Jean Bell was interviewed in 2011 about some of her experiences of being a dresser and ‘call boy’ in the Kings and Playhouse Theatres in Edinburgh in the 1950s and 1980s. Its a wonderful glimpse of a world most of us know nothing about. From helping Hercules the Bear up the stairs at the Playhouse, dealing with a well endowed female dancer, giving theatre calls in French to borrowing elegant white gloves from Zena Dare - a performer who made her stage debut in 1899. A host of stars make an appearance, some remembered, some long forgotten: Stanley Baxter, Harry Gordon, Molly Urquhart, Bill McCue, Millicent Cooper and Milton Woodward. Oh yes and why was a female called a ‘call boy’? Think about it!

The Lifestory Podcast