1968 – The Killing of Sister George
The Killing of Sister George is a 1968 American film based on the 1964 play by British playwright Frank Marcus. In the film, an ageing lesbian television actress, June “George” Buckridge (played by Beryl Reid, reprising her role from the stage play), simultaneously faces the loss of her popular television role and the breakdown of her long-term relationship with a younger woman (played by Susannah York. The film attracted considerable controversy due to an explicit lesbian lovemaking scene. In the UK the BBFC (British Board of Film Censors) initially refused to give it a certificate leaving local councils to decide whether it could be shown in their areas. Later, a cut version was given an X certificate and went on general release. The controversy seems to have stimulated interest in the original source material as several local dramatic groups staged performances of the play in the years that followed. In this post we explore some of the local press coverage of the film and local performances of the stage play.
1969 – Stage Production at Stafford College of Further Education
This article appeared in the Evening Sentinel on the 18th Sep 1969. The staging by Stafford College of Further Education coincided with the controversy of the BBFC refusing to give the film version a certificate for general release.
1969 – The Film is Passed to Screen in Stoke-on-Trent
On the 26th Sep 1969 the Evening Sentinel reported that the city licensing committee had watched a private screening of the controversial movie version of “The Killing of Sister George”and granted it an X certificate to allow it to be shown in local cinemas.
1970 – The Film is Passed to Screen in Stafford
This article from the Staffordshire Newsletter published on 30th Jan 1970 reports that Stafford Corporation decided the film could be shown there too. This was just a few months after the licensing committee in Stoke had granted the film a certificate.
Evening Sentinel – 30th Jan 1970
The press coverage of the controversial film must have created a lot of public interest as the film was very popular. This article from the Staffordshire Newsletter published 13th Mar 1970, reports that the film was retained for a second week.
1971 – Local Stage Performances
Local amateur dramatic societies were inspired to stage the original play. The Burton Chronicle reported on 1st Jun 1971 that the School of Speech and Drama were staging an excellent production. Tickets cost 20p
The Uttoxeter and District Drama Society also had a go as reported here in the Burton Observer and Chronicle on 18th Nov 1971. I wonder, how did “four Uttoxeter housewives cope with this uncompromising drama”. It is a sign of the times that the reporter assumes they would find lesbian love so difficult. Maybe they did, perhaps they didn’t.
Copyright Notice
The newspaper cuttings featured here have been compiled from online archives by this post’s author, Andrew Colclough, as part of his personal research into local LGBT+ history. Copyright belongs to the newspapers that published the articles. The news cuttings have been shared here by Andrew Colclough on the basis of fair personal/non commercial use.
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