The Two Ronnies

Ronnie Corbett

Ronnie Corbett, who died on 31st March, had the Sun in Sagittarius, the sign for comedians.  He was well known for his short stature, despite having Sun in Sagittarius and Ascendant in Leo.  The lack of stature comes from certain Aries features, and Neptune in Virgo in 1st House.  Venus trine Jupiter is one of the keys to success in the field of  humour.  The power of surprise was important for Ronnie, with Uranus exactly trine his Sun, and forming a fire Grand Trine with his showbiz Mars in Leo.

His collaboration with other comedians and particularly his partnership with Ronnie Barker is shown by his Jupiter closely square the Nodal Axis, and conjunct with Pluto in the 11th House of Friendship.

Biography

He was born in Edinburgh, the eldest of 3 children.  His family were not thespians, and in his autobiography, he says: “It wasn’t until I got a part playing the dame in my local church youth club pantomime at 17 that it all burst out of me.”

According to the Guardian Corbett met Barker in days of the Frost Report in 1966/7: “They were two grammar school boys who had not been to University, surrounded by writers and actors who were mostly Oxbridge graduates.”

Sketch from The Frost Report

(courtesy of the Guardian Obituary)

“Corbett played a cloth-capped working-class man literally looking up to Ronnie Barker’s middle-class man (5 ft 8 in) who, in turn, looked up to upper-class John Cleese (6 ft 5 in). ‘I know my place,’ said Corbett. ‘But I don’t look up to him’ – looking at the other Ronnie – ‘as much as I look up to him’ nodding at Cleese.”

In his career, his partnership with Ronnie Barker in the long running series “The Two Ronnies, was a highlight and they achieved great popularity, and the following was their most re-played sketch.

The Four Candles Sketch

(again courtesy of the Guardian)

“Corbett played an ironmonger confounded by barker’s homophonically challenged customer. ‘Four candles,’ demanded the latter.  corbett presented the customer with four candles. ‘No, fork ‘andles, Handles for forks.’ “

Corbett also played Timothy Lumsden, in sitcom “Sorry”, portraying a middle aged librarian living with his mother.  “He was a sort of Walter Mitty – he pretended to be bold and worldly but really he was just a timid mother’s boy” – Neptune in Virgo in 1st House.

Another role in his career was that of his drawn-out armchair monologues, punctuated by “I digress”.  In this, he plays out his Sagittarian Storyteller Archetype.

Marriage

He met his wife Anne Hart at Danny La Rue’s Nightclub, Winston’s. She was 5 ft 8 in, 7 inches taller than him.  They celebrated their Golden wedding anniversary last year.

His descendant (marriage point) was in Aquarius, its ruler Uranus being exactly trine his natal Sun.  Their wedding day was blessed with significant trines and sextiles, a good recipe for a lasting marriage.

He died of motor neurone disease, diagnosed in March 2015, but never lost the Sagittarian positivity:

“I’ve had a very happy life and although I have had tragedy I’ve never suffered from any darkness.”

Ronnie Barker

The two Ronnies were very different in character.  I like to think of them chuckling in their current reunion on the inner planes.  Ronnie Barker had the Sun in Libra, a sign suited to working in partnership.  In his chart, Mercury/Mars was trine closely the Moon – imagination harmoniously allied to a quick witted intellect. Mercury was conjunct the Midheaven in Libra in 11th House of partnerships (with Mars) graphically depicting his partnership with Corbett.  Another feature of his chart which graphically depicts his alliance with Corbett was Jupiter exactly opposite the Ascendant – a major partnership with a Sagittarian.  He had Saturn conjunct Ascendant by 7 degrees in Sagittarius (the Comedy sign), but Saturn was exactly opposite his Moon, making him a prey to depressive emotions (unlike Corbett).  He once said “I’ve always known I haven’t a personality of my own, I have to be someone else to be happy. That’s why I became an actor, I suppose.” His ruling planet Venus was conjunct Neptune, which points to the need to inhabit other characters. Corbett explained that Barker “was a very private man, a quiet man … He found it almost impossible to talk directly, as himself, to an audience.” [Saturn rising perhaps]. Chiron was exactly conjunct the North Node in Taurus in 5th House – a karmic mission healing through his Creativity

As a child, Barker was fond of dressing up, and Astrologer Frank Clifford observed that in his comedy routines he “worked on his characters by developing the make-up and clothes rather than the personality”.  This is very much a Libran trait.

The two Ronnies each had their own strands of work, and Ronnie Barker notably built up a great following through the sitcoms “Open All Hours” which still survives, in an updated remake with David Jason, and “Porridge” in which he plays a prisoner named Fletcher.  Much of his humour was based on double-entendres and innuendo.  Dennis Baker of the Guardian analysed this: “He ‘preferred innuendo over the crudely explicit, a restraint that demanded some imagination from the audience and was the essence of his comedy.’ ”  Ronnie Barker himself said of his motivation in comedy: “I think it’s better to make people laugh than cry.”

Ronnie Barker died in 2005 of heart failure.

Synastry

Ronnie Barker had 5 planets in Air, so complemented Corbett, who had 0 planets in Air.  And Barker’s Ascendant was in Sagittarius, to match Corbett’s Sun sign.

Barker said of their partnership “People refuse to believe that we don’t have rows, tensions, private wars. It’s a strange thing after so many years but we never have. Actually, it’s even more amicable than a marriage – wedlock without the bad patches. Our sense of humour and perception of what’s good and what’s rubbish are uncommonly in tune.”

Other strengths of their partnership include Ronnie Barker’s Mars/Mercury being sextile exactly Corbett’s Ascendant, and his Jupiter sextile Corbett’s Mars. His Pluto was conjunct exactly Ronnie Corbett’s Jupiter (a conjunction Ronnie had in his natal chart), which may account for the power of their work.  In addition, their Venuses were exactly trine, perfectly in sync.  Ronnie Corbett’s Jupiter trined Barker’s Chiron, boosting his healing.

Barker’s Mars was also conjunct Ronnie Corbett’s South Node, an indication of warrior lives together in previous existences.

Aspects

Tuesday (5th) is a day when you can stabilize your affairs utilizing the Sun-Saturn trine which dominates the day.  However, you will at the same time need to be adaptable, as two planets are changing signs.

Venus enters Aries, from Pisces.  Mystery and intrigue in love and relationships give way to a refreshing new outlook, direct, open and demonstrative.  There will be a greater willingness to talk.

Then Mercury enters Taurus, from Aries.  Logical and calculated thought give way to a more mellow, artistic way of thinking, more in tune with nature and more leisurely in pace.  Out with the Accountant, and in with the Gardener.

Wednesday (6th) could be difficult, with the Pluto squaring the Sun.  It is a day of endings rather than beginnings, drama rather than harmony.  Employ your favourite de-stressing techniques (massage and pampering perhaps) in order to deal with any distress, unless you have to stay and face the music at the coal face, in which case honesty will count for a great deal.

Luckily, there’s a rebirth the next day Thursday (7th), with a New Moon in Aries.  It’s a good time to reinvent yourself, and specifically in the House area in which this falls in your birth chart (its position is 18 degrees Aries).

We complete the week on Saturday (9th) with a conjunction between the Sun and Uranus, bringing the power of surprise.  There may be some late entries for April Fool’s Day that day, so be on your guard if you don’t like to be on the receiving end of surprises!  Equally, be kind, if you like to be the perpetrator of surprises.  The Universe, of course, may have its own agenda.

The week in bullet points:

  • Tuesday – stable in some respects, some switching of moods
  • Wednesday – difficult
  • Thursday – rebirth
  • Saturday – surprise

 

Date: Apr 3rd, 2016 · Comments RSS · Tags: Humour · Obituary