The Curious Incident of

Sabrina vs Corinne Grey

or

Sabrina Gets Sacked!

Corinne Grey

In January 1956, Sabrina was invited to appear on a musical Saturday night TV show. She accepted the booking, but declined an invitation to attend two days of rehearsals beforehand. She asserted she didn't need rehearsals to put herself across to the viewers because she was just playing herself.

Producer Ronnie Taylor stood in for her for the first day's run-through. Then came a message from the 19-year-old Sabrina saying she would not show up until just before the show went on the air.

The BBC was not amused, and hired Corinne Grey, who has a 37-inch bust and sings as well, to handle the part.

The story was everywhere in the newpapers of 1956 - as you will discover below.

16 January 1956, Calgary Herald

Bosomy Sabrina Gets Sack!

LONDON (AP) - The brief television career of bosomy Sabrina who appeared in eight straight TV shows without once opening her mouth, has been abruptly curtailed.

The showgirl who rocketed to prominence on a 40-inch bustline and the silence of a dumb belle was invited to lend a little uplift and brief remarks to a musical Saturday night.

Sabrina accepted the booking, but declined an invitation to attend two days of rehearsals beforehand. She asserted she didn't need rehearsals to put herself across to the viewers.

Producer Ronnie Taylor stood in for her for the first day's run-through. Then came a message from the 19-year-old Sabrina saying she would not show up until just before the show went on the air.

THAT DID IT. The BBC hired Corinne Grey , who has a 37-inch bust and sings as well, to handle the part. And BBC contract manager cabled the sultry Sabrina - in her real name of Norma Sykes - "Your contract is cancelled."

A 20-year-old model called Corinne Grey was hired to take her place, and it was revealingly commented in the press that:

Corinne was properly humble . She had no dramatic aspiration: and did not get the three lines [either].. .'I have deputised for Sabrina before, though my 36-inch bust doesn't compare with hers,' Corinne commented with great modest.

('Sabrina: Lend Lease Nude')

14 January 1956 - Aberdeen Evening Express - Saturday, p12

Wants More Than Dumb Blonde Parts

Sabrina is determined to stand her ground for bigger parts than the dumb blonde.
But in Manchester to-day she said it looked as though her agent was now pushing her rival, 22-year-old blonde Corinne Grey, as replacement to her.
Said Sabrina: "My agent had Corinne standing by Wednesday because he knew how I felt about travelling to Manchester three days before the TV show just to waggle my hips. But I don't want be pushed out."
She said she regarded the "dumb blonde" role of hers as something she should play only in TV shows with Arthur Askey — she is starting a commercial TV series with him in London.
"After all. it was with Arthur that 1 was featured like this, and I think it's appropriate to the series," she said.
"I want be given different parts in other shows. That is why I am taking drama and singing lessons" Sabrina should have been in to-night's TV show "Home James," featuring Jimmy James. Producer Ronnie Taylor said: "She broke her contract as far as this show is concerned, and she will not appear."

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14 January 1956 - Evening News and Star, p1

SABRINA will not appear in tonight's T.V. show "Home James" featuring Jimmy James.

She did not appear when rehearsals for the show continued to-day at Manchester Playhouse — a new T.V. theatre.

Producer- Ronnie Taylor said:

"She broke her contract as far as this show is concerned and she will not appear."

Corinne Grey, a 22-year-old blonde from London, who is taking over Sabrina's part, was busy rehearsing at the theatre.

She told me: “This business is rather unpleasant, but I am quite pleased to be doing Sabrina's part. That, of course, is quite natural.

“While In my hotel last night I received a message that Sabrina wanted to see me. She never arrived at my hotel, and I have not heard from her since."

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14 January 1956 - Northern Whig - Saturday, p1

B.B.C. drops Sabrina from North TV Sketch

NORTH Regional headquarters of the B.B.C. at Manchester announced last night that "because she had broken her contract" Sabrina will not appear in a Jimmy James television sketch "Home James", from Manchester to-night. Corinne Grey will replace her
The statement said: "Sabrina was asked to attend rehearsal at The Playhouse Manchester, today but the producer. Ronnie Taylor, heard from her agent that she did not think it necessary to be there until Saturday, and that she would not arrive until then.
"The producer thought it essential that she should rehearse with Jimmy James, so booked Corinne Grey, who immediately left London for Manchester, where she arrived late this afternoon.
"It has now been decided that as Sabrina has broken her contract by not appearing for rehearsal, as agreed. Corinne Grey will take her place."

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16 January 1956 - Toronto Telegram

Sultry Sabrina Slapped by BBC, She's Fired

London, Jan 16 (AP)

The brief television career of bosomy Sabrina who appeared in eight straight TV shows without once opening her mouth, has been abruptly curtailed.

The showgirl who rocketed to prominence on a 40-inch bustline and the silence of a dumb belle was invited to lend a little uplift and brief remarks to a musical Saturday night.

Sabrina accepted the booking, but declined an invitation to attend two days of rehearsals beforehand. She asserted that she didn't need rehearsals to put herself across to the viewers.

Producer Ronnie Taylor stood in for her for the first day's run through. Then came a message from the 19-year-old Sabrina saying she would not show up until just before the show went on to the air.

That did it. The BBC hired Corinne Grey, who had a 37-inch bust and sings as well, to handle the part. And BBC contract manager Bush Bailey cable [sic] the sultry Sabrina- in her real name of Norma Sykes - "Your contract's cancelled.

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15 January 1956

BBC Gives the sack to its Buxom Sabrina

LONDON, Jan. 14 (TNS)-Britain's buxom television star Sabrina, who gained international recognition by her figure and wiggle has been fired by BBC in a dispute over the first words writers put in her script.

The bosomy (40 inches) young blonde had balked at merely wiggling her hips on the "Home James" series.

A Protest

This week the writers gave her three lines on the program, but the 19 year-old Sabrina protested about the two days rehearsals for which she was scheduled.

She advised producer Ronnie Taylor she thought she could learn the role if she reported Saturday morning, instead of Friday, as BBC had asked. Taylor replied that if she was not on hand by 2 o'clock yesterday afternoon she would be replaced.

Sabrina did not appear and London model Corinne Grey was hired as a replacement. The blonde substitute, however, will not get the three lines on the show. She said to light: "I have deputised for Sabrina before — though my 36-inch bust doesn't compare with hers."

More info from The Calgary Herald , Sabrina was sacked from a musical TV appearance for declining to appear for rehearsals.

The Daily Mirror (14 Jan 56) added that Sabrina said she didn't attend rehearsals because, "They only wanted me to wiggle my hips and stay dumb." The show's producer, Ronnie Taylor, said "It certainly wasn't the case that we wanted Sabrina only to wiggle her hips."

Another source added that the BBC threatened to "bar Sabrina from the studio if she shows up tonight."

18 January 1956 - Lancashire Evening Post - Wednesday, p.6

IN A SPOT

...Sabrina has been in a spot of bother with the B.B.C. for not turning up for a rehearsal.
She should have appeared in Jimmy James' TV show on Saturday but when she failed to appear the day before, the B.B.C. sacked her and called in Corinne Grey instead.
That was all right until, on to the screen popped Jimmy with two stooges and sang a little song that rather took the "Michael" out of her. Then she retorted and said: "I shall demand an apology — it's cheap and tasteless."
The song ran: —
"First she will. then she won't,
It puts us in a spot.
Sabrina can keep silent
And, Corinne can do the lot —
Down at the B.B.C. "

Sabrina said she did not turn up at the rehearsal because all she had to do in the show was wiggle her hips. Now she says: "I'm tired of being a dumb blonde — it's funny with Arthur Askey — but not with anyone else."

Meanwhile Sabrina is all set for a season show in Blackpool and a new TV series with Askey.

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19 January 1956 - The Stage , p.12 - Thursday

'HOME JAMES'

JIMMY JAMES is a most amusing man. He needs no scriptwriters (although his son is one of them on this show). All he needs is to waggle his face and pull on a fag to get laughs. Or make some comments about his grotesque stooge, Bretton Woods.
He was seen in various roles, but none better than a judge trying a case very similar to the one Jimmy Edwards has tried at the Adelphi Strand, twice nightly until recently.
It was in this sketch Sabrina was supposed to have appeared. She missed a rehearsal and was sacked. A girl called Corinne Grey took over, but from what we saw of her part Sabrina was well out of it all. Thora Hird, too, was wasted in this sketch.

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28 January 1956 - Norwich Eastern Evening News, p.3

Corinne Grey and Sabrina

I AM NOT really trespassing on “Reflector’s” column when I talk about two TV personalities this week. It happens just happens that I've been meeting two of television's currently most-discussed personalities.

By coincidence I found myself chatting to that young blonde named Corinne Grey.

She was playing a film part in "Portrait in Smoke " — portraying a beauty contest entrant - and one of the assistant directors on the set happened to have worked on the recently completed "The Ramsbottoms Ride Again," in which Sabrina appears*.

As Corinne is the girl who replaced Sabrina in TV's "Home James," we naturally talked about Sabrina. Later, I talked to Sabrina herself, wondering at the time how she felt about the hullaballoo her sacking caused.

She wasn't at all happy about it. Her explanation: she was just being herself in the television sketches and it seemed unnecessary to her that she should spend four days rehearsing. In doing so, she would have to cut her singing and dancing lessons. She was willing to go to Manchester all the same, but by the time things were straightened out, she had been fired.

Will it affect her future? There doesn't seem to be much risk of that. She is appearing in commercial television's Arthur Askey series, and she is booked up for the summer at Blackpool. By the time this is all over, the fuss will have been forgotten.

Mlss Grey's future has taken a sharp upwards curve as the result of it all. She is a hazel-eyed blonde 22 years old, and primarily a ballet dancer and model. She has danced in touring shows, on television and has appeared in films (curiously enough, "The Ramsbottoms. Ride Again" is one of them; and she has been seen recently as an air hostess in "All For Mary.")

She tells me that she is to continue in the "Home James" series.

*Corinne Grey also appeared in "Fire Maidens from Outer Space" (1956) [watch it on Youtube if you are brave enough; her surname is spelled "GRAY" in the credits] which also starred the infamous Paul Carpenter, of the Sabrina adultery claim.

It also credited Kim Parker - the Other Woman/Wife in the Carpenter/Sabrina adultery/divorce incident.

What an eventful movie that must have been.