George Grossmith, Jr.

Infobox Person
name = George Grossmith, Jr.


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caption = Grossmith (right), with Edmund Payne in 1907
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birth_date = birth date|1874|5|11
birth_place = London
death_date = death date and age|1935|6|7|1874|5|11
death_place = London
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nationality = British
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occupation = Theatrical producer, actor, playwright and songwriter
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spouse = Adelaide Astor
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children = Ena Grossmith George Grossmith
parents = George Grossmith and Emmeline Rosa Noyce
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George Grossmith, Jr. (11 May 1874 – 6 June 1935) was a British actor, theatre producer and manager, director, playwright and songwriter, best remembered for his work in and with Edwardian musical comedies. Grossmith was also an important innovator in bringing "cabaret" and "revues" to the London stage.

Life and career

George Grossmith was born in Haverstock Hill, London, the eldest son of the famous Gilbert and Sullivan performer and writer George Grossmith, and his mother was Emmeline Rosa, née Noyce. His grandfather was also named "George Grossmith", and even though he was the third George Grossmith, he was credited on stage as as "George Grossmith Jnr". His brother was the actor Lawrence Grossmith.

Grossmith studied at University College School in London, and in Paris, and his parents hoped that he would follow an army career, but that was not to be. In 1895, Grossmith married burlesque and musical comedy actress Gertrude Elizabeth "Cissie" Rudge (1873–1951), whose stage name was Adelaide Astor, was one of five actress Rudge Sisters. Letty Lind was the most famous of these. Grossmith and his wife had three children, Ena Sylvia Victoria (1896–1944), who became a stage and film actress; George (1906-c.2000), who became a theatrical manager; and Rosa Mary (1907-1988).Gänzl, Kurt. "Grossmith, George (1874-1935)" in the "Oxford Dictionary of National Biography", Oxford University Press (2004) [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/33591, accessed 21 Oct 2007] ]

Grossmith was known for "speaking" songs and for his easy comic grace on stage.Obituary in "The Times", 7 June, 1935; p. 9] He was tall and gangling, with a "face hardly less extraordinary than his curious legs and a humour as unctuous as his father's at his best." [Hicks, Seymour "Hicks: Twenty-Four Years of an Actor's Life" (1910), p. 188]

Early career

Grossmith's first role in a musical was at the age of 18 in a small comic role in his father's collaboration with W. S. Gilbert, "Haste to the Wedding". He next appeared in several small comic roles, including in "The Baroness" (1892).

Grossmith's breakthrough came in "Morocco Bound" (1893), where he made the most of the small role of Sir Percy Pimpleton by adding ad-libbed sight and word gags, becoming an audience favourite and establishing his style of playing "dude" roles. This was followed by appearances in "Go-Bang" (1894 as Augustus Fitzpoop) and in George Edwardes's production of "A Gaiety Girl" (1893 as Major Barclay). He also played in "Pick-me-up" at the Trafalgar Square Theatre in 1894 with Jessie Bond and Letty Lind. [Cruickshank, Graeme. "The Life and Loves of Letty Lind" in "The Gaiety", Issue 22, Summer 2007] Edwardes then hired Grossmith to create the part of Bertie Boyd in the hit musical "The Shop Girl" (1894). The 21-year-old actor wrote the lyrics to his character's hit song "Beautiful, bountiful Bertie," which he popularised in both London and New York.

Grossmith left the musical stage for about three years, appearing in straight comedies, but he returned in 1898 to take over in the musical "Little Miss Nobody" and then as Mark Antony in the burlesque, "Great Caesar" (1899), which Grossmith had written with Paul Rubens. The piece was not successful, but he wrote another (also unsuccessful piece), "The Gay Pretenders" (1900), in which he included roles for both himself and his famous father.

Grossmith then returned to Edwardes's company as leading comedian, touring in "Kitty Grey", and then starred in the Gaiety Theatre's hit "The Toreador" (1901). Grossmith supplied some of his own lyrics ("Archie") but scored his biggest hit with Rubens's song "Everybody's Awfully Good to Me." He then played in "The School Girl" (1903) and subsequently toured America in the piece, but he mostly remained at the Gaiety for the next dozen years, starring in a number of hits and becoming one of the biggest stars of the Edwardian era. His roles in these hits included The Hon. Guy Scrymgeour in "The Orchid" (1903), Gustave Babori in "The Spring Chicken" (1905), Genie of The Lamp in "The New Aladdin" (1906), Otto, the prince, in "The Girls of Gottenberg" (1907), Hughie in "Our Miss Gibbs" (1909), Auberon Blowand in "Peggy" (1911) and Lord Bicester in "The Sunshine Girl" (1912). He often performed together with diminutive comic Edmund Payne

Grossmith co-wrote the successful "Havana" (1908), while he moved to another Edwardes theatre to play Count Lothar in "A Waltz Dream". Grossmith was given writing credits for some of the Gaiety pieces, usually adaptations from French comedies (like "The Spring Chicken") or collaborations with other writers (such as "The Girls of Gottenberg"), but he wrote the libretto to "Peggy" on his own. His contributions in collaborative pieces were primarily to add in jokes. He adapted "The Dollar Princess" (1909) for America (but not London) and also co-wrote some of London's earliest "revues", including the "Rogues and Vagabonds", "Venus", "Oh! Indeed", Empire Theatre's "Hullo ... London!" (1910), "Everybody's Doing It", "Kill That Fly!", "Eight-pence a Mile", and "Not Likely". In addition to his writing and performing, he sometimes directed these musicals and revues.

Peak producing years

url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9D03E6DD1438E633A25750C1A9649D946596D6CF
accessdate=2008-08-09 ] and then moved it to the Gaiety Theatre, London in 1915.

Back at the Gaiety Theatre, Grossmith wrote, produced and starred in the hit in "Theodore & Co" (1916), based on a French comedy. Edwardes had died in 1915, however, and Grossmith was dissatisfied with the offer of the new management under Alfred Butt and Robert Evett, the executor of Edwardes's estate, and so he left the Gaiety and produced three successes, "Mr Manhattan", "Arlette" (1917), and "Yes, Uncle!" (1917) elsewhere. His "Oh! Joy (the British adaptation of Oh, Boy!, 1917)" was also successful. He also wrote the tremendously successful revue series, "The Bing Boys Are Here" (1916), "The Bing Boys are There" (1917) and "The Bing Boys on Broadway" (1918). Grossmith fitted his work on all these productions around his naval service in World War I.

Grossmith and Laurillard built their own theatre, the Winter Garden, on the site of an old music-hall in Drury Lane. They opened the theatre in 1919 with Grossmith and Leslie Henson starring in "Kissing Time" (1919, with a book by P. G. Wodehouse and Guy Bolton and music by Ivan Caryll), followed by "A Night Out" (1920; book by Arthur Miller, music by Willie Redstone and lyrics by Clifford Grey). Grossmith and Laurillard also became managers of the Apollo Theatre in 1920 (they had produced "The Only Girl" there in 1916 and "Tilly of Bloomsbury" there in 1919). [ [http://www.nimaxtheatres.com/apollotheatre.asp Information about their management of the Apollo Theatre. Date accessed: 20 October 2007.] ] But expanding their operation caused Grossmith and Laurillard to end their partnership, with Grossmith retaining control of the Winter Garden.

Grossmith partnered with Edwardes's former associate, Pat Malone, to produce a series of mostly adaptations of imported shows at the Winter Garden between 1920 and 1926: "Sally" (1921), "The Cabaret Girl" (1922, with book by Wodehouse and music by Jerome Kern, "The Beauty Prize" (1923, with Wodehouse and Kern), a revival of "Tonight's the Night" (1923), "Primrose" (1924, with music by George Gershwin), "Tell Me More" (1925, with words by Thompson and music by George Gershwin) ["Tell Me More" review in "The Times", 27 May 1925 p. 14] and "Kid Boots" (1926 with music by Harry Tierney), ["Kid Boots" review in "The Times" 3 February 1926, p. 12] many of them featuring Leslie Henson. Grossmith co-wrote some of the Winter Garden pieces, directed many of his own productions and starred in several, notably as Otis in "Sally". Several of the later productions lost money, and Grossmith and Malone ended the partnership.

Grossmith also co-produced Oscar Asche's conception of "Eastward Ho!", ["Eastward Ho!" review in "The Times", 10 September 1919, p. 8] "Baby Bunting" (both in 1919) and "Faust on Toast" (1921) at other theatres during this period. At the same time, in the early 1920s, while appearing less frequently in his own Winter Garden shows, he continued to appear in other producers' shows, including "La Reine s' amuse" ("The Naughty Princess", 1920) and as Billy Early in Joe Waller and Herbert Clayton's original hit British production of "No, No, Nanette" (1925). Around this time, Grossmith also worked as a programme advisor to the BBC, particular involved in comedy programming. He also negotiated on behalf of the BBC with theatre managers over their boycott on songs from plays, when provincial theatre managers had threatened to cancel tour contracts if excerpts from the new plays had already been broadcast by the BBC. [ [http://www.radiotimesbacknumbers.com/si/19755.html Grossmith, George 1925 article, "Radio the Rival," written as Programme Advisor to the BBC] ]

In their joint memoir "Bring on the Girls!", P. G. Wodehouse and Guy Bolton relate a story about Grossmith holding auditions for "Primrose":

quote
"Must I sing, Mr Grossmith?"

"Yes, Sylvia, you must. All of you have to sing if you want jobs as showgirls in "Primrose". The Gershwin score demands it."

"Oh very well," she replied petulantly, and, going down to the floats she handed over a piece of music to the pianist in the pit. The piano struck a chord.

:"God save our gracious King,:Long live our noble King,:God save the King."

Grossmith, a strict observer of ritual, rose and stood at attention. His minions rose and stood at attention. Guy, on his way to announce his arrival, stood at attention. As the anthem came to the normal stopping point, George started to sit down, but there is more, much more of the fine old chorale than is generally known. James Carey is credited with a three-stanza version; in another version John Bull... has expressed the same sentiment in his own way; while James Oswald... also got into the act. A printing is extant giving them all. Sylvia Hawkes sang them all. The pianist stopped playing, but that didn't stop Sylvia. They wanted her to sing, did they? Well, sing she would. Of course no one dared to call a halt. The national anthem is sacrosanct – especially if you're an actor-manager clinging to the hope of a belated knighthood. [Wodehouse and Bolton, "Bring on the Girls!" (1953), Chapter 13, section 3]

Later years and legacy

After 1926, Grossmith stopped producing, but he continued to perform, playing King Christian in Albert Szirmai's "Princess Charming" (1926) for producer Robert Courtneidge in New York, and Britain in "The Five o'Clock Girl" and "Lady Mary" (1928). In New York in 1930, and later in London (where it flopped), he starred in Ralph Benatzky's "My Sister and I" (aka "Meet My Sister"). He also appeared in at least ten films for London Film Productions Ltd. in the 1930s.

In 1931-32, Grossmith was appointed managing director of the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, producing "The Land of Smiles" and "Cavalcade", but he resigned in 1932 to devote himself to cinema. In the 1930s, Grossmith appeared in (and wrote the screenplay, in two cases, for) a number of films. In 1933, he played Touchstone in a production of "As You Like It" in the Open Air Theatre, Regent's Park. ["The Times", 20 June 1933, p. 14] Also in 1933, he wrote a memoir called "G. G."

According to critic Andrew Lamb, Grossmith :played a particular part in introducing American songs and American musical shows into the British musical theater. It was George Grossmith, Jr., who danced the cakewalk in "The Toreador" in 1901, who as lyricist and performer gave Jerome Kern an entree into the London theater in 1906, and who introduced "They Didn't Believe Me" to London in "To-Night's the Night"... (1915). It was he who coauthored those Empire and Alhambra revues that introduced ragtime song to London and he, too, who, as coproducer, gave Kern his first joint composer billing in London with "Theodore & Co." in 1916, presented "Oh, Joy!" in 1919, and commissioned "The Cabaret Girl" and "The Beauty Prize" from Kern and "Primrose" from Gershwin. And, finally, it was he who made one of his last appearances in that London production of "No, No, Nanette" that preceded the New York opening. [Lamb, Andrew. [http://www.jstor.org/stable/3052183 "From Pinafore to Porter: United States-United Kingdom Interactions in Musical Theater, 1879–1929",] "American Music, Vol. 4, No. 1", British-American Musical Interactions (Spring, 1986), pp. 34-49, University of Illinois Press, retrieved September 18, 2008]

Grossmith died in a London nursing home at the age of 61.

Filmography

[
right|thumb|Grossmith_in_Our Miss Gibbs"] ;As an actor
*"A Gaiety Duet" (1909) .... Honourable Hugh
*"The Argentine Tango and Other Dances" (1913)
*"Women Everywhere" (1930) .... Aristide Brown
*"Those Three French Girls" (1930) .... Earl of Ippleton
*"Are You There?" (1930) .... Duke of St. Pancras (aka "Exit Laughing" (USA))
*"Service for Ladies" (1932) .... Mr. Westlake (aka "Reserved for Ladies" (USA))
*"Wedding Rehearsal" (1932) .... Earl of Stokeshire
*"Homme à l'Hispano, L"' (1933) (as Georges Grossmith) .... Lord Oswill (aka "The Man in the Hispano-Suiza" (USA))
*"Épervier, L"' (1933) .... Erik Drakton (aka "Amoureux, Les" (France))
*"The Girl from Maxim's" (1933) .... The general
*"Châtelaine du Liban, La" (1934) .... Le colonel Hobson
*"Princess Charming" (1934) .... King of Aufland

;As composer
*"Women Everywhere" (1930) (lyrics: "All the Family")

;As screenwriter
*"Women Everywhere" (1930) (story)
*"Wedding Rehearsal" (1932) (story)

Notes

References

*Gänzl, Kurt. "The British Musical Theatre" (Macmillan Press, 1986)
*Gänzl, Kurt. "The Encyclopedia of the Musical Theatre" (2nd ed., 2001, Schirmer)
*cite book|last=Grossmith|first=George|year=1933|title=GG|location=London|publisher=Hutchinson
*cite book|last=Naylor|first=S|year=1913|title=Gaiety and George Grossmith|location=London|publisher=Stanley Paul

External links

* [http://math.boisestate.edu/gas/british/authors/grossmith.html Biography of Grossmith]
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* [http://library.kent.ac.uk/library/special/icons/playbills/PLAYDAT3.htm Information about Grossmith credits]

Persondata
NAME= Grossmith, George, Jr.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION= Theatrical producer, actor, singer, manager, and author
DATE OF BIRTH= birth date|1874|5|11
PLACE OF BIRTH= London
DATE OF DEATH= 1935-6-7
PLACE OF DEATH= London