Julie Walters and Victoria Wood

[stuart.uk]

I know many in America admire and respect the work of Julie Walters, but i can't write about her and not Victoria Wood, who is unknown. their joined at the hip just the same as Laurel And Hardy

One of the first things the pair first came to UK tv screens with The Wood And Walters Show. around the same time Julie did the acclaimed series Boys From The Blackstuff, playing the Liverpool wife of a man unemployed in Thatcher's Britain.

In 1983 Julie became an International star with Educating Rita with Michael Caine, as a hairdresser on an open university course with Caine as her tutor.

it was to her credit that after the aclaim she recieved for the film that Julie teamed up with her old pal Vic, who'd just written a sketch show Victoria Wood As Seen On Tv. The series was massively acclaimed and made Vic the top female stand-up comic in Britain which she still is today. one of the regular sketches was Acorn Antiques, which was a send up of soap operas. that was so popular that over 20 yrs later Vic turned it into a acclaimed West-End musical, which both she and Julie starred in. Vic is also a great piano playing singer of comedy songs and is the nearest thing i've seen to Noel Coward. her redition of Let's Do It is on the same lines as the great man singing Cole Porter's Let's Do It.

Julie also did an Alan Bennett Talking Heads, where an actress acts all alone in front of a camera for about an hour. She was moterately successful as June Edward's the wife of Great Train Robber Buster in Buster with Phil Collins

In GBH she played Robert Lindsay's mother even though they were about the same age. Julie went to Hollywood to work with Liza Minnelli in Stepping Out, as a dance pupil being taught by the legendary American singer.

back working with Vic, they did Vic's tv movie Pat And Margaret. Julie plays a Hollywood superstar relucatantly reunited with her ordinary sister played by Victoria. Thora Hird was also in it.

In the sitcom Dinner Ladies Vic plays a dinner lady with Julie cast as her mother.

Playing a danch teacher in a community centre Julie teaches Billy Elliott to be good enough to join The Royal Ballet. in My Beautiful Son a young dying American Paul Reiser comes to the UK to find his natural mother, played by Julie, in the hope of saving his life

Julie and Helen Mirren teamed up and made the accalimed Calander Girls, a story about members of the WI, who pose naked for a calander.
She also joined the cast of Harry Potter, playing Molly Weasley

We in the UK are awaiting Juile's next role in The Mary Whitehouse Story, playing a real life woman who fought against vulgarity and immorality (Till Death To us Part was an example. the show inspired All In The Family in the U.S) on our tv screens from the 60s through to the 90s

not to outdown by her more famous partner, Vic wrote and won a tv BAFTA for her role as a war time volunteer worker in the acclaimed tv movie Housewife 49. it seems like in her 50s Vic is going to write and star in more dramatic films. maybe she'll become as internationally famous as her pal. she certainly deserves it!

[jdb1]

Stuart, are they are couple personally, or just professionally? I saw Stepping Out on TV a few years ago - which one was Victoria? The film is a minor and rather predictable ensemble piece about who wants to be a dancer and why, but it was very enjoyable because of the talents of the cast. Plus, I think it's probably the last instance where you can get to see Liza dancing full out. She was an excellent dancer, and didn't get to dance that much onscreen.

On the "What Films Have You Seen Lately" thread I mentioned Driving Lessons, with Walters and Rupert Grint - Walters plays an elderly woman - very good performances from both.

[stuart.uk]

They have a professional relationship, but are close friends. both however, have been or are married with children. Victoria hasn't appeared in anything American i can think off. I'll see if i can find a link for you. i'm sorry but for some reason some links work on this site some don't. however, it's not the one i would have picked for you, but at least it works. it's about Victoria, but there are pictures of Julie too. PS check the post after this. i got a great clip of Vic singing a song Noel Coward would be proud of

screenonline: Wood, Victoria (1953-) Biography
Actor, Writer, Producer ... Actor, Writer, Producer. There was little in Victoria Wood 's early career as a writer and performer of slight but perceptive comic songs on New Faces ...

www.screenonline.org.uk/people/id/578938 · Cached page

[stuart.uk]

I hope this works or i've wasted this post. it's a clip of Julie Walters double act partner in action. when she did this she reminded me of Noel Coward. and as she proved what a capable actress she was in the tv movie Housewife 49 that in my book makes her more talented than Noel. it was filmed in front of a celebrity audience in the 80s, none of which you'll recognize, exept for Julie, who'll you'll see near the end of the song which reminds me Coward's Let's Fall In Love

YouTube - Victoria Wood - Let's Do It
An audience with Victoria Wood, ITV from the mid 80s ... Thank you for flagging this video. Content of this nature is not necessarily prohibited on YouTube, however we will review ...

www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZCIKjYDf1g · Cached page

[jdb1]

I've certainly seen that face. Thanks.

[Dawtrina]

I remember Victoria Wood having a very female audience.

On more than one occasion I visited friends to find all the female members of the household curled up in stitches watching Victoria Wood. This could be three generations of women, from kids to grandparents.

And we young men couldn't work out where the jokes were.

[stuart.uk]

i didn't realise Victoria had an audience in the States. that being the case perhaps many would like to see her tv movie Housewife 49

Victoria Wood in Housewife, 49 | Memorable TV
HOUSEWIFE 49. The very excellent Victoria Wood, wrote as well as stars in the wartime drama Housewife, 49, which is on the ABC on Sunday 16 December 2007.

www.memorabletv.com/new/housewife-49.html · Cached page

[Dawtrina]

i didn't realise Victoria had an audience in the States. that being the case perhaps many would like to see her tv movie Housewife 49

I live in Phoenix, AZ but am English, was born and raised in Essex and spent twenty odd years in Yorkshire. The Victoria Wood audiences I remember are all in rural Yorkshire.

[stuart.uk]

Hi Dawtrina. it's nice to have contact with Brits across the pond. i always worry that i'll mention folk no-ones heard off before

it's interesting because Victoria on the Parkinson show said most of Britain's comics come from the north of England or in Scotland, in so called working class areas.

i was just thinking Liverpool produced Arthur Askey, Ken Dodd and Jimmy Tarbuck. Scotland produced former welder Billy Connelly, Jimmy Logan and Sir harry Lauder. Askey was huge in his day making war time movies and was still at the top of his game in his 70s. Connelly is now a fine actor as well as a comic with Mrs. Brown his finest acting role as John Brown. Lauder at the time of WW1 was big on both the British and American music hall stage