Arthur Worsley
Encyclopedia
Arthur Wilkinson Worsley (16 October 1920 - 14 July 2001) was a ventriloquist who appeared regularly on British television
from the 1950s to the 1970s.
, Manchester
. At the age of eight he saw a ventriloquist for the first time which gave him the ambition to become a ventriloquist himself.
. He became well known in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and America. He appeared on most of the variety shows on British TV and was one of the few British acts who achieved success in the USA, appearing on the Ed Sullivan Show in the US returning to perform a variation of his act for ten years in a row. He was called "the world's greatest ventriloquist' by Ed Sullivan
.
It is almost impossible to form the plosive consonants "B" and "P" without some movement of the lips; less competent ventriloquists traditionally substitute another consonant ... thus inspiring a joke about a ventriloquist who orders a "gottle of geer" instead of a bottle of beer. As part of Worsley's act, his dummy would shout the phrase "Bottle of beer!" repeatedly while Worsley's lips remained motionless; invariably, this brought a round of applause as the audience realised the difficulty of Worsley's achievement.
-like implacability, on rare occasions a barely detectable rise of the eyebrow, on still rarer ones a slight smirk. In due time, Charlie would work himself up into a frenzy and start shrieking at Worsley. Not only was this funny, it also allowed Worsley to show off his skills.
He is buried at Carleton Cemetery, Blackpool
British television
Public television broadcasting started in the United Kingdom in 1936, and now has a collection of free and subscription services over a variety of distribution media, through which there are over 480 channelsTaking the base Sky EPG TV Channels. A breakdown is impossible due to a) the number of...
from the 1950s to the 1970s.
Early years
He was born at FailsworthFailsworth
At Failsworth lies north-northwest of London. It shares common boundaries with Manchester and Oldham, on its west and northeast respectively. Failsworth is traversed by the A62 road, from Manchester to Oldham, the heavy rail line of the Oldham Loop and the Rochdale Canal, which crosses the...
, Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
. At the age of eight he saw a ventriloquist for the first time which gave him the ambition to become a ventriloquist himself.
Career
Worsley made his first stage appearance aged 11 at the Casino, Rusholme, billed as the World's Youngest Ventriloquist. His London debut took place four years later and so began a hugely successful career. He was soon playing principal theatres around the country and later around the world. In the days of live variety, he was a regular at the UK's top venue, the London PalladiumLondon Palladium
The London Palladium is a 2,286 seat West End theatre located off Oxford Street in the City of Westminster. From the roster of stars who have played there and many televised performances, it is arguably the most famous theatre in London and the United Kingdom, especially for musical variety...
. He became well known in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and America. He appeared on most of the variety shows on British TV and was one of the few British acts who achieved success in the USA, appearing on the Ed Sullivan Show in the US returning to perform a variation of his act for ten years in a row. He was called "the world's greatest ventriloquist' by Ed Sullivan
Ed Sullivan
Edward Vincent "Ed" Sullivan was an American entertainment writer and television host, best known as the presenter of the TV variety show The Ed Sullivan Show. The show was broadcast from 1948 to 1971 , which made it one of the longest-running variety shows in U.S...
.
Technique
Many "vents" have difficulty getting booked to perform on television, since the merciless scrutiny of the television camera shows their lips moving. Sullivan admired Worsley's ventriloquism act because, in addition to being funny, Worsley's technique was so perfect that he could appear in tight close-up no discernible lip movements while his "figure" (dummy) appeared to be speaking.It is almost impossible to form the plosive consonants "B" and "P" without some movement of the lips; less competent ventriloquists traditionally substitute another consonant ... thus inspiring a joke about a ventriloquist who orders a "gottle of geer" instead of a bottle of beer. As part of Worsley's act, his dummy would shout the phrase "Bottle of beer!" repeatedly while Worsley's lips remained motionless; invariably, this brought a round of applause as the audience realised the difficulty of Worsley's achievement.
Act
All the talking was done by his dummy Charlie Brown, who would turn to the impassive Worsley and say, "Look at me, son, when I'm talking to you". For most of Worsley's act, Charlie would abuse him, growing ever more exasperated by the ventriloquist's silent stupidity. Worsley would accept Charlie's tirades with a Buster KeatonBuster Keaton
Joseph Frank "Buster" Keaton was an American comic actor, filmmaker, producer and writer. He was best known for his silent films, in which his trademark was physical comedy with a consistently stoic, deadpan expression, earning him the nickname "The Great Stone Face".Keaton was recognized as the...
-like implacability, on rare occasions a barely detectable rise of the eyebrow, on still rarer ones a slight smirk. In due time, Charlie would work himself up into a frenzy and start shrieking at Worsley. Not only was this funny, it also allowed Worsley to show off his skills.
Later years
He retired from the stage in 1983 and thereafter declined all requests for guest appearances on TV and radio. He died in 2001 in Blackpool, Lancashire, aged 80.He is buried at Carleton Cemetery, Blackpool