Teresa Mary “Tessie” O’Shea (13 March 1913 – 21 April 1995) was a Welsh entertainer and actress. She was born at 61 Plantagenet Street in Riverside, Cardiff to newspaper wholesaler James Peter O’Shea, who had been a soldier and who was the son of Irish emigrants, and his wife Nellie Theresa Carr. O’Shea was reared in the British music hall tradition and performed on stage as early as age six, billed as “The Wonder of Wales”. When staying at Weston-super-Mare as a child, she got lost and was only discovered when her mother heard her singing the Ernie Mayne hit, “An N’Egg and some N’Ham and some N’Onion”.
While appearing in Blackpool in the 1930s, she capitalised on her size by adopting “Two Ton Tessie from Tennessee” as her theme song. In the 1940s, she was a frequent headliner at the London Palladium, and established herself as a recording artist in the 1950s. As a celebrity she was invited to many local events, and was present with Terry Thomas at the opening of Moorland Sports Club in 1950. In 1963, O’Shea was a guest on The Ed Sullivan Show. She was popular enough that she came back in 1964 and shared the billing with the Beatles. Their joint appearance drew what was then the largest audience in the history of American television, helping bring her to American audiences.
She appeared in films including London Town, The Blue Lamp, The Shiralee, The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming, and Bedknobs and Broomsticks. She regularly appeared on BBC Television’s long running variety show, The Good Old Days. O’Shea performed at various venues in Blackpool throughout her career, including the North Pier, the Opera House and Winter Gardens. She was known for singing “You’re at Blackpool By the Sea”. She was also involved in the Miss United Kingdom Grand Final held in Blackpool. But she also lived in Blackpool and Poulton, the town next door.
Miss United Kingdom Grand Final, Blackpool. Tessie O’Shea, one of the judges with some of the competitors. Swimwear Section, 8 August 1968. © Alamy
This image shows her home at no. 40 Warbreck Hill Road as it is today, not far from Gynn Square in Blackpool. © Deeper Blue Marketing & Design Ltd
This image show two shots of the inside of no. 40 and one from the flat roof overlooking the area. © Deeper Blue Marketing & Design Ltd
In 1939, Tessie O’Shea moved to Rose Cottage on Breck Road in Poulton, close to her beloved Blackpool theatres and to her in-laws the Rollo family, who owned the Bloomfield Hotel, where she used to lodge whilst performing in Blackpool. As a celebrity she was invited to many local events, and was present with Terry Thomas at the opening of Moorland Sports Club in 1950. The cottage has since been divided into at least 3 units. This view shows what used to be the front of Rose Cottage but the plaque on the door now says Mulberry Cottage. The image © Deeper Blue Marketing & Design Ltd
The plaque on the Breck Road side of the cottage says Rose Cottage, which is for separate unit. © Deeper Blue Marketing & Design Ltd
The Shiralee (1957) Tessie O’Shea
