Florence Desmond

2024-02-01T07:15:23Z

2A02:C7C:CB08:FA00:CC02:E4E8:70E3:5E60:

{{Short description|British actress (1904–1993)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Florence Desmond
| image = Florence Desmond in Three Came Home.jpg
| caption = Desmond in ''[[Three Came Home]]'' (1950)
| birth_name = Florence Dawson
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1905|5|31|df=yes}}
| birth_place = [[London, England]]
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1993|01|16|1905|05|31|df=yes}}
| death_place = [[Guildford, England]]
| occupation = {{hlist|Actress|comedian|impersonator}}
| years_active = 1930–1969
| spouse = {{plainlist|
* {{marriage|[[Tom Campbell Black]]|1935|1936|reason=d}}
* {{marriage|Charles Hughesdon<br/>|1937}}
}}
}}

'''Florence Dawson''' (31 May 1905 – 16 January 1993), better known by her [[stage name]] '''Florence Desmond''', was an English actress, [[comedian]] and [[impersonator]].

==Biography==

===Early life ===
Born in [[London]] in 1905, Desmond was educated at the [[Dame Alice Owen's School]] in [[Islington]]. Her brother, Fred Desmond, was a comedy acrobat from the "Desmond and Marks" double act.{{Citation needed |date=January 2023}}

===Career===
She began her stage career at the age of ten. Upon leaving school in 1920, she embarked on a long and successful career in the [[theatre]], making her first public appearance performing comedy in the style of [[Nellie Wallace]]. She was employed in 1925 by the impresario [[C. B. Cochran]], and appeared in several revues. In 1928, she toured the U.S. and Canada with [[Noël Coward]] and [[Beatrice Lillie]], in ''[[This Year of Grace]]''.<ref name=busby>{{cite book |last=Busby |first=Roy |year=1976 |title=British Music Hall: An Illustrated Who's Who from 1850 to the Present Day |location=London |publisher=Paul Elek |page= 44-45|isbn=0-236-40053-3}}</ref>

After returning to London, she developed an act which included both songs and impersonations of famous stars, and became popular for her theatre and cabaret appearances. She also began appearing in many popular [[British film]]s of the 1930s. In 1933, she appeared on [[BBC radio]] in a broadcast in which she impersonated, among others, [[Janet Gaynor]], [[Greta Garbo]], [[Jimmy Durante]], [[Gracie Fields]], and [[Marlene Dietrich]]. She repeated the performance for release as a [[78 rpm]] record for [[His Master's Voice]], "A Hollywood Party", which became a best-seller. After another tour of the U.S., she returned to top the bill in London, adding an impersonation of [[Mae West]] to her repertoire, and featured in the 1937 [[Royal Variety Performance]].<ref name=busby/>

She continued to tour in revues, and in 1941 starred with [[Max Miller (comedian)|Max Miller]] and [[Vera Lynn]] in ''Apple Sauce'', a revue which ran for over 400 performances at the [[London Palladium]]. She continued to perform regularly at the Palladium after the end of the Second World War, and in 1951 made her second and final appearance in a Royal Variety Performance. After retiring in 1954, she made a comeback in 1958 to appear with [[Beatrice Lillie]] in the play ''[[Auntie Mame]]'' in London.<ref name=busby/> She was the subject of ''[[This Is Your Life (British TV series)|This Is Your Life]]'' in 1959 when she was surprised by [[Eamonn Andrews]] at London's Adelphi Theatre.

Her recording of the risqué song "The Deepest Shelter in Town" has been featured in multiple World War II music compilations.

===Personal life===
[[File:Florence Desmond & Campbell Black.jpg|thumb|240px|Florence Desmond & Campbell Black]]
She was married twice, first to the aviator [[Tom Campbell Black]] from 1935–1936 and, after Black's death, to aviator and insurance broker [[Charles Hughesdon]] from 1937 with whom she lived at [[Dunsborough Park]] in [[Ripley, Surrey]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.debretts.com/people/biographies/browse/h/578/Charles%20Frederick%20HUGHESDON.aspx|title=Charles Hughesdon, Esq, AFC, FRAeS|work=Debrett's|accessdate=3 January 2010|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120309021546/http://www.debretts.com/people/biographies/browse/h/578/Charles%20Frederick%20HUGHESDON.aspx|archivedate=9 March 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dunsboroughpark.com/2001/pottedhistory.html|title=A potted history|last=Franks|first=Adrian|work=Dunsborough Park|accessdate=3 January 2010|archive-date=17 March 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200317090422/http://dunsboroughpark.com/2001/pottedhistory.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

She died in [[Guildford]], [[Surrey]], in 1993, aged 87. A ward was named after her at St. Luke's Hospital, as well as a day unit at the Royal Surrey County Hospital.{{Citation needed |date=January 2023}}

==Stage==
*''Still Dancing'', 1925–1926
*''[[This Year of Grace]]'', 1928
*''Why Not To-night?'', 1933–1934
*''Streamline'', 1934
*''Funny Side Up'', 1939–1940
*''Apple Sauce'', 1940–1941
*''If the Shoe Fits'', 1946
* ''[[Under the Counter (musical)|Under the Counter]]'', 1947

==Filmography==
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 90%;"
! colspan="4" style="background: LightSteelBlue;" | Film
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! Notes
|-
| 1930
| ''[[The Road to Fortune]]''
| Toots Willoughby
|
|-
| 1931
| ''[[Sally in Our Alley (1931 film)|Sally in Our Alley]]''
| Florrie Small
|
|-
| rowspan="6"|1932
| ''[[Murder on the Second Floor]]''
| Lucy
|
|-
| ''[[The Marriage Bond (1932 film)|The Marriage Bond]]''
| Elsie
|
|-
| ''[[Nine till Six]]''
| Daisy
|
|-
| ''[[High Society (1932 film)|High Society]]''
| Florie
|
|-
| ''[[Impromptu (1932 film)|Impromptu]]''
| Herself
| Short
|-
| ''The River House Ghost''
| Flo
|
|-
| rowspan="5"|1933
| ''[[Radio Parade]]''
| Herself
|
|-
| ''Long Live the King''
| Florie
| Short
|-
| ''[[My Lucky Star (1933 film)|My Lucky Star]]''
| Mlle. de Capo
|
|-
| ''[[Mr. Skitch]]''
| Florence Desmond
|
|-
| ''[[I am Suzanne]]''
|
| Voice, Uncredited
|-
| 1934
| ''[[Gay Love]]''
| Gloria Fellowes
|
|-
| 1935
| ''[[No Limit (1935 film)|No Limit]]''
| Florrie Dibney
|
|-
| rowspan="2"|1936
| ''[[Keep Your Seats, Please]]''
| Florrie
|
|-
| ''[[Accused (1936 film)|Accused]]''
| Yvette Delange
|
|-
| 1938
| ''[[Kicking the Moon Around]]''
| Flo Hadley
|
|-
| 1940
| ''[[Hoots Mon! (1940 film)|Hoots Mon!]]''
| Jenny McTavish
|
|-
| 1950
| ''[[Three Came Home]]''
| Betty Sommers
|
|-
| 1956
| ''[[Charley Moon]]''
| Mary Minton
|
|-
| 1969
| ''[[Some Girls Do]]''
| Lady Manderville
| (final film role)
|-
|-
! colspan="4" style="background: LightSteelBlue;" | Television
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! Notes
|-
| 1949
| ''[[The Texaco Star Theater]]''
|
| Episode: "18 January 1949"
|-
| 1951
| ''[[Your Show of Shows]]''
|
| Episode: "15 December 1951"
|}

==References==
<references/>
* "Florence Desmond", by Florence Desmond, London: George G. Harrap and Co. Ltd, 1953. https://books.google.com/books?id=QJgrMQAACAAJ&q=%22Florence+Desmond+By+Herself%22+Harrap

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* {{IMDb name|id=0221442|name=Florence Desmond}}
* [http://film.virtual-history.com/person.php?personid=304 Photographs and literature]

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Desmond, Florence}}
[[Category:1905 births]]
[[Category:1993 deaths]]
[[Category:Actresses from London]]
[[Category:Actresses from Guildford]]
[[Category:English women comedians]]
[[Category:English film actresses]]
[[Category:English radio actresses]]
[[Category:English stage actresses]]
[[Category:People educated at Dame Alice Owen's School]]
[[Category:20th-century English actresses]]
[[Category:20th-century English comedians]]
[[Category:Comedians from London]]
[[Category:Comedians from Surrey]]

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Florence Desmond