Sally Geeson

Sally Geeson:

Ah yes. The almost impossibly pert Sally Geeson, always giving Sid James attacks of fatherly apoplexy in 'Bless This House' with her mini skirts and innocent entendres. Perhaps of all the dolly-bird era stars, Sally Geeson has most consciously elected to preserve her image in amber, having vanished from our screens in 1976.   

In 'Man In A Suitcase'

The younger sister of Judy Geeson, she was in three Carry On films - although just a nameless extra in Carry On Regardless (1963) - being more memorable in 'Carry On Girls' (1974) and 'Carry On Abroad' (1972), two of the coarser late efforts in which she shines as the wholesome variety of 'crumpet'. I can hardly bring myself to recall the dreadful Norman Wisdom vehicle 'What's Good for the Goose' (1967), with the middle-aged star as a supposedly urbane married businessman who is drawn into the 'bewildering amoral world of free love'. The period detail is interesting - including R&B wildmen The Pretty Things in a club scene - but you still expect him to start shouting 'Mr Grimsdale!' despite the ponderous soul-searching and Carnaby Street clobber. Hats off to Miss Geeson for her gleeful performance in the face of such a challenge. And while we're on the subject of horrors, she also appears in 'The Oblong Box' (1969) and more fleetingly in 'The Cry of the Banshee' (1970), both featuring Vincent Price.     

One of the excruciating bedroom scenes in the painfully awkward Norman Wisdom
meets Swinging London comedy 'What's Good for the Goose' (1967)

As the rather reckless maid in 'The Oblong Box (1969)

On the small screen, it's mostly sunny smiles and hot pants to the fore in 'Bless This House', after a few roles in things like 'Man In A Suitcase', The Strange Report' 'Z-Cars', and 'Softly, Softly'.  She still looks lovely and, according to her website, she's planning a comeback - hopefully something even more substantial than her current role as the face of Anglian Home Improvements. Let's hope so.    

A sweet young thing in 'The Strange Report'

Sally Geeson-imdb

Margaret Nolan

Margaret Nolan:

† Oct 29 1943 - Oct 5 2020 


Prodigiously busty blonde actress and glamour model who features prominently in some classic and not-so-classic British cinema of the '60s and '70s. The iconic opening titles of 'Goldfinger' (1964) feature scenes from the film projected on to her gold-painted body and lamé bikini, and she appears early in the film as Bond's Miami masseuse, and at the other end of the spectrum she is imprinted on the collective psyche as Dawn Brakes in 'Carry On Girls' (1973), wrestling with Miss Fircombe beauty contest rival Barbara Windsor, but wearing a silver bikini this time.        

 'Carry On Girls' (1973)

With Wilfrid Brambell in 'A Hard Day's Night' (1963)

Despite all the cheesecake and Carry Ons, she definitely proved comfortable with speaking roles and gave creditable performances in more serious TV favourites like the tough gangster serial 'Fox' and things like 'The Sweeney', 'The Persuaders' and 'Budgie'. More often than not, though, it was cheeky dollybird roles that beckoned, such as 'Q9', 'Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads', 'Steptoe & Son' and even the third-ever episode of 'Last of the Summer Wine' from 1973.     

As old flame Jackie in 'Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads'

With Valerie Leon in 'No Sex Please, We're British' (1975)

In recent years, she has taken up photo-montage, mainly working with glamour images of herself, which is an intriguingly empowering twist on a career defined by the male gaze. 

 

'Yeah Yeah Yeah (On White)'.
Photo-montage by Margaret Nolan, 2013

  


Margaret Nolan-imdb