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Ethel Revnell (12 July 1896–24 August 1978) and Gracie West (born Grace May Prudden, 12 October 1892–21 June 1989) were a British comedy double act, most popular in the 1930s and 1940s though Revnell continued to perform into the 1960s. They were sometimes billed as "The Long and the Short Of It", or on radio as "The Two Oddments".


Biography

Ethel Revnell was born in Clerkenwell, and Gracie West in
Notting Hill Notting Hill is a district of West London, England, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Notting Hill is known for being a cosmopolitan and multicultural neighbourhood, hosting the annual Notting Hill Carnival and Portobello Road Ma ...
, London. They met when both attended an audition, and were cast in a summer show, ''The Margate Pedlars''. They then decided to form a double act, based around their contrasting heights - Ethel was about tall, and Gracie just under . They toured in concert parties, and often played the roles of naughty
Cockney Cockney is an accent and dialect of English, mainly spoken in London and its environs, particularly by working-class and lower middle-class Londoners. The term "Cockney" has traditionally been used to describe a person from the East End, or ...
schoolgirls.Raymond Mander and Joe Mitchenson, ''British Music Hall: A story in pictures'', Studio Vista, 1965, p.173 Their big break came in 1928, when they appeared in a touring
revue A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance, and sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural presence of its own dur ...
, C. B. Cochran's ''One Dam Thing After Another''.Richard Anthony Baker, ''Old Time Variety: an illustrated history'', Pen & Sword, 2011, , pp.24-25 They made many successful appearances 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 ...
, featuring in 1934 as the "
ugly sisters The ugly stepsisters are characters in the fairy tale and pantomime, Cinderella. They are the daughters of Cinderella's wicked stepmother, who treat her poorly. The "ugly stepsisters" have been in variations of the story from as early as researchers ...
" in ''
Cinderella "Cinderella",; french: link=no, Cendrillon; german: link=no, Aschenputtel) or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a folk tale with thousands of variants throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsi ...
'' 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 ...
. The name of the wicked Baron was changed to "Baron Mumm" so that the duo could be portrayed as "Maxi Mumm" and "Mini Mumm". "Double Acts - Pantomime Pairings: Revnell and West - “The Long and the Short of it”", ''It's Behind You!''
Retrieved 11 November 2020 They appeared at the Royal Variety Performance in 1937. Although initially reluctant, as they feared their act would not translate well to radio, they also made many broadcasts for the
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from 1934, and continued to feature regularly on radio shows throughout the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
. Search, Radio Times 1923 - 2009, ''genome.ch.bbc.co.uk''
Retrieved 11 November 2020 The duo also appeared in several films, including ''
Father O'Flynn ''Father O'Flynn'' is a 1935 British musical film directed by Wilfred Noy and Walter Tennyson and starring Thomas F. Burke, Jean Adrienne and Robert Chisholm. It was made Shepperton Studios.Wood p.85 Cast * Thomas F. Burke as Father O'Flynn ...
'' (1935), '' So This Is London'' (1939), '' The Balloon Goes Up'' (1942), and ''
Up with the Lark ''Up with the Lark'' is a 1943 British musical comedy film directed by Philip Brandon and starring Ethel Revnell, Gracie West and Anthony Holles. A low-budget production during the Second World War, its main message is to treat the black market ...
'' (1943). The latter films were produced by Edwin J. Fancey. Steve Chibnall and Brian McFarlane, ''The British 'B' Film'', Bloomsbury, 2017, p.117
/ref> Gracie West largely retired in 1946, due to ill health, but continued to make occasional appearances with Revnell into the early 1950s. Ethel Revnell continued as a solo comic performer. On radio, she starred in the radio series ''Luck's Way'' in 1949; in a solo show, ''Solitaire'', in which she played all the parts; and in '' Workers' Playtime''. In the early 1950s Revnell regularly topped the bill in broadcasts of ''Midday Music-Hall''. She also appeared on stage with
Jack Buchanan Walter John Buchanan (2 April 1891 – 20 October 1957) was a Scottish theatre and film actor, singer, dancer, producer and director. He was known for three decades as the embodiment of the debonair man-about-town in the tradition of George G ...
in the revue ''Fine Feathers'', and in the 1953 Royal Variety Performance. She appeared on television, including the show '' The Good Old Days''. Ethel Revnell died in London in 1978, aged 82. Gracie West died in Harpenden, Hertfordshire in 1989, aged 96.


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Revnell and West English comedy duos English women comedians Music hall performers