Norman Stuart Long (26 March 1893 – 10 January 1951) was an English singer, pianist and comic entertainer, who was one of the earliest stars of

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 ...

Biography

Born in

Deal A deal, or deals may refer to: Places United States * Deal, New Jersey, a borough * Deal, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community * Deal Lake, New Jersey Elsewhere * Deal Island (Tasmania), Australia * Deal, Kent, a town in England * Deal, ...

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

, he moved to London as a child and worked as a clerk before joining

Charles Heslop Charles Heslop (8 June 1883 in Thames Ditton, England – 13 April 1966) was a British actor. His stage successes include a musical version of '' Tons of Money'', which toured Australia for Hugh J. Ward in 1924, co-starring Dot Brunton. He ...

's Brownies concert party troupe. After serving in the military 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 ...

, he made his first stage appearance at the

Lewisham Lewisham () is an area of southeast London, England, south of Charing Cross. It is the principal area of the London Borough of Lewisham, and was within the Historic counties of England, historic county of Kent until 1889. It is identified i ...

Hippodrome in 1919, billed as "A song, a smile, and a piano".Raymond Mander and Joe Mitchenson, ''British Music Hall: A story in pictures'', Studio Vista, 1965, p.169 He made his first radio appearance in November 1922, on the 2LO station set up by the newly-established

British Broadcasting Company The British Broadcasting Company Ltd. (BBC) was a short-lived British commercial broadcasting company formed on 18 October 1922 by British and American electrical companies doing business in the United Kingdom. Licensed by the British Genera ...

. His billing was soon changed to "A song, a joke, and a piano" when it was realised that a smile could not be conveyed over radio, Obituary: Mr Norman Long, ''Glasgow Herald'', 11 January 1951, p.3
/ref>Search, Norman Long, ''Radio Times'', ''genome.ch.bbc.co.uk''
Retrieved 11 November 2020 and he described himself as "Norman Long - all teeth and trousers". With his "non-stop patter" as well as his skills as a singer and pianist, he remained a popular radio entertainer over the next 25 years. From 1925 he also made recordings of his own comic songs, mostly released on the Columbia label. These included such titles as "Back I Went to the Ministry of Labour", "Why Is the Bacon So Tough?", and "Never Have a Bath with Your Wristwatch On".Roy Hudd and Philip Hindin, ''Roy Hudd's Cavalcade of Variety Acts'', Robson Books, 1998, , pp.106-107 He took part in the first

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 ...

to be broadcast, in 1927, and again in 1931. He also appeared in the 1932 film, '' The New Hotel''. One of his recordings, "We Can't Let You Broadcast That", in 1932, made fun of the BBC's policy of banning certain words and phrases; the record itself was immediately banned, though this did not affect Long's career. Martin Dibbs, ''Radio Fun and the BBC Variety Department, 1922—67: Comedy and Popular Music on Air'', Springer, 2018, pp.29-30
/ref>Richard Anthony Baker, ''Old Time Variety: an illustrated history'', Pen & Sword, 2011, , p.38 Long continued to make regular appearances on BBC radio variety shows through 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 opposin ...

. He gave a farewell performance in 1945, and retired to a hotel which he owned, the Bolt Head Hotel in

Salcombe Salcombe is a popular resort town in the South Hams district of Devon, south west England. The town is close to the mouth of the Kingsbridge Estuary, mostly built on the steep west side of the estuary. It lies within the South Devon Area of ...

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...

, but continued to put on performances and appear on radio. He died from

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...

, aged 57, in a nursing home in

Torquay Torquay ( ) is a seaside town in Devon, England, part of the unitary authority area of Torbay. It lies south of the county town of Exeter and east-north-east of Plymouth, on the north of Tor Bay, adjoining the neighbouring town of Paignton ...

References

External links

Long performing
in 1934, British Pathe * *
Norman Long
at the

British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves film-making and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Long, Norman 1893 births 1951 deaths British male comedians British radio personalities People from Deal, Kent

Biography

References

Further reading

External links