Susan, following the personal reminiscence of Dickie Henderson I sent previously, below are some items from reference books. James From Roy Busby's "British Music Hall: An Illustrated Who's Who From 1850 to the Present Day": "Dick Henderson, popular Yorkshire comedian, born in Hull on 20 March 1891. As a youth he served in the navy, appearing in ship's concerts as comic and singer. After his naval service, he toured Ireland with a concert party, and in 1916 made his first music-hall appearance as a solo comedian at the Imperial Theatre, Canning Town. As a rotund Yorkshire dialect comedian, wearing a bowler several sizes too small (the theory being that it presented a more difficult target for egg-throwers), he was one of the most popular variety comedians between the wars. He had a good line in domestic patter involving sweethearts and wives, and songs ranging from the emotional ballad 'Pal of My Cradle Days', to his greatest hits 'Tiptoe Through the Tulips' and 'Little White Rose'. Dickie Henderson, light comedian. The son of singing Yorkshire comedian Dick Henderson (qv), he was born in London on 30 October 1922. In the early 1930s he went to Hollywood where his father was filming and at the age of ten appeared in Frank Lloyd's film version of Cavalcade. Returning to England he made his first variety stage appearance with his father's act at the Hippodrome, Ilford, in November 1937. After the war he toured for Tom Arnold, and in June 1948 opened at the Savoy Theatre in the revue 'A La Carte', followed in September 1949 with a Folies Bergere show at the London Hippodrome. From then on his career went from success to success and with his famous routine of the crooning drunk tottering bleary-eyed on a bar stool, topped variety bills and starred in cabaret all over the UK and the USA. He has had his own shows at the London Palladium, and made countless television appearances. On 18 November 1957 he made his first Royal Variety appearance, and since then seems to have appeared at more royal shows than the Queen." From "Roy Hudd's Cavalcade of Variety Acts": "Dick Henderson The Yorkshire Nightingale Comedian. Born Hull, 1891. We now remember Dick as the father of our own DICKIE HENDERSON and the singing sisters, THE HENDERSON TWINS, but he was a big star long before his clever children ever trod the boards. I saw him as a member of the DON ROSS music hall revival show, Thanks for the Memory. He was a fat little man wearing a tiny bowler hat and smoking a cigar. His delivery was attacking and his subject matter all the usual music-hall targets: wives, sweethearts and mothers-in-law. He even sang the occasional sentimental ballad like 'Pal of My Cradle Days'. His big finish was, 'Tiptoe Through the Tulips'. He did a Royal Variety Performance in 1924. The King laughed at: 'I went to get married and asked the parson how much it was. He said "what you think it's worth." I gave him a shilling. He took one look at the bride and gave me twopence back!' Another classic line of his was his opening. He would stand sideways showing his enormous belly and comment: "I was standing outside a maternity hospital, minding my own business......." He died in 1958, just a few days before he should have appeared in his third Royal Variety Performance. Dickie Henderson Comedian. Born Richard Matthew Henderson, London, 1922. Perhaps the most versatile and certainly the smoothest, most laid-back comedian it has been my pleasure to see. It was always a pleasure to see this consummate pro in everything he did - and he did everything. He began, as a lad, playing in films in Hollywood, notably Cavalcade. Back in England he worked with, and learnt from, his dad (see above) but their style couldn't have been more different. Dick was the archetype music-hall comic while Dickie was the epitome of mid Atlantic sophistication. From the late Forties he was a huge favourite in revue, musical comedy and straight plays. His Variety spots were always beautifully observed burlesques and his crooner with Sinatra-style ambitions was a classic. He danced, sang and delivered one-liners wonderfully, and even his pratfalls were, somehow, classy. He had a run of a 120 Dickie Henderson shows on television plus countless appearances on Sunday Night at the Palladium, proving, yet again, that he was the master of every medium he tackled. He played pantomime, notably as Buttons in Cinderella, and he was, without doubt, the best I ever saw. Dickie was a six handicap golfer, a Royal Variety Performer fourteen times and a tireless worker for charity. He was the complete pro and a smashing bloke an' all. He started to write his autobiography which is the first part of a book called Sincerely Dickie by Peter Cotes. He died in 1985." ----- Original Message ----- From: "Susan Clarke" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: 28 May 2001 08:38 Subject: [THEATRE-UK] Re: THEATRE-UK-D Digest V01 #26 > > > > > hello again . has anyone more info on the HENDERSON FAMILY please. DICK > HENDERSON, and DICKIE HENDERSON. the entertainers. > thank you. susan clarke > > > > > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: <[email protected]> > To: <[email protected]> > Sent: Sunday, May 27, 2001 7:00 AM > Subject: THEATRE-UK-D Digest V01 #26 > > > > > ==== THEATRE-UK Mailing List ==== > Please post your reply to the list (except for personal mail) > Your message could be of interest to other subscribers. > > ============================== > Shop Ancestry - Everything you need to Discover, Preserve & Celebrate > your heritage! > http://shop.myfamily.com/ancestrycatalog > >