Ethel Jane Cain (1 May 1909 – 19 September 1996) was a British telephonist and actress, and the original voice of the

speaking clock A speaking clock or talking clock is a live or recorded human voice service, usually accessed by telephone, that gives the correct time. The first telephone speaking clock service was introduced in France, in association with the Paris Observa ...

in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. Working at London's Victoria Exchange, she was appointed on 21 June 1935 following a competition among GPO telephonists; there were nine finalists in total and the adjudication panel included leading actress

Sybil Thorndike Dame Agnes Sybil Thorndike, Lady Casson (24 October 18829 June 1976) was an English actress whose stage career lasted from 1904 to 1969. Trained in her youth as a concert pianist, Thorndike turned to the stage when a medical problem with her h ...

and Poet Laureate

John Masefield John Edward Masefield (; 1 June 1878 – 12 May 1967) was an English poet and writer. He was Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom, Poet Laureate from 1930 until his death in 1967, during which time he lived at Burcot, Oxfordshire, near Abingdon ...

, who announced that "She has a golden voice. It is beautiful." Her recording was used from 1936 until 1963, when it was replaced by Pat Simmons. She also made a record for the GPO, helping other staff members improve their speaking voices, and went on to become announcer for Henry Hall during his broadcast concerts. Having been chosen as the 'Golden Voice Girl', in July 1935 she was offered the leading role in the

Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc., Trade name, doing business as Columbia Pictures, is an American film Production company, production and Film distributor, distribution company that is the flagship unit of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group ...

film ''

Vanity Vanity is the excessive belief in one's own abilities or attractiveness compared to others. Prior to the 14th century, it did not have such narcissistic undertones, and merely meant ''futility''. The related term vainglory is now often seen as ...

''. Directed by

Adrian Brunel Adrian Brunel (4 September 1892 – 18 February 1958) was an English film director and screenwriter. Brunel's directorial career started in the Silent film, silent era, and reached its peak in the latter half of the 1920s. His surviving work fr ...

, it began shooting at Walton-on-Thames in October and was first shown in December. Using the name Jane Cain as an actress, she then made her professional stage debut at the

Open Air Theatre, Regent's Park Regent's Park Open Air Theatre is an open-air theatre in Regent's Park in central London, established in 1932. Originally known for its Shakespearean productions, the theatre now features a wide variety of performances, including musicals, ope ...

on 17 July 1936, playing Celia in ''

As You Like It ''As You Like It'' is a pastoral Shakespearean comedy, comedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1599 and first published in the First Folio in 1623. The play's first performance is uncertain, though a performance at Wil ...

''. The Post Office had started its 'speaking clock' service on the 1st of the same month, over a year after her appointment had been announced. In addition to working with regional repertory companies, notably a lengthy association with Scotland's Perth Theatre Company in the 1950s, she also appeared in such West End shows as ''A Soldier for Christmas'' (1944), ''Maigret and the Lady'' (1965) and ''The Sleeping Prince'' (1968). She also played supporting roles in such TV series as ''

Starr and Company ''Starr and Company'' was a BBC television drama series aired in 1958. It was a soap opera, aired twice a week, Monday and Thursday. 77 episodes were made, of which only a single episode (episode 1) is known to survive. The series was set in a ...

'' (1958) and ''

Thirty-Minute Theatre ''Thirty-Minute Theatre'' was a British anthology drama series of short plays shown on BBC Television between 1965 and 1973, which was used in part at least as a training ground for new writers, on account of its short running length, and which ...

'' (1961).

References

External links

Telecommunications Heritage Group
* * Includes video clips of Jane Cain. {{DEFAULTSORT:Cain, Ethel Jane 1909 births 1996 deaths British voice actresses Clocks Telephone voiceover talent 20th-century British actresses

See also

References

External links