A

ABADAROFFS, THE
Prehistoric Mountebanks
Despite the intriguing bill-matter we have no intelligence of this troupe.

ABBOTT, EDWARD B. (1882-1932)
The Boy Wonder Magician

ABEL, NEAL  (1882-1952)
The Man with the Mobile Face

ACES, THE THREE (fl1920s-30s)
Wonderful Singers and Expert Footologists
We presume that footologists were dancers, though the reference may be to the style of act popularised by Professor RISLEY qv.  The Four Aces were flying trapezists, and did not, we think, have any connection.  One of The Four Aces was George Windenny (1864-1931).

ADELINA
Female Facialist and Quick Change Artiste
See JOHN CRONOW, GEORGE F. MOORE

ADKIN  (fl1910s)
The Motoring Ventriloquist
Mr Adkin's dummy, which appeared with the artiste on-stage in a real car, was named Sammy.

AHRENSMAYER (fl1900s)
The Cowboy Illusionist
The Wizard of the Plains
A conjuring cowboy must certainly be adjudged a novelty, especially as this artiste included hypnotism in his displays.

ALLEN, ARABELLA (b c1887)
Listed under BRANSBY WILLIAMS
In an advertisement in the (London) Entr'acte for 20 January 1906 this artiste quotes divers laudatory Press reviews of her Dickens impersonations which included, remarkably, Quilp.

ALLEN, JACK (fl c1900s)
The Colonial Ventriloquist

ALLEN, LES (1902-96)
Canada's Voice of Melody
Born London but emigrated at the age of three with his family to Toronto.  Returned c1922 as reeds player with friend HAL SWAIN.  Played and sang with HENRY HALL, JACK PAYNE, Alfredo, Sid Bright (brother of GERALDO), and Sydney Lipton.  By 1932 was Britain's most popular crooner.  Had brief partnership with Kitty Masters as The Radio Sweethearts, then formed his own groups - the Les Allen Melody Four and Les Allen and his Canadian Bachelors.  His biggest recording hit was Little Man You've Had a Busy Day.  Returned to Canada 1947.

ALMA
The English Marie Dressler
Repertoire included It's No Trouble.  Not to be confused with Mdlle ALMA (1868-1908) The Human Fly.
Marie Dressler (1869-1934) was an American burlesque and vaudeville comedienne whose homely features led to her being billed as The Ugly Duckling.

ALPINE MONARCHS, THE
See ThE Famous Craggs (SKETCH ARTISTES)

ALWYNNE, VIOLET
The Shakespeare Girl

ANDREWS SISTERS, THE
America's Queens of Rhythm
LaVerne (c1915-67), Maxene (c1916-95), Patty (1920- )

ANTHONY, JACK (1900-62)
Jack's The Joy
Nae Bother at A'
Scottish Dan Leno 
See DAN LENO

ARMSTRONG, BRENDA (1910-99)
The Immaculate Male
See ST GEORGE HUSSEY

ASHTON, MARGARET (fl c1900s)
De Premiere Qualité
Though this artiste may have been a charming songstress, French accents were not her strong suit.

ATHLETA (1867-1927)
The Champion Lady Heavy-Weight Lifter of the World
The Strongest Woman in the World 
See VICTORINA

ATKINSON, HARRY (b1866)
The Australian Orpheus
The Unhappy Medium
Family name: Fitts

AUSTIN, LILY
The Yorkshire Nightingale
For other Nightingales see JENNY LIND, also THE PERMANES.

AVON COMEDY FOUR, THE (fl1901-1922)
The New Schoolteacher
Joe Smith and Charlie Dale (see SMITH & DALE) plus Jack Coleman and Will Lester who were later replaced by Harry Goodwin (1880-1942) and Irving Kaufman.  Other sketches in this troupe's repertoire included The Professor's Birthday and Ginsberg's Stump Speech.

AZELLA (fl1868-80s)
The Female Leotard
This artiste claimed to be the first female trapezist.
See JULES LEOTARD

B

BABETTE & RAOUL (1947-61)
Jungle Fantasy
Elizabeth H. McLauchlan (1922-99) ran this snake-dancing act with her husband Hugh Duff McLauchlan (1920-2006) everywhere from Bombay to Paris until forced into retirement by an accident.

BAGA, ENA
See ENA

BAILEY, FRANKIE  (1859-1953)
The Girl with the Million Dollar Legs
Several ladies have laid claim to such valuable underpinnings, but we would suggest by her dates that this entry was perhaps the first. 
See PHYLLIS DIXEY, CARRIE FINNELL.

BAKER, BELLE (1895-1957)
America's Queen of Vaudeville 
Family name: Bella Becker (Mrs Maurice Abrahams)

BAKER, CHRIS (fl1910s-20s)
The Nippy Comedian

BAKER, JOE (d2001)

BAKER,  SARAH (1736/7-1816)
Governess-General and Sole Autocratrix of the Kentish Drama
Mrs Baker `built ten theatres at her own expense, and always made a profit in a career of over fifty years'.

BALDWIN'S, CHARLIE (fl c1920)
...Bank Clerks 
Having for two and a half inglorious years been a bank clerk ourself we cannot see the appeal of such a billing, nor are we prepared to give Mr Baldwin the benefit of the doubt.

BALE, SUSANAH (1877-1943)
Simosa San

BAMBERGER, JEAN (`BUNNIE')  (d.10 February 2000)
Toured for many years as one of The Three Redheads having started as an acrobatic dancer in cabaret at The Trocadero in the heart of London's West End while still in her teens.  For a time was Betty of WILSON, KEPPEL & BETTY.

BANDON, BUSTER  (fl1900s)
The Dandy Randy Daring Acrobat
A 1900s acrobat may well have been as dandy and daring as all get out, but we doubt whether much randiness was in evidence.

BANFORD, HARRY
The Pocket Dan Leno
See DAN LENO

BANJAHRA
The Popular Indian Bass
An Indian who can Sing and Speak the King's English
Seen on a 1912 poster

BARKER, ERIC (1912-90)
Mr Barker was with the FOL-De-ROLS and also offered his gentle bumbling art at the WINDMILL THEATRE.  Mrs Barker was the songstress Pearl Hackney (b1917).  This humorist `never cared for vaudeville', finding it too vulgar.  Frankly, we found his comedy too anaemic though in its day it suited audiences well enough, especially BBC radio audiences.  In a variety bill at the Prince of Wales Mr Barker wrote `nor after the first few days did I find the companionship of my fellow mummers in that dressing-room particularly congenial'.  It must have been positively frightful for an old Whitgiftian to have to dress in such low company.  Mr Barker left £229,657.

BARKER, RONNIE (b1929) 
Mr Barker was not included in the original editions because, alas, as he told us himself, he never really appeared in variety and so never acquired any significant bill-matter.  He did vouchsafe us a delicious story, however, which we relate here for the first time:
    The scene is BBC's Television Centre centre where a recording of Frost on Sunday starring David Frost, Ronnie Barker and Ronnie Corbett is about to take place.  This particular edition of the show includes a spoof This Is Your Life, in which Eamon Andrews, then the presenter, has agreed to take part.  The darkly-kept secret, however, is that the sketch is a cover for a genuineThis Is Your Life, with Corbett as the unwitting subject.  But on the night of the recording Corbett comes running into Barker's dressing-room.  `There are Thames TV vans outside!' he says.  `It's This Is Your Life!'  Thinking very fast Barker responds `No, Ronnie, it can't be.  If it was me - you'd know, and if it was you, I'd know.'  And Corbett swallowed it...

BARKIN, ROGER (1914-95)
The Poetic Magician
Better k.a. the film director Cy Endfield 

BARNATO, Signor
The Man with the Iron Jaw
For other usages of 'iron' see ALOIS PETERS whose entry mentions Siegmund Breitbart, Ian Colquhoun, Professor Kelly, Leroni, Proctorie, and Zulima.  Another Man with the Iron Jaw was D'Atalie (fl1870s).

BARON, BUNNY (1910-78)
Radio's Rarebit of Fun 
A Londoner, Bruce Baron's first appearance was with Sir Seymour Hicks and Ellaline Terriss in Bluebell in Fairyland.  Originally a straight actor who "turned comedian during the war", he mounted  many pantomimes and summer seasons after the hostilities under his own management.  Still later he dwindled into an agent.

BARTINELLI, IVY (fl c1910s)
The Glorious Girl on the Golden Column
This acrobat's name we have also seen spelled as Bartenelli.

BARTY, JACK (1888-1942)
The Burly Burlesquer 

BASYL
Music from Everything
We spotted this bill-matter on a poster for the Granville Theatre of Varieties, Walham Green, London, for w/c September 2nd 1940 (a year almost to the day after the outbreak of World War II), playing twice nightly at 6.30pm and 8.45pm.  Despite the time of year the Granville was offering SPECIAL SUMMER PRICES (including Tax), and Fully Licensed Bars at Popular Prices.  The most expensive stall on a Saturday night was 1/10 (9p) and the cheapest seat in the gallery 5d (2p).  The headliner was GEORGE ROBEY and the show was presented by Blanche Littler (the second Mrs Robey). 

BAYLIS, LILIAN (1874-1937)
The Premier Banjoist and Mandolinist of South Africa
In 1929 Miss Baylis was appointed Companion of Honour for her legendary popularisation of Shakespeare at the Old Vic and of opera and ballet at Sadler's Wells.  Her younger sister was billed as The Celebrated Juvenile Whistler.

BELZONI, GIOVANNI BASTISTA (1778-1823)
The Patagonian Samson
Born Padua.  First UK appearance 1803.  Celebrated explorer of Egyptian pyramids and royal tombs.  Died Gato.

BENSON, FRANK (1877-1950)
The Great Little Comedian
Not to be confused with the Shakespearean actor-manager Sir Frank Benson (1858-1939).

BENSON, IVY (& HER GIRLS' ORCHESTRA/BAND)  (fl1940-82)
Radio's Orchestra of Charm
Ivy Benson (1913-93) played piano, clarinet, and above all alto sax.  In 1975 due to Sex Discrimination Act changed band's name to Ivy Benson & her Showband.

BENYON, THE GREAT (1902-78)
Bam-Boozalem
Edgar Benyon's own entry in The Performer - Who's Who in Variety (1950) states that his magical revue was entitled "Bam-Boo-Lalem" which seems to be a misprint;  if so then his family name, which some sources give as Beynon, may also be incorrectly spelled.

BERNHARDT & YOUNG (fl1920s)
Fellows of Infinite Jest

BERNIE, BEN (1893-1943)
The Old Maestro
Fanned himself with fiddle.  Went solo when partner, accordionist Phil Baker (1896-1963), went into navy.  SOPHIE TUCKER suggested he become band leader.  See JACK BENNY.

BEST, WILLIE (1916-62)
Sleep 'n Eat

BEY, ALI (1905-75)
Quick as Lightning - Startling as Thunder 
We knew David Charles Lemmy in the 1950s when he was a regular and welcome visitor to the backstage bar at Peterborough where we were appearing with Mr Harry Hanson's Famous Court Players at the Empire & Theatre Royal, a curious back-to-back arrangement of Music Hall and playhouse.  This magician's career was wrecked by a stage-manager who dropped the safety-curtain on him as he was taking a bow.

BLACKFORD, JOHN (c1857-1903)
The Coon from Arkansas 
See G. H. ELLIOTT

BLAIN, VIVIAN (1929-95)
The Cherry Blonde

BOB & RAY
Bob Elliott (b1923) and Ray Goulding (1922-90).  Partners from 1946 till Ray's death.  Renowned for surreal two-handed routines, e.g. Who's on First? and The Slow Talkers of America.

BOLTON, REG (1884-1955)
The Laugh Salesman
There's a Reason
See LEN WILLIAMS

BOOSEY, WILLIAM (1864-1933)
The Emperor of Bond Street
Leading member of the music publishing family

BOSTON, ED  (b. 19 June 1898)
Black-faced Funedian
At one time worked with his brother as the Boston Bros Two Baked Beans.  At another time was area manager for Harper's automatic cigarette machines.  Went to US 1949.

BRADBURY, ROBERT (1777-1831)
The Brummell of Clowns

BROOKS, FOSTER (1912-2001)
The Loveable Lush
An American artiste famous for his drunk act.

BROWNIE BOYS, THE FOUR (fl1930s)
This team offered vocals, instrumentals, dances, and jokes.  The personnel included Ken Ashton of THE GRIMALDIS.  Another Brownie Boy was ELTON HAYES.

BRUCE, BETTY (d. 25 May1956)
Just for Fun
Mirthfully Mordern

BRUNHILDE, Fraulein
The Tallest Pianist in the World
The fratulein was allegedly 7ft 11ins tall, and demonstrated her art at the Coliseum in London sometime in the 1920s.

BURNABY, DAVY (1881-1949)
Mr Concert Party 
See THE CO-OPTIMISTS

BURNETT, AL (1906-73)
The Bad Boy from a Good Family

BURNS & ALLEN (1923-58)
Lamb Chops
George Burns (1896-1996) and his wife Gracie Allen (c1906-64) appeared with this billing at the London Palladium for the w/c 29 September 1930.  Lamb Chops was the title of their best-known routine. 

BURROWS, DENNIS
There Aren't Many Of Us Left

BURTON, WARD J. (1875-1963)
The Prince of Yodellers 

C
 

CANTOR, TERRY (& ADELE)
The Laughter Racketeers
Husband & wife team.  K. E. (1912-79) and Adele MacNaghten (1914-2004).  Mr Cantor a.k.a. Terry 'Toby Jug' Cantor.

CARDIFF, CHARLES (d 11 Feb 1964)
Funnily Natural - Naturally Funny

CARDINI (1895-1973)
The Ace of Conjurers
a.k.a. Valentine, Val Raymond, Professor Thas
Family name: Richard Valentine Pitchford

CARLOTTA, Mdlle (1848-1928)
Female Blondin
Family name: Charlotte Gilleno (Mrs James Fabian)
See BLONDIN

CARMO, THE GREAT  (1881-1944)
Australia's Wonder Worker
The Master Phantasist
The World's Colossus of Mystery
Family name:  Henry Cameron

CARNERA, PRIMO (1906-67)
The Ambling Alp
Heavyweight Champion Boxer of the World 1933-4.  Later became a film actor of sorts and a wrestler.

CARNEY, GEORGE (1877-1947)
Almost Human
Also toured a sketch billed The Fool of the Force

CARPENTER, TIKI (b c1910)
The Surprise Packet of Variety
Dancer and female impersonator. Born Alfred Sydney Carpenter in Sydney, Australia. In 1950 known to be working with partner as Tiki & Del England's Crazy Dancers or Those Crazy Dancers

CARTER, JACK (b1923)
Jack of all Tirades 

CASEY'S COURT
a.k.a. Will Murray's Casey's Court.  Later k.a. The Casey Circus (prop. Harry Cardle).
Personnel included Billy Baggs, Harry Beasley, CHARLES CHAPLIN, Stan Laurel, Harry Seltzer (Selser)

CHANDLER, GEORGE L. (1902-85)
The Musical Nut
See DR CROCK

CHERRY SISTERS, THE
Their bill-matter should be Something Glad, Something Sad.  One of the good ladies'  edifying, moralistic sketches was entitled The Gypsy's Warning - nothing to do with the Weston & Lee song of the same name.

CHURCHILL, BILLY (1863-1949) 
The Funny Entertainer
The Most Talked About Man
Originally appeared with his father W. J. Churchill (1842-93) as Churchill & Peter Negro Comedians.  In the late 19th century "Negro" on bills did not usually indicate a black artiste but a white performer made-up. 
See COBB & EAST

CLARK, SYLVIA (1895-1970)
Vaudeville's Little Buffoon

CLIFFORD, CAMILLE (1885-1971)
The Gibson Girl
Miss Clifford's exiguous performing talents were more than compensated for by her wondrous hour-glass figure.  The original model for society cartoonist Charles Dana Gibson's (1867-1944) idealisations of American womanhood was his wife Irene Langhorne, one of whose sisters was Nancy Astor, the first woman to take her seat in the House of Commons.  Another, Nora, was the mother of Joyce Grenfell.

CLIFTON, BERNARD (1902-70)
The Singing Actor 

CODY, Colonel SAMUEL (1861-1913)
King of the Cowboys
Samuel Franklin Cowdery, a pioneer of powered flight in Britain (1908), should not be confused with William `Buffalo Bill' Cody.  Orig k.a. Captain Cody.

COHANS, THE FOUR (fl1880s-90s)
Goggle's Doll House
Money to Burn
The Professor's Wife
All sketches performed by Jerry Cohan (1848-1917), his wife Helen (Nellie) Costigan (1854-1928), and their children Josephine (Josie) (1876-1916) - who married film director Fred Niblo (1874-1948) - and George M(ichael) (1878-1942).

CONKEY, BOB (1867-1942)
Conkey's One To Fill 

CONNORS, CHUCK (1852-1913)
The Mayor of Chinatown

COOKE, WILLIAM (1808-86)
The British Voltigeur and Flying Mercury
Voltigeur is French for vaulter or tumbler;  Mercury is the Roman counterpart of the Greek god Hermes, the messenger.

COOPER, JOHN W. (fl late 19th cent.)
The Black Napoleon of Ventriloquism
The Polite Ventriloquist 
See GEORGE BARNARDO EAGLE, THE GREAT EVERHART, NAUGHTON & GOLD also NAPOLEON.

CO-OPTIMISTS, THE 
The first of a very short list of traditional-style pierrot shows to play the West End, The Co-Optimists were probably the finest of the genre.  The company opened at the Royalty in June 1921; they disbanded 1927 but were revived 1929; in 1930 they were back in the West End at the London Hippodrome.  Members included Hermione Baddeley (1906-86), Doris Bentley (d. 25 February 1944), WEBSTER BOOTH (see ANNE ZIEGLER &), DAVY BURNABY, Wolseley Charles ( d. 28 November 1962) pianist, Billy Mayerl (1902-59) pianist, Betty Chester (1895-1943), Gilbert Childs (d. 24 September 1931), Laddie Cliff (1891-1937) and his wife Phyllis Monkman (1892-1976), Anita Elson (1898-1985), Melville Gideon (1884-1933) principal pianist, Olive Groves, H. B. Hedley (1890-1931) song-writer, Stanley Holloway (1890-1982), Cicely James, Elsa MacFarlane, Austin Melford (1884-1971), Elsie Randolph (1903-83), Cyril Ritchard (1897-1977), and Babs Valerie (Mrs BILLY MERSON).
    A volume published in 1926 by Herbert Jenkins was entitled The Comic History of The Co-Optimists; the authors were Messrs Ashley Sterne (1876-1939) and Archie de Bear (1888-1970), and while these two gentlemen produced a moderately amusing book the title is a complete misnomer for there is not one jot or tittle of genuine information within its pages.  There are however excellent photographic illustrations of many of the above-named artistes.
See FOL De ROLS
 
COOTE, BERT (& CO) (1868-1938) 
A Lamb on Wall St 

COUCH, JANE (b1968)
The Fleetwood Assassin
After winning a sexual discrimination claim in 1997 Ms Couch became  the first woman to be granted a boxing licence by the BBBC.  The first professional female boxing match in the United Kingdom was Couch versus the eighteen-year-old Yugoslavian Simone Lukic, staged before a 1,500 crowd on Wednesday 25 November 1998 at Caesar's Palace in Streatham, South London.  This entry won by a technical knock-out in the second round and scooped £1,400 - considerably less than her discrimination award of £15,000.

COVAN, WILLIAM McKINLEY (1897-1989)
Poetry in Motion 
This bill-matter was also displayed by The Donna Sisters and by a gentleman called Maiberts.

COX TWINS, THE (fl.1930s-2006)
Frank (4 December 1920 - 7 November 2007) and Fred began their careers in 1932 with STEFFANI'S SONGSTERS. Married respectively Estelle and Pauline Miles, also identical twins. Estelle d. 30 Nov 1984 after which the survivors were k.a. the Cox Twins and Pauline.  See RAF GANG SHOWS.

CRASTONIANS, THE (fl 1930s)
In the programme for the 1938 Royal Variety Performance Vic and Joe Crastonian are billed as Almost a Musical Act.

CRAZY GANG, THE (fl1931-62)
Inspired by the free-wheeling plotless revues pioneered by NERVO & KNOX with EDDIE GRAY in the early 1920s, George Black presented his first Crazy Week at the London Palladium in November 1931, starring NERVO & KNOX, NAUGHTON & GOLD, and CARYLL & MUNDY.  Crazy Week became Crazy Month when FLANAGAN & ALLEN joined the team in June 1932.  The 1933 show ran for fourteen weeks and from then until the Blitz of 1940 the Crazy Gang remained in residence.  The first production to boast a title was the 1934 edition Life Begins at Oxford Circus.  CARYLL & MUNDY left shortly after FLANAGAN & ALLEN came on board, and prior contractual obligations kept the other regulars out of the shows from time to time.  One celebrated temporary replacement for Bud Flanagan was Stanley Holloway (1890-1982).  During Hitler's War the Gang split into its component parts, performing for ENSA all over Europe, with EDDIE GRAY roaming as far as the Middle East.  The first post-War Crazy Gang show was presented by Jack Hylton in 1947 and entitled Together Again.  The Gang now consisted of Bud Flanagan (Chesney Allen had retired for health reasons), NERVO & KNOX and NAUGHTON & GOLD, and the venue was the Victoria Palace, to be their home until the final production which closed in May 1962.
     EDDIE GRAY rejoined the team in 1951, still the lowest paid member; NERVO & KNOX were always the highest paid, as their top billing indicated.  Jimmy Gold's health caused him to miss most of the final two productions, though he did put in an appearance on the emotional last night of the last show.  We saw these veteran comics in 1959 and were amazed at their energy and  enthusiasm, even after a lifetime as laughter-makers, for the job in hand.

CROSSLEY, SYD  (fl c1910)
The Lonely Comic
A Syd Crossley appeared in the 1928 Frank Capra silent comedy movie That Certain Thing, though whether this was The Lonely Comic we do not know.  We simply record the names.

CRUIKSHANK, COMICAL (1875-1956)
The Fool of the Family 
Alfred Cruikshank was a keen Freemason.   His father, T. C. Cruikshank, was a singing clown who usually appeared as a woman on tall stilts.  Alfred was married to La Mio, a beauteous poseuse.

CUMMING, JOHN (fl1940s-50s)
Don Juan of Song
Don Juan Tenorio, the legendary hero of divers plays, stories and operas, wreaked his wiles upon the women of 14th century Seville, since when his name has been synonymous with heartless libertinism.

CUMMINGER, FRANK (1876/7-1944)
The Electric Sand Dancer
Displayed his art at the Hippodrome, Colchester, in March 1906.

CUNLIFFE, WHIT (1876-1966)
Brown, Bright and Breezy
The Modern Lion Comique
Mr Cunliffe was a dapper singer of bright and breezy songs some seventy of which are listed in Sing Us One of the Old Songs.  `Brown' meant alert. A 'lion comique' (the term originated in the 1860s) was a male performer of larger-than-life size personality, good looks and panache.
See CHRIS WORTMAN

CUNNINGHAM, MINNIE (1870-1954)
A Chip off the Old Block 
The Original Italian Girl
Much of Miss Cunningham's background remains cloudy when not contradictory.  That she was immortalised in poetry by Arthur Symons and on canvas by Walter Sickert is, however, irrefutable.

D

DAGMAR, ALEXANDRA (b. c1860)
The Favorite of the Czar
Little Ray of Sunshine
Dagmar was "a lady of immense size and vivacity".  She was a popular Principal Boy in pantomime at Drury Lane, and surely one of the most strapping.

DAINTY, BILLY (1927-86)
Going Mad - Coming?
Twinkling Feet
One of the very finest comedians of his generation, Mr Dainty's comic dancing was particularly admired.  Now that he is gone that style of expert physical comedy is a lost art.  The artiste left £273,575 but we would rather he were still with us.

D'ALBERT, GEORGE (1871-1949)
The Sunshine Chap 

DALE & O'MALLEY
The Somewhat Different Comedians

DARBAN, PHIL (fl.1940s-50s)
Matchless with Boomerangs

DARE, LEONA (1855-1922)
Queen of the Antille

D'AUBAN FAMILY, THE
Black & White
The Crichtons of the Day 
The original Admirable Crichton was a semi-legendary 16th century Scottish scholar and swordsman.  The singing and dancing D'Auban troupe included John (1841-1922) and his sisters Emma (d1910) and Marietta.  Further family details are given in Sing Us One of the Old Songs.

De BIERE, (ARNOLD) (1878-1934)
Prince of Entertainers and Entertainer of Princes

DECKERS, JEANINE (1933?-85)
The Singing Nun 

DECOURSEY, NETTIE (c1869-1964)
The Little Lady with the Big Voice
Family name: Nettie Jameson
Original singer of I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now.  Survived by her husband who must have been even more aged.

De GRAY, MILDRED HOWARD
America's Original Barefoot Dancer
So was this artiste billed in the (London) Entr'acte for 9 March 1906

DELANY, NORA (d1977)
The Girl in the Uniform
Married Prince Littler (1901-73), a leading theatrical impresario.

DeLEATH, VAUGHAN (1896-1943)
First Lady of Radio
The Original Radio Girl
Began broadcasting in New York in 1920 but was challenged in court to the title of First Lady of Radio by one Kate Smith.  Miss DeLeath triumphed.  A  generously-proportioned lady of great charm and with a crooning style perfectly suited to the poor reception of early commercial broadcasting, this artiste made hundreds of recordings.  She also composed many songs, the best-remembered  being I Wasn't Lying When I Said I Loved You.  Another claimant to being the first crooner was Marion Harris, died New York 24 April 1944.

De LEON, MILLIE (1870-1922)
The Girl in Blue 

DELEVINES, THE (FIVE) (est 1884)
Flirtations
Satanic Gambols
Dan Haytor (1862-1944), his wife Annie Wilson (c1867-1919) and his brothers Percy and Harry (d. 24 Jan 1936), later joined by Letitia Minnie Winterton (d. 12 May 1911) and her sister (Nellie?).  From 1911-14 The Four Delevines included Albert Darnley jnr (Albert Dennis Darnley McCarthy, b1898) whose mother was Emily Delevanti.  Other "Delevines" were Harry Cooper and Percy Wilkinson (d. 24 March 1938). 

DELVAINE, DOT (b1926)
Glamour in Miniature
Family name: Dorothy Thirlwall (Mrs F. C. Timbs)

De LYLE, WYN (1903-53)
Britain's Premier Lady Ventriloquist
Born Winifred Fox in Sheffield.  Also publicised herself as Society Conjuror and Paper Manipulation.

DENIS, JOHNNY (b1913)
...and his Ranchers 

DENNIS, DENNY (1903-93)
The English Troubador 
At one time with the Roy Fox band

DEVANT, DAVID (1868-1941)
Ombromaneur
An ombromaneur is one who demonstrates ombromanie, or shadowgraphy.  Mr Devant was also a magician and an origami specialist. 
See THEO BAMBERG

DILLER, PHYLLIS (b1917)
The First Lady of Stand-Up
Our very own Margi Clark once said "I don't do stand-up.  I lie on me back wi' me legs open..."

DORVILLES, THE KEN (fl c1950)
Ability with Agility

DOUBLES, CHARLIE (fl1930s-40s)
Enough to make a Cat Laugh 

DOWLER & WHITE (fl1932-46)
A Whirlwind of Wit
Cyril Dowler (1906-86) and Kay White (1901-96).  Cyril's second wife was Rhoda Rogers (1927-1976), with whom he toured in the 1950s.

DOWNEY & DAYE (fl1939-50s)
A Whirl, A Twirl and a Girl
John S. Downey (Mitchell) (b1909) and Lynda Daye (b1920)

DOYLE, BUNNNY (1896-1955)
Minister of Idiotic Affairs
Awarded Croix de Guerre for bravery in World War I.  A concert party and revue stalwart, this entry appeared with The Ideals (1922), La Petit Cabaret (1922), The Love Doctor (1925, The Punch Bowl (1927), Full Speed (1929), Hooradio (1932), Jubilee Revels (1935), Rates and Taxes (1936), Hot Punch (1940).  Mr Doyle was also a celebrated pantomime comedian.

DREW, PADDY (b1896)
Drawing the Laughs

DUDLEY, JOHN (b1933)
Komedy with Kandles
This act performed with a partner, name not known.  Mr Dudley is still an active magician and puppeteer.

DUKES, RONNIE & LEE, RICKI (fl1960s-70s)
Ronnie (1932-81) and wife Ricki (1938-86) Dukes.  The act included sons Don (drummer) and Perry (guitarist), also Ricki's mother Violet (pianist).  Although often referred to in the Press as The King and Queen of Clubland the Dukes' use of this soubriquet as bill-matter is uncertain.

DULAY, BENSON & COMPANY (1896-1991)
The Sorcerer & His Apprentices

DURANTE, TED & GEORGE
Music Hall's Ace Acrobats
In the late 1950s Ted Durante (1926-2009) teamed up with his wife (1925-2007) as Ted Durante and Hilda.

DURBANO, SONNY (fl c1930s)
The Pocket Pianist

DUVAL, ADE (1898-1965)
A Rhapsody in Silk
Was this the Duval who in 1947 was billing himself as The Opti-Mystic?

DYER, BOB (d. 1965)
The Last of the Hill-Billies
But Homer & Jethro outlived him by six and twenty-four years respectively, and HARRY LESTER by twenty-eight years.

E

EARL, ROY (1929-2002)
The Boy Magician
Once broke both legs attempting a LITTLE TICH routine.

EATOCK, BIG BILL (fl 1940s)
You'd Be Surprised

ECKSTEIN, BILLY (c1890-1963)
Mr Fingers
Mr Eckstein, though primarily celebrated as a balladeer, was no slouch on the eighty-eights.

EDGAR, J. MARRIOTT (1880-1951)
The Man in Red
Half-brother of Edgar Wallace.  Writer and performer of monologues including The Lion And Albert, Marksman Sam, and The Runcorn Ferry.

EDGE, JACK (1891-1978)
The Brighter London Comedian
The Irresponsible 
The Royal Jester
See CASEY'S COURT, EIGHT LANCASHIRE LADS

EDWARDS, C. E. (d. 1915) 
The Happy Tramp
See NAT M. WILLS

EDWARDS, JIMMY (1920-88)
We once appeared with this entry as a Russian bodyguard in Whack O!, live on BBCtv from the Shepherd's Bush Empire.  This robust brass-playing comedian, the only Oxford University Master of Arts on the Halls, left nearly a quarter of a million pounds.

EIGHT BLACK STREAKS OF DANCE (fl1920s)
Sixteen Happy Feet 

EIGHT LANCASHIRE LADS, THE (fl1896-c1930)
Established by John William Jackson snr.  Original troupe:  John William jr (d1952), his brothers Herbert, Alfred and Stephen with their sister Rosie.  Making up the eight were George Cawley with his twin brothers Jim and Billy, one of whom fell ill and was replaced by (Sir) CHARLES CHAPLIN.  Later Lads were JACK EDGE and Tommy Handley (1894-1949).

ELLINGTON, DUKE (1899-1974)
Harlems's Aristocrat of Jazz

ELLIOTT, CHIC(K ) (b1900)
Dixie's Red Hot Mammy
Born Violet Wooll in Sydney, Australia.  Also appeared in black face billed as The Chocolate Drop.

ELLIOTT, JIMMY (fl mid-20thC)
Animal Mimic

ELLIS, DON (d. 1978) 
The Commissionaire Impressionist 

ELTINGE, JULIAN (1883-1941)
Mr Lillian Russell
In her heyday Lillian Russell (1861-1922) was the undisputed queen of American musical comedy. 
See MAUD HOBSON

ELTON, FRED (1931-60) 
Fun on the Ocean Wave

ENGLISH, ARTHUR (1919-1995)
Prince of the Wide Boys
A wide boy was a shady wheeler-dealer, a spiv.  This entry's kipper ties and fast patter made him a favourite comic on radio and the variety stage in the late 1940s, invariably finishing his turn with a rapid incomprehensible jumble of words out of which came, 'I dunno what I'm taling about. Play the music - open the cage...!'

EMMETT, FRANKIE (1876-1911)
The Little Girl with the Big Voice

ENA (1906-2004)
The First Lady of the Organ
Queen of the Keyboard
Ena Rosina Baga played for cine-variety and provided extempore accompaniments to silent movies. Her sister, Florence de Jong, also achieved considerable distinction in these fields. 

ETHERDO (1834-1916)
The Chameleon's Glen
Family name: John Johnson
See Mr HYMACK, DAN HARVEY

EVANS, DIXIE LEE (b1926)
The Marilyn Monroe of Burlesque

EVELYN, CORA (d1914)
The Military Girl 
In similar vein was Eva Mudge The Military Girl.

EVERLEIGH, KATE  (fl 1870s-80s)
The Pet of Park Lane

F

FALAHA, Mr
From The Era 26 October 1851 (p10):
'London Pavilion - A novel feature in the performance was that of Mr Falaha, the Wooden Legged Dancer, as he is called, which, considering his age, weight, and loss of limb, was a feat of grace and agility...This gentleman has other claims on public notice than his theatrical performances.  A son of the Army, he was born in the 93rd Regiment of Highlanders, with which he afterwards served.  In the 40th Regiment of Foot he passed the meridian of his life, and was, in 1827, the principal means, by personal exertion, in taking the notorious M'Cabe, the bushranger, in Macquarie Plains, Van Dieman's Land.'

FALCONS, THE (fl.1950s-60s)
Dancers in the "Roar" 
Also sometimes billed as Laughter in the Roar.  See DAVE & JOE O'GORMAN
.
FALLA, CHAS
The Shrinkable Comedian

FANNAN, PETER (1899-49) 
The (E)Rector of Laughs
After his wife's death in 1939 Peter jnr worked with a new partner as Peter & Joan Fannan, appearing as flower-sellers with Peter in drag.  His father Peter Fannan snr (1870-1961) worked an act with his brother James Foreman k.a. Percy & Harold The Two Millionaires.  Foreman & Fannan were also billed as The Smells (Swells?) of Mayfair.  Other siblings on the Halls were FRANK SEELEY and Fred Hallam who originally worked together as Heeley & Hallam.

FARRELL, (ONE) BILLY
The Encyclopaedia of Coonology
In 1906 this artiste was advertised as `Touring' but not `At Liberty' until 1910.

FARRELL, MINNIE (d1941) 
The Electric Light 
See TROJA

FARRIMOND, PERCY (fl1880s-90s)
The Singing Collier
An earlier singing collier was John Rhodes (d. 1 August 1850) 

FARRINGTON, CHARLES (1878-1948)
The Jolly Englishman

FAY, ANN
The Pride of Broadway
Also worked a tumbling act with husband Raymond WHITELEY (b1915) as The Sensational Shermans.

FAY, ELFIE (1881-1927) 
The Only Brazilian Nut in Captivity 

FAYNE & EVANS
Tony Fayne (b.1924) and David Evans (1922-80)
Article and repertoire in Music Hall Studies Number 3.
See www.musichallstudies.co.uk

FELDMAN, MARTY (1933-82)
The Gargoyle with Legs
The Frozen Nightmare
From the age of 28 Mr Feldman suffered from hyperthyroidism, a condition which accounted for his alarmingly goggle-eyed look.

FERGUSON, JIMMIE (fl c1930)
The Chocolate Dandy Comedian 

FERN, SABLE (1876-1942)
A Prize Packet of Ability 

FINGLASS, TOM E. (b1885)
The (Original) Cowboy Coon 
In 1942 appeared in the film biog of Leslie Stuart You Will Remember as EUGENE STRATTON.
For other "Coons" see G. H. ELLIOTT

FISHER'S, J. SHERMAN
16 Crazy Gangsteresses
So billed at the Hippodrome, Southampton, for the w/c 12 March 1934.  See THE TILLER GIRLS

FITZ, JIM  (fl c1940s)
Is That You?

FLEMING, MARC (b1926)
Your Very Own Auntie Flo
The Tart with a Heart

FLORY, REGINE (1894-1926)
The blazingly glamorous dancer, in despair at losing her drawing power, shot herself in Sir Alfred Butt's office in Drury Lane.

FLOWER, WILLIAM (fl late 19th century)
The Singing Greengrocer

FOL De ROLS, THE (fl1911-75)
The most venerable concert party of them all was founded by George Royle at the Floral Hall, Scarborough, in 1911 and taken over in 1919 by Greatrex Newman (1893-1984), a prolific writer of songs and sketches.  It was Newman who made the Fols a national institution, with companies in Eastbourne, Hastings, Llandudno, and Sandown.  In 1951 they reached the West End at the St Martin's Theatre and in 1960 the company had the honour of being included in the Royal Variety Show.  That same year Newman handed over to Hugh Charles (co-writer of There'll Always be an England and We'll Meet Again) who ran the shows for a further fourteen years.  The Fols' last performance was at the De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill, at the end of the 1975 summer season - an unparalleled run of sixty-four years.
    The muster-roll of performers who started their careers with the Fols includes DON ARROL, ARTHUR ASKEY, ERIC BARKER, LESLIE CROWTHER, CYRIL FLETCHER, Bill Fraser (1908-87), Pearl Hackney (Mrs ERIC BARKER), Harry Hanson, Doris Hare (1906-2000), GEORGE LACY, TOM MENNARD, Richard Murdoch (1907-90), DAVID NIXON, JACK TRIPP, JACK WARNER, Mona Washbourne (1903-88), Dorothy Wayne, ELSIE & DORIS WATERS, Kathleen West (1906-96) and Denny Willis (1920-95).  With these last two artistes we worked in pantomime; we have to report that Miss West's eccentricities as dame in Tom Thumb (see JIMMY CLITHEROE) were not an undiluted success.
See THE CO-OPTIMISTS, SPLINTERS

FOOTE, SAMUEL (1720-77)
The English Aristophanes
Father of Burlesque
Aristophanes (c448-c380 BC, Greek comic dramatist and poet.  See PHILIP ASTLEY for other 'Fathers', also JOHN BROUGHAM.

FORD, HARRY (1875-1955)
The Inquisitive One 
The Logical Comedian

FOREMAN & FARREN  - see PETER FANNAN

FOWLER, GUS 
The Watch King 
Always Doing Time 
Birmingham born.  President of the British Magical Society 1919-21 and 1927-8. Specialised in illusions with watches and clocks.

FOX, JANET
Pulling the Strings
Another puppeteer, Rene Strange, displayed identical bill-matter.

FOY, EDDIE (1856-1928)
...and the Seven Little Foys
Fun in the Foy Family
Slumwhere in New York
Family name: Edwin Fitzgerald.  First appeared in vaudeville with his children 1913.

FOYS, THE FIVE  (fl1900s)
The First of April (Tom Foy and a Donkey)
Fun in a Fiacre 
Family troupe which included Tom's wife Ernestine Matthews.
See TOM FOY

FOY, TOM  (1879-1917)
The Yorkshire Lad 
See THE FIVE FOYS

FRANCIS, SYD (1943-2006)
Britain's Wonder Boy Trumpeter
Forsook the trumpet to become a comic

FRANCOIS, JACK (1911-97)
Anything Goes 

FRANKLIN, IRENE (1876-1941)
The Most Popular Woman Vaudeville Artiste

FRASER'S HARMONICA GANG, MORTON
You Won't Stop Laughing
Eight-handed act founded by Morton Fraser (Emmanuel Fish - 1905-82) after World War II and a stint in STARS IN BATTLEDRESS.  Ran until the 1960s.  Personnel over the years included Don Cameron, Ronnie Cresswell, Jim Garside, Ken Howell, Michael Jackson, Stan Kaye, Dave King, Nat Lees, Peter March, Clem Ratcliffe, Walter John (Tiny) Ross,  Tony Rouse, Henry Samuels, Harry Simms, and Johnny Stafford.  Three others, Gordon Mills, Don Paul, and Ronnie Wells formed their own act called The Viscounts.

FREEMAN, GORDON  (fl1920s-30s)
The World's Worst Inventor

FREEMAN, HARRY (1858-1922)
Member No 1 of the Grand Order of Water Rats

FRIGANZA, TRIXIE (1870-1955)
The Champagne Girl
My Little Bag O' Trix

FRISCO, JOE (1890-1958)
Creator of the Jazz Dance
Family name: Marie Louise Fuller

FROWDE, JAMES (1831-99)
A Man of Many Forms

FULLER, LOIE (1861-1928)
Butterfly Clouds
Also danced to such titles as Fire and Lily.
Family name: Marie Louise Fuller

G

GARDNER, CHARLES A. (1847-1924)
The Sweet Singer of the Fatherlands 
a.k.a. Karl Gardner

GAYE, GLORIA  (fl1940-50s)
...and her Glamour Girls Band
...and her All Ladies Orchestra
Sweet Music and Hot Rhythm
a.k.a. Gloria Gaye All Girls Band
Family name: Marjorie Newman

GIBSON, PERLA SIEDLE (1888-1971)
The Lady in White 
Mrs Gibson is the only artiste in this archive whose memory is honoured by a public statue (in Durban, South Africa).

GIRARD, GILBERT
The Human Harp
So billed at the Canterbury, 1906 (see Era 26 May).

GILLINGS, DAVE (1864-1947)
The London Musical Comedian 
a.k.a. GEORGE MOZART

GLENN, ROSA (b1870) 
Cornet and Coach Horn Soloist 

GLOSSOP & WEBB (fl1941-50s)
Stars without Stripes 
Barney Glossop (né Fox) (b1906) and Olive Webb (b1922)

GODFREY, TOMMY (d. 24 June 1884)
The Perfect Fool
See ED WYNN

GOLDBERG, MAX (1905-90)
The Canadian Cockney 

GOLDFADEN, ABRAHAM (1840-1908)
The Yiddish Shakespeare

GOLDIN, HORACE  (1873-1939)
The King's Magician (from 1902)
The Peerless Illusionist
The Royal Illusionist (from 1902)

GOLDING, JOYCE (b1922)
Creating an Impression
This bill-matter also used by MAX BYGRAVES.  In 1949 Miss Golding married Captain Freddie Squires (1918-55), brother of DOROTHY SQUIRES

GONELLA, NAT (1908-98)
...and his Georgians
Britain's Ace Trumpeter
Britain's Hottest Quintette
The British Red-Hot Combination
Played in bands led by BILLY COTTON, Roy Fox, and LEW STONE

GOODWRIGHT, PETER
It's Only Me

GORDON, ARCHIE (fl1940s-50s)
The Star Boarder from Colney Hatch
Colney Hatch in North London was celebrated for its lunatic asylum.

GORDON, BERT (c1895-1974)
The Mad Russian

GORDON & COLVILLE
Vic Gordon (b1911) and Peter Colville  (b1918)

GOSNEY, BARRIE "Twinkletoes" (b.1926)
The Droll Scamp

GRAHAM (fl c1890s-1910s)
...and his novel Fantoché act
The Human Marionette
The Liliputian Wonder
Impersonated Leybourne, Vance, Robey, Tich, Lauder, Coborn, etc.

GRANADAS, EL (fl1929-50s)
Gaucho Stars
Mexican Speciality
With Their Ropes & Whips
Husband & wife team: Cecil (1903-71) and Lila (b1908), originally k.a. La-Rope & Lady.  From 1943 the act included their son (b1928) and was k.a. EL GRANADAS & PETER; in 1949 they were joined by his wife Dorothy (b1928).

GRANDE & MARS
Not Quite Themselves
Gary Grande (d. 13 August 1987) and David Mars

GRAY, GILDA (1901-59)
Queen of the Shimmy
Orig. k.a. Mary Gray

GREENE, GENE (1881-1930)
The Ragtime King
` - whose sensational personality and style conquered America - causing overflowing Houses everywhere he appeared.  His thousand and one inflections of voice, his electric mannerisms, the fascinating verve and swing of time and tune make each song by him a living riot of tune and wit. His recent success at the Palace Theatre was truly phenomenal. '   From advertisement in The Play Pictorial for January/February 1913 (number 127.)

GREENFIELD, ELIZABETH (1807-76)
The Black Swan

GREGORY, DAN (1874-1955)
The Royal Clown
Sometimes billed with his wife as Dan Gregory & Lydia (née Maldavan).  Raymond Daniel Gregory was a son of Mdme GREGORY.

GREY, NIXON (fl1920s-30s)
The Comedian who Goes wherever He Goes 

GRIBBON, HARRY (1886-1961)
Silk Hat Harry

GRIMALDIS, THE
Kenneth Austin a.k.a. Ken Ashton (1911-99) and his wife Audrey (1917-99) (née Vera Grimaldi).  In 1954 Audrey was billed at Chessington Zoo, Surrey, as The Queen of Versatility and Kenneth as The King of the Clowns.   Both were killed in a car crash in Florida.
See GROCK, BEBE NORMA, THE FOUR BROWNIE BOYS.

GROCK (1880-1959)
King of the Clowns 
Family name: Karl Adrian Wettach
See THE GRIMALDIS, DAN RICE

GWYN, FRED (fl 1930s)
The Clown Prince
See WYN CALVIN

H

HADJI-ALI  (1892-1937)
The Amazing Regurgitator
The Egyptian Enigma
See MAC NORTON.  Also see http://www.mikedash.com/extras_water_spout.htm

HAGUE, CHARLES (30 Jan 1896 - 5 Aug 1993)
Something New in Ventriloquism
This entry spent nearly twenty-four years as a police officer before turning pro.  He flourished on the Halls 1944-c55.

HAGUE, CLARENCE
Gems from Shakespeare's Diadem

HAIG & HAIG (fl c1900)
Spirits of Fun
Brothers Tom and Will Haig

HALA (fl c1880-1908)
The Shooting Star 
Family name: Robert Barton

HALL, GEORGE F. (1867-1934)
The Yankee Story Teller

HANDLEY, TOMMY (1894-1949)
The Disorderly Room 
This was his most celebrated sketch prior to his legendary wartime radio series ITMA ("It's That Man Again" - a reference to one Adolf Hitler).  The sketch was written by Eric Blore, later to make a corner in snooty butlers in Hollywood.

HARMONICA RASCALS  (fl1926-50s)
Originally k.a. Borrah Minevitch's Harmonica Rascals.  Founded by Minevitch (1904?-55) in 1926. From 1939 led by Johnny Puleo (1907-83).
See LARRY ADLER, RONALD CHESNEY, THE THREE MONARCHS

HARRIS, DOREEN (1914-2003)
A Sweetheart of Song
For several years this entry was the companion of the comedian Leon Cortez.

HARRIS, DUMP (& PARTNER)  (fl1950s)
Britain's Laurel & Hardy
Ralph Harris (b1907).  Stan Laurel (1890-1965) and Oliver Hardy (1892-1957) were the cinema's most popular comedy duo.  Mr Harris impersonated Mr Hardy and his partner, sometimes billed as Stan, essayed Mr Laurel.

HARRIS, FREDDIE & CHRISTINE
There a Trick In It
Mr Harris' dates are 1908-92

HARRIS, JERRY (fl c1950)
Born to Impress

HARRITY, RICHARD (1807-73)
Boy Wonder 

HARVEY BOYS, THE CELEBRATED
Boxing Comedians, Patterers and Dancers
Edward (d. 24 August 1906) and Frank? (d. 14 February 1942)

HARVEY, CHARLIE (d. 16 December 1945(?))
The King of Pierrots
Spent many years with Adeler & Sutton Pierrots.

HATTON, WILL & MANNERS, ETHEL (fl1932-47)
Hot Dogs of Comedy
Will Hatton (d. 1947) & Ethel Manners (d. 1956)
See JOE YOUNG

HAVERLY'S MASTODONS (fl1878-85)
Forty Minstrels - Count 'Em!  Forty!
Established by Christopher Haverly (1837-1901) the troupe was also k.a. Haverly's American United Mastodon Minstrels.  Two members who came over to Britain and stayed were R. G. KNOWLES and EUGENE STRATTON.  In the early 1880s Mr Haverly briefly ran Haverly's Coloured Minstrels, the first of such companies to feature actual black artistes.

HAWTHORNE, SISTERS
The Willow Pattern Plate
Noted at the London Hippodrome, Jan 1901

HAYES, EDMUND J. (1866-1921)
The Wise Guy 

HAZARD, HAP (fl1930s)
Careless Comedian 
Mr Hazard was a wire-walker

HAZEL, AGNES (1867-1913)
A Bonnie Bough Of British Beauty
Beauty, Grace & Talent
Married to MICHAEL NOLAN

HEART, JAN & KELLY (fl.1960s)
Two Hearts with a Crazy Mixed-up Beat
a.k.a. Jan & Kelly.  These ladies were Helen Wilson and June Hunt, the latter nowadays far better k.a. Jan Hunt.

HEATON, TONY (1905-65)
The Gloom Chaser
Never a Dull Moment

HECATE (1850-1902)
Possibly a chapeaugrapher
See FELICIEN TREWEY

HEELEY & MARBA (fl1890s-1900s)
The Two Original Cocoanuts

HEPBURN BROTHERS, THE (fl1930s)
James Hepburn (1907-95) and his younger brother John.  Originally k.a. The Two Madisons

HERITAGE, JOE (& CO) (fl1940s-50s)
The Home Guards who wouldn't Stand Down 

HERMAN, THE GREAT (MAX)  (fl1926-46)
a.k.a. George Franklin (1887-1954)
Not to be confused with the next entry.

HERRMANN, ALEXANDER (1844-96)
Trans-Atlantique Vaudevilles
Sometimes styled The Great Herrman or Professor Herrmann, this entry should not be confused with The  Professor Eugene Hermann or with the previous entry.  When Herr Herrmann died his widow Adelaide Herrmann (1854-1932) took over the act, as did the relicts of Leopold Fregoli (1867-1936) and CARL HERTZ and the daughter of Cingalee (see ROY LESTER).   Alexander Herrmann's uncle Professor Carl Herrmann (1821-87) was also a magician, as was his nephew Leon Herrmann (1867-1909). 
See HOWARD THURSTON

HIGGINS, CHARLIE (1897-1978)
A Fool if Only He Knew It

HIGGINS, JOHN (d1935) 
The Human Kangaroo 

HILTON, SAM (1885-1956)
The (Cheerful) Chap in Chintz

HILTON, TODERICK (fl c1950)
The Singing Jackaroo

HINDE, JOAN
Britain's Premiere Lady Trumpet Player

HINDUSTANIS, THE SEVEN ROYAL (fl late 19th cent.)
Stand up and Sing

HOBSON, MAUD
The English Lillian Russell
Niece of John Hollingshead (1826-1904), theatrical manager and playwright.  Lillian Russell (1861-1922) was the leading American musical comedy artiste of her day.
See JULIAN ELTINGE

HODGKINSON, JOHN (d. 1805)
The Provincial Garrick
David Garrick (1717-79) was incomparably the finest actor of his day.
See CHARLES LAURI jnr

HOLLAND, WILLIAM (1837-95)
The People's Caterer 
Earned his title not as a performer but as a Music Hall manager, impresario and entrepreneur.

HOLT, CLARANCE (1826-1903)
England's Humourist 
Declaimed bleeding chunks of Dickens and Shakespeare under such titles as All The World's a Stage, Cameos from Dickens, Shadows of the Past, and Shakespeare at Home. 

HOLT & MAURICE (fl 1930s-50s) 
Shredded Wit 
Louis Holt and Bert Maurice

HOMER & JETHRO
The Thinking Man's Hillbillies 
Jenry D. Haynes (1920-71) and Kenneth Barnes (1920-89)
See BIG BILL CAMPBELL, BOB DYER, HARRY LESTER.

HOPE, NAT & RAY, DOREEN (fl1923-40 and 1949-50s)
Just a Friendly Argument
Wagsters & Gagsters 
Frederick Gould (b1896) and his wife.  Originally k.a. Nat & Doreen Brennan.  As a solo performer Mr Hope billed himself as The Comfortable Comedian.  His grandfather wss CHARLES SLOMAN.

HOPPING, BERT (b1892)
The Australian Singing Cartoonist
A Mountain of Mirth

HOUGHTON, A. B. (1866-1925)
Upside-down trick pianist.  Latterly also worked under his real name of Stanley Waller Buttons at the Piano.
See Will H. Fox (WINIFRED ATWELL)

HOWARD, BILLY (1903-52)
United Notions
Member number 200 of the Grand Order of Water Rats.

HOWARD, JENNY (1902-96)
The Generator of Electric Radiance

HUGH, FRED (b1899)
High, Wide and Humorous
Family name: Frederick Hugh Ling

HULLETT, CICELY
The Essence of Comedy

HURLEY, JOAN (fl1930s-50s)
Big Bundle of Fun 

HYLTON, JACK (1892-1965)
The Singing/Golden-Voiced Mill Boy (as a child)
Bolton-born Jack Hilton initially achieved celebrity as a dance-band leader - in 1929 his records sold six million in one month alone.  At one time his featured singer was Doreen Stephens (1922-65) and the band included JACK JACKSON and Paul Fenhoulet (of the SKYROCKETS ORCHESTRA).  By 1940 he had abandoned the baton to become an impresario, reuniting the CRAZY GANG at the Victoria Palace in 1947.  His lack of height, podgy figure and pudgy face belied an exceptionally amorous nature, and he lived in a maelstrom of carnality.  This entry's first wife, the formidable Ennis Parkes (c1882-1957), toured her own band as Mrs Jack Hylton's Orchestra.  His second wife, thirty-nine years his junior, was Australian model and beauty queen, Beverley Prowse (1932-2000).  One of his singers was his sister Dolly Elsie (1916-61), whose husband Hugh Ferry ran his business empire.  Dolly also sang with BILLY COTTON.  Mr Hylton left £242,228.
Also see MAGGIE WALSH.

I

INCLEDON, CHARLES (1763-1826)
The Wandering Melodist

J

JACKLEY & JEE
Happy-go-Lucky
Seen on a poster for the Palace Huddersfield, March 14th.,1949.  Possibly  Joy Jackley (sister of NAT JACKLEY) and her husband Seth Jee (d1972).

JACKSON, ED & BROWN, DOT (fl c1940s)
Doughboy meets Doughgirl 
Jackson was possibly Eddie Jacobs (1896-1980)

JACKSON, ERNEST
Asking for Trouble

JACKSON, JACK (1906-78)
Quiet, Tiddles
This London born trumpeter began his working life with all the leading Metropolitan dance bands, including Ambrose and JACK HYLTON.  In 1932 Mr Jackson was running his own band at the Dorchester Hotel, also playing in shows, revues and variety (one of his singers was SAM COSTA).  By degrees this entry became something of a radio personality, his late night radio programme Record Round Up being especially popular.  In 1949 he returned to variety as a single act - we clearly remember his surprising capacity for what is now known as gurning - but remained a popular broadcaster till his death.  "Quiet, Tiddles" was a catch-phrase.

JANE and her dog Fritzi (fl1940s-50S)
...of the Daily Mirror
The second and tremendously successful model for Norman Betts' cartoon character Jane was Mrs Chrystabel Leighton-Porter (1913-2000), a beautiful blonde who in 1939 at the London Palladium was voted Britain's Perfect Girl.  Her enormous contribution to maintaining the morale of British troops was recognised by Churchill himself when he described her as `Britain's secret weapon'.

JAY, LARRY (d. 16 January 1961)
Actions Speak Louder Than Words

JEANS, Professor WALTER CERETTA (c1877-1942)
My Head and Hands Against the World 
This entry was obliged to give up performing due to a skin disease of the hands caused by his original occupation as a metal moulder in West Bromwich.  He then managed The Panoptican, a Leeds magic shop cum museum-waxworks-peepshow.  His wife was Mdme Veronica (also d1942) a palmist whose real name was Edith. 

JEES, THE (FIVE)
The Musical Smithy
Extended family of entertainers including James Henry (1849-1906), Joseph (1841-90), Frederick (1870-1932), James H. (1873-1930), Harry (d. 7 July 1934), Frederick (1932-68).
See EGBERT BROTHERS

JOHNSON, Professor (1838-77)
The African Hercules 
Hercules was a legendary Graeco-Roman hero of superhuman strength.  Similar claimants to inordinate musculatory power were George Frowde (b1832) and John Marx (fl c1900) who like EUGENE SANDOW were billed as The Modern Hercules. Peter Ducrow (1765-1815) - father of Andrew Ducrow - was The Flemish Hercules and Fred Paulsen The American Hercules.  Finally we note the existence of Mr William Bankier (1872-1949) who described himself, and who shall say him nay?, as The Scottish Hercules.

JONES & THOMAS (fl1930s-50s)
Men were Deceivers Ever
Domestic turmoil act

JOY, JENNIE (fl1880s)
Everybody's Joy 
Married Arthur Craven (John Edward Davies) (d. 20 April 1894)

JOY, PAULINE (fl late1940s)
Playing the late Teddy Brown's Xylophone
See TEDDY BROWN

JOYCE, ARCHIBALD
The English Waltz King 

JOYCE, TEDDY (1904-41)
 ...and his Girl Friends
Family name: Edmund John Cuthbertson

K

KAYE, JOE (d. 25 December 1987)
The Wonder Fool

KEAN, KEMBLE (b1899)
Public Nuisance No 1 
Family name: Thomas William Bourne

KEAN & MATHER (fl1930s-40s)
"Wit" and "It" 
Ken Kean and Laurel Mather

KEARTON, CHERRY (d. 25 June 1915)
The Man who Dared 
A celebrated explorer and lecturer.

KELLER, JULES  (fl. c1890s)
Pedomanual Phenomenon
This artiste was born without the use of his legs;  his act demonstrated remarkable manual strength and dexterity.

KELLINOS, THE
Alfred (c1825-93), James jr (1869-1942), Venetia, William Philip (b1872) who married Bella Fothergill of THE FOTHERGILL FAMILY, Jack(?) (1875-1927).  Also Bob Kellino, clown, noted at J. H.Cooke's Circus, Edinburgh, 1889-90 season.

KELLY, WALTER C. (1873-1939)
The Virginia Judge 

KENDAL, ALEC (d. 1945)
Simply Natural
Comedian and songwriter - "I'm Twenty-One Today" (1911) being his best remembered opus.

KENNA, CHARLES (1859-1929)
Street Fakir
a.k.a. Charles A. Mack.  The American periodical Variety printed two obituaries, the second giving this entry's date of birth as 1874 which, since he married in 1886, is obviously wrong.

KENNA, CON (& PILOT)
The Flying Fools
The Funny Airman (Airmen)
Sky-Larking
Up The Pole 
Con Kenna (né Fredericks) (1889-1953) and Jim Graham (d. 16 November 1942).
Sometimes the act was billed as The Kenna Brothers or Con Kenna & Partner.  In 1947 Mr Kenna appeared, somehow, at the London Casino in Mother Goose. 

KENNEDY, JEAN (1897-1965)
Scotland's Queen of Comedy

KENWAY & YOUNG (fl1930s-40s)
Very Tasty - Very Sweet
Nan Kenway (1905-2001) and her husband Douglas Young

KERSAN (d. July 1915)
The Shining Star of Black Minstrelsy 

KEYS, THE FOUR (fl1940s-50s)
Locked in Harmony

KING, BEN (d. 6 April 1894)
The Michigan Bard
a.k.a. Bow Hackley

KING, CHRIS (& PARTNER)  (b c1910)
You Take a Piece of Paper
Family name: Charles Dennison

KING, GERRY  (fl1950s-60s)
Out of Thin Air

KING, JAMES (fl c1870s-80s)
Bottle Equilibrist 

KING, JOE (1900-67)
Family name: Cecil Emmott

KING, RANDOLPH (fl1910s)
The One Man Programme

KISBEY (1879-1968)
The Call Boy
Herbert Joseph Kisbey, comedian. Born Kent, England.

KORAN, AL (1916-71)
Television's Man of Magic
The World's Fastest Mind Reader 
Family name: Edward Doe
See THE BEWILDERING ZODIAS

KRANDON & KARNA (fl 1939-67)
Art in the Balance
Life in the Balance
Norman Krandon (27 November 1906 - 19 April 1967) and Mrs Krandon (b.15 November 1916)

KUNZ, CHARLES (1896-1958)
Clap Hands - Here Comes Charlie
Radio's Wizard of The Piano
A man for whom the word dapper might have been invented, this musician tended to play in old-fashioned Chopin rhythmic style, with the left hand slightly preceding the right.  Kunz rhymes with prunes.
See WINIFRED ATWELL

L

LABOUCHERE, HENRY (1831-1912)
Bounding Buck of Babylon
Liberal MP, Radical MP, editor, wit, diplomatist, but best remembered for introducing a Parliamentary amendment which condemned male homosexuals to eighty years of furtive criminality. The bill-matter refers to his time as a circus acrobat.  Married to the actress Henrietta Hodson (1841-1910).

LAHR & MERCEDES
What's the Idea? 
Bert Lahr (1895-1967) - the Cowardly Lion in The Wizard of Oz - and his first wife Mercedes Delpino (1897-1965).

LAIDLER, FRANCIS (1870-1955)
The King of Pantomime
Producer of the nation's finest pantomimes.  Married GWLADYS STANLEY.

LAINE, FRANKIE (1913-2007)
Mr Rhythm

LAMAR, LEONA (d. 1941)
The Girl of the 1,000 Eyes

LAMBERT & ROSS (fl c1968-88)
Willie Ross (1938-2000)

LANE, SANDY (1908-84)
Yorkshire Relish

LA RUE, DANNY (b1927)
After service in the Royal Navy this entry made his professional début in Soldiers in Skirts. We once asked Mr La Rue what his bill-matter had been in the dear dead days of Variety. "Oh, I never had any bill-matter," came the airy reply. "I was always just Danny La Rue...!  That was all I needed."
See TED ROGERS

LAUBE, MAX
The Human Bird

LA VIER, JACK & MORGAN, RUTHIE (fl1934-48)
The Man on the Flying Trapeze
La Vier's family name: John W. Cover (1897-1967)
See LEOTARD, JULES

LAWRENCE, CURLY (b1913)
England's Craziest High Diver
Also one of The Saltos, his own comedy trampolinist troupe

LAYTON & JOHNSTONE (fl1922-35)
Turner Layton (1894-1978) and Clarence `Tandy' Johnstone (d. 1953)

LEAMY, THE SISTERS (fl c1900)
Electric Revolving Cycle Trapeze Act
Noted at the Empire, Sept 1899

LEE, GERRY (1917-99)
A Kitten Among Cats 
Legendary pantomime cat.  Also circus horse rider.

LEE, LES (d. 6 Feb 1945)
Versatility Unlimited 
Family name: Haselden

LENTINI, FRANAK (1889-1966)
The Three-Legged Football Player
This entry also enjoyed a complete double set of genitalia.

LEON & LUCETTE
A Brother to Assist 'Er
This bill-matter is a play on the celebrated 1910 Drury Lane sketch A Sister To Assist 'Er.

LEONIE, ANNIE
The Tinker's Sweetheart
m. Edward Colley (d. 15 January 1899)

LERONI
The Man with the Iron Jaw
Rannin the Cingalese was The Man with the Iron Skin; for other iron usages see Signor BARNATO etc

LESTER, CLAUDE (fl1920s-30s)
Manufacturer of Mirth
Assisted by Doreen Andree

LESTER, HARRY (1895-1993)
...and his Hayseeds
Early Country & Western band which included Goofus and Arabella.  This team were popular broadcasters whose hill-billy style was no bar to appearances in pantomime.  And why should it have been?  The Hayseeds included Jackie Dawson, Glyn Evans, Duggie Dufton, Eddie Goofus Brown, George Hopkins, Syd Snow, and Jimmy Gilbert aka Ferdi the Frog.
See BIG BILL CAMPBELL

LESTER, ROY (1908-88)
Hi-Ya, Pals!
Wise and Otherwise Cracks 
Married the daughter of Cingalee (see ALEXANDER HERRMANN).

LEVANDA & VAN (fl1947-50s)
Feats with the Feet
First appeared with her family troupe (the Moxons).  Van is her daughter, born 1932.

LEVEY, ADELE (b c1875)
The Famous and Popular Raconteuse
Originally one of the Three Levey Sisters;  went solo 1910.

LEWIS, NELLIE (d. 12 September 1930)
The Factory Girl

LILBURN, CHARLES (fl c1900s-1920s?)
The Man who Stopped a Panic at the Old Mogul
The  Middlesex Music Hall in Drury Lane  was always known by its pre-1851 name of the Old Mogul or the Old Mo.  Mr Lilburn, it seems, averted a panic by continuing to perform a comic song when fire broke out in the Hall.  But such heroism availed him naught for he ended his days turning a handle on a street-piano, though still proclaiming himself as The Man who Stopped a Panic at the Old Mogul.

LINFIELD, SAM (b1898)
Boot Villa
HMS Lively
No Man's Land
Sketch artiste.
See THE BOGANNYS, THE FIVE X-RAYS

LIPPARD, MATTYLEE
Song Cycle with Trimmings 

LLOYD, ALICE (fl1870s)
England's Female Tenor 
Not to be confused with Marie Lloyd's sister.

LOMAS TROUPE (fl c1900)
A Traveller's Troubles in Monkey-land
Company included Bob Pender (1871-1939) and Fred Bithell (ANIMAL & BIRD ACTS).

LOMBARDO, GUY (1902-77)
...and his Royal Canadians 

LORNE, TOMMY (1890-1935)
Scotland's Charlie Chaplin
Family name: Hugh Corcoran. In the early 1920s partnered with DAN YOUNG and billed as Inside and Outside a Theatre.
See Sir CHARLES CHAPLIN

LORRAINE  (fl1930s-50s) 
The Singing Cartoonist 
Could this be Rex Lorraine (Harold Ready, b1902) who retired from variety due to injuries sustained while serving in the RAF during World War II?

LOWELL, JACK
The Juggling Limit

LUTCHER, NELLIE (1915-2007)
The Real Gone Gal
Derived from her hit song He's a Real Gone Guy.

M

MACCABE, FREDERICK (1831-1904)
Begone, Dull Care!
Vanquished Villainy
The first billing was the title of this entry's celebrated one-man show.
See HARRY LISTON.

McANDREWS, KEITH (1940s-50s)
The Boy With The Whirlwind Feet 

MacASKILL, ANGUS (1825-63)
The Cape Breton Giant
At his death poor Mr MacASKILL  stood 7'9" tall and weighed 500lbs.

McCALLA, DOLLY & MADGE (fl1900s)
England's Ideal Babes

McCOMB, BILLY (1921-2006)
The World's Smallest Leprechaun
Award winning international magician.  1949 m. June Cochrane k.a. June Merlin.

McKAY, NEIL (d.1952)
The Real McKay

MacMILLAN, VIOLET (1885-1953)
The Cinderella Girl 

McNAUGHTONS, THE
For family see Sing Us One of the Old Songs

MACNORTON - see HARRY NORTON

MACS, THE TWO (fl1880-93)
Tapping a Man for Beer
Sketch comics - for family see Sing Us One of the Old Songs.

MACE, JEM (1831-1910)
The Swaffham Gypsy 
Though from Norfolk the renowned boxer was not a gypsy.

MACK, ARTHUR (1877-1942)
The Cheery One 

MALONE, DANNY (b1909)
Ireland's Ambassador of Song

MANNING, BERNARD (b. 13 Aug 1930)
The Singing Greengrocer
This entry eventually abandoned singing for comedy, at which his talent was subsumed by a vicious attitude to minority groupings. He must be the last comedian in the world still doing jokes about World War II.

MARCELINE (1872-1927)
The Droll

MARCO, WILLIAM (d. 31 July 1951)
The One-Legged Marvel
See PEG-LEG BATES for other monopedes.

MARKS, ALFRED (1921-96)
Born Alfred Edward Touchinsky.  We twice had the pleasure of working in pantomime with this exceptionally fine comedian, who was also a trained operatic baritone.  He married the comedienne-impressionist Paddy O'Neil, and a highly combustible relationship it was.  We personally witnessed this abrasiveness more than one occasion during the 1959-60 run of Humpty Dumpty at the London Palladium, when Miss O'Neil (The Queen of Hearts) refused to go on, leaving her husband (The King of Hearts) to say both their lines. This was especially trying for Alfred during the 'Punch & Judy' sequence.

MARTEL, JAY (fl1950s-60s)
The Blithe Spirit

MARTELL, JACK (1886-1955)
Vaudeville's Cocktail

MARTIN, CHARLIE (fl1940s-50s.  d. 19 November 1975?)
Nearly a Half Wit

MARTIN, GEORGE (1922-91)
The Casual Comedian
The Boy Baritone (as a boy)
After wartime service with the RAF in Canada Mr Martin notched up a record 2,280 performances as resident comedian at the WINDMILL, and was also a favourite at the London Palladium.  A prolific writer, he supplied comedy material for the likes of DAVE ALLEN, TOMMY COOPER, Keith Harris, Rolf Harris, DAVID NIXON, JIMMY TARBUCK,  and HARRY WORTH. 

MARTINETTI, PAUL (& COMPANY)  (fl1875-c1910)
Mime sketch troupe.  For family details see Sing Us One of the Old Songs.  L(o)uis Martinetti appears on film in an 1894 one-reeler. For details and stills URL: http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/papr:@field(NUMBER+@band(edmp+4028))

MARTINE, RAY
d. 19 Jul 2003 aged 73.

MARTY, EILEEN (& FRED) (fl 1940s)
Wired for Laughs

MARX BROTHERS, THE FOUR/THREE
Sketch artistes.  For family details see Sing Us One of the Old Songs. At one time Gummo (Milton) Marx was billed as The World's Slowest Whirlwind Dancer.

MARX, SYD  (d. December 28th 1999)
Fool Marx for Comedy
Very funny little rotund man who looked Jewish but was in fact a Goy.  "Sh!" he'd say,"I like 'em to think I'm Jewish - all those weddings and barmitzahs..."

MATTHEWS, Sir STANLEY (1915-2000)
The Wizard of Dribble
A great sportsman and gentleman.  His father, a keen amateur boxer, was k.a. The Fighting Barber of Hanley.  He was appointed CBE in 1957 and in 1965 became the first football player to be knighted.

MAVIS, MABEL (fl c1910)
Greatest of all Glassophone Players

MAX, AL (& ANNETTE)
A Fool and his Dream

MAXWELL, PETER (b1927)
The British Prime Minister of Mirth 
It seems curious to choose this billing as (Sir) GEORGE ROBEY had been The Prime Minister of Mirth since the 1890s.

MAYNARD, BILL (b. 8 Oct 1928)
Billed at the age of nine as Little Billy Williams Leicester's Own George Formby. A comedian turned actor, Mr Maynard's arrogance and confrontational manner know no bounds.  His departure from the ITV series Heartbeat was greeted with deep sighs of relief from cast and crew alike.

MAYNE, ALICIA
Australian Dramatic Orthoepic Songstress
What 'orthoepic' is intended to imply is anyone's guess.

MENDOZA, DANIEL (1764-1836)
The Light of Israel

MENDOZA, EDDIE `Tash' (with Bette Carole) (fl1947-1950s)
...and his Archer St `Spivs'
Edward Middleton (b1913).  For an explanation of spiv see ARTHUR ENGLISH.

MERRILEES, JESSIE  (fl c1890s)
Chanteuse Eccentrique
Eldest of the three Sisters Merrilees, Miss Jessie married one William B. Wood whereupon the act was disbanded.  Mrs Wood, however, went solo and acquired her Gallic bill-matter after appearances in the French capital.

MERRITT, JACK  (c1894-1919)
The Bounding Marvel 

MILLER & DEANE
Believe It Or Not
Fred Miller (1886-1943) and Millie Deane
See LANE BROS

MILTON, VERA  (c1909-1952)
The Dumb Blonde

MILLWARD AND HIS NITWITS, SID
Article and repertoire in Music Hall Studies Number 5.
See www.musichallstudies.co.uk

MINIATURE MARIE (b1886)
The Merry Maid of the Moment
From 1902 this entry, a mimic and 'American and French dancer', sometimes called herself Mina Marie.

MIRANDA, CARMEN (1909-55)
The Brazilian Bombshell 
Queen of the Samba 
Senorita Maria do Carmo Miranda da Cunha (Mrs David Sebastian) was born in Portugal but raised in Brazil.  This entry's enormous charm, flashing eyes and Latino vivacity combined with an idiosyncratic use of the English language propelled her to Broadway in 1939 and swift Hollywood stardom.  In 1940 Senorita Miranda was David Selznik's highest-paid female contract artist, hugely popular world-wide except in Brazil where she was thought to project a demeaning caricature of her fellow-countrywomen.

MIRFIELD, FREDDIE (fl c1950)
...and his Garbage Men

MIRZAH (fl c1900s)
The Man in Green
The artiste was a banjoist

MISTINGUETT (1875-1956)
La Môme Flora 

MONKHOUSE, BOB
Britain's Latest Thrill
See ROMARK

MONTAGUE BROS (fl c1900s)
A Sculptor's Dream
These fine muscular specimens appeared in what appeared to be nothing more than a fig-leaf, but most artistically posed.

MONTAGUE, DICK (b1891)
A Fool if ever there Was One 
Family name: Harry R. Willats

MONTAGUE, LOUISE (1859-1910)
The $10,000 Beauty

MONTAGUE & STONE (fl1885-1917)
Eccentric Blackface Comedians
David Craig Montgomery (1870-1917) and Fred A. Stone (1873-1959).  As a child Mr Stone appeared briefly as Mdlle Amy D'Artago; more significantly he was one of the eight founder members of The White Rats of America (1900).

MOONEY & HOLBEIN
Give Me The Book
Ida Holbein (d. 3 January 1937)

MOORE, GEORGE F. (1850-1890)
The Facial King 
See ADELINA, JOHN CRONOW

MORAN & MACK
The Two Black Crows
Originally k.a. Swor & Mack: John Swor (1883-1965), replaced 1917 by `Moran' - George Searchy (1881-1949).  Other personnel included Harry Summerson (1875-1949) and Charles E. Sellers (1887-1935).

MORETON, TREVOR (d. 9 October 1972)
A Mister who is Always a Miss

MORETON, VICTOR (d. 3 March 1940)
The Domestic Bunch of Trouble

MORTON, JAMES J. (1862-1938)
Vaudeville's First Master of Ceremonies

MOSS, ERNIE (fl1940s-50s)
'E, I'm a Bad 'Un!

MURPHY & MACK (fl1934-44)
The Major's Reflection
Frank Murphy (d1944) and Ernest Mack (Ernest Madelle Stone) (c1885-?).  Murphy was at one time with FRED KARNO (1905-12).  The act showed a drunk whose shadow moved in opposite directions.

MURRAY & COHAN (fl1940s-50s)
Sense & Nonsense

MURRAY & HOBBS (fl1937-1950s)
Crazy People
Family names: John (Jack) Buchanan and his wife Connie Hobbs

MURRAY, ROB (1926-89)
Juggling under Protest

N

NAVARRE (fl1930s-40s)
International Prince of Mimics 
Alec Navarre went solo c1935.  His remarkable vocal versatility permitted impersonations of such diverse singers as the renowned Russian bass Fyodor Chaliapin (1873-1938), the equally renowned Irish tenor Count JOHN McCORMACK, and the French boulevardier Maurice Chevalier (1889-1972). 

NELSON, ARTHUR (1811-60)
The Clown King 

NIBLO, WALTER (fl1920s-50s)
The Mighty Atom
Yorkshire's Gift To Variety
Yorkshire's Premier Comedian
See BOY BRUCE. For persons of restricted growth see JIMMY CLITHEROE.

NIXON, DAVID (1919-78)
It's Magic
Mr Nixon was with the FOL De ROLS but became hugely popular through his television shows entitled It's Magic, whence his bill-matter.  This tall, balding, soft-spoken, undemonstrative conjurer left £124,944.

NIXON & DIXON
Never a Dull Moment
Noted at the  Empire, Edinburgh, w/c 19 November 1956.

NOLAN, MICHAEL (1867-1910)
The Prince of Irish Comedians
Married To AGNES HAZEL

NORTH & STOYLE
Radio's Bride and Groom
Jack North (1939?-61?) and Pat Stoyle

NORTON, GEORGE
Oceans of Notions

O

OLGO (THE MIRACLE MIND) (1901-79)
The Mental Marvel 
a.k.a. Professor Olgo

O'NEILL, TERRY with PEGGY HAIG
Smile Awhile
Peggy Haig was Mrs Terry O'Neill.  Mr O'Neill's d.o.b. 12 December 1922.

ORTONS, THE FOUR (fl1920s-30s)
Following the Straight and Narrow Path
Wired Up for Laughs 

OVERBURY, REY (& SUZETTE)
The Musician with the Twinkling Feet
Suzette (d.16 October 1979) was Mrs Overbury.

OXFORDS, THE FIVE SENSATIONAL (fl1940s)
Comedy Football on Cycles
Was this act aka THE FIVE DYNAMOS qv?

P

PALMER, JAY (& DOREEN)
Jest Magic
Mr Palmer's dates: 1900-70.

PARK, LOLL (b1899)
The Lad of Laughter 
This entry also worked with his wife as Loll Park & Tina Trent (b c1900) Boosting the Women.

PARLA, ALICIA (1914-98)
Queen of Rumba

PARRY, RON (b1921)
PASTRANA, JULIAAs Sane As You Are

PASTOR, TONY (b.1833)
Article and repertoire in Music Hall Studies Number 3.
See www.musichallstudies.co.uk

PASTRANA, JULIA (1832/4-1860)
The Baboon Lady
Born in the forests of Mexico with the face of an ape and a body covered with dense black hair.  Died in childbirth - her baby son was also thickly hirsute. Both were embalmed and their corpses may be viewed, if such is your predilection, at the National Hopital in Oslo.  See JOE LAWRENCE.

PAUL (1857-1913)
The Handcuff King
Family name: Louis Braham
See HOUDINI

PAULINA, PRINCESS (1878-1895)
The Human Doll
The Living Doll
Paulina Musters was born in Dutch village of Ossendrecht. Achieved maximum height of 17 ins. Parents and siblings of normal height. Extremely pretty, charming and acrobatic.  Toured the world and swiftly accumulated a large fortune.

PAULINE & EDDIE (fl1950s)
The Chocolate Soldier on the Wire
We seem to recall seeing this bill-matter as The Chocolate Soldier on the Slack Wire; either our memory is at fault or the introduction of the Slack Wire was a later refinement.

PAYNE, FREDDY & PEGGY (fl 1930s)
Depression Dispellers 

PAYNE, HALL
The Disappointed Crooner 

PAYNE, MILLIE (c1890-1917)
The New Low Comedy Queen
So advertised in the (London) Entr'acte 20 April 1906

PAYNE, TOM
The World Famous Music-Athlete

PEABODY, EDDIE (1901-70)
King of the Banjo

PELL & LITTLE (fl late 1920s-50s)
A Pair but How Different
The Parson and the Kid
Stan Pell and Stan Little né Robert Stanley Thompson (1910-2000).  Stan Little originally billed as Just a Boy.

PENROSE & WHITLOCK
Making a Night of It
Charles Penrose (1876-1952) & Billy Whitlock (1875-1951).  These two artistes also recorded as The Jolly Jesters and The Two Old Sports.  As a solo artiste Mr Whitlock's bill-matter was The Phonetic Comedian.

PEREZOFFS, THE (fl1890-1910)
A Supper at Maxims 

PERMANES, THE (fl1920s-30s)
Tourtship
Charles `Tina' Permane (d. 15 May 1940) and Henri (d. 24 May 1939).
For other Nightingales see LILY AUSTIN.

PERTWEE, BILL (& MARION) (b1926)
Comedy Cocktail
Husband & wife team: Marion was at one time k.a. Miss Vitality

PETHERS, BILLY
The Man in the Chair

PETRIES, THE TWO (fl1890s)
Singing and Dancing Plantation Cane Dancers
Willie and Alfy

PHILIPPE, DON (& MARTA) (fl1940s-50s)
Design to Delight

PICON, MOLLY (1898?-1992)
New York Symphony 
Miss Picon may have been born as early as 1890.

PICTON, CHARLES  (fl1930s)
Britain's Wonder Voice

PIKE, Captain (fl c1890)
...with his Performing Fish

PIM'S NAVY  (fl1930s-40s)
The Bouncing Sailors

PIRATES, THE TWO (fl1940s)
Oh, No There Isn't!  Oh, Yes There Is!

PITCHER, ORVILLE
American Negro Comedian and Stump Orator
Mr Pitcher is known to have appeared at Argyle Theatre of Varieties Birkenhead w/c 1 October 1900. 
See UNSWORTH

PLATT, KEN  (1921-98)
Born in Leigh, Lancashire, this flat-capped comedian's celebrated catch-phrase was "I'll not take me coat off - I'm not stopping".  In his teens his bill-matter was The Pocket George Formby. Mr Platt declared that his twenty-two week run with HYLDA BAKER in Not on your Nellie at the North Pier Blackpool in 1976 was "a living nightmare".  Started with STARS IN BATTLEDRESS.

PONTI, FRANK P. (d. 23 September 1987)
The Vagabond Tenor

POTTER, MAUREEN
The Comedy Queen of the Gaiety
This was the Gaiety Theatre, Dublin.

POUISHNOFF, LEV (1891-1959)
The World's Greatest Chopin Player
Usually billed by surname only, this supreme pianist made his debut at the age of five.  His bill-matter dates from 1922, two years after leaving his native Russia.  Internationally acclaimed for masterly style and technique, Maestro Pouishnoff settled in England and was naturalized in 1931.

POUPÉE, LA PETITE  (d July? 1949) 
Doll of the Air 

POWELL, BARNEY
Xylophone Extraordinary
This entry appeared at the Palace Huddersfield for the w/c Monday March 1949.  Could he be Alfred John Baden-Powell (b 15 October 1900) who was also a xylophonist and at one time ran the A. J. Powell Banjo Octet?

PRAEGER, LOU
First broadcast Cruising Down the River on 30 July 1945, the winning entry (of 73,853) in a song-writing competition organised by the Hammersmith Palais.  The singer was Paul Rich (1921-2000).  Other vocalists with Praeger at this time were Lynn Shaw and Rita Carr.

PRESS, LESLIE  (fl. c1950s)
Magic with a Punch

PRETORIA (fl1920s-1930s)
The Gilded Shadow Girl 

PREVOST & BROWN (fl c1920s)
Watch the Corkscrew Kid
Eddie Prevost and Joe E. Brown (1892-1973)

PRYDE, PERCY (d. 1970)
...and his Phono-Fiddle

PYNE, LOUISE (1832-1904)
The English Sontag
Henriette Sontag (1806-54) was the finest German soprano of her day.

R

RADCLIFFE, JACK (1900-67)
Airdrie's Own Komik

RADIO REVELLERS, THE (fl1946-50s)
Four Men One Song
Founded by Art Reed 1935 as The Four Crotchets with Freddie Holmes (1914-2000), Harry Hawes and Jack Hazleton, this close-harmony Mills Brothers-style quartet turned professional as The Philco Four.  When their association with Philco Radio ceased in 1937 they became the Radio Revellers, only to disband on the outbreak of World War II during which Mr Hazleton died in action as a bomber pilot.  On the cessation of hostilities the quartet was revived with Messrs Reed and Holmes joined by Alwyn Fernhead and Stan Emeney (b1911).  Deciding to quit while at the top the group split up after appeaing in These Foolish Kings with the CRAZY GANG at the Victoria Palace.

RAF GANG SHOWS
Ralph Reader's celebrated Boy Scout Gang Shows were established in the 1930s;  his wartime Gang Shows were formed from serving RAF personnel to supply entertainment where Entertainments National Service Association (ENSA) was unable to reach.  In 1946 Mr Reader linked up his organisation with STARS IN BATTLEDRESS to become Combined Services Entertainment (CSE).  Artistes in the shows included JOE BLACK, COX TWINS, BILLY DAINTY, REG DIXON, DICK EMERY, Sgt TONY HANCOCK, Rex Jameson (Mrs SHUFFLEWICK), David Lodge, Len Lowe, LAC ROBERT MORETON, Cpl PETER SELLERS, Cardew Robinson, Rex Roper, VICTOR SEAFORTH, Arthur Tolcher.

RAIE, HAL & FIELD, RAY
The Act of Tone and Note

RA-LESLIE, ETHEL (fl c1900-1910s)
The Famous Irish Beauty
King of Principal Boys
Queen of Comediennes
The third soubriquet was also used by MARIE LLOYD and LILY MORRIS.

RANDALL, LESLIE
A Fool Among Friends

RAOUL (b1897)
To Amuse and Confuse
Wonders without Words
In 1950 Ralph Chart was declaring himself to be Member of the Inner Magic Circle with Gold Star, Vice-President of International Brotherhood of Magicians, Fellow of Institute of Magicians (London), and a Member of Syndicat International des Artistes Prestidigitateurs (Paris).

RAUSCHLE
Impersonator of History Makers
This startlingly dull bill-matter was noted at the Oxford in Apr 1914.

RAYMOND, BOB E. (1904-85)
The Immaculate Feed
This artiste was, as his bill-matter implies, a light comedian.  We were apprised of his details by his son, that excellent actor Gary Raymond.

RAYMONDS, THE WRANGLING
Domestic Blitz

REDFERN, SAM (1851-1915)
The Black Boss of the Benighted Bohemians
Black-faced music hall writer/composer and performer of comic songs. Said to have been a strong influence on EUGENE STRATTON.

REDHEADS, THE THREE - see JEAN BAMBERGER

REID, BILLY (1902-74)
...and his Accordion Band with Dorothy Squires
With Miss Squires this entry was also billed as The Composer and The Voice. Other accordion bands popular in the 1930s-50s were MACARI and Primo Scala (1898-1955) ...and his Accordion Band. 
See DOROTHY SQUIRES

REID, DONALD (b c1890)
Breath of the Hielands

REID TWINS (b1923)
Britain's Ace Twin Act
Marjorie and Constance Reid

REILLY, BILLY
The Gallant Hussar

RENALDI & KARINA
The World's Oldest Acrobats
Wyn Smith (1917-98) and husband Reg (b1909)

RENNIE, FRANK
Irish Comedian and Champion Clog Dancer of Scotland 
See DAN LENO, VESTA VICTORIA, JOHN WILLIAMS for other clog dancing champions.

RETTER, DEZSO
The Man who Wrestles with Himself

REYNOL, TINY TOMMY (1922-2000)
A Half Pint of Fun

RHODES & LANE (fl1934-c52)
Comedy Dancing Racketeers
It's Alright for You!
Husband & wife team: Billy (Timperley) Rhodes (1914-67) and Chika Lane (1915-1996).  From 1934-6 Mr & Mrs Timperley teamed with Fred and Gladys Dell (later of THE DEHL TRIO) and Leslie Drecker as The Five Maloffs.

RICHARDS, NELLIE (1864-1932)
America's Pride
The American Violet

RICHARDS, TOM
A Dark Cloud of Joy

RINALDO (1884-1927)
The Wandering Violinist
Baptismal name: Joseph

RING, RUBY (1921-2002)
Mother of the Oversplit
Celebrated American contortionist, Ruby Norr D'Imperio's billmatter refers to a stunt in which she stood in a  backbend with her feet on two chairs and then slid them apart.

RISKIT, JACK `DENTAL' (1879-c1954)
The drag appearance alluded to under BARBETTE was a short-lived interlude in Australia in 1902, just a brief part of a lengthy career as gymnast and aerialist.  With his first wife Holly King (1888-1918) whom he married in 1906 John Richard Evans devised an act in 1914 k.a. The Dental Riskits, a title suggested by HARRY LAUDER.  After Holly died he continued the act until 1938 with his second wife Betty (1897-1986). Ended his career as manager of the Theatre Royal, Bilston, West Midlands. See lengthy entry in Who's Who in Variety (1950).

RISTORI, HARRY (& PARTNER)  (fl1920s)
Must be a Topping Act 
Punch, Personality & Pep
Comedian, Protean artiste and dancer Harry Ristori (or Ristorie) died in 1974.  Starting in the family act (Protti), he later worked for many years with his wife Marjorie Fitzalan (1904-89) and Harry & Marjorie Ristori.

RITCHIE, ADELE (1874-1930)
The Dresden China Doll 

ROBBINS, JEAN  (1904-77)
The Girl with Possibilities
Mr Robbins was a female impersonator

ROBERTS, LOUIS (b1899)
The Tatler

ROBINSON, W. V. (1871-1926)
The Canadian Entertainer
Married Lily Smith, swimmer.

ROGERS, HOWARD  (d1971?)
Not So Bad 
The Popular Padre 

ROGERS, JOHN R. (1842-1932)
Yours Merrily

ROMAINE, CLAIRE (1873-1964)
London's Pet Boy

ROMARK (1927-83)
Family name: Ronald Markham
Served a prison term for forging his mother's signature on cheques.  BOB MONKHOUSE claims to have given up smoking due to Romark's hypnotic powers.

ROME, LESLIE & LEONARD, CONNIE (fl c1930s-40s)
All in Fun
See WISER & WARD

RONEZ
The Broken Cellist.  Only Man in the World Playing Cello and Walking About!

ROSE, WILL
The Radical Representative
fl. late 19th cent?

ROSS, MAUDE (d. 6 February 1922)
Serio-Comedienne & Top-Boot Dancer
For other serios see ANNIE ADAMS

ROUSE, WILLIE (1877-1928)
Wireless Willie

ROXY, AL (& GLENDA) (fl1940s-50s)
The Hick and his Chick

ROY, HARRY (AND HIS BAND)   (1900-71)
Ambassadors of Mirth & Music
The King of Hot-Cha
See IVOR MORETON & DAVE KAYE

ROY, SONNY (b1922)
The Funny Boy
Worked for many years with FRANK RANDLE

ROZE, LELIA (fl c1900)
A Dressing-Room Dream

RUSSELL, BERT (fl 1930s-1940s)
Dusky Prince, The
A Man of Many Parts
Another Man of Many Parts was Max Imber.

S

SABEL, JOSEPHINE (1866-1945)
American Eccentrique

SABU (1924-63)
The Elephant Boy

SADLER, FREDDIE (d. 21 April 1994)
It's in the Gag
The Wit to Woo 

ST CLAIR, BUNTY (b1928)
Neatest of the Neat
Staircase Dancer
Family name: Valerie St Clair Bell

ST CLAIR, F. V. (1860-1922)
The Human Song Machine
Vocalist and prolific topical song writer. One of his effusions in 1915 was Kitchener! Stand By Him, to be followed in 1916 by the melancholy Kitchener! Gone But Not Forgotten.

ST CYR, LILI (1917-99)
The Most Beautiful Body in the U.S.A.
The Anatomic Bomb

SALAMONSKY (fl c1900s) 
The Golden Knight 

SALES, FREDDIE (1920-94)
Selling the Goods 
Family name: F. Harry Walker

SALMO, `Happy' HARRY
The Australian Laugher 

SAMUELS, RAE (1887-1979)
The Blue Streak of Vaudeville
A Blue Streak of Lightning
Miss Samuels' repertoire included our favourite song-title: It Takes  Long Tall Brown-Skin Gal to Make a Preacher Lay his Bible Down (1906), sung by this white artiste in black face.
.
SANBORN, FRED (& CO) (d. 15 March 1961)
The Speechless Comic

SANDERS, LANE
Drunk of Drunks
For other stage inebriates see JOHNNY COOPER

SANDS, BILLY (1911-84)
The Little Bundle of Comedy 

SANTLEY, JOSEPH (1886/9-1971)
America's Greatest Boy Actor

SAUNDERS, SAM
The Toole of the Music Halls 
J. L. Toole (1830-1906) was Britain's best-loved low comedian.

SAVONAS, THE SEVEN MUSICAL  - see The Elliotts & Savonas (BICYCLE ACTS)
J. B. Elliott (founder) d. 22 May 1906, Ralph Elliott d. 7 Aug 1909, Thomas Elliott d. 2 Sep 1929, May Elliott d. 5 Sep 1929.

SCOTT, TERRY (1927-94)
The More You Laugh
The most unpleasant and gratuitously offensive man we have ever had the misfortune to work with. His bullying and rudeness took our breath away, yet his wife, whom he betrayed publicly and humiliatingly, was the nicest woman imaginable. The More You Laugh was spotted on a 1954 poster for the New Tivoli, Hull.

SCOTT, TONY `Silly Thing' (b1922)
Basic Boloney

SEAFORTH, VICTOR (b1917)
The Man of a Thousand Voices
The number of voices depended upon the whim of his agent or the theatre manager where he was playing;  as well as a thousand it could vary between ninety-nine, a hundred, or a hundred and one.  Mrs Seaforth was on the Halls as Suma of Johnny Lamonte (& Suma) (JUGGLERS).
See PAUL J. BARNES, HAROLD BERENS, MEL BLANC, JOAN TURNER

SEAL, DAVID (1849-98)
Champion Leaper of the World
Prince of Jesters

SEARS, GEORGE W. (1840?-1868)
The Lion King
See THE GREAT CARTER

SEATON & O'DELL
Tumbling Tomboys 

SEDDON, MOLLIE
A Thrill to your Eyes, Ears and Heart

SEEL, CHARLES (d. 20 December 1903)
A Man of Many Characters

SEELEY & WEST
The Nigger and the White Man
W. R. Seeley and Jack West.   Bill Seeley (black-face) married the hugely popular Music Hall male impersonator Bessie BONEHILL (1855-1902).  Jack West was her eldest son by her first husband Lou Abrahams, manager of The Queen's Poplar, East London.  In the (London) Entr'acte  for 13 April 1906 Seeley & West are advertised as Comedians & Instrumentalists.  A Funny Study in Black and White.

SEELEY, BURTON
Radio's Toreador
Quite what a 'radio toreador' did to entertain remains unknown.  This entry appeared with Blanche Coleman and her Girls Band at the Royal Hippodrome, Eastbourne, for the w/c 22 April, 1946.

SEELEY, FRANK (d. 11 March 1913)
Unrelated to the above, this entry started on the Halls with his brother Fred as Heeley and Hallam.   He later became a popular comic soloist who died leaving a daughter and a wife, WINIFRED WARD.  He was son-in-law of Mrs Will Poluski, and brother-in-law of Gus & Lottie McNaughton and of Will jnr and Sam Poluski.  See Sing Us One of the Old Songs for his repertoire.  Also see PETER FANNAN.

SEGAL, HARRY (d. 29 May 1963)
Fugitive from a Brainstorm 
As Sapper Harry Segal in a World War II troop show his bill-matter was He Who Gets Slapped, a reference to the traditional commedia dell'arte fall-guy.

SELTZER, HARRY (1909-2004)
The Snappy Chappy
This artiste also on occasion spelled his name Selser.  Began as boy ventriloquist with Casey's Court.

SEMPRINI, ALBERT (1908-1990)
Born in Bath of an English mother and an Italian father this tinkler of light classics was usually billed, a shade pretentiously, by his surname only. 

SENTER, BOYD (b1899)
The Jazzologist Supreme 

SETZ, VAL (b. 1 November 1911)
The Talking Juggler

SHAMVAS, THE (fl c1940)
Pastimes of the West

SHAND, Sir JIMMY (1908-2000)
The Laird o' Muchty
Not the least of this button-board accordionist's honours was in 1998 to be made first Freeman of the Kingdom of Fife.

SHAW, AL (1894-57)
...and his Blue Hawaiians

SHELTON, ANNE (1923-94)
The Golden Voice of Two Continents

SHERIDAN, ANN (1916-67)
The Oomph Girl 

SHIELDS, JIMMY (1861-1933)
One-legged dancer & comedian
See PEG-LEG BATES

SHIELS, HARRY (1906-1980)
The Minister of Enjoyment
Family name: Thomas Dowell

SHIRLEY, JUDY (1907-96)
The Singing Commere

SHRIMPTON, BERT (b1893)
The Musical K'nut 

SINCLAIR, PETER (1900-94)
Cock of the North
See KEN DODD

SISSLE, NOBLE (1889-1975)
The Ace of Syncopation
Black American lyricist, singer and record producer.  Also ran a band called Sissle's Sizzling Syncopators.

SKYROCKETS ORCHESTRA (fl1942-50s)
Music in the Modern Manner 
Founded in 1942 from volunteer RAF musicians, this ensemble stayed together after demobilisation as a co-operative, playing regularly on BBC Radio, at the London Palladium, and in three consecutive Royal Variety Performances (1946-8).  Paul Fenhoulet (1905-80), who had been with CARROLL GIBBONS and JACK HYLTON, was elected first musical director and Les Lambert the first business manager. Paul Fenhoulet was succeeded in 1947 by Woolf Phillips (1919-2003).

SLAP, JOHNNY
Entertainment with Balls
This gentleman is, of course, a juggler.

SLAUGHTER, BESSIE (fl c1910)
The Phenomenal Contralto

SLOAN, FRED  (fl1950s)
The Voice of the Forest 

SLYTER, CLARENCE  (fl1930s-40s)
A Magician's Night Out

SMETHURST, ALLAN (1927-2000)
The Singing Postman
Enjoyed a brief vogue in the 1960s with comic songs performed in his native Norfolk dialect, including I Miss My Miss From Diss, Oi Can't Get A Noice Loaf Of Bread, and his biggest hit which won an Ivor Novello award for best novelty song in 1966 Hev Yew Gotta Loight Boy?.  Alas, Mr Smethurst suffered from severe stage fright and spent his last twenty years as an alcoholic in a Salvation Army hostel in Grimsby.

SMITH, BESSIE (1895-1937)
Empress of the Blues

SMITH BROTHERS, THE FIVE (fl1932-60s)
Mr & Mrs Smith's Five Little Boys
Close harmony singing group: Alfred Roy Smith (b1912) with his brothers Martin, Harold Andrew (b1916), Roy (b1918) and Stanley (b1914).  Martin was killed in a car accident in 1936 and replaced by Ronnie Culbertson (b1919).

SOLDIERS IN SKIRTS
Every Hit a Miss
Post-World War II all-male revue.  Alumni include DANNY LA RUE and MRS SHUFFLEWICK, also Louis Hayden, Eric Lloyd The Forces Sweetheart, and Ronnie Stewart.
See SPLINTERS

SONYA (fl1940s-50s)
Lady of Lions
Sometimes billed as Sonya Allen
See ELLEN BLIGHT, PAULINE DE VERE, CLAIRE HELIOT, POLLY HILTON

SOTHERN, KAY (fl1940s-50s)
A Smile and a Song
See DICKIE HENDERSON 

SPARKS, Prof (and THELMINA)  (fl1940s-50s)
Washing The Electric Baby
We dimly recall the Professor asking for a gentleman volunteer from the audience.  The hapless individual would then be asked to bath a `baby', a doll wired up to an electrical current.  The volunteer's contortions as he endeavoured to fulfil his task roused the greatest hilarity.  Either the entire act was phoney, volunteer included, or if genuine appallingly dangerous.

SPARROW, MARIE
The Irish Bird 

SPEAR, BERNARD (b1919)
Appointment with Spear 
This billing inspired by the spine-chilling BBC Radio 1940s drama series Appointment with Fear