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4 unusual facts about Renée Houston


Renée Houston

Houston was also in the early episodes of radio's The Clitheroe Kid and a regular guest on radio panel show 'The Petticoat Line' chaired by Anona Winn.

Born in Johnstone, Renfrewshire, as Katherina Houston Gribbin, she toured music halls and revue with her sister Billie Houston as the Houston Sisters.

In her later years, she specialised in "battleaxe" roles, notably as shop steward Vic Spanner's (Kenneth Cope) formidable mother in Carry On at Your Convenience (1971).

It was produced by Lee De Forest, whose process, Phonofilm, enabled a soundtrack to be played alongside the film (a year before The Jazz Singer).



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