Margery Manners

British variety performer (1926–1997)

Margery Manners

Birth name| Margery Manners
Born| 18 March 1926
Coventry, Warwickshire, England
Died| 27 April 1997(1997-04-27) (aged 71)
Paddington, Greater London, England
Occupation(s)| Variety performer, singer and actress

Musical artist

Margery Manners (18 March 1926 – 27 April 1997) was a music hall and variety performer,[1] singer, television actress and radio performer. She was best known for her signature stage tune, "Bring Me the Sunshine of Your Smile".

## Early life

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Manners was born in 1926 in Coventry, Warwickshire. She began performing in concerts in the working men's clubs of Birmingham when she was 8 years old.[2] She learned how to sing, as well as play the guitar and accordion.[3]

## Career

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Manners became a professional performer at 12 years old, when she joined the popular 1930s show band Billy Merrin and his Commanders.[2] At 14, she toured the music halls singing as a "cowgirl crooner" with another show band, Big Bill Campbell and his Rocky Mountain Rhythm.[2]

From the age of 16, Manners became a well known pantomime principal boy,[2] topping theatre bills across the UK. She performed at venues including the London Palladium,[4] Palace Pier Theatre in Brighton,[5] Alhambra in Bradford,[6] and the Royal Court Theatre in Liverpool.[7] The song "Bring Me the Sunshine of Your Smile" became her signature stage tune,[4] and she was also known for performing songs such as "Have I Told You Lately that I Love You?"[8] and "Hop Scotch Polka".[9]

During World War II, she worked as a radio broadcaster on the BBC lunchtime series Workers' Playtime.[2]

In 1957, Manners starred in the last performance held at the Theatre Royal in Leeds, which was about to be pulled down.[10] In 1969, she toured variety theatres across Britain with the double act Bob and Alf Pearson in a nostalgic bill called The Golden Years of Music Hall.[2] During the 1970s, she toured in South Africa[2] and New Zealand.[11]

Manners also appeared in variety television shows including BBC Sunday-Night Play, The Passing Show and The Good Old Days. She performed as a pub singer in the 1968 film Mrs. Brown, You've Got a Lovely Daughter.[3]

## Death

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Manners died of cancer on 27 April 1997 at St Mary's Hospital, London, aged 71.[4][12]

## References

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1. ^ Wright, Adrian (2023). Melody in the Dark: British Musical Films, 1946-1972. Boydell & Brewer. p. 295\. ISBN 978-1-78327-749-0.
2. ^ a b c d e f g Gifford, Dennis (30 April 1997). "OBITUARY: Margery Manners". The Independent. Retrieved 8 November 2024.
3. ^ a b "Margery Manners | Actress, Soundtrack". IMDb. Retrieved 8 November 2024.
4. ^ a b c "Music hall star dies aged 71". The Independent. 27 April 1997. Retrieved 8 November 2024.
5. ^ "Articles, Images, and Programme for Music Hall at The Palace Pier Theatre, Brighton". www.arthurlloyd.co.uk. Retrieved 8 November 2024.
6. ^ Clayton, Emma (30 March 2024). "'I was one of Francis Laidler's chorus girls': Alhambra dance memories". Bradford Telegraph and Argus. Retrieved 22 July 2025.
7. ^ Museum, Victoria and Albert. "Search Results - V&A Explore the Collections". Victoria and Albert Museum. Retrieved 8 November 2024.
8. ^ "Have I Told You Lately that I Love You - Featuring Margery Manners". The Sheet Music Warehouse. Retrieved 8 November 2024.
9. ^ "Hop Scotch Polka - Featuring Margery Manners". The Sheet Music Warehouse. Retrieved 8 November 2024.
10. ^ Behrens, David (4 April 2020). "Rare photos of how the show always went on in Yorkshire". Yorkshire Post. Retrieved 8 November 2024.
11. ^ "Manners, Margery, 1926-1997". National Library of New Zealand. Retrieved 8 November 2024.
12. ^ Lentz, Harris M. (1997). Obituaries in the Performing Arts. McFarland & Company. p. 116\. ISBN 978-0-7864-0460-5.