Evan Eynon Evans (18 May 1904 – 1989) billed as Eynon Evans and also known as E. Eynon Rees, was a Welsh writer and film actor of the 1950s, mainly known for his radio and television work. During the 1940s he appeared on the BBC radio variety show ''

Welsh Rarebit Welsh rarebit or Welsh rabbit ( or ) is a dish of hot cheese sauce, often including ale, mustard, or Worcestershire sauce, served on toasted bread. The origins of the name are unknown, though the earliest recorded use is 1725 as "Welsh ra ...

'' as the comedic character Tommy Troubles, reaching an audience of 12 million.

Career history

Evans was born in

Nelson Nelson may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Nelson'' (1918 film), a historical film directed by Maurice Elvey * ''Nelson'' (1926 film), a historical film directed by Walter Summers * ''Nelson'' (opera), an opera by Lennox Berkeley to a lib ...

Glamorgan Glamorgan (), or sometimes Glamorganshire ( or ), was Historic counties of Wales, one of the thirteen counties of Wales that existed from 1536 until their abolishment in 1974. It is located in the South Wales, south of Wales. Originally an ea ...

, Wales in 1904. He became a bus driver, but switched jobs to become a full-time script writer. He came to note in the 1940s when he appeared on the wartime variety show ''Welsh Rarebit'', which was broadcast throughout Great Britain and France. His character 'Tommy Troubles', along with his friends Willie, Llew and Jimmy became cult characters endearing themselves to the British public. At its peak the show reached 12 million people. When the radio show switched from radio to television in the early 1950s, Evans transferred with it to the screen, writing further adventures for Tommy Troubles. In 1954 his play ''

Wishing Well A wishing well is a term from European folklore to describe water well, wells where it was thought that any spoken wish would be granted. The idea that a wish would be granted came from the notion that water housed deity, deities or had ...

'' was adapted for a film treatment '' The Happiness of Three Women''. Evans himself starred, in the

Maurice Elvey Maurice Elvey (11 November 1887 – 28 August 1967) was one of the most prolific film directors in British history. He directed nearly 200 films between 1913 and 1957. During the silent film era he directed as many as twenty films per year. He a ...

directed film, as Amos the postman, while the more notable leads included

Donald Houston Donald Daniel Houston (6 November 1923 – 13 October 1991) was a Welsh actor whose first two films—'' The Blue Lagoon'' (1949) with Jean Simmons, and '' A Run for Your Money'' (1949) with Alec Guinness—were highly successful. Later in his ...

and

Petula Clark Sally "Petula" Clark (born 15 November 1932) is a British singer, actress, and songwriter. She started her professional career as a child actor, child performer and has had the longest career of any British entertainer, spanning more than 85 y ...

. In 1955, Evans' book '' Room in the House'', was adapted for the screen by

Alfred Shaughnessy Alfred James Shaughnessy (19 May 1916 – 2 November 2005) was an English scriptwriter, film director and producer best known for being the script editor of '' Upstairs, Downstairs''. Early life Alfred Shaughnessy was born in London, his father ...

, and again directed by Elvey, though on this occasion Evans did not feature. Evans continued working in film throughout the 1950s, including an uncredited appearance as a ticket collector in ''

Private's Progress ''Private's Progress'' is a 1956 British comedy film directed by John Boulting and starring Richard Attenborough, Dennis Price, Terry-Thomas and Ian Carmichael. The script was by John Boulting and Frank Harvey, based on the novel of the same ...

'' (1956), playing Decon in television children' drama ''

The Buccaneers ''The Buccaneers'' is the last novel written by Edith Wharton. The story is set in the 1870s, around the time Wharton was a young girl. It was unfinished work, unfinished at the time of her death in 1937 and published in that form in 1938. Whar ...

'', one episode of ''

Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., Presents ''Douglas Fairbanks Presents'' is a 1953–1956 Television syndication, syndicated half-hour dramatic anthology series. Douglas Fairbanks Jr. was the host, and he sometimes starred in episodes. It was also known as ''Douglas Fairbanks Jr. Present ...

'' (1956) and another uncredited role in '' The Battle of the River Plate'' (1956). Along with his acting roles, Evans continued to produce feature-comedies for

BBC Wales BBC Cymru Wales is a division of the BBC and the main public broadcasting, public broadcaster in Wales. It is one of the four BBC national regions, alongside the BBC English Regions, BBC Northern Ireland and BBC Scotland. Established in 1964, ...

TV. Described as 'uncomplicated, if robust' by film historian David Berry, his works included ''The Prodigal Tenor'' (1957), ''The Bachelor Brother'' (1960) and ''Jubille Concert'' (1961). In 1958 he appeared in the comedy western'' The Sheriff of Fractured Jaw'', which was followed by a few one-off appearances in TV shows. In 1959 he took small roles in two notable British films, playing Mr Morgan in

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's ''

Tiger Bay Tiger Bay () was the local name for an area of Cardiff which covered Butetown and Cardiff Docks. Following the building of the Cardiff Barrage, which dams the tidal rivers, Ely and Taff, to create a body of water, it is referred to as Car ...

'' and Truscott in

John Boulting John Edward Boulting (21 December 1913 – 17 June 1985) and Roy Alfred Clarence Boulting (21 December 1913 – 5 November 2001), known collectively as the Boulting brothers, were English filmmakers and identical twins who became known for thei ...

's ''

I'm All Right Jack ''I'm All Right Jack'' is a 1959 British comedy film directed and produced by John and Roy Boulting from a script by Frank Harvey, John Boulting and Alan Hackney based on the 1958 novel ''Private Life'' by Alan Hackney. The film is a sequel ...

''. After appearances in comedy films '' Friends and Neighbours'' (1959) and

Two-Way Stretch ''Two-Way Stretch'', also known as ''Nothing Barred'', is a 1960 British comedy film directed by Robert Day and starring Peter Sellers, Wilfrid Hyde-White, Lionel Jeffries and Bernard Cribbins. The screenplay is by Vivian Cox, John Warren ...

(1960), he took a lead role in the 1960 television production of ''

How Green Was My Valley ''How Green Was My Valley'' is a 1939 novel by Richard Llewellyn, narrated by Huw Morgan, the main character, about his Welsh family and the mining community in which they live. The author had claimed that he based the book on his own experi ...

''. Evans played family patriarch Gwilym Morgan, with Welsh actress Rachel Thomas in the role of his wife. Evans continued to take small TV roles through the early 1960s, and in 1962 he appeared in ''

Only Two Can Play ''Only Two Can Play'' is a 1962 British comedy film directed by Sidney Gilliat starring Peter Sellers, Mai Zetterling and Virginia Maskell. The screenplay was by Bryan Forbes, based on the 1955 novel '' That Uncertain Feeling'' by Kingsley Amis ...

'' and '' Go to Blazes''. ''Only Two Can Play'' was the third time he had appeared in a film starring

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 ...

, the others being ''I'm All Right Jack'' and ''Two-Way Stretch''. 1964 saw Evans write and appear in a BBC television mini-series ''Ring out an Alibi''. Evans played roles in several popular British television dramas in the late 1960s, including ''

Danger Man ''Danger Man'' (retitled ''Secret Agent'' in the United States for the revived series, and ''Destination Danger'' and ''John Drake'' in other overseas markets) is a British television series that was broadcast between 1960 and 1962, and again ...

'', ''

Dixon of Dock Green ''Dixon of Dock Green'' is a BBC police procedural television series about daily life at a fictional London police station, with the emphasis on petty crime, successfully controlled through common sense and human understanding. It ran from 1955 ...

'' and '' Softly Softly''.

Filmography

*''

Undercover A cover in foreign, military or police human intelligence or counterintelligence is the ostensible identity and role or position in an infiltrated organization assumed by a covert agent during a covert operation. Official cover In espionage, a ...

'' (1943) - Lieut. Banse *'' The Happiness of Three Women'' (1954) - Amos Parry *''

'' (1956) - Ticket Collector (uncredited) *'' The Battle of the River Plate'' (1956) - Chief Engineer, Newton Beach, Prisoner on Graf Spee (uncredited) *'' The Sheriff of Fractured Jaw'' (1958) - Mason (Manager - Jonathan Tibbs & Co.) *''

'' (1959) - Mr. Morgan *''

'' (1959) - Truscott *'' Friends and Neighbours'' (1959) - Shopkeeper *''

Two Way Stretch ''Two-Way Stretch'', also known as ''Nothing Barred'', is a 1960 British comedy film directed by Robert Day and starring Peter Sellers, Wilfrid Hyde-White, Lionel Jeffries and Bernard Cribbins. The screenplay is by Vivian Cox, John Warren ...

'' (1960) - Solicitor (uncredited) *''

'' (1962) - Town Hall Clerk *'' Go to Blazes'' (1962) - Mayor

Notes

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Evans, Eynon Welsh male radio actors Welsh male film actors 1904 births 1989 deaths Welsh comedy writers 20th-century Welsh male actors 20th-century Welsh screenwriters