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Our Man Crichton
''Our Man Crichton'' is a musical play based on ''The Admirable Crichton'' by J. M. Barrie, with book and lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer and music by David Lee. It opened in Manchester and then London at the end of 1964. Background After a season at the Palace Theatre, Manchester the musical had its official premiere at London's Shaftesbury Theatre on December 22, 1964, where it ran for 208 performances. The cast featured Kenneth More, who had starred in the much admired 1957 film adaptation of Barrie's play, and Millicent Martin. It was one of several musicals set in the Edwardian and Victorian era following the success of ''Oliver!''. The female star, composer and lyricist all came from the satirical television series ''That Was the Week That Was''. More was approached to do the musical by Bernard Delfont. More wrote in his memoirs, "My first reaction was that I couldn't sing, but Bernard talked me into it." He was offered £1,000 a week plus ten percent of the gross. More had t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dave Lee (jazz Musician)
Dave Lee (born David Cyril Aarons, 12 August 1926) is an English jazz pianist, and a former orchestra leader, music arranger, songwriter and film composer. In a varied musical career, he wrote the hit song " Goodness Gracious Me", was the resident musician on ''That Was the Week That Was'', wrote the score for the movie ''The Masque of the Red Death'' (1964), had a hit jazz album in the US, and was a resident fixture in early episodes of '' The Avengers''. Later in life he was instrumental in founding 102.2 Jazz FM. Career Pianist, orchestra leader, arranger, songwriter and film composer, David Lee was born in Newington, London on 12 August 1926 (not 1929 or 1930 as some references give). His father Joseph was a professional photographer, and during the war was transferred to the North East to work on camouflaging military equipment. The family relocated to Whitley Bay, and it was here that Dave started to perform in local groups. His big break came in 1942 when he won the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tubby Hayes
Edward Brian "Tubby" Hayes (30 January 1935 – 8 June 1973) was a British jazz multi-instrumentalist, best known for his virtuosic musicianship on tenor saxophone and for performing in jazz groups with fellow sax player Ronnie Scott and trumpeter Jimmy Deuchar. He is widely considered to be one of the finest jazz saxophonists to have emerged from Britain. Early life Hayes was born in St Pancras, London, England, and grew up in Raynes Park, south-west London. His father was a BBC studio violinist who gave his son violin lessons from an early age. By the age of ten, Hayes was playing the piano, and started on the tenor sax at 11. Dizzy Gillespie was an early influence: I always used to listen to swing music in the early 'Forties and, in fact, I was just a kid at the time. I did not really intend becoming a tenor player, though I always liked tenor. I think maybe Dizzy influenced me more than Parker because he was sort of more accessible, he caught your attention more. As far ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
West End Musicals
West is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some Romance languages (''ouest'' in French, ''oest'' in Catalan, ''ovest'' in Italian, ''vest'' in Romanian, ''oeste'' in Spanish and Portuguese). As in other languages, the word formation stems from the fact that west is the direction of the setting sun in the evening: 'west' derives from the Indo-European root ''*wes'' reduced from ''*wes-pero'' 'evening, night', cognate with Ancient Greek ἕσπερος hesperos 'evening; evening star; western' and Latin vesper 'evening; west'. Examples of the same formation in other languages include Latin occidens 'west' from occidō 'to go down, to set' and Hebrew מַעֲרָב (maarav) 'west' from עֶרֶב (erev) 'evening'. West is sometimes abbreviated as W. Navigation To go west using a compass for navigati ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
British Musicals
British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture * British English, the English language as spoken and written in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and, more broadly, throughout the British Isles * Celtic Britons, an ancient ethno-linguistic group * Brittonic languages, a branch of the Insular Celtic language family (formerly called British) ** Common Brittonic, an ancient language Other uses *People or things associated with: ** Great Britain, an island ** British Isles, an island group ** United Kingdom, a sovereign state ** British Empire, a historical global colonial empire ** Kingdom of Great Britain (1707–1800) ** United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (1801–1922) * British Raj, colonial India under the British Empire * British Hong Kong, colonial H ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1964 Musicals
Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 – In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarch Athenagoras I of Constantinople meet in Jerusalem. * January 6 – A British firm, the Leyland Motors, Leyland Motor Corp., announces the sale of 450 buses to the Cuban government, challenging the United States blockade of Cuba. * January 9 – ''Martyrs' Day (Panama), Martyrs' Day'': Armed clashes between United States troops and Panamanian civilians in the Panama Canal Zone precipitate a major international crisis, resulting in the deaths of 21 Panamanians and 4 U.S. soldiers. * January 11 – United States Surgeon General Luther Terry reports that smoking may be hazardous to one's health (the first such statement from the U.S. government). * January 22 – Kenneth Kaunda is inaugurated as the first Prime Minister of Northern Rhodesi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Glyn Worsnip
Glyn Worsnip (2 September 1938 – 7 June 1996) was a British radio and television presenter. Born in Highnam, Gloucestershire, he was most famous for his appearances on ''That's Life!'' (where he was teamed with Kieran Prendiville from 1973 to 1978) and on '' Nationwide''. Biography Worsnip attended Monmouth School and after two years service in the RAF as a Photographic Intelligence Officer he graduated from St John's College, Oxford, with an honours degree in English. He trained as a journalist and actor, was a prolific writer of revues and appeared on stage in revue, farce and Shakespearian productions before his first appearance as a TV presenter on ''That's Life!''. In the late 1980s Glyn began experiencing the symptoms af a cerebellar disorder. In 1986 he developed dysarthria (slurred speech) as part of an initial cerebellar ataxia diagnosis. In his autobiography, ''Up the Down Escalator'', he mentions being diagnosed with multiple system atrophy (MSA) at the National H ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eunice Black
Eunice Black (23 October 1914 — 27 August 2007) was an English character actress best known for her roles in various sitcoms and comedy movies. Early life Eunice Black was born on 23 October 1914 in West Ham, Essex, as Eunice Holden. Career Black started out at the Unity Theatre, London, before becoming a qualified teacher of English and Drama. She taught both through the Second World War., Television Black appeared in the 1962 Christmas episode of ''Faces of Jim,'' 'The Christmas Face of Jim,' opposite Jimmy Edwards, June Whitfield, Ronnie Barker Ronald William George Barker (25 September 1929 – 3 October 2005) was an English actor, comedian and writer. He was known for roles in British comedy television series such as ''Porridge (1974 TV series), Porridge'', ''The Two Ronnies'', ... and Michael Brennan (actor), Michael Brennan. This was her television debut. Black was a regular supporting cast member on the ITV (TV network), ITV sitcom ''On The Buses'', appear ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
David Kernan
David Stanley Kernan (23 June 1938 – 26 December 2023) was an English actor, best known as an interpreter of the songs of Stephen Sondheim. Kernan appeared in stage musicals and was a soloist in various British variety shows throughout the 1960s and 1970s including '' That Was the Week That Was'' (1962–1963). Early life David Stanley Kernan was born 23 June 1938 in East Ham, London, to Joseph and Lily ( Russell) Kernan.> His father abandoned the family shortly after his birth. At the age of four, Kernan was sent to live with his grandmother in Oxford. He began singing as a child with the choir at the University Church of St Mary the Virgin, and became head chorister. He attended Portchester School in Bournemouth, an 11–16 boys secondary school, but left at the age of 15. At the behest of his mother, he began training as a chef. A short time later, Kernan began acting with the Bournemouth Shakespeare Players. Kernan's career in the theatre began in 1957 as an assistant ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dilys Watling
Dilys Rhys Watling (''née'' Jones, 5 May 1942 – 10 August 2021) was an English actress, best known for appearing on British television (''Coronation Street'', ''The Benny Hill Show'' and ''The Two Ronnies''). Early life and education Watling was born Dilys Rhys Jones, the daughter of actor Ion Rhys Jones and Patricia Hicks. Ion Rhys Jones was killed in action in World War II, and her mother later married actor Jack Watling. She attended St Mary's Convent School, Woodford, Essex, followed by acting school. Career She acted in repertory theatre and at the Bristol Old Vic. Watling was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical for her Broadway debut in the short-lived '' Georgy'' in 1970. It proved to be her sole Broadway credit. Other stage credits include the musical '' Pickwick'' (1964), an adaptation of Dickens's ''The Pickwick Papers''; the role of the Beggar Woman in the 1980 London cast of ''Sweeney Todd'' in the West End; and the West End mul ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
George Benson (actor)
George Frederick Percy Benson (11 January 1911 – 17 June 1983) was a British actor of both theatre and screen, whose career stretched from the 1930s to the early 1970s. He was on stage from the late 1920s, and made his film debut in 1932 in '' Holiday Lovers'' written by Leslie Arliss. His most notable work as a comic actor included supporting roles with George Formby ('' Keep Fit'' - 1937) and Ronnie Barker ('' A Home of Your Own'' - 1964). Early life Benson was born in Cardiff and educated at Blundell's School, the son of Leslie Bernard Gilpin Benson and his wife Isita.Who's Who in the Theatre, 16th edition, 1977 The family moved to Weston-super-Mare around 1920 and to Bristol around 1925. He began acting at school in the Latin plays mounted annually at the school. He trained for the stage at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (where he was the Silver Medallist in 1930). Early career Much of Benson's early work was in revue, particularly those mounted in the 1930s by Andr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tommy Whittle
Tommy Whittle (13 October 1926 – 13 October 2013) was a British jazz saxophonist. Biography Tommy Whittle was born in Grangemouth, Scotland. He started playing clarinet at the age of 12 before taking up tenor saxophone at 13, guided by Alan Davie. He moved to Chatham, Kent, at 16 and in 1943 started playing in the dance-hall band of Claude Giddins in nearby Gillingham, Kent, Gillingham. During the 1940s, Whittle played with Johnny Claes, Lew Stone, Carl Barriteau, and Harry Hayes (musician), Harry Hayes. In 1946 he joined Ted Heath (bandleader), Ted Heath's band, playing with him until 1952 when he moved on to play in Tony Kinsey's small group at the 51 Club in London. Later in the 1950s he joined Cyril Stapleton's BBC Show Band where he became featured as a soloist in nationwide broadcasts. In April 1954 he formed his a quintet with Harry Klein and Dill Jones, later touring with a ten-piece band for 14 months. He then led small groups and performed in clubs. In 1955 he wa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kenny Wheeler
Kenneth Vincent John Wheeler, Order of Canada, OC (14 January 1930 – 18 September 2014) was a Canadian composer and trumpet and flugelhorn player, based in the U.K. from the 1950s onwards. Most of his performances were rooted in jazz, but he was also active in free improvisation and occasionally contributed to rock music recordings. Wheeler wrote over one hundred compositions and was a skilled arranger for small groups and large ensembles. Wheeler was the patron of the Royal Academy Junior Jazz course. Early life Wheeler was born in Toronto, Ontario, on 14 January 1930. Growing up in Toronto, he began playing the cornet at age 12 and became interested in jazz in his mid-teens. Wheeler spent a year studying composition at The Royal Conservatory of Music in 1950. In 1952 he moved to Britain. He found his way into the London jazz scene of the time, playing in groups led by Tommy Whittle, Tubby Hayes, and Ronnie Scott. Career In the late 1950s, he was a member of Buddy Feathersto ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
