Arthur Lucan (born Arthur Towle; 16 September 1885 – 17 May 1954) was an English actor who performed the drag act

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 ...

on stage, radio and screen, with a series of comedy films from the late 1930s to the early 1950s.

Early life

Lucan was born on 16 September 1885 in

Sibsey Sibsey is a village, civil parish and electoral ward in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. It is situated at the junction of the A16 and B1184 roads, north from Boston. Sibsey Northlands is to the north of the village. The P ...

Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a Counties of England, county in the East Midlands of England, with a long coastline on the North Sea to the east. It borders Norfolk to the south-east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south-we ...

, as Arthur Towle, the third of seven children born to Tom Towle, a groom, and his wife, Lucy Ann Mawer. When he was five years old, the family moved to nearby

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

, where Arthur later made his first acting appearance at the town's Shodfriars Hall. After leaving school, he left home to pursue a career 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 Br ...

. He gained a job with a family troupe called the ''Musical Cliftons'', and later as sidekick to a comedian called Will Pepper.

Career and marriage

Arthur was appearing in

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 ...

when he met and married the 16-year-old

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 1913. The couple had one son, Donald Daniel Towle (b. 2 October 1915, Dublin –d. 10 February 1975, Par, Cornwall), and became a successful

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 fo ...

. They achieved some success with a sketch called "Bridget's Night Out". For this he first wore drag, and began to develop the character of Old Mother Riley. Whilst in Dublin, he changed his name to Lucan, and they continued to perform as 'Lucan and McShane'. The act was featured in the 1934

Royal Command Performance A Royal Command Performance is any performance by actors or musicians that occurs at the direction or request of a reigning monarch of the United Kingdom. Although English monarchs have long sponsored their own theatrical companies and commis ...

at the

London Palladium The London Palladium () is a Grade II* West End theatre located on Argyll Street, London, in the famous area of Soho. The theatre holds 2,286 seats. Of the roster of stars who have played there, many have televised performances. Between 1955 a ...

, the most prestigious engagement of its time. After the Royal Command Performance, there followed a film career, a radio series and even a

strip cartoon A comic strip is a sequence of drawings, often cartoons, arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions. Traditionally, throughout the 20th and into the 21st c ...

in the ''

Radio Times ''Radio Times'' (currently styled as ''RadioTimes'') is a British weekly listings magazine devoted to television and radio Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves ...

'' and '' Film Fun''. In all, Arthur Lucan made 17 films as Old Mother Riley. In 1943, the ''

Motion Picture Herald The ''Motion Picture Herald'' was an American film industry trade paper published from 1931 to December 1972.Anthony Slide, ed. (1985)''International Film, Radio, and Television Journals'' Greenwood Press. p. 242. It was replaced by the ''QP Heral ...

'' voted him the sixth biggest "money-making star" in British films. However, his marriage proved to be a volatile union, and Lucan and McShane separated in 1951.

Death

Lucan, as 'Old Mother Riley' was last seen on stage at the Theatre Royal,

Barnsley Barnsley () is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. As the main settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley and the fourth largest settlement in South Yorkshire. In Barnsley, the population was 96,888 while the wider Borough ha ...

on 14 May 1954 in a stage adaptation of ''Old Mother Riley in Paris'' as part of his national theatre and music hall tour. Lucan died, aged 68, at the Tivoli Theatre,

Hull Hull may refer to: Structures * Chassis, of an armored fighting vehicle * Fuselage, of an aircraft * Hull (botany), the outer covering of seeds * Hull (watercraft), the body or frame of a ship * Submarine hull Mathematics * Affine hull, in affi ...

on Monday, 17 May 1954. Ellis Aston was the first on stage to compere the forthcoming show. But Lucan had collapsed in the wings and died shortly afterwards in his dressing room.

Legacy

The site of his death now houses a bakery and cafe, where there is a memorial bust of Arthur Lucan, together with various memorabilia from his career. He is buried in Hull's Eastern Cemetery. Following his death, Lucan's understudy

Roy Rolland Roy Rolland (29 June 1921 – 16 August 1997) was an English comedian and stage actor who was the understudy for Arthur Lucan as Old Mother Riley and who took over the role following the death of Lucan in 1954, playing it until about 1977. Biog ...

took on the role of Old Mother Riley, performing with Kitty McShane until her death in 1964, before then performing solo in cabaret, pantomime, theatre variety shows and summer seasons, until the 1980s when he retired. In 1982,

Alan Plater Alan Frederick Plater (15 April 1935 – 25 June 2010) was an English playwright and screenwriter, who worked extensively in British television from the 1960s to the 2000s. Career Plater was born in Jarrow, County Durham, although his family ...

wrote a play, ''

On Your Way, Riley ''On Your Way, Riley'' is a 1982 play by Alan Plater and a 1985 Yorkshire Television drama of the same name about the private and theatrical partnership of husband and wife ' Old Mother Riley' music hall performers Arthur Lucan and Kitty McSha ...

'', about the life of Arthur Lucan, with songs by

Alex Glasgow Alex Glasgow (14 October 1935 – 14 May 2001) was an English singer-songwriter from Low Fell, Gateshead, England. He wrote the songs and music for the musical plays ''Close the Coal House Door'' and '' On Your Way, Riley!'' by Alan Plater, and ...

. This was also broadcast on ITV in 1985 with

Brian Murphy Brian Murphy may refer to: Sportspeople * Brian Murphy (Jamaican cricketer) (born 1973), Jamaican cricketer * Brian Murphy (Zimbabwean cricketer) (born 1976), Zimbabwean cricketer * Brian Murphy (baseball) (born 1980), American head baseball coach ...

and Maureen Lipman in the leading roles. A

Greater London Council The Greater London Council (GLC) was the top-tier local government administrative body for Greater London from 1965 to 1986. It replaced the earlier London County Council (LCC) which had covered a much smaller area. The GLC was dissolved in 198 ...

blue plaque A blue plaque is a permanent sign installed in a public place in the United Kingdom and elsewhere to commemorate a link between that location and a famous person, event, or former building on the site, serving as a historical marker. The term ...

, unveiled in 1978, commemorates Lucan at his home, 11 Forty Lane in

Wembley Wembley () is a large suburbIn British English, "suburb" often refers to the secondary urban centres of a city. Wembley is not a suburb in the American sense, i.e. a single-family residential area outside of the city itself. in north-west Londo ...

. Lucan was a member of the

Savage Club The Savage Club, founded in 1857, is a gentlemen's club in London, named after the poet, Richard Savage. Members are drawn from the fields of art, drama, law, literature, music or science. History The founding meeting of the Savage Club took ...

. In recent years, the club has held ''Old Mother Riley'' evenings, as a tribute to Lucan's talent. There is a comedic line of descent from Old Mother Riley to Brendan O'Carroll's character and programme '' Mrs. Brown's Boys'': "She was a larger than life character who's noisy, over the top, always getting into scrapes."

Berwick Kaler Berwick Kaler (born 31 October 1946) is a British actor most famous for playing the dame in York Theatre Royal's annual pantomime, which he also wrote and directed. He has been awarded the freedom of the city, and in 2002 received an honorary de ...

's Dame in the York Theatre Royal pantomime has also been likened to Old Mother Riley.

Filmography

Actor (and writer where stated) * '' Stars on Parade'' (1936) * ''

'' (1937) * '' Kathleen Mavourneen'' (1937) * ''

Old Mother Riley in Paris ''Old Mother Riley in Paris'' is a 1938 British comedy film directed by Oswald Mitchell and starring Arthur Lucan, Kitty McShane, Magda Kun and C. Denier Warren. It is the second in the Old Mother Riley series of films, and is also known by it ...

'' (1938) * ''

Old Mother Riley, MP ''Old Mother Riley, MP'' is a 1939 British comedy film starring Arthur Lucan and Kitty McShane, which forms part of the Old Mother Riley series of films. The film's plot centres on Old Mother Riley standing for election to the House of Commons. ...

'' (1940) * ''

Old Mother Riley Joins Up ''Old Mother Riley Joins Up'' is a 1940 British comedy film directed by Maclean Rogers and starring Arthur Lucan, Kitty McShane, Martita Hunt, Bruce Seton and Garry Marsh. It was part of the long-running Old Mother Riley series. Plot summary O ...

'' (1940) * '' Old Mother Riley in Society'' (1940) * ''

Old Mother Riley's Circus ''Old Mother Riley's Circus'' is a 1941 British comedy film directed by Thomas Bentley and starring Arthur Lucan, Kitty McShane and John Longden. Old Mother Riley takes over a struggling circus and makes a huge success of it. The trade ad poste ...

'' (and writer, 1941) * '' Old Mother Riley in Business'' (1941) * ''

Old Mother Riley's Ghosts ''Old Mother Riley's Ghosts'' is a 1941 British comedy film directed by John Baxter and starring Arthur Lucan, Kitty McShane and John Stuart. It was the 8th in the long-running Old Mother Riley series. Old Mother Riley inherits a castle in Sc ...

'' (and writer, 1941) * ''

Old Mother Riley Overseas ''Old Mother Riley Overseas'' is a 1943 British comedy film directed by Oswald Mitchell and starring Arthur Lucan, Kitty McShane and Anthony Holles. In the screenplay, Old Mother Riley relocates to Portugal. Plot summary Mother Riley is tricke ...

'' (and writer, 1943) * '' Old Mother Riley Detective'' (and writer, 1943) * ''

Old Mother Riley at Home ''Old Mother Riley at Home'' is a 1945 British comedy film directed by Oswald Mitchell and starring Arthur Lucan, Kitty McShane and Freddie Forbes. It is the 11th film in the long-running Old Mother Riley series. Plot summary Mother Riley's dau ...

'' (1945) * ''

Old Mother Riley's New Venture ''Old Mother Riley's New Venture'' is a low-budget black-and-white 1949 British comedy film, starring Arthur Lucan, Kitty McShane and Chili Bouchier. It is the twelfth in the long-running Old Mother Riley films, and was the first of the series ...

'' (1949) * ''

Old Mother Riley Headmistress ''Old Mother Riley, Headmistress'' is a low budget black and white 1950 British comedy film, starring Arthur Lucan and Kitty McShane. The 13th film in the Old Mother Riley series, it features the Luton Girls Choir playing many of Mother Riley ...

'' (1950) * ''

Old Mother Riley's Jungle Treasure ''Old Mother Riley's Jungle Treasure'' is a low budget 1951 British comedy film, the penultimate in the long running Old Mother Riley series starring Arthur Lucan and Kitty McShane. It features an early appearance by future ''Carry On'' regul ...

'' (1951) * ''

Mother Riley Meets the Vampire ''Mother Riley Meets the Vampire'', also known as ''Vampire Over London'' or ''My Son, the Vampire'', is a 1952 British horror comedy film directed by John Gilling, starring Arthur Lucan and Bela Lugosi that was filmed at Nettlefold Studios. ...

'' (1952)

References

External links

''Old Mother Riley: The Life and Career of Arthur Lucan''
*
''Arthur Lucan – the man who was “Old Mother Riley”''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lucan, Arthur English male stage actors English male film actors People from Sibsey People from Boston, Lincolnshire 1885 births 1954 deaths 20th-century English male actors British male comedy actors