Wilkie Bard (born William August Smith) (19 March 1874 – 5 May 1944) was a popular British

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...

and music hall entertainer and recording artist at the beginning of the 20th century. He is best known for his songs "I Want to Sing in Opera" and "The Night Watchman".

Early life

Bard was born in

Chorlton-cum-Hardy Chorlton-cum-Hardy is a suburban area of Manchester, England, southwest of the city centre. Chorlton ward had a population of 14,138 at the 2011 census, and Chorlton Park 15,147. By the 9th century, there was an Anglo-Saxon settlement her ...

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancash ...

. He began as an amateur singer and comedian, aged 21, and his acts included the part of a coon singer"Song on Balcony", ''Sunderland Daily Echo and Shipping Gazette'', 8 August 1939, p. 6. and a character who had a bald head and who wore a black spot on each eyebrow. He also performed in female character roles, specifically with his hit song "I Want to Sing in Opera". Bard had a long career 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 ...

and introduced tongue twisters such as "She sells seashells by the seashore", based on a song he performed in the show "

Dick Whittington and His Cat Dick, Dicks, or Dick's may refer to: Media * ''Dicks'' (album), a 2004 album by Fila Brazillia * Dicks (band), a musical group * ''Dick'' (film), a 1999 American comedy film * "Dick" (song), a 2019 song by Starboi3 featuring Doja Cat Names ...

" in Drury Lane in 1908. In 1919 he went to America where he performed in

, making his debut at the Palace Theatre on 20 October that year; the show was not well received. He stayed with the production and after a few alterations to the script, he became a hit. He performed in Australia in 1921. In 1923, Bard appeared with

Jack Pearl Jack Pearl (born Jack Perlman; October 29, 1894 – December 25, 1982) was a vaudeville performer and a star of early radio. He was best known for his character Baron Munchausen. Vaudeville and early films Born in New York, Pearl debuted as a ...

in tests for Lee de Forest's sound-on-film process

Phonofilm Phonofilm is an optical sound-on-film system developed by inventors Lee de Forest and Theodore Case in the early 1920s. Introduction In 1919 and 1920, Lee De Forest, inventor of the audion tube, filed his first patents on a sound-on-film proce ...

. This short film is in the collection of the

UCLA Film and Television Archive The UCLA Film & Television Archive is a visual arts organization focused on the preservation, study, and appreciation of film and television, based at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Also a nonprofit exhibition venue, the ar ...

. In 1928, Bard appeared in two short films made in Phonofilm, ''The Cleaner'' and ''The Night Watchman'', which may be in the collection of 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 (United Kingdom), National Lot ...

Personal life

Bard was married to Ellen Smith (née Stratton), who performed using the stage name Nellie Stratton. The 1881 and 1891 UK census returns show her name to be Nellie from birth (Peckham, London 1875). Grave of Wilkie Bard in Highgate Cemetery

Grave of Wilkie Bard in Highgate Cemetery

Death

Bard died in 1944 at the age of 70 in Buckinghamshire following a coronary thrombosis"Death of Mr Wilkie Bard, ''Aberdeen Press and Journal'', 6 May 1944, p. 1. and was buried on the eastern side of

Highgate Cemetery Highgate Cemetery is a place of burial in north London, England. There are approximately 170,000 people buried in around 53,000 graves across the West and East Cemeteries. Highgate Cemetery is notable both for some of the people buried there as ...

, on the main north/south path.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bard, Wilkie 1874 births 1944 deaths Burials at Highgate Cemetery Comedians from Manchester People from Chorlton-cum-Hardy Deaths from coronary thrombosis