Shirley Anne Field, who passed away at 87 years old, was often compared to Marilyn Monroe, Catherine Deneuve, and even described as a “red-haired Brigitte Bardot”. Her striking appearance was known to catch the attention of passersby, with even trucks coming to a halt just to get a glimpse of her. She once remarked, “I used to wonder what they were all staring at.”
Her presence was sharply distinctive. In Karel Reisz’s film of Alan Sillitoe’s Saturday Night and Sunday Morning (1960), a defining work of kitchen-sink drama, she was a vision of self-possession as Doreen (“Rotten name, ain’t it?”), who works in a Nottingham hairnet factory, lives with her mother and catches the eye of the discontented lathe operator Arthur Seaton, played by Albert Finney.
After encountering Arthur at the pub, Doreen consents to accompany him to the movies – “just not in the back row”. When he objects that the screen will be blurry if they sit closer, she dismisses him curtly: “You probably need glasses.” As she walks away, he reminds her not to be tardy. “I won’t be,” she replies. “But if I am, you’ll just have to be patient, won’t you?”
She and Finney had previously worked together in The Lily White Boys at the Royal Court theatre in London, directed by Lindsay Anderson. They also appeared in Tony Richardson’s film adaptation of John Osborne’s The Entertainer, which marked Finney’s first film role. This opportunity allowed Field to move away from the typecasted “starlet” roles she had been playing in the past, where she faced unwanted advances from well-known actors.
In the movie by Richardson, Field portrayed the character of Tina Lapford, a beauty pageant winner who is romantically involved with Archie Rice (played by Laurence Olivier), a struggling vaudevillian. Rice promises to help advance her career. Olivier insisted on bringing Field to watch the daily footage, despite her reluctance. Afterwards, he put his arm around her and complimented her by saying: “There’s no need for improvement there, is there, young lady?”
In 1960, Field appeared in two films: Michael Powell’s unsettling thriller “Peeping Tom” and the provocative teen drama “Beat Girl” alongside Adam Faith. In the latter, she delivered a seductive performance of John Barry’s subtly suggestive song “It’s Legal.” As she sings about the possibilities of breaking the law, she sensually moves and runs her hands through her hair.
Beat Girl, The Entertainer, and Man in the Moon (all released in 1960) contributed to the rise of her fame, as she played a stripper who falls for a trainee astronaut (Kenneth More). Her name was prominently displayed on three marquees in Leicester Square simultaneously. She also had roles alongside Steve McQueen and Robert Wagner in The War Lover (1962), and portrayed the wife of a Mayan leader played by George Chakiris in Kings of the Sun (1963).
Following her initial success in film, Field relocated to the United States where she crossed paths with influential individuals such as John F Kennedy. As a result of her complaints about a back injury, Kennedy gifted her with a rocking chair. However, Field found herself overwhelmed by the attention and advances she received. She recalls feeling paralyzed by the constant phone calls and offers she received while staying at the Beverly Hills hotel. She admits that she was naive and may have been taken advantage of during this time.
After coming back to her home in 1965, the Miami Herald reported: “The girl who worked on Saturday nights was abruptly awakened to a cold, wintery Sunday morning.” While in the UK, Field realized that “there was no longer a British film industry.” Her role in Alfie (1966) as a nurse who falls for the irresistible charm of Michael Caine’s character was reduced even further during the editing process.
After a decline in the 1970s, her career saw a revival with two unconventional successes. In My Beautiful Laundrette (1985), written by Hanif Kureishi and directed by Stephen Frears, she added a touch of classic charm as the devoted lover of a Pakistani entrepreneur (Saeed Jaffrey). She also portrayed a former beauty pageant winner in Hear My Song (1991), bringing her signature elegance to the role.
Shirley Broomfield was born in the Forest Gate area of east London. Her father worked as a lorry driver and was known for engaging in small illegal activities, like stealing the balcony carpet from the nearby Odeon cinema. When Shirley was three years old, her mother asked her to go downstairs and steal chilblain ointment from the chemist’s shop they lived above. Due to her age, Shirley’s mother decided to send her to a children’s home near Woking in Surrey, as they were unable to evacuate during wartime.
She was then moved to a different facility in Edgworth, near Bolton, Lancashire, where she lived for the rest of her young life. She also spent a few years at a nearby home in Blackburn while attending Blakey Moor school for girls. Her mother only visited her once and they did not reunite until 1978.
She began her career as a magician’s helper and secretary, and also received monetary awards for participating in various beauty pageants. Later, she attended the Lucie Clayton School and Model Agency in London. Her modeling gigs eventually led to roles in movies where she was credited as “redhead”, “waitress”, or “pretty girl”, which she found disappointing.
She expressed her dislike for being chosen as the “special girl” to look beautiful and then having to recite lines and ride the workman’s bus home. She decided to change her name to Field to avoid seeing “Broomfield” in lights, as she felt rejected by her family.
After repeatedly appearing in tabloids, her association with Frank Sinatra following one night out together, caused her to become tired of all the gossip taking away from her career. She even thought about retiring earlier than planned. However, collaborating with Anderson, Reisz, and Richardson, and signing a contract with Woodfall Films, prevented her from making such a hasty decision.
Despite enjoying the films, she still felt belittled by the way the press portrayed her. In 1963, she sent a letter to the Daily Mirror expressing her frustration that she was only ever questioned about scandalous subjects. She asserted, “My life is more than just about sex, money, fame, and a handful of unpleasant individuals I barely knew.”
Despite her performances on stage in the 1970s, including portraying the lead in The Life and Death of Marilyn Monroe, she struggled to understand why her career had hit a standstill. “I simply wasn’t being offered any roles, and I regret not taking the initiative to create my own opportunities,” she stated. In order to make ends meet, she made appearances on television game shows such as Blankety Blank and Give Us a Clue.
Afterwards, Field appeared regularly on the American soap opera Santa Barbara in 1987 and the ITV drama series Where the Heart Is in 2001. He also had small roles in several films, such as an adaptation of Martin Amis’s first novel The Rachel Papers (1989) and UFO (1993), a movie starring controversial comedian Roy “Chubby” Brown, where Field portrayed the leader of a group of feminist extraterrestrials.
In 1985, Frears remarked that she remains stunning and captivating on screen, evoking emotions of sorrow. He expressed frustration that she has not been given more opportunities.
Nicola, her daughter from her marriage to the racing driver Charlie Crichton-Stuart in 1967, is her sole survivor after their divorce in 1975.
Source: theguardian.com
