Ray Cooney
Ray Cooney | |
|---|---|
| Born | Raymond George Alfred Cooney 30 May 1932 London,[1]England |
| Occupation |
|
| Notable works | Run for Your Wife |
| Spouse |
Linda Dixon (m.1962) |
| Children | 2; includingMichael |
Raymond George Alfred CooneyOBE(born 30 May 1932)[1]is an English playwright, actor, and director.
His biggest success,Run for Your Wife(1983), ran for nine years in London'sWest Endand is its longest-running comedy.[2]He has had 17 of his plays performed there.[3]
Career
[edit]Cooney began to act in 1946, appearing in many of theWhitehall farcesofBrian Rixthroughout the 1950s and 1960s. It was during this time that he co-wrote his first play,One For The Pot.With Tony Hilton, he co-wrote the screenplay for the British comedy filmWhat a Carve Up!(1961), which featuresSid JamesandKenneth Connor.[4]
In 1968 and 1969, Cooney adaptedRichard Gordon'sDoctornovels for BBC radio, as series starringRichard Briers.[5]He also took parts in them.[6]
Cooney has also appeared on TV, (including an uncredited appearance in theDial 999 (TV series)' episode, 'A Mined Area', as a hold-up victim), and in several films, including a film adaptation of his successful theatrical farceNot Now, Darling(1973), which he co-wrote withJohn Chapman.[7]In 2000, he appeared in theLast of the Summer Wineepisode "Last Post and Pigeon"where he played the role of a wordless and energetic French peasant.[8]
In 1983, Cooney created the Theatre of Comedy Company and became itsartistic director.During his tenure the company produced over twenty plays such asPygmalion(starringPeter O'TooleandJohn Thaw),LootandRun For Your Wife.He co-wrote a farce with his sonMichael,Tom, Dick and Harry(1993). Cooney produced and directed the filmRun For Your Wife(2012), based on his own play.[9]The film however was not a success: it was savaged by critics and has been referred to asone of the worst films of all time.[10]
Cooney's farces combine a traditional British bawdiness with structural complication, as characters leap to assumptions, are forced to pretend to be things that they are not, and often talk at cross-purposes. He is greatly admired inFrancewhere he is known as "Le Feydeau Anglais" ( "The English Feydeau" ) in reference to the French farceurGeorges Feydeau.Many of his plays have been first produced, or revived, at theThéâtre de la Michodièrein Paris.
In January 1975, Cooney was the subject ofThis Is Your Lifewhen he was surprised byEamonn Andrewsat London'sSavoy Hotel.In the2005 New Year Honours,Cooney was made anOfficer of the Order of the British Empire(OBE) in recognition of his services to drama.[11][12]
Personal life
[edit]Cooney married Linda Dixon in 1962.[citation needed]One of their two sons,Michael,is ascreenwriter.[13]
Bibliography
[edit]- Who Were You With Last Night?(1962)
- Chase Me, Comrade(1964)
- Charlie Girl(1965)
- One for the Pot(1966)
- Stand by Your Bedouin(1966)
- My Giddy Aunt(1967)
- Move Over Mrs. Markham(1969)
- Why Not Stay for Breakfast?(1970)
- Come Back to My Place(1973)
- Not Now, Darling(1973)
- There Goes the Bride(1974)
- Elvis(1977)
- Two into One(1981)
- Her Royal Highness(co-written withRoyce Ryton,1981)
- Run for Your Wife(1983)
- Wife Begins at Forty(1985)
- It Runs in the Family(1987)
- Dead Trouble(Calibre Cassette Library for the Blind made in association withChallenge AnnekaEpisode 5 of Series 1; 1989) which then becameOut of Order)
- Out of Order(1991) (also performed under the alternative titleWhose Wife is it Anyway?)[14]
- Funny Money(1994)
- Caught in the Net(2001)
- Tom, Dick and Harry(2003)
- Time's Up(2005)
- Twice In A Lifetime(2011)
Filmography
[edit]- One for the Pot,directed byAlfred Travers(South Africa, 1968, based on the playOne for the Pot)
- Not Now, Darling,directed by Ray Cooney andDavid Croft(1973, based on the playNot Now, Darling)
- Not Now, Comrade,directed by Ray Cooney andHarold Snoad(1976, based on the playChase me, Comrade)
- Why Not Stay for Breakfast?,directed byTerry Marcel(1979, based on the playWhy Not Stay for Breakfast?)
- There Goes the Bride,directed byTerry Marcel(1980, based on the playThere Goes the Bride)
- Sé infiel y no mires con quién,directed byFernando Trueba(Spain, 1985, based on the playMove Over Mrs. Markham)
- Ute av drift,directed byKnut Bohwim(Norway, 1992, based on the playOut of Order)
- Out of Order,directed byAndrás KernandRóbert Koltai(Hungary, 1997, based on the playOut of Order)
- Funny Money,directed byLeslie Greif(2006, based on the playFunny Money)
- Run for Your Wife,directed by Ray Cooney and John Luton (2012, based on the playRun for Your Wife)
Screenwriter
[edit]- The Hand,directed byHenry Cass(1960)
- The Night We Got the Bird,directed byDarcy Conyers(1961)
- What a Carve Up!,directed byPat Jackson(1961)
References
[edit]- ^ab"Ray Cooney".BFI.Archived fromthe originalon 9 February 2019.Retrieved8 December2022.
- ^"Artist: Ray Cooney".Art & Culture. Archived fromthe originalon 27 September 2007.
- ^"In the Farce Lane".UK Writer.Writers' Guild of Great Britain. Spring 2005. Archived fromthe originalon 6 February 2009.
- ^"What a Carve Up (1961)".allmovie.Retrieved8 December2022.
- ^"Doctor At Large".bbc.co.uk.Retrieved8 December2022.
- ^"Doctor In The House".bbc.co.uk.Retrieved8 December2022.
- ^"Not Now Darling (1972)".BFI.Archived fromthe originalon 26 April 2020.Retrieved8 December2022.
- ^Bright, Morris; Ross, Robert (2000).Last of the Summer Wine: The Finest Vintage(|edition=1st ed.). London: BBC Worldwide Ltd. p. 40.ISBN9780563551515.
- ^"Run For Your Wife".Run For Your Wife.Retrieved31 December2011.
- ^Bradshaw, Peter (23 February 2013)."Run For Your Wife".The Guardian.
- ^"No. 57509".The London Gazette(Supplement). 31 December 2004. p. 10.
- ^"Dramatist Cooney becomes an OBE".BBC News.31 December 2004.Retrieved3 February2009.
- ^Grigware, Don (19 November 2015)."BWW Interview: Internationally Renown British Actor/ Playwright RAY COONEY Talks About son Michael Cooney's CASH ON DELIVERY at the El Portal".BroadwayWorld.Retrieved7 June2020.
- ^"Reviews - archive".pmpnetwork.
