Sad news reaches us today. The lovely Charlotte Cornwell - who, despite being a Shakespearean actress with myriad stage and screen appearances to her credit (including The Krays, The West Wing, Casualty, Dressing for Breakfast, Silent Witness and much more besides), will forever be associated with her role as the put-upon "Anna" in Rock Follies in the '70s - has died.
I absolutely adored Rock Follies and its sequel Rock Follies of '77, and I was not alone - it was one of the most successful television spectaculars of its day. Charting the trials and tribulations of a trio of singers and their attempts at commercial success, its visual style, all-original music and compelling female-led storylines pre-empted the future rise of pop videos, MTV and even "Girl Power". So, without further ado, let's indulge in some of my fave numbers from the show...
Facts:
- Miss Cornwell was the younger half-sister of John Le Carré, who based the main female character in his novel The Little Drummer Girl on her.
- She had a relationship with fellow actor Kenneth Cranham, with whom she had a daughter, Nancy.
- In 1985 she won a libel action against the journalist Nina Myskow and The Sunday People for describing her as unattractive, middle-aged and whose "bum is too big".
- She had long friendships with Sir Ian McKellen, opposite whom she starred on stage several times, and Tim Curry, her co-star in Rock Follies of '77
RIP, Charlotte Cornwell (26th April 1949 - 16 January 2021)
Sorry to hear about this lady. I've never seen this show, though I know Verity Lambert produced it. From the looks of things so did the costume designer from Blake's Seven.
ReplyDeleteNina Myscow sounds horrible.
Rock Follies was the absolute epitome of the mid-'70s, straddling that period when Glam faded away and Punk loomed, when an image of strike-hit-yet-aspirational Britain met the truth head-on (the Follies of 77 series itself was delayed by industrial action halfway through its run), and everybody cheered on the girls' fight to overcome misogyny and corruption to attain their goal of becoming stars. It was ground-breaking and memorable in its achievements.
DeleteAnd yes, Nina Myskow was always horrible, and probably still is. She's apparently a panellist on the godawful Jeremy Vine show on Channel 5 now. Jx
Think Russel T Davies was a big fan, and had one of the series songs on his Desert Island Discs. Verity Lambert was the producer.
ReplyDeleteYes, it was a good show.And, as you say, transitioned between the Satin and Grunge.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad somebody else remembers it! (And, for that matter, the 1970s...)
DeleteJx
Oh I loved it!! I was probably slightly too young for it, but was allowed to stay up to watch it. I remember an episode where Anna's voice was taken off a recording because the producer said her voice was too weak - and I remember thinking that that was silly because Rula Lenska's voice was far the weakest. Julie Covington was brilliant - and then in real life she released Don't Cry for Me, Argentina. Happy days!
ReplyDeleteSx
The funny thing is, although Ms Lenska was somewhat "in the background" on the Rock Follies songs, she seems to have maintained the longest career of all her co-stars. Julie Covington, especially, appears to have disappeared off the radar for decades. Jx
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