Remembering Gretchen - Private Photographs Reveal a Long, Varied Career


By Larry Jaffee

Englishman John Jevons, now retired from a long career in theatre management, met the late Gretchen Franklin through their mutual friend Stephen Boakes, who was a Barnes (London) neighbour of the actress whom EastEnders fans cherish for her character Ethel Skinner. Gretchen died in July 2005, and in early 2006 I received an overseas postcard from Mr. Jevons enquiring whether I would be interested in photographs of Ms. Franklin during various phases of her acting career. Who wouldn't?

I sent Mr. Jevons a copy of the Walford Gazette tribute issue in Gretchen's honour (now out of print), and in return I received an impressive cache of vintage snapshots of Gretchen in her prime, some dating back to the 1930s. Most were undated.

A follow-up telephone call to Mr. Jevons, now 77, provided some insight into how the photos came into his possession and how he had come to know Gretchen.

"I can't claim to be a close friend, but I would see her now and then," said Mr. Jevons from his London home, adding that he occasionally would visit her at a birthday party in her honour organised by Mr. Boakes, who arranged her funeral service and gave him the photographs.

One small head shot of her looking over her left shoulder into the distance is dated 14 March 1932, and had been turned into a postcard, giving some idea of her popularity at the time.Another, showing Gretchen with her arms stretched out in what could be a ballet pose, is probably even earlier.

Gretchen broke into show business as a dancer so it wasn't surprising to find her dressed in what appears to be a short, Mexican-styled, dancing outfit. Another had her in a cat costume as 'Puss' in Edinburgh dated 1952, presumably from Puss 'n Boots. Yet another, from a 1938 production at London's Gaiety Theatre, has Gretchen's unmistakable handwriting, which I had seen many times before from the personal letters she had sent me over the years.

Included with the photos was a PlayBill bio of her from a July 1945 British newspaper cutting dated 29 November 1988 headlined 'Love in Bloom', about the EastEnders storyline when Ethel was being courted by Benny Bloom.

Mr. Jevons actually met Gretchen for the first time in 1969 when she co-starred in a West End play by J. B. Priestley, When We Are Married. Mr. Jevons was house manager of the theatre where the production was playing.

"Gretchen came with Peggy Mount, the play's biggest star, for a meal here at my home," he recalled. "Frank Thornton (who played Captain Peacock in Are You Being Served?) was in the same production," he added.

Mr. Jevons remembers Gretchen as being "very friendly in a nice way" when he would occasionally run into her at tea parties. "She always gave me the impression of being kindly and amusing. She was a great hostess. We got along very well. But she also had a no-nonsense way about her, and she knew her right from wrong." Mr. Jevons remembers Gretchen also talking about the satisfaction she received from making charity appearances, although she made a point of drawing the line when fans tried to grab at her.

Of Gretchen's acting career, Mr. Jevons had this to say: "She was always doing something. She played so many different characters on stage. She never wanted to stop."




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