Arthur Veary Treacher (, 23 July 1894 – 14 December 1975) was an English film and stage actor active from the 1920s to the 1960s, and known for playing English types, especially butler and manservant roles, such as the

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 ...

valet character

Jeeves Jeeves (born Reginald Jeeves, nicknamed Reggie) is a fictional character in a series of comedic short stories and novels by English author P. G. Wodehouse. Jeeves is the highly competent valet of a wealthy and idle young Londoner named Berti ...

('' Thank You, Jeeves'', 1936) and the kind butler Andrews opposite

Shirley Temple Shirley Temple Black (born Shirley Jane Temple;While Temple occasionally used "Jane" as a middle name, her birth certificate reads "Shirley Temple". Her birth certificate was altered to prolong her babyhood shortly after she signed with Fox in ...

in '' Heidi'' (1937). In the 1960s, he became well known on American television as an announcer/sidekick to talk show host Merv Griffin, and as the support character Constable Jones in Disney's ''

Mary Poppins It may refer to: * ''Mary Poppins'' (book series), the original 1934–1988 children's fantasy novels that introduced the character. * Mary Poppins (character), the nanny with magical powers. * ''Mary Poppins'' (film), a 1964 Disney film star ...

'' (1964). He lent his name to the

Arthur Treacher's Arthur Treacher's Fish & Chips is an American fast food seafood restaurant and former chain. At the peak of its popularity in the late 1970s, it had more than 800 stores. However, as of June 2021, there is only one stand-alone Arthur Treacher's l ...

Fish and Chips Fish and chips is a popular hot dish consisting of fried fish in crispy batter, served with chips. The dish originated in England, where these two components had been introduced from separate immigrant cultures; it is not known who created ...

chain of restaurants.

Personal life

Treacher was the son of Arthur Veary Treacher (1862–1924), a

Sussex Sussex (), from the Old English (), is a historic county in South East England that was formerly an independent medieval Anglo-Saxon kingdom. It is bounded to the west by Hampshire, north by Surrey, northeast by Kent, south by the Englis ...

solicitor A solicitor is a legal practitioner who traditionally deals with most of the legal matters in some jurisdictions. A person must have legally-defined qualifications, which vary from one jurisdiction to another, to be described as a solicitor and ...

; his mother was Alice Mary Longhurst (1865–1946). He was educated at a

boarding school A boarding school is a school where pupils live within premises while being given formal instruction. The word "boarding" is used in the sense of " room and board", i.e. lodging and meals. As they have existed for many centuries, and now exte ...

in Uppingham in

Rutland Rutland () is a ceremonial county and unitary authority in the East Midlands, England. The county is bounded to the west and north by Leicestershire, to the northeast by Lincolnshire and the southeast by Northamptonshire. Its greatest len ...

. In 1936, he married Virginia Taylor (1898–1984).

Acting career

Treacher was a veteran of World War I, serving as an officer of the

Royal Garrison Artillery The Royal Garrison Artillery (RGA) was formed in 1899 as a distinct arm of the British Army's Royal Regiment of Artillery serving alongside the other two arms of the Regiment, the Royal Field Artillery (RFA) and the Royal Horse Artillery (R ...

; his father had served with the Sussex Volunteer Artillery before Treacher's birth. After the war, he established an acting career in England, and in March 1926 went to New York as part of a musical-comedy revue named ''Great Temptations''. He was featured in the 1930

Billy Rose Billy Rose (born William Samuel Rosenberg; September 6, 1899 – February 10, 1966) was an American impresario, theatrical showman and lyricist. For years both before and after World War II, Billy Rose was a major force in entertainment, with s ...

musical revue '' Sweet and Low''. He began his movie career during the 1930s, which included roles in four

movies: ''Curly Top'' (1935), ''

Stowaway A stowaway or clandestine traveller is a person who secretly boards a vehicle, such as a ship, an aircraft, a train, cargo truck or bus. Sometimes, the purpose is to get from one place to another without paying for transportation. In other ...

'' (1936), '' Heidi'' (1937), and '' The Little Princess'' (1939). Scenes intentionally had the 6' 4" Treacher standing or dancing side by side with the tiny child actress; for example, in ''The Little Princess'' they sing and dance together to an old song "Knocked 'em in the Old Kent Road". Treacher filled the role of the ideal

butler A butler is a person who works in a house serving and is a domestic worker in a large household. In great houses, the household is sometimes divided into departments with the butler in charge of the dining room, wine cellar, and pantries, pantry ...

, and he portrayed P. G. Wodehouse's valet character

in the movies '' Thank You, Jeeves!'' (1936) and ''Step Lively, Jeeves'' (1937). (Wodehouse, however, was unhappy with the way his work had been adapted, and refused to authorize any further Jeeves movies.) Treacher played a valet or butler in several other movies, including ''Personal Maid's Secret'', ''Mister Cinderella'', and '' Bordertown''. He was caricatured in the 1941 cartoon ''

Hollywood Steps Out ''Hollywood Steps Out'' is a 1941 short ''Merrie Melodies'' cartoon by Warner Bros., directed by Tex Avery. The short was released on May 24, 1941. The cartoon features caricatures of over 40 Hollywood celebrities. Plot A bird's-eye view of Los A ...

''. Treacher also did radio programs in the 1940s and early 1950s, most notably as a waiter on '' Duffy's Tavern''.

Later years

During 1961 and 1962, he and

William Gaxton William Gaxton (né Arthur Anthony Gaxiola, December 2, 1893 – February 2, 1963) was an American star of vaudeville, film, and theatre. Gaxton was president of The Lambs Club from 1936 to 1939, 1952 to 1953, and 1957 to 1961. He and Victo ...

appeared in Guy Lombardo's production of the musical revue ''

Paradise Island Paradise Island is an island in The Bahamas formerly known as Hog Island. The island, with an area of (2.8 km2/1.1 sq mi), is located just off the shore of the city of Nassau, which is itself located on the northern edge of the island of ...

'', which played at the

Jones Beach Marine Theater Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater (commonly known as the Jones Beach Theater) is an outdoor amphitheatre at Jones Beach State Park in Wantagh, New York. It is one of two major outdoor arenas in the New York metropolitan area, along with PN ...

. In 1962, he replaced Robert Coote as King Pellinore (with over-the-title name billing) in the original Broadway production of Lerner and Loewe's musical play ''

Camelot Camelot is a castle and court associated with the legendary King Arthur. Absent in the early Arthurian material, Camelot first appeared in 12th-century French romances and, since the Lancelot-Grail cycle, eventually came to be described as th ...

'', and he remained with the show through the Chicago engagement and post-Broadway tour that ended during August 1964. From the mid-1950s on, Treacher became a familiar figure on American television as a guest on talk shows and panel games, including ''

The Tonight Show ''The Tonight Show'' is an American late-night talk show that has aired on NBC since 1954. The show has been hosted by six comedians: Steve Allen (1954–1957), Jack Paar (1957–1962), Johnny Carson (1962–1992), Jay Leno (1992–2009 and 201 ...

'' and '' The Garry Moore Show''. In early 1961, Treacher appeared in episode 463 of the TV game show ''

I've Got a Secret ''I've Got a Secret'' is an American panel game show produced by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman for CBS television. Created by comedy writers Allan Sherman and Howard Merrill, it was a derivative of Goodson-Todman's own panel show, ''What's My Li ...

'' in which he rode a horse on stage. In 1964, Treacher was cast in the role of Constable Jones in the hugely successful

Walt Disney Walter Elias Disney (; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the American animation industry, he introduced several developments in the production of cartoons. As a film p ...

movie ''

''. That same year, he played the role of stuffy English butler Arthur Pinckney in two episodes of ''

The Beverly Hillbillies ''The Beverly Hillbillies'' is an American television sitcom that was broadcast on CBS from 1962 to 1971. It had an ensemble cast featuring Buddy Ebsen, Irene Ryan, Donna Douglas, and Max Baer Jr. as the Clampetts, a poor, backwoods family f ...

''. Pinckney mistakenly believed the hillbillies were the domestic servants of the family by whom he was hired, while the hillbillies believed Pinckney was a boarder at their

Beverly Hills Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California. A notable and historic suburb of Greater Los Angeles, it is in a wealthy area immediately southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. ...

mansion.

Arthur Treacher Merv Griffin Merv Griffin late night show 1969

He became even better known to American television audiences when talk-show host Merv Griffin made him announcer and occasional bantering partner on '' The Merv Griffin Show'' from 1965 to 1970 ("...and now, here's the dear boy himself, Merrr-vyn!"). In 1966 Treacher and Merv Griffin recorded an album together under the soubriquet 'Alf & 'Alf entitled ''Songs of the British Music Hall''. When in 1969 Griffin switched from

syndication Syndication may refer to: * Broadcast syndication, where individual stations buy programs outside the network system * Print syndication, where individual newspapers or magazines license news articles, columns, or comic strips * Web syndication, ...

to the CBS network, network executives insisted that Treacher was too old for the show, but Griffin fought to keep Treacher and eventually won. However, when Griffin relocated his show from New York to Los Angeles the next year, Treacher stayed behind, telling Griffin "at my age, I don't want to move, especially to someplace that shakes!" During this period of latter-day popularity, Treacher capitalised on his name recognition through the use of his name and image for such franchised business concerns as the Call Arthur Treacher Service System (a household help agency) and Arthur Treacher's Fish and Chips. The restaurants became very popular during the 1970s and increased to nearly 900 outlets, although in interviews Treacher would refuse to confirm or deny that he had any ownership stake in the company. (Only one free-standing Arthur Treacher's was still in existence by 2022, located in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. Several attached Arthur Treacher's franchise locations are still operating out of Salvatore's Pizzeria locations in

Rochester NY Rochester () is a city in the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Monroe County, and the fourth-most populous in the state after New York City, Buffalo, and Yonkers, with a population of 211,328 at the 2020 United States census. Located in ...

and one continues to operate out of the Twin Oaks Convenience Store in Pomeroy, Ohio). Treacher died at the age of 81 due to

cardiovascular disease Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a class of diseases that involve the heart or blood vessels. CVD includes coronary artery diseases (CAD) such as angina and myocardial infarction (commonly known as a heart attack). Other CVDs include stroke, hea ...

Filmography

* '' The Battle of Paris'' (1929)Harry * '' Fashions of 1934'' (1934)The Duchess' Butler (uncredited) * ''

Gambling Lady ''Gambling Lady'' is a 1934 American pre-Code romantic drama film directed by Archie Mayo, and starring Barbara Stanwyck, Joel McCrea and Pat O'Brien. Plot Mike Lee raises his daughter Lady Lee to be as honest a gambler as he is. When he gets t ...

'' (1934)Pryor (uncredited) * ''

Riptide A rip tide, or riptide, is a strong offshore current that is caused by the tide pulling water through an inlet along a barrier beach, at a lagoon or inland marina where tide water flows steadily out to sea during ebb tide. It is a strong tidal flo ...

'' (1934)Reporter (uncredited) * '' Viva Villa!'' (1934)English Reporter (scenes deleted) * '' Hollywood Party'' (1934)Durante's Butler (uncredited) * '' The Key'' (1934)Lt. Merriman, Furlong's Aide * '' Here Comes the Groom'' (1934)Butler * ''

Madame Du Barry Jeanne Bécu, Comtesse du Barry (19 August 1743 – 8 December 1793) was the last '' maîtresse-en-titre'' of King Louis XV of France. She was executed, by guillotine, during the French Revolution due to accounts of treason—particularly bei ...

'' (1934)Andre, Master of the Bedroom * ''

Student Tour ''Student Tour'' is a 1934 American musical film directed by Charles Reisner, written by Ralph Spence and Philip Dunne, and starring Jimmy Durante, Charles Butterworth, Maxine Doyle, Phil Regan, Douglas Fowley and Nelson Eddy. It was releas ...

'' (1934)British Radio Announcer (uncredited) * '' Desirable'' (1934)Butler (uncredited) * '' The Captain Hates the Sea'' (1934)Major Warringforth * ''

Forsaking All Others ''Forsaking All Others'' is a 1934 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by W.S. Van Dyke, and starring Robert Montgomery, Joan Crawford and Clark Gable. The screenplay was written by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, which was based upon a 1933 ...

'' (1934)JohnsonDill's Butler (uncredited) * '' Bordertown'' (1935)RobertsElwell's Butler (uncredited) * ''

David Copperfield ''David Copperfield'' Dickens invented over 14 variations of the title for this work, see is a novel in the bildungsroman genre by Charles Dickens, narrated by the eponymous David Copperfield, detailing his adventures in his journey from inf ...

'' (1935)Donkey Man (uncredited) * '' The Winning Ticket'' (1935)Horse Race Announcer (uncredited) * '' The Woman in Red'' (1935)Major Albert Casserly (uncredited) * ''

Let's Live Tonight ''Let's Live Tonight'' is a 1935 American musical comedy film directed by Victor Schertzinger and starring Lilian Harvey, Tullio Carminati and Janet Beecher. The film was made as part of an unsuccessful attempt to establish Harvey, who was a top ...

'' (1935)Ozzy Featherstone * ''

Cardinal Richelieu Armand Jean du Plessis, Duke of Richelieu (; 9 September 1585 – 4 December 1642), known as Cardinal Richelieu, was a French clergyman and statesman. He was also known as ''l'Éminence rouge'', or "the Red Eminence", a term derived from the ...

'' (1935)Agitator * '' Go Into Your Dance'' (1935)Latimer (uncredited) * '' The Nitwits'' (1935)Man with Tennis Equipment (uncredited) * ''

No More Ladies ''No More Ladies'' is a 1935 American romantic comedy film directed by Edward H. Griffith. The film stars Joan Crawford and Robert Montgomery, and co-stars Charlie Ruggles, Franchot Tone, and Edna May Oliver. The screenplay credited to Donald ...

'' (1935)Lord Knowleton * '' Going Highbrow'' (1935)Waiter * ''

The Daring Young Man ''The Daring Young Man'' is a 1935 American comedy film directed by William A. Seiter and written by Sam Hellman, William Hurlbut and Glenn Tryon. The film stars James Dunn, Mae Clarke, Neil Hamilton, Sidney Toler, Warren Hymer and Stanley Fi ...

'' (1935)Col. Baggott * ''

Curly Top Curly Top is a 1935 American musical romantic comedy film starring Shirley Temple, John Boles and Rochelle Hudson. Plot A bachelor wants to adopt an orphan, but she refuses to leave behind her older sister, so he adopts them both. The man eventu ...

'' (1935)Butler * '' Bright Lights'' (1935)Wilbur * ''

Orchids to You ''Orchids to You'' is a 1935 American drama film directed by William A. Seiter and starring John Boles, Jean Muir and Charles Butterworth.Solomon p.379 The screenplay concerns a flower shop owner and a married attorney who begin a romance af ...

'' (1935)Roger Morton * '' I Live My Life'' (1935)Gallup, Mrs. Gage's Butler * ''

A Midsummer Night's Dream ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a comedy written by William Shakespeare 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One subplot involves a conflict a ...

'' (1935)Epilogue * ''

Personal Maid's Secret ''Personal Maid's Secret'' is a 1935 American comedy film directed by Arthur Greville Collins and written by Lillie Hayward and F. Hugh Herbert. The film stars Margaret Lindsay, Warren Hull, Anita Louise, Ruth Donnelly, Arthur Treacher and Fra ...

'' (1935)Owen * '' Remember Last Night?'' (1935)Phelps * '' Splendor'' (1935)Major Ballinger * ''

Hitch Hike Lady ''Hitch Hike Lady'' is a 1935 American comedy film directed by Aubrey Scotto and written by Gordon Rigby and Lester Cole. The film stars Alison Skipworth, Mae Clarke, Arthur Treacher, James Ellison, Warren Hymer and Beryl Mercer. The film was ...

'' (1935)Mortimer Wingate * '' Magnificent Obsession'' (1935)Horace * '' Anything Goes'' (1936)Sir Evelyn Oakleigh * ''

Hearts Divided ''Hearts Divided'' is a 1936 American musical film about the real-life marriage between American Elizabeth 'Betsy' Patterson and Jérôme Bonaparte, brother of Napoleon. It stars Marion Davies and Dick Powell as the couple. The film was a remake ...

'' (1936)Sir Harry * ''

Satan Met a Lady ''Satan Met a Lady'' is a 1936 American detective film directed by William Dieterle and starring Bette Davis and Warren William. The screenplay by Brown Holmes is a loose adaptation of the 1929 novel '' The Maltese Falcon'' by Dashiell Hammett ...

'' (1936)Anthony Travers * '' The Case Against Mrs. Ames'' (1936)Griggsby * '' Thank You, Jeeves!'' (1936)Jeeves * '' Mr. Cinderella'' (1936)Watkins, Randolph's Butler * ''

Under Your Spell ''Under Your Spell'' is a 1936 American romantic comedy film with music directed by Otto Preminger. The screenplay by Frances Hyland and Saul Elkins is based on a story by Sy Bartlett and Bernice Mason. Plot New York City opera star Anthony ...

'' (1936)Botts * ''

'' (1936)Atkins * '' Step Lively, Jeeves!'' (1937)Jeeves * '' Thin Ice'' (1937)Nottingham * '' She Had to Eat'' (1937)Carter * '' You Can't Have Everything'' (1937)Bevins * '' Heidi'' (1937)Andrews * '' Mad About Music'' (1938)Tripps * '' My Lucky Star'' (1938)Whipple * ''

Always in Trouble ''Always in Trouble'' is a 1938 American comedy film directed by Joseph Santley, and written by Robert Chapin and Karen DeWolf. The film stars Jane Withers, Jean Rogers, Arthur Treacher, Robert Kellard, Eddie Collins and Andrew Tombes. The film ...

'' (1938)Rogers * '' Up the River'' (1938)Darby Randall * '' The Little Princess'' (1939)Bertie Minchin * '' Bridal Suite'' (1939)Lord Helfer * ''

Barricade Barricade (from the French ''barrique'' - 'barrel') is any object or structure that creates a barrier or obstacle to control, block passage or force the flow of traffic in the desired direction. Adopted as a military term, a barricade denot ...

'' (1939)Upton Ward * '' Brother Rat and a Baby'' (1940)Snelling * ''

Irene Irene is a name derived from εἰρήνη (eirēnē), the Greek for "peace". Irene, and related names, may refer to: * Irene (given name) Places * Irene, Gauteng, South Africa * Irene, South Dakota, United States * Irene, Texas, United State ...

'' (1940)Bretherton * '' Star Spangled Rhythm'' (1942)'Sweater, Sarong & Peekaboo Bang' Number * '' Forever and a Day'' (1943)Second Air Raid Watcher * ''

The Amazing Mrs. Holliday ''The Amazing Mrs. Holliday'' is a 1943 American comedy drama film produced and directed by Bruce Manning and starring Deanna Durbin, Edmond O'Brien, and Barry Fitzgerald. Based on a story by Sonya Levien, the film is about a young idealistic mi ...

'' (1943)Henderson * ''

Chip Off the Old Block ''Chip Off the Old Block'' is 1944 American comedy musical film starring Donald O'Connor, Peggy Ryan, and Ann Blyth. It was Blyth's film debut. The son of a strict Navy man, O'Connor falls in love with a girl from a performing family (Ann Blyt ...

'' (1944)Quentin * '' In Society'' (1944)Pipps * '' National Velvet'' (1944)Race Patron * '' Delightfully Dangerous'' (1945)Jeffers * '' Swing Out, Sister'' (1945)Chumley * '' That's the Spirit'' (1945)Masters * ''

Fun on a Weekend ''Fun on a Weekend'' is a 1947 American comedy film written and directed by Andrew L. Stone. The film stars Eddie Bracken, Priscilla Lane, Tom Conway, Allen Jenkins, Arthur Treacher, Clarence Kolb and Fritz Feld. The film was released on May 15 ...

'' (1947)Benjamin O. Moffatt * '' Slave Girl'' (1947)Thomas 'Liverpool' Griswold * '' The Countess of Monte Cristo'' (1948)Hotel Managing Director * '' That Midnight Kiss'' (1949)Hutchins * '' Love That Brute'' (1950)Quentin, Hanley's Butler * ''

'' (1964)Constable Jones * '' Ready Player One'' (2018)digital avatar known as 'The Curator' for Ogden Morrow.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Treacher, Arthur 1894 births 1975 deaths 20th-century English male actors British Army personnel of World War I British expatriate male actors in the United States English male film actors English male radio actors English male television actors English male stage actors English television personalities People from Brighton Royal Garrison Artillery officers Male actors from Sussex People educated at Uppingham School