567 The Rank Charm School

First  viewed  : 21  September  1982

This  was  a  one-off  documentary  narrated  by  Barry  Norman  about  the  so-called  "Charm  School "   (  actually  the  "Company  of  Youth" )  set  up  by  the  Rank  Organisation  in  the  1940s  to  nurture  young  talent. Much  of  the  programme  was  taken  up  by  the  story  of  Diana  Dors  and  her  ultimately  failed  attempt  to  conquer  Hollywood  in  the  fifties. I  hadn't  previously  known  that  the  overweight  panel  show  regular  was  once  considered  a  serious  rival  to  Marilyn  Monroe. The  programme  gave  comparatively  little  attention  to  the  one  undisputed  star  among  the  alumni  , Christopher  Lee.

The  third  most  famous  product  was  former  disc  jockey  Pete  Murray  who  chose  a  different  career  to  acting. The  other  graduates  interviewed  were  actresses  who  are  now  almost  completely  forgotten , Barbara  Murray  ( no  relation ) , Peggy  Evans,  Susan  Beaumont  and  Beverly  Brooks. Only  Beaumont  and  Murray  (P)  survive  today.