Arthur Askey

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Arthur Bowden Askey CBE (born June 6, 1900 in Liverpool , † November 16, 1982 in London ) was a British comedian and actor .

Life

Askey attended St. Michael's Council School from 1905 to 1911 and then the Liverpool Institute High School for Boys until 1916. During the First World War he served in the army and performed on stage at entertainment evenings. After the war he first worked in the training department of the Liverpool Corporation. He was married to Elizabeth May Swash from 1925 until her death in 1974. They had a daughter, Anthea Askey (* 1933), who later occasionally acted at her father's side.

In the 1920s and 1930s, Askey appeared continuously in Music Hall programs and in the early 1930s was also seen in a pre-TV form of the BBC . His national breakthrough came in 1938, when he got the lead role in the BBC radio show Band Waggon . With his partner Richard Murdoch , he soon wrote the show himself, which became a great success. Since then his nickname has been "Big-Hearted", Murdoch's "Stinker".

Movie

During the Second World War played Askey in several comedies of Gainsborough Pictures , including band wagon (1940), the visualization of his radio show, Charley's (Big-Hearted) Aunt (1940), a very free adaptation of Charley's Aunt , and Backroom Boy (1942 ). His most famous film today is the horror comedy The Ghost Train (1941), in which, as an annoying intrusive and bad stage comedian, he did not exactly have his most grateful role. His partners in these early films were Richard Murdoch and the duo Moore Marriott and Graham Moffatt, who previously appeared in the Will Hays films . Askey made other films until 1944, but they were less and less able to build on earlier quality and box office sales. From 1945, the comedian instead played successfully in the musical Follow the Girls in London's West End. In the mid-1950s he made a brief comeback in film, most notably with The Love Match (1955).

watch TV

Askey's main medium in the 1950s was television. One of his greatest successes there was his series Before Your Very Eyes! (1952–58) and the 1957 adaptation of the band Waggon as Living It Up with the help of the authors Sid Colin and Talbot Rothwell ( Carry on ) , in which he worked again with Richard Murdoch after sixteen years. During the 1960s and 1970s, Askey continued to be a guest on a number of television programs and occasionally gave performances on cabaret stages. His last film Rosie Dixon - Night Nurse was made in 1978. Soon afterwards, he had to give up acting; Before he died in 1982, both legs had to be amputated.

style

Askey's film character was characterized by his short stature - he was only 1.58 m tall - black horn-rimmed glasses, a tendency to knock on slogans and a lively personality between loudmouth and rabbit foot. His humor was based on the playfulness of the characters he portrayed, which he knew how to vary improvising. Constant elements were his phrases like "Ay-thang-yaw!" (I thank you), "Hello playmates!", "Before your very eyes!" And "Big-Hearted Arthur - that's me!".

Recordings

Between 1938 and 1949 Askey recorded several songs that can be heard today on various CD compilations such as Hello Playmates . His biggest hit was The Bee Song .

Filmography (selection)

  • 1940: Band wagon
  • 1940: Charley's (Big-Hearted) Aunt
  • 1941: The Ghost Train
  • 1941: I Thank You
  • 1942: Back Room Boy
  • 1942: King Arthur Was A Gentleman
  • 1943: Miss London Ltd.
  • 1944: Bees in Paradise
  • 1955: The Love Match
  • 1956: Ramsbottom Rides Again (also scriptwriter)
  • 1959: Make Mine a Million (also scriptwriter)

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ The Foreign Office and Finland, 1938–1940 in the Google Book Search
personal data
SURNAME Askey, Arthur
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Askey, Arthur Bowden
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British comedian and actor
DATE OF BIRTH June 6, 1900
PLACE OF BIRTH Liverpool
DATE OF DEATH November 16, 1982
Place of death London