George Spence Melvin (20 February 1886 – 2 December 1946) was a Scottish

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 ...

comedian and noted

pantomime dame A pantomime dame is a traditional role in British pantomime. It is part of the theatrical tradition of ''travesti'' portrayal of female characters by male actors in drag. Dame characters are often played either in an extremely camp style, or else ...

Biography

Melvin was born in Old Machar,

Aberdeen Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

. His father was a stage actor and producer, and Melvin first appeared on stage at the age of five doing a parody of his father's act. Later, he performed as an Irish comedian under the name Hugh Donovan and collaborated with his father in the Garden and the Melvin Quintet before going solo. Reverting to his birth name, he made his first London appearance in 1908, and was seen by an American agent who booked him on a tour of the Orpheum Circuit of

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...

theatres. He made further tours of the U.S. in 1912 and 1924, and also performed in South Africa. Theatre historian Roy Busby described Melvin as "a clever artiste hoappealed to both broad and subtle tastes in comedy; he was a great quick-change artist and a burlesque comedian... His music hall characters ranged from a Victorian dandy to a Clydeside stoker... ". Melvin was also a popular pantomime dame, especially at the

Theatre Royal, Drury Lane The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, commonly known as Drury Lane, is a West End theatre and Grade I listed building in Covent Garden, London, England. The building faces Catherine Street (earlier named Bridges or Brydges Street) and backs onto Dr ...

. During the 1920s he developed a style of female impersonation, parodying

hiker Hiking is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century.AMATO, JOSEPH A. "Mind over Foot: Romantic Walking and Rambling." In ''On Foot: A Histor ...

girl guide Girl Guides (known as Girl Scouts in the United States and some other countries) is a worldwide movement, originally and largely still designed for girls and women only. The movement began in 1909 when girls requested to join the then-grassroot ...

s, cyclists, and other devotees of outdoor activities. His songs included "I Like to Jump Upon a Bike", "Gladys, The Girl Guide", and "I'm Happy When I'm Hiking" (written by

Ralph Butler Ralph Thomas Butler (12 October 1886 – 8 April 1969) was a British songwriter, responsible for the lyrics of many popular songs of the 1930s and later, mostly with comic or novelty elements. He was active as a songwriter from the late 1920s unti ...

and Raymond Wallace), which was adopted as a hikers' anthem. He performed 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 ...

s in 1921, 1932, and 1938. He drowned in 1946, at the age of 60, in floods on the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, se ...

Datchet Datchet is a village and civil parish in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in Berkshire, England, located on the north bank of the River Thames. Historically part of Buckinghamshire, and the Stoke Hundred, the village was eventuall ...

Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire (), abbreviated Bucks, is a ceremonial county in South East England that borders Greater London to the south-east, Berkshire to the south, Oxfordshire to the west, Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-ea ...

(now

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; in the 17th century sometimes spelt phonetically as Barkeshire; abbreviated Berks.) is a historic county in South East England. One of the home counties, Berkshire was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II as the Royal County of Berk ...

) whilst appearing at the Drury Lane Theatre.''Daily Mirror'' front page, 3 December 1946 His body was recovered downstream several weeks later.

References

Sources and external links

The Impresarios Wylie–Tate
1886 births 1946 deaths Pantomime dames Scottish male comedians Scottish male stage actors 20th-century British comedians {{UK-comedian-stub