Frank Randle
Encyclopedia
Frank Randle was an English
comedian
. A contemporary of fellow Lancastrians
George Formby and Gracie Fields
, he was regarded as more subversive, perhaps the reason that the immense popularity he enjoyed during his lifetime has not survived him.
Born in Aspull, Lancashire
, to an unmarried Rhoda Hughes, he left school aged 13 and worked in a variety of menial jobs until two years later he joined an acrobat
ic troupe. He took the name Arthur McEvoy after his mother married Richard McEvoy. In 1928, he began to tour as a comedian, principally in Lancashire and the North
, developing his own show, Randle's Scandals, which in the 1950s featured Roy Castle
. He took equity in John E. Blakeley
's Manchester
-based Mancunian Film Studios and appeared in eight of its productions. In his last film It's a Grand Life, made in 1953, his co-star was Diana Dors
.
Randle's mischievous wit led to a running conflict with Harry Barnes, police chief of Lancashire seaside resort
Blackpool
, who frequently banned and censored his material. Randle responded to his critics in robust fashion, frequently throwing his false teeth into the audience and once bombarding Blackpool from an aeroplane with toilet rolls (according to an episode of Rude Britannia, broadcast by the BBC on 15 June 2010, the toilet roll bombardment actually took place over Accrington, not Blackpool). Randle's police charge sheet is lodged with the Lancashire Constabulary
collection, cared for by Lancashire County Museums.
On the outbreak of World War II
, having failed his medical to join the RAF
, Randle joined the Home Guard
and started to establish a career in film
s that even overtook that of Formby. His iconoclastic portrayal of the underdog, flouting authority and disrupting the establishment found a ready audience in a population suffering the privations of war.
With the decline of the music halls in the 1950s, Randle's popularity faded. Pressed by debt
s and tax
arrears and suffering from the consequences of a life of alcohol abuse
, he was made bankrupt by the tax authorities in 1955. He died in Blackpool of gastroenteritis
in 1957 and is buried in Carleton Cemetery, Blackpool.
He had married May Annie Victoria, known as Queenie, in 1924. There were no children but Manchester
artist
Arthur Delaney
was alleged to be Randle's illegitimate son by fellow performer Genevieve Willis (also known as Eve Delaney).
A detailed biography of Frank Randle and his career can be found at CP Lee essay on Frank Randle and also see Photographs, memorabilia and more information on Frank Randle
A new 232 page biography, Wired to the Moon: Frank Randle - A Life, was published in November 2006.
Randle's comedy achievement was celebrated in Grin up North, a major touring exhibition which looked at the unique Northern sense of humour.
Randle was most recently featured in an episode of BBC 4's 'Rude Britannia' shown in June 2010.
In 2007 a celebratory plaque paid for by members of The Cuthbert Club was unveiled to Randle on Blackpool's North Pier
. In 2010, the same organisation paid for the refurbishment of Randle's gravestone which was unveiled in July 2010.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
comedian
Comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
. A contemporary of fellow Lancastrians
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
George Formby and Gracie Fields
Gracie Fields
Dame Gracie Fields, DBE , was an English-born, later Italian-based actress, singer and comedienne and star of both cinema and music hall.-Early life:...
, he was regarded as more subversive, perhaps the reason that the immense popularity he enjoyed during his lifetime has not survived him.
Born in Aspull, Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, to an unmarried Rhoda Hughes, he left school aged 13 and worked in a variety of menial jobs until two years later he joined an acrobat
Acrobatics
Acrobatics is the performance of extraordinary feats of balance, agility and motor coordination. It can be found in many of the performing arts, as well as many sports...
ic troupe. He took the name Arthur McEvoy after his mother married Richard McEvoy. In 1928, he began to tour as a comedian, principally in Lancashire and the North
Northern England
Northern England, also known as the North of England, the North or the North Country, is a cultural region of England. It is not an official government region, but rather an informal amalgamation of counties. The southern extent of the region is roughly the River Trent, while the North is bordered...
, developing his own show, Randle's Scandals, which in the 1950s featured Roy Castle
Roy Castle
Roy Castle OBE was an English dancer, singer, comedian, actor, television presenter and musician. He attended Honley High School, where there is now a building in his name...
. He took equity in John E. Blakeley
John E. Blakeley
John E. Blakeley was a British film producer, director and screenwriter, the founder of Mancunian Films.Born Ardwick, Manchester, son of James Blakeley , and Margaret . His father had become an early film distributor in 1908 after previous work as a travelling draper...
's 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...
-based Mancunian Film Studios and appeared in eight of its productions. In his last film It's a Grand Life, made in 1953, his co-star was Diana Dors
Diana Dors
Diana Dors was an English actress, born Diana Mary Fluck in Swindon, Wiltshire. Considered the English equivalent of the blonde bombshells of Hollywood, Dors described herself as: "The only sex symbol Britain has produced since Lady Godiva."-Early life:Diana Mary Fluck was born in Swindon,...
.
Randle's mischievous wit led to a running conflict with Harry Barnes, police chief of Lancashire seaside resort
Seaside resort
A seaside resort is a resort, or resort town, located on the coast. Where a beach is the primary focus for tourists, it may be called a beach resort.- Overview :...
Blackpool
Blackpool
Blackpool is a borough, seaside town, and unitary authority area of Lancashire, in North West England. It is situated along England's west coast by the Irish Sea, between the Ribble and Wyre estuaries, northwest of Preston, north of Liverpool, and northwest of Manchester...
, who frequently banned and censored his material. Randle responded to his critics in robust fashion, frequently throwing his false teeth into the audience and once bombarding Blackpool from an aeroplane with toilet rolls (according to an episode of Rude Britannia, broadcast by the BBC on 15 June 2010, the toilet roll bombardment actually took place over Accrington, not Blackpool). Randle's police charge sheet is lodged with the Lancashire Constabulary
Lancashire Constabulary
Lancashire Constabulary is the territorial police force responsible for policing the ceremonial county of Lancashire in the North West England. The force's headquarters are at Hutton, near the city of Preston...
collection, cared for by Lancashire County Museums.
On the outbreak of 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...
, having failed his medical to join the RAF
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
, Randle joined the Home Guard
British Home Guard
The Home Guard was a defence organisation of the British Army during the Second World War...
and started to establish a career in film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
s that even overtook that of Formby. His iconoclastic portrayal of the underdog, flouting authority and disrupting the establishment found a ready audience in a population suffering the privations of war.
Debt
A debt is an obligation owed by one party to a second party, the creditor; usually this refers to assets granted by the creditor to the debtor, but the term can also be used metaphorically to cover moral obligations and other interactions not based on economic value.A debt is created when a...
s and tax
Tax
To tax is to impose a financial charge or other levy upon a taxpayer by a state or the functional equivalent of a state such that failure to pay is punishable by law. Taxes are also imposed by many subnational entities...
arrears and suffering from the consequences of a life of alcohol abuse
Alcohol abuse
Alcohol abuse, as described in the DSM-IV, is a psychiatric diagnosis describing the recurring use of alcoholic beverages despite negative consequences. Alcohol abuse eventually progresses to alcoholism, a condition in which an individual becomes dependent on alcoholic beverages in order to avoid...
, he was made bankrupt by the tax authorities in 1955. He died in Blackpool of gastroenteritis
Gastroenteritis
Gastroenteritis is marked by severe inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract involving both the stomach and small intestine resulting in acute diarrhea and vomiting. It can be transferred by contact with contaminated food and water...
in 1957 and is buried in Carleton Cemetery, Blackpool.
He had married May Annie Victoria, known as Queenie, in 1924. There were no children but 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...
artist
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
Arthur Delaney
Arthur Delaney
Arthur McEvoy Delaney was an English painter whose scenes of Manchester life were influenced by those of L. S. Lowry, gaining some popularity since his death.He is alleged to be the illegitimate son of comedian Frank Randle...
was alleged to be Randle's illegitimate son by fellow performer Genevieve Willis (also known as Eve Delaney).
A detailed biography of Frank Randle and his career can be found at CP Lee essay on Frank Randle and also see Photographs, memorabilia and more information on Frank Randle
A new 232 page biography, Wired to the Moon: Frank Randle - A Life, was published in November 2006.
Randle's comedy achievement was celebrated in Grin up North, a major touring exhibition which looked at the unique Northern sense of humour.
Randle was most recently featured in an episode of BBC 4's 'Rude Britannia' shown in June 2010.
In 2007 a celebratory plaque paid for by members of The Cuthbert Club was unveiled to Randle on Blackpool's North Pier
North Pier, Blackpool
North Pier is the oldest and largest of the three coastal piers in Blackpool, England. It has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade II listed building.-Location:...
. In 2010, the same organisation paid for the refurbishment of Randle's gravestone which was unveiled in July 2010.
Filmography
- Somewhere in EnglandSomewhere in EnglandSomewhere in England is an album by George Harrison, released in 1981. Recorded as Harrison was becoming increasingly frustrated with the music industry, the album's making was a long one, and witnessed a tragic event in his life.-History:...
(1940) - Somewhere in CampSomewhere in CampSomewhere in Camp is a 1942 British comedy film directed by John E. Blakeley and starring Frank Randle, Harry Korris and Robbie Vincent. The film continues the adventures of Private Randle fromm the 1940 film Somewhere in England. It was followed in 1943 by Somewhere on Leave.-Main cast:* Frank...
(1942) - Somewhere on LeaveSomewhere on LeaveSomewhere on Leave is a 1943 British comedy film directed by John E. Blakeley and starring Frank Randle, Harry Korris and Dan Young. It was the third in the series of Somewhere films following Private Randle and his comrades. It was followed by Somewhere in Civvies.-Main cast:* Frank Randle - Pvt....
(1943) - Somewhere in CivviesSomewhere in CivviesSomewhere in Civvies is a 1943 British comedy film directed by Maclean Rogers and starring Frank Randle, George Doonan and Suzette Tarri. Private Randle is discharged from the army and finds it difficult to adjust to civilian life. It was followed in 1949 by the final film in the series Somewhere...
(1943) - Home Sweet HomeHome Sweet Home (1945 film)Home Sweet Home is a 1945 British musical comedy film directed by John E. Blakeley and starring Frank Randle, Nicolette Roeg and Tony Pendrell.-Cast:* Nicolette Roeg - Jacqueline Chantry* Frank Randle - Frank* Tony Pendrell - Eric Wright...
(1945) - Holidays with PayHolidays with PayHolidays with Pay is a 1948 British comedy film directed by John E. Blakeley and starring Frank Randle, Tessie O'Shea and Dan Young. The Rogers go on a family holiday to Blackpool where they enjoy a series of adventures.-Cast:* Frank Randle - Jack Rogers...
(1948) - When You Come HomeWhen You Come HomeWhen You Come Home is a 1948 British comedy film directed by John Baxter and starring Frank Randle, Leslie Sarony and Leslie Holmes. When the music hall where he works is threatened with closure, a handyman organises an effort to save it...
(1948) - Somewhere in PoliticsSomewhere in PoliticsSomewhere in Politics is a 1949 British comedy film directed by John E. Blakeley and starring Frank Randle, Tessie O'Shea and Josef Locke. It was the fifth and final film in the Somewhere series of films featuring Randle.-Cast:...
(1949) - School for RandleSchool for RandleSchool for Randle is a 1949 British comedy film directed by John E. Blakeley and starring Frank Randle, Dan Young and Alec Pleon. A school caretaker turns out to be the father of a number of the pupils...
(1949) - It's a Grand LifeIt's a Grand LifeIt's a Grand Life is a 1953 British comedy film starring Frank Randle and Diana Dors. Music hall comedian Frank Randle stars as an accident-prone Private in his final film appearance. The film also features the professional wrestler Jack Pye and the popular pianist Winifred Atwell...
(1953)