Gertie Gitana
Encyclopedia
Gertie Gitana was a British music hall
entertainer.
She was born Gertrude Mary Astbury in Shirley Street, Longport
, Stoke-on-Trent
. Her father was a pottery works foreman and her mother Lavinia taught at St Peter's RC
school in Cobridge
. When she was three, the family moved to Frederic Street in nearby Hanley.
Gitana is Spanish for (female) 'Gipsy' and she was a member of Tomlinson's 'Royal Gipsy Children' at the age of four. On account of her petite form and supposed Gipsy origins, she was sometimes billed as 'The Staffordshire Cinderella'.
She made her professional debut in 1896 at the age of eight on the stage of The Tivoli in Barrow-in-Furness
. Two years later at the age of ten she had a significant billing at The Argyle in Birkenhead
and her first London
appearance was in 1900. At the age of 17, she topped the bill for the first time at The Ardwick Empire at Manchester
and Gertie Gitana had arrived. In her prime she was reputed to have earned in excess of £100 per week and her name was always sufficient to ensure a full house.
Her music hall repertoire included "A Schoolgirl's Holiday", "We've been chums for fifty years", "When the Harvest Moon is Shining", "Silver Bell", "You do Look Well in Your Old Dutch Bonnet", "Queen of the Cannibal Isles", "Never Mind", "When I see the Lovelight Gleaming", and especially "Nellie Dean
" - written by Henry W. Armstrong
- which an audience first heard her sing in 1907. "Nellie Dean" was an instant success and became her 'signature tune'. Her first gramophone recordings, dating from 1911–1913, were made in London on the Jumbo label. During the 1914–18 war
she was the Forces' sweetheart and often entertained the war wounded in hospitals.
After the war, she appeared in pantomime
, notably as Little Red Riding Hood
, and Cinderella
. Gertie also appeared in a Royal Command Performance
. Two musical shows were specially written for her: Nellie Dean and Dear Louise, and in 1928 she married her leading man in the latter — Don Ross. She retired in 1938 but made a very successful come-back ten years later with other 'old timers' in the show Thanks for the memory produced by her husband. Her final appearance was on 2 December 1950 at The Empress Theatre, Brixton
.
She died of cancer in January 1957 and was buried in the churchyard at Wigston Magna
with her husband.
In the early 1950s, Frederic Street in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, was renamed Gitana Street in her honour; the street leads to the rear of the Theatre Royal in Hanley and the public house now called 'The Stage Door' (at the corner of Gitana Street) was at one time called 'The Gertie Gitana' and it still has her portrait over the door. Her name continues at 'Gitana's', a public house in Hartshill Road, Stoke-on-Trent.
Her London memorial — 'The Nellie Dean' at the corner of Dean Street
in Soho
(renamed thus in her honour) — at one time had a shrine of her stage memorabilia. In Cockney rhyming slang
, Gertie Gitana means a banana.
Music hall
Music Hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment which was popular between 1850 and 1960. The term can refer to:# A particular form of variety entertainment involving a mixture of popular song, comedy and speciality acts...
entertainer.
She was born Gertrude Mary Astbury in Shirley Street, Longport
Longport, Staffordshire
Longport is an area of Stoke-on-Trent, England. It is the location for Longbridge Hayes industrial estate.Longport railway station, opened by the North Staffordshire Railway on October 9, 1848, is on the Crewe to Derby and Stafford to Manchester Lines....
, Stoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent , also called The Potteries is a city in Staffordshire, England, which forms a linear conurbation almost 12 miles long, with an area of . Together with the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme Stoke forms The Potteries Urban Area...
. Her father was a pottery works foreman and her mother Lavinia taught at St Peter's RC
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
school in Cobridge
Cobridge
Cobridge is an area of Stoke-on-Trent in the county of Staffordshire, England. Cobridge has a Holdcroft centre on Sneyd Street, a community centre and a C of E church called Christ Church on Emery Street which is Grade II listed. Cobridge once had a railway station on the Potteries Loop Line...
. When she was three, the family moved to Frederic Street in nearby Hanley.
Gitana is Spanish for (female) 'Gipsy' and she was a member of Tomlinson's 'Royal Gipsy Children' at the age of four. On account of her petite form and supposed Gipsy origins, she was sometimes billed as 'The Staffordshire Cinderella'.
She made her professional debut in 1896 at the age of eight on the stage of The Tivoli in Barrow-in-Furness
Barrow-in-Furness
Barrow-in-Furness is an industrial town and seaport which forms about half the territory of the wider Borough of Barrow-in-Furness in the county of Cumbria, England. It lies north of Liverpool, northwest of Manchester and southwest from the county town of Carlisle...
. Two years later at the age of ten she had a significant billing at The Argyle in Birkenhead
Birkenhead
Birkenhead is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral in Merseyside, England. It is on the Wirral Peninsula, along the west bank of the River Mersey, opposite the city of Liverpool...
and her first 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...
appearance was in 1900. At the age of 17, she topped the bill for the first time at The Ardwick Empire at 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...
and Gertie Gitana had arrived. In her prime she was reputed to have earned in excess of £100 per week and her name was always sufficient to ensure a full house.
Her music hall repertoire included "A Schoolgirl's Holiday", "We've been chums for fifty years", "When the Harvest Moon is Shining", "Silver Bell", "You do Look Well in Your Old Dutch Bonnet", "Queen of the Cannibal Isles", "Never Mind", "When I see the Lovelight Gleaming", and especially "Nellie Dean
Nellie Dean
" Nellie Dean" is a sentimental ballad in common time by Henry W. Armstrong, published in 1905 by M. Witmark & Sons of New York City...
" - written by Henry W. Armstrong
Henry W. Armstrong
Henry W. "Harry" Armstrong was a U.S. boxer, booking agent, producer, singer, pianist and Tin Pan Alley composer.His biggest hit was "Sweet Adeline", written in 1903 with Richard H. Gerard...
- which an audience first heard her sing in 1907. "Nellie Dean" was an instant success and became her 'signature tune'. Her first gramophone recordings, dating from 1911–1913, were made in London on the Jumbo label. During the 1914–18 war
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
she was the Forces' sweetheart and often entertained the war wounded in hospitals.
After the war, she appeared in pantomime
Pantomime
Pantomime — not to be confused with a mime artist, a theatrical performer of mime—is a musical-comedy theatrical production traditionally found in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Jamaica, South Africa, India, Ireland, Gibraltar and Malta, and is mostly performed during the...
, notably as Little Red Riding Hood
Little Red Riding Hood
Little Red Riding Hood, also known as Little Red Cap, is a French fairy tale about a young girl and a Big Bad Wolf. The story has been changed considerably in its history and subject to numerous modern adaptations and readings....
, and Cinderella
Cinderella
"Cinderella; or, The Little Glass Slipper" is a folk tale embodying a myth-element of unjust oppression/triumphant reward. Thousands of variants are known throughout the world. The title character is a young woman living in unfortunate circumstances that are suddenly changed to remarkable fortune...
. Gertie also appeared in a Royal Command Performance
Royal Command Performance
For the annual Royal Variety Performance performed in Britain for the benefit of the Entertainment Artistes' Benevolent Fund, see Royal Variety Performance...
. Two musical shows were specially written for her: Nellie Dean and Dear Louise, and in 1928 she married her leading man in the latter — Don Ross. She retired in 1938 but made a very successful come-back ten years later with other 'old timers' in the show Thanks for the memory produced by her husband. Her final appearance was on 2 December 1950 at The Empress Theatre, Brixton
Brixton
Brixton is a district in the London Borough of Lambeth in south London, England. It is south south-east of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London....
.
She died of cancer in January 1957 and was buried in the churchyard at Wigston Magna
Wigston Magna
Wigston Magna also historically referred to as Wigston Two Steeples or Great Wigston , is a town within Leicestershire, England just to the south of Leicester, on the A5199 road which leads to Northampton....
with her husband.
In the early 1950s, Frederic Street in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, was renamed Gitana Street in her honour; the street leads to the rear of the Theatre Royal in Hanley and the public house now called 'The Stage Door' (at the corner of Gitana Street) was at one time called 'The Gertie Gitana' and it still has her portrait over the door. Her name continues at 'Gitana's', a public house in Hartshill Road, Stoke-on-Trent.
Her London memorial — 'The Nellie Dean' at the corner of Dean Street
Dean Street
Dean Street is a street in Soho, London, England, running between Oxford Street to the north and Shaftesbury Avenue to the south.-Historical figures:The street has a rich history. In 1764 a young Mozart gave a recital at 21 Dean Street...
in Soho
Soho
Soho is an area of the City of Westminster and part of the West End of London. Long established as an entertainment district, for much of the 20th century Soho had a reputation for sex shops as well as night life and film industry. Since the early 1980s, the area has undergone considerable...
(renamed thus in her honour) — at one time had a shrine of her stage memorabilia. In Cockney rhyming slang
Cockney rhyming slang
Rhyming slang is a form of phrase construction in the English language and is especially prevalent in dialectal British English from the East End of London; hence the alternative name, Cockney rhyming slang...
, Gertie Gitana means a banana.