Gracie Fields interview with Michael Parkinson -05/11/1977 

Gracie was so full of life! She put all of herself into each song she sang. May she be resting in God's peace.

Great to see Our Gracie on a stage with John Betjeman, who seems to appreciate her a lot.

What an amazing woman fascinating interview they don’t make em like this anymore

Michael Parkinson made them both feel at home. Gracie Fields bloomed in his interview.

My Mum always talked about Gracie Fields and a song about the biggest aspidestra in the world. She came from Lancashire & I always thought Gracie came from Lancashire this interview set the record straight. My Mum had a sister who used to sing Gracie’s songs. She was a soprano. I really enjoyed Gracie singing the biggest Aspidestra in the world.

My grandad always used to say that he joined up in 1939 in order to get away from Gracie Fields and George Formby singing at him.

She's the girl that makes the thing that drills the hole that holds the ring that drives the rod that turns the knob .... that works the thingamiebob! We wouldn't have won the war without her : )))))

Our Gracie - Legend, - She opened The RITZ Cinema in my hometown of Birkenhead on 4th October 1937 and sang "Sally" to the thousands of people who came to see her. Great interview here at nearly 80 on Parkinson a joy to watch, a lovely lady we will not see her likes again a Super Star of the 30s and 40s and what a voice! Gracie has gone, but never forgotten! R.I.P - Mark Lees - ex Cinema Projectionist - Wallasey - August 2022.

It’s 2023 and I’ve just discovered this beautiful lady! I have seen three of her films and am looking for more!❤

what a wonderful interview -- Gracie had such an enjoyment of life, she passed it on to those around her whenever she performed

Thank you for posting this. I adore her!! And thank God for Gracie Fields!!!

My great aunt Margaret met Gracie at her home on Capri. Being from Rochdale she invited her in for tea. It was later reported in the Rochdale observer.

Clever interview managing to include both as Gracie’s personality was so big. I’ve loved Gracie fields since I was a child.😀

Imagine what this dear lady would think if she went back to Rochdale now.

I love Gracie Fields! Thanks so much for the upload.

This might be one of Parkinson's best interview.

I love it when she breaks into Send In The Clowns .....

I just discovered her and I am enamored with her magnificence. What a gem of a grand lady.

She is the very definition of "Star", so much talent in such a little body. Being able to see and hear her here was a real treat, I was an avid Parkinson fan but I cant remember seeing ever this.Lancashire was like the North East of England when Gracie was a child, incredibly impoverished but then again all the working classes were poor. she did amazingly to become the star she became

Wow, they don’t make them like that anymore she’s amazing and she’s from my part of the world absolutely amazing

What a gem, thanks so much for this upload. Gracie never lost that wonderful voice, such a joy to see her full of energy even in her later years. I would love to see the full clip of her appearance in the Royal Variety Show, there is just an edited version on RU-vid from a compilation programme

Brilliant full of joy and fun at 80 god love her god bless

What a magnificent woman. Brilliant performer and outstanding human being. So natural . So humble. People today don't know how lucky they have it compared to the horrendous poverty of the past. Parkinson one of the greatest interviewers. A class act.

Thank you or sharing this, Seb

The Biggest Gift to a Britain under siege and a world in turmoil. A true Star,

English Sweetheart spanning 50 years of entertainment from vaudeville, stage, theatre, movies, record albums, and entertaining the English troops for the entire war of WWII.

There’s a statue of Gracie that was recently elected in the town centre next to the town hall, and the theatre at one of the schools in the Spotland area of Rochdale is named after her.

I remember visiting Island of Capri ,where she lived . A fab life . And she built the lido swimming bath for the people of Capri

She said her mum let her stay home from school while she went out to do a few jobs. How times change today her mum would get a fine and sent to prison.

Very nice to watch, thanks for sharing it with us.

She sadly died two years after this interview, what a wonderful entertainer.

A little bit like Julie Andrews... whose talent & personality were more suited to musicals than opera, altho’ she had studied operatic technique w no evident problems. Julie is another enormous performer England has ever produced. I wonder if Julie admired her as we do? Wonder if they ever met? Have loved this Gracie Fields since I first heard her as a kid. Still do... even in her afterlife. I plan to read her biography too. Thanks for this marvellous interview.

Love her spirit ❤️

I watched this often. I just adore Gracie

Came across this great interview by chance - wonderful lady!

In floods watching this. Missing my grandma

The ideal couple for an interview: Gracie was wonderful, Sir John cherubic!

There were some of the greatest Entertainers and Actors born in her era- and in 1898 - Irene Dunne - December 20, 1898. I think Cary Grant was born in 1896 - My great Aunt was born in 1888 - that always blew my mind - she was with us until December 1971. Gorgeous woman - a Model in 1905 - 1907 I love her so - and enjoed our conversations - routinely I drilled her with History questions - great memories.

So true what Gracie mum said school isn't always necessary u learn as u grow up u do so true I've learned more since leaving school about life about history maybe it was just my school didn't teach us very much u learn life lessons from life school can't teach u everything

Gracie was age 79 when recording this video so I was most surprised when learned she died at age 81 via her Wikipedia Bio

Real down to earth woman

Betjeman looking like an old Peter Kay. Great to see this. As a child of the fifties her music was always on the radio.

wonderful

My husband was a Stansfield his relatives used to say they were distant relatives. Marvellous lady

Those were the days - Dame Gracie & Sir John both fairly merry already. Parky hasn't touched a drop yet as a professional but you can tell he's looking forward to opening the post show champers

She would be 122 if alive today...I grew up listening to her.....she was a strong lady.

"We were ordinary people in heart"...this lady didn't was never an actress...that's why she was so loved.

Thanks for helping us win the war! She’s the girl that makes the thing that drills the hole that hold the ring that drives the rod that turns the knob that works the thingamabob :))))))) She’s also the girl that makes the thing that hold the oil that oils the ring that takes the shank that moves the crank that works the thingamabob

Lovely lady at her age of almost 80 at the time of recording program

I LOVE HER MOVIES!!!!!

This lady was humble to a tee. We will never see the likes of her talent again.

What a lady!!

Wonderful

From Terence Wise in UK..........Wonderful, Wonderful, Wonderful !!!.

Lovely talented lady.

That aspidestra is still growing.🤣

Very educational video

Such charisma

HA ! She is GREAT -bless her. My old Auntie - from Rawtenstall. Lancs....used to call me 'Gracie Fields' n I used to think-'Who's THAT' !?! Fifty odd years later - I enjoy doing my Wartime Song Act and sing a couple of Gracie's songs. ;)

What a beautiful soul ❤

What a star….wonderful

What a fantastic woman.x.

Superb

legend

just lovely lovely lovely - miss you Parky x

I have been searching for the film clip shown at the start of this interview for years The clip was filmed in Bolton and features the Besses o’ th’ Barn Band ! I have images and stories from past Besses Players about the filming I am trying to locate a digital copy of the whole film in order to locate other clips that include Besses. Can anyone help me?

Actual she was a very Marmite entertainer. Many people could not stand her but many liked her.

What a woman great what a character great notheren funny

❤️

Lovely. I'm baffled by the whole "aspidistra" thing though.

What a lady

She was so lovely ❤

I’m related to Gracie fields

OMG I remember watching this! Gracie was born in the 19th century and lived through two world wars... Mewling millennials watch and learn.

How the absolute f*ck can 15,000 people watch this genius of a woman and only 27 people can be arsed to click the like button? You don't deserve her, seriously.

Full of life and zest😀😀

Never heard this great lady speak before. Her accent is not Rochdale. She sounds Scottish. I'm quite surprised.

She is a gas-woman. Please let us show this recording from many years ago to let us understand past attitudes and how closely they link to the present- top marks for Parky!

she did a runner during the war

They’re about ten *pound* and tuppence now Gracie ❤

Died 2 yrs later.

Parkinson was wrong. Fields broke through in London in 1923.

Despite other comments here? This is the reality. Gracie divorced Archie and married Italian born film director Monty Banks in March 1940. She had lived in Capri since around 1929. Aged about 30. She was considered an enemy. So she moved to USA who weren't in WW2 until late 1941. British government officials were rather less fond of Gracie Fields, it has emerged. They refused to give the singer a passport in 1945, because she had become an Italian citizen on her marriage five years earlier. Their scathing remarks about her case are revealed in files released by the National Archives in Kew, South West London. In 1945 a Home Office official wrote: 'She ought to be treated as an alien and refused a renewal of the British passport' After the war she returned to Capri Italy, hardly visited UK. So There's no smoke without fire. This interview showed her as ordinary etc and Parky played up to it. He was like that, around about this time. The bit where she takes off the cardigan, to appear ordinary, is laughable, as she wore Italian designer gear in everyday life. She was anything but what she portrayed herself to be here. Less than two years after this interview, she died of pneumonia in Capri. Is buried there. Even in her day, there were fake celebrities, they just didn't have the same media to expose them.

She was appallingly treated by her own country during WWII just because she was married to a Hollywood film producer who was Italian. Despite all her wonderful war work for Britain, Fields had her British citizenship revoked. It must have broken her heart.

The greatest entertainer this country has ever produced was Ken Dodd.

St John 3:16! 💗 JESUS is coming again SOON! HALLELUJAH!

In same class as my Mum ...In Grimethorpe or Cudworth ...Excellent cricket player ...Be a pro nowadays....His Dad worked down the pit with my Grandad.....John Willy his name....I grew up in London but spent all my holidays in Grimey.....Great place....Stroked Red Rum the grand national winner when it opened a pub there...The Red Rum.....78

❤