Dave Willis (Nom de Guerre of David Williams) (1895– 1 January 1973) was a Scottish comedian and

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

. He was a major music hall star in the 1930s and the 1940s in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

, who came to prominence in

pantomime Pantomime (; informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment. It was developed in England and is performed throughout the United Kingdom, Ireland and (to a lesser extent) in other English-speaking ...

. The actor

Jerry Desmonde Jerry Desmonde (born James Robert Sadler; 20 July 1908 – 11 February 1967) was an English actor and presenter. He is perhaps best known for his work as a comedic foil in duos with Norman Wisdom and Sid Field. Early life Jerry Desmonde wa ...

acted as a stooge to him. He made two films for

Welwyn Studios Welwyn Studios was a British film studio located at Broadwater Road, Welwyn Garden City, in Hertfordshire. The facility operated between 1928 and 1950. The studios were first constructed by British Instructional Films, and converted to make sou ...

co-starring with

Patricia Kirkwood Patricia Kirkwood (24 February 1921 – 25 December 2007) was a British stage actress, singer and dancer who appeared in numerous performances of dramas, cabaret, revues, music hall, variety and pantomimes. She also performed on radio, telev ...

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 Peebles ( gd, Na Pùballan) is a town in the Scottish Borders, Scotland. It was historically a royal burgh and the county town of Peeblesshire. According to the 2011 census, the population was 8,376 and the estimated population in June 2018 wa ...

on 1 January 1973. His son Denny Willis was also a music hall performer and incorporated a number of his father's routines into his act.

Filmography

* ''

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) * '' Me and My Pal'' (1939) * ''Slick Tartan'' (1949, short)

References

Bibliography

* Donnelley, Paul. ''Fade to Black: A Book of Movie Obituaries''. Omnibus Press, 2000.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Willis, Dave 1895 births 1973 deaths Scottish male film actors Music hall performers Scottish male comedians 20th-century Scottish male actors 20th-century British comedians