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In the 50s and 60s, a strong-willed lady could make or break the careers of many young and not so young performers who aspired
to work the Moss Empire circuit.. This female power broker was Cissie Williams. Throughout the stewardship of Val Parnell
and Leslie MacDonnell she proved to be a dominant figure.
CISSIE WILLIAMS was credited in all Moss Empire theatre programmes throughout the UK as "Artist Booking Control". And control
she did. Known as a redoubtable lady, she is also credited as having nurtured the careers of Morecambe & Wise, Bruce Forsyth
and many others. Tony Hancock fell foul of the Williams way. Cliff Goodwin in his Hancock biography "When The Wind Changed"
(Century, 1999) tells how Tony's then agent, Phyllis Rounce, had secured him an audition with Cissie. The main condition always
demanded that artists should arrive punctually and in full dress. Hancock shambled on stage in an ill-fitting suit and a pair
of shabby shoes. Miss Williams made notes and listened to his act. He got the job but Miss Rounce was told "If he dresses
in those shoes he will not be allowed on". Hancock had a thing about new shoes. He detested the feeling they gave him. But
Phyllis went out and purchased a splendid new pair, spending some time bending and ‘breaking in' the damn things. And so to
the first day of rehearsal. He came shuffling on with the old shoes on. Cissie Williams immediately stopped rehearsals and
ordered him off stage. After days of negotiation a compromise was reached. But if Miss Williams made her mind up, very little
could change it. Charlie Chester loved to tell the story of the Diamond Brothers (a comedy act) who sent a cheeky telegram
to the Parnell office saying "Thanks for Palladium Contract. Will be there Monday". After much hilarity at the perceived antics
in the office, the brothers duly received a wire back from Miss Williams which simply stated "No contract for Palladium. Now
take out dates for Bradford, Nottingham, Glasgow and Leeds". The ultimate backfiring joke. In his recent autobiography Double
Bill (Fourth Estate, 2000), Bill Cotton shows two sides of Cissie Williams. Early in his career with the BBC his famous father,
Bill snr. fell ill. Bill jnr was persuaded to get leave of absence and undertake a Moss Empire tour with his father's bandshow.
After a lukewarm start he soon got into his stride and a couple of weeks later the show played Peterborough. On the Saturday
night he was ‘warned' that Cissie Williams was out front. He worried needlessly as the show went very well and bowed out to
thunderous applause. So he was standing, chest out when Cissie Williams and her acolytes swept into the dressing room at the
interval. As Bill preened himself Miss Williams curtly said "You are contracted to do 50 minutes and you only did 45. Please
see to it!" Some years on and Bill Cotton was producing major variety for the BBC. One such show was to star the Beatles.
To clinch the deal he had to do it from Liverpool. So the city's Odeon Theatre was duly booked. But a few days before the
show the Odeon pulled out of the deal. In desperation he looked around. The only sizeable alternative theatre was the Liverpool
Empire which was busily being turned around for Panto. So a call was made to Cissie Williams. She phoned back within minutes
to say that the theatre would be available. And the cost? " Just pay us what you were going to pay for the Odeon". But the
story I like most about Cissie Williams concerns an interview with Jimmy Hill about 40 years ago. Jimmy was the likeable and
long-time manager of the Edinburgh Empire, at that time due to retire. He was asked how he got on with Miss Williams. "Well"
he said. "All these years of education and learning have come to naught. It was only after dealing with Head Office that I
discovered that God is a Woman".
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