Clarkson Rose (born Arthur Carl Rose; 8 December 1890 – 23 April 1968) was an English comedian, actor and theatrical revue producer, closely associated with entertainment in British seaside resorts. He was renowned for his performances as a pantomime dame.

Biography

He was born in Dudley, Worcestershire, and started work as a bank clerk in

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while performing in the evenings as A. C. Rose. He formed a small revue group, the Pengwern Players, and became a full-time entertainer and actor. In 1911 he joined the Liverpool Repertory Company, and also toured in a Shakespearian troupe led by Estelle Stead. In 1915 he helped establish the breakaway Liverpool Commonwealth Company, and acted in '' Trelawny of the 'Wells''' that year in London. Performing in Westcliff-on-Sea in 1918, he met pianist and entertainer Olive Fox, who was to become his wife and partner in the

double act A double act (also known as a comedy duo) is a form of comedy originating in the British music hall tradition, and American vaudeville, in which two comedians perform together as a single act. Pairings are typically long-term, in some cases f ...

"Fox and Rose". They performed together in music halls, variety shows and pantomimes in Britain and Ireland over the next few years. In 1921, he established his own revue, ''Twinkle'', at Ryde on the Isle of Wight. In different formats, the show was to continue for the next 45 years. In Bristol in 1922, Fox was taken ill so that Rose performed alone; the show was a success, and he was booked as a solo entertainer for further engagements. Rose made many recordings during the 1920s and 1930s, mostly for Zonophone Records, including "Back I Went to the Ministry of Labour", "Three Cheers For The Middle Classes", and "I Had To Go And Draw Another Pound Out". He played his first pantomime role in Birmingham in 1927, in '' Robinson Crusoe'' with Robb Wilton. Their combination was described by the critic James Agate as "the best... since the days of Dan Leno and

Herbert Campbell Herbert Campbell (22 December 1844 – 19 July 1904), born Herbert Edward Story, was an English comedian and actor who appeared in music hall, Victorian burlesques and musical comedies during the Victorian era. He was famous for starring, for ...

...". The following year, Rose appeared in the

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 f ...

as a pantomime dame. He and Fox toured Australia with their ''Twinkle'' revue company in 1933, extending his tour to incorporate his show into

Ernest Rolls Ernest Charles Rolls (born Josef Adolf Darewski; 6 June 1890 – 20 January 1964) was a British theatre producer, of Russian Jewish heritage, who lived and worked in Britain and Australia. Early life and career He was born in 1890, probably i ...

's revue ''Tout Paris''. In the late 1930s Rose continued to tour successfully with his revue, as well as making regular appearances in pantomime. He worked for ENSA during the Second World War, and continued with his revues and pantomime roles through the 1940s and 1950s. Among the comedians he discovered over the years were Terry Scott and Norman Vaughan. He was elected as 'King Rat' of the Grand Order of Water Rats charity in 1958. Olive Fox retired in 1956 and died in 1964, whereupon Rose himself retired the ''Twinkle'' revue. He wrote a memoir, ''Beside the Seaside'', published in 1960, Bernard Ince, "Pierrots Perfected: Louis Rehil and Artistic Developments in Concert Party Entertainment on the London & Provincial Stage, 1900-1930", ''Society for Theatre Research'', Vol. 68, No. 2, 2014
/ref> and continued to perform in pantomimes, his final performances being in

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in 1967. He died at Eastbourne in 1968 at the age of 77.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rose, Clarkson 1890 births 1968 deaths 20th-century English comedians Music hall performers