Ivy St. Helier

{{Short description|British stage actress (1886–1971)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=March 2025}} {{Use British English|date=September 2015}} '''Ivy Janet Aitchison''' (1886 – 8 November 1971) better known as '''Ivy St. Helier''', was a British stage actress, composer and lyricist.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lXnXDQAAQBAJ&q=Ivy+St.+Helier+The+Encyclopedia+of+British+Film%3A+Fourth+edition&pg=PA669|title=The Encyclopedia of British Film: Fourth edition|first=Brian|last=McFarlane|date=16 May 2016|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=9781526111975}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/ivy-st-helier-mn0000085560|title=Ivy St. Helier – Songs – AllMusic|publisher=AllMusic}}</ref>

==Early life==

St. Helier was born in her namesake, Saint Helier, in Jersey.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lXnXDQAAQBAJ&q=Ivy+St.+Helier+The+Encyclopedia+of+British+Film%3A+Fourth+edition&pg=PA669|title=The Encyclopedia of British Film: Fourth edition|first=Brian|last=McFarlane|date=16 May 2016|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=9781526111975}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/ivy-st-helier-mn0000085560|title=Ivy St. Helier – Songs – AllMusic|publisher=AllMusic}}</ref>

==Stage == On the stage, St. Helier played Manon la Crevette in the original production of Noël Coward's operetta ''Bitter Sweet'' (1929), a role she reprised in the 1933 film version.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.guidetomusicaltheatre.com/shows_b/bitter_sweet.htm|title=Bitter Sweet – The Guide to Musical Theatre – Show Synopsis|website=guidetomusicaltheatre.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.allmovie.com/movie/bitter-sweet-v5777/cast-crew|title=Bitter Sweet (1933) - Herbert Wilcox - Cast and Crew - AllMovie|publisher=AllMovie}}</ref> She also starred in Coward's revue ''Words and Music''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://theatricalia.com/play/364/words-and-music/production/75j|title=Production of Words and Music – Theatricalia|website=theatricalia.com}}</ref> As a lyricist, she wrote additional songs for ''The Street Singer'', and for ''The Blue Train'', the London musical by Reginald Arkell, Dion Titheradge and Robert Stolz.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/version/8947004|title=The street singer : a musical play in three acts|first1=Harold|last1=Fraser-Simson|first2=Ivy|last2=St. Helier|first3=Frederick|last3=Lonsdale|first4=Percy|last4=Greenbank|first5=J. C. Williamson|last5=(Firm)|date=16 January 2018|via=Trove}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iYqXAAAAQBAJ&q=Ivy+St.+Helier+the+blue+train&pg=PA265|title=Anything But Merry!: The life and times of Lily Elsie|first=David|last=Slattery-Christy|date=21 January 2008|publisher=Author House|isbn=9781481775427}}</ref>

==Film== She made five films, including Laurence Olivier's ''Henry V'' (1944) and ''London Belongs to Me'' (1948).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2ba2b5c3fa|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180117013328/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2ba2b5c3fa|url-status=dead|archive-date=17 January 2018|title=Ivy St. Helier}}</ref>

==Death==

St. Helier died on 8 November 1971 in London, England.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lXnXDQAAQBAJ&q=Ivy+St.+Helier+The+Encyclopedia+of+British+Film%3A+Fourth+edition&pg=PA669|title=The Encyclopedia of British Film: Fourth edition|first=Brian|last=McFarlane|date=16 May 2016|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=9781526111975}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/ivy-st-helier-mn0000085560|title=Ivy St. Helier – Songs – AllMusic|publisher=AllMusic}}</ref>

==Filmography== {| class="wikitable" |- ! Year ! Title ! Role ! Notes |- |1933|| ''Bitter Sweet'' || Manon la Crevette || |- |1938|| ''The Singing Cop'' || Sonia Kassona || |- |1944|| ''Henry V'' || Alice || |- |1948|| ''London Belongs to Me'' || Connie Coke || |- |1955|| ''The Gold Express'' || Emma Merton || |}

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== * {{IMDb name|0820556}} *{{IBDB name|475907}} * [https://web.archive.org/web/20110926234022/http://www.musical-theatre.net/html/recordcabinet/bittersweet.html Bitter-Sweet]

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Helier, Ivy}} Category:1886 births Category:1971 deaths Category:British stage actresses Category:British lyricists Category:Jersey actresses Category:Entertainers from St Helier {{jersey-bio-stub}} {{Musical-theat-stub}}