Renée Houston (born Katherina Rita Murphy Gribbin;[1] 24 July 1902 – 9 February 1980) was a Scottish comedy actress and revue artist who appeared in television and film roles.
It was produced by Lee De Forest, whose process, Phonofilm, enabled a soundtrack to be played alongside the film (a year before The Jazz Singer).
[1] Renee Houston continued as a solo comedienne and actress, appearing in the Noel Gay revue Love Laughs!.
[3] In her later years, she specialised in "battleaxe" roles, notably as shop steward Vic Spanner's (Kenneth Cope) formidable mother in Carry On at Your Convenience (1971).
[12][13] According to entertainment historian Richard Anthony Baker: "So many listeners found her forthright language unacceptable that she was eventually limited to two swear words per show.