''Twenty to One'' was a British musical comedy first performed in 1935. The musical was a farce set around the world of

horseracing Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic p ...

. Bill Snibson (

Lupino Lane Henry William George Lupino (16 June 1892 – 10 November 1959) professionally Lupino Lane, was an English actor and theatre manager, and a member of the famous Lupino family, which eventually included his cousin, the screenwriter/director/actr ...

), a

bookmaker A bookmaker, bookie, or turf accountant is an organization or a person that accepts and pays off bets on sporting and other events at agreed-upon odds. History The first bookmaker, Ogden, stood at Newmarket in 1795. Range of events Bookma ...

, joins an anti-

gambling Gambling (also known as betting or gaming) is the wagering of something of value ("the stakes") on a random event with the intent of winning something else of value, where instances of strategy are discounted. Gambling thus requires three el ...

organisation in a fit of guilt. It ran for other four hundred performances at the

Coliseum Theatre The London Coliseum (also known as the Coliseum Theatre) is a theatre in St Martin's Lane, Westminster, built as one of London's largest and most luxurious "family" variety theatres. Opened on 24 December 1904 as the London Coliseum Theatre o ...

in the West End. Combined with provincial tours it ran for over a thousand shows.Shafer p.64 It was written by Louis Arthur Rose. The music was composed by

Billy Mayerl William Joseph Mayerl (31 May 1902 – 25 March 1959) was an English pianist and composer who built a career in music hall and musical theatre and became an acknowledged master of light music. Best known for his syncopated novelty piano solos, ...

. The lead character of Bill Snibson was such a success, that he was revived in 1937 for another musical '' Me and My Girl''. This proved to be an even greater hit with its well-known song "

The Lambeth Walk "The Lambeth Walk" is a song from the 1937 musical '' Me and My Girl'' (with book and lyrics by Douglas Furber and L. Arthur Rose and music by Noel Gay). The song takes its name from a local street, Lambeth Walk, once notable for its street mark ...

". It was adapted into a film in 1939.

References

Bibliography

* Shafer, Stephen C. ''British popular films, 1929-1939: The Cinema of Reassurance''. Routledge, 1997. 1935 musicals British musicals West End musicals {{1930s-play-stub