- Arthur Roberts
.
Life and career
Roberts was born in
London . Beginning in 1871, Roberts entertained in music halls as a vocal comedian and mimic and developed a reputation for relatively "blue" songs. [ [http://www.peopleplayuk.org.uk/collections/object.php?object_id=638&back=%2Fguided_tours%2Fmusic_hall_tour%2Fmusic_hall_acts%2Fdefault.php%3F Information about Roberts' songs] ]In the legitimate theatre, he starred as Dr. Syntax in "Mother Goose" (1880), as Mrs. Crusoe in "Robinson Crusoe" (1881 and 1886), in "Sindbad the Sailor" (1882; a show he repeated in 1906), in H. B. Farnie's "Nell Gwynne" (1884), Joe Tarradiddle in Offenbach's "
La vie parisienne ", Stanley the exporer in "Joan of Arc" (1891 byAdrian Ross and J. L. Shine). [Hollingshead, John. "Good Old Gaiety: An Historiette & Remembrance", p. 62 (1903) London:Gaity Theatre Co.] popularising the song "I went to find Emin"), "In Town" (1892), Captain Arthur Coddington in "Don Juan" (1893, byMeyer Lutz ,A. C. Torr and Ross), "Claude Du-Val" (1894), the title character in "Gentleman Joe " (1895), "Black-Eyed See-Usan", and "Dandy Dan the Lifeguardsman" (1898), among others.At the Royal Wedding of the
Prince of Wales in the 1890s, Roberts headlined the programme at the Gaiety Theatre with his hit song: "Daddy wouldn't buy me a bow-wow". [ [http://www.roger-williams.net/family_history/ada_lee/index.htm Profile of Roberts] ]In 1907, Roberts was a leader in the "Music Hall War," striking for better working conditions, which led to the founding of the Variety Artist's Federation. At the end of his career, Roberts played in variety shows. [ [http://www.its-behind-you.com/drurylanepantos.html Information about Roberts's career] ]
Roberts originated the word "spoof" which was popularised by a card game that he invented called Spoof, which involved trickery and nonsense. The first recorded reference to the game is in 1884. Soon the word took on the general meaning of "nonsense, trickery," first recorded in 1889. The verb spoof is first recorded in 1889 as well, in the sense "to deceive." These senses are now less widely used than the noun meaning of "a light parody or satirical imitation," first recorded in 1958, and the verb sense "to satirize gently," first recorded in 1927. [See the " [http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=spoof Online Etymology Dictionary] ".]
Later in his career Roberts starred as Charioteer in "Phi-Phi" (1922). In 1926, he popularised the song "Topsey-Turvey", which he also used as the basis for a short film. In 1927, Roberts wrote an autobiography called "Fifty Years of Spoof."
He died in London at the age of 80 and is buried in Paddington Cemetery, London.
References
External links
*imdb name|name=Arthur Roberts|id=0730839
* [http://www.npg.org.uk/live/search/portrait.asp?LinkID=mp03808&rNo=0&role=sit Drawing of Roberts]
* [http://www.its-behind-you.com/everybody.html Description of Roberts' comedic style]
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