A British comedy Labor Day salute to the workforce
It’s Labor Day here in the States, the American holiday that celebrates the economic and social contributions of workers. While it also signals the end of summer and, thankfully, considered the last day of the year when it is considered fashionable to wear white, we can’t let the long weekend pass by without paying a bit of a tribute to our hard working friends across the pond…the employees of the ladies’ and gentlemen’s clothing departments of Grace Brothers.
During our 2003 PBS production of The Funny Ladies of British Comedy, we had the great good fortune to pay tribute to both Mollie Sugden and her creation of Mrs. Slocombe in Are You Being Served?. Here Penelope Keith introduces us to Mary Elizabeth Jennifer Rachel Yiddell Abergavenny Slocombe (Betty, for short) , the head of ladies intimate apparel at Grace Brothers Department Store.
More good fortune several years later, in 2005, as our PBS production of The Funny Blokes of British Comedy went to the other side of the floor at Grace Brothers to pay tribute to John Inman and his alter ego, Wilberforce Clayborne Humphries. Here, host Lenny Henry, shows us why Mr. Humphries is the senior assistant in menswear.
Aside from Mr. Humphries and Mrs. Slocombe, let us not forget to pay tribute this Labor Day to the entire workforce from both ladies and menswear at Grace Brothers including Captain Stephen Peacock, Shirley Brahms, Ernest Grainger, Cuthbert Rumbold, Dick Lucas and Bert Spooner. Both Young and Old Mr. Grace were lucky to have you as employees.
