Village Squire, 1980-06, Page 10Rosemary Radcliffe
From Kirkton
to Kensington
BY ALICE GIBB
It's a long way from the annual Kirkton Garden Party to the
CBC soundstages. But Rosemary Radcliffe has made the
transition gracefully. Part of Rosemary is still the shy girl who
"was always the one who fell in the mud" when she went to
school in the crossroads community of Anderson, outside the
village of Kirkton. But there's also Rosemary Radcliffe the star,
who's willing to cope with the rigours of life on the road in this
spring's cross-Canaua tour of Spring Thaw, and with developing
an acting style that's made her one of Canada's most popular
entertainers - at home in intimate cabaret shows, on CBC radio
and once with the celebrated Second City improvisational
troupe.
When pressed for an answer, Rosemary admits sometimes
she's afraid she's "too driven", that she has to keep proving
herself over and over again. Acting has become " w ay beyond a
job and way beyond paying the rent." But she also doesn't
regret giving up a "conventional" lifestyle to follow the
uncertain life of a Canadian actress.
Rosemary, the daugher of Robert and Jean Ratcliffe, left the
family farm for the "wicked city" almost 15 years ago, torn
between attending the University of Toronto and studying music
or taking radio arts at Ryerson. She also toyed with the idea of
going to the Juilliard School of Music in New York City, but
decided that was a pretty big step to take at 17 years of age.
Her father wanted his children to go on to school, so Ryerson
"seemed the only option open." She knew the course would at
least train her to be a radio announcer, but in the second year,
Pia. 8 VILLAGE SQUIRE/JUNE 1980
she found acting classes were also part of the curriculum. That
was the start of Rosemary's climb up the showbiz ladder.
Since she'd been called "ratty" at school once too often,
Rosemary changed her professional name to Radcliffe. Now she
points out, one of Britain's popular stars is a Sandy Ratcliffe.
Although many Canadians remember the actress as the
"kooky" divorcee Tina who dated Larry on the King of
Kensington for a year, that was actually one of the shorter stints
in Rosemary's career.
Teenagers still fondly remember her as the star of the CBC -TV
series Rosemary's Junkyard and the better known Coming Up
Rosie. Miss Radcliffe often breaks into the tiny, squeaky voice
and whimsical expressions which children love, and it's easy to
understand why younger fans turn up backstage after Spring
Thaw performances to talk about "Rosie."
The actress is also Princess Ka'ala on the CBC radio show
Johnny Chase: she's appeared in countless Canadian -made
commercials, co -hosted a radio show with singer Julie Amato
when Rosemary was just 22 and appeared on Broadway in a
ill-fated show called Sisters of Mercy. Acting isn't her only talent
- she 's also a singer, songwriter, composer, comedienne and
very nice person. The small town girl's still there, and although
her recent Spring Thaw tour hasn't allowed many visits to
Anderson, she finds it's still good to come back to the farm to
re -adjust.
A BASIC RIGHT AND WRONG
Her farm background, she finds, has given her a base, and the
feeling that there's "a basic right and wrong about everything."
While this doesn't necessarily make choices any easier, it does
provide a starting point in making those choices. But not wanting
to be disloyal to her present larger "family," the actress adds
"there are so many false values in show biz, but also many,
many fine people in the theatre."
Jean Ratcliffe agrees that growing up in the farming
community meant her daughter "grew up in a very nice area"
although some people have told Mrs. Ratcliffe living in Anderson
"is a very sheltered life."
Mrs. Ratcliffe is a newcomer herself - she met her husband
when she came to teach at S.S. No. 1 Blanchard, the school her
children later attended.
Today the community of Anderson, like many crossroads
communities, has dwindled in size. The store and school are
gone, but the church has been preserved as a community centre.
Also, the farm kitty-corner to the Ratcliffe home will hopefully
also be preserved - since it's the birthplace of Arthur Meighen,
former prime minister of Canada.
ROSEMARY'S DEBUT
How did Rosemary Radcliffe become a star? Well, her debut
was at the Kirkton Garden Party - an outdoor concert featuring
amateur and some professional performers, which is still an
annual event in the village.
Miss Radcliffe remembers her cohorts in the venture were the
Stevens children. Jean Ratcliffe said Rosemary sang and danced
in the annual concert, while younger brother Robert played
violin and sister Laurel performed piano duets.
In addition to the garden parties, another chance for stardom
was the annual school concerts held in the one -room S.S. No. 1
Blanchard schoolhouse. One of Rosemary's first starring roles
was playing Snow White in a Grade 3 Christmas pageant. But
she recalls another year when she was in the school choir, and
the teacher asked members to dress in navy and blue for the
concert. Rosemary told the teacher rather mournfully that she
didn't have any clothes in those particular shades, and turned up
in a lovely new, pale blue taffeta outfit.
"My mother was mortified" she laughs, but at least the future
actress had guaranteed her performance was eye-catching.
When Rosemary attended high school in St. Marys, she was in
the chorus of the production of the Pirates of Penzance and in the