Charles Penrose (born Charles Penrose Dunbar Cawse; 11 November 1873 – 17 November 1952) was an English

music hall Music hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment that was popular from the early Victorian era, beginning around 1850. It faded away after 1918 as the halls rebranded their entertainment as variety. Perceptions of a distinction in Bri ...

and theatre performer, and later radio comedian, who is best known for his unusual comic song " The Laughing Policeman". He was born in

Biggleswade Biggleswade ( ) is a market town and civil parish in Central Bedfordshire in Bedfordshire, England. It lies on the River Ivel, 11 miles (18 km) south-east of Bedford. Its population was 16,551 in the 2011 United Kingdom census, and its es ...

Bedfordshire Bedfordshire (; abbreviated Beds) is a ceremonial county in the East of England. The county has been administered by three unitary authorities, Borough of Bedford, Central Bedfordshire and Borough of Luton, since Bedfordshire County Council wa ...

, the son of a master

watchmaker A watchmaker is an artisan who makes and repairs watches. Since a majority of watches are now factory-made, most modern watchmakers only repair watches. However, originally they were master craftsmen who built watches, including all their par ...

and

jeweller A bench jeweler is an artisan who uses a combination of skills to make and repair jewelry. Some of the more common skills that a bench jeweler might employ include antique restoration, silversmith, Goldsmith, stone setting, engraving, fabrica ...

Early life

He initially followed his father into the jewellery trade, but enjoyed such success with his innovative

laughing Laughter is a pleasant physical reaction and emotion consisting usually of rhythmical, often audible contractions of the diaphragm and other parts of the respiratory system. It is a response to certain external or internal stimuli. Laughter ...

songs at local concert parties that he was invited to join a theatrical tour at the age of 18. His theatrical career took off, and he appeared in

and the West End. One of his most successful performances was in '' Tonight's the Night'' at the Gaiety Theatre,

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 majo ...

in 1914–15. Penrose married

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

's daughter Harriet Lewcock in 1899.

Performing career

It was his second wife, songwriter Mabel Anderson, 26 years younger than he was, who became his most important collaborator. In 1922, Penrose made the first recording of his song " The Laughing Policeman" under the pseudonym 'Charles Jolly'. The composition of the song is officially credited to his wife Mabel under the pseudonym 'Billie Grey', but the music, melody, and laughing are taken from "The Laughing Song" by the American George W. Johnson which was first recorded in 1891. The Penroses wrote numerous other laughing songs including "The Laughing Major", "Curate", "Steeplechaser", "Typist", "Lover" and "Sneezing Man". The B-side of ''The Laughing Sneezing Man'' was a short comical sketch called "The Dog Vs The Cornet" where a little boy had to get his dog to out-sing a cornet player and make him stop playing.

Radio

Penrose was one of the first comedians to star on

BBC Radio BBC Radio is an operational business division and service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a royal charter since 1927). The service provides national radio stations covering th ...

, his most popular role being Sgt. Bob Evergreen in the wartime radio series ''The Pig and Whistle''. He was also a character actor in a number of films in the 1930s and 1940s.

Death

Charles Penrose died of heart disease on 17 November 1952 at the

Princess Beatrice Hospital The Princess Beatrice Hospital was a London hospital located in Earl's Court, which operated from 1887 to 1978, latterly as a maternity hospital. History The hospital was founded in 1887 as part of the celebrations of Queen Victoria’s Golden ...

Kensington Kensington is a district in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in the West End of London, West of Central London. The district's commercial heart is Kensington High Street, running on an east–west axis. The north-east is taken up b ...

, aged 79.

Filmography

* '' Honeymoon for Three'' (1935) as Laughing passenger * ''

The Crimes of Stephen Hawke ''The Crimes of Stephen Hawke'' is a 1936 British historical melodrama film directed by George King and starring Tod Slaughter as the nefarious Stephen Hawke - who masquerades as the 'Spine-Breaker'. It also features Marjorie Taylor, D. J. Wil ...

'' (1936) as Sir Franklin * ''

Calling the Tune ''Calling the Tune'' was a 1936 British musical drama film directed by Reginald Denham and Thorold Dickinson and starring Adele Dixon, Sally Gray and Sam Livesey. It was based on a play written by the Irish MP and novelist, Justin Huntly McCarth ...

'' (1936) Cameo appearance * '' Dreams Come True'' (1936) (uncredited) * '' Boys Will Be Girls'' (1937) as Laughing Man in club (uncredited) * '' The Derelict'' (1937) as Toby's Pal * ''

Save a Little Sunshine ''Save a Little Sunshine'' is a 1938 British comedy film directed by Norman Lee and starring Dave Willis, Pat Kirkwood and Tommy Trinder. Plot After he is sacked from his job, Dave Smalley buys a share in a hotel, but has to resort to workin ...

'' (1938) as Agent (uncredited) * '' The Dark Eyes of London'' (1939) as Morrison, undercover detective (uncredited) * '' The Man with the Magnetic Eyes'' (1945) as Roberts * '' Miranda'' (1948) as Stage Manager (uncredited)

References

External links

Biggleswade History Society
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Penrose, Charles 1873 births 1952 deaths English radio personalities English male comedians People from Biggleswade English male singers 20th-century English comedians