A. E. Matthews
Encyclopedia
A.E. Matthews OBE was an English actor who played numerous character roles on the stage and in film for eight decades, and who became known (not surprisingly) for his longevity.
, East Riding of Yorkshire
, England. Nicknamed "Matty", he was christened Alfred Edward Matthews. He was born in a small cottage, now demolished, which existed on the site of the current B&Q store in the town. He was affectionately regarded by the British public over his extraordinarily long career.
Matthews toured during World War II
in The First Mrs. Fraser with Dame Marie Tempest
and Barry Morse
and later in the extremely popular films Carry on Admiral
, Doctor at Large
and Around the World in 80 Days
- in which he played a mainstay of the Reform Club - amongst many others. From World War II
until his death he enjoyed renown as one of British cinema's most famous crotchety, and sometimes rascally, old men.
Matthews's other most well-known films include The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp
, The Million Pound Note
(with Gregory Peck
), Inn for Trouble
, The Magic Box
, The Ghosts of Berkeley Square and Just William's Luck
.
He appeared on the TV programme This Is Your Life
, a notable feature of which was at the end, where while regaling audience and viewers with his engaging reminiscences, he was faded out. He was working as an actor right up until his death in 1960 at the age of 90.
In his 89th year, Matthews made national headlines by sitting, for several days and nights, on the pavement outside his beautiful Georgian home near London, his purpose being to prevent the council from installing a new streetlight, the design of which he felt was totally out of keeping with the neighbourhood and which badly needed improvement. Spike Milligan
penned an episode of The Goon Show
entitled "The Evils of Bushey Spon" based on the incident. The programme, first broadcast on 17 March 1958, included a guest appearance by Matthews himself at the end of the episode, and this part of the show was ad-libbed after he departed from the script.
In 2008 Greg Knight
, the Member of Parliament for the East Yorkshire constituency, (which includes ‘Matty’s’ birthplace, Bridlington
), launched a successful campaign to have his birthplace recognised with a blue plaque
. A special ceremony to commemorate his life and career was held in the town on 22nd November 2008 organised and compered by Mr Knight.
It was attended by ventriloquist Ray Alan
, who knew 'Matty' and who spoke about his memories of him.
Biography
Matthews was born in BridlingtonBridlington
Bridlington is a seaside resort, minor sea fishing port and civil parish on the Holderness Coast of the North Sea, in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It has a static population of over 33,000, which rises considerably during the tourist season...
, East Riding of Yorkshire
East Riding of Yorkshire
The East Riding of Yorkshire, or simply East Yorkshire, is a local government district with unitary authority status, and a ceremonial county of England. For ceremonial purposes the county also includes the city of Kingston upon Hull, which is a separate unitary authority...
, England. Nicknamed "Matty", he was christened Alfred Edward Matthews. He was born in a small cottage, now demolished, which existed on the site of the current B&Q store in the town. He was affectionately regarded by the British public over his extraordinarily long career.
Matthews toured during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
in The First Mrs. Fraser with Dame Marie Tempest
Marie Tempest
Dame Marie Tempest DBE was an English singer and actress known as the "queen of her profession".Tempest became the most famous soprano in late Victorian light opera and Edwardian musical comedies. Later, she became a leading comic actress and toured widely in North America and elsewhere...
and Barry Morse
Barry Morse
Herbert "Barry" Morse was an Anglo-Canadian actor of stage, screen, and radio best known for his roles in the ABC television series The Fugitive and the British sci-fi drama Space: 1999...
and later in the extremely popular films Carry on Admiral
Carry on Admiral
Carry on Admiral is a 1957 British comedy film directed by Val Guest and featuring David Tomlinson, Ronald Shiner and Joan Sims. It was not part of the Carry On series, which it predates, though it is similar in tone and style to the earliest films in the series...
, Doctor at Large
Doctor at Large (film)
Doctor at Large is a 1957 British comedy film, the third installment of the Doctor in the House series. It stars Dirk Bogarde, Muriel Pavlow, Donald Sinden, and James Robertson Justice.-Cast:* Dirk Bogarde as Dr. Simon Sparrow...
and Around the World in 80 Days
Around the World in Eighty Days (1956 film)
Around the World in 80 Days is a 1956 adventure film produced by the Michael Todd Company and released by United Artists. It was directed by Michael Anderson. It was produced by Michael Todd, with Kevin McClory and William Cameron Menzies as associate producers. The screenplay was written by James...
- in which he played a mainstay of the Reform Club - amongst many others. From World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
until his death he enjoyed renown as one of British cinema's most famous crotchety, and sometimes rascally, old men.
Matthews's other most well-known films include The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp
The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp
The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp is a 1943 film by the British film making team of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger under the production banner of The Archers. It stars Roger Livesey, Deborah Kerr and Anton Walbrook. The title derives from the satirical Colonel Blimp comic strip by David...
, The Million Pound Note
The Million Pound Note
The Million Pound Note is a 1954 British comedy, directed by Ronald Neame and starring Gregory Peck...
(with Gregory Peck
Gregory Peck
Eldred Gregory Peck was an American actor.One of 20th Century Fox's most popular film stars from the 1940s to the 1960s, Peck continued to play important roles well into the 1980s. His notable performances include that of Atticus Finch in the 1962 film To Kill a Mockingbird, for which he won an...
), Inn for Trouble
Inn for Trouble
Inn for Trouble is a 1960 British comedy film - a movie spin-off of the 1950s sitcom 'The Larkins' - starring Peggy Mount, David Kossoff and Leslie Phillips....
, The Magic Box
The Magic Box
The Magic Box is a fictional magic shop in the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, created by Joss Whedon. It is located in Sunnydale and was last owned and operated by Rupert Giles, and served as the primary headquarters of the Scooby Gang for seasons five and six.-Ownership history:The shop went...
, The Ghosts of Berkeley Square and Just William's Luck
Just William's Luck (film)
Just William's Luck is a 1947 British comedy film directed by Val Guest and starring William Graham, Garry Marsh and Jane Welsh. The film was based on the Just William series of books by Richmal Crompton. Crompton was impressed with the film and wrote a novel Just William's Luck based on the events...
.
He appeared on the TV programme This Is Your Life
This Is Your Life (UK TV series)
This Is Your Life is a British biographical television documentary, based on the 1952 American show of the same name. It was hosted by Eamonn Andrews from 1955 until 1964, and then from 1969 until his death in 1987 aged 64...
, a notable feature of which was at the end, where while regaling audience and viewers with his engaging reminiscences, he was faded out. He was working as an actor right up until his death in 1960 at the age of 90.
In his 89th year, Matthews made national headlines by sitting, for several days and nights, on the pavement outside his beautiful Georgian home near London, his purpose being to prevent the council from installing a new streetlight, the design of which he felt was totally out of keeping with the neighbourhood and which badly needed improvement. Spike Milligan
Spike Milligan
Terence Alan Patrick Seán "Spike" Milligan Hon. KBE was a comedian, writer, musician, poet, playwright, soldier and actor. His early life was spent in India, where he was born, but the majority of his working life was spent in the United Kingdom. He became an Irish citizen in 1962 after the...
penned an episode of The Goon Show
The Goon Show
The Goon Show was a British radio comedy programme, originally produced and broadcast by the BBC Home Service from 1951 to 1960, with occasional repeats on the BBC Light Programme...
entitled "The Evils of Bushey Spon" based on the incident. The programme, first broadcast on 17 March 1958, included a guest appearance by Matthews himself at the end of the episode, and this part of the show was ad-libbed after he departed from the script.
In 2008 Greg Knight
Greg Knight
Gregory Knight is a British politician and author. He is Conservative Member of Parliament for East Yorkshire.-Education and professional life:...
, the Member of Parliament for the East Yorkshire constituency, (which includes ‘Matty’s’ birthplace, Bridlington
Bridlington
Bridlington is a seaside resort, minor sea fishing port and civil parish on the Holderness Coast of the North Sea, in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It has a static population of over 33,000, which rises considerably during the tourist season...
), launched a successful campaign to have his birthplace recognised with a blue plaque
Blue plaque
A blue plaque is a permanent sign installed in a public place to commemorate a link between that location and a famous person or event, serving as a historical marker....
. A special ceremony to commemorate his life and career was held in the town on 22nd November 2008 organised and compered by Mr Knight.
It was attended by ventriloquist Ray Alan
Ray Alan
Ray Alan was an English ventriloquist and television entertainer from the 1950s until the 1980s. He was associated primarily with the puppet Lord Charles and later also with the puppets Tich and Quackers.-Biography:...
, who knew 'Matty' and who spoke about his memories of him.
Selected filmography
- The Iron DukeThe Iron Duke (film)The Iron Duke is a 1934 British historical film directed by Victor Saville and starring George Arliss, Ellaline Terriss, Gladys Cooper and Peter Gawthorne...
(1934) - Men Are Not GodsMen Are Not GodsMen Are Not Gods is a 1936 British film starring Miriam Hopkins and co-starring Gertrude Lawrence, Sebastian Shaw and Rex Harrison. It was a success in the UK when released largely due to the popularity of the two female stars Hopkins and Lawrence. This also brought to attention the talents of Rex...
(1936) - Quiet WeddingQuiet WeddingQuiet Wedding is a 1941 British comedy film directed by Anthony Asquith and starring Margaret Lockwood, Derek Farr and Marjorie Fielding. The screenplay was written by Terence Rattigan and Anatole de Grunwald based on the play Quiet Wedding by Esther McCracken which was later remade as Happy is the...
(1941) - This EnglandThis England (film)This England is a 1941 British historical drama film directed by David MacDonald and starring John Clements, Constance Cummings and Emlyn Williams...
(1941) - Pimpernel Smith (1941)
- The Great Mr. Handel (1942)
- Thunder Rock (1942)
- The Life and Death of Colonel BlimpThe Life and Death of Colonel BlimpThe Life and Death of Colonel Blimp is a 1943 film by the British film making team of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger under the production banner of The Archers. It stars Roger Livesey, Deborah Kerr and Anton Walbrook. The title derives from the satirical Colonel Blimp comic strip by David...
(1943) - The Man in GreyThe Man in GreyThe Man in Grey is a 1943 British film melodrama made by Gainsborough Pictures, and is widely considered as the first of its "Gainsborough melodramas"...
(1943) - Escape to DangerEscape to DangerEscape to Danger is a 1943 British thriller film directed by Lance Comfort and Victor Hanbury and starring Eric Portman, Ann Dvorak and Karel Stepanek. During the Second World War a British schoolteacher working in Denmark is caught up when the Germans invade.-Cast:* Eric Portman ... Arthur...
(1943) - The Way AheadThe Way AheadThe Way Ahead is a British Second World War drama released in 1944. It stars David Niven and Stanley Holloway and follows a group of civilians who are conscripted into the British Army to fight in North Africa. In the U.S., an edited version was released as The Immortal Battalion.The film was...
(1944) - Flight from FollyFlight from FollyFlight from Folly is a 1945 British musical comedy film directed by Herbert Mason and starring Patricia Kirkwood and Hugh Sinclair, with music from Edmundo Ros and his famous Rumba Band...
(1945) - They Came to a CityThey Came to a CityThey Came to a City is a 1945 British film directed by Basil Dearden adapted from a J. B. Priestley play, starring John Clements, Googie Withers and Raymond Huntley with a cameo from Priestley himself. The plot concerns the experiences of various people coming to their "ideal" city....
(1945) - Piccadilly IncidentPiccadilly IncidentPiccadilly Incident is a 1946 British drama film directed by Herbert Wilcox and starring Anna Neagle, Michael Wilding, Coral Browne, Edward Rigby and Leslie Dwyer. A married woman is believed dead in a shipwreck, but returns home with the Second World War at its height to find her husband remarried....
(1946) - The Ghosts of Berkeley SquareThe Ghosts of Berkeley SquareThe Ghosts of Berkeley Square is a 1947 British comedy film, directed by Vernon Sewell and starring Robert Morley and Felix Aylmer. The film is an adaptation of the novel No Nightingales by Caryl Brahms and S. J. Simon, inspired by the enduring reputation of the property at 50 Berkeley Square as...
(1947) - Just William's LuckJust William's LuckThis page is about the novel. For the film see Just William's Luck .Just William's Luck was a novel in the Just William series by Richmal Crompton. It was the only novel in the series, the rest being books of short stories...
(1947) - William Comes to TownWilliam Comes to TownWilliam Comes to Town is a 1948 British comedy film directed by Val Guest and starring William Graham and Garry Marsh. It was based on the Just William series of novels by Richmal Crompton. It served as a loose sequel to 1947 film Just William's Luck. It is also known by the alternative title...
(1948) - Britannia MewsBritannia MewsBritannia Mews is a 1949 British drama film directed by Jean Negulesco and starring Dana Andrews, Maureen O'Hara, Sybil Thorndike, Fay Compton and A.E. Matthews. In Victorian London, a young woman marries a poor drunken artist and struggles to make ends meet...
(1949) - Whiskey GaloreWhisky Galore! (film)Whisky Galore! was a 1949 Ealing comedy film based on the novel of the same name by Compton MacKenzie. Both the movie and the novel are based on the real-life 1941 shipwreck of the S.S. Politician near the island of Eriskay and the unauthorized taking of its cargo of whisky...
(1949) - The Chiltern HundredsThe Chiltern Hundreds (film)The Chiltern Hundreds is a 1949 British comedy film directed by John Paddy Carstairs, adapting the 1947 play of the same name and starring Lana Morris, David Tomlinson and Cecil Parker.-Synopsis:...
(1949) - Landfall (1949)
- Mister Drake's DuckMister Drake's DuckMister Drake's Duck is a 1951 British science fiction comedy film directed by Val Guest and starring Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Yolande Donlan, Jon Pertwee, Wilfrid Hyde-White and Reginald Beckwith. Mr Drake, a farmer, discovers that his hens have started laying radioactive eggs.-Cast:* Douglas...
(1951) - The Galloping Major (1951)
- Laughter in ParadiseLaughter in ParadiseLaughter in Paradise is the title of a British comedy film released in 1951. The film stars Alastair Sim, Fay Compton, George Cole, and Guy Middleton...
(1951) - Made in HeavenMade in HeavenMade in Heaven is the fifteenth studio album by British rock group Queen and the final one to feature lead singer Freddie Mercury and bassist John Deacon, released on 6 November 1995...
(1952) - The Magic BoxThe Magic BoxThe Magic Box is a fictional magic shop in the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, created by Joss Whedon. It is located in Sunnydale and was last owned and operated by Rupert Giles, and served as the primary headquarters of the Scooby Gang for seasons five and six.-Ownership history:The shop went...
(1952) - Who Goes There!Who Goes There!Who Goes There! is a 1952 British comedy film directed by Anthony Kimmins and starring Nigel Patrick, Valerie Hobson and George Cole. The film depicts the farcical activities of the various inhabitants of a Grace and Favour house near St. James Palace in Central London...
(1952) - Castle in the AirCastle in the Air (film)Castle in the Air is a 1952 British comedy film directed by Henry Cass and starring David Tomlinson, Helen Cherry, Margaret Rutherford and Gordon Jackson.-Plot:...
(1952) - Something Money Can't BuySomething Money Can't BuySomething Money Can't Buy is a 1952 British film starring Patricia Roc and Anthony Steel.-Cast:* Patricia Roc as Anne Wilding* Anthony Steel as Captain Harry Wilding* Moira Lister as Diana Haverstock* A.E...
(1952) - The Weak and the WickedThe Weak and the WickedThe Weak and the Wicked is a 1954 British drama film directed by J. Lee Thompson based on the book by his wife, Joan Henry, starring Glynis Johns and Diana Dors....
(1954) - The Million Pound NoteThe Million Pound NoteThe Million Pound Note is a 1954 British comedy, directed by Ronald Neame and starring Gregory Peck...
(1954) - Happy Ever AfterHappy Ever AfterHappy Ever After is a British sitcom starring Terry Scott and June Whitfield. It aired from 1974 to 1978 and was written by John T. Chapman, Eric Merriman, Christopher Bond, John Kane and Jon Watkins...
(1954) - Aunt ClaraAunt Clara (1954 film)Aunt Clara is a 1954 British comedy film starring Margaret Rutherford as a woman who inherits a number of shady businesses from a relative. Ronald Shiner, A. E. Matthews, and Fay Compton are also featured...
(1954) - Miss Tulip Stays the NightMiss Tulip Stays the NightMiss Tulip Stays the Night is a 1955 British comedy crime film directed by Leslie Arliss and starring Diana Dors, Patrick Holt, Jack Hulbert and Cicely Courtneidge...
(1955) - Around the World in Eighty DaysAround the World in Eighty Days (1956 film)Around the World in 80 Days is a 1956 adventure film produced by the Michael Todd Company and released by United Artists. It was directed by Michael Anderson. It was produced by Michael Todd, with Kevin McClory and William Cameron Menzies as associate producers. The screenplay was written by James...
(1956) - Three Men in a BoatThree Men in a Boat (1956 film)Three Men in a Boat is a 1956 British CinemaScope colour comedy film directed by Ken Annakin and starring Laurence Harvey, Jimmy Edwards, Shirley Eaton and David Thomlinson. It is based on the 1889 novel Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome...
(1956) - Jumping for JoyJumping for JoyJumping for Joy is a 1956 British comedy film directed by John Paddy Carstairs and starring Frankie Howerd, Stanley Holloway, Joan Hickson and Lionel Jeffries...
(1956) - Loser Takes AllLoser Takes All (film)Loser Takes All is a 1956 British comedy film directed by Ken Annakin and starring Glynis Johns, Rossano Brazzi and Robert Morley. It was based on a screenplay by Graham Greene.-Cast:* Glynis Johns as Cary* Rossano Brazzi as Bertrand...
(1956) - Doctor at LargeDoctor at Large (film)Doctor at Large is a 1957 British comedy film, the third installment of the Doctor in the House series. It stars Dirk Bogarde, Muriel Pavlow, Donald Sinden, and James Robertson Justice.-Cast:* Dirk Bogarde as Dr. Simon Sparrow...
(1957) - Carry on AdmiralCarry on AdmiralCarry on Admiral is a 1957 British comedy film directed by Val Guest and featuring David Tomlinson, Ronald Shiner and Joan Sims. It was not part of the Carry On series, which it predates, though it is similar in tone and style to the earliest films in the series...
(1957) - Inn for TroubleInn for TroubleInn for Trouble is a 1960 British comedy film - a movie spin-off of the 1950s sitcom 'The Larkins' - starring Peggy Mount, David Kossoff and Leslie Phillips....
(1960)