Arthur Prince (17 November 1881 – 14 April 1948) was an English
music hall entertainer and
ventriloquist
Ventriloquism, or ventriloquy, is a performance act of stagecraft in which a person (a ventriloquist) creates the illusion that their voice is coming from elsewhere, usually a puppeteered prop known as a "dummy". The act of ventriloquism is v ...
.
Biography
Prince was born 17 November 1881 in London. He made his first appearance in a beach concert in
Llandrindod Wells, where he performed for four seasons.
Prince and his ventriloquist doll ‘Jim’ made their London debut in 1902 at the South London Palace. They went on to appear at all the leading music halls in the United Kingdom, including the first
Royal Command Performance at the Palace Theatre in 1912. A world tour followed with their comedy act ‘Naval Occasions’.
Prince is remembered for having his dummy, Sailor Jim, sing while Prince drank a glass of water or smoked a cigar.
A singer off stage made this trick possible. This was made more believable because Prince developed a very lifelike dummy.
Prince died at his
St John's Wood
St John's Wood is a district in the City of Westminster, London, lying 2.5 miles (4 km) northwest of Charing Cross. Traditionally the northern part of the ancient parish and Metropolitan Borough of Marylebone, it extends east to west fr ...
home on 14 April 1948 and was buried at
Hampstead Cemetery.
His doll 'Jim' was buried with him.
References
External links
Here's Fun (1940)
at Pathe News
Arthur Prince short (1940)
at Pathe News
Arthur Prince short (1936)
at Pathe News
{{DEFAULTSORT:Prince, Arthur
1881 births
1948 deaths
Burials at Hampstead Cemetery
Ventriloquists
Music hall performers