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Profiles
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- Written by Steve Rattle
Steve Rattle recounts the memorable life and work of an adopted Aussie, and his triumphs on stage and screen.
Cecil Lauriston Kellaway(27 August 1890 – 28 February 1973)
The cousin of Academy Award winning actor Edmund Gwenn was also nominated twice for the award, but sadly didn't win. That didn't deter him from having a long term Hollywood career. Leaving Australia in the late 1930's, he appeared in such movie classics as Wuthering Heights (1939), The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946), The Luck of the Irish (1948) , Harvey (1950) and Guess Who's Coming To Dinner (1967). South African by birth, adopted by Australia and a resident of Los Angeles, California and Arizona, let's look at the career of Cecil Kellaway.
Born in Cape Town and a godson of African empire builder Cecil Rhodes, young Kellaway was educated at Normal College in Cape Town and in the United Kingdom at Bradford Grammar School in West Yorkshire. Interested in engineering, adolescent study pursued such a career path. A return to South Africa after graduation saw him employed in his chosen field, but as with most frustrated thespians, the call of the stage beckoned.
Interested in the theatre since childhood, a restless Cecil joined a touring theatrical troupe around the commencement of the Great War. Tours of Africa and Borneo, China, Japan, Malaya and Siam (Thailand) resulted. Honing his stage talent and acting skills, Cecil garnered a fine reputation as a reliable and popular stage comedian. In 1921 this South African comedian landed himself a contract with J.C. Williamson Ltd. in Melbourne.
'A Night Out' commenced on 21 January 1922 at the Melbourne Theatre Royal, with Cecil playing the role of comic father to four adventurous daughters. Melbourne audiences loved it – and Cecil loved Melbourne. 'The Firm', as J.C. Williamson's had become known, also loved Cecil and he joined their New Musical Comedy Company – staying for an impressive 16 years.
Cecil had married Doreen Elizabeth Joubert in Johannesburg back in November 1919. Mrs Kellaway was reportedly keen to settle after three years of touring and was most probably relieved when 'The Firm' made her husband such an offer.
A Night Out was revived in 1924, 1926 and 1931, with Cecil reprising his role. Audiences took to this 'round-faced South African with a cherubic smile and twinkling eyes' and he found continuous work in such 1920s and 1930s productions of Katja, The Belle of New York, Sons of Guns, Blue Roses, Hold My Hand, Florodora, The Gipsy Princess, A Southern Maid and The Merry Widow, starring opposite Australian favourites such as Gladys Moncrieff, Madge Elliott and Cyril Ritchard. Critics noted that whatever the part, Kellaway played it with 'aplomb and careless grace'.
Enter into Cecil's life the Australian film industry, having recently acquired a voice as 'talking pictures'. Frank Thring's Efftee studios in Melbourne and Ken G. Hall at Cinesound in Sydney started turning out home-grown product which found an enthusiastic local audience. The Hayseeds, although shot at Cinesound's Bondi studio, was produced by Beaumont Smith and released in 1933. The seventh and first talking version of the popular story, The Hayseeds followed the Cinesound success of On Our Selection from 1932.
Paul Brynes writes of Cecil's performance in The Hayseeds: 'Most of the film centres on comedy, and that is carried mostly by Cecil Kellaway's lovely performance as the slow-talking but wise Dad Hayseed. Kellaway makes a lot more of the character than one expects, shading in Dad's prickly nature, his disappointment with his dopey set of children, but also his overwhelming generosity of spirit and stoic resolve against adversity. He has a couple of rousing speeches, calculated to appeal to nationalistic self-delusion, but Kellaway manages to convey a fundamental decency in the character that's much more poignant than words'.Screenwriting was next added to Cecil's creative talents with a screenplay forwarded to Cinesound in 1936 for their next film It Isn't Done (1937). Cecil played Hubert Blaydon who becomes the long-lost heir to an English estate. As Lord Blaydon, he and his family sail to the UK but don't fare well dealing with class consciousness and snobbery. A great financial success for Cinesound, it also came to the attention of one Phil Reisman, the general manager of RKO Pictures Export Division. Here's what The Sydney Morning Herald reported on Saturday 5 June, 1937:'Mr Cecil Kellaway, the actor, will leave shortly for California under contract to RKO Radio Pictures. Mr Ralph Doyle, managing director of RKO Radio Pictures (A'sia), Ltd, said yesterday that Mr Kellaway's work in the Australian film It Isn't Done had attracted the attention of Mr Phil Reisman, general manager of the RKO Export Division, when Mr Relsman was in Australia recently. At that time screen tests of 'Mr Kellaway had been sent to New York.'Almost 47 years of age and Hollywood was beckoning. Cinema's golden years were in full swing but sadly no one knew quite what to do with another Australian import – gangster films were all the rage so inevitably 'cherubic smile and twinkling eyes Cecil' became badly miscast in bit parts. Double Danger, Law of the Underworld and Smashing the Rackets are hardly remembered today, but were the usual RKO Radio Picture fare churned out in 1937/38. Here was Cecil getting regular film work and earning good money, but feeling somewhat discouraged and disappointed. While pondering his Hollywood future, a cable arrived from Ken G. Hall at Cinesound back in Sydney. His next production Mr Chedworth Steps Out(1939) needed Cecil's talent to play an everyday man transformed from henpecked to assertive. Cecil jumped at the chance and he and Doreen sailed back to Australia.Something unexpected happened in Sydney while filming. Hollywood heavyweight William Wyler had spotted him, and requested Cecil play Earnshaw for his next production – Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights. With nothing further planned in Australia, back to Hollywood sailed Cecil.Again The Sydney Morning Herald on Thursday 2 March 1939 reported his activities:
'Air mail advices from London yesterday to Mr Hunter, managing director of Paramount Pictures, announced that Cecil Kellaway, the Australian star, has been signed for a picture by Paramount. Cecil Kellaway recently came from America and made Mr Chedworth Steps Out in Australia, directed by Ken G. Hall. On his return to America he was immediately placed in the star cast of Man About Town. The cast now includes Jack Benny, Dorothy Lamour, Edward Arnold, Binnie Barnes and Cecil Kellaway.
A recent cable from America announced that 'Mr Kellaway would appear in Wuthering Heights with Laurence Olivier, Merle Oberon and Flora Robson.
A new studio, a break from gangster pictures at RKO, and approaching 50 years of age, Cecil commenced 30 productive film and television years. This time Hollywood recognised his talents, type and style. Man About Town, a typical Jack Benny–Eddie 'Rochester' Anderson picture, was made while waiting for Wuthering Heights to commence production.
Over these 30 years, Cecil's film tally totalled 144 pictures, making him one of the most successful Australian character actors to appear in Hollywood. An easy transformation to television commenced with The Magnavox Theatre in 1950. Cecil could still be found popping up on Disneyland 20 years later. Some memorable appearances can be found in TV repeats such as: The Ann Southern Show (1959), Twilight Zone (1960 & 1963), Ben Casey (1962 & 1963), My Favourite Martian (1964), Bewitched (1964), The FBI (1965) and Nanny and the Professor (1970).
And to answer our earlier question – Cecil was Oscar-nominated for The Luck of the Irish (1948) and Guess Who's Coming to Dinner? (1967). As Monsignor Ryan, Cecil matches screen legend Spencer Tracy in the later film – surely a masterclass session delivered by these two old veterans.
Privately Cecil enjoyed horse racing and described himself as an 'incurable gambler'. During and after World War 2, Cecil kept open house at his home in Los Angeles for Australian servicemen. This eccentric 'roly-poly' was last seen as Lord Basil Hyde-Smith in Call Holme, a movie made for television in 1972. Death came early in 1973. The Los Angeles papers reported in typical fashion:
'Cecil Kellaway, adopted Australian character actor, died of arteriosclerosis in Beverly Hills, California. Survived by his wife and two sons, he was cremated with his ashes being interred at Westwood Memorial Park.'
Mention should also be made of Cecil's two talented brothers – siblings Leon (Harold Lionel) (1897-1990) ballet dancer and teacher, and Alec (1894-1973) actor and teacher.
Leon is best remembered for his work in Australian ballet. From his own company, Ballet Nationale, to the National Theatre Ballet in Melbourne, Leon was a supportive mentor to young students and a ballet enthusiast until severe arthritis forced him into retirement.
Actor Alec is best remembered for his highly camp portrayal of effeminate floorwalker Entwistle in the films Dad and Dave Come to Town (1938) and Dad Rudd, MP (1940). A music hall producer, Alec also helped run the Cinesound talent school for many years.
References:
Rutledge, Martha – Kellaway, Cecil Lauriston Kellaway, Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 9, 1983
Brynes, Paul - Australian Screen, Curator's Notes: The Hayseeds, 1933
http://aso.gov.au/titles/features/hayseeds/notes/
Brynes, Paul - Australian Screen, Curator's Notes: It Isn't Done, 1937
http://aso.gov.au/titles/features/it-isnt-done/notes/
The Sydney Morning Herald (Newspaper) – entertainment articles from 5 June 1937 & 2 March 1939
International Movie Data Base – Cecil Kellaway http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0445523/?ref_=nv_sr_1
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