Arthur Michael Tauchert (pronounced "Torcher") (21 August 1877 – 27 November 1933) was an Australian acrobatic comedian, dancer, singer, film actor, and star of the Australian

silent film A silent film is a film without synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, w ...

, ''

The Sentimental Bloke ''The Sentimental Bloke'' is a 1918 Australian silent film based on the 1915 verse novel ''The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke'' by C. J. Dennis. Produced and directed by Raymond Longford, the film stars Arthur Tauchert, Gilbert Emery, and Lottie ...

'' (1919).

Biography

Born in the inner Sydney suburb of Waterloo on 21 August 1877, Tauchert's career as an entertainer began in the early 1900s as a vaudeville comedian and over the next two decades he was associated with most of the leading management firms of that era, including John Fuller, James Brennan, Ted Holland, Harry Clay, Bert Howard, J. C. Bain and Lennon, Hyman and Lennon. Although he mostly worked as a specialist solo act, Tauchert teamed up at various times with other comics, including Albert McKisson (ex-McKisson and Kearns), Bert Corrie, Ted Tutty, and Ern Delavale. After the success of ''The Sentimental Bloke'', Tauchert appeared in at least ten more films including ''

Ginger Mick ''Ginger Mick'' is a 1920 Australian silent film directed by Raymond Longford based on ''The Moods of Ginger Mick'' by C. J. Dennis, which had sold over 70,000 copies. It is a sequel to ''The Sentimental Bloke'' (1919) and is considered a lost ...

'' (1920), again based on the poems of

C. J. Dennis Clarence Michael James Stanislaus Dennis (7 September 1876 – 22 June 1938), better known as C. J. Dennis, was an Australian poet and journalist known for his best-selling verse novel ''The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke'' (1915). Alongside ...

. He continued to perform on the vaudeville stage during the remainder of the 1920s, often presenting an act based on his famous "Bill the Bloke" character. In the late 1920s and early 1930s, he also appeared on radio. Tauchert has received very little historical attention even though he played a significant part in Australia's early film industry and his contemporaries clearly considered him to be among the country's top entertainers. One prominent American singer, Lou London, even said of him: "I consider Arthur Tauchert one of the most original individuals I have met; he is also one of the best-dispositioned men I have ever had the pleasure of working alongside." London backed his opinion shortly before returning home by giving Tauchert the exclusive Australasian rights to all the songs he had worked on in Australia, as well as several he had not performed (''Everyone's'' 12 Oct. 1921, p. 20).

Death

Tauchert died of cancer on 27 November 1933, and was survived by Elizabeth, his wife of 24 years, and his three children. He was buried in

Waverley Cemetery The Waverley Cemetery is a Heritage register, heritage-listed cemetery on top of the cliffs at Bronte, New South Wales, Bronte in the eastern suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Opened in 1877 and built by R. Watkins (cemetery lodge, ...

Filmography

*'' Charlie at the Sydney Show'' (1916) - short *''

'' (1919) *''

'' (1920) *''

The Jackeroo of Coolabong ''The Jackeroo of Coolabong'' is a 1920 Australian silent film starring renowned Australian sportsman Snowy Baker. It was the last of three films he made with the husband and wife team of director Wilfred Lucas and writer Bess Meredyth, both of ...

'' (1920) *'' The Dinkum Bloke'' (1923) *''

The Digger Earl ''The Digger Earl'' is a 1924 Australian film comedy from director Beaumont Smith. The plot is about a typical Australian ( Arthur Tauchert) who takes the place of an earl. Only eight minutes of the film survives today.Andrew Pike and Ross Coop ...

'' (1923) *'' Joe'' (1924)Tauchert reportedly wrote some of the music that accompanied the screenings of ''Joe''. Ctd. "Tauchert, Arthur." ''AustLit'' * ''The Moth of Moombie'' (1926) * ''

For the Term of His Natural Life (1927 film) ''For the Term of His Natural Life'' is a 1927 Australian film based on the 1874 novel by Marcus Clarke, directed, produced and co-written by Norman Dawn. It was the most expensive Australian silent film made and remains one of the most famou ...

'' * ''The Adorable Outcast'' (1928) *'' Odds On'' (1929) *'' Fellers'' (1930) *'' Showgirl's Luck'' (1931).

Notes

Sources

Arthur Tauchert
Biography at the ''Australian Variety Theatre Archive''. * Brodsky, Isadore. ''Streets of Sydney'' Sydney: Old Sydney Free Press, 1962, pp. 106–7. * Mr Arthur Tauchert. ''Courier Mail'' 28 November (1933), p. 15. * Obituary. ''Argus'' 28 November (1933), p. 6. * Obituary: Mr Arthur Tauchert. ''Sydney Morning Herald'' 28 November (1933), p. 13.
Tauchert, Arthur
Biography at ''

AustLit AustLit: The Australian Literature Resource (also known as AustLit: Australian Literature Gateway; and AustLit: The Resource for Australian Literature) is a national bio-bibliographical database of Australian literature. It is an internet-based, ...

External links

*
Arthur Tauchert
at

Australian Dictionary of Biography The ''Australian Dictionary of Biography'' (ADB or AuDB) is a national co-operative enterprise founded and maintained by the Australian National University (ANU) to produce authoritative biographical articles on eminent people in Australia's ...

Arthur Tauchert
at

National Film and Sound Archive The National Film and Sound Archive of Australia (NFSA), known as ScreenSound Australia from 1999 to 2004, is Australia's audiovisual archive, responsible for developing, preserving, maintaining, promoting, and providing access to a national c ...

Tribute to Arthur Tauchert
by CJ Dennis {{DEFAULTSORT:Tauchert, Arthur 1877 births 1933 deaths 20th-century Australian male actors Australian male silent film actors Male actors from Sydney Deaths from cancer in New South Wales