Billy Caryll and Hilda Mundy were a British

comedy duo A double act (also known as a comedy duo) is a form of comedy originating in the British music hall tradition, and American vaudeville, in which two comedians perform together as a single act, often highlighting differences in their characters' ...

who performed in

variety show Variety show, also known as variety arts or variety entertainment, is entertainment made up of a variety of acts including musical performances, sketch comedy, magic, acrobatics, juggling, and ventriloquism. It is normally introduced by a comp� ...

s and films, and on

BBC radio BBC Radio is an operational business division and service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a royal charter since 1927. The service provides national radio stations cove ...

, between the early 1920s and late 1940s. They never married though they were a couple until Billie Caryll died.

Careers

Billy Caryll (born William Francis Clark; 23 December 1892 – 15 February 1953) was born in

Southwark Southwark ( ) is a district of Central London situated on the south bank of the River Thames, forming the north-western part of the wider modern London Borough of Southwark. The district, which is the oldest part of South London, developed ...

, London. In 1920, he became the comedy partner of Hilda Madeline Mundy (14 June 1893 – 14 November 1968), also from London, and together they developed a popular

sketch comedy Sketch comedy comprises a series of short, amusing scenes or vignettes, called "sketches" or, "skits", commonly between one and ten minutes long, performed by a group of comic actors or comedians. While the form developed and became popular in ...

act, starting in 1921. Inspired by a minor lovers' tiff that they had had, Caryll took the role of a drunken husband and Mundy his domineering wife. Many regarded Caryll as one of the best onstage "drunk" performers.Richard Anthony Baker, ''Old Time Variety: an illustrated history'', Pen & Sword, 2011, , p.225 In 1931 and 1932 they took part in the first "Crazy Week" shows at the

London Palladium The London Palladium () is a Grade II* West End theatre located on Argyll Street, London, in Soho. The theatre was designed by Frank Matcham and opened in 1910. The auditorium holds 2,286 people. Hundreds of stars have played there, many wit ...

, with

Nervo and Knox Jimmy Nervo (born James Henry Holloway; 2 January 1897 – 5 December 1975) and Teddy Knox (born Albert Edward Cromwell Knox; 12 July 1896 – 1 December 1974) were English comedians who formed a double act and were part of the origin ...

Naughton and Gold Naughton and Gold were a comedy double act, consisting of Charlie Naughton and Jimmy Gold. They started in the British Music Hall Music hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment that was most popular from the early Victorian era, ...

Flanagan and Allen Flanagan and Allen were a British singing and comedy double act most active during the 1930s and 1940s. Its members were Bud Flanagan (1896 – 1968, born Chaim Weintrop) and Chesney Allen (1894–1982). They were first paired in a Florrie Ford ...

, and

'Monsewer' Eddie Gray Edward Earl Gray (10 June 1898 – 15 September 1969), who performed as Monsewer' Eddie Gray, was an English stage comedian. He appeared in music halls as a solo act and also as a member of the Crazy Gang. Gray was apprenticed to a juggler at ...

, though Caryll and Mundy did not take part in the Crazy Gang that developed out of the shows.Michael Kilgarriff, ''Grace, Beauty and Banjos: Peculiar Lives and Strange Times of Music Hall and Variety Artistes'', Oberon Books, 1998, , p.65 Caryll also acted in the films ''Amateur Night in London'' (1930) and '' Marry Me'' (1932). "Billy Caryll", ''BFI''
Retrieved 10 April 2021 They also made several recordings of their routines, released on the "Broadcast Super Twelve" label (owned by the

American Record Corporation American Record Corporation (ARC), also referred to as American Record Company, American Recording Corporation, or ARC Records, was an American record company in operation from 1929 to 1938, and again from 1978 to 1982. Overview ARC was crea ...

) as "Scenes of Domestic Bliss". For contractual reasons, Caryll and Mundy did not broadcast on the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

until 1936, but they then began appearing regularly on radio variety shows. Search, Caryll and Mundy, ''Radio Times'', BBC Genome
Retrieved 10 April 2021 In 1938, they had their own radio show, which came to be billed as ''The Neemos'', in which they presented their usual argumentative characters in sketches, interspersed with music, including songs by

Sam Costa Samuel Gabriel Costa (17 June 1910 – 23 September 1981) was an English singer, entertainer and broadcaster. Initially a popular singer in the dance band era and a comic actor on the show ''Much-Binding-in-the-Marsh'', he was later a disc ...

. The shows also featured

Maurice Denham William Maurice Denham (23 December 1909 – 24 July 2002) was an English actor who appeared in over 100 films and television programmes in his long career. Early life Denham was born on 23 December 1909 in Beckenham, Kent, the son of Eleanor ...

as "His Nibs" Little Reggie.Andy Foster and Steve Furst, ''Radio Comedy 1938-1968: A Guide to 30 Years of Wonderful Wireless'', Virgin, 1996, , pp.20-21 Caryll and Mundy also featured together in the 1937 film, '' Calling All Ma's'', and the following year in ''

Lassie from Lancashire ''Lassie from Lancashire'' is a 1938 British romantic musical comedy film directed by John Paddy Carstairs and starring Marjorie Browne, Hal Thompson and Marjorie Sandford. It was made by British National Films at Welwyn Studios. The film's art ...

''. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Caryll and Mundy continued to tour. They appeared on radio variety shows, and in the 1945

George Formby George Formby, (born George Hoy Booth; 26 May 1904 – 6 March 1961), was an English actor, singer-songwriter and comedian who became known to a worldwide audience through his films of the 1930s and 1940s. On stage, screen and record he ...

film '' I Didn't Do It''. Caryll died in Sussex in 1953, aged 60, after having a leg amputated following a long illness. Mundy died in 1968, aged 75.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Caryll, Billy, and Hilda Mundy English comedy duos