Doris Hare
Encyclopedia
Doris Hare MBE
(1 March 1905 – 30 May 2000) was a Welsh
actress, best known for her appearances as "Mum" in the popular sitcom On the Buses
alongside Reg Varney
and Stephen Lewis
.
Born in Bargoed
, Glamorgan
, Hare's parents had a portable theatre in South Wales
and it seemed inevitable that she would become a part of it, making her debut at the age of three in Current Cash and appearing in juvenile troupes all over Britain as a child, before going solo as 'Little Doris Hare'.
Appearing in music hall
, variety, cabaret revues and pantomimes, Hare also acted in plays by George Bernard Shaw
, Noel Coward
, Alan Bennett
, Pinero
and Harold Pinter
. In 1930, the actress toured in The Show's the Thing, taking the part made famous by Gracie Fields
. Hare was also on radio during the early days of the BBC
at Savoy Hill and was hostess of Shipmates Ashore, the BBC's programme for the Merchant Navy
, earning her an MBE
in 1941.
In October 1932, she made her (apparently) only recording session in London; "Three White Feathers" b/w "The Old Man of the Mountain" issued on Zonophone (6265).
In the 1960s she spent a year with the National Theatre
, three years with the Royal Shakespeare Company
and performed with the Chichester Festival Theatre
company for several seasons.
Doris Hare made her screen debut in the classic Night Mail
film of 1936. She became best known as a comedy actress, and appeared in films like The History of Mr. Polly
(1949) and popular TV programmes such as Dixon of Dock Green
and The Saint
.
Hare came to national attention in the small-screen role as Stan Butler's widowed mother, Mrs Mabel Ethel Butler, in On the Buses
, taking over the part from Cicely Courtneidge
in the second series of the raucous ITV
comedy, which had started in 1969. The series ran until 1973 and spawned three spin-off films On the Buses
(1971), Mutiny on the Buses
(1972) and Holiday on the Buses
(1973) in which Hare recreated her small-screen role. The cast also performed a stage version of the popular series in Vancouver
, Canada
, in 1988.
After the show ended, Hare spent a year in the West End farce No Sex Please, We're British
.
Having turned down the role of Ena Sharples
in Coronation Street
, Doris did play Alice Pickens in the series during 1969. She was due to marry Albert Tatlock
, but the wedding never took place.
In 1969 she appeared in the paranormal detective series Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)
in the 13th episode "But What a Sweet Little Room
" as the scary spiritualist Madame Hanska. She also appeared in the Confessions series of films with Robin Askwith
and Anthony Booth
during the 1970s. One of her last film roles was as a nun in Nuns on the Run
with comedy actor Robbie Coltrane
in 1990. A couple of years later she made her final stage appearance in the West End farce It Runs in the Family.
Hare won a Variety Club of Great Britain Special Award for her contributions to show business in 1982.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(1 March 1905 – 30 May 2000) was a Welsh
Welsh people
The Welsh people are an ethnic group and nation associated with Wales and the Welsh language.John Davies argues that the origin of the "Welsh nation" can be traced to the late 4th and early 5th centuries, following the Roman departure from Britain, although Brythonic Celtic languages seem to have...
actress, best known for her appearances as "Mum" in the popular sitcom On the Buses
On The Buses
On the Buses was a British situation comedy created by Ronald Wolfe and Ronald Chesney which was broadcast in the UK from 1969 to 1973. The writers' previous successes with The Rag Trade and Meet the Wife were for the BBC, but the Corporation rejected On the Buses, not seeing much comedy potential...
alongside Reg Varney
Reg Varney
Reginald Alfred "Reg" Varney was an English actor, most notable for his role as Stan Butler in 1970s TV sitcom On the Buses.-Early life:...
and Stephen Lewis
Stephen Lewis (actor)
Stephen Lewis is an English actor. He is best known for his roles as Inspector Cyril "Blakey" Blake in the LWT Sitcom On the Buses, Clem "Smiler" Hemmingway in the longest running sitcom Last of the Summer Wine and Harry Lambert in BBC Television's Oh, Doctor Beeching!.-Career:Lewis began his...
.
Born in Bargoed
Bargoed
Bargoed is a town in the Rhymney Valley, Wales, one of the South Wales Valleys. It lies on the Rhymney River in the county borough of Caerphilly and straddles ancient boundary of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire. 'Greater Bargoed', as defined by the local authority Caerphilly County Borough Council,...
, Glamorgan
Glamorgan
Glamorgan or Glamorganshire is one of the thirteen historic counties and a former administrative county of Wales. It was originally an early medieval kingdom of varying boundaries known as Glywysing until taken over by the Normans as a lordship. Glamorgan is latterly represented by the three...
, Hare's parents had a portable theatre in South Wales
South Wales
South Wales is an area of Wales bordered by England and the Bristol Channel to the east and south, and Mid Wales and West Wales to the north and west. The most densely populated region in the south-west of the United Kingdom, it is home to around 2.1 million people and includes the capital city of...
and it seemed inevitable that she would become a part of it, making her debut at the age of three in Current Cash and appearing in juvenile troupes all over Britain as a child, before going solo as 'Little Doris Hare'.
Appearing in music hall
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...
, variety, cabaret revues and pantomimes, Hare also acted in plays by George Bernard Shaw
George Bernard Shaw
George Bernard Shaw was an Irish playwright and a co-founder of the London School of Economics. Although his first profitable writing was music and literary criticism, in which capacity he wrote many highly articulate pieces of journalism, his main talent was for drama, and he wrote more than 60...
, Noel Coward
Noël Coward
Sir Noël Peirce Coward was an English playwright, composer, director, actor and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what Time magazine called "a sense of personal style, a combination of cheek and chic, pose and poise".Born in Teddington, a suburb of London, Coward attended a dance academy...
, Alan Bennett
Alan Bennett
Alan Bennett is a British playwright, screenwriter, actor and author. Born in Leeds, he attended Oxford University where he studied history and performed with The Oxford Revue. He stayed to teach and research mediaeval history at the university for several years...
, Pinero
Piñero
Piñero is a 2001 biopic about the troubled life of Nuyorican poet and playwright Miguel Piñero, starring Benjamin Bratt as the titular character. It was written and directed by the Cuban filmmaker, Leon Ichaso. It premiered at the Montreal Film Festival on 31 August 2001...
and Harold Pinter
Harold Pinter
Harold Pinter, CH, CBE was a Nobel Prize–winning English playwright and screenwriter. One of the most influential modern British dramatists, his writing career spanned more than 50 years. His best-known plays include The Birthday Party , The Homecoming , and Betrayal , each of which he adapted to...
. In 1930, the actress toured in The Show's the Thing, taking the part made famous by Gracie Fields
Gracie Fields
Dame Gracie Fields, DBE , was an English-born, later Italian-based actress, singer and comedienne and star of both cinema and music hall.-Early life:...
. Hare was also on radio during the early days of 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...
at Savoy Hill and was hostess of Shipmates Ashore, the BBC's programme for the Merchant Navy
Merchant Navy
The Merchant Navy is the maritime register of the United Kingdom, and describes the seagoing commercial interests of UK-registered ships and their crews. Merchant Navy vessels fly the Red Ensign and are regulated by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency...
, earning her an MBE
MBE
MBE can stand for:* Mail Boxes Etc.* Management by exception* Master of Bioethics* Master of Bioscience Enterprise* Master of Business Engineering* Master of Business Economics* Mean Biased Error...
in 1941.
In October 1932, she made her (apparently) only recording session in London; "Three White Feathers" b/w "The Old Man of the Mountain" issued on Zonophone (6265).
In the 1960s she spent a year with the National Theatre
Royal National Theatre
The Royal National Theatre in London is one of the United Kingdom's two most prominent publicly funded theatre companies, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company...
, three years with the Royal Shakespeare Company
Royal Shakespeare Company
The Royal Shakespeare Company is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs 700 staff and produces around 20 productions a year from its home in Stratford-upon-Avon and plays regularly in London, Newcastle-upon-Tyne and on tour across...
and performed with the Chichester Festival Theatre
Chichester Festival Theatre
Chichester Festival Theatre, located in Chichester, England, was designed by Philip Powell and Hidalgo Moya, and opened by its founder Leslie Evershed-Martin in 1962. Subsequently the smaller and more intimate Minerva Theatre was built nearby in 1989....
company for several seasons.
Doris Hare made her screen debut in the classic Night Mail
Night Mail
Night Mail is a 1936 documentary film about a London, Midland and Scottish Railway mail train from London to Scotland, produced by the GPO Film Unit. A poem by English poet W. H. Auden was written for it, used in the closing few minutes, as was music by Benjamin Britten...
film of 1936. She became best known as a comedy actress, and appeared in films like The History of Mr. Polly
The History of Mr. Polly (film)
The History of Mr. Polly is a 1949 British film, based on the 1910 comic novel The History of Mr. Polly by H.G. Wells. It was directed by Anthony Pelissier and stars John Mills, Betty Ann Davies, Megs Jenkins and Finlay Currie...
(1949) and popular TV programmes such as Dixon of Dock Green
Dixon of Dock Green
Dixon of Dock Green was a popular BBC television series that ran from 1955 to 1976, and later a radio series. Despite being a drama series, it was initially produced by the BBC's light entertainment department.-Overview:...
and The Saint
The Saint (TV series)
The Saint was an ITC mystery spy thriller television series that aired in the UK on ITV between 1962 and 1969. It centred on the Leslie Charteris literary character, Simon Templar, a Robin Hood-like adventurer with a penchant for disguise. The character may be nicknamed The Saint because the...
.
Hare came to national attention in the small-screen role as Stan Butler's widowed mother, Mrs Mabel Ethel Butler, in On the Buses
On The Buses
On the Buses was a British situation comedy created by Ronald Wolfe and Ronald Chesney which was broadcast in the UK from 1969 to 1973. The writers' previous successes with The Rag Trade and Meet the Wife were for the BBC, but the Corporation rejected On the Buses, not seeing much comedy potential...
, taking over the part from Cicely Courtneidge
Cicely Courtneidge
Dame Esmerelda Cicely Courtneidge DBE was an English actress and comedienne. The daughter of the producer Robert Courtneidge, she was appearing in his productions in the West End, by the age of 16, and was quickly promoted from minor to major roles in his Edwardian musical comedies.After the...
in the second series of the raucous 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...
comedy, which had started in 1969. The series ran until 1973 and spawned three spin-off films On the Buses
On the Buses (film)
On the Buses is a 1971 British comedy film directed by Harry Booth and starring Reg Varney and Doris Hare. The film is the first spin-off film from the TV sitcom On the Buses and was followed by two further films Mutiny on the Buses and Holiday on the Buses...
(1971), Mutiny on the Buses
Mutiny on the Buses
Mutiny on the Buses is a 1972 British comedy film directed by Harry Booth and starring Reg Varney and Doris Hare. The film is the second spin-off film from the TV sitcom On the Buses and succeeded On the Buses . It was followed by a third film Holiday on the Buses...
(1972) and Holiday on the Buses
Holiday on the Buses
Holiday on the Buses is a 1973 British comedy film directed by Bryan Izzard and starring Reg Varney and Doris Hare. The film is the third spin-off film from the ITV sitcom On the Buses and succeeded the films On the Buses and Mutiny on the Buses...
(1973) in which Hare recreated her small-screen role. The cast also performed a stage version of the popular series in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, Canada
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...
, in 1988.
After the show ended, Hare spent a year in the West End farce No Sex Please, We're British
No Sex Please, We're British
No Sex Please, We're British is a British comedic play written by Alistair Foot and Anthony Marriott, first staged in London's West End in 1971. It was unanimously panned by critics, but still ran for nearly a decade to packed audiences...
.
Having turned down the role of Ena Sharples
Ena Sharples
Ena Sharples is one of the original characters from the British soap opera Coronation Street, and was played by Violet Carson.-Development:...
in Coronation Street
Coronation Street
Coronation Street is a British soap opera set in Weatherfield, a fictional town in Greater Manchester based on Salford. Created by Tony Warren, Coronation Street was first broadcast on 9 December 1960...
, Doris did play Alice Pickens in the series during 1969. She was due to marry Albert Tatlock
Albert Tatlock
Albert Tatlock is a fictional character on the British television soap opera Coronation Street. Albert was played by actor Jack Howarth from 1960 to 1984...
, but the wedding never took place.
In 1969 she appeared in the paranormal detective series Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)
Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)
Randall and Hopkirk , first transmitted during 1969-70, is a British private detective television series starring Mike Pratt and Kenneth Cope as the private detectives Jeff Randall and Marty Hopkirk, respectively. The series was originally created by Dennis Spooner and produced by Monty Berman...
in the 13th episode "But What a Sweet Little Room
But What a Sweet Little Room
"But What a Sweet Little Room" is the thirteenth episode of the popular 1969 ITC British television series Randall and Hopkirk starring Mike Pratt, Kenneth Cope and Annette Andre. The episode was first broadcast on 14 December 1969 on the ITV. Directed by Roy Ward Baker.-Synopsis:Jeff...
" as the scary spiritualist Madame Hanska. She also appeared in the Confessions series of films with Robin Askwith
Robin Askwith
Robin Askwith , is an English film actor, most famous for his role as Timmy Lea in the Confessions... sex comedies.-Confessions...:...
and Anthony Booth
Anthony Booth
Antony George Booth is an English actor, best known for his role as Mike Rawlins in the BBC series Till Death Us Do Part. His daughter, Cherie, a prominent Queen's Counsel, is married to former Prime Minister Tony Blair...
during the 1970s. One of her last film roles was as a nun in Nuns on the Run
Nuns on the Run
Nuns on the Run is a 1990 British comedy film starring Eric Idle and Robbie Coltrane, also featuring Camille Coduri and Janet Suzman. It was written and directed by Jonathan Lynn and produced by HandMade Films. Many of the outdoor scenes were shot in Chiswick...
with comedy actor Robbie Coltrane
Robbie Coltrane
Robbie Coltrane, OBE is a Scottish actor, comedian and author. He is known both for his role as Dr...
in 1990. A couple of years later she made her final stage appearance in the West End farce It Runs in the Family.
Hare won a Variety Club of Great Britain Special Award for her contributions to show business in 1982.
Selected filmography
- Luck of the NavyLuck of the NavyLuck of the Navy is a 1938 British comedy thriller film directed by Norman Lee and starring Geoffrey Toone, Judy Kelly and Clifford Evans. It was based on the play Luck of the Navy by Clifford Mills and is also known by the alternative title of North Sea Patrol...
(1938) - DiscoveriesDiscoveries (film)Discoveries is a 1939 British, black-and-white, musical, directed by Redd Davis and starring Ronald Shiner as Jim Pike. It was produced by the British Grand National Film Productions, which is not to be confused with the later, American Grand National Films Inc.-Synopsis:A pre-1900s burlesque,...
(1939) - She Couldn't Say NoShe Couldn't Say No (1939 film)She Couldn't Say No is a 1939 British comedy film directed by Graham Cutts and starring Tommy Trinder, Fred Emney and Googie Withers. It was based on a play Funny Face by Paul Girard Smith and Fred Thompson...
(1939) - It's Hard to Be GoodIt's Hard to Be GoodIt's Hard to Be Good is a 1948 British comedy film directed by Jeffrey Dell and starring Jimmy Hanley, Anne Crawford and Raymond Huntley. An ex-army officer and do-gooder finds his attempts to improve the world leads invariably to disasters.-Cast:...
(1948) - Here Come the HuggettsHere Come the HuggettsHere Come the Huggetts is a 1948 British film, the first of the Huggetts Trilogy about a working class English family. All three films were directed by Ken Annakin and released by Gainsborough Pictures....
(1948) - The History of Mr. PollyThe History of Mr. Polly (film)The History of Mr. Polly is a 1949 British film, based on the 1910 comic novel The History of Mr. Polly by H.G. Wells. It was directed by Anthony Pelissier and stars John Mills, Betty Ann Davies, Megs Jenkins and Finlay Currie...
(1949) - Dance HallDance hallDance hall in its general meaning is a hall for dancing. From the earliest years of the twentieth century until the early 1960s, the dance hall was the popular forerunner of the discothèque or nightclub...
(1950) - Thought to Kill (1954)
- Double Exposure (1954)
- Tiger by the TailTiger by the TailTiger by the Tail is a 1955 British crime film directed by John Gilling and starring Larry Parks, Constance Smith and Donald Stewart. It is an adaptation of the novel Never Come Back by John Mair...
(1955) - No SmokingNo Smoking (1955 film)No Smoking is a 1955 British comedy film directed by Henry Cass and starring Reg Dixon, Peter Martyn, Belinda Lee and Lionel Jeffries. A scientist who invents a pill that can cure smokers of their nicotine addiction, faces strong opposition from both the tobacco industry and the government.-Cast:*...
(1955) - Strangers' MeetingStrangers' MeetingStrangers' Meeting is a 1957 film directed by Robert Day. It stars Peter Arne and Delphi Lawrence.-Cast:*Peter Arne as Harry Belair*Delphi Lawrence as Margot Sanders*Conrad Phillips as David Sanders*Barbara Archer as Rosie Foster...
(1957) - Another Time, Another Place (1958)
- The League of GentlemenThe League of Gentlemen (film)The League of Gentlemen is a 1960 British crime film directed by Basil Dearden and starring Jack Hawkins, Nigel Patrick and Richard Attenborough. It was based on the 1958 novel by John Boland and adapted by Bryan Forbes, who also starred in the film...
(1960) - A Place to GoA Place to GoA Place to Go is a 1963 British crime drama film directed by Basil Dearden and starring Bernard Lee, Rita Tushingham and Michael Sarne. Set in contemporary Bethnal Green in east London it charted the dramatic changes that were happening in the lives of the British working-class at the time, fitting...
(1963) - On the BusesOn The BusesOn the Buses was a British situation comedy created by Ronald Wolfe and Ronald Chesney which was broadcast in the UK from 1969 to 1973. The writers' previous successes with The Rag Trade and Meet the Wife were for the BBC, but the Corporation rejected On the Buses, not seeing much comedy potential...
(1969–1973) - On the BusesOn the Buses (film)On the Buses is a 1971 British comedy film directed by Harry Booth and starring Reg Varney and Doris Hare. The film is the first spin-off film from the TV sitcom On the Buses and was followed by two further films Mutiny on the Buses and Holiday on the Buses...
(1971) - Mutiny on the BusesMutiny on the BusesMutiny on the Buses is a 1972 British comedy film directed by Harry Booth and starring Reg Varney and Doris Hare. The film is the second spin-off film from the TV sitcom On the Buses and succeeded On the Buses . It was followed by a third film Holiday on the Buses...
(1972) - Holiday on the BusesHoliday on the BusesHoliday on the Buses is a 1973 British comedy film directed by Bryan Izzard and starring Reg Varney and Doris Hare. The film is the third spin-off film from the ITV sitcom On the Buses and succeeded the films On the Buses and Mutiny on the Buses...
(1973) - Confessions of a Pop PerformerConfessions of a Pop PerformerConfessions of a Pop Performer is a 1975 British sex-farce film. This second instalment continues the erotic adventures of Timothy Lea and is based on the novels written under the name by Christopher Wood. In this case, the original novel was called Confessions from the Pop Scene, but was later...
(1975) - Confessions of a Driving InstructorConfessions of a Driving InstructorConfessions of a Driving Instructor is a 1976 British sex-farce film. This was the third instalment of the Confessions sequence on the erotic adventures of Timothy Lea, based on the novels published under the name by Christopher Wood.-Premise:...
(1976) - Confessions from a Holiday CampConfessions from a Holiday CampConfessions from a Holiday Camp is a 1977 British comedy film. It is the last film in the series which began with Confessions of a Window Cleaner.-Plot:...
(1977) - Why Didn't They Ask Evans?Why Didn't They Ask Evans?Why Didn't They Ask Evans? is a work of detective fiction by Agatha Christie, first published in the United Kingdom by the Collins Crime Club in September 1934 and in the United States by Dodd, Mead and Company in 1935 under the title of The Boomerang Clue.The UK edition retailed at seven shillings...
(1980, TV film) - Nuns on the RunNuns on the RunNuns on the Run is a 1990 British comedy film starring Eric Idle and Robbie Coltrane, also featuring Camille Coduri and Janet Suzman. It was written and directed by Jonathan Lynn and produced by HandMade Films. Many of the outdoor scenes were shot in Chiswick...
(1990) - Second Best (1994)
External links
- A Video clip of Doris Hare on her This Is Your Life