The Rita Tushingham Home Page

Credits & Photos 1942 - 1961

Birth Date

Rita was born on 14 March 1942 at Oxford Street hospital in Liverpool, England.
Rita's birth date has been widely mis-reported, much to Rita's consternation. Her correct date of birth is 14 March 1942, but this has been incorrectly reported as 1940 by some sources. In fact, a March 1940 birth date for Rita is medically impossible, as her mother was pregnant with Rita's brother Colin at the time.
When asked to clarify this issue, Rita said, "My brother Peter was born 02 June 1935. I had a sister, Olive, who was born 10 August 1938 but sadly died at age six months. My brother Colin was born on 22 April 1940, so obviously my brother's birth was a phenomenon, a miracle, an unexpected event, if – as people insist – I was born on 14 March 1940!"
"It's frustrating that people do not believe my birth date. I have never been shy of admitting my age. If I was going to change the date, I think I would knock off more than two years! My correct date of birth appears in Who's Who, one of the most prestigious books of reference, and more importantly in my passport. I wonder if people will try and scratch out the date of birth on my tombstone to correct the error that has, in their opinion, been made?"

Early Years

Rita's parents had considered naming her 'Greta', but this sounded too German (World War 2 was raging at the time). At the suggestion of their doctor, they chose the name 'Rita'.
Rita's father was the proprietor of Tushingham's Grocery on Hillfoot Road and also had a Grocers & Post Office on Garston Old Road. Rita's eldest brother Peter would eventually run the third store, at the corner of Higher Road and Mackets Lane. These were old-fashioned stores with sawdust on the floor, in the days when the community would shop daily and you knew your neighbours. Rita loved to help her Dad in the shop, and would often answer the telephone with a cheerful "Tushingham's Grocery". To give her more to do, her father would turn the cans upside down so that Rita could come along and arrange the tins properly.

^{John Tushingham (b. 1906) and Enid Ellen Lott (b. 1909)}
Rita's parents on their wedding day. They were married in St. Peter's church, Woolton.

^{Peter, Colin, Rita Tushingham}
Rita with her two older brothers. Rita is the youngest of four children. Her older sister Olive died at age six months, but this was three years before Rita was born. Rita initially wanted to be a footballer and a trapeze artist.

^{John, Rita, Colin, Peter Tushingham}
On a trip to north Wales.

^{Rita Tushingham}
In 1946, the Tushinghams moved from Ryegate Road to the Hunts Cross district of Liverpool. At age five, Rita attended the Heatherlea school on Allerton Road. From age 7 to 14, she attended the La Sagesse convent school in Grassendale, even though Rita is not Catholic. She chose this school primarily to avoid crossing a lot of roads – she could take a train, and would have to cross only one small road. As luck would have it, it was on this small road that she was run over by a motorist at age 7, hurting her neck and head quite badly.

^{Rita Tushingham}
From an early age, Rita wanted to be an actress. At age 14 she enrolled in the Shelagh Elliott-Clarke school in Liverpool for acting, dancing, and elocution lessons. Her parents wanted Rita to have marketable skills, so they also made her take shorthand and typing classes at a secretarial school, which she hated.

^{Liverpool Playhouse}
Rita wanted to gain experience on the stage, and after writing a great many letters, she finally was offered a position as a student Assistant Stage Manager with the Liverpool Repertory Company, which presented stage plays at the Liverpool Playhouse. She assumed her new position just before Christmas of 1958, at a salary of Ł1 per week. Her duties included making the tea, calling the actors, storing the props, working the curtain, prompting the actors, sweeping the stage, running the sound effects, and acting bit parts.

Toad Of Toad Hall

"Harold Rabbit", "Alfred Horse (back legs)"

Toad Of Toad Hall (1958), with Delia Corrie, Brenda Kaye, George Pensotti, Trevor Baxter, Michael Malnick, Frederick Farley, Rita Tushingham, Hilary Crane, Trevor Danby, Caroline Blakiston, Elizabeth White, Merlith Sim, David Harris, Michael Sheppard, Harvey Ashby, Wendy Rogerson, Ann Curthoys, Petra Siniavski, Daphne Graham, Diana Waring, Linda North, written by A.A. Milne, Kenneth Grahame, directed by Willard Stoker.
- 23 Dec 1958 - end_date?, Liverpool Playhouse, Williamson Square, Liverpool L1 1EL

Williamson Square Dance - A Revue

"various"

Williamson Square Dance - A Revue (1959), with Harvey Ashby, Trevor Baxter, Caroline Blakiston, Dulcie Bowman, Delia Corrie, Hilary Crane, Trevor Danby, Frederick Farley, Brenda Kaye, Michael Malnick, George Pensotti, Merlith Sim, Petra Siniavski, Rita Tushingham, Elizabeth White, music by Ronald Settle, written by Jill Fenson, Terence Bowen, Willard Stoker, Eileen Valerie, directed by Willard Stoker.
- 16 Jun 1959 - end_date?, Liverpool Playhouse, Williamson Square, Liverpool L1 1EL

The Last Of Mrs. Cheyney

"Mary"

The Last Of Mrs. Cheyney (1959), with Michael Malnick, Nigel Waring, Robert Benson, Delia Corrie, Rita Tushingham, Trevor Danby, Brenda Kaye, Hilary Crane, Harvey Ashby, Trevor Baxter, Caroline Blakiston, Dulcie Bowman, Benjamin Whitrow, Liza White, written by Frederick Lonsdale, directed by Willard Stoker.
- 20 Oct 1959 - end_date?, Liverpool Playhouse, Williamson Square, Liverpool L1 1EL

Swan Song

"Luise"

Swan Song (1959), with Caroline Blakiston, Liza White, Rita Tushingham, Brenda Kaye, Dulcie Bowman, Paula Jacobs, Trevor Baxter, Harvey Ashby, Lorna Tarbat, Frederick Farley, Hilary Crane, Delia Corrie, Ted Valentine, Benjamin Whitrow, Trevor Danby, Michael Malnick, written by Rachel Grieve, Patricia Moyes, directed by Willard Stoker.
- 10 Nov 1959 - end_date?, Liverpool Playhouse, Williamson Square, Liverpool L1 1EL

Quality Street

"Harriet"

Quality Street (1960), with Patricia Montgomery, Delia Corrie, Jane Alexander, Brenda Kaye, Caroline Blakiston, Paula Jacobs, Trevor Danby, Harvey Ashby, Peter Walker, Gillian Brew, Tina Christophero, Penelope Roberts, Carole Ward, Benjamin Whitrow, Rita Tushingham, Trevor Baxter, Catherine Barker, written by J.M. Barrie, directed by David Harris.
- 03 May 1960 - end_date?, Liverpool Playhouse, Williamson Square, Liverpool L1 1EL

I Remember, I Remember

"May"

I Remember, I Remember (1960), with Michael Malnick, Dulcie Bowman, Sylvia Childs, Philip Chadwick, Delia Corrie, Lisa White, Rita Tushingham, Harvey Ashby, Trevor Danby, Brenda Kaye, Trevor Baxter, Caroline Blakiston, Benjamin Whitrow, Petra Siniavski, Frederick Farley, Robert Benson, Wendy Rogerson, Margaret Hale, Collette Hart, Tom Clugston, Arthur Crone, written by Willard Stoker, directed by Willard Stoker.
- 14 Jun 1960 - end_date?, Liverpool Playhouse, Williamson Square, Liverpool L1 1EL

Thark

"Warner"

Thark (1960), with John Thaw, Rita Tushingham, Jennifer Stirling, Benjamin Whitrow, Betty Bowden, Frederick Farley, Michael Murray, Anne Carr, Belinda Murdoch, Wilfrid Carter, David Satterthwaite, written by Ben Travers, directed by Willard Stoker.
- 27 Sep 1960 - end_date?, Liverpool Playhouse, Williamson Square, Liverpool L1 1EL

The Changeling

"madwoman"

The Changeling (1961), with Peter Duguid, David William, Alan Howard, Jeremy Brett, Derek Newark, John Blatchley, Norman Rossington, Roland Curram, Robin Ray, Charles Kay, Robert Shaw, Mary Ure, Annette Crosbie, Zoe Caldwell, Pauline Munro, Rita Tushingham, Robin Chapman, Derek Fuke, Basil Moss, Morris Perry, written by Thomas Middleton, William Rowley, directed by Tony Richardson.
- 21 Feb 1961 - end_date?, Royal Court Theatre, Sloane Square, London SW1W 8AS

^{From the Daily Express, 02 Mar 1960}
While working at Liverpool Rep, Rita saw an article in the 02 Mar 1960 issue of the Daily Express, titled "John Osborne seeking ugly girl for 'Taste of Honey'", indicating that Shelagh Delaney's stage play, A Taste Of Honey, was going to be made into a film by Woodfall Film Productions Ltd, a company founded by director Tony Richardson and playwright John Osborne.

Richardson and Osborne were looking for a plain girl to play the role of the teenage daughter. Rita's brother Colin said, "Go on, Reet, have a go, you're ugly enough!" Rita contacted Osborne by way of his literary agent, whose name she found on Osborne's published play, The World Of Paul Slickey. Rita auditioned, made film tests, and won the role of Jo from among two thousand hopeful actresses. Some distributors expressed a preference for Audrey Hepburn in the role, but Tony Richardson was determined to cast an unknown. Rita says, "Audrey Hepburn was absolutely beautiful of course, but I don't think she would have been right for the part."

Rita says, "The Changeling was a play I did at the Royal Court Theatre, directed by Tony Richardson, as he thought it would be a good idea for us to work together before filming A Taste Of Honey. I played a mad woman, mostly dragging chains around and making appropriate mad noises. It was the first time I had worked in London, and working – albeit in a small way – with Mary Ure and Robert Shaw was very interesting. Tony Richardson was extraordinary, he was the most wonderful man."

^{Mary Ure, Jeremy Brett}

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