Harry Tate

Infobox performer
bgcolour =
name = Harry Tate


imagesize =
caption =
birthname = Ronald Macdonald Hutchinson
birthdate = birth date|1872|7|4|df=y
location =
deathdate = death date and age|1940|2|14|1872|7|4|df=y
deathplace =
othername =
homepage =
genre = Music hall & film comedian
spouse =

Harry Tate (4 July 1872 - 14 February 1940) was a Scottish comedian who performed both in the music halls and in films. Born in 1872 as Ronald Macdonald Hutchinson, he worked for Henry Tate & Sons, Sugar Refiners before going on the stage, and took his stage name from them. [ [http://www.arthurlloyd.co.uk/Ancestry/Tate.htm Music Hall history] accessed 11 Feb 2007]

Career

Tate made his debut at the Oxford Music Hall in 1895, and became well known for his impressions of performers such as Dan Leno, George Robey, and Eugene Stratton. Success came with his comedy sketch, " [http://www.rfwilmut.clara.net/mpeg/motor.mp3 Motoring] ", in which he played the part of a new car owner trying to repair it. His other sketches included "Running an Office", "Billiards" and "Fishing". Several catch phrasees he used became popular in Britain in the 1930s, including "Goodbye-eee", "How's your Father" (used as an escape clause when he was unable to answer a question) and "I don't think", used sarcastically (as in "He's a nice chap – I don't think") [ [http://home.clara.net/rfwilmut/musichll/xtate.html Harry Tate entry at Music Hall Performers website] ] . He used his bristling moustache to express all kinds of emotion by twitching or moving it.

Harry Tate died in 1940 as a result of injuries suffered in an air raid during the London Blitz. He is buried at St Mary's, Northolt. For a time, his son Ronnie continued the act as "Harry Tate junior". [ [http://pages.britishlibrary.net/mikepymm/new_page_19.htm Harry Tate (at British Library)] accessed 11 Feb 2007]

Filmography

* "Her First Affair" - 1932
* "Happy" - 1934
* "Midshipsman Easy" - 1935
* "Hyde Park Corner" - 1935
* "Keep Your Seats Please" - 1936
* "Wings of the Morning" - 1937

lang usage

The phrase "Harry Tate" entered the 20th century English (British) language as slang, initially as a nickname for the Royal Aircraft Factory R.E.8 biplane. When used as an adjective it came to mean "amateur" or even "incompetent".

In cockney rhyming slang it could mean a "plate" or "worried" (from the expression "in a state").

In the British merchant navy (merchant marine) it is used to refer the chief officer (second to the captain of a ship) whose title in official documents is 'Mate'. This use is believed to have come from the London docks where the majority of the workforce were Cockneys.

Trivia

*The earliest known celebrity personalised number plate was T 8, owned by Harry Tate [ [http://www.numberplates.com/blog/2007/09/first-personalised-number-plate_21.html The first personalised number plate] accessed 21 Sep 2007]

References

* "Halliwell's Who's Who in the Movies", published by Harper-Collins - ISBN 0-06-093507-3
* "The Entertainers" published by Pitman House - ISBN 0-273-01542-7

External links

*imdb|0851136
* [http://www.harry-tates.org.uk/ The Royal Naval Patrol Service]
* Harry Tate audio sample: [http://home.clara.net/rfwilmut/musichll/xtate.html]

Persondata
NAME= Tate, Harry
ALTERNATIVE NAMES= Hutchinson, Ronald Macdonald
SHORT DESCRIPTION=
DATE OF BIRTH= 4 July 1872
PLACE OF BIRTH=
DATE OF DEATH= 14 February 1940
PLACE OF DEATH=