Bud Flanagan

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Bud Flanagan (actually Chaim Reuben Weintrop , born October 14, 1896 in Whitechapel (London) , † October 20, 1968 in the London Borough of Lewisham ) was a popular English music hall and vaudeville entertainer. He was particularly in demand during the Second World War and was awarded the Order of the British Empire in 1960 for his commitment .

Family background

Flanagan was born in the East End of London to Wolf and Yetta (Kitty) Weintrop; they were Jews of Polish origin who had fled a pogrom from Lodz to England. Wolf worked as a shoemaker and earned some extra money by singing - as a cantor as well as in pubs. Flanagan had nine siblings.

Early years

Weintrop / Flanagan attended school on Petticoat Lane and appeared on stage for the first time at the age of 12; in a talent competition he performed magic tricks as 'Fargo, The Boy Wizard'.

Two years later he left his hometown and went to Southampton , where he hired the SS Majestic , which went to New York City . There he got through life with a wide variety of jobs. Eventually he became part of a vaudeville show that toured the United States and New Zealand and Australia in October 1914. A little later he returned to his home country to take part in the First World War for his country . He went to France with the Royal Field Artillery . He had success with his parody stage appearances in front of his comrades. He took the family name as his stage name from an unpopular sergeant major . After the war he was on the road as a duo for the first time as 'Flanagan and Roy'.

His wife Anne (called "Curly") was also active on the stage; the daughter of Irish comedian Johnny Quinn was a dancer. The wedding took place in 1925; their son Buddy, born the following year, died of leukemia in Los Angeles in 1956. Later, as a result of this event, the Bud Flanagan Leukemia Fund was founded, which supports the fight against the disease at the Royal Marsden Hospital in Sutton, Surrey.

success

Flanagan had his final breakthrough as part of the duo Flanagan and Allen, which he formed with Chesney Allen . Both knew each other from their army days in Flanders; from 1926 both worked together when touring with the Florrie Forde show. They quickly established themselves as music hall entertainers who mixed comedy with musical skill. Recordings, films and later television engagements followed. The duo belonged with two others to The Crazy Gang , which premiered at the London Palladium in 1931.

In the duo, Allen was the serious partner, Flanagan the childish clown. Her songs were held in the same spirit of amiable humor as her skits; during the Second World War they reflected the experiences of the "common people". Songs like "We're Going To Hang Out The Washing On The Siegfried Line" made fun of the Germans (and their Siegfried Line ), others like "Miss You" gave voice to those who stayed at home. Her most famous song, Underneath the Arches (which Flanagan wrote with Reg Connelly) is about friendship. Flanagan was the better singer, while Allen spoke his lines more than intoned them.

Allen retired from active appearances in 1945 and continued to work as an agent; Flanagan remained active until the end of his life. His last recording was the theme song for the British sitcom Dad's Army , "Who Do You Think You Are Kidding, Mr Hitler?" .

Flanagan's remains were in the Golders Green Crematorium in London cremated , where his ashes is located.

Filmography (selection)

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ "My Crazy Life" . Frederick Muller Ltd., London, 1961.
  2. ↑ a b http://www.bflf.org.uk/ .
  3. ↑ Ray Donn: The Bud Flanagan Leukemia Fund . Bflf.org.uk. Retrieved April 22, 2010.
  4. ^ The Royal Marsden Hospital . Royalmarsden.nhs.uk. Archived from the original on August 15, 2007. Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved April 22, 2010. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.royalmarsden.nhs.uk
  5. ^ The Dad's Army Appreciation Society . Dadsarmy.co.uk. May 14, 2000. Retrieved April 22, 2010.
  6. ↑ http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=6691 .

literature

  • 1961: Flanagan, Bud: My Crazy Life (autobiography), F Muller, London.
  • Chambers, Colin: The Continuum Companion to Twentieth Century Theater . Continuum, London 2002, ISBN 082644959x .
personal data
SURNAME Flanagan, Bud
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Weinrop, Chaim Reuben
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British entertainer
DATE OF BIRTH October 14, 1896
PLACE OF BIRTH Whitechapel (London)
DATE OF DEATH 20th October 1968
Place of death London Borough of Lewisham