Dennis Willis (1920 – 17 March 1995) was a
Scottish
Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including:
*Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland
*Scottish English
*Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...
comedian
A comedian (feminine comedienne) or comic is a person who seeks to entertainment, entertain an audience by making them laughter, laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting foolishly (as in slapstick), or employing prop c ...
.
Early life
Willis was born to comedian and actor
Dave Willis
Dave Willis (born May 1, 1970) is an American voice actor, screenwriter, and producer. He is the co-creator of the Adult Swim animated series ''Aqua Teen Hunger Force'', '' Squidbillies'', and '' Your Pretty Face Is Going to Hell''. Willis also ...
, who performed sketches in Scotland in the 1930s. During this time, in
Ayr
Ayr ( ; ; , meaning "confluence of the River Àir"), is a town situated on the southwest coast of Scotland. A former royal burgh, today it is the administrative centre of South Ayrshire Council, and the historic county town of Ayrshire. With ...
, his father was in the Gaiety Whirl summer shows. Willis would add many of his father's ideas to his own repertoire. During
World War II
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 ...
, he found himself starring as a comedian for army concert parties.
In 1962, Willis had his own television show on
ATV, the ''Denny Willis Show''. In the 1970s, he performed in variety in
Scarborough Scarborough or Scarboro may refer to:
People
* Scarborough (surname)
* Earl of Scarbrough
Places Australia
* Scarborough, Western Australia, suburb of Perth
* Scarborough, New South Wales, suburb of Wollongong
* Scarborough, Queensland, sub ...
.
"The Fox Has Left Its Lair"
Willis is probably best remembered for the act "The Fox Has Left Its Lair", which he performed as ''Denny Willis and the Quorn Quartet'', touring along various theatres in the United Kingdom and elsewhere.
"The Fox Has Left Its Lair" was written by
Douglas Furber (words) and Peggy Connor (music); it was originally a novelty item performed by
Jack Buchanan
Walter John Buchanan (2 April 1890 – 20 October 1957) was a Scottish theatre and film actor, singer, dancer, producer and director. He was known for three decades as the embodiment of the debonair man-about-town in the tradition of George Gr ...
in the ''Charlot Revue'' of 1925.
Willis changed some of the lyrics and the order of the verses to suit the act. The original lyrics are as follows:
With each new verse, repeat the previous verses and the chorus.
* There was a fox who left his lair; a red fox, a dead fox.
* With a yoicks, tally-ho, yo ho! With a yoicks tally-ho yo ho!
* The huntsman, huntsman blows his horn, a gold horn, a cream horn.
* Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha, Funny, funny.
* The babes come bounding out of school, chubby, grubby.
* All for the Lady Gwendoline, bonny, bony.
* Behold the bold Sir Geoffrey, dandy, bandy.
* The wedding bells ring out on high, ding dong, sing song.
* Sir Geoffrey cried "Egad I will woo her, boo her."
Alternative lines in the Denny Willis version include:
* The hunting huntsman blows his horn...
* Old grandpa with his wooden leg, limping, limping.
* Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha, silly, billy.
* The children running home from school, he's barmy, he's barmy.
* All for the Lady Gwendoline, she's charming, she's charming.
Personal life
In 1941, Willis became father of daughter
Bobbie Willis, who, just like her father and grandfather before her, became a comedian. When on tour, Willis would either live in his caravan or with his daughter in Glasgow.
In 1992, comedian
Dorothy Paul
Dorothy Paul (born 1937 as Dorothy Pollock) is a Scottish stage and screen actress, comedian, and entertainer. She performed onstage often at the Pavilion Theatre in Glasgow.
Acting career
Originating from the Dennistoun area of Glasgow, she ...
called Willis: "A magic man, a one off," and that his voice was "so quiet, yet it could be heard in every part of the theatre.
''
In 1992, Willis concluded his comedy career.
He died in his late seventies on 17 March 1995 in
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
.
References
External links
*
* (recorded at a television show of Dutch broadcaster
VARA)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Willis, Denny
1920 births
1995 deaths
Scottish male comedians
20th-century British comedians