Sid Field
Sidney Arthur Field (1 April 1904 – 3 February 1950) was an English comedy entertainer who was popular in the 1940s. Early years Field was born in Ladywood, Birmingham, Warwickshire, the son of Albert (a candlemaker) and Bertha (a dressmaker). Field spent most of his childhood in Birmingham. As a child, he charged his friends "admission" to his back garden impression shows. He also busked and performed in the queues at his local cinema dressed as Charlie Chaplin (once being cautioned by police for his activities). Field was later praised by Chaplin himself, at whose parties Field was a regular invitee. Field was educated at Conway Road, Stratford Road and Golden Hillock Road schools, and attended Sunday school at Emmanuel Church, Walford Road. His cousins, "''the Workmans"'', performed in concerts at Moseley Road Swimming Baths in the city, where Field made his stage debut, singing "What A Life" at the age of nine. His first professional engagement, with "The Kino Royal J ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Abbott And Costello
Abbott and Costello were an American comedy duo composed of comedians Bud Abbott and Lou Costello, whose work in radio, film, and television made them the most popular comedy team of the 1940s and 1950s, and the highest-paid entertainers in the world during the Second World War. Their patter routine " Who's on First?" is considered one of the greatest comedy routines of all time, a version of which appears in their 1945 film '' The Naughty Nineties''. Abbott and Costello made their film debut in the 1940 comedy '' One Night in the Tropics''. The following year, they appeared in three armed service comedies: '' Buck Privates'', '' In the Navy'', and '' Keep 'Em Flying''. They also appeared in the 1941 horror comedy film ''Hold That Ghost'', and went on to appear in several other horror comedies, including ''Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein'' (1948), ''Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff'' (1949), '' Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man'' (1951), '' Ab ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Wide Boy
''Wide boy'' is a British term for a man who lives by his wits, wheeling and dealing. According to the ''Oxford English Dictionary'' it is synonymous with spiv.Oxford English Dictionary accessed 13 Dec 2010 The word "wide" used in this sense means wide-awake or sharp-witted. It applies to the wide-lapelled suits and broad ties, commonly called ''kippers'', after the similarly broad fish. The term was used in a 1936 autobiography Benney, M. (1936). Low Company. London: P. Davies to describe criminal culture during the First World War. Newspapers of the late 1940s and 1950s often use both terms in the same article about the same person when dealing with ticket touts, fraudsters, and black market traders. It has become more generally used to describe a dishonest trader or a petty criminal who works by guile rather than force. An early use of the term was in the 1933 film Friday the Thirteenth, where the character, played by Max Miller, a loud, quick-witted, Cockney market trader, ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Eric Morecambe
John Eric Bartholomew (14 May 1926 – 28 May 1984), known by his stage name Eric Morecambe, was an English comedian who together with Ernie Wise formed the double act Morecambe and Wise. The partnership lasted from 1941 until Morecambe's death in 1984. Morecambe took his stage name from his home town, the seaside resort of Morecambe in Lancashire. He was the co-star of the BBC1's television series ''The Morecambe & Wise Show'', which for the 1977 Christmas episode gained UK viewing figures of over 28 million people. One of the most prominent comedians in British popular culture, in 2002 he was named one of the 100 Greatest Britons in a BBC poll. Early life and childhood career Eric Morecambe was born at 12.30pm on Friday, 14 May 1926 at 42 Buxton Street, Morecambe, Lancashire to George and Sarah Elizabeth "Sadie" (née Robinson) Bartholomew. He was christened on 6 June as John Eric Bartholomew. Sadie took work as a waitress to raise funds for his dancing lessons. During ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Character Acting
A character actor is an actor known for playing unusual, eccentric, or interesting characters in supporting roles, rather than leading ones.28 April 2013, The New York Acting SchoolTen Best Character Actors of All Time Retrieved 7 August 2014, "..a breed of actor who has the ability to be almost unrecognizable from part to part, and yet play many, many roles convincingly and memorably. .." The term is somewhat abstract and open to interpretation. While all actors play "characters", the term character actor is often applied to an actor who frequently plays a distinctive and important supporting role. In another sense, a character actor may also be one who specializes in minor roles. A character actor may play a variety of characters in their career, often referred to as a "chameleon", or may be known for playing the same type of roles. Character actor roles are more substantial than bit parts or non-speaking extras. The term is used primarily to describe television and film act ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Margaret Lockwood
Margaret Mary Day Lockwood, CBE (15 September 1916 – 15 July 1990), was a British actress. One of Britain's most popular film stars of the 1930s and 1940s, her film appearances included ''The Lady Vanishes'' (1938), '' Night Train to Munich'' (1940), ''The Man in Grey'' (1943), and '' The Wicked Lady'' (1945). She was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best British Actress for the 1955 film '' Cast a Dark Shadow''. She also starred in the television series ''Justice'' (1971–74). Ronald Bergan of ''The Guardian'' called her "one of the most beautiful, energetic, and spirited actresses in the history of British cinema." Early life Lockwood was born on 15 September 1916 in Karachi, British India (today Pakistan), to Henry Francis Lockwood, an English administrator of a railway company, and his third wife, Scottish-born Margaret Eveline Waugh. She moved to England in 1920 with her mother, brother Lyn and half-brother Frank. Her half-sister Fay joined them the following year, b ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Cardboard Cavalier
''Cardboard Cavalier'' is a 1948 British historical comedy film directed by Walter Forde and starring Sid Field, Margaret Lockwood and Jerry Desmonde. It was the last film for Forde and Field. Field died of a heart attack shortly after the film was released. Plot In an England under the rule of Oliver Cromwell, London barrow boy Sidcup Buttermeadow is unwittingly used as a spy for the exiled Charles II to deliver messages to his royalist supporters, and is aided by the object of his affection, Nell Gwynn. Dressed as a Cavalier, Sidcup is pursued by Roundhead troops, but evades them with the help of a variety of people and a ghost. When Charles is eventually restored as king, Sid is knighted and gets to kiss Nell Gwynn. Cast * Sid Field as Sidcup Buttermeadow * Margaret Lockwood as Nell Gwynne * Jerry Desmonde as Colonel Lovelace * Jack McNaughton as Uriah Group * Brian Worth as Tom Pride * Edmund Willard as Oliver Cromwell * Mary Clare as Milady Doverhouse * Alfie Dean as ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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London Town (1946 Film)
''London Town'' (also known as ''My Heart Goes Crazy'' ) is a 1946 Technicolor musical film directed by Wesley Ruggles and starring Sid Field and Petula Clark. The screenplay was by Sig Herzig, Val Guest and Elliot Paul, based on a story by Ruggles. According to Allmovie, the film was "one of the most notorious flops in the history of the British cinema." Plot summary Comedian Jerry Sanford arrives in London believing he has been hired as the star of a major stage production, when in fact he is merely an understudy. Thanks to his daughter Peggy, who sabotages the revue's star Charlie de Haven, he finally gets his big break. The premise allows for a variety of musical numbers and comedy sketches. Cast * Sid Field as Jerry Sanford * Greta Gynt as Mrs. Eve Barry * Petula Clark as Peggy Sanford * Kay Kendall as Patsy * Sonnie Hale as Charlie de Haven * Claude Hulbert as Belgrave, Charlie's Dresser * Mary Clare as Mrs. Gates * Tessie O'Shea as Herself * Jerry Desmonde as Geor ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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That's The Ticket
''That's the Ticket'' is a 1940 British comedy film directed by Redd Davis and starring Sid Field, Hal Walters and Betty Lynne.Murphy p.166 It was shot at Teddington Studios. The sets were designed by the art director Norman G. Arnold. Synopsis Two nightclub cloakroom attendants become entangled with an enemy spy ring in an adventure that takes them to Paris. Cast * Sid Field as Ben Baker * Hal Walters as Nosey * Betty Lynne as Fifi * Gus McNaughton as Milkbar Monty * Gordon McLeod as Ferdinand * Charles Castella as The Bull * Gibb McLaughlin as The Count * Ian McLean as Hercule * Ernest Sefton Ernest Sefton (born as Ernest Henry Tipton; 13 January 1883 in Hackney, London – 5 December 1954) was a British film actor. He was the brother of Violet Loraine. Selected filmography * '' A Night Like This'' (1932) - Customer at Moonsto ... as Marchand References Bibliography * Murphy, Robert. ''Realism and Tinsel: Cinema and Society in Britain 1939-48''. Rou ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Mickey Rooney
Mickey Rooney (born Ninnian Joseph Yule Jr.; other pseudonym Mickey Maguire; September 23, 1920 – April 6, 2014) was an American actor. In a career spanning nearly nine decades, he appeared in more than 300 films and was among the last surviving stars of the silent-film era. He was the top box-office attraction from 1939 to 1941, and one of the best-paid actors of that era. At the height of a career ultimately marked by declines and comebacks, Rooney performed the role of Andy Hardy in a series of 16 films in the 1930s and 1940s that epitomized the mainstream United States self-image. At the peak of his career between ages 15 and 25, he made 43 films, and was one of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's most consistently successful actors. A versatile performer, he became a celebrated character actor later in his career. Laurence Olivier once said he considered Rooney "the best there has ever been". Clarence Brown, who directed him in two of his earliest dramatic roles in ''National Velvet (fi ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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London Palladium
The London Palladium () is a Grade II* West End theatre located on Argyll Street, London, in Soho. The theatre was designed by Frank Matcham and opened in 1910. The auditorium holds 2,286 people. Hundreds of stars have played there, many with televised performances. Between 1955 and 1969 '' Sunday Night at the London Palladium'' was staged at the venue, produced for the ITV network. The show included a performance by the Beatles on 13 October 1963; one newspaper's headlines in the following days coined the term " Beatlemania" to describe the hysterical interest in the band. While the theatre hosts resident shows, it is also able to host one-off performances, such as concerts, TV specials and Christmas pantomimes. It has hosted the Royal Variety Performance 43 times, most recently in 2019. Architecture Walter Gibbons, an early moving-pictures manager, intended for the Palladium, in 1910, to compete with Sir Edward Moss's London Hippodrome and Sir Oswald Stoll's London ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Royal Variety Performance
The ''Royal Variety Performance'' is a televised variety show held annually in the United Kingdom to raise money for the Royal Variety Charity (of which King Charles III is life-patron). It is attended by senior members of the British royal family. The evening's performance is presented as a live variety show, usually from a theatre in London and consists of family entertainment that includes comedy, music, dance, magic and other speciality acts. The ''Royal Variety Performance'' traditionally begins with the entrance of the members of the royal family followed by the singing of the national anthem, "God Save the King", which was also performed by the participating acts as a traditional end to Royal Variety Performances; with the exception of 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, as a result of which, " As If We Never Said Goodbye" opened that year's show instead, sung by that year's host, Jason Manford. After each performance, the performer bows twice, one to the audience ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Terry-Thomas
Terry-Thomas (born Thomas Terry Hoar Stevens; 10 July 1911 – 8 January 1990) was an English character actor and comedian who became internationally known through his films during the 1950s and 1960s. He often portrayed disreputable members of the Social structure of the United Kingdom#Upper class, upper classes, especially wikt:cad, cads, toffs and wikt:bounder, bounders, using his distinctive voice; his costume and props tended to include a monocle, waistcoat and cigarette holder. His striking dress sense was set off by a Diastema, gap between his Maxillary central incisor, two upper front teeth. Born in London, Terry-Thomas made his film debut, uncredited, in ''The Private Life of Henry VIII'' (1933). He spent several years appearing in smaller roles, before wartime service with Entertainments National Service Association (ENSA) and Stars in Battledress. The experience helped sharpen his cabaret and revue act, increased his public profile and proved instrumental in the de ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |