Barbara Kelly
Encyclopedia
Barbara Kelly was a Canadian
-born actress, possibly best-known for her television roles in the United Kingdom
opposite her husband Bernard Braden
in the 1950s and 1960s and for many appearances as a panelist on the British version of What's My Line?.
lessons, and while Kelly hated the stage her mother was a frustrated actress. Kelly's first professional role was playing the Virgin Mary
in a Nativity Play. Kelly's father, an Irishman, was a lorry driver in Vancouver. Her mother, who was from Manchester
, forced ballet classes and elocution lessons on her.
Deeply unhappy at home, in 1942, she escaped at the age of 17 to marry the actor
and broadcaster
Bernard Braden
, and she soon did much radio work and toured across Canada in a stage show. Kelly also made her television debut at this time, appearing in The Stage Show. In 1949, she and her husband moved to the United Kingdom
with their two children. A third child Kim
was born in 1949 in London
.
, along with her husband and daughter.
In the early 1950s, Kelly appeared in a few films including The Desert Hawk
, A Tale of Five Cities
, Castle in the Air
, Love in Pawn and Glad Tidings. Kelly also had some shows of her own including Kelly's Eye.
Kelly was probably best known for her frequent appearances as a panelist on the television show What's My Line?, that ran from 1951 to 1963. This show, which was transmitted by the BBC
on Sunday evenings, was very popular, although, as Kelly reflected in later years, it had no competition: "it was the only programme on the air!". From 1964 to 1967 she introduced Criss Cross Quiz
, a general knowledge game based on noughts and crosses
.
, introduced by Esther Rantzen
, who had worked with Braden. The reasons seem a little complicated and may have had something to do with Braden's contract to advertise margarine on ITV
. However, although Braden himself was publicly circumspect about the decision, Kelly was forthright in condemning it and was plainly hostile towards Rantzen.
Almost thirty years later Kelly told Alice Pitman of The Oldie
that she was "very bitter at the time, very, very bitter" and recalled that Braden's producer, Desmond Wilcox
, who subsequently married Rantzen, had brought together Kelly, Rantzen and newsreader Angela Rippon
for a pilot
of an afternoon show, although, in Kelly's view, "it was just a front - he wanted Esther, and Angela and I were sort of left dangling". At the turn of the 21st century Kelly weighed into a spat in the press between Rantzen and her stepdaughter Cassandra Wilcox, as a result of which she received a large number of supportive letters from members of the public who recalled her husband's usurpation by Rantzen. Kelly placed these in a folder marked "Hate Rancid File".
, Pearl
, the 1977 film Lust of a Eunuch and an episode of Magnum, P.I.
in 1981. In 1983 she took part in a revival of What's My Line?. This ran for three years, although Kelly, who thought that the original show was never the same after the death of Gilbert Harding
in 1960, felt that the revival did not match it either.
During the 1970s, the Bradens ran Adanac Productions, a company they had set up 20 years before which specialised in presentations at business conferences. After retiring from show business, Barbara Kelly established a show business agency called Prime Performers, which offered many celebrities, including Barbara Windsor
, Joan Collins
, Raymond Baxter
, Norman Tebbit
and Sir John Harvey-Jones
, for the after-dinner speaking circuit. In 2000, Kelly founded Speakerpower, a company that employed celebrities such as David Jacobs
and Sylvia Syms
to train corporate managers how to speak publicly.
in Hampstead
, London. Their son, Christopher predeceased her, also having died from cancer.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
-born actress, possibly best-known for her television roles in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
opposite her husband Bernard Braden
Bernard Braden
Bernard Chastey Braden was a Canadian-born English actor and comedian.Braden was born in Vancouver, British Columbia and educated at Magee Secondary School, Kerrisdale, Vancouver. He produced plays on CJOR Vancouver in the late 1930s and early 1940s. He married Barbara Kelly in 1942 and they moved...
in the 1950s and 1960s and for many appearances as a panelist on the British version of What's My Line?.
Early years
Barbara Kelly was born in Vancouver, British Columbia in 1924. As a child, she was given elocutionElocution
Elocution is the study of formal speaking in pronunciation, grammar, style, and tone.-History:In Western classical rhetoric, elocution was one of the five core disciplines of pronunciation, which was the art of delivering speeches. Orators were trained not only on proper diction, but on the proper...
lessons, and while Kelly hated the stage her mother was a frustrated actress. Kelly's first professional role was playing the Virgin Mary
Mary (mother of Jesus)
Mary , commonly referred to as "Saint Mary", "Mother Mary", the "Virgin Mary", the "Blessed Virgin Mary", or "Mary, Mother of God", was a Jewish woman of Nazareth in Galilee...
in a Nativity Play. Kelly's father, an Irishman, was a lorry driver in Vancouver. Her mother, who was from Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, forced ballet classes and elocution lessons on her.
Deeply unhappy at home, in 1942, she escaped at the age of 17 to marry the actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
and broadcaster
Broadcasting
Broadcasting is the distribution of audio and video content to a dispersed audience via any audio visual medium. Receiving parties may include the general public or a relatively large subset of thereof...
Bernard Braden
Bernard Braden
Bernard Chastey Braden was a Canadian-born English actor and comedian.Braden was born in Vancouver, British Columbia and educated at Magee Secondary School, Kerrisdale, Vancouver. He produced plays on CJOR Vancouver in the late 1930s and early 1940s. He married Barbara Kelly in 1942 and they moved...
, and she soon did much radio work and toured across Canada in a stage show. Kelly also made her television debut at this time, appearing in The Stage Show. In 1949, she and her husband moved to the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
with their two children. A third child Kim
Kim Braden
Kim Braden is an English actor.Braden is the daughter of the actor and broadcaster Bernard Braden and the actor Barbara Kelly. She is married to the director David Carson with a son Matthew and a daughter Mimi...
was born in 1949 in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
Career
Kelly made regular appearances on her husband's show, Bedtime with Braden, in 1950. The next year (1951) she got equal billing with Braden in An Evening at Home with Bernard Braden and Barbara Kelly. She continued to star in her husband's shows throughout the 1950s and 1960s, and in 1968 appeared in the sitcom B-And-BB-And-B
B-And-B was a British sitcom starring Bernard Braden, his wife Barbara Kelly and their daughter Kim Braden. It was written by Michael Pertwee, and aired for a pilot and one series in 1968.-Cast:*Bernard Braden - Bernie*Barbara Kelly - Barbara...
, along with her husband and daughter.
In the early 1950s, Kelly appeared in a few films including The Desert Hawk
The Desert Hawk
The Desert Hawk is a Columbia film serial. It was the 23rd serial produced by Columbia.-Cast:* Gilbert Roland - Kasim, The Desert Hawk and Hassan, his Evil Twin Brother...
, A Tale of Five Cities
A Tale of Five Cities
A Tale of Five Cities is a 1951 British-Italian drama film directed by Romolo Marcellini and five other directors.-Cast:* Bonar Colleano - Bob Mitchell* Barbara Kelly - Lesley - American Magazine Editor* Anne Vernon - Jeannine Meunier...
, Castle in the Air
Castle in the Air (film)
Castle in the Air is a 1952 British comedy film directed by Henry Cass and starring David Tomlinson, Helen Cherry, Margaret Rutherford and Gordon Jackson.-Plot:...
, Love in Pawn and Glad Tidings. Kelly also had some shows of her own including Kelly's Eye.
Kelly was probably best known for her frequent appearances as a panelist on the television show What's My Line?, that ran from 1951 to 1963. This show, which was transmitted by the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
on Sunday evenings, was very popular, although, as Kelly reflected in later years, it had no competition: "it was the only programme on the air!". From 1964 to 1967 she introduced Criss Cross Quiz
Criss Cross Quiz
Criss Cross Quiz was a quiz programme that combined the game Noughts and Crosses with general knowledge questions and aired on the ITV network from 1957-1967. It was produced by Granada Television....
, a general knowledge game based on noughts and crosses
Tic-tac-toe
Tic-tac-toe, also called wick wack woe and noughts and crosses , is a pencil-and-paper game for two players, X and O, who take turns marking the spaces in a 3×3 grid. The X player usually goes first...
.
Braden's departure from the BBC
In 1972 the BBC terminated Bernard Braden's late night show, On the Braden Beat, replacing it with a similar programme, That's Life!That's Life!
That's Life! was a magazine-style television series on BBC1 between 26 May 1973 and 19 June 1994, presented by Esther Rantzen throughout the entire run, with various changes of co-presenters. The show was generally recorded about an hour prior to transmission, which was originally on Saturday...
, introduced by Esther Rantzen
Esther Rantzen
Esther Louise Rantzen CBE is an English journalist and television presenter who is best known for presenting the BBC television series That's Life!, and for her work in various charitable causes. She is founder of the child protection charity ChildLine, and also advocates the work of the Burma...
, who had worked with Braden. The reasons seem a little complicated and may have had something to do with Braden's contract to advertise margarine on ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
. However, although Braden himself was publicly circumspect about the decision, Kelly was forthright in condemning it and was plainly hostile towards Rantzen.
Almost thirty years later Kelly told Alice Pitman of The Oldie
The Oldie
The Oldie is a monthly magazine launched in 1992 by Richard Ingrams, who for 23 years was the editor of Private Eye. It carries general interest articles, humour and cartoons, and has an eclectic list of contributors, including James Le Fanu, John Sweeney, Thomas Stuttaford, Virginia Ironside,...
that she was "very bitter at the time, very, very bitter" and recalled that Braden's producer, Desmond Wilcox
Desmond Wilcox
Desmond John Wilcox was a British documentary maker at the BBC and ITV. He was producer of This Week, Man Alive and That's Life!.- Early life :...
, who subsequently married Rantzen, had brought together Kelly, Rantzen and newsreader Angela Rippon
Angela Rippon
Angela M. Rippon, OBE, born 12 October 1944, Plymouth, Devon, England, is an English television journalist, newsreader, writer and presenter. Rippon presented radio and television news programmes in South West England before moving to BBC One's Nine O'Clock News, becoming a regular presenter in 1975...
for a pilot
Television pilot
A "television pilot" is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell the show to a television network. At the time of its inception, the pilot is meant to be the "testing ground" to see if a series will be possibly desired and successful and therefore a test episode of an...
of an afternoon show, although, in Kelly's view, "it was just a front - he wanted Esther, and Angela and I were sort of left dangling". At the turn of the 21st century Kelly weighed into a spat in the press between Rantzen and her stepdaughter Cassandra Wilcox, as a result of which she received a large number of supportive letters from members of the public who recalled her husband's usurpation by Rantzen. Kelly placed these in a folder marked "Hate Rancid File".
Later years
After B-And-B, Barbara Kelly had few television roles although she did appear in episodes of Hawaii Five-OHawaii Five-O
Hawaii Five-O is an American police procedural drama series produced by CBS Productions and Leonard Freeman. Set in Hawaii, the show originally aired for twelve seasons from 1968 to 1980, and continues in reruns. The show featured a fictional state police unit run by Detective Steve McGarrett,...
, Pearl
Pearl (miniseries)
Pearl was a 1978 American miniseries on ABC about events leading up to the attack on Pearl Harbor. It starred a large cast, notably Dennis Weaver, Robert Wagner, Angie Dickinson, Lesley Ann Warren, Gregg Henry, Max Gail, Richard Anderson, Marion Ross, Audra Lindley, Char Fontane, and Adam Arkin...
, the 1977 film Lust of a Eunuch and an episode of Magnum, P.I.
Magnum, P.I.
Magnum, P.I. is an American television series starring Tom Selleck as Thomas Magnum, a private investigator living on Oahu, Hawaii. The series ran from 1980 to 1988 in first-run broadcast on the American CBS television network....
in 1981. In 1983 she took part in a revival of What's My Line?. This ran for three years, although Kelly, who thought that the original show was never the same after the death of Gilbert Harding
Gilbert Harding
Gilbert Charles Harding was a British journalist and radio and television personality. His many careers included schoolmaster, journalist, policeman, disc-jockey, interviewer and television presenter...
in 1960, felt that the revival did not match it either.
During the 1970s, the Bradens ran Adanac Productions, a company they had set up 20 years before which specialised in presentations at business conferences. After retiring from show business, Barbara Kelly established a show business agency called Prime Performers, which offered many celebrities, including Barbara Windsor
Barbara Windsor
Barbara Ann Windsor, MBE , better known by her stage name Barbara Windsor, is an English actress. Her best known roles are in the Carry On films and as Peggy Mitchell in the BBC soap opera EastEnders....
, Joan Collins
Joan Collins
Joan Henrietta Collins, OBE , is an English actress, author, and columnist. Born in Paddington and raised in Maida Vale, Collins grew up during the Second World War. At the age of nine, she made her stage debut in A Doll's House and after attending school, she was classically trained as an actress...
, Raymond Baxter
Raymond Baxter
Raymond Frederic Baxter, OBE was a British television presenter and writer. He is best known for being the first presenter of Tomorrow's World, continuing for 12 years, from 1965 to 1977...
, Norman Tebbit
Norman Tebbit
Norman Beresford Tebbit, Baron Tebbit, CH, PC , is a British politician. A member of the Conservative Party, he served in the Cabinet from 1981 to 1987 as Secretary of State for Employment...
and Sir John Harvey-Jones
John Harvey-Jones
Sir John Harvey-Jones MBE was an English businessman. He was the chairman of Imperial Chemical Industries from 1982 to 1987...
, for the after-dinner speaking circuit. In 2000, Kelly founded Speakerpower, a company that employed celebrities such as David Jacobs
David Jacobs (disc jockey)
David Lewis Jacobs CBE is a British actor and broadcaster who gained prominence as presenter of the peak-time BBC Television show Juke Box Jury and the BBC Radio 4 political forum, Any Questions?-Early career:...
and Sylvia Syms
Sylvia Syms
Sylvia M. L. Syms OBE is a British actress. She is probably best known for her roles in the films Woman in a Dressing Gown , Ice-Cold in Alex , No Trees in the Street , Victim and The Tamarind Seed...
to train corporate managers how to speak publicly.
Death
Bernard Braden died in 1993, and Barbara Kelly died from cancer in 2007, aged 82, at a hospicePalliative care
Palliative care is a specialized area of healthcare that focuses on relieving and preventing the suffering of patients...
in Hampstead
Hampstead
Hampstead is an area of London, England, north-west of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Camden in Inner London, it is known for its intellectual, liberal, artistic, musical and literary associations and for Hampstead Heath, a large, hilly expanse of parkland...
, London. Their son, Christopher predeceased her, also having died from cancer.