Thora Hird

She received an OBE in 1983, an honorary DLitt from Lancaster University in 1989, and a DBE (thus becoming a "Dame") in 1993. She returned to the screen three more times, playing Claire Quintana in the 1969 film Death of a Gunfighter, Glinda the Good Witch in The Wiz (1978), with Diana Ross and Michael Jackson, and co-hosting the 1994 MGM retrospective That's Entertainment! III. Thora Hird's energy and resilience were such that, even following the news that she had suffered a stroke, BBC bosses were still hoping that she would recover in order to appear in the next series of Last of the Summer Wine. Disenchanted with Hollywood by the mid-1950s, and increasingly focused on her nightclub career, she only made two major appearences in MGM films during the decade, 1950's Duchess of Idaho (which was also Eleanor Powell's film swan song), and the 1956 musical Meet Me in Las Vegas. Although in recent years she had been thought of as a stereotypical old woman (with many jokes about her sideline advertising stairlifts), some of her youthful film work still survives, including her 1942 appearance in the classic wartime propaganda film Went the Day Well?. (As a result, most of Horne's film appearances were standalone sequences that had no bearing on the rest of the film, so editing caused no disruption to the storyline.) She was originally considered for the lead role in the 1951 version of Show Boat but Ava Gardner was given the role instead. Her tireless work for charity and work on television in spite of old age and ill health had made her an institution. She later appeared in a number of MGM musicals, most notably Cabin in the Sky, but was never featured in a leading role due to her race and the fact that films featuring her had to be reedited for showing in southern states where theatres could not show films with African-American performers.

Her most memorable line was, on hearing that her son had been having sex with his girlfriend in her house, "Not on the eiderdown!". She was the first African American performer to sign a long-term contract with a major Hollywood studio, and became famous in 1943 for her rendition of Stormy Weather in the movie of the same name. Dame Thora's talent for comedy was shown to good effect in her performance as the potential battleaxe mother-in-law to Victoria Wood's character in the TV film Pat and Margaret. While she has recorded and performed extensively with jazz musicians (notably Artie Shaw and Teddy Wilson), she is usually not considered a jazz singer because she does not improvise. Thora Hird was mainly associated with television comedy, notably the sitcoms Meet the Wife (a 1960s classic) and later series of Last of the Summer Wine. However, she played a variety of roles, including the nurse in Romeo and Juliet, and won a BAFTA Best Actress award for her role in one of Alan Bennett's monologues. Lena Calhoun Horne (born June 30, 1917) is an American popular singer. Dame Thora Hird (May 28, 1911 - March 15, 2003) was a veteran British actress born in the Lancashire seaside town of Morecambe. She was the mother of the actress Janette Scott, and thus formerly the mother-in-law of the singer Mel Tormé. Being Myself (1998; Blue Note).

Dame Thora Hird'a autobiography, Scene And Hird (1976). An Evening with Lena Horne (1995; Blue Note) - Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Album. We'll Be Together Again (1994; Blue Note). The Men in My Life (1988; Three Cherries). The Lady and Her Music (1981; Qwest) - Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.

Lena: A New Album (1976; RCA). Lena and Michel (1975; RCA). Nature's Baby (1971; Buddah). Lena & Gabor (1970; Skye).

Soul (1966; UA). Merry from Lena (1966; UA). Lena in Hollywood (1966; UA). Feelin' Good (1965; UA).

Here's Lena Now! (1964; 20th Century). Sings Your Requests (1963; Charter). Lena Goes Latin (1963; Charter). Lovely & Alive (1963; RCA).

Lena on the Blue Side (1962; RCA). At the Sands (1961; RCA). Songs by Burke and Van Heusen (1960; RCA). Porgy & Bess (1959; RCA) - with Harry Belafonte.

Give the Lady What She Wants (1958; RCA). Jamaica [Original Cast Recording] (1957; RCA). At the Waldorf Astoria (1957; RCA). Stormy Weather (1956; RCA).

It's Love (1955; RCA). That's Entertainment! III (1994; MGM). The Wiz (1978; Universal Studios). Death of a Gunfighter (1969; Universal Studios).

Meet Me in Las Vegas (1956; MGM). Duchess of Idaho (1950; MGM). Words and Music (1948; MGM). Studio Visit (1946; MGM short subject).

Ziegfeld Follies (1946; MGM). Mantan Messes Up (1946; Toddy Pictures). Till the Clouds Roll By (1946; MGM). Boogie-Woogie Dream (1944; Official Films short subject).

Broadway Rhythm (1944; MGM). Swing Fever (1944; MGM). Two Girls and a Sailor (1944; MGM). Cabin in the Sky (1943; MGM).

I Dood It (1943; MGM). Stormy Weather (1942; 20th Century Fox). Thousands Cheer (1943; MGM). Panama Hattie (1942; MGM)*.

The Duke is Tops (1938; Million Dollar Pictures).