Harry Welchman (24 February 1886 – 3 January 1966) was an English star of

musical theatre Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movemen ...

. He made several appearances in non-musical plays, but was remembered as, in the words of ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' ( ...

'', "perhaps the most popular musical comedy hero on the London stage in the years between the wars.""Mr Harry Welchman", ''The Times'', 4 January 1966, p. 10 Welchman was primarily a stage performer, but he made nineteen films between 1915 and 1954, some of them musical and others straight drama.

Early life and career

Welchman was born at

Barnstaple Barnstaple ( or ) is a river-port town in North Devon, England, at the River Taw's lowest crossing point before the Bristol Channel. From the 14th century, it was licensed to export wool and won great wealth. Later it imported Irish wool, bu ...

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devo ...

, the son of an Army colonel. He was educated at Weston-super-Mare,

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lor ...

, where he was a sporting boy, playing, as he said, "all the games", including hockey at county level. On leaving school at the age of eighteen he joined a touring musical comedy company led by

Ada Reeve Ada Reeve (born Adelaide Mary Reeves, 3 March 1874 – 5 October 1966) was an English actress of both stage and film. Reeve began to perform in pantomime and music hall as a child. She gained fame in Edwardian musical comedies in the 1890s. Re ...

.Parker, pp. 977–978 When he was twenty he was spotted while playing in Christmas

pantomime Pantomime (; informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment. It was developed in England and is performed throughout the United Kingdom, Ireland and (to a lesser extent) in other English-speakin ...

by the impresario

Robert Courtneidge Robert Courtneidge (29 June 1859 – 6 April 1939) was a British theatrical manager-producer and playwright. He is best remembered as the co-author of the light opera ''Tom Jones (Edward German), Tom Jones'' (1907) and the producer of ''The Arc ...

, under whose management he became a well known juvenile lead in such West End hit shows as ''

Tom Jones Tom Jones may refer to: Arts and entertainment *Tom Jones (singer) (born 1940), Welsh singer *Tom Jones (writer) (1928–2023), American librettist and lyricist *''The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling'', a novel by Henry Fielding published in 1 ...

'' (1907) '' The Arcadians'' (1909) and ''

Princess Caprice ''Princess Caprice'' is a musical theatre work described as a "comedy with music", in three acts, with music by Leo Fall. The book was adapted by Alexander M. Thompson from Fall's operetta ''Der liebe Augustin'' by Rudolf Bernauer and Ernst Welis ...

'' (1912). In 1915 he made his first film, in the title role of '' Mr. Lyndon at Liberty''."Harry Welchman"
British Film Institute, retrieved 1 June 2014 During the latter part of the First World War Welchman served in the

Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...

. After demobilisation he returned to the West End under the management of C B Cochran, appearing with

Alice Delysia Alice Henriette Lapize (3 March 1889 – 10 February 1979), better known by her stage name, Alice Delysia and sometimes Elise Delisia, was a French actress and singer who made her career in English musical theatre. After performing in the cho ...

in ''

Afgar ''Afgar, or the Andalusian Leisure'' is a musical with lyrics by Douglas Furber, music by Charles Cuvillier and a book by Fred Thompson and Worton David. It is based on Cuvillier's 1909 French operetta of the same name, with words by André B ...

'' (1919). In 1921 he went to Daly's Theatre where he had two substantial successes, ''Sybil'', and ''The Lady of the Rose'', which, as ''The Times'' put it, "contained a famous duet in which Welchman tried without success to storm the affections of the heroine, played by Miss

Phyllis Dare Phyllis is a feminine given name which may refer to: People * Phyllis Bartholomew (1914–2002), English long jumper * Phyllis Drummond Bethune (née Sharpe, 1899–1982), New Zealand artist * Phyllis Calvert (1915–2002), British actress * P ...

Operetta, film and later years

In 1925 Welchman made his Broadway debut as Rudolph Rassendyll in '' Princess Flavia''."Mr Harry Welchman", ''The Guardian'', 4 January 1966, p. 5 In the same year he appeared in London under his own management at the

Adelphi Theatre The Adelphi Theatre is a West End theatre, located on the Strand in the City of Westminster, central London. The present building is the fourth on the site. The theatre has specialised in comedy and musical theatre, and today it is a receivin ...

in ''Love's Prisoner'' (1925). The piece, judged by ''The Times'' to be an unsuccessful mixture of

Gilbert and Sullivan Gilbert and Sullivan was a Victorian era, Victorian-era theatrical partnership of the dramatist W. S. Gilbert (1836–1911) and the composer Arthur Sullivan (1842–1900), who jointly created fourteen comic operas between 1871 and 1896, of which ...

melodrama A modern melodrama is a dramatic work in which the plot, typically sensationalized and for a strong emotional appeal, takes precedence over detailed characterization. Melodramas typically concentrate on dialogue that is often bombastic or exce ...

and musical comedy, had a brief run. He had a greater success in a string of West End operetta-style musical hits, playing leading man roles. These included the Red Shadow in ''

The Desert Song ''The Desert Song'' is an operetta with music by Sigmund Romberg and book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, Otto Harbach and Frank Mandel. It was inspired by the 1925 uprising of the Riffs, a group of Moroccan fighters, against French colo ...

'' (1927), which ran at

Drury Lane Drury Lane is a street on the eastern boundary of the Covent Garden area of London, running between Aldwych and High Holborn. The northern part is in the borough of Camden and the southern part in the City of Westminster. Notable landmarks T ...

for more than 400 performances; in '' The New Moon'' (1929) at the same theatre; in '' Victoria and Her Hussar'' (1931); and as

François Villon François Villon ( Modern French: , ; – after 1463) is the best known French poet of the Late Middle Ages. He was involved in criminal behavior and had multiple encounters with law enforcement authorities. Villon wrote about some of these e ...

in a revival of ''

The Vagabond King ''The Vagabond King'' is a 1925 operetta by Rudolf Friml in four acts, with a book and lyrics by Brian Hooker and William H. Post, based upon Justin Huntly McCarthy's 1901 romantic novel and play ''If I Were King''. The story is a fictionali ...

'' (1937). He toured as Captain Hook in ''

Peter Pan Peter Pan is a fictional character created by List of Scottish novelists, Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie. A free-spirited and mischievous young boy who can fly and Puer aeternus, never grows up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending ...

'', in which ''

The Manchester Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' found him less villainous than his predecessors in the role, but "melodious" with "a certain dash and attractiveness". In the 1930s and 40s Welchman appeared in more than a dozen feature films, some musical and others straight drama. Among the former were '' A Southern Maid'' (1933) and '' Lisbon Story'' (1946); the latter include ''

The Gentle Sex ''The Gentle Sex'' is a 1943 United Kingdom, British black-and-white romantic comedy-drama war film, film director, directed and narrated by Leslie Howard (actor), Leslie Howard. It was film producer, produced by Concanen Productions, Two Cities ...

'' and ''

The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp ''The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp'' is a 1943 British romantic drama war film written, produced and directed by the Cinema of the United Kingdom, British film making team of Powell and Pressburger, Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger. It s ...

'' (1943). In 1947 Welchman moved to

Penzance Penzance ( ; kw, Pennsans) is a town, civil parish and port in the Penwith district of Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is the most westerly major town in Cornwall and is about west-southwest of Plymouth and west-southwest of London. Situated ...

, where he bought a farm and spent more and more of his time, though never formally retiring from the stage. In 1959, when he was seventy-three, he played Lord Mortlake in

John Osborne John James Osborne (12 December 1929 – 24 December 1994) was an English playwright, screenwriter and actor, known for his prose that criticized established social and political norms. The success of his 1956 play ''Look Back in Anger'' tra ...

's ''

The World of Paul Slickey ''The World of Paul Slickey'' (1959) is a play by John Osborne. It was Osborne's only musical, intended as a social satire on high-society gossip columnists. After the huge successes of Osborne's previous plays ''Look Back in Anger'' and '' The E ...

''; he and

Marie Löhr Marie may refer to: People Name * Marie (given name) * Marie (Japanese given name) * Marie (murder victim), girl who was killed in Florida after being pushed in front of a moving vehicle in 1973 * Marie (died 1759), an enslaved Cree person in T ...

, who played his wife, were singled out for praise as highlights of an otherwise dull evening.Hope-Wallace, Philip. "Rough reception for 'Slickey'", ''The Manchester Guardian'', 6 May 1959, p. 7 Welchman was twice married. His first marriage, to Joan Challoner, was dissolved. His second wife was the actress Sylvia Forde, with whom he had a daughter. He died in Penzance at the age of seventy-nine.

Partial filmography

* '' The Verdict of the Heart'' (1915) * ''

The Lyons Mail ''The Lyons Mail'' is a 1931 British historical mystery adventure film directed by Arthur Maude and starring John Martin Harvey, Norah Baring, and Ben Webster. It was based on the 1877 play '' The Lyons Mail'' by Charles Reade which in turn wa ...

'' (1916) * '' A Princess of the Blood'' (1916) * ''

The Maid of the Mountains ''The Maid of the Mountains'', called in its original score a musical play, is an operetta or "Edwardian" musical comedy in three acts. The music was by Harold Fraser-Simson, with additional music by James W. Tate, lyrics by Harry Graham and ...

'' (1932) * '' A Southern Maid'' (1933) * ''

The Last Waltz ''The Last Waltz'' was a concert by the Canadian-American rock group The Band, held on American Thanksgiving Day, November 25, 1976, at Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco. ''The Last Waltz'' was advertised as The Band's "farewell concert a ...

'' (1936) * ''

The Common Touch ''The Common Touch'' is a 1941 British drama film directed by John Baxter and starring Geoffrey Hibbert, Harry Welchman, Greta Gynt, and Joyce Howard. The film is a remake by the director of his 1933 film ''Doss House''. Pianist Mark Hambourg ...

'' (1941) * ''

This Was Paris ''This Was Paris'' is a 1942 British Second World War spy film directed by John Harlow and starring Ann Dvorak, Ben Lyon and Griffith Jones. It was shot at Teddington Studios. Plot British Captain Bill Hamilton meets and is attracted to Ame ...

'' (1942) * ''

'' (1943) * ''

Waltz Time The time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, or measure signature) is a notational convention used in Western culture, Western musical notation to specify how many beat (music), beats (pulses) are contained in each measu ...

'' (1945) * '' Lisbon Story'' (1946) * ''

Loyal Heart ''Loyal Heart'' is a 1946 British drama film directed by Oswald Mitchell and starring Percy Marmont, Harry Welchman and Patricia Marmont. The film portrays rivalry in the sheep farming community. It was made by the independent film, independent c ...

'' (1946) * ''

I'll Turn to You ''I'll Turn to You'' is a 1946 British drama film directed by Geoffrey Faithfull and starring Terry Randall, Don Stannard and Harry Welchman. It was one of a number of films dealing with the problems of returning servicemen.Spicer p.91 Whilst n ...

'' (1946) * ''

Green Fingers ''Green Fingers'' is a 1947 British drama film directed by John Harlow and starring Robert Beatty, Carol Raye and Nova Pilbeam. The film title does not use the term green fingers in its normal context, alluding to an untaught and natural skil ...

'' (1947) * ''

Judgment Deferred ''Judgment Deferred'' is a 1952 British drama film directed by John Baxter and starring Joan Collins, Hugh Sinclair, Helen Shingler and Abraham Sofaer. The film is a remake of the director's earlier film, '' Doss House'' (1933). Production The ...

'' (1952) * ''

Eight O'Clock Walk ''Eight O'Clock Walk'' is a 1954 British drama film directed by Lance Comfort and starring Richard Attenborough, Cathy O'Donnell, Derek Farr and Maurice Denham. Its plot involves a taxi driver who is tried for the murder of a young girl on a bo ...

'' (1954) * ''

Mad About Men ''Mad About Men'' is a 1954 British Technicolor comedy film directed by Ralph Thomas and starring Glynis Johns, Donald Sinden, Anne Crawford and Margaret Rutherford. It was written by Peter Blackmore, who also wrote the 1948 film '' Miranda'' w ...

'' (1954) * ''

Three Cases of Murder ''Three Cases of Murder'' is a 1955 British horror omnibus film comprising three stories: "The Picture," "You Killed Elizabeth," and "Lord Mountdrago." Eamonn Andrews introduces each. Alan Badel appears in all three.John Hamilton, ''The British ...

'' (1955)

Notes

References

* *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Welchman, Harry 1886 births 1966 deaths English male stage actors English male film actors English male silent film actors Male actors from Devon 20th-century English male actors