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Formby, George
Formby, George (1904–61). Comedian. Born in Wigan (Lancs.), Formby followed his father in the old music-hall tradition. His stage character was that of a gormless but good-natured Lancashire lad, with a squeaky voice, toothy grin, and a talent for playing the ukelele. He soon became an established success in provincial theatres and in 1929 began recording his cheerful, cheeky songs such as ‘When I'm Cleaning Windows’ and ‘Chinese Laundry Blues’. He made his first film, No Limit, in 1935 and then made an average of two films a year until 1946. He retained the persona of his stage character who, with a mixture of luck and innocent guile, triumphed in the end with his catch-phrase: ‘Turned out nice again!’ These well-made pictures made Formby the highest-paid entertainer and the top box-office attraction in Britain. He was awarded the OBE in 1946 for entertaining the troops during the Second World War and his films were so popular in Russia he was awarded the Order of Lenin.
Richard A. Smith |
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Cite this article
JOHN CANNON. "Formby, George." The Oxford Companion to British History. 2002. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JOHN CANNON. "Formby, George." The Oxford Companion to British History. 2002. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O110-FormbyGeorge.html JOHN CANNON. "Formby, George." The Oxford Companion to British History. 2002. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O110-FormbyGeorge.html |
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Formby, George
Formby, George (1904–61). Comedian. Born in Wigan (Lancs.), Formby followed his father in the old music‐hall tradition. His stage character was that of a gormless but good‐natured Lancashire lad, with a squeaky voice, toothy grin, and a talent for playing the ukelele. He made his first film, No Limit, in 1935 and then made an average of two films a year until 1946. These made Formby the highest‐paid entertainer and the top box‐office attraction in Britain.
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Cite this article
JOHN CANNON. "Formby, George." A Dictionary of British History. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JOHN CANNON. "Formby, George." A Dictionary of British History. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O43-FormbyGeorge.html JOHN CANNON. "Formby, George." A Dictionary of British History. 2004. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O43-FormbyGeorge.html |
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Formby, George
Formby, George, see MUSIC-HALL.
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Cite this article
PHYLLIS HARTNOLL and PETER FOUND. "Formby, George." The Concise Oxford Companion to the Theatre. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. PHYLLIS HARTNOLL and PETER FOUND. "Formby, George." The Concise Oxford Companion to the Theatre. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O79-FormbyGeorge.html PHYLLIS HARTNOLL and PETER FOUND. "Formby, George." The Concise Oxford Companion to the Theatre. 1996. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O79-FormbyGeorge.html |
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