Glynis Johns played mother in Mary Poppins whilst Allan Jones made Hollywood - but they both starred in the Blackpool spotlight

A Google check on Wednesday confirmed that Glynis, the star of several films, was nearing her centenary and living in a retirement home.

She was born in South Africa in 1923 when her parents, Welsh actor Mervyn Johns and his concert pianist wife were on tour.

Her film roles in 1948's Miranda (a mermaid) and 1954's Mad About Men are vividly remembered, while she was mother in 1964's Mary Poppins.

But did you know Glynis made several local stage appearances over a span of 33 years?

The first was at the Grand Theatre in July, 1938, when Glynis was 15 and touring, after a year in London, in the family comedy Quiet Wedding, by Esther McCracken.

At the Grand in December, 1944, she was in Romiley Cavan's play I'll See You Again and she was a star by the time of her next visit, in February, 1950, two weeks before opening in London.

Glynis played an American heiress chasing the nephew (Michael Gough) of a rascally old earl (Ronald Squire) in Frederick Lonsdale's comedy The Way Things Go, at the Grand.

The actress was not seen again locally until 1971, when she came to the old Ashton Theatre at St. Annes in Noel Coward's The Marquise.

Eighteen months later she opened on Broadway in her late career success, Stephen Sondheim's A Little Night Music. You'll find her on YouTube singing Send In the Clowns.

Singer Allan Jones was a Hollywood star (Showboat 1936 and The Firefly 1937) before Bernard Delfont brought him to Britain for a tour of variety theatres that included Blackpool's Palace Theatre in July, 1948.

Delfont was said to have released the singer because of his "unreliability" but Allan Jones was such a big draw - everyone liked his Donkey Serenade hit - that impresario Harold Fielding booked him for Sunday shows in the resorts, including four at the Blackpool Opera House in 1949/50.

Allan Jones (1908-1992) returned to Britain in 1953, when producers George and Alfred Black starred him in their summer season at the Winter Gardens Pavilion.

His son, future singing star Jack Jones, aged 13, joined him on his school vacation.

Twenty years later, father and son returned to Blackpool. Jack was starring at the Opera House in a tour of one-nighters and featured The Donkey Serenade.

Midway through the number the spotlight narrowed to a pinpoint and when it opened, a second later, Allan Jones was there to finish the song. A brilliant touch.

We finish with an A to Z entry for Hattie Jacques (1924-80). Yes, she was mainly on screen, in Carry Ons and with Eric Sykes in the TV sitcom Sykes but Blackpool saw a stage version of the show, at the Winter Gardens Pavilion for the 1977 summer season.

Next week we pause the A to Z to feature the launch of a local book.