Denny Willis
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Denny Willis
Dennis Willis (1920 – 17 March 1995) was a Scottish comedian. Early life Willis was born to comedian and actor Dave Willis, who performed sketches in Scotland in the 1930s. During this time, in Ayr, his father was in the Gaiety Whirl summer shows. Willis would add many of his father's ideas to his own repertoire. During World War II, he found himself starring as a comedian for army concert parties. In 1962, Willis had his own television show on ATV, the ''Denny Willis Show''. In the 1970s, he performed in variety in Scarborough. "The Fox Has Left Its Lair" Willis is probably best remembered for the act "The Fox Has Left Its Lair", which he performed as ''Denny Willis and the Quorn Quartet'', touring along various theatres in the United Kingdom and elsewhere. "The Fox Has Left Its Lair" was written by Douglas Furber (words) and Peggy Connor (music); it was originally a novelty item performed by Jack Buchanan in the ''Charlot Revue'' of 1925. Willis changed some of the ...
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Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, the North Sea to the northeast and east, and the Irish Sea to the south. It also contains more than 790 islands, principally in the archipelagos of the Hebrides and the Northern Isles. Most of the population, including the capital Edinburgh, is concentrated in the Central Belt—the plain between the Scottish Highlands and the Southern Uplands—in the Scottish Lowlands. Scotland is divided into 32 administrative subdivisions or local authorities, known as council areas. Glasgow City is the largest council area in terms of population, with Highland being the largest in terms of area. Limited self-governing power, covering matters such as education, social services and roads and transportation, is devolved from the Scott ...
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Comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing Amusement is the state of experiencing humorous and entertaining events or situations while the person or animal actively maintains the experience, and is associated with enjoyment, happiness, laughter and pleasure. It is an emotion with po ... situations, or acting foolish (as in slapstick), or employing prop comedy. A comedian who addresses an audience directly is called a stand-up comedy, stand-up comedian. A popular saying often attributed to Ed Wynn attempts to differentiate the two terms: "A comic says funny things; a comedian says things funny." This draws a distinction between how much of the comedy (drama), comedy can be attributed to verbal content and how much to acting and persona. Since the 1980s, a new wave of comedy, called alternative comedy, has grown in popularity with its more offbeat and experimental style. This normally i ...
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Dave Willis (comedian)
Dave Willis (Nom de Guerre of David Williams) (1895– 1 January 1973) was a Scottish comedian and actor. He was a major music hall star in the 1930s and the 1940s in Glasgow, who came to prominence in pantomime. The actor Jerry Desmonde acted as a stooge to him. He made two films for Welwyn Studios co-starring with Patricia Kirkwood in the late 1930s. The 'Scottish Theatre Archive' describes how a "genial, slightly bemused style of comedy characterised his 'little' man style of comedy". One of his best known songs was "In my wee gas mask" about an ARP warden ("the nicest looking warden in the A.R.P"). Biography He was born in Glasgow, the son of a butcher. He had appeared in "Half-Past Eight" show at Theatre Royal. In 1943 it ran for 32 weeks, the longest a show had run in Glasgow and a record that he still held at the time of his death. He retired from the stage in 1950. A decade later he was back on stage. He died at his home in Peebles on 1 January 1973. His son Denny ...
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World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis powers. World War II was a total war that directly involved more than 100 million personnel from more than 30 countries. The major participants in the war threw their entire economic, industrial, and scientific capabilities behind the war effort, blurring the distinction between civilian and military resources. Aircraft played a major role in the conflict, enabling the strategic bombing of population centres and deploying the only two nuclear weapons ever used in war. World War II was by far the deadliest conflict in human history; it resulted in 70 to 85 million fatalities, mostly among civilians. Tens of millions died due to genocides (including the Holocaust), starvation, ma ...
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Associated TeleVision
Associated Television was the original name of the British broadcaster ATV, part of the Independent Television (ITV) network. It provided a service to London at weekends from 1955 to 1968, to the Midlands on weekdays from 1956 to 1968, and to the Midlands all week from 1968 to 1982. It was one of the " Big Four" until 1968, and the "Big Five" after 1968, that between them produced the majority of ITV networked programmes. In 1982, ATV was restructured and rebranded as Central Independent Television, under which name it continued to provide the service for the Midlands. ATV was awarded its first franchise by the Independent Television Authority (ITA) to provide the Independent Television service at weekends for the London region. This service started on Saturday, 24 September 1955, the second ITA franchise to go on air, and was extended until Sunday, 28 July 1968. ATV was also awarded the franchise to provide the weekdays Independent Television service for the Midlands region ...
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Scarborough, North Yorkshire
Scarborough () is a seaside town in the Borough of Scarborough in North Yorkshire, England. Scarborough is located on the North Sea coastline. Historic counties of England, Historically in the North Riding of Yorkshire, the town lies between 10 and 230 feet (3–70 m) above sea level, from the harbour rising steeply north and west towards limestone cliffs. The older part of the town lies around the harbour and is protected by a rocky headland. With a population of 61,749, Scarborough is the largest seaside resort, holiday resort on the Yorkshire Coast and largest seaside town in North Yorkshire. The town has fishing and service industries, including a growing digital and creative economy, as well as being a tourist destination. Residents of the town are known as Scarborians. History Origins The town was reportedly founded around 966 AD as by Thorgils Skarthi, a Viking raider, though there is no archaeological evidence to support these claims, made during the 1960s, as p ...
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Douglas Furber
Douglas Furber (13 May 1885 – 20 February 1961) was a British lyricist and playwright. Furber is best known for the lyrics to the 1937 song "The Lambeth Walk" and the libretto to the musical '' Me and My Girl'', composed by Noel Gay, from which it came. This show made broadcasting history when in 1939 it became the first full length musical to be broadcast on television. A 1986 revival went on to achieve great acclaim, and was nominated for Tony Awards for both Best Score and Best Book. Furber made his first entry into songwriting with the Australian born composer A. Emmett Adams. Following a visit to St. Mary's Church, Southampton, England in 1914, the two wrote "The Bells of St. Mary's". The song was published in 1917. This became a major hit in the United States despite having been originally rejected by the publishers. In 1945, Bing Crosby had a hit with "The Bells of St. Mary's" after it was used as the title song to the film of the same name. Other hits included " L ...
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Jack Buchanan
Walter John Buchanan (2 April 1891 – 20 October 1957) was a Scottish theatre and film actor, singer, dancer, producer and director. He was known for three decades as the embodiment of the debonair man-about-town in the tradition of George Grossmith Jr., and was described by ''The Times'' as "the last of the knuts." He is best known in America for his role in the classic Hollywood musical ''The Band Wagon'' in 1953. Biography Buchanan was born in Helensburgh, Dunbartonshire, Scotland, the son of Walter John Buchanan Sr (1865–1902), auctioneer, and his wife, Patricia, ''née''  McWatt (1860–1936).Spicer, Andrew H"Buchanan, Walter John (1890–1957)" ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, Sept 2004; online edn, January 2008. Retrieved 3 November 2008 He was educated at the Glasgow Academy. Early career After a brief attempt to follow his late father's profession and a failure at acting in Glasgow, he became a music hall comedian u ...
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Bobbie Willis
Bobbie Willis (1941 - 2005) was a Glasgow born comedian, singer and actress. She was the daughter of entertainer Denny Willis and grand daughter of movie star Dave Willis. She was a cast member of the Scottish TV soap '' High Living'' (Nora Murdock) and appeared in a sketch on the USA hit comedy series ''Rowan and Martin's Laugh In''. She also worked with Calum Kennedy and Stanley Baxter Stanley Livingstone Baxter (born 24 May 1926) is a Scottish actor, comedian, impressionist and author. Baxter began his career as a child actor on BBC Scotland and later became known for his British television comedy shows ''The Stanley Baxter .... In her early days she did an aerial ballet and dance act in the circus in Germany. After her death in 2005 her collection of movie memorabilia was bought by Glasgow historian Robert Pool. References External linksBobbie Willis memorabilia in the Robert Pool Glasgow Collection {{DEFAULTSORT:Willis, Bobbie Scottish women comedians 1941 births ...
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Dorothy Paul
Dorothy Paul (born 1937 as Dorothy Pollock) is a Scottish stage and screen actress, comedian, and entertainer. She performed onstage often at the Pavilion Theatre in Glasgow. Acting career Originating from the Dennistoun area of Glasgow, she started her main career in the late 1960s, with her first credited roles in television shows such as ''The Revenue Men'', '' Sutherland's Law'' and ''Garnock Way''. She also featured in the 2005 film ''Festival'', playing Micheline's Mother. After many successful years with various stage performances, including ''Dorothy Paul: Live'', she had made guest appearances in ''Still Game'' and ''Taggart''. ''The Steamie'' In December 1988, Paul starred as Magrit in the television adaptation of the play ''The Steamie'', written by Tony Roper. In the show, she featured alongside fellow cast members Eileen McCallum, Katy Murphy and Peter Mullan. Paul received a BAFTA nomination for her performance, and the adaptation is generally favoured as one o ...
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London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a major settlement for two millennia. The City of London, its ancient core and financial centre, was founded by the Romans as '' Londinium'' and retains its medieval boundaries.See also: Independent city § National capitals The City of Westminster, to the west of the City of London, has for centuries hosted the national government and parliament. Since the 19th century, the name "London" has also referred to the metropolis around this core, historically split between the counties of Middlesex, Essex, Surrey, Kent, and Hertfordshire, which largely comprises Greater London, governed by the Greater London Authority.The Greater London Authority consists of the Mayor of London and the London Assembly. The London Mayor is distinguished fr ...
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VARA (broadcaster)
The Omroepvereniging VARA (), the VARA Broadcasting Association, was a Dutch public broadcasting association primarily operating in the fields of television, radio, publishing and interactive media. It was a member of Netherlands Public Broadcasting. History The association was founded in 1925 as the Vereeniging van Arbeiders Radio AmateursThe word ''vereeniging'' is an antiquated spelling; today this word is spelled ''vereniging''. (Association of Worker Radio Amateurs). The name was changed to ''Omroepvereniging VARA'' in 1957 and is no longer an acronym. VARA originally focused on labour and socialism. In the era of Dutch pillarization the association had close links to the Social Democratic Workers Party and its successor, the Labour Party. For many years VARA's chairmen, such as Marcel van Dam and André Kloos, were prominent members of the party. Although the connection between the two organizations loosened, affinities remain, such as a large overlap between their respe ...
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