Gwen Plumb

Template:Short description Template:Use Australian English Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox person Gwendoline Jean Plumb AM BEM (2 August 1912 – 5 June 2002), was an Australian performer of international appeal, actress and comedian active in literally every form of the art genre, (except circus) including revue, pantomime, vaudeville, interviewing, game shows, live appearances, compering, radio production, scriptwriting and acting, television soap opera and mini-series and made-for-TV film.

She was considered the "Grand Dame of Australian entertainment", with a career spanning 65 years, in her her later years she was best known to local and international audiences in serial The Young Doctors as gossip Ada Simmonds, the ill-fated Richmond Hill as Mum Foote and the pilot of Home and Away as Doris Peters.

She released an autobiography in 1994 called Plumb Crazy.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Early years

Plumb was born in 1912, to Charles Thomas Plumb and Ann Eliza (nee Thomas)<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> and had worked in various jobs in her early career including as a typist, shop server and briefly in a chocolate factory, but having a flair for writing, starting to produce radio copy work for an advertising agency, after which she became interested in acting.

Career

Radio and theatre

Plumb started her acting career in 1930, with the Gwen Meredith Chelsea drama club.<ref name="sota">Template:Cite news</ref> She had her first well-known role as Emmie Lawson on The Lawsons <ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and later in the longest-running Australian radio serial Blue Hills, She was very active in the radio industry early in her career and would work in this sector as a producer, scriptwriter and performer<ref name="sota" /> and hosted a long-running radio program on Australia's Macquarie Radio Network from 1945 to 1974.

Plumb also had a radio show in Sydney opposite Gordon Chater. She was well known for conducting celebrity interviews, for her own radio show including travelling to Europe to conduct recordings.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Plumb had a long career in the theatre, starting from 1930 and was a cast member of the debut season of the Old Tote Theatre Company, and once quipped that she "played in just about every form of public entertainment except the circus".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Television

Plumb appeared in some early Australian drama such as Adventure Unlimited.<ref name="Forgotten Australian TV Series">Template:Cite magazine</ref>

She is probably best remembered for the Australian soap opera The Young Doctors as Ada Simmonds for its entire November 1976 – March 1983 run.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> She released a cook book, What's Cooking with Ada, under her character’s name in 1980.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Other notable roles were in the mini-series The Harp in the South<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and Poor Man's Orange in the mid-1980s. She acted in Neighbours as Mrs. Forbes in 1985, appearing in scenes opposite Alan Dale, with whom she had starred in The Young Doctors.<ref name="Taylor">Template:Cite news</ref>

She later played the key role of in the serial Richmond Hill as Mum Foote in 1988.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Having agreed to act in the planned new series, Plumb was offered, and played in the pilot of another proposed series Home and Away as Doris Peters. When Home and Away also went into production, Plumb opted to honour her earlier agreement to do Richmond Hill. The role of Mum Foote had been specially written with her in mind by show creator, Reg Watson. Richmond Hill had a run of just 12 months, and Plumb stayed with the series for all of that time. In 1995, Plumb returned to Home and Away for a number of episodes, playing a different character.

Plumb also appeared in the mini-series Stark, based on Ben Elton's novel of the same name.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Personal life

File:Gwen Plumb, 1952.png

Gwen Plumb in 1952

Plumb's lifelong partner was Australian radio, stage and screen actress Thelma Scott, best known for playing pompous socialite Clair Houghton in the TV series Number 96.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Plumb's autobiography, Plumb Crazy was published by Pan Macmillan in 1994.<ref>Plumb crazy / Gwen Plumb</ref>

In 1990, Plumb had a large growth removed from her colon and lower bowel. She began rehearsing for a production of Arsenic and Old Lace two months later, which left her exhausted. She felt that she had never fully recovered from the surgery.<ref name="HS">Template:Cite news</ref> In April 1996, she fell and broke her pelvis.<ref name="Taylor"/> In September 2000, Plumb fell while she was getting ready for bed and broke her hip. Upon hearing the news, producer and television mogul Reg Grundy filled her hospital room with flowers.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Plumb died on 5 June 2002, aged 89, at her home in Kirribilli.<ref name="HS"/>

British and Australian honours

Plumb was awarded a British Empire Medal in 1973,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and was made a Member of the Order of Australia in 1993.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Both awards recognised her community and charity work.<ref name='itsah'>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Selected radio

Year	Title	Role
c.1940s	Blue Hills	Emmie
1945–1974	Macquarie Radio Network	Hostess as herself
unknown years	2GB Radio Show with Gordon Chater	Hostess/interviewer

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Type
1960	The Sundowners	Uncredited	Feature film
1982	Ginger Meggs	Miss Leach	Feature film

Television

Year	Title	Role	Type
1958–1963	Women's World	Host	TV series
1959	A Tongue of Silver	Role unknown	Teleplay
1960	Venus Observed	Role unknown	Teleplay
1961	Corinth House	Mrs. Heysham	Teleplay
1962	Consider Your Verdict	Guest role	TV series, 1 episode
1962	Jonah	Guest role: Lady Jane Franklin	TV series, 1 episode
1965	Write Me a Murder	Elizabeth Wooley	TV film
1965	Adventure Unlimited	Guest role	TV series, 1 episode "Crocodile"
1965	The Mavis Bramston Show	Various Characters	TV series
1965	TV Spells Magic	Guest (with Max Meldrum, Ron Shand, Ruth Cracknell, Evie Hayes, Wendy Blacklock, David Copping, Kevin Miles, Chips Rafferty & Keith Petersen)	TV Special
1966	Wall to Wall	Role unknown	Teleplay
1966	Australian Playhouse	Guest roles: Mrs. Cooper / Elsie Hopewell	TV series, 2 episodes "The Prowler"
1966 1967	Nice 'n Juicy	Guest role: Mrs. Withers	TV series, 2 episodes
1969	The Don Lane Tonight Show	Guest	TV series, 1 episode
1969	Gwennie and Noel	Host	TV series
1970	The Rovers	Guest role: Gaylene Higgins	TV series, 1 episode
1973	Boney	Guest role: Miss Packer	TV series, 1 episode
1974	Mac and Merle	Lead role: Merle McInerney	TV pilot
1975	Celebrity Squares	Herself	TV series, 1 episode
1976	This Is Your Life	Herself	TV series, 1 episode
1976–1982	The Young Doctors	Regular role: Ada Simmons	TV series, 1394 episodes
1977	Bobby Dazzler	Guest role: Dinner Guest 1	TV series, 1 episode
1978; 1980; 1981; 1982: 1983; 1984	The Mike Walsh Show	Guest	TV series, 6 episodes
1980	Telethon '80	Herself	TV special
1981; 1982	The Mike Walsh Show	Guest	TV series, 1 episode
1981	Parkinson in Australia	Guest	TV series, 1 episode
1981	Go Health	Herself with Young Doctors cast: Judy McBurney, Karen Pini, Peter Lochran	TV series, 1 episode
1982	The Daryl Somers Show	Guest	TV series, 1 episode
1985	Neighbours	Recurring Guest role: Mrs. Forbes	TV series, 10 episodes
1985	The Man in the Iron Mask	Peronne (voice)	Animated TV film
1986	A Halo for Athuan	Lead role: Mother Paul	TV film
1987	The Harp in the South	Recurring role: Grandma Kilker	TV miniseries, 3 episodes
1987	Poor Man's Orange	Recurring role: Grandma Kilker	TV miniseries, 2 episodes
1987	I've Come About the Suicide	Supporting role: Miss Clemesha	TV film
1987	The Flying Doctors	Guest role: Nellie Keene	TV series, 1 episode
1988	Richmond Hill	Regular role: Mum Foote	TV series, 38 episodes
1988;	Home and Away	Guest role: Doris Peters	TV series, 1 episode
1989	The Bert Newton Show	Guest with Barry Crocker & Ronnie Burns	TV series, 1 episode
1991	The Seven-Thirty Report	Guest - Herself with June Bronhill (Arsenic and Old Lace)	ABC TV series, 1 episode
1992	In Sydney Today	Guest	TV series, 1 episode
1992	A Country Practice	Guest role: Morna Peacock	TV series, 1 episode
1993	The Late Show	Guest	TV series, 1 episode
1993	Stark	Recurring role: Mrs. Tyron	TV miniseries, 3 episodes
1994	Under The Skin	Role unknown	TV film series, 1 episode "The Family Spirit"
1994	At Home	Guest	TV series, 1 episode
1994	Today	Guest	TV series, 1 episode
1994	TVTV	Guest - Herself with The Young Doctors cast: Chris King, Tim Page, Diana McLean, Louise Howitt & Darren Gray	TV series, 1 episode
1995	Home and Away	Recurring Guest role: Elizabeth Clarke	TV series, 4 episodes
1997	Where Are They Now?	Guest - Herself with The Young Doctors cast: Chris King, Judy McBurney, Mark Holden & Tim Page	TV series, 1 episode
1999	Funny By George: The George Wallace Story	Herself	TV special

External links

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