Saturday, April 8, 2017

Personal life

He and his wife, Betty Astell, were married from 18 May 1941 until his death on 2 January 2005. She died six months later. The couple had a daughter, Jill Fletcher, an actress and comedian.

Selected filmography

References


  • Dennis Barker (3 January 2005). "Obituary: Cyril Fletcher".
    1. "Famous Freemasons". Grand Lodge Scotland.

    External links

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  • Profile, Alexandra Palace Television Society website; accessed 18 March 2015.

  • Fletcher, Cyril (1973). The Countryman: A Quarterly Review and Miscellany of Rural Life and Progress 73. Oxford: J.W. Robertson Scott. ISSN 0011-0272. page 47.

  • Fletcher, Cyril (1978). Nice One Cyril: Being the Odd Odessey and the Anecdotage of a Comedian. London: Random House. ISBN 0-214-20581-9. page 19.

  • Hayward, Anthony (3 January 2005). "Cyril Fletcher: Performer of 'Odd Odes' and 'That's Life'". The Independent. Retrieved 2008-12-16.

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    Cyril Fletcher

    From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
    Cyril Fletcher
    Cyril Fletcher.jpg
    Born 25 June 1913
    Watford, Hertfordshire, England
    Died 2 January 2005 (aged 91)
    St Peter Port, Guernsey, Channel Islands
    Nationality British
    Occupation Actor, comedian, businessman
    Partner(s) Betty Astell (18 May 1941 - 2 January 2005; his death); 1 child
    Children Jill Fletcher[1]
    Cyril Fletcher (25 June 1913 – 2 January 2005) was an English comedian, actor and businessman. His catchphrase was 'Pin back your lugholes'. He was best known for his "Odd Odes", which later formed a section of the television show That's Life!. He first began performing the Odd Odes in 1937, long before they first appeared on television (though he did appear on pre-World War II television).[2]
    Fletcher came up with the idea when he was short of material for a radio show. The first Odd Ode was a comic, yet sentimental, reading of Edgar Wallace's war poem Dreaming of Thee. Following this broadcast he was given a regular programme on Radio Luxembourg; it was this show that brought him to national attention. He called himself "the odd oder".[citation needed]
    He also appeared as a panellist on the popular UK BBC panel show What's My Line? that ran from 1951 to 1963. He was the presenter of Central TV's Gardening Today for 14 years and Channel Television's Cyril Fletcher's TV Garden and ran from 1990 to 1992 for 2 years.
    Fletcher was born in Watford, the son of a solicitor, who was the Friern Barnet town clerk.[3] Following schooling at Friern Barnet Grammar School,[4] where he first began to entertain by composing witty poems about his schoolmasters,[5] he graduated from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. A Freemason[6] and a successful businessman, he believed it important to diversify in such a fickle business as show business. He founded Associated Speakers, an agency for after-dinner speakers, on whose books were the likes of the Duke of Bedford and Lord Longford, as well as himself.[1]
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    The Ted Ray Show (1955–59)

    The first series accented variety, with international guests; the second and third series had greater emphasis on stand-up comedy; the fourth featured domestic routines (with Diane Hart as Ted Ray's wife and Kenneth Connor as "that interfering brother-in-law"); the fifth and six—with new writers—concentrated on sketch comedy and were branded 'New Edition' and '1959 Edition' to underline the difference.

    Cast

    Crew

    • Sid Colin – Writer (series 1–4)
    • Talbot Rothwell – Writer (series 1–4)
    • George Wadmore – Writer (series 1–4)
    • John Junkin – Writer (series 5 & 6 and special)
    • Terry Nation – Writer (series 5 & 6 and special)
    • Dave Freeman – Additional Material (3 shows)
    • George Inns – Producer (series 1–5)
    • Bill Ward – Producer (2 shows)
    • Ernest Maxin – Producer (1 show)
    • Barry Lupino – Producer (1 show)

    Transmission details

    • Number of episodes: 29 Length: 28 x 60 mins • 1 x short special
    • Series One (4) 21 May – 13 Aug 1955 • monthly Saturday mostly 9.15pm
    • Series Two (4) 28 Apr – 21 July 1956 • monthly Saturday mostly 9.15pm
    • Series Three (8) 19 Jan – 3 Aug 1957 • monthly Saturday mostly 8pm
    • Series Four (5) 25 Jan – 10 May 1958 • monthly Saturday 8pm
    • Series Five (3) 27 Sep – 22 Nov 1958 • monthly Saturday 8pm
    • Short special • part of Christmas Night with the Stars 25 Dec 1958 • Thu 6.25pm
    • Series Six (4) 31 Jan – 2 May 1959 • monthly Saturday mostly 7.30pm

    Filmography

    References


  • Joseph F. Clarke (1977). Pseudonyms. BCA. p. 137.
    1. BBC Radio 7 : How Tickled Am I? – Series 2 – Ted Ray[link expired]

    External links

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  • Stevens, Christopher (2010). Born Brilliant: The Life Of Kenneth Williams. John Murray. p. 371. ISBN 1-84854-195-3.

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    Ray's a Laugh (1949–61)

    Nedlo, the Gypsy Violinist, started his own show in 1949 and made a success of it. Ray's a Laugh did not include Nedlo's name in the credits, nor indeed that of Charlie Olden (Ray's real name). Nedlo/Olden was, by 1949, calling himself Ted Ray (after the golfer[3]) – and that was how he billed himself for his radio series.
    Ray's a Laugh was a domestic comedy. Ray's wife was played by Kitty Bluett. Fred Yule played his brother-in-law. Patricia Hayes appeared, as did Kenneth Connor as Sidney Mincing. In later series Ray had left the Cannon Enquiry Agency and joined the Daily Bugle as a reporter. Jack Watson and Charles Leno joined the cast and new characters included Mrs Dipper and Roger Curfew, the paying guest with songs by John Hanson and the King's Men.
    Another early member was Peter Sellers, then 23 and billing himself as an impressionist. He appeared as Soppy, a small boy criticised by the nation's watchdogs for his catchphrase, "Just like your big red conk!" Another of his characters was a strange woman, Crystal Jollibottom ("Stop it you saucebox!" he would cry in a crazy falsetto). Laidman Browne, as Ray's boss Mr Trumble, Pat Coombs as Ursula Prune, Charles Leno and Graham Stark were also present. Percy Edwards, the animal impersonator, played Gregory the chicken.
    There was the glamour girl who would do anything, but "Not until after six-o'clock!" Songs came from the Beaux and the Belles and Bob and Alf Pearson provided the musical interlude—"We bring you melodies from out of the sky, my brother and I!" Bob also played the little girl Jennifer who, asked her name, would coyly reply: "Jen-ni-fer!"
    The show was no real departure from tradition, even in its catch-phrases. There was Ivy's (Ted Ray) devotion to Mrs Hoskins, for instance: "You're a lovely woman, Mrs Hoskins!" And it was she to whom Mrs Hoskins would remark weakly: "It was agony, Ivy!" And whenever Ivy felt poorly, Mrs Hoskins would say, "I'll have to send for young Dr Hardcastle" to which Ivy would reply, "He's lovely, Mrs Hoskins, He's loooooovely!"
    There was the adenoidal "If you haven't been to Manchester, you haven't lived." from Kenneth Connor.
    Ray's a Laugh ran from 1949 until January 1961, eventually dropping the musical items. Ray also showed his skill at ad-libbing (together with Jimmy Edwards, Arthur Askey and Cyril Fletcher) in Does the Team Think?
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    Ted Ray (comedian)

    From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
    Ted Ray
    Born Charles Alden
    21 November 1905
    Wigan, Lancashire, England, UK
    Died 8 November 1977 (aged 71)
    London, England, UK
    Occupation Comedian
    Children Robin Ray
    Andrew Ray
    Ted Ray (born Charles Alden; 21 November 1905 – 8 November 1977) was an English comedian of the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s, on radio and television. His BBC radio show Ray's a Laugh ran for 12 years.

    Contents

    Biography

    Ray was born Charles Alden[1] in Wigan, Lancashire, England. His parents moved to Liverpool within days of his birth, and Liverpudlians regard him as a local. While he was a boy his parents changed their name to Olden.[1] As a comedian of the 1940s and 1950s he demonstrated his ad-libbing skills in his weekly radio show Ray's A Laugh from 1949 until 1961.[2] A music hall comedian, Ray usually played violin badly as part of his act - first as Hugh Neek, then "Nedlo the Gypsy Violinist".[1] He also played comedy roles in several British films—notably as the headmaster in Carry On Teacher. He is best remembered for the Sunday lunchtime radio show Ray's a Laugh, a domestic comedy in which Kitty Bluett played his wife. Other actors and actresses who featured on the show included Peter Sellers, Fred Yule, Patricia Hayes, Kenneth Connor, Pat Coombs and Graham Stark; Sellers' earliest appearances predated The Goon Show by a couple of years. In 1940 and 1950 Ray was King Rat of the Grand Order of Water Rats.
    Ray was an accomplished golfer, frequently playing with professional sportsmen. Later in his career he appeared with Jimmy Edwards, Arthur Askey and Cyril Fletcher in the comedy radio panel game Does the Team Think?
    Ted Ray appeared on television reading on Jackanory (a children's programme) in the 1960s and 1970s. In 1974, he presented a radio show on BBC Radio 2, The Betty Witherspoon Show, with Kenneth Williams, Miriam Margolyes and Nigel Rees. He was also involved in Jokers Wild, an ITV celebrity comedy game show (1971–74) which was chaired by Barry Cryer. Arthur Askey was another regular on the show.
    He married showgirl Dorothy (née Sibil) and the couple had two sons: Robin Ray, a well-known television personality in the 1960s and 1970s, who initiated Call My Bluff and specialist classical music shows, and Andrew Ray, a child star of the 1950s who had a long career on stage, film and television.
    He was the subject of This Is Your Life on two occasions, in October 1955 when he was surprised by Eamonn Andrews at the BBC Television Theatre, and in February 1975, when Andrews surprised him on the doorstep of his Southgate home.
    In 1975, returning home from a day of golfing and alcohol, two of his favourite passions, Ray was involved in a serious motor vehicle accident. The injuries sustained had a physically debilitating effect and left him dependent on crutches.[citation needed]
    In 1977 he recorded a half-hour interview, talking about his life. This was repeated on Radio 4 Extra's "It's a Funny Business" series on 3 November 2013. On 8 November 1977 he suffered a fatal heart attack.[citation needed]
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    Personal life and death

    In 1956, she married the trumpet player Ronnie Hughes. She remained a top UK recording artist during the remainder of the 1950s and was voted the 'Top British Female Singer' in the New Musical Express poll winners' charts from 1951 to 1955. Melody Maker readers also voted her their 'Top Girl Singer' in the dance band section of the poll in 1951 and 1952.
    Roza made three appearances in UK heats for the Eurovision Song Contest selection in 1957, 1959 and 1960. On 14 March 2001, the Liverpool Wall of Fame was inaugurated opposite the Cavern Club on Mathew Street in Liverpool with Roza presiding at the ceremony. On 28 November 2002, she gave her last public performance on Radio Merseyside. A 22 track The Best of Lita Roza was released in 2007.[4]
    Lita Roza died peacefully at home on 14 August 2008, aged 82.

    Quotation

    "We just don't make singers like Lita Roza anymore" – Elton John.[8]

    Discography

    Singles

    EPs

    • 1956 Lita Roza
    • 1957 Lita Roza No.2
    • 1958 Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea[10]

    Albums

    • 1955 Listening in the After-hours
    • 1956 Love is the Answer
    • 1960 Drinka Lita Roza Day recorded on 4 May 1960[11]

    Recorded output

    In addition to those tracks listed above, Roza's recorded output included covers of songs such as "Why Don't You Believe Me?", "Smile", "That Old Black Magic", "Have You Heard?", "Come What May", "That Old Feeling", "Too Marvelous for Words" and "The Mama Doll Song".

    See also

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    Lita Roza

    From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
    Lita Roza
    Birth name Lilian Patricia Lita Roza
    Born 14 March 1926
    Liverpool, Lancashire, England
    Died 14 August 2008 (aged 82)
    London, England
    Genres Traditional pop
    Website Official website
    Lita Roza (14 March 1926[1] – 14 August 2008)[2] was an English singer whose 1953 hit record "(How Much Is) That Doggie in the Window?" made her the first British solo singer to top the UK Singles Chart.[3]

    Contents

    Early life and career

    Born Lilian Patricia Lita Roza in Liverpool, Lancashire, England,[1] she was the eldest of seven children.[4] and began work at an early age to support the family. She owed her sultry looks and passion to her father, an amateur accordionist who also played piano in Liverpool nightclubs. Her father was of Filipino ancestry.[5]
    At the age of 12, she saw an advert in the local newspaper for juvenile dancers and passed the audition. She took to the stage at that age in a pantomime and by the time she was 15 was working with the comedian, and fellow Merseysider, Ted Ray.[3] When she was 16, she answered got a job as a singer in the "New Yorker" club in Southport for £5 a week before then shortly afterwards signing up with the Harry Roy Orchestra in London. She moved on from this to work with other bands of the era including that of Edmundo Ros.
    By the time she was 18, Roza had retired from show business, married an American and moved to Miami, Florida. However, the marriage did not last and shortly after the Second World War she returned to the United Kingdom. In 1950, she became the lead female singer with the Ted Heath Band and by 1954 had achieved enough public acclaim to leave the band and pursue a solo recording career.
    Roza's "(How Much Is) That Doggie in the Window?", a cover version of Patti Page's original produced by Dick Rowe, was the peak of her career. Further covers of "Hey There" and "Jimmy Unknown" gave her small hits in the mid-1950s.[6] Roza disliked her chart-topping single so much she never performed it live.[7]
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