Betty Henderson

Betty Henderson (1907–1979) was a Scottish actress. She was a founding member of the Glasgow Unity Theatre,^[1] with whom she played Peggie in both the stage and screen versions of The Gorbals Story. She later appeared as Gran Crombie in High Living.^[1] She was married to actor John Cook "Jack" Hislop.^[1]^[2]

Year	Title	Author	Theatre	Role	Director / Company
1943	Song of Tomorrow	John Kincaid	Queens Theatre, Glasgow		Glasgow Unity Theatre^[3]
1944	The Two Mrs Camerons	Winifred Carter, Edith Carter	Glasgow Empire Theatre	Anna	^[4]
1945	When the Boys Come Home	James Barke	Glasgow Athenaeum	Mary Cochrane	Glasgow Unity Theatre^[5]
1946	Juno and the Paycock	Seán O'Casey	The Pleasance Little Theatre, Edinburgh	Juno Boyle	Glasgow Unity Theatre^[6]
1947	The Laird O’ Torwatletie	Robert MacLellan	The Pleasance Little Theatre, Edinburgh	The Laird's sister	Glasgow Unity Theatre^[7]
1947	The Plough and the Stars	Seán O'Casey	The Pleasance Little Theatre, Edinburgh	Bessie Burgess	Glasgow Unity Theatre Players^[8]
1947	The Gorbals Story	Robert McLeish	The Pleasance Little Theatre, Edinburgh	Peggie	Glasgow Unity Theatre Players^[9]
1947	Starched Aprons	Ena Lamont Stewart	Adam Smith Hall, Kirkcaldy	Matron	Glasgow Unity Theatre Players^[10]
1947	The Lower Depths	Maxim Gorki	The Pleasance Little Theatre, Edinburgh	Kvashnya	Glasgow Unity Theatre Players^[11]
1948	Wee Macgreegor	J.J. Bell	The Pleasance Little Theatre, Edinburgh	Mrs. Robinson	Glasgow Unity Theatre Players^[12]
1948	The Gorbals Story	Robert McLeish	Garrick Theatre, London; New Theatre Oxford	Peggie	Glasgow Unity Theatre Players^[13]^[14]^[15]
1948	Men Should Weep	Ena Lamont Stewart	Theatre Royal, Glasgow	Maggie Morrison	Glasgow Unity Theatre Players^[16]
1951	Pygmalion	George Bernard Shaw	Embassy Theatre (London)	Mrs Pearce	Michael Langham^[17]
1951	Common Property	Matthew Service	Embassy Theatre (London)		Robert Mitchell^[18]
1951	Women of Twilight	Sylvia Rayman	Embassy Theatre and Vaudeville Theatre (London)	Nurse
1955	Suspect	Edward Percy and Reginald Denham	Lyceum Theatre, London; Royal Court Theatre	Goudie	Flora Robson^[19]^[20]
1959	Marigold (musical)	Book and lyrics by Alan Melville, based on the play by Francis R. Pryor and Lizzie Allen Harker	His Majesty's Theatre, Aberdeen; Savoy Theatre	Beenie	Murray Macdonald^[21]^[22]

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1950	The Gorbals Story	Peggie Anderson	^[23]^[24]
1951	Home to Danger	Mary Williams – Housekeeper	Uncredited
1952	Women of Twilight	Nurse
1954	The Love Lottery	Minor Role	Uncredited
1954	The Maggie	Campbell's Secretary	^[25]
1956	Black Limelight	Jemima	Part of Sunday Night Theatre
1959	The 39 Steps	Mrs McDougal
1959	Upstairs and Downstairs	Bridget
1959	Emergency Ward 10	Night Sister	1 episode^[1]
1960	Probation Officer	Jessie Logan	1 episode^[1]
1962, 1964, 1968	Dr. Finlay's Casebook	4 characters	4 episodes^[1]
1963	Suspense	Mima Porteous	Episode Diversion to Danger^[26]
1968	High Living	Gran Crombie	6 episodes ^[27]^[28]

References

1 2 3 4 5 6 "Obituary: Betty Henderson". The Stage. 18 October 1979. p. 32. Retrieved 12 January 2025.
↑ "Deaths". The Stage. 8 February 1962. p. 17. Retrieved 12 January 2025.
↑ "Glasgow Theatres. New Play". Daily Record. 9 November 1943. p. 7. Retrieved 12 January 2025. The dramatic value of the play may be a matter for debate, but Donald M'Bean, Betty Henderson, Archie Duncan and Maurice Khan did justice to its performance.
↑ ""The Two Mrs Camerons". Empire Thriller". Motherwell Times. 29 September 1944. p. 4. Retrieved 12 January 2025.
↑ "Glasgow and West. Unity Theatre Success". The Scotsman. 22 June 1945. p. 3. Retrieved 12 January 2025.
↑ "In the Provinces. Edinburgh. Little". The Stage. 1 August 1946. p. 9. Retrieved 12 January 2025. Peter Donaldson as the blustering Paycock gives a fine performance, and Betty Henderson is outstanding as his wife.
↑ "The Theatres. Little" "The Laird of Torwatletie"". The Scotsman. 2 January 1947. p. 5. Retrieved 12 January 2025. [H]ere, in the colloquy between two women of different type - the Presbyterian sister of a Jacobite laird and a Kirk elder's wife, "wi' the langest neb i' the parish" - was first class acting. It was not only that the Scots came trippingly to the tongue, ... but that these two actresses (Betty Henderson and Sybil Thomson) were using every fibre of the body. There was rare expression in their faces, and their very sitting and walking denoted differences of character.
↑ "The Theatres. Little: 'The Plough and the Stars"". The Scotsman. 7 January 1947. p. 3. Retrieved 12 January 2025. There were masterly studies of Mrs. Cogan and Bessie Burgess by Marjorie Thomson and Betty Henderson.
↑ "The Theatres. Little: 'The Gorbals Story'". The Scotsman. 21 January 1947. p. 3. Retrieved 12 January 2025. Howard Connell ... and Marjorie Thomson are examples of acting at its best. So is Betty Henderson's Peggie, one of the most skilfully-drawn characters in the play.
↑ "Glasgow Unity Theatre. Brilliance of Starched Aprons". Fifeshire Advertiser. 20 December 1947. p. 3. Retrieved 12 January 2025.
↑ "Scotland in Russia. A Gorki Adaptation". The Scotsman. 28 August 1947. p. 4. Retrieved 12 January 2025. Betty Henderson, as Kvashnya, and Betty M'Gregor, as Natasha, [] succeeded in holding our interest all the time.
↑ "The Theatres. Little: "Wee Macgreegor"". The Scotsman. 6 January 1948. p. 3. Retrieved 12 January 2025. There were several excellent studies among these native fantastics, the best of them being the Robinsons of Andrew Gray and Betty Henderson ...
↑ Courtenay, John (3 March 1948). "Plays in Brief". The Sketch. p. 20. Retrieved 12 January 2025.
↑ "The Garrick. "The Gorbals Story"". The Stage. 26 February 1948. p. 7. Retrieved 12 January 2025. Betty Henderson gives a well-defined and convincing performance as Peggie, the lady of easy virtue.
↑ "On Stage and Screen". Bucks Advertiser & Aylesbury News. 23 April 1948. p. 5. Retrieved 12 January 2025.
↑ Irving, Gordon (17 August 1948). "Showtime". Daily Record. p. 3. Retrieved 17 January 2025. Outstanding are Betty Henderson (Maggie Morrison) and Jack Stewart (her husband) around whose family the story revolves.
↑ "'Pygmalion'". Hampstead News. 1 February 1951. p. 6. Retrieved 12 January 2025. Betty Henderson gives a very human portrait as the housekeeper.
↑ "A Dream comes true at the Embassy". Hampstead News. 29 March 1951. p. 2. Retrieved 12 January 2025.
↑ Our Drama Critic (25 October 1955). "The Theatres. Lyceum: "Suspect"". The Scotsman. p. 9. Retrieved 12 January 2025. Betty Henderson's old retainer, Goudie, as dour as she is leal, is a perfect piece of Scottish character acting.
↑ R.E.L. (17 November 1955). "Actress With An Axe". The Stage. p. 9. Retrieved 12 January 2025. Betty Henderson makes the most of a small part as the vaguely sinister maid.
↑ R.B.M. (4 June 1959). "Sweetness and Charm in Musical 'Marigold'". The Stage. p. 11. Retrieved 12 January 2025.
↑ "'Marigold' on Way to Town". The Stage. 14 May 1959. p. 18. Retrieved 12 January 2025.
↑ "In the Gorbals". Birmingham Daily Gazette. 18 July 1950. p. 4. Retrieved 12 January 2025. Among the players, Howard Connell ..., Marjorie Thomson ..., Russell Hunter ... and Betty Henderson (the warm-hearted mother and sister to all in the neighbourhood) are notable recruits to the ranks of British screen actors and actresses.
↑ "Film with a Glasgow Cast". Dundee Evening Telegraph. 7 October 1950. p. 3. Retrieved 12 January 2025. Betty Henderson [] sorts out the worries of all the neighbourhood.
↑ McArthur, Colin (2002). Whisky Galore! and The Maggie: The British Film Guide 4. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 2. ISBN 9780857717894. Retrieved 17 January 2025.
↑ "Suspense play by Coffey and Steven". The Stage. 23 May 1963. p. 10. Retrieved 12 January 2025. The play ... centres round an elderly Glasgow couple, Tam and Mima, who refuse to leave their home in a condemned street. Mima ... is played by Betty Henderson, who has appeared on BBC tv in "Dr. Finlay's Casebook".
↑ "Hope of new vehicle for Scots actors". The Stage. 5 December 1968. p. 11. Retrieved 12 January 2025.
↑ Wishart, Ruth (7 March 1969). "'High Living' quirks put STV nearer to the top". Daily Record. p. 22. Retrieved 17 January 2025. the individual characters and their quirks are coming over now, Majorie [sic] Thomson's garrulous Mrs Gauld and Betty Henderson's Granny in particular.

Filmography

References

External links

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