July 1967 through the eyes of Kenneth Williams

 

Today marks the fiftieth anniversary since The Sexual Offences Act received royal assent. This piece of legislation decriminalised homosexual acts in private between two men, both of whom had to have reached the age of 21. The Act only applied to England and Wales and did not cover the Merchant Navy or the Armed Forces. The law did not come into force either in Scotland until 1980 and Northern Ireland two years after that.

Why am I writing about this on a blog all about the Carry On films? Well, apart from it being a momentous moment in the recent history of the United Kingdom, it also had a real, tangible effect on some of the Carry On cast. While the Carry Ons remained light, fluffy confections of ribaldry, innuendo, boobs and bums, the times were certainly a-changing during their long reign at the box office. The coy post-war era of Carry On Sergeant was definitely history by the time this law was passed nearly ten years later. While gay characters were never really covered in the Carry Ons in any great depth (John Clive and David Kernan being the closest thing we got to any kind of gay couple in the world of Pinewood comedy), leading actors Kenneth Williams and Charles Hawtrey both dealt with being gay and in the public eye at a time when society at large deemed it completely unacceptable.

 

Kenneth and Charles were never ever gay in the Carry Ons. Yes their characters were always camp and outrageous but the same could be said for Hattie Jacques, Barbara Windsor or Joan Sims. Kenneth's sexuality in the Carry Ons was never touched upon although one had to suspend disbelief when his Carry On Abroad character was seen coupling off with Gail Grainger's Moira at the end of that particular film. Kenneth Williams was usually playing it over the top and it was very camp but it was with a small "c". Charles Hawtrey was camp with a very big "C" but still not portrayed as a homosexual. He was the loner, normally apart from the group and often the mummy's boy. In real life both Williams and Hawtrey took entirely different approaches to their sexuality. 

By all accounts Charles relished who he was and what that meant, becoming a well-known and flamboyant figure when he set up home in the seaside town of Deal in Kent. Hawtrey enjoyed his private life at a time when it was still perilous to do so and although he lived a troubled life, I do hope his freedom to enjoy who he was gave him some light in the darkness. We know more about Kenneth Williams and his attitudes thanks to his infamous, beautifully written diaries, which provide as much of a social commentary on the modern age as any other document. And hardly any other document could be quite so entertaining. Williams, close to his mother, outwardly confident, intelligent and beloved, lived a simple life in private fighting between his strong faith and working class roots and the knowledge that he was always a bit different from those around him. Much of Kenneth's adult life seemed pitched into an inner torment that is sometimes agonising to read about, let alone actually live through. 

 

I try not to write in too much detail about the private lives of actors I've long been fond of. That's not what this blog is about. You can go elsewhere for biographies, documentaries and dramas that rake over the coals of lives lived. This is and will always be more of a celebration of these wonderful performers who still provide so much entertainment, joy and comfort so long after they have left us. However, on this momentous day, I found myself picking up my rather weathered, well-worn copy of Kenneth Williams' Diaries to see how he reacted to the decriminalisation back in July 1967. 

On Thursday 13 July, Kenneth acknowledged the news that the House of Lords had passed the bill, brought forward by Leo Abse:

The Lords have passed Leo Abse's bill, legalising homosexuality in England: It's all right between two consenting adults in private except the services! and in Scotland. So it won't do any good for the queens of Dundee and the like.

On Sunday 23 July, Kenneth was with the playwright Joe Orton and his longterm partner Kenneth Halliwell at their flat in Noel Road, Islington:

Went up to see Joe Orton & Kenneth. They were v. kind. We chatted about homosexuality and the effect the new clause would have. We agreed it would accomplish little. 

Sadly, none of these men would see the benefits the change in the law would finally bring about. Just over two weeks later, Kenneth Williams received the following news:

John Hussey telephoned me at 4.45, he'd read in the paper that Joe Orton and Kenneth Halliwell are dead. Apparently it is a murder and a suicide. The BBC wanted me to go on TV and talk about Joe, but the Police will not name Joe Orton as being dead so the programme has been cancelled...I said no to the BBC anyway. I couldn't talk about Joe in public - not at the moment.

Kenneth did eventually talk to the BBC about his association with Orton and Halliwell, in the 1982 Arena programme - A Genius Like Us: A Portrait of Joe Orton. Kenneth discusses how they met, the relationship between the couple and their sad end:

While Orton and Halliwell left this world not long after the law was changed, Kenneth Williams did live on to experience the greater freedoms and changes in culture it brought about. He would witness the liberalisation of many aspects of British life however sadly, for whatever reason could never quite become involved himself. I often wonder what Kenneth would make of the world today - I think we miss his acerbic Willo' the Wisp take on things more keenly as time passes.

While people like Joe Orton were fuelled into creativity by their sexuality both publicly and privately, the likes of Hawtrey, Williams and Frankie Howerd forged careers as part of the establishment, making us laugh until we cried. We all knew they were gay but it was never really discussed. Kenneth's unique stranglehold on camp comedy at the BBC was challenged by the late 1970s as more flamboyant and openly gay performers like John Inman (or that Inman creature as Kenneth called him in 1977) appeared on the scene. However, for me, he will always be the master.

 

We all owe a huge debt of gratitude to these talented, complex, sometimes troubled and tortured men. Not only have they left us a huge legacy of fun and laughter, but they also paved the way, living through extremely challenging, unfair times and bridging the gap to equality. 

See also: Carry On Blogging: Kenneth and Joe 

And: Carry On Blogging: Carry On ... Camping?

You can follow me on Twitter @CarryOnJoan on Facebook and on Instagram

 

Kenneth and Joe

I have long been fascinated by the life of Kenneth Williams. He was a sublime comedy actor and lively personality, full of contradictions and complications. Unlike many of his contemporaries we know so much more about Williams and in his own words, because of his infamous diaries. Spanning his entire adult life, he is the modern day diarist and they have become his main legacy.

I have written before about some of Kenneth's most enduring friendships, namely with Maggie Smith and Gordon Jackson. One other friendship has always intrigued me too and that's his bond with the playwright Joe Orton. Orton was the sensational new young writer of the mid 1960s. Openly gay and proud of it, he relished his fame and his contentment with his own sexuality. He was the darling of the West End theatre scene until his life was cut tragically short at the hands of his long-term lover Kenneth Halliwell in August 1967.

I have read Orton's diaries and seen some of his plays and he is a fascinating character, very much of his time. He shook up the theatre scene in this country, challenged long held ideals and deliberately provoked, shocked and in some cases, appalled. He was an imp of a character and it's hard not to delight in his behaviour. What fascinates me even more is the relationship that developed between Kenneth Williams and Joe. They were both gay, working class and working in the arts but apart from that they were very much polar opposites. While Joe embraced his sexuality at every given opportunity, Kenneth shied away from that area of his life. Joe did and said what Kenneth never would or could. 

When they first met in 1964, introduced by theatrical impresario Michael Codron, Kenneth was at the height of his success. He was the star of the Carry On films, was a big name on radio thanks to his association with Tony Hancock and Kenneth Horne and had several theatrical successes under his belt, most notably the double bill The Private Ear and The Public Eye with Maggie Smith. Williams was growing dissatisfied with the work he was being offered and seized on the opportunity to work with the new young playwright. He admired Joe from the start and they became close.

Unfortunately, accepting a role in Orton's latest work, Funeral Games, did not turn out to be a happy experience for anyone connected with the project. The play, in which Kenneth starred with Geraldine McEwan, Duncan Macrae and Ian McShane, toured the provinces in early 1965 but was not a success. Most of the middle class audiences either didn't understand it or quite simply were shocked by it and walked out. These days are recorded in Williams' diaries and he was undoubtedly miserable. Fortunately his friendship with Orton endured despite this painful flop and they even spent time together in Morocco, one of Orton's favourite holiday destinations. They remained in touch even when, the following year, the now retitled Loot became an overnight sensation, taking the West End by storm with a new cast. 

Although Kenneth and Joe would not work together again, they socialised regularly over the next few years. Other friends of Williams thought Joe was rather self-obsessed however Kenneth was obviously caught up in the youthful glamour that came along whenever Joe was around. I've always loved the descriptions of Kenneth's regular visits to Orton's flat at Noel Road in Islington, the home he shared with his lover Kenneth Halliwell. Williams was much closer to Joe and he seemed wary of Halliwell on occasions, sometimes quietly pitying the older man. I think Kenneth Williams envied aspects of Joe's life, wishing he could enjoy himself more and be more like him, however what happened next put any ideas of that firmly on the back burner.

In August 1967, Kenneth Halliwell murdered Joe before taking his own life. Halliwell had been depressed for some time, feeling isolated and threatened by Orton's great success in life. The news came as a massive blow to Kenneth Williams and it caused him to reflect a great deal on their lives and his own life choices. 

Many years later Williams would direct two of Joe's plays at Hammersmith. I often wonder what Orton would have made of Kenneth's efforts. I also wonder what would have become of Joe Orton had he lived. He was undoubtedly a talented writer who was making a name for himself, but was he just very much of his time? His plays are still produced to this day so there is still an audience for his work. If Orton was still with us today he would be 82 so could still be active in the world of theatre. Sadly, we'll never know.

I will always be fascinated by the friendship that developed between Joe Orton and Kenneth Williams. Two men who shared so many common experiences but lived their lives very differently. 

To end, here's a clip of Kenneth Williams discussing Joe Orton in a BBC documentary from the early 1980s.

You can follow me on Twitter @CarryOnJoan 

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