Vocation : Entertainment : Comedy

Jimmy_Gold

Jimmy McGonigal (21 April 1886 – 7 October 1967), known professionally as Jimmy Gold, was a Scottish comedian and part of the music hall act of Naughton and Gold. Later they became part of the Crazy Gang.
Gold was born in Glasgow. His parents were John McGonigal, a painter and decorator, and Elizabeth (whose maiden name was Gold). He had either four or five brothers and three sisters. Harry was the oldest and Jimmy was second oldest. Others included Danny, Johnny and Peter (the youngest). The sisters were Elizabeth, Agnes and another one who died when just a few years old. He is remembered as a happy, good natured man.
Jimmy went into the family trade of painting and decorating till he joined up with Naughton. They were tap dancers to start with but the comedy gradually took over.
As part of the Crazy Gang, he, and they, held the record for the number of appearances at the Royal Variety Show in front of the Queen. The Crazy Gang were favourites of the young Princess Margaret.
Once, when playing the Palladium, he noticed his bottle of whisky had less in it than it had when he went out on stage. He blamed his younger brother Peter McGonigal for drinking it. Peter denied it. Jimmy asked him if he saw anyone else backstage whilst he was on stage. Peter described a man he had seen backstage during the performance. The description fitted His Royal Highness, Edward the Duke of Windsor, who was in attendance.
Another time, when the Crazy Gang were travelling by road and when there were rumours that Jimmy was going to be dropped by them, he told the rest of them "I don't care. I've got 40 grand in the bank". A little while later in the conversation he said "I don't care. I've got 30 grand in the bank". At which one of the other members of the Crazy Gang stopped the car. "What are you doing?" said Jimmy. "I'm going back", said the driver. "Somewhere between here and the last petrol station you lost 10 grand and I'm going back to look for it".
He died in London, aged 81.

Will_Fyffe

Will Fyffe, CBE (16 February 1885 – 14 December 1947) was a Scottish music hall and performing artist on stage and screen during the 1930s and 1940s.
Fyffe made his debut in his father's stock company at age 6. He travelled extensively throughout Scotland and the rest of the UK, playing the numerous music halls of the time, where he performed his sketches and sang his songs in an inimitable style. During the 1930s, he was one of the highest paid musical hall artists in Britain.
In addition, Fyffe appeared in 23 major films of the era (American and British), and he recorded over 30 songs.
His singer-songwriter skills are still well-known today, particularly his composition "I Belong to Glasgow". This song has been covered by Danny Kaye, Eartha Kitt, Gracie Fields and Kirk Douglas:

"If your money, you spend,
You've nothing to lend,
Isn't that all the better for you"As a result of this song, Fyffe became forever associated with Glasgow, but he was born 70 miles (110 km) away in the east coast city of Dundee, where a street bears his surname. Fyffe was also Freemason, who was initiated and then became a full member of Lodge St John, Shotts No 471. He left some rare footage of his stage act, which gives a glimpse of stage life in these times. In the footage, he performs the "Broomielaw" sketch and sings his song "Twelve and a Tanner a Bottle". The footage came about as a result of a screen test, shot for Pathe in New York in 1929.
Fyffe died after falling from a window in the Rusacks Hotel in St Andrews in December 1947. The fall has been attributed to dizziness caused by an operation on his ear.

Rikki_Fulton

Robert Kerr "Rikki" Fulton, OBE (15 April 1924 – 27 January 2004) was a Scottish comedian and actor best remembered for writing and performing in the long-running BBC Scotland sketch show, Scotch and Wry. He was also known for his appearances as one half of the double act, Francie and Josie, alongside Jack Milroy. Suffering from Alzheimer's disease in his later years, Fulton died in 2004, aged 79.

Walter_Carr_(actor)

Walter Carr (1 April 1925 – 30 May 1998) was a Scottish actor and comedian.He played the servant, Jack, in the Edinburgh Gateway Company's Edinburgh International Festival production of Robert McLellan's historical comedy The Flouers o Edinburgh in August 1957, and was in the cast of its production of All for Mary by Kay Bannerman and Harold Brooke in February 1958. He played one of the Vices in Tyrone Guthrie's Edinburgh Festival production of Ane Satyre of the Thrie Estaites at the Church of Scotland's Assemby Hall in August 1959, and Sandy the scout in the 1960 Festival production of Sydney Goodsir Smith's The Wallace. In 1963, he gave a memorable comedy performance as the imagined invalid in the Gateway's production of The Hypochondriack, Victor Carin's translation into Scots of Molière's Le malade imaginaire.Possibly his best known role was as the mate Dougie in the TV series The Vital Spark (1965–67).He played Shooey in Lex MacLean's TV series. Other television roles included Davy McNeil in The Dark Island (1962), James Pigg in Mr. John Jorrocks (1966), and Advocate Fife in Weir of Hermiston (1973).
He had a minor part as the school teacher in the cult film The Wicker Man (1973), and played a jeweller in the comedy The Girl in the Picture (1985).

Janet_Brown

Janet McLuckie Brown (14 December 1923 – 27 May 2011) was a Scottish actress, comedian and impressionist who gained considerable fame in the 1970s and 1980s for her impersonations of Margaret Thatcher. Brown was the wife of Peter Butterworth, who was best known for his appearances in the Carry On films. Butterworth died in 1979 and Brown never remarried.

Eddie_Large

Edward Hugh McGinnis (25 June 1941 – 2 April 2020), better known by the stage name Eddie Large, was a British comedian. He was best known as one half of the double act Little and Large, with Syd Little (the stage name of Cyril Mead).

Noel_Roquevert

Noël Roquevert (born Noël Louis Raymond Bénévent; 18 December 1892 – 6 November 1973) was a French stage and film actor. He appeared in more than 180 films between 1932 and 1972. Roquevert was born in Doué-la-Fontaine and was married to stage and film actress Paulette Noizeux. He died in Douarnenez, France, aged 80.

Marianne_Oswald

Marianne Oswald (January 9, 1901 – February 25, 1985) was the stage name of Sarah Alice Bloch, a French singer and actress born in Sarreguemines in Alsace-Lorraine. She took this stage name from a character she much admired, the unhappy Oswald in the Ibsen play Ghosts. She was noted for her hoarse voice, heavy half-Lorraine, half-German accent, and for singing about unrequited love, despair, sadness, and death. She sang the songs of Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht. She was friends with Jean Cocteau, Jacques Prévert, François Mauriac, and Albert Camus. In fact, the text for one of her album covers was written by Camus. She was an inspiration for the composers Francis Poulenc and Arthur Honegger.