Arthur Askey

Infobox performer
bgcolour =
name = Arthur Askey


imagesize =
caption =
birthname = Arthur Bowden Askey
birthdate = birth date|1900|6|6|mf=y
location = Liverpool, Lancashire, England
deathdate = death date and age|1982|11|16|1900|6|6|mf=y
deathplace = London, England
othername =
parents = Samuel & Betsy Askey, nee Bowden
children = Anthea
homepage =
genre = Comedian
spouse = Elizabeth May Swash (m.1925–1974)

Arthur Bowden Askey CBE (June 6, 1900 – November 16, 1982) was a prominent English comedian.

Life and career

He was born at 29 Moses Street, Liverpool, Lancashire, he was the elder child and only son of Samuel Askey (d.1958), secretary of the firm Sugar Products of Liverpool, and his wife, Betsy Bowden (d.1949), of Knutsford, Cheshire. Six months after his birth the family moved to 90 Rosslyn Street, Liverpool. Arthur was educated at St. Michael's Council School (1905–11) and the Liverpool Institute for Boys (1911–16). He was very small at 5' 2" (1.6m), with a breezy, smiling personality, and wore distinctive horn-rimmed glasses. He served in the forces in World War 1 and performed in army entertainments. After work as a clerk for Liverpool Corporation, he was in a touring concert party and the music halls, but he rose to stardom in 1938 through his role in the first radio sitcom, "Band Waggon" on the BBC, prior to which radio comedy had consisted of broadcast stand-up routines. It had begun as a variety show, but had been unsuccessful until Askey and his partner, Richard Murdoch, took on a larger role in the writing. Askey's humour owed much to the playfulness of the characters he portrayed, his improvising and his use of catchphrases, as parodied by the Arthur Atkinson character in "The Fast Show". His catchphrases included "Hello playmates!", "I thank you" (pronounced "Ay-Thang-Yew"), and "Before your very eyes".

In the early 1930s, Askey appeared on an early form of BBC television — the spinning disc invented by John Logie Baird that scanned vertically and had only thirty lines. Askey had to be heavily made up for his face to be recognisable at such crude resolution. When television became electronic, with 405 horizontal lines, Askey was a regular performer in variety shows.

During World War II, Askey starred in several Gainsborough Pictures comedy films, including "Band Waggon" (1940), based on his radio show, "Charley's (Big-Hearted) Aunt" (1940), "The Ghost Train" (1941), "I Thank You" (1941), "Back Room Boy" (1942), "King Arthur Was a Gentleman" (1942), "Miss London Ltd." (1943), and "Bees in Paradise" (1944) as well as the popular West End musical "Follow the Girls". When television arrived, he made the transition well — his first TV series was "Before Your Very Eyes!" (1952), named after his catchphrase. In 1957 writers Sid Colin and Talbot Rothwell revived the "Band Waggon" format for "Living It Up", a series that reunited Askey and Murdoch after an absence of 18 years. He also made many stage appearances as a pantomime dame.

His recording career included "The Bee Song" and his theme tune, "Big-Hearted Arthur", (which was also his nickname). During the 1950s and 1960s he appeared in many sitcoms including "Love and Kisses", "Arthur's Treasured Volumes" and "The Arthur Askey Show".

He continued to appear frequently on television in the 1970s, notably as a panellist on the ITV talent show "New Faces", where his usually sympathetic comments would offset the harsher judgments of fellow judges Tony Hatch and Mickie Most. He also appeared on the comedy panel game "Joker's Wild".

His last film was "Rosie Dixon - Night Nurse" (1978), starring Debbie Ash. Soon afterwards, he was forced to give up performing, and had both legs amputated owing to circulatory problems. His daughter, Anthea, by his marriage to Elizabeth May Swash (m. 1925, d. 1974), was also an actress and often starred with him. For many years, he was an active member of the Savage Club (a London Gentlemen's club).

Askey is buried in Putney Vale Cemetery.

Biographies

*Arthur Askey (autobiography). "Before Your Very Eyes" (London: Woburn Press, 1975) ISBN 0713001348
*Kurt Ganzl. "The Encyclopedia of the Musical Theatre" (New York: Shirmer Books, 2001) pp.75 ISBN 0028649702

External links

* [http://www.radioacademy.org/halloffame/askey_a/ The Radio Academy — Hall of Fame: Arthur Askey]
* [http://www.televisionheaven.co.uk/hisaskey.htm TV Greats: Arthur Askey]
* [http://www.britishpictures.com/stars/Askey.htm Star Archive: Arthur Askey (1900–1982)]
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* [http://ukulelehunt.com/2007/06/28/arthur-askey-i-want-a-banana/ Mr Askey's 'I Want a Banana']

Persondata
NAME= Askey, Arthur
ALTERNATIVE NAMES= Askey, Arthur Bowden
SHORT DESCRIPTION= Comedian
DATE OF BIRTH= 1900 June 6
PLACE OF BIRTH= Liverpool, Merseyside, England
DATE OF DEATH= 1982 November 16
PLACE OF DEATH= London, England