Esther Helen McCracken (née Armstrong; 25 June 1902 – 9 August 1971) was a British actress and playwright.

Biography

She was born Esther Helen Armstrong in

Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne, or simply Newcastle ( , Received Pronunciation, RP: ), is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is England's northernmost metropolitan borough, located o ...

on 25 June 1902 and was educated at the Central Newcastle High School, where she won the cricket-ball throwing competition every year. From 1929, she acted with the Newcastle Repertory Company. Her first play ''The Willing Spirit'' was produced in 1936. It was her second play, '' Quiet Wedding'', in 1938, which made her reputation as a writer of domestic comedy and took her to

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. It was later filmed by

Anthony Asquith Anthony Asquith (; 9 November 1902 – 20 February 1968) was an English film director. He collaborated successfully with playwright Terence Rattigan on ''The Winslow Boy'' (1948) and '' The Browning Version'' (1951), among other adaptations ...

in 1941, and by

Roy Boulting John Edward Boulting (21 December 1913 – 17 June 1985) and Roy Alfred Clarence Boulting (21 December 1913 – 5 November 2001), known collectively as the Boulting brothers, were English filmmakers and identical twins who became known for thei ...

in 1958, as '' Happy Is the Bride''. Her next plays, ''The Willing Spirit'' in 1936, ''Counter Attraction'' in 1938, and ''White Elephants'' in 1940, were less successful, but ''

Quiet Weekend ''Quiet Weekend'' is a 1946 British comedy film directed by Harold French and starring Derek Farr, Frank Cellier, Marjorie Fielding, George Thorpe and Barbara White. A family try to relax during a weekend holiday in the country.

'', in 1941, surpassed her earlier success and ran for over a thousand performances. It was filmed in 1946. She married Angus McCracken, a famous northern rugby player and accountant in 1936, but he was killed in action in Naples, Italy in 1943. In the following year, she married Mungo Campbell, the shipping magnate. She went on to introduce the BBC radio variety programme ''

Wot Cheor Geordie ''Wot Cheor Geordie'' was an early attempt by the BBC to produce a radio variety programme broadcast from Regional Studios and in a local dialect. ''Wot Cheor'' is a greeting in Geordie dialect. The show Wot Cheor Geordie was a radio variety ...

'', which ran from 1940 to 1956. The signature tune was the very popular "Wherever ye gaan, you're sure to meet a Geordie". She also wrote more serious plays in her later career, including ''

Living Room In Western architecture, a living room, also called a lounge room (Australian English), lounge (British English), sitting room (British English), or drawing room, is a room for relaxing and socializing in a Dwelling, residential house or apa ...

'' in 1943, '' No Medals'' in 1944 (filmed as '' The Weaker Sex''), and '' Cry Liberty'' in 1950. The initials of McCracken, her husband and a friend are included in the name of MEA House in Ellison Place, Newcastle, which was set up through their efforts. This is the first British building purpose-built to house a range of voluntary services. She died in August 1971. The actress

Imogen Stubbs Imogen Stubbs (born 20 February 1961) is an English actress and writer. Her first leading part was in '' Privileged'' (1982), followed by '' A Summer Story'' (1988). Her first play, ''We Happy Few'', was produced in 2004. In 2008 she joined ' ...

is her granddaughter.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:McCracken, Esther English women dramatists and playwrights English stage actresses 1902 births 1971 deaths People educated at Central Newcastle High School 20th-century English actresses 20th-century English women writers 20th-century English dramatists and playwrights Actresses from Newcastle upon Tyne