George Formby on screen, stage, record and radio
The English comic, singer and actor George Formby (1904–1961) performed in many mediums of light entertainment, including film, radio and theatre. His career spanned from 1915 until December 1960. During that time he became synonymous with playing "a shy, innocent, gauche, accident-prone Lancashire lad".[1]
Formby began his working life as a jockey but always held an ambition to become a performer. In 1915, against the wishes of his father, Formby made his screen debut in the film By the Shortest of Heads. Upon his father's death in 1921, he began to build a full-time performing career, and worked predominantly on the variety circuit.[2] In 1926 he began his music career, singing light, comical songs, and playing the ukulele or banjolele. From 1934 he increasingly worked in film, and had become a major star by the 1930s and '40s. He appeared on television for the first time in 1938 in the festive special Christmas Greetings. He became the UK's highest-paid entertainer during those decades.[1] The film historian Brian McFarlane writes that Formby portrayed "essentially gormless incompetents, aspiring to various kinds of professional success ... and even more improbably to a middle-class girlfriend, usually in the clutches of some caddish type with a moustache. Invariably he scored on both counts".[3]
During the Second World War Formby joined the Entertainments National Service Association (ENSA),[4] and entertained civilians and troops; by 1946 it was estimated that he had performed in front of three million service personnel.[1] Formby appeared in his final film role in 1946, the commercially unsuccessful George in Civvy Street.[5] He toured Canada, Australia, South Africa and Sweden and appeared on local and national radio during his travels.[1] He continued to record songs and appear on television into the 1950s; on 16 December 1960 he appeared in The Friday Show: George Formby in a farewell programme looking back at his life. His biographer, David Bret, observes that the show is "generally regarded as George's greatest performance—it was certainly his most sincere".[6]
Formby died of a heart attack in 1961. His biographer, the academic Jeffrey Richards, considers that Formby "had been able to embody simultaneously Lancashire, the working classes, the people, and the nation", also observing that "his passing was genuinely and widely mourned".[1]
Filmography
[edit]
| Title[7][8] | Release | Director | Studio | Plot | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| By the Shortest of Heads | 1915 | Bert Haldane | Barker Motion Photography | A ten-year-old stable hand outwits a gang of villains, and wins a £10,000 prize when he comes first in a horse race.[a] | [10][11] |
| Boots! Boots! | 1934 | Bert Tracy | Blakeley's Productions | A boot boy at a prestigious hotel falls in love with a maid who is a niece of a wealthy hotel guest. | [12][13] |
| Off the Dole | 1935 | Arthur Mertz | Mancunian Film Corporation | A work-shy young man is struck off the dole and is employed by his uncle's detective agency, tracking down criminals. | [14][15] |
| No Limit | 1935 | Monty Banks | Associated Talking Pictures | An amateur racing driver unexpectedly wins the Isle of Man's Tourist Trophy and the heart of a charm-school actress. | [16][17] |
| Keep Your Seats, Please | 1936 | Monty Banks | Associated Talking Pictures | A desperate boyfriend pawns his banjo in order to help stop his girlfriend's niece from moving into an orphanage. He then discovers that a late aunt left him a large inheritance which proves to be elusive.[b] | [18][19] |
| Feather Your Nest | 1937 | William Beaudine | Associated Talking Pictures | An incompetent apprentice sound engineer passes off an established performer's song as his own and becomes an overnight star. | [20][21] |
| Keep Fit | 1937 | Anthony Kimmins | Associated Talking Pictures | A feeble hairdresser takes up boxing and triumphs in the ring over an athletic opponent. | [22][23] |
| I See Ice | 1938 | Anthony Kimmins | Associated Talking Pictures | A prop man with a touring ice ballet invents a new mini camera concealed in a bow-tie. He inadvertently takes a compromising photo of a crook at work. | [24] |
| It's in the Air | 1938 | Anthony Kimmins | Associated Talking Pictures | A bungling recruit begins his R.A.F. training and gets mistaken for a regularly enlisted airman, much to the annoyance of his strict sergeant major. | [25][26] |
| Trouble Brewing | 1939 | Anthony Kimmins | Associated Talking Pictures | A young newspaper reporter attempts to expose a gang of counterfeiters. | [27][28] |
| Come On George! | 1939 | Anthony Kimmins | Associated Talking Pictures | A stable-hand forms a bond with a nervous horse and encourages the animal to become a success on the racecourse. | [29][30] |
| Let George Do It! | 1940 | Marcel Varnel | Associated Talking Pictures | A ukulele player is mistaken for a British spy and unwittingly foils a plot by German intelligence agents. | [31][32] |
| Spare a Copper | 1940 | John Paddy Carstairs | Associated Talking Pictures | A policeman during the Second World War foils a plot to destroy a warship. | [33][34] |
| Turned Out Nice Again | 1941 | Marcel Varnel | Associated Talking Pictures | An employee at an underwear factory struggles to keep both his modern wife and his battle-axe mother in domestic bliss. | [35][36] |
| South American George | 1941 | Marcel Varnel | Columbia Pictures | An eager-to-please show business agent hires a more capable singer in the place of an untalented opera performer. | [37] |
| Much Too Shy | 1942 | Marcel Varnel | Columbia Pictures | A group of art students help a reserved odd-job man pursue his interest in painting nude portraits. | [38][39] |
| Get Cracking | 1943 | Marcel Varnel | Columbia Pictures | A vehicle mechanic converts a truck into a tank and defeats a neighbouring town's villagers in a friendly Home Guard exercise. | [40][41] |
| Bell-Bottom George | 1944 | Marcel Varnel | Columbia Pictures | A rejected serviceman loses the affections of his girlfriend. To win her back he pretends to be a sailor and in doing so, foils a sinister plan by a group of spies. His success leads to a rekindling of his relationship and fame among the local community. | [42][43] |
| He Snoops to Conquer | 1945 | Marcel Varnel | Columbia Pictures | Two London reporters investigate an alleged corruption case in a sleepy town. They are unwittingly assisted by a local handyman who has been ordered to destroy the evidence by his bosses at the council. | [44][45] |
| I Didn't Do It | 1945 | Marcel Varnel | Columbia Pictures | An amateur performer in London stays with other entertainers in a hotel, and becomes a murder suspect when an Australian acrobat is killed in the next room. | [46][47] |
| George in Civvy Street | 1946 | Marcel Varnel | Columbia Pictures | A publican falls in love with a waitress from a rival establishment who is also being romantically pursued by her boss. | [48][49] |
Stage credits
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Formby appeared on stage in numerous variety and music hall performances, although no full record exists. He appeared in variety shows and concerts for troops with the Entertainments National Service Association (ENSA) during the Second World War,[4] as well as in regular winter pantomime in the 1950s, Babes in the Wood at the Liverpool Empire Theatre.[50]
| Production[51][52] | Role | Date | Theatre | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Variety | 21 March 1921 – | Hippodrome, Earlestown, Lancashire | First professional appearance; billed as George Hoy[4] | |
| Babes in the Wood | December 1932 – | Bolton | Christmas pantomime[53] | |
| King Cheer | June 1937 – | Opera House Theatre, Blackpool | Summer season[54] | |
| Royal Variety Performance | 15 November 1937 | London Palladium | A 12-minute slot[55] | |
| Dick Whittington | Idle Jack | 1941–1942 | Opera House Theatre, Blackpool | Winter season[56] |
| Zip Goes a Million | Percy Piggott | 20 October 1951 – 27 April 1952 | Palace Theatre, London | Formby was replaced following a heart attack on 28 April 1952[57] |
| Fun and the Fair | 7 October – 19 December 1953 | London Palladium | 138 performances[58] | |
| Turned Out Nice Again | 25 June 1953 – | Hippodrome Theatre, Blackpool | Six week run[59] | |
| Too Young to Marry | 1954–1956 | Touring | ||
| Babes in the Wood | Simple Simon | December 1955 – | Liverpool Empire Theatre | Christmas pantomime[50] |
| Dick Whittington and His Cat | Idle Jack | 19 December 1956 – February 1957 | Palace Theatre, London | [60] |
| Beside the Seaside | 10 March – May 1958 | Palace Theatre, London |
Recordings
[edit]| Title[61][62][63][64] | Recording date | Label | Record number | Written by |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| "John Willie Come On" | 11 June 1926 | Edison Bell/Winner | 4409 | George Formby Sr |
| "I was always a Willing Young Lad" | 11 June 1926 | Edison Bell/Winner | 4409 | Hargreaves/Damerell |
| "I Parted my Hair in the Middle" | 11 June 1926 | Edison Bell/Winner | 4418 | David/Murphy |
| "John Willie's Jazz Band" | 11 June 1926 | Edison Bell/Winner | 4418 | Hargreaves/Damerell |
| "The Man was a Stranger to Me" | 11 June 1926 | Edison Bell/Winner | 4437 | Connor |
| "Rolling around Piccadilly" | 11 June 1926 | Edison Bell/Winner | 4437 | Hargreaves/Damerell |
| "In the Congo" | 20 October 1929 | Dominion | C347 | Cobb/Lutzen |
| "All Going Back" | 20 October 1929 | Dominion | C347 | Formby |
| "Do De O Do" | 1 July 1932 | Decca Records | F3079 | Hargreaves/Damerell/Formby |
| "Chinese Laundry Blues" | 1 July 1932 | Decca Records | F3079 | Cottrell/Formby |
| "I Told My Baby with the Ukulele" | 13 October 1932 | Decca Records | F3219 | Hargreaves |
| "If You Don't Want the Goods Don't Maul 'Em" | 13 October 1932 | Decca Records | F3219 | Cottrell |
| "The Old Kitchen Kettle" | 13 October 1932 | Decca Records | F3222 | Woods/Campbell/Connelly |
| "John Willie at the Licence Office" | 18 October 1932 | Decca Records | F3259 | Cottrell |
| "I Could Make a Good Living at That" | 9 November 1932 | Decca Records | F3377 | Lawton/Cottrell |
| "Let's all Go to Reno" | 9 November 1932 | Decca Records | F3377 | Cottrell |
| "Sitting on the Ice in the Ice Rink" | 29 January 1933 | Decca Records | F3458 | Cottrell |
| "Levi's Monkey Mike" | 29 January 1933 | Decca Records | F3458 | Rick/Cottrell |
| "Running Round the Fountains in Trafalgar Square" | 29 January 1933 | Decca Records | F3524 | Cottrell |
| "Why Don't Women Like Me?" | 29 January 1933 | Decca Records | F3524 | Cottrell/Bennett |
| "With my Little Ukulele in my Hand" | 1 July 1933 | Decca Records | F3615 | Cottrell/Formby |
| "As the Hours and the Days and the Weeks..." | 1 July 1933 | Decca Records | F3615 | Formby |
| "Sunbathing in the Park" | 27 August 1933 | Decca Records | F3615 | Gifford/Cliff/Kendal |
| "She's Never Been Seen Since Then" | 27 August 1933 | Decca Records | F3666 | Cottrell |
| "Swimmin with the Wimmin" | 27 August 1933 | Decca Records | F3666 | Cottrell |
| "I Went all Hot and Cold" | 12 November 1933 | Decca Records | F3752 | Cottrell, arr Formby |
| "My Ukulele" | 12 November 1933 | Decca Records | F3752 | Cottrell, arr Formby |
| "The Wedding of Mr Wu" | 12 November 1933 | Decca Records | F3800 | Cottrell |
| "Baby" | 12 November 1933 | Decca Records | F3800 | Cottrell |
| "Believe It Or Not" | 21 March 1934 | Decca Records | F3950 | Gifford/Cliffe |
| "In a Little Wigan Garden" | 21 March 1934 | Decca Records | F3950 | Gifford/Cliffe |
| "You Can't Keep a Growing Lad Down" | 12 June 1934 | Decca Records | F5813 | Gifford/Cliffe |
| "It's No Use Looking at Me" | 12 June 1934 | Decca Records | F5813 | Gifford/Cliffe/Cottrell |
| "John Willie's Jazz Band" | 11 October 1934 | Decca Records | F5232 | Hargreaves/Dammerell |
| "There's Nothing Proud About Me" | 11 October 1934 | Decca Records | F5232 | Gifford/Cliffe |
| "The Best of Schemes" | 11 October 1934 | Decca Records | F5287 | Gifford/Cliffe |
| "Madam Moscovitch" | 20 October 1934 | Decca Records | F5287 | Gifford/Cliffe |
| "John Willie Goes Carolling" | 11 November 1934 | Decca Records | F5303 | Gifford/Cliffe |
| "Fanlight Fanny" | 29 May 1935 | Decca Records | F5569 | Gifford/Cliffe |
| "Share and Share alike" | 29 May 1935 | Decca Records | F5569 | Gifford/Cliffe |
| "The Fiddler Kept on Fiddling" | 29 May 1935 | Decca Records | F5669 | Gifford/Cliffe |
| "I Do Do Things I Do" | 29 May 1935 | Decca Records | F5669 | Gibson/Long |
| "The Isle of Man" | 28 November 1935 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR1932 | Gifford/Cliffe |
| "Riding in the TT Races" | 28 November 1935 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR1932 | Gifford/Cliffe |
| "The Pleasure Cruise" | 28 November 1935 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR1952 | Gifford/Cliffe |
| "The Wash-House at the Back" | 28 November 1935 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR1952 | Gifford/Cliffe |
| "A Farmer's Boy" | 25 February 1936 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR2033 | Gifford/Cliffe |
| "Radio Bungalow Town" | 25 February 1936 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR2033 | Gifford/Cliffe |
| "Gallant Dick Turpin" | 25 February 1936 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR2060 | Gifford/Cliffe |
| "George Formby Medley" | 8 May 1936 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR2083 | Various |
| "Ring Your Little Bell" | 19 July 1936 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR2162 | Wallace |
| "Quickfire Medley" | 19 July 1936 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR2162 | Various |
| "When I'm Cleaning Windows" | 27 September 1936 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR2199 | Formby/Gifford/Cliffe |
| "Keep Your Seats Please" | 27 September 1936 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR2199 | Formby/Gifford/Cliffe |
| "Sitting on the Sands all Night" | 27 September 1936 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR2232 | Formby/Gifford/Cliffe |
| "Five and Twenty Years" | 27 September 1936 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR2232 | Formby/Gifford/Cliffe |
| "I'm a Froggie" | 29 October 1936 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR2270 | Hargreaves/Dammerell |
| "The Ghost" | 29 October 1936 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR2270 | Hargreaves/Dammerell |
| "Dare Devil Dick" | 29 October 1936 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR2295 | Gifford/Cliffe |
| "Bunkum's Travelling Show" | 29 October 1936 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR2295 | Gifford/Cliffe |
| "You're a Li-a-ty" | 24 January 1937 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR2430 | Formby/Gifford/Cliffe |
| "When we Feather our Nest" | 24 January 1937 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR2430 | Formby/Gifford/Cliffe |
| "Oh Dear Mother" | 24 January 1937 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR2431 | Formby/Gifford/Cliffe |
| "With My Little Stick of Blackpool Rock" | 24 January 1937 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR2431 | Formby/Gifford/Cliffe |
| "Keep Your Seats Please"[c] | 14 February 1937 | Regal Zonophone Records | IR51 | |
| "Hindoo Man" | 14 February 1937 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR2368 | Formby/Gifford/Cliffe |
| "My Little Goat and Me" | 14 February 1937 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR2368 | Gifford/Cliffe |
| "Trailing Around in a Trailer" | 14 February 1937 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR2469 | Gifford/Cliffe |
| "Said the Little Brown Hen" | 14 February 1937 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR2469 | Formby/Gifford/Cliffe |
| "The Lancashire Toreador" | 21 March 1937 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR2399 | Formby/Gifford/Cliffe |
| "The Window Cleaner" | 21 March 1937 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR2399 | Formby/Gifford/Cliffe |
| "Easy Going Chap" | 21 March 1937 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR2506 | Formby/Gifford/Cliffe |
| "My Plus Fours" | 21 March 1937 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR2571 | Formby/Gifford/Cliffe |
| "Somebody's Wedding Day" | 11 July 1937 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR2506 | Formby/Cliffe |
| "Keep Fit" | 11 July 1937 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR2570 | Formby/Gifford/Cliffe |
| "Biceps, Muscle and Brawn" | 11 July 1937 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR2570 | Formby/Gifford/Cliffe |
| "I Don't Like" | 11 July 1937 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR2571 | Formby/Gifford/Cliffe |
| "Keep Fit"[d] | 5 September 1937 | Regal Zonophone Records | IR52 | |
| "Leaning on a Lamp-post" | 5 September 1937 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR2490 | Gay |
| "Hi-Tiddley Hi-Ti Island" | 5 September 1937 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR2490 | Stanley/Alleyn |
| "Remember Me" | 28 November 1937 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR2616 | Dubin/Warren |
| "You Can't Stop Me from Dreaming" | 28 November 1937 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR2628 | Friend/Franklyn |
| "She Can't Say No" | 28 November 1937 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR2628 | Bryan/Meyer |
| "Does Your Dreambook Tell You That" | 6 February 1938 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR2684 | Formby/Gifford/Cliffe |
| "Like the Big Pots Do" | 6 February 1938 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR2684 | Long |
| "Wunga Bunga Boo" | 4 March 1938 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR2709 | Stanley/Alleyn |
| "Have You Ever Heard This One?" | 4 March 1938 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR2709 | Gilbert |
| "Springtime's Here Again" | 4 March 1938 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR2735 | Formby/Gifford/Cliffe |
| "The Joo Jah Tree" | 4 March 1938 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR2735 | Box/Cox/Butler |
| "I Blew a Little Blast on my Whistle" | 4 March 1938 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR2753 | Formby |
| "Noughts and Crosses" | 3 April 1938 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR2752 | Campbell/Hunter/Parr-Davies |
| "Mother what'll I Do Now?" | 3 April 1938 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR2752 | Cliffe/Formby |
| "In My Little Snapshot Album" | 3 April 1938 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR2753 | Harper/Haines/Parr-Davies |
| "They Can't Fool Me" | 17 July 1938 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR2891 | Formby/Gifford/Cliffe |
| "It's in the Air" | 17 July 1938 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR2891 | Parr-Davies |
| "Sitting Pretty With my Fingers Crossed" | 17 July 1938 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR2947 | Formby/Gifford/Cliffe |
| "Our Sergeant Major" | 17 July 1938 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR2890 | Formby/Gifford/Cliffe |
| "Rhythm in the Alphabet" | 22 October 1938 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR2890 | Lisbona/Steller |
| "Tan-Tan Tivvy Tally-Ho" | 22 October 1938 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR2925 | LeClerq |
| "I Wonder Who's Under Her Balcony Now" | 22 October 1938 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR2925 | Formby/Gifford/Cliffe |
| "Kiss Your Mansy Pansy" | 22 October 1938 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR2947 | Formby/Gifford/Cliffe |
| "Frigid Air Fanny" | 11 December 1938 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR2969 | Formby/Gifford/Cliffe |
| "Little Wooden Toolshed in the Garden" | 11 December 1938 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR2969 | Stevens/Steele/Wilmott |
| "Hill Billy Willie" | 2 April 1939 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR3022 | Formby/Gifford/Cliffe |
| "It's Turned Out Nice Again" | 2 April 1939 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR3022 | Formby/Gifford/Cliffe |
| "I Can Tell It by My Horoscope" | 2 April 1939 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR3039 | Formby/Gifford/Cliffe |
| "Hitting the High Spots Now" | 2 April 1939 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR3039 | Formby/Gifford/Cliffe |
| "I'm the Husband of the Wife of Mr Wu" | 18 June 1939 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR3081 | Formby/Gifford/Cliffe |
| "It's a Grand and Healthy Life" | 18 June 1939 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR3081 | Formby/Gifford/Cliffe |
| "Swing It George – Medley" | 18 June 1939 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR3103 | Various |
| "Goodnight Little Fellow, Goodnight" | 27 June 1939 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR3160 | Formby/Gifford/Cliffe |
| "Pardon Me" | 27 June 1939 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR3160 | Formby/Frame/ Nicholson |
| "I'm Making Headway Now" | 27 June 1939 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR3161 | Formby/Gifford/Cliffe |
| "I Couldn't Let the Stable Down" | 27 June 1939 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR3161 | Formby/Gifford/Cliffe |
| "Dan the Dairy Man" | 20 August 1939 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR3121 | Formby/Gifford/Cliffe |
| "The Blue-Eyed Blonde Next Door" | 20 August 1939 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR3121 | Formby/Gifford/Cliffe |
| "The Lancashire Hot-Pot Swingers" | 20 August 1939 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR3147 | Formby/Gifford/Cliffe |
| "Low Down Lazy Turk"[e] | 20 August 1939 | Regal Zonophone Records | G-21917 | Formby/Gifford/Cliffe |
| "Swinging Along" | 12 October 1939 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR3206 | Formby |
| "A Lad from Lancashire" | 12 October 1939 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR3206 | Formby |
| "The Lancashire Romeo" | 17 December 1939 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR3233 | Formby/Godfrey |
| "Imagine Me in the Maginot Line" | 17 December 1939 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR3233 | Formby/Gifford/Cliffe |
| "Grandad's Flannelette Nightshirt" | 17 December 1939 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR3301 | Formby/Latta |
| "Mr Wu's a Window Cleaner Now" | 17 December 1939 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR3301 | Formby/Gifford/Cliffe |
| "Count Your Blessings and Smile" | 31 May 1940 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR3316 | Formby/Gifford/Cliffe |
| "Oh! Don't the Wind Blow Cold" | 31 May 1940 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR3316 | Formby/Gifford/Cliffe |
| "You've got Something There" | 31 May 1940 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR3324 | Formby/Gifford/Cliffe |
| "I Always Get To Bed By Half-Past-Nine" | 31 May 1940 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR3324 | Formby/Gifford/Cliffe |
| "On the Wigan Boat Express" | 4 August 1940 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR3325 | Formby/Gifford/Cliffe |
| "Down the Old Coal Hole" | 4 August 1940 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR3325 | Formby/Gifford/Cliffe |
| "I'm the Ukulele Man" | 4 August 1940 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR3358 | MacDougal |
| "On the Beat" | 4 August 1940 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR3358 | MacDougal |
| "Letting the New Year In" | 10 November 1940 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR3394 | Formby/Gifford/Cliffe |
| "Bless 'Em All" | 10 November 1940 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR3394 | Hughes/Lake |
| "Guarding the Home of the Home Guard" | 10 November 1940 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR3411 | Latta/Formby |
| "I Wish I Was Back on the Farm" | 10 November 1940 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR3411 | MacDougal |
| "Thanks Mr Roosevelt" | 21 February 1941 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR3441 | Connor |
| "Bless 'Em All" | 21 February 1941 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR3441 | Hughes/Lake |
| "Formby Favourites for the Forces – Pt 1" | 21 February 1941 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR3482 | Various |
| "Formby Favourites for the Forces – Pt 2" | 21 February 1941 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR3482 | Various |
| "You'd be Far Better off in a Home" | 8 April 1941 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR3463 | Box/Cox/Osborne/Javaloyes |
| "I Did What I Could with my Gas Mask" | 8 April 1941 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR3463 | Leslye/Isaacs |
| "It Might Have Been a Great Deal Worse" | 8 April 1941 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR3472 | Formby/Gifford/Cliffe |
| "Delivering the Morning Milk" | 28 July 1941 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR3472 | Formby/Gifford/Cliffe |
| "The Emperor of Lancashire" | 28 July 1941 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR3512 | MacDougal |
| "You're Everything to Me" | 28 July 1941 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR3512 | MacDougal |
| "You Can't Go Wrong in These" | 28 July 1941 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR3520 | MacDougal |
| "Auntie Maggie's Remedy" | 28 July 1941 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR3520 | Formby/Latta |
| "The Left Hand Side of Egypt" | 24 August 1941 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR3521 | Bennett/Gay |
| "Who are you a-Shovin of?" | 24 August 1941 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR3521 | Raymond/Gay |
| "I'd do it with a Smile" | 24 August 1941 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR3567 | MacDougal |
| "The Barmaid at the Rose and Crown" | 24 August 1941 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR3567 | Formby |
| "George Formby's Crazy Record" | 5 October 1941 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR3550 | Various |
| "I Played On My Spanish Guitar" | 5 October 1941 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR3553 | Lyons |
| "Swing Mama" | 5 October 1941 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR3553 | MacDougal |
| "Formby Film Favourites – Pt 1" | 6 January 1942 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR3599 | Various |
| "Formby Film Favourites – Pt 2" | 6 January 1942 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR3599 | Various |
| "Frank on His Tank" | 12 March 1942 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR3619 | Formby/Gifford/Cliffe |
| "Katy Did, Katy Didn't" | 12 March 1942 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR3619 | Loesser/Carmichael |
| "Smile all the Time" | 12 March 1942 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR3624 | Coady/Formby |
| "Out in the Middle East" | 12 March 1942 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR3624 | Godfrey |
| "Got to Get Your Photo in the Press" | 31 May 1942 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR3640 | Latta |
| "Mister Wu's an Air-Raid Warden Now" | 31 May 1942 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR3640 | Latta |
| "Talking to the Moon about You" | 31 May 1942 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR3645 | Day |
| "Andy the Handy Man" | 31 May 1942 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR3648 | Latta |
| "They Laughed When I Started to Play" | 31 May 1942 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR3648 | Formby/Cliffe |
| "Thirty Thirsty Sailors" | 24 August 1942 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR3654 | Box/Cox/Leslie |
| "Hold Your Hats on" | 24 August 1942 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR3654 | Miller/Addinsell |
| "The Cookhouse Serenade" | 11 October 1942 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR3663 | Goodhart/Twomy |
| "You Can't Love Two Girls at the Same Time" | 11 October 1942 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR3663 | Formby/Godfrey |
| "Get Cracking" | 11 October 1942 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR3689 | Formby/Latta |
| "Under the Blasted Oak" | 11 October 1942 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR3694 | Formby/Cliffe |
| "When the Waterworks Caught Fire" | 17 December 1942 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR3672 | Formby/Cliffe |
| "The Baby Show" | 17 December 1942 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR3672 | Wise/Malcolm/Sanford |
| "Home Guard Blues" | 17 December 1942 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR3689 | Formby/Gifford/Cliffe |
| "Oh You Have No Idea" | 17 December 1942 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR3694 | Godfrey |
| "Spotting on the Top of Blackpool Tower" | 7 February 1942 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR3682 | Formby/Windsor/Latta |
| "Sentimental Lou" | 7 February 1942 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR3682 | Formby/Gifford/Cliffe |
| "Under the Blasted Oak" | 8 July 1943 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR3694 | Cliffe/Formby |
| "British Isles Medley" | 14 July 1943 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR3705 | Various |
| "American Medley" | 14 July 1943 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR3705 | Various |
| "On the H.M.S. Cowheel" | 14 July 1943 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR3710 | Cliffe/Formby |
| "Bunty's Such a Big Girl Now" | 14 July 1943 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR3710 | Cliffe/Formby |
| "If I Had a Girl Like You" | 7 November 1943 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR3720 | Park/Parr-Davies |
| "Bell Bottom George" | 7 November 1943 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR3720 | Park/Parr-Davies |
| "It Serves You Right" | 7 November 1943 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR3723 | Box/Cox/Formby |
| "Swim Little Fish" | 10 January 1944 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR3723 | Park/Parr-Davies |
| "The 'V' Sign Song" | 14 May 1944 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR3736 | Sievier |
| "The Old Cane Bottom Chair" | 14 May 1944 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR3736 | Formby/Cliffe |
| "Our Fanny's Gone all Yankee" | 11 November 1944 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR3745 | Van Dusen |
| "Unconditional Surrender" | 11 November 1944 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR3745 | Cunningham/Towers |
| "Blackpool Prom" | 11 November 1944 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR3750 | Sievier |
| "Mister Wu's in the Airforce" | 11 November 1944 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR3750 | Formby/Latta |
| "The Daring Young Man" | 10 June 1945 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR3760 | Formby/Cliffe |
| "I'd Like a Dream Like That" | 10 June 1945 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR3760 | Formby/Cliffe |
| "She's Got Two of Everything" | 10 June 1945 | Regal Zonophone Records | MR3761 | Cunningham/Towers |
| "Get Cracking" | 16 April 1946 | Columbia Records | DX1241 | Formby/Latta |
| "You Don't Need a Licence for That" | 23 April 1946 | Columbia Records | FB3251 | Formby/Cliffe |
| "The Mad March Hare" | 23 April 1946 | Columbia Records | FB3251 | Formby/Cliffe |
| "It Could Be" | 23 April 1946 | Columbia Records | FB3262 | Cunningham |
| "We've Been a Long Time Gone" | 23 April 1946 | Columbia Records | FB3262 | Formby/Cliffe |
| "Come Hither With Your Zither" | 12 January 1950 | Decca Records | F9356 | Miller/Noel/Donnelly |
| "Auntie Maggie's Remedy" | 21 January 1950 | Decca Records | F9356 | Formby/Latta |
| "Leaning on a Lamp-post" | 21 January 1950 | Decca Records | F9444 | Gay |
| "When I'm Cleaning Windows" | 21 January 1950 | Decca Records | F9444 | Formby/Gifford/Cliffe |
| "I'm Saving Up For Sally" | 5 November 1951 | HMV | B10179 | Posford/Maschwitz/Littler |
| "The Pleasure Cruise" | 5 November 1951 | HMV | B10179 | Gifford/Cliffe |
| "Ordinary People" | 5 November 1951 | HMV | B10180 | Posford/Maschwitz/Littler |
| "Zip Goes a Million" | 5 November 1951 | HMV | B10180 | Posford/Maschwitz/Littler |
| "Happy Go Lucky Me" | 11 May 1960 | Pye | 7N-15269 | Evans/Byron |
| "Banjo Boy" | 11 May 1960 | Pye | 7N-15269 | Niessen/Kay |
Radio
[edit]| Broadcast[67] | Date | Channel | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| King Fun | August 1936 | BBC Radio | |
| A Lancashire Lad | January 1938 | BBC Radio | Ran for several months |
| Formby Do | 19 May 1938 | BBC Radio | Three programmes |
| Troop Concert | 26 March 1940 | BBC Radio | Recorded in France |
| Ack-Ack, Beer-Beer | 24 July 1940 | BBC Radio | Interview only |
| Let the People Sing | 27 November 1940 | BBC Radio | Recorded for ENSA at Aldwych tube station |
| What is the Stuff to give the Troops | 10 May 1942 | BBC Radio | Recorded for ENSA |
| The RAF takes the Air | 22 July 1942 | BBC Radio | Recorded for ENSA |
| unknown | 24 January 1944 | BBC Radio | Formby described his experiences touring for ENSA in Europe and the Middle East.[68] |
| Interview | 17 September 1947 | Radio IZB, Auckland, New Zealand | |
| Interview | 24 September 1947 | BBC Radio | |
| Interview | 26 September 1947 | 2GB, Sydney | Recorded at Rosebay Flying Boat Base, Sydney |
| Stage Door | January 1948 | 3AW, Melbourne, Australia | Interview |
| Interview | 3 October 1949 | CKOC, Hamilton, ON, Canada | |
| Interview | 2 November 1949 | CHUB, Nanaimo, BC, Canada | |
| Bill Ward's Dog House | 3 November 1949 | CKWX, Vancouver, BC, Canada | Interview |
| Midnite Merry-Go-Round | 3 November 1949 | CKXL, Calgary, Alberta, Canada | |
| Desert Island Discs | 20 November 1951 | BBC Radio |
|
| In Town Tonight | 5 October 1953 | BBC Light Programme | |
| Pied Piper | 12 March 1955 | BBC Light Programme | Interviewed by Eamonn Andrews |
| In Town Tonight | 16 April 1955 | BBC Light Programme | |
| Winnipeg Flood Relief Charity Show | May 1955 | CBC Radio |
Television
[edit]| Programme[7][71] | Date | Channel | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Christmas Greetings | 1938 | On-screen participant | ||
| Ask Pickles | 1954 | BBC Television | On-screen participant | |
| Top of the Town | 9 January 1955 | BBC Television | On-screen participant | Included a duet of "Leaning on a Lamp-post" with Terry-Thomas |
| Dick Whittington | January 1957 | BBC Television | On-screen participant | |
| Val Parnell's Saturday Spectacular | 15 June 1957 | ITV | On-screen participant | |
| Top of the Bill | 5 October 1957 | ITV | On-screen participant | |
| The Frankie Vaughan Show | 18 January 1958 | BBC Television | On-screen participant | |
| Many Happy Returns | 15 February 1958 | ITV | On-screen participant | |
| George Formby Presents: Formby Favourites | 6 September 1958 | BBC Television | Host | |
| Val Parnell's Spectacular: The Atlantic Showboat | 10 January 1959 | ITV | On-screen participant | |
| Steppin' Out With Formby | 25 April 1959 | BBC Television | On-screen participant | |
| Showtime | 29 November 1959 | BBC Television | On-screen participant | |
| The Time of your Life | 14 July 1960 | BBC Television | On-screen participant | Excerpts from Formby's last summer show at the Queen's Theatre, Blackpool |
| The Friday Show: George Formby | 16 December 1960 | BBC Television | On-screen participant |
Notes and references
[edit]Notes
References
- ^ a b c d e Richards 2004.
- ^ Fisher 1975, p. 16.
- ^ McFarlane, Brian. "Formby, George (1904–1961)". Screenonline. British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 12 May 2013. Retrieved 28 May 2014.
- ^ a b c Smart & Bothway Howard 2011, p. 75.
- ^ Smart & Bothway Howard 2011, p. 198.
- ^ Bret 1999, p. 221.
- ^ a b "Filmography: Formby, George". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 19 January 2009. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
- ^ Bret 1999, pp. 272–281.
- ^ Smart & Bothway Howard 2011, p. 51.
- ^ "By the Shortest of Heads (1915)". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 22 January 2009. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
- ^ Fisher 1975, p. 49.
- ^ "Boots! Boots! (1934)". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 13 January 2009. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
- ^ "Boots! Boots! (1934)". Screenonline. British Film Institute. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
- ^ "Off the Dole (1935)". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 18 September 2010. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
- ^ Bret 1999, pp. 102–103.
- ^ "No Limit (1935)". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 13 January 2009. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
- ^ Kelner, Martin (13 June 2011). "Isle of Man's TT sure turned out nice again". The Guardian. London.
- ^ a b Bret 1999, pp. 50–52.
- ^ "Keep Your Seats Please (1936)". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 13 January 2009. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
- ^ "Feather Your Nest (1936)". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 22 January 2009. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
- ^ Richards 2010, p. 201.
- ^ "Keep Fit (1937)". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 13 January 2009. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
- ^ Pratt, Vic. "Keep Fit (1937)". Screenonline. British Film Institute. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
- ^ "I See Ice!". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 11 July 2012. Retrieved 28 May 2014.
- ^ "It's in the Air (1938)". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 13 January 2009. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
- ^ Crowther, Bosley (10 December 1940). "Movie Review: The Lady in Question (1940)". The New York Times. New York.
- ^ "Trouble Brewing (1939)". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 13 January 2009. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
- ^ Bret 1999, pp. 80–81.
- ^ "Come On George! (1939)". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 13 January 2009. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
- ^ Pratt, Vic. "Come On George! (1939)". Screenonline. British Film Institute. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
- ^ "Let George Do It (1949)". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 13 January 2009. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
- ^ Pratt, Vic. "Let George Do It! (1940)". Screenonline. British Film Institute. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
- ^ "Spare a Copper (1940)". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 13 January 2009. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
- ^ Pratt, Vic. "Spare a Copper (1940)". Screenonline. British Film Institute. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
- ^ "Turned Out Nice Again (1941)". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 13 January 2009. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
- ^ Pratt, Vic. "Turned Out Nice Again (1941)". Screenonline. British Film Institute. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
- ^ "South American George (1941)". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 14 January 2009. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
- ^ "Much Too Shy (1942)". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 14 January 2009. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
- ^ Bret 1999, pp. 123–124.
- ^ "Get Cracking (1943)". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 16 January 2009. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
- ^ Bret 1999, pp. 128–129.
- ^ "Bell Bottom George (1944)". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 16 January 2009. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
- ^ Bret 1999, pp. 130–131.
- ^ "He Snoops to Conquer (1944)". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 14 January 2009. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
- ^ Bret 1999, pp. 141–142.
- ^ "I Didn't Do It! (1945)". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 15 January 2009. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
- ^ Bret 1999, pp. 148–149.
- ^ "George in Civvy Street (1946)". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 16 January 2009. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
- ^ Bret 1999, pp. 156–157.
- ^ a b Bret 1999, p. 207.
- ^ Ryan 1986, pp. 20–21.
- ^ Bret 1999, pp. 282–283.
- ^ Smart & Bothway Howard 2011, p. 97.
- ^ Bret 1999, pp. 72–73.
- ^ Bret 1999, pp. 73–74.
- ^ Bret 1999, p. 110.
- ^ Smart & Bothway Howard 2011, p. 237.
- ^ McCann 2009, p. 196.
- ^ Bret 1999, p. 201.
- ^ Randall & Seaton 1974, p. 166.
- ^ "George Formby Discography". The George Formby Society. Archived from the original on 30 May 2014. Retrieved 28 May 2014.
- ^ Bret 1999, pp. 245–259.
- ^ Ryan 1986, pp. 22–97.
- ^ Smart & Bothway Howard 2011, pp. 311–318.
- ^ a b Bret 1999, p. 250.
- ^ Bret 1999, p. 252.
- ^ Ryan 1986, pp. 16–18.
- ^ Bret 1999, p. 140.
- ^ "Desert Island Discs: George Formby". BBC. Retrieved 28 May 2014.
- ^ Magee 2012, p. 60.
- ^ Ryan 1986, pp. 14–15.
Sources
[edit]- Bret, David (1999). George Formby: A Troubled Genius. London: Robson Books. ISBN 978-1-86105-239-1.
- Fisher, John (1975). George Formby. London: Woburn-Futura. ISBN 978-0-7130-0139-6.
- Magee, Sean (2012). Desert Island Discs: 70 Years of Castaways. London: Random House. ISBN 978-0-593-07006-2.
- McCann, Graham (2009). Bounder! The Biography of Terry-Thomas. London: Aurum Press. ISBN 978-1-84513-441-9.
- Randall, Alan; Seaton, Ray (1974). George Formby. London: W. H. Allen. ISBN 978-0-491-01771-8.
- Richards, Jeffrey (2004). "Formby, George [real name George Hoy Booth]". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/33205. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
- Richards, Jeffrey (2010). The Age of the Dream Palace: Cinema and Society in 1930s Britain. London: I.B. Tauris. ISBN 978-1-84885-122-1.
- Ryan, Brendan (1986). George Formby: A Catalogue of his Work. Dublin: The George Formby Society. OCLC 40991236.
- Smart, Sue; Bothway Howard, Richard (2011). It's Turned Out Nice Again!: The Authorized Biography of the Two George Formbys, Father and Son. Ely, Cambridgeshire: Melrose Books. ISBN 978-1-907732-59-1.
External links
[edit]- George Formby at the British Film Institute[better source needed]
- George Formby at the BFI's Screenonline
- George Formby at IMDb
- George Formby at the TCM Movie Database
- George Formby on Pathé News
- George Formby Net Worth Archived 10 February 2021 at the Wayback Machine