Dick Emery
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Richard Gilbert Emery (19 February 19152 January 1983) was an English
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 ...
and comic actor. His broadcasting career began on radio in the 1950s, and his self-titled television series ran from 1963 to 1981.


Life and career

Richard Gilbert Emery was born 19 February 1915, in
University College Hospital University College Hospital (UCH) is a teaching hospital in the Fitzrovia area of the London Borough of Camden, England. The hospital, which was founded as the North London Hospital in 1834, is closely associated with University College Lo ...
,
Bloomsbury Bloomsbury is a district in the West End of London, part of the London Borough of Camden in England. It is considered a fashionable residential area, and is the location of numerous cultural institution, cultural, intellectual, and educational ...
, London. His parents were the comedy double act Callan and Emery. They took him on tour when he was only three weeks old and gave him the occasional turn on the stage during his childhood, which was always on the move and disrupted, creating problems for the future but setting the scene for eventually going into showbusiness himself. His parents split up when he was eight and he chose to stay with his mother, who gave up showbusiness. He tried a variety of jobs before the stage: mechanic, office boy, farm hand and driving instructor. 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 ...
he was called up to the RAF and rose to the rank of corporal. However, because of family problems, he returned to London, joining the chorus line of ''The Merry Widow'' at the Majestic Theatre, although he was subsequently recognised, arrested and imprisoned. He was recruited by Ralph Reader into the RAF Gang Show to entertain air and ground crew at bases in
Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...
. At this time he created Vera Thin (the Forces' Sweetheart), loosely based on
Vera Lynn Dame Vera Margaret Lynn (; 20 March 1917 – 18 June 2020) was an English singer and entertainer whose musical recordings and performances were very popular during World War II. She is Honorific nicknames in popular music, honorifically known ...
, later saying, "I was better in drag than combat gear". After
D-Day The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during the Second World War. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as ...
, his unit toured forward airbases. On leaving the RAF, he returned to the theatre as a comedian. He worked at the Windmill Theatre, though his name does not appear on the plaque commemorating the acts that played there. He toured his fledgling act around the United Kingdom. He also auditioned for various parts and in 1952 he starred in a role in a 15-minute
Radio Luxembourg Radio Luxembourg was a multilingual commercial broadcaster in Luxembourg. It is known in most non-English languages as RTL (for Radio Television Luxembourg). The English-language service of Radio Luxembourg began in 1933 as one of the earlies ...
series on Saturdays at 7.00pm called ''Chance of a Lifetime''. This was a quiz sponsored by Marshall Ward in which merchandise to the value of £30 was awarded to contestants. Other radio work around this time included several appearances on '' Workers' Playtime'' on the BBC, a morale-boosting show that had started during the war to entertain factory workers in their canteens. Emery also made a guest appearance on the popular BBC radio programme ''
The Goon Show ''The Goon Show'' is a British radio comedy programme, originally produced and broadcast by the BBC Home Service from 1951 to 1960, with occasional repeats on the BBC Light Programme. The first series, broadcast from 28 May to 20 September ...
'', replacing regular cast member Harry Secombe for one episode in 1957. During 1953 he briefly formed a double act with Charlie Drake. His television debut came in 1950 on ''The Centre Show'' 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 ...
. He appeared on TV programmes including ''Round the Bend'' (BBC, 1955–56) and '' Educating Archie'' (ITV, 1958–59) and appeared with his friend Tony Hancock in several episodes of '' The Tony Hancock Show'' (ITV, 1956) and ''
Hancock's Half Hour ''Hancock's Half Hour'' was a BBC radio comedy, and later television comedy series, broadcast from 1954 to 1961 and written by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson. The radio series starred Tony Hancock, with Sidney James, Bill Kerr and,at various ...
'' (BBC, 1957). He enhanced his reputation on two series with former Goon
Michael Bentine Michael Bentine (born Michael James Bentin; 26 January 1922General Register Office for England and Wales – Birth Register for the March Quarter of 1922, Watford Registration District, Reference 3a 1478, listed as "Michael J. Bentin", mother's ...
: '' After Hours'' (ITV, 1958–59) and '' It's a Square World'' (BBC, 1960–64). His role as Private Chubby Catchpole in the final series of ''
The Army Game ''The Army Game'' is a British television sitcom that aired on ITV from 19 June 1957 to 20 June 1961. It was the first ITV sitcom and was made by Granada, and created by Sid Colin. It follows the exploits of Hut 29, a dysfunctional group of ...
'', (ITV 1960) led to an exclusive BBC contract, and the long-running '' The Dick Emery Show'' (BBC, 1963–81) began. The show involved Emery dressing up as various characters, lasted 18 series totalling 166 episodes aired between 1963 and 1981. In a sporadic film career he made his debut in the Goons' '' The Case of the Mukkinese Battle Horn'' (directed by Joseph Sterling, 1954). He also played bungling bank robber Booky Binns in '' The Big Job'' (directed by
Gerald Thomas Gerald Thomas (10 December 1920 – 9 November 1993) was an English film director best known for the long-running ''Carry On (franchise), ''Carry On'' series'' of British film comedies. Early life Born in Kingston upon Hull, Hull, East Riding ...
, 1965) and was known for vocal talents as an array of characters including "The Nowhere Man" Jeremy Hillary Boob, the Mayor of Pepperland and Max, one of the Blue Meanies in the
Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...
' '' Yellow Submarine'' directed by George Dunning, in 1968. Emery appeared in films as Shingler in '' The Fast Lady'' (1962), as
Peter Sellers Peter Sellers (born Richard Henry Sellers; 8 September 1925 – 24 July 1980) was an English actor and comedian. He first came to prominence performing in the BBC Radio comedy series ''The Goon Show''. Sellers featured on a number of hit comi ...
's neighbour in '' The Wrong Arm Of The Law'', as Harry in '' Baby Love'' (1968), as Mr Bateman in '' Loot'' (1970) and '' Ooh… You Are Awful'' (1972), in which he played many of the characters he had portrayed in his TV series. The plot of this comedy centred on Emery hunting down a bank account number. The digits of the number are tattooed on the bottoms of four young women. Emery has to see the girls naked, which requires disguises. One of the women is played by Liza Goddard. Emery also recorded several novelty records, most notably "If You Love Her", which reached number 32 in 1969, and "You Are Awful", which just missed the top 40 in 1973. Other singles included "A Cockney Christmas" (1962), "You're The Only One" (1974) and "Rocking Horse Cowboy" (1979). In 1979, Emery moved to ITV for three specials before returning to the BBC in 1980 and resuming ''The Dick Emery Show''. By 1982, Emery was tiring of the format for his BBC series and wanted to do something different. Using a new format and character, Jewish private detective Bernie Weinstock, Emery had a new outlet – two series of comedy thrillers under the banner ''Emery Presents'' (BBC, 1982–83), ''Legacy of Murder'' and '' Jack of Diamonds''.


Personal life

Emery had a very difficult childhood initially, but things settled down following the departure of his father, Laurie Howe. He was devoted to his mother for most of his life and helped support her once he was able to work. This devotion caused problems in his marriages. He was in six long-term relationships, marrying five times, and also had numerous affairs. He often appeared in tabloid newspapers with beautiful women. At the beginning of 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 ...
he married Joan (sometimes known as Zelda) Sainsbury and had one son, Gilbert Richard. After the failure of that marriage, he married Irene (Pip) Ansell but the marriage barely lasted six months. While working in summer season in 1950, at the Winter Gardens in
Ventnor Ventnor () is a seaside resort town and civil parishes in England, civil parish established in the Victorian era on the southeast coast of the Isle of Wight, England, from Newport, Isle of Wight, Newport. It is situated south of St Boniface D ...
on the
Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight (Help:IPA/English, /waɪt/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''WYTE'') is an island off the south coast of England which, together with its surrounding uninhabited islets and Skerry, skerries, is also a ceremonial county. T ...
, he met Iris Margaret Tully, who was also in the show. At the end of the season, they returned to London and set up home together in Iris' flat in Shaftesbury Avenue. Iris changed her name to Emery by
deed poll A deed poll (plural: deeds poll) is a legal document binding on a single person or several persons acting jointly to express an intention or create an obligation. It is a deed, and not a contract, because it binds only one party. Etymology Th ...
until 1955, a year after she had given birth to his second son, Nicholas William. Emery and she married in 1955. The marriage was a rocky one because Emery had several affairs while away on tour. He met the woman who became his fourth wife, Victoria Chambers, in the mid-1950s. He was torn between the two women, but in late 1958 he left Iris and moved to Thames Ditton in
Surrey Surrey () is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Greater London to the northeast, Kent to the east, East Sussex, East and West Sussex to the south, and Hampshire and Berkshire to the wes ...
to set up home. In 1960, however, he returned to Iris and his son and moved them to Thames Ditton, but he could never settle, and in 1962 he left Iris for Victoria. Iris divorced him in 1964. By this time, he had set up home in
Esher Esher ( ) is a town in the borough of Borough of Elmbridge, Elmbridge in Surrey, England, to the east of the River Mole, Surrey, River Mole. Esher is an outlying suburb of London, close to the London–Surrey border; with Esher Commons at its ...
. Vickie had a son Michael and a daughter Eliza with him. His last wife was Josephine Blake to whom he was still married at the time of his death, although he had left her to live with Fay Hillier, an actress 30 years his junior. Outside showbusiness, he enjoyed flying, and held a pilot's licence from 1961 onwards. He also liked fast cars and motorcycles. He was a keen maker of scale models, and was president of the Airfix Modellers' Club. He also wrote a review feature for '' Meccano Magazine'' during 1971. While the public took him to heart, voting him BBC TV Personality of the Year in 1972, Emery suffered from severe
stage fright Stage fright or performance anxiety is the anxiety, fear, or persistent phobia that may be aroused in an individual by the requirement to perform in front of an audience, real or imagined, whether actually or potentially (for example, when perf ...
and low self-esteem. He underwent psychoanalysis and
hypnosis Hypnosis is a human condition involving focused attention (the selective attention/selective inattention hypothesis, SASI), reduced peripheral awareness, and an enhanced capacity to respond to suggestion.In 2015, the American Psychological ...
, and took sedatives to try to cure the problems. He had four children, Gilbert, Nicholas, Michael and Eliza, and was the half-brother of actress Ann Emery.


Death

In December 1982, Emery was taken to a London hospital with severe chest pains. He died at the hospital from cardiorespiratory failure on 2 January 1983 at the age of 67.


Selected filmography

Film * '' The Super Secret Service'' (short) (1953) – Pules * '' The Case of the Mukkinese Battle Horn'' (short) (1956) – Mr. Nodule / Mr.Crimp / Maurice Ponke * '' Follow a Star'' (1959) – Inebriated Party Guest (uncredited) * '' Light Up the Sky!'' (1960) – Harry * '' A Taste of Money'' (1960) – Morrissey * '' Mrs. Gibbons' Boys'' (1962) – Woodrow * '' Crooks Anonymous'' (1962) – Reginald Cundell * '' The Fast Lady'' (1962) – Shingler * '' Just for Fun'' (1963) – Juke Box Jury Members * '' The Wrong Arm of the Law'' (1963) – Man in Flat 307 (uncredited) * '' The Big Job'' (1965) – Frederick 'Booky' Binns * '' River Rivals'' (1967) * '' Yellow Submarine'' (1968) – Jeremy Hilary Boob, Ph.D. / Lord Mayor / Max (voice) * '' Baby Love'' (1969) – Harry Pearson * '' Loot'' (1970) – Mr. Bateman * '' Ooh… You Are Awful'' (1972) – Charlie Tully * '' Find the Lady'' (1976) – Leo Television * '' The Adventures of Aggie'' (1956–57) * '' Faces of Jim'' (1961–63) * '' The Dick Emery Show'' (1963–1981) 19 series – 162 episodes – Various Characters ** ''The Dick Emery Christmas Show: For Whom the Jingle Bells Toll'' (1980) – Various Characters * ''The Dick Emery Hour'' (1979) 3 episodes – Himself / Various Characters * '' Legacy of Murder'' (1982) – Bernie Weinstock / Lord Algrave / Joe Galleano / Monica Danvers-Crichton * '' Jack of Diamonds'' (1983) – Bernie Weinstock / Cyril Blackman / Det. Insp. Dearlove / Lady Holtye / Gen. von Klaus (Last appearance)


References


External links

* *
ClassicTelly.com Tributes to Dick Emery

British Comedy Guide entry for ''Emery Presents''
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Emery, Dick 1915 births 1983 deaths Military personnel from the London Borough of Camden Deaths from respiratory failure English male comedians English male film actors English male radio actors English male television actors English male voice actors 20th-century English male actors 20th-century English comedians Male actors from London Royal Air Force personnel of World War II Royal Air Force airmen Actors from the London Borough of Camden Comedians from the London Borough of Camden People from Bloomsbury