Archie Andrews was a
ventriloquist
Ventriloquism or ventriloquy is an act of stagecraft in which a person (a ventriloquist) speaks in such a way that it seems like their voice is coming from a different location, usually through a puppet known as a "dummy". The act of ventrilo ...
's
dummy used by ventriloquist
Peter Brough in
radio
Radio is the technology of communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 3 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmitter connec ...
and
television
Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...
shows in the
UK in the 1950s and 1960s. Perhaps the most popular show in its radio format was called ''
Educating Archie'', regularly attracting over 15 million listeners. Archie was invariably dressed in a broad-striped blazer, and addressed the ventriloquist as "Brough". The television scripts were written by
Marty Feldman
Martin Alan Feldman (8 July 1934 – 2 December 1982) was a British actor, comedian and writer. He was known for his exophthalmos, prominent, strabismus, misaligned eyes.
He initially gained prominence as a writer with Barry Took on th ...
and
Ronald Chesney.
The radio show had a children's fan club that at one time had 250,000 members. Among future stars who appeared on the show were
Tony Hancock,
Dick Emery,
Max Bygraves,
Harry Secombe,
Benny Hill
Alfred Hawthorne "Benny" Hill (21 January 1924 – 18 April 1992) was an English comedian, actor and scriptwriter. He is best remembered for his television programme, ''The Benny Hill Show'', a comedy-variety show whose amalgam of slapstick, bu ...
,
Beryl Reid and 14-year-old
Julie Andrews
Dame Julie Andrews (born Julia Elizabeth Wells; 1 October 1935) is an English actress, singer, and author. She has garnered numerous accolades throughout her career spanning over eight decades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Fi ...
. During this period
Max Bygraves together with Archie Andrews/
Peter Brough recorded "The Dummy Song" which is still available on
Max Bygraves' compilation albums.
Archie went missing several times.
*In 1947, he was in Peter Brough's car when it was stolen from
Lower Regent Street,
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
, but found two days later in a garden in
Paddington
Paddington is an area in the City of Westminster, in central London, England. A medieval parish then a metropolitan borough of the County of London, it was integrated with Westminster and Greater London in 1965. Paddington station, designed b ...
.
*He was left in the rack of a railway carriage at
Chatham, but a
railway porter sent him back by taxi in time for his show.
*In 1951, Brough was travelling to
Leeds
Leeds is a city in West Yorkshire, England. It is the largest settlement in Yorkshire and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds Metropolitan Borough, which is the second most populous district in the United Kingdom. It is built aro ...
to
compere the televised Northern Music Hall at the Theatre Royal, Leeds, with Archie in his suitcase. Brough went for dinner in the dining car, and whilst away the carriage in which he had been sitting was taken off the train and went on to
Bradford
Bradford is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in West Yorkshire, England. It became a municipal borough in 1847, received a city charter in 1897 and, since the Local Government Act 1972, 1974 reform, the city status in the United Kingdo ...
. Unable to locate the puppet, at the venue Brough went through a revised script without the dummy. A
£1000 reward was offered and he was returned.
It is claimed that many Archies were made over the years and that two currently reside with puppet collector David Wilde. However, it is also claimed that only one Archie was made and that he was made in 1942. The mould from which he was made is believed to have been destroyed during the Blitz of World War II.
Archie was sold at auction in 2005 for £34,000.
See also
*
Leonard Insull
References
External links
Archie Andrews, the ventriloquist's puppet
Andrews, Archie
Puppets
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