Lew Lake (born Louis Charles Polack; 10 January 1875 – 5 November 1939) was an English comic actor, writer, producer, and theatre manager.

Life and career

He was born in

Shoreditch, London Shoreditch is a district in the East End of London in England, and forms the southern part of the London Borough of Hackney. Neighbouring parts of Tower Hamlets are also perceived as part of the area. In the 16th century, Shoreditch was an impor ...

, the son of a

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

-born cigar maker. Around 1900, he started performing in

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 ...

s as a comedian, and soon formed a

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 ...

with Bob Morris (1866–1945). They performed a two-act

comedy sketch Sketch comedy comprises a series of short, amusing scenes or vignettes, called "sketches", commonly between one and ten minutes long, performed by a group of comic actors or comedians. The form developed and became popular in vaudeville, and is ...

called "The Bloomsbury Burglars", written by Lake, in which Lake (as "Nobbler") and Morris (as "Jerry") played window cleaners who broke into a house to recover some incriminating letters, but were chased over rooftops and eventually caught by the police.Raymond Mander and Joe Mitchenson, ''British Music Hall: A story in pictures'', Studio Vista, 1965, p.141"Bob Morris & Lew Lake", ''Worthpoint.com''
Retrieved 9 February 2021 The performance introduced the phrase "Stick it, Jerry!", which became a popular

catchphrase A catchphrase (alternatively spelled catch phrase) is a phrase or expression recognized by its repeated utterance. Such phrases often originate in popular culture and in the arts, and typically spread through word of mouth and a variety of mass ...

. It was adopted by soldiers in the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, and the term "Jerry" then came to be used as a

nickname A nickname is a substitute for the proper name of a familiar person, place or thing. Commonly used to express affection, a form of endearment, and sometimes amusement, it can also be used to express defamation of character. As a concept, it is ...

for German soldiers. Robert V. Kenny, ''The Man Who Was Old Mother Riley - The Lives and Films of Arthur Lucan and Kitty McShane'', Bear Manor Media, 2014, p.
/ref> The sketch was filmed in 1912, by A. E. Coleby, as ''The Bloomsbury Burglars'', and on stage Lake and Morris also performed a sequel, "My Pal Jerry". The sketches required a number of

extra Extra or Xtra may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Film * ''The Extra'' (1962 film), a Mexican film * ''The Extra'' (2005 film), an Australian film Literature * ''Extra'' (newspaper), a Brazilian newspaper * ''Extra!'', an American me ...

s, and Lake then set up his own company, ''Lew Lake’s Colossal Comedy Company of Comedians'', for which he wrote another sketch, "The Rib-Nosed Baboon", which required 150 extras. Lake was elected as "King Rat" of the

Grand Order of Water Rats The Grand Order of Water Rats is a British entertainment industry fraternity and charitable organisation based in London. Founded in 1889 by the music hall comedians Joe Elvin and Jack Lotto, the order is known for its high-profile membership a ...

, the

show business Show business, sometimes shortened to show biz or showbiz (since 1945), is a vernacular term for all aspects of the entertainment industry.''Oxford English Dictionary'' 2nd Ed. (1989) From the business side (including managers, agents, produc ...

charity, in 1917 and 1918. He became a successful writer and theatrical producer of

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 duri ...

s. As a producer, he worked closely with the husband-and-wife team of

Arthur Lucan Arthur Lucan (born Arthur Towle; 16 September 1885 – 17 May 1954) was an English actor who performed the drag act Old Mother Riley on stage, radio and screen, with a series of comedy films from the late 1930s to the early 1950s. Early life ...

and

Kitty McShane Kathleen "Kitty" McShane (19 May 1897 – 24 March 1964) was an Irish actress, best known as the wife and acting partner of Arthur Lucan, with whom she appeared in a series of ''Old Mother Riley'' stage shows and films from the 1930s to the ...

in the 1920s, devising several shows featuring the couple as "

Old Mother Riley Old Mother Riley is a fictional character portrayed from about 1934 to 1954 by Arthur Lucan and from 1954 to the 1980s by Roy Rolland as part of a British music hall act. Old Mother Riley (full comedy name: Daphne Bluebell Snowdrop Riley) is an I ...

and Daughter". Lake also appeared, performing as "Nobbler", in the 1929 film '' Splinters'', and its sequels, ''

Splinters in the Navy ''Splinters in the Navy'' is a 1931 British comedy film directed by Walter Forde and starring Sydney Howard, Alf Goddard, and Helena Pickard. The film was made at Twickenham Studios, and is a sequel to the film '' Splinters'' (1929), about an a ...

'' (1931) and ''

Splinters in the Air ''Splinters in the Air'' (aka, ''Splinters In The Air Force'') is a 1937 British comedy film directed by Alfred J. Goulding and starring Sydney Howard and Richard Hearne. It is a loose sequel to the films ''Splinters (1929 film), Splinters'' (19 ...

'' (1937). In later life, he managed Collins Music Hall in

Islington Islington () is a district in the north of Greater London, England, and part of the London Borough of Islington. It is a mainly residential district of Inner London, extending from Islington's High Street to Highbury Fields, encompassing the ar ...

, then known as Islington Hippodrome, Eric A Willats, "Islington Green", ''Streets with a Story: The Book of Islington'', p.173
Retrieved 9 February 2021 and lived above the premises. Lew Lake died in Islington in 1939, aged 64. He was buried at

Abney Park Cemetery Abney Park cemetery is one of the "Magnificent Seven" cemeteries in London, England. Abney Park in Stoke Newington in the London Borough of Hackney is a historic parkland originally laid out in the early 18th century by Lady Mary Abney, D ...

Stoke Newington Stoke Newington is an area occupying the north-west part of the London Borough of Hackney in north-east London, England. It is northeast of Charing Cross. The Manor of Stoke Newington gave its name to Stoke Newington the ancient parish. The ...

, where his grave was restored by the

Music Hall Guild The Music Hall Guild of Great Britain and America and the Theatre and Film Guild of Great Britain and America is a registered theatre charity and non-profit making theatre organisation based in London. The Guild's patrons include Brian Croucher ...

in 2015. "Lew Lake: Grave Restored", ''The Music Hall Guild'', 2015
Retrieved 9 February 2021 His son, Lewis Polack, known as Lew Lake Jr. (1901-1958), continued in the family tradition as a performer and manager of the Islington theatre until his death.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lake, Lew 1875 births 1939 deaths Music hall performers Comedians from London Burials at Abney Park Cemetery