Australian actress and comedienne who began her career in 1931 as a member of Gwen Meridith’s Drama Club. Plumb made multitudes of people laugh in an astonishing variety of roles. She once remarked that she had played in just about every form of public entertainment “except circus” – and added wistfully that she would dearly love to do that, too. It seems probable that if this opportunity had come her way, her command of the sawdust ring would have matched her performances before a microphone or on stage.
Though she played the clown, there was a deep vulnerability and fearless enthusiasm in accepting challenges. Plumb enjoyed popular success in revue, stage and radio drama, vaudeville, pantomime, panel games, television, films, interviewing, personal appearances and quiz shows. Petite and elfin-faced, she became nationally known for her roles as Emmie in the ABC marathon radio drama “Blue Hills” and as Ada in the television series “The Young Doctors.” She played Ada, the kiosk lady, for six years and had a dramatic range that was impressive. There were also successful Australian tours in 1983 in the London play “Steaming,” set in a women’s Turkish bath, and later with June Bronhill in “Arsenic and Old Lace.”
She built a huge following in a radio talk, interviewing and general entertainment program on Sydney’s 2GB over many years. Then she was suddenly removed from the air in 1974 in a drastic reassessment of the station’s priorities. This put Plumb, who never married, at the centre of a real-life radio drama. She was, naturally, distressed at her dismissal. But her fans were furious, bombarding station bosses with protests. “After all these years people thought of me as a friend,” she said as she bowed out. Gwen Plumb was described as Australia’s Lucille Ball when she was bid farewell by friends, family and the acting fraternity. Plumb published her autobiography, “Plumb Crazy,” in 1994 and died the evening of 6/05/2002, Sydney, at age 89. She was said to be generous to a fault without a spiteful bone in her body, a loving, gorgeous, joyous, generous human being.
Link to Wikipedia biography