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Beatrice Lillie Collection

The funniest woman in the World, Beatrice Lillie was thrown out of a church choir at the age of eight for making the boys giggle during services.

Beatrice Lillie

15 old time radio show recordings
(total playtime 10 hours, 975 min)
available in the following formats:

1 MP3 CD
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10 Audio CDs


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Text on OTRCAT.com ©2001-2024 OTRCAT INC All Rights Reserved. Reproduction is prohibited.

Beatrice Lillie
(1894 – 1989)

She was called the funniest lady in the world, with good reason. Beatrice Lillie took very little seriously, least of all herself. Her mother planned for her to become a concert soprano, but she discovered early on that she was much better at making people laugh, and it was a lot more fun.

Beatrice LillieBeatrice was born in Toronto, 1894, her father a former officer in the British Army who had served in India and went to work for the Canadian Government, and her mother a former concert singer, Lucie-Ann Shaw. Older sister Muriel was beginning to show some talent on the piano, so Lucie took her girls to England for training and to 'test the waters". While they performed occasionally as the Lillie Trio and Muriel showed progress in her classical training, Beattie was never able to develop the discipline her mother expected. It was just too much fun to make people laugh. In fact, she was tossed out of a church choir at the tender age of eight for making funny gestures during the serious portions of the service, causing the young boys near her to fall into fits of giggling.

At fifteen, Beatrice was called upon to play a male impersonator in a West End revue. In top hat and tails, it was a role she would return to several times over the years "I was the best-dressed transvestite in the world" she claimed. Transplanted Frenchman Andre Charlot first hired her in 1914 for his West End revues, using Lillie in skits, blackouts, and fast-paced, sophisticated songs. The "stage-door Johnnies" were lined up to meet the intriguing comedienne, but the one who won her heart was the future Sir Robert Peel.

Robert Peel's ancestor had been Queen Victoria's prime minister, and London police officers are nicknamed "bobbies" for the original Sir Robert. Beatrice's Robert married her at his family estate, Drayton House, in 1920, officially becoming Lady Peel even though she never assumed the title. Miss Lillie was fond of having her hair done at the Elizabeth Arden Salon when she was in New York City. During one visit, the heiress to the Armour Meat Packing fortune came into the salon, and upon seeing Beatrice and her actress friends declared "I wouldn't have come in if I had realized they were letting in chorus girls." At the end of her session, while saying goodbye to the manageress, Beatrice said loudly, "You may tell the butcher's wife that Lady Peel has finished."

Miss Lillie continued to work after having a son (another Robert Peel), which was fortunate because her husband was unable to hold a job as well as being an unfortunate gambler. Sir Robert died of peritonitis at the home of his mistress in 1934, and "little Bobby" became an officer in the Royal Navy and was killed in Ceylon in 1942 during a Japanese air raid.

Beatrice Lilly

Beatrice spent most of the War entertaining troops in the Mediterranean, Africa, the Middle East, and eventually in Germany. She successfully toured the U.S. and appeared on Broadway both before and after the War. In 1956, she was awarded a Tony for An Evening with Beatrice Lillie. Back in 1936, MGM had considered casting Beatrice as "Glenda, the Good Witch" in The Wizard of Oz (1939), but decided that she was 'too funny' for the rest of the company.

Although she had delighted the troops during WWII, by the Vietnam era her style had become blasé and out of fashion. While filming Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967) she began to show signs of dementia, early indications of Alzheimer's Disease. She was able to publish her autobiography in 1973, entitled Every Other Inch a Lady. She had the first of two strokes the following year and went into seclusion for the rest of her life. Beatrice Lillie passed away on January 20, 1989, due to complications related to Alzheimer's. She was 94. A Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6404 Hollywood Blvd was dedicated in 1960 to honor Beatrice Lillie's contributions to Motion Pictures.

Text on OTRCAT.com ©2001-2024 OTRCAT INC All Rights Reserved. Reproduction is prohibited.

These classic recordings are available in the following formats:

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  • MP3 CDs are delivered by mail. These archival quality MP3 CDs are playable in your computer and many MP3 player devices.



    15 recordings on 1 MP3 CD for just $5.00. Total playtime 10 hours, 975 min
    15 recordings on 1 MP3 CD for just $5.00
    total playtime 10 hours, 975 min
    Add MP3 CD Collection to Cart

    1. 15 shows – total playtime 10 hours, 16 minutes
    2. Atlantic Spotlight 441021 43 Ben Grauer Beatrice Lillie.mp3
    3. Big Show 510218 Guests Fred Allen And Jack Carson.mp3
    4. Big Show 510930 Guests George Sanders And Bea Lillie.mp3
    5. Bing Chesterfield 500426 Beatrice Lillie.mp3
    6. Chase Sanborn 651114 10 Anniversary Program.mp3
    7. Chesterfield Show 500426 032 Beatrice Lillie.mp3
    8. Fleischmanns Yeast Hour 341213 269 Farmer Takes Wife H.Fonda.mp3
    9. Fred Allen Show 460203 056 Picadilly Takeoff On Oklahoma.mp3
    10. Fred Allen Show 470316 101 Picadilly.mp3
    11. Magic Key 351027 004 Salute To Navy Day Bea Lillie.mp3
    12. Philco Radio Time 470205 017 Beatrice Lilly.mp3
    13. Philco Radio Time 480526 Beatrice Lilly Alec Templeton.mp3
    14. Radio Hall Of Fame 450304 066 Telltale Heart.mp3
    15. Rudy Vallee Royal Gelatin Hour 19361231 Beatrice Lillie.mp3
    16. This Is Story 116 Bismarck Beatrice Lillie.mp3
  • MP3 downloads are available instantly after purchase!



    15 recordings on 1 MP3 Collection Download for just $5.00. Total playtime 10 hours, 975 min
    15 recordings on 1 MP3 Collection Download for just $5.00
    282 MB – total playtime 10 hours, 16 min
    Add Instant Download Collection to Cart

    1. 15 shows – 282 MB – total playtime 10 hours, 16 minutes
    2. Atlantic Spotlight 441021 43 Ben Grauer Beatrice Lillie.mp3
    3. Big Show 510218 Guests Fred Allen And Jack Carson.mp3
    4. Big Show 510930 Guests George Sanders And Bea Lillie.mp3
    5. Bing Chesterfield 500426 Beatrice Lillie.mp3
    6. Chase Sanborn 651114 10 Anniversary Program.mp3
    7. Chesterfield Show 500426 032 Beatrice Lillie.mp3
    8. Fleischmanns Yeast Hour 341213 269 Farmer Takes Wife H.Fonda.mp3
    9. Fred Allen Show 460203 056 Picadilly Takeoff On Oklahoma.mp3
    10. Fred Allen Show 470316 101 Picadilly.mp3
    11. Magic Key 351027 004 Salute To Navy Day Bea Lillie.mp3
    12. Philco Radio Time 470205 017 Beatrice Lilly.mp3
    13. Philco Radio Time 480526 Beatrice Lilly Alec Templeton.mp3
    14. Radio Hall Of Fame 450304 066 Telltale Heart.mp3
    15. Rudy Vallee Royal Gelatin Hour 19361231 Beatrice Lillie.mp3
    16. This Is Story 116 Bismarck Beatrice Lillie.mp3
  • Standard Audio CDs are delivered by mail on archival quality media with up to 60 minutes on each CD and play in all CD players



    15 recordings on 10 Audio CDs. Total playtime 8 hours, 49 min
    15 recordings on 10 Audio CDs
    total playtime 8 hours, 49 min

    Beatrice Lillie Disc A001

    1. Rudy Vallee Royal Gelatin Hour 19361231 Beatrice Lillie
    2. This Is Story 116 Bismarck Beatrice Lillie

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00
    Beatrice Lillie Disc A002

    1. Fleischmanns Yeast Hour 341213 269 Farmer Takes Wife H.Fonda

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00
    Beatrice Lillie Disc A003

    1. Magic Key 351027 004 Salute To Navy Day Bea Lillie

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00
    Beatrice Lillie Disc A004

    1. Atlantic Spotlight 441021 43 Ben Grauer Beatrice Lillie

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00
    Beatrice Lillie Disc A005

    1. Radio Hall Of Fame 450304 066 Telltale Heart

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00
    Beatrice Lillie Disc A006

    1. Fred Allen Show 460203 056 Picadilly Takeoff On Oklahoma
    2. Philco Radio Time 470205 017 Beatrice Lilly

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00
    Beatrice Lillie Disc A007

    1. Fred Allen Show 470316 101 Picadilly
    2. Philco Radio Time 480526 Beatrice Lilly Alec Templeton

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00
    Beatrice Lillie Disc A008

    1. Bing Chesterfield 500426 Beatrice Lillie
    2. Chesterfield Show 500426 032 Beatrice Lillie

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00
    Beatrice Lillie Disc A009

    1. Big Show 510930 Guests George Sanders And Bea Lillie

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00
    Beatrice Lillie Disc A010

    1. Chase Sanborn 651114 10 Anniversary Program

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00

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