Harry O'Donovan (c. 1896 – 3 November 1973) was an Irish comedy scriptwriter, stage manager and actor.

Life

He was born in

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Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

and was apprenticed to a painter. In his spare time, he took part in amateur dramatics, finally joining a troupe of actors and touring Ireland for several years. In 1924 he got to know

Jimmy O'Dea James Augustine O'Dea (26 April 1899 – 7 January 1965) was an Irish actor and comedian. Life Jimmy O'Dea was born at 11 Lower Bridge Street, Dublin, to James O'Dea, an ironmonger, and Martha O'Gorman, who kept a small toy shop. He was one of ...

in a production of '' You Never Can Tell'' at the

Abbey Theatre The Abbey Theatre (), also known as the National Theatre of Ireland () is a theatre in Dublin, Ireland. First opening to the public on 27 December 1904, and moved from its original building after a fire in 1951, it has remained active to the p ...

. In 1927 he formed a partnership with Jimmy O'Dea. Their first show was ''Look Who's Here'' in the Queens Theatre. Their first pantomime was ''Sinbad'' in 1929 in the Olympia Theatre. Together they created O'Dea's most famous character, ''Biddy Mulligan''. For thirty years from 1929 they produced two shows a year in Dublin, first in the Olympia, later in the Gaiety. He wrote many scripts for

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. He also acted as business manager and stage manager for O'Dea and the rest of the cast, and acted in bit parts in plays, sketches and pantomimes.

Legacy

O'Donovan was well known for his comedic sketches and plays but he was especially recognised for his creation of the iconic character Mrs. Biddy Mulligan that was played by his longtime partner, and co-founder of OD Productions,

in many

theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors to present experiences of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a Stage (theatre), stage. The performe ...

performances and recorded sketches. It is described as O'Dea's most famous role as they recorded and released many famous

gramophone records A phonograph record (also known as a gramophone record, especially in British English) or a vinyl record (for later varieties only) is an analog signal, analog sound Recording medium, storage medium in the form of a flat disc with an inscribed, ...

of Biddy Mulligan. These recordings included comedic sketches such as ''Biddy Mulligan on the Tram,'' ''Biddy Mulligan in Court'', ''Mrs. Mulligan Nearly Wins the Sweep'', ''Biddy Mulligan Casts Her Vote'' and ''Biddy Mulligan at the Racecourse''. This character is also referenced in songs that were written by O'Donovan like ''Daffodil Mulligan'' and ''The Charladies' Ball'' but most noticeably in the song ''Biddy Mulligan the pride of the Coombe'' that was written by songwriter Seamus Kavanagh who collaborated with O'Donovan to write it. Their success has been attributed to how they complimented each other and neither was successful without the other, resulting in a partnership that lasted for 30 years. O'Donovan's writing needed the comedic improvisations of O'Dea to bring his scripts to life and because of this duo they produced some of the most popular shows on the Dublin stage in the 1930s and 1940s. O'Donovan played a key role in the Irish dramatic movement as he introduced Irish music hall traditions into Irish theatres, similar to the English music hall comedians who visited Ireland in the 1930s, and this new style replaced the traditional serious Irish dramas present in theatres during that time. He is one of the names that made modern Irish drama what it is today. He outlined more of an Irish Identity within his scriptwriting, including Irish life, speech and place names making his scripts more relatable to the Irish people as there was a local association with them through his Irish references and humour which made his plays more successful within the nation.

Songs

*''The Vamp of Inchicore'' *''Rathgar'' *''The Charladies' Ball'' *''Men'' *''Daffodil Mulligan''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Odonovan, Harry 1890s births 1973 deaths Irish male stage actors Irish theatre managers and producers Irish male dramatists and playwrights Pantomime Theatre people from Dublin (city) 20th-century Irish dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Irish male writers Male actors from County Dublin 1920s in Irish comedy 1930s in Irish comedy 1940s in Irish comedy