T. E. Dunville (born Thomas Edward Wallen; 29 July 1867 – 21 March 1924) was a leading English

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, described by

Charlie Chaplin Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin Jr. (16 April 188925 December 1977) was an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the era of silent film. He became a worldwide icon through his screen persona, the Tramp, and is consider ...

as "an excellent funny man".

Life and career

Thomas Edward Wallen was born at 32 New Street,

Coventry Coventry ( or ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its ...

, England on 29 July 1867, the son of a tailor. He was educated at

Bablake School Bablake School is a co-educational Independent school (United Kingdom), independent day school located in Coventry, England and founded in 1344 by Isabella of France, widow of Edward II of England, Edward II, making it List of the oldest scho ...

, and worked briefly for the bicycle manufacturer

Rudge-Whitworth Rudge Whitworth Cycles was a British bicycle, bicycle saddle, motorcycle and sports car wheel manufacturer that resulted from the merger of two bicycle manufacturers in 1894, Whitworth Cycle Co. of Birmingham, founded by Charles Henry Pug ...

. He took his stage name from the

whisky Whisky or whiskey is a type of distilled alcoholic beverage made from fermented grain mash. Various grains (which may be malted) are used for different varieties, including barley, corn, rye, and wheat. Whisky is typically aged in wooden c ...

firm

Dunville & Co Dunville & Co. was a tea and spirits merchant company, based in Belfast, County Antrim. The company initially gained success as an Irish whiskey blender, but later produced and marketed its own whiskey, having constructed its own distillery. The co ...

. At first he worked in an

acrobat Acrobatics () is the performance of human feats of balance, agility, and motor coordination. Acrobatic skills are used in performing arts, sporting events, and martial arts. Extensive use of acrobatic skills are most often performed in acro ...

ic troupe, "The Merry Men", and then 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 ...

s.Harold Scott, ''The Early Doors: Origins of the Music Hall'', Nicholson & Watson, 1946, pp.217-218 Having established himself in the northern

s, Dunville took his act to London in 1890, performing first at the Middlesex Music Hall in

Drury Lane Drury Lane is a street on the eastern boundary of the Covent Garden area of London, running between Aldwych and High Holborn. The northern part is in the borough of Camden and the southern part in the City of Westminster. Notable landmarks ...

. He was billed as an "eccentric comedian and contortionist". His appearance accounted for the "eccentric" part: he had a high forehead, and wore a black wig with a wide parting on the left; he wore a loose black jacket with large buttons, tight black trousers, and large boots. A disabled arm contributed to the "contortionist" part: the arm would jerk and swing with a life of its own as he performed an eccentric dance. He used the same trademark costume irrespective of the character he was portraying, with "no element of realism". He performed in a

staccato Staccato (; Italian for "detached") is a form of musical articulation. In modern notation, it signifies a note of shortened duration, separated from the note that may follow by silence. It has been described by theorists and has appeared in music ...

style, with songs and verses such as "And the Verdict Was", the chorus of which comprised four short lines such as "Little boy/ Pair of skates/ Broken ice/ Heaven's gates". The music hall historian Harold Scott described Dunville as having "a measure of comic genius..." Dunville's first wife, Fanny Warriss, attempted, with Dunville's support, a singing career on the music hall stage under the name Millie Lindon. Dunville's autobiography, ''The Autobiography of an Eccentric Comedian'', was published by Everett & Co. in 1912.

Death

Remaining successful for more than thirty years, Dunville gave his last performance at the Grand Theatre, Clapham on 20 March 1924. The following day he disappeared, and on 22 March 1924 his body was found in 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 ...

Caversham Lock Caversham Lock is a lock and main weir on the River Thames in England at Reading, Berkshire. Both the lock and main weir are connected to De Bohun Island (colloquially known as Lock Island). The Thames Navigation Commissioners built the ori ...

near

Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of Letter (alphabet), letters, symbols, etc., especially by Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process invo ...

. Dunville had suffered with depression for several years, and he left his (second) wife, Dora, a

suicide note A suicide note or death note is a message left behind by a person who dies or intends to die by suicide. A study examining Japanese suicide notes estimated that 25–30% of suicides are accompanied by a note. However, incidence rates may depe ...

including the words "I feel I cannot bear it any longer." He is buried near

Bridport Bridport is a market town in Dorset, England, inland from the English Channel near the confluence of the River Brit and its tributary the Asker. Its origins are Saxon and it has a long history as a rope-making centre. On the coast and withi ...

Dorset Dorset ( ; archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the unitary authority areas of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset (unitary authority), Dors ...

, in a grave marked with a white cross bearing the words "

Jesus wept ''Jesus Wept'' is the third album by American hip hop group P.M. Dawn. It was released in October 1995 via Gee Street Records, and was unable to attain the success of the group's first two albums, '' Of the Heart, of the Soul and of the Cross: T ...

Recordings

Dunville recorded five

phonograph cylinder Phonograph cylinders are the earliest commercial medium for recording and reproducing sound. Commonly known simply as "records" in their era of greatest popularity (c. 1896–1916), these hollow cylindrical objects have an audio recording engra ...

s: * "Enquire Within" ( Edison cylinder 13023) * "Nine Gallant Highlanders" (Edison cylinder 13024) * "Scoot" (Edison cylinder 13025) * "The Volunteer Fireman" (Edison cylinder 13036) * "The Three Stages of Women" (Edison cylinder 13037) Made on the earliest commercial medium for recording and reproducing sound, the recordings may have disintegrated:

"There is now a very real danger that T.E. Dunville's cylinders no longer exist - if any of them do turn up they should be committed to tape or microgroove as soon as possible, the fragility of wax cylinders making such a step particularly necessary. Should they have parted company with their original boxes, the only identification on the cylinders themselves may well be the Edison serial number ... would anyone knowing of the existence of any Dunville cylinders please arrange for them to be transferred electrically to a more permanent "record". How tragic it would be if the voice of one of the premier examples of the "eccentric comedian" were allowed to slip into oblivion."

Legacy

P. G. Wodehouse Sir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse, ( ; 15 October 188114 February 1975) was an English author and one of the most widely read humorists of the 20th century. His creations include the feather-brained Bertie Wooster and his sagacious valet, Jeeve ...

refers to Dunville in his 1909 comic novel '' The Swoop!'' (Part Two, Chapter Four). Dunville created a style of movement called "leg mania", which influenced later comic performers including

Max Wall Max Wall (12 March 1908 – 21 May 1990) was an English actor and comedian whose performing career covered music hall, films, television and theatre. Early years Wall was born Maxwell George Lorimer, son of the successful music hall entert ...

and

Billy Dainty William Hooper Frank John Dainty (22 February 1927 – 19 November 1986) was a British comedian, dancer, physical comedian and pantomime and television star. Early life Dainty was born in Wolverhampton Street, Dudley, Worcestershire. His ...

. There is a small display dedicated to Dunville at the Coventry Music Museum.

References

External links

Caricature held by the Victoria & Albert MuseumT. E. Dunville's Autobiography, Chapter 6T. E. Dunville's Autobiography, Chapter 7T. E. Dunville's Autobiography, Chapter 9T. E. Dunville's Autobiography, Chapter 10T. E. Dunville's Autobiography, Chapter 11T. E. Dunville's Autobiography, Chapter 13T. E. Dunville's Autobiography, Chapter 17
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dunville, T. E. 1867 births 1924 deaths Music hall performers English male comedians Contortionists Comedians from Coventry Suicides by drowning in England 1924 suicides