Carry On star Peter Butterworth was a secret World War Two hero, the National Archives revealed.
He was a POW who helped plan the Great Escape from Stalag Luft III camp in Poland, where 76 airmen fled on March 24, 1944. Lt Butterworth took advantage of prisoners being allowed to write letters home to loved ones and managed to pass vital coded messages to British intelligence.
Funnyman Pete died in January, 1979. Dr Will Butler, of the National Archives, said: “He was a talented artist and is noted in the camp records as a highly skilled forger of documents.” The Great Escape was immortalised in the 1963 film starring Steve McQueen.
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As an airman with the Fleet Air Arm, Butterworth was shot down at the beginning of the conflict and ended up spending the remainder of it as a prisoner of war. In scenes reminiscent of a Hollywood film, Butterworth staged an elaborate escape through tunnels and managed to get out for three days before being spotted by a member of the Hitler Youth.
(Image: Getty Images)
His son Tyler previously told the Northern Echo: “He always joked he’d never work with kids after that.” Tragically like many of his pals on screen, Butterworth died while continuing to perform for crowds In January 1979, while starring as Widow Twankey in Aladdin at the Coventry Theatre, Peter was found dead in his hotel room. He had suffered a suspected heart attack.
(Image: Mirrorpix)
Despite the cheeky puns and saucy gags, it appears things were not as fun behind the scenes of the iconic Carry On films. The long-running films brought laughter to British homes for more than 60 years and are among the most beloved of any movie series. They made stars out of actors such as Kenneth Williams, Sid James and of course Dame Barbara Windsor.
But docu-series, Carry On – Secrets and Scandals, is lifted the lid on the darker side of the bawdy comedy films. According to The Mirror, the new documentary will feature an unseen 1998 interview with the late Barbara who claimed the cast never saw a penny from the repeats of the films. Peter Rogers produced the hit franchise and was notorious for being frugal and not paying his stars as expected.
(Image: ITV / Rex Features)
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The Mirror reports how at a 40th anniversary dinner, he joked: “Most important of all, of course, are the artists. I love them very much and would do anything for them except pay them more money.”
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
