kenneth Williams. Fenella said, "I’m terribly moved.
She was at peace. It was quirky and, for the time, rather lurid - but Fielding's rave reviews led to an awkward reconciliation with her parents.
She politely declined all invitations to appear in future Carry On films - including Carry On Cabby - partly in an attempt to avoid being typecast by the success of the first. It was one last perfect day we had together - work, curry, coffee... and she shopped in Cecil Court for chunky plastic jewellery.All plans are subject to change because of coronavirus, but the portrait exhibition is intended to open in spring 2021.
She was so animated; so engaging. Other mums and dads, she bitterly noted, showered their children with fresh flowers after each performance; her own parents merely offered up the same basket of artificial blooms, year after year. She thought the violence would pass, but it didn't - at least until she threatened to go to the police.She left school at 16 and spent a year at St Martin's School of Art. Her last job - recording voice for Eddie Mair - was the day before the stroke.
She had sixty six years on stage including a remarkable renaissance in the last few years of her career. "Do you mind if I smoke?" FENELLA FIELDING OBE: 17/11/27 - 11/09/18 RIP. She continued on stage - with a string of well-reviewed provincial shows - in which she didn't have to play "either a Lady or a Tart". Fenella Fielding with Harry H Corbett in Carry On Screaming. The scripts from these shows were recorded first as an audio book then adapted for the print version of 'From 2011-2015 Fenella recorded a number of radio shows with Simon. In 1952, she appeared in an amateur production at the London School of Economics alongside Ron Moody - then a mature student - who later found fame as Fagin, in the film version of Oliver! News > Obituaries Fenella Fielding: Carry On star who turned down a role in a Fellini film. He became threatening and bluntly warned her not to steal his limelight. The format of each show was very simple; Fenella would read two chapters.
The relationship with her parents was never easy, often strained and occasionally violent.As a toddler, she seemed to speak in gibberish. Encouraging her to ad lib, he ruthlessly stole her best lines. She swallowed pints of mustard water to induce vomiting after calling an all-night Boots to ask how to reverse the effects. "Do you mind if I smoke?"
I still find it hard to believe that Fenella is no longer with us. Here we go again with the first part of Ernie's tribute to Noel Coward guest starring Fenella Fielding, hopefully with a tidy audio track.
Read one more chapter and then Simon conducted a short Q&A with plenty of audience participation. "I'd never been so frightened in all my life. Instead, she will forever be Valeria: the camp vamp star of Carry On Screaming - draped on a divan in a skin-tight dress; her voice oozing with sex appeal and sporting eyelashes like upturned claws.