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INDEX Arthur Askey MORE SOON
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Arthur Askey (1900 - 1982)
For the best part of forty years, Big-hearted Arthur, the diminutive British comedian with a treasure-chest full of catch-phrases, was a stalwart of the the British entertainment scene. He was a major figure in radio, television, variety and panto. His film career was not quite as impressive, but he did take the lead in some comedy gems. Askey was born in Liverpool and started work as a clerk with the Liverpool education Committee when he was 16. At 24 he joined a concert party and started touring the halls and piers. His act consisted of silly jokes, sillier songs and really really silly dances and by 1926 he had become a top seaside entertainer. His big break came in 1938 with the radio comedy/variety show Band Waggon. This was the first British radio comedy show to present its stars in situations, rather than as stand-up comics. The first few episodes were poor and the show was cancelled after the third broadcast. With another three weeks to fill before a replacement could be found, Askey and his team mate Richard "Stinker" Murdoch were able to do what they wanted with the time. Their anarchic humour based around the idea that they were sharing a flat in Broadcasting House quickly caught on and soon Band Waggon was a hit and Askey a star. There were even annuals dolls and glove puppets of 'Big Hearted Arthur' as he had affectionately been named. In 1939 Band Waggon was adapted for the silver-screen and Askey's career as a film star began. He made a series of witty, anarchic films which kept people cheery during the war. The standard of Askey's films, however, dropped away quite quickly, and he was understandably so disappointed with the last, Bees in Paradise, in 1944, that he made no more films for a decade. He went back to radio and the halls, and as TV developed became a major star once again with his variety show 'Before Your Very Eyes'. A film version of his stage success The Love Match brought Askey back to the big screen in 1954 and a series of gentle comedies soon followed. He teamed up with June Whitfield in 1961 to make The Arthur Askey Show, a six part sitcom for TV. Set in 1910, Askey played Arthur Pilbeam, a man who was married to a much younger woman, Emily (June Whitfield). The Pilbeams live next door to Mr Rossiter (Arthur Mullard) and his wife (Patricia Hayes). A further six episodes were made but were never transmitted. (Recordings still exist of all 12 episodes.) Askey's career gradually wound down as he got older, but he still found the energy to be a popular pantomime dame. He also appeared on the panel of New Faces, the talent show of the 1970s. Another appearance by Royal command came in 1978 and he only stopped working a few years before his death when poor circulation meant his legs had to be amputated. THE BEE SONG (CLICK
HERE FOR THE BEE SONG)
TV Appearances
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