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Harry Gifford (songwriter)
Gifford Folkard (1877 – 8 January 1960), known professionally as Harry Gifford, was an English songwriter. He worked from the 1900s but is best known for his work in the 1930s co-writing songs with Fred E. Cliffe for entertainer George Formby. He was born and grew up in Dalston, London (not in Plymouth as sometimes claimed), and after working as a salesman became a writer of popular songs for music hall artistes. His early co-writes with other writers included "I Like Your Old French Bonnet" (with Tom Mellor and Alf J. Lawrance, 1906, performed by Harry Fay), "If I hadn't got a girl like you" (with Mellor and Lawrance, 1907, performed by Gordon Stretton), "She Sells Seashells" (with Terry Sullivan, 1908, performed by Wilkie Bard), "My Indiana Queen" and "She's somebody's sweet heart" (both with Mellor, 1909, performed by Gordon Stretton), "There's a brown gal way down in Old Dahomey" (with Mellor, 1910, performed by Gordon Stretton), "It’s Nice To Have A Friend" (with Mellor ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fred E
Fred may refer to: People * Fred (name), including a list of people and characters with the name Mononym * Fred (cartoonist) (1931–2013), pen name of Fred Othon Aristidès, French * Fred (footballer, born 1949) (1949–2022), Frederico Rodrigues de Oliveira, Brazilian * Fred (footballer, born 1979), Helbert Frederico Carreiro da Silva, Brazilian * Fred (footballer, born 1983), Frederico Chaves Guedes, Brazilian * Fred (footballer, born 1986), Frederico Burgel Xavier, Brazilian * Fred (footballer, born 1993), Frederico Rodrigues de Paula Santos, Brazilian * Fred Again (born 1993), British songwriter known as FRED Television and movies * ''Fred Claus'', a 2007 Christmas film * ''Fred'' (2014 film), a 2014 documentary film * Fred Figglehorn, a YouTube character created by Lucas Cruikshank ** ''Fred'' (franchise), a Nickelodeon media franchise ** '' Fred: The Movie'', a 2010 independent comedy film * '' Fred the Caveman'', French Teletoon production from 2002 * Fred Flin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ella Retford
Elinor Maud Dawe ( Flanagan, 2 July 1885 – 29 June 1962), who used the stage name Ella Retford, was an English music hall comedian, singer and dancer, and later a stage and film actress. Biography She was born in Sunderland (not Ireland, as some sources suggest), and around 1900 moved to London where she performed in music hall shows, initially as a dancer. By 1906, she was established as a performer in revues and pantomimes, often playing the part of principal boy. Theatre historian W. J. MacQueen-Pope called her "probably the best 'Aladdin' ever seen in pantomime... She was sparkle and grace personified and her dancing was a joy..". "Ella Retford (1886–1962)", ''Fred Godfrey Songs'' Retrieved 20 July 2020 The '' [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1877 Births
Events January–March * January 1 – Queen Victoria is proclaimed ''Empress of India'' by the ''Royal Titles Act 1876'', introduced by Benjamin Disraeli, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom . * January 8 – Great Sioux War of 1876 – Battle of Wolf Mountain: Crazy Horse and his warriors fight their last battle with the United States Cavalry in Montana. * January 20 – The Conference of Constantinople ends, with Ottoman Turkey rejecting proposals of internal reform and Balkan provisions. * January 29 – The Satsuma Rebellion, a revolt of disaffected samurai in Japan, breaks out against the new imperial government; it lasts until September, when it is crushed by a professionally led army of draftees. * February 17 – Major General Charles George Gordon of the British Army is appointed Governor-General of the Sudan. * March – ''The Nineteenth Century (periodical), The Nineteenth Century'' magazine is founded in London. * Marc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Streatham
Streatham ( ) is a district in south London, England. Centred south of Charing Cross, it lies mostly within the London Borough of Lambeth, with some parts extending into the neighbouring London Borough of Wandsworth. Streatham was in Surrey before becoming part of the County of London in 1889, and then Greater London in 1965. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. History Streatham means "the hamlet on the street". The street in question, the London to Brighton Way, was the Roman road from the capital Londinium to the south coast near Portslade, today within Brighton and Hove. It is likely that the destination was a Roman port now lost to coastal erosion, which has been tentatively identified with 'Novus Portus' mentioned in Ptolemy's Geographia. The road is confusingly referred to as Stane Street (Stone Street) in some sources and diverges from the main London-Chichester road at Kennington. After the departure of the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Imagine Me In The Maginot Line
"Imagine Me in the Maginot Line" (sometimes "Imagine Me on the Maginot Line") is a 1939 comedy song written by Harry Gifford and Fred E. Cliffe for the comedian George Formby. Formby recorded it on 17 December for Regal Zonophone Records. The title refers to the Maginot Line, a large defensive fortification in northern France, constructed to withstand assault from Nazi Germany. Formby voices a member of the British Expeditionary Force stationed to defend France during the Second World War.Blake p.153 The song was a hit, and Formby performed it when entertaining British troops. Popular during the Phoney War The Phoney War (french: Drôle de guerre; german: Sitzkrieg) was an eight-month period at the start of World War II, during which there was only one limited military land operation on the Western Front, when French troops invaded Germ ... of 1939 to 1940, the song rapidly dated when the Germans attacked and successfully conquered France, with the remains of the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
When I'm Cleaning Windows
"When I'm Cleaning Windows" is a comedy song performed by Lancastrian comic, actor and ukulele player George Formby. It first appeared in the 1936 film ''Keep Your Seats, Please''. The song was credited as written by Formby, Harry Gifford and Fred E. Cliffe. Formby performed the song in A♭ in ''Keep Your Seats, Please''. For the single release, the key was changed to B♭. The song was so successful that George Formby recorded another version of the song entitled "The Window Cleaner (No. 2)". This song uses similar orchestration to the original version and it is about further things which were seen on a window cleaning round. Because the song’s lyrics were racy for the time, it was banned by the BBC from being played on the radio. The corporation's director general John Reith stated that "if the public wants to listen to Formby singing his disgusting little ditty, they'll have to be content to hear it in the cinemas, not over the nation's airwaves"; Formby and his wife ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
With My Little Stick Of Blackpool Rock
"With My Little Stick of Blackpool Rock" is a popular song by English entertainer George Formby, who recorded it in 1937. It was written by his regular songwriting team of Harry Gifford and Fred E. Cliffe, with input from Formby himself. The song was recorded on 24 January 1937, for Regal Zonophone Records, and was released on a 78 rpm single as the B-side of his song "Oh, Dear Mother". It became one of Formby's signature songs. However, according to Simon Frith, the management of BBC Radio were concerned about broadcasting the song, because of its sexual innuendos, in lines such as: "With my little stick of Blackpool Rock, along the promenade I stroll / It may be sticky but I never complain, it's nice to have a nibble at it now and again"; "In my pocket it got stuck I could tell / 'Cos when I pulled it out I pulled my shirt off as well"; and "In the ballroom I went dancing each night / No wonder every girl I danced with stuck to me tight." The producer of one of Formb ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fanlight Fanny
"Fanlight Fanny" is a song written in 1935 by George Formby, Harry Gifford and Fred E. Cliffe, and recorded by Formby in May that year. Another notable version was released in 1962 by Clinton Ford. Song information The song when originally recorded by George Formby enjoyed a successful release on 78rpm. It was released on Decca Records (F5569) on 29 May 1935. The song also appeared in Formby's 1939 film '' Trouble Brewing'', in which it bore an additional verse. It tells the tale of a tawdry, West End-based woman of a certain age, full with alcohol and shoplifted goods, trying to earn a living in a Soho night spot, where she is "Fanlight Fanny the frowsey night-club queen". The version recorded by Clinton Ford in 1962 had accompaniment by the ' George Chisholm All Stars'. It also, with permission, had added new words written by Ford. "Fanlight Fanny" was Ford's third UK chart hit and his most successful single, reaching 22 in the UK Singles Chart in March 1962. It spent ten wee ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fred Godfrey
Fred Godfrey (17 September 1880 – 22 February 1953) was the pen name of Llewellyn Williams, a World War I songwriter. He is best known for the songs "Take Me Back to Dear Old Blighty" (1916) and "Bless 'Em All" (1917), a 1940s hit recorded by George Formby that can be found on many war films. Early life Llewellyn Williams was born on 17 September 1880 in Swansea. He was one of the sons of Robert Williams, an auctioneer, and Maria Jane Knight, a sailor's daughter. They had married in 1864 in Caernarvon. On 1 July 1901 he married Bertha Lloyd. (One of her cousins was Collie Knox, a well-known Daily Mail journalist of the 1930s and 1940s. Her older brother, Charles Ellis Lloyd was a Welsh novelist.) The wedding was in Treherbert, after which they moved to 6 Streatham Place, London. They had four children. Career Between 1900 and 1953 he wrote over 800 songs. Godfrey could write and arrange music as well as write lyrics. He also play the piano. He began selling songs aro ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
George Formby
George Formby, (born George Hoy Booth; 26 May 1904 – 6 March 1961) was an English actor, singer-songwriter and comedian who became known to a worldwide audience through his films of the 1930s and 1940s. On stage, screen and record he sang light, Novelty song, comic songs, usually playing the ukulele or banjolele, and became the UK's highest-paid entertainer. Born in Wigan, Lancashire, he was the son of George Formby Sr, from whom he later took his stage name. After an early career as a stable boy and jockey, Formby took to the music hall stage after the early death of his father in 1921. His early performances were taken exclusively from his father's act, including the same songs, jokes and characters. In 1923 he made two career-changing decisions – he purchased a ukulele, and married Beryl Ingham, a fellow performer who became his manager and transformed his act. She insisted that he appear on stage formally dressed, and introduced the ukulele to his performance. He ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Florrie Forde
Flora May Augusta Flannagan ( Flannagan; 16 August 187518 April 1940), known professionally as Florrie Forde, was an Australian popular singer and music hall entertainer. From 1897 she lived and worked in the United Kingdom. She was one of the most popular stars of the early 20th century music hall. Early life and career Forde was born in Fitzroy, Victoria, in 1875. She was the sixth of the eight children of Lott Flannagan, a stonemason, and Phoebe (née Simmons), who also had two children from a prior marriage. By 1878 her parents had separated and Phoebe married Thomas Ford, a theatrical costumier in 1888. Forde and some of her siblings were placed in a convent. At the age of sixteen, she ran away to live with an aunt in Sydney. When she appeared on the local music hall stage, she adopted her stepfather's surname but added an 'e'. One of her earliest vaudeville performances was as a singer in February 1892 at Polytechnic Music Hall in Pitt Street. According to ''The Sydney M ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wilkie Bard
Wilkie Bard (born William August Smith) (19 March 1874 – 5 May 1944) was a popular British vaudeville and music hall entertainer and recording artist at the beginning of the 20th century. He is best known for his songs "I Want to Sing in Opera" and "The Night Watchman". Early life Bard was born in Chorlton-cum-Hardy, Manchester, Lancashire. He began as an amateur singer and comedian, aged 21, and his acts included the part of a coon singer"Song on Balcony", ''Sunderland Daily Echo and Shipping Gazette'', 8 August 1939, p. 6. and a character who had a bald head and who wore a black spot on each eyebrow. He also performed in female character roles, specifically with his hit song "I Want to Sing in Opera". Bard had a long career in pantomime and introduced tongue twisters such as "She sells seashells by the seashore", based on a song he performed in the show "Dick Whittington and His Cat" in Drury Lane in 1908. In 1919 he went to America where he performed in vaudeville, making h ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
