Jack Buchanan
Encyclopedia
Walter John "Jack" Buchanan (2 April 1891 – 20 October 1957) was a British
theatre and film actor, singer, producer and director. He was known for three decades as the embodiment of the debonair man-about-town in the tradition of George Grossmith Jr., and was described by The Times
as "the last of the knuts." He is best known in America for his role in the classic Hollywood musical The Band Wagon
in 1953.
, Dumbartonshire in Scotland
, the son of Walter John Buchanan Sr (d. 1902), auctioneer, and his wife, Patricia, née McWatt (d. 1936). He was educated at the Glasgow Academy.
, he came to London
and became a music-hall comedian under the name of Chump Buchanan and first appeared on the West End
in September 1912 in the comic opera
The Grass Widow at the Apollo Theatre
. Hardship dogged him for a while before he became famous whilst on tour in Tonight's the Night
. He produced and acted in his own plays both in London
and New York
.
Buchanan's health was not robust, and he was declared unfit for military service in World War I
. He appeared with some success in West End shows during the war, attracting favourable notices as a "knut" in the mould of George Grossmith Jr, and achieved front rank stardom in André Charlot
's 1921 revue A to Z, appearing with Gertrude Lawrence
. Among his numbers in the show was Ivor Novello
's "And Her Mother Came Too", which became Buchanan's signature song. The show transferred successfully to Broadway
in 1924. For the rest of the 1920s and 1930s he was famous for "the seemingly lazy but most accomplished grace with which he sang, danced, flirted and joked his way through musical shows.... The tall figure, the elegant gestures, the friendly drawling voice, the general air of having a good time."
(1937) and The Gang's All Here
(1939). He also produced several films including Happidrome
(1943) and The Sky's the Limit (1938), which he also directed. He continued to work on Broadway and the West End and took roles in several Hollywood musicals
, including The Band Wagon
(1953), his best-known film, in which he plays camp theatre director, Jeffrey Cordova, opposite Fred Astaire
and Cyd Charisse
. He suffered from spinal arthritis
, though this didn't stop him from performing several dance numbers with Astaire in Band Wagon.
, and As Long As They're Happy. His first pantomime
appearance (Christmas, 1940) was as "Buttons
" in Cinderella
.
His productions included The Women, The Body was Well Nourished, Waltz Without End, It's Time to Dance, A Murder for a Valentine, Treble Trouble and The Lady Asks for Help.
's Revues, Charles B. Cochran
's Wake Up and Dream
, Pardon My English
, Between the Devil
, Harvey
(1948).
(1929), Monte Carlo
(1930), The Band Wagon
(1953).
His British films included Yes, Mr Brown
(1933), Good Night, Vienna
(1932), That's a Good Girl (1933), Brewster's Millions
(1935), Come Out of the Pantry
(1935), When Knights Were Bold
(1936), This'll Make You Whistle
(1936), Smash and Grab
(1937), The Sky's the Limit
(1938), Break the News
(1938), The Gang's All Here
(1939), The Middle Watch
(1940), Bulldog Sees It Through
(1940), As Long as They're Happy
(1955), and Josephine and Men
(1955). He made one French film (bilingual), The Diary of Major Thompson
(1955).
Television appearances in the USA included The Max Liebman Show and The Ed Sullivan Show
.
. He was also heavily involved in the more commercial side of British show-business. He was responsible, with partners, for the building and ownership of the Leicester Square Theatre, London, and the Imperial in Brighton
. He also controlled the Garrick Theatre
in the West End of London and the King's Theatre in Hammersmith
. Jack Buchanan Productions (in which his partners were J. Arthur Rank
and Charles Woolf) owned Riverside Studios
in Hammersmith.
He had been at school with the pioneer of television
, John Logie Baird
, and with him co-owned Television Limited, which manufactured and rented televisions.
Not all his business ventures were profitable and, at his death, his estate was valued for probate
(in 1958) at £24,489 (equivalent to £ today).
Later in life, he married in 1947, as her second husband, Susan Bassett, an American. Through her he had a stepdaughter, Theo, who lived with him and his wife. He had no children of his own.
He had previously had a relationship with Australian actress Coral Browne
, and during her meeting in Moscow with Soviet spy Guy Burgess
in the late 1950s she informed Burgess, on mentioning Buchanan, that she 'almost married him'. Burgess, previously at the British Foreign Office, had defected to Moscow a few years earlier and one of the few mementoes of his earlier life that he had been able to keep was one 78rpm Jack Buchanan record - "Who?
" - which when Browne visited his Moscow flat, he played repeatedly. This event is portrayed in Alan Bennett
's play An Englishman Abroad
.
, Buchanan was renowned for his portrayal of the quintessential Englishman on stage and screen, despite being a Scot. Buchanan also provided financial backing for another Scot, John Logie Baird
, in Logie's work to develop mechanical television
. Buchanan was legendary among his colleagues for his financial generosity to less prosperous actors and chorus performers. Sandy Wilson
recalled that, each year during the running of the annual Grand National
horse race, Buchanan would cancel that day's performance of his current musical and would charter an excursion train to the racetrack and back, supplying meals for the entire cast and crew of his show ... and even giving them £5 each for a "flutter" on the horse of their choice!
Buchanan died in London in 1957 from spinal cancer
, when he was 66 years old.
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
theatre and film actor, singer, producer and director. He was known for three decades as the embodiment of the debonair man-about-town in the tradition of George Grossmith Jr., and was described by The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
as "the last of the knuts." He is best known in America for his role in the classic Hollywood musical The Band Wagon
The Band Wagon
The Band Wagon is a 1953 musical comedy film that many critics rank, along with Singin' in the Rain, as the finest of the MGM musicals, although it was only a modest box-office success. It tells the story of an aging musical star who hopes a Broadway play will restart his career...
in 1953.
Biography
Buchanan was born in HelensburghHelensburgh
Helensburgh is a town in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It lies on the north shore of the Firth of Clyde and the eastern shore of the entrance to the Gareloch....
, Dumbartonshire in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, the son of Walter John Buchanan Sr (d. 1902), auctioneer, and his wife, Patricia, née McWatt (d. 1936). He was educated at the Glasgow Academy.
Early career
After a brief attempt to follow his late father's profession and a failure at acting in GlasgowGlasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, he came to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and became a music-hall comedian under the name of Chump Buchanan and first appeared on the West End
West End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
in September 1912 in the comic opera
Comic opera
Comic opera denotes a sung dramatic work of a light or comic nature, usually with a happy ending.Forms of comic opera first developed in late 17th-century Italy. By the 1730s, a new operatic genre, opera buffa, emerged as an alternative to opera seria...
The Grass Widow at the Apollo Theatre
Apollo Theatre
The Apollo Theatre is a Grade II listed West End theatre, on Shaftesbury Avenue in the City of Westminster. Designed by architect Lewin Sharp for owner Henry Lowenfield, and the fourth legitimate theatre to be constructed on the street, its doors opened on 21 February 1901 with the American...
. Hardship dogged him for a while before he became famous whilst on tour in Tonight's the Night
To-Night's the Night (musical)
To-Night's the Night is a musical comedy composed by Paul Rubens, with lyrics by Percy Greenbank and Rubens, and a book adapted by Fred Thompson. Two songs were composed by Jerome Kern. The story is based on the farce Les Dominos roses .The musical was produced by George Grossmith, Jr. and Edward...
. He produced and acted in his own plays both in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
.
Buchanan's health was not robust, and he was declared unfit for military service in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. He appeared with some success in West End shows during the war, attracting favourable notices as a "knut" in the mould of George Grossmith Jr, and achieved front rank stardom in André Charlot
André Charlot
André Eugene Maurice Charlot was a French impresario known primarily for the highly successful musical revues he staged in London between 1912 and 1937...
's 1921 revue A to Z, appearing with Gertrude Lawrence
Gertrude Lawrence
Gertrude Lawrence was an English actress, singer and musical comedy performer known for her stage appearances in the West End theatre district of London and on Broadway.-Early life:...
. Among his numbers in the show was Ivor Novello
Ivor Novello
David Ivor Davies , better known as Ivor Novello, was a Welsh composer, singer and actor who became one of the most popular British entertainers of the first half of the 20th century. Born into a musical family, his first successes were as a songwriter...
's "And Her Mother Came Too", which became Buchanan's signature song. The show transferred successfully to Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
in 1924. For the rest of the 1920s and 1930s he was famous for "the seemingly lazy but most accomplished grace with which he sang, danced, flirted and joked his way through musical shows.... The tall figure, the elegant gestures, the friendly drawling voice, the general air of having a good time."
Film career and later years
He made his film debut in the silent cinema, in 1917 and appeared in about three dozen films in his career. In 1938, Buchanan achieved the unusual feat of starring in the London stage musical This'll Make You Whistle while concurrently filming a film version. The film was released while the stage version was still running; thus the two productions competed with each other. Other roles included Monte Carlo (1930), Smash and GrabSmash and Grab
Smash and Grab is a 1937 British comedy crime film directed by Tim Whelan and starring Jack Buchanan, Elsie Randolph, Arthur Margetson and Anthony Holles...
(1937) and The Gang's All Here
The Gang's All Here (1939 film)
The Gang's All Here is a 1939 British, black-and-white, crime, drama, musical, directed by Thornton Freeland and starring Ronald Shiner as Spider Ferris. It was produced by Associated British Picture Corporation. Subsequently, the film was released in 1943 with the film title of The Amazing Mr...
(1939). He also produced several films including Happidrome
Happidrome (film)
Happidrome is a 1943 British comedy film directed by Philip Brandon and starring Harry Korris, Robbie Vincent and Cecil Fredericks. It was a spin-off from the Happidrome BBC radio series which was popular at the time.-Cast:* Harry Korris - Mr Lovejoy...
(1943) and The Sky's the Limit (1938), which he also directed. He continued to work on Broadway and the West End and took roles in several Hollywood musicals
Musical film
The musical film is a film genre in which songs sung by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, though in some cases they serve merely as breaks in the storyline, often as elaborate...
, including The Band Wagon
The Band Wagon
The Band Wagon is a 1953 musical comedy film that many critics rank, along with Singin' in the Rain, as the finest of the MGM musicals, although it was only a modest box-office success. It tells the story of an aging musical star who hopes a Broadway play will restart his career...
(1953), his best-known film, in which he plays camp theatre director, Jeffrey Cordova, opposite Fred Astaire
Fred Astaire
Fred Astaire was an American film and Broadway stage dancer, choreographer, singer and actor. His stage and subsequent film career spanned a total of 76 years, during which he made 31 musical films. He was named the fifth Greatest Male Star of All Time by the American Film Institute...
and Cyd Charisse
Cyd Charisse
Cyd Charisse was an American actress and dancer.After recovering from polio as a child, and studying ballet, Charisse entered films in the 1940s...
. He suffered from spinal arthritis
Arthritis
Arthritis is a form of joint disorder that involves inflammation of one or more joints....
, though this didn't stop him from performing several dance numbers with Astaire in Band Wagon.
British stage career
Buchanan's British stage appearances included A to Z, Battling Butler, Toni, Sunny, That's a Good Girl, Stand up and Sing, Mr Whittington, This'll Make You Whistle, Top Hat and Tails, The Last of Mrs Cheyney, Fine Feathers, Canaries Sometimes Sing, Don't Listen, Ladies!, Castle in the Air, King's RhapsodyKing's Rhapsody
King's Rhapsody is a musical with book and music by Ivor Novello and lyrics by Christopher Hassall.The musical was first produced at the Palace Theatre, London, on 15 September 1949 and ran for 841 performances, surviving its author, who died in 1951...
, and As Long As They're Happy. His first pantomime
Pantomime
Pantomime — not to be confused with a mime artist, a theatrical performer of mime—is a musical-comedy theatrical production traditionally found in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Jamaica, South Africa, India, Ireland, Gibraltar and Malta, and is mostly performed during the...
appearance (Christmas, 1940) was as "Buttons
Buttons (pantomime)
Buttons is the name of a character in the Cinderella pantomime. Buttons is the servant of Cinderella's father, Baron Hardup, and is Cinderella's friend...
" in Cinderella
Cinderella
"Cinderella; or, The Little Glass Slipper" is a folk tale embodying a myth-element of unjust oppression/triumphant reward. Thousands of variants are known throughout the world. The title character is a young woman living in unfortunate circumstances that are suddenly changed to remarkable fortune...
.
His productions included The Women, The Body was Well Nourished, Waltz Without End, It's Time to Dance, A Murder for a Valentine, Treble Trouble and The Lady Asks for Help.
American stage career
Buchanan's American stage appearances included: André CharlotAndré Charlot
André Eugene Maurice Charlot was a French impresario known primarily for the highly successful musical revues he staged in London between 1912 and 1937...
's Revues, Charles B. Cochran
Charles B. Cochran
Sir Charles Blake Cochran , generally known as C. B. Cochran, was an English theatrical manager. He produced some of the most successful musical revues, musicals and plays of the 1920s and 1930s, becoming associated with Noel Coward and his works.-Biography:Cochran was born in Sussex and educated...
's Wake Up and Dream
Wake Up and Dream
Wake Up and Dream is a musical revue with a book by John Hastings Turner and music and lyrics by Cole Porter and others. The most famous song from the revue is the Porter standard "What Is This Thing Called Love?"...
, Pardon My English
Pardon My English
Pardon My English is a musical with a book by Herbert Fields and Morrie Ryskind, lyrics by Ira Gershwin, and music by George Gershwin. Set in 1933 Dresden, the farcical plot satirizes the Prohibition era.-Production history:Producers Alex A...
, Between the Devil
Between the Devil
Between the Devil is a musical comedy with book and lyrics by Howard Dietz and music by Arthur Schwartz.-Production and background:The musical opened in pre-Broadway tryouts in New Haven and Philadelphia in October 1937. The original plot had the leading man, Jack Buchanan, as an Englishman who...
, Harvey
Harvey (play)
Harvey is a 1944 play by American playwright Mary Chase. Produced by Brock Pemberton and directed by Antoinette Perry, the play premiered on 1 November 1944 at the 48th Street Theatre on Broadway where it was staged for 1,775 performances before closing on January 15, 1949. The original production...
(1948).
Film career
Buchanan's Hollywood films included Paris, The Show of ShowsThe Show of Shows (film)
The Show of Shows is a lavish all talking Vitaphone musical revue film which cost $850,000 to make. The Show of Shows was Warner Bros. fifth color movie, the first four were The Desert Song , On With the Show , Gold Diggers of Broadway and Paris . This movie featured most of the contemporary...
(1929), Monte Carlo
Monte Carlo (1930 film)
Monte Carlo is a 1930 American musical comedy film directed by Ernst Lubitsch. It stars Jeanette MacDonald as Countess Helene Mara. The film is also notable for the song "Beyond the Blue Horizon", which was written for the film and was performed by Jeanette MacDonald. The film was also hailed by...
(1930), The Band Wagon
The Band Wagon
The Band Wagon is a 1953 musical comedy film that many critics rank, along with Singin' in the Rain, as the finest of the MGM musicals, although it was only a modest box-office success. It tells the story of an aging musical star who hopes a Broadway play will restart his career...
(1953).
His British films included Yes, Mr Brown
Yes, Mr Brown
Yes, Mr Brown is a 1933 British musical comedy film directed by Herbert Wilcox and starring Jack Buchanan, Hartley Power, Elsie Randolph and Margot Grahame...
(1933), Good Night, Vienna
Good Night, Vienna
Goodnight, Vienna is a 1932 British musical film directed by Herbert Wilcox and starring Jack Buchanan and Anna Neagle and Gina Malo. Two lovers in Vienna are separated by the First World War, but are later reunited....
(1932), That's a Good Girl (1933), Brewster's Millions
Brewster's Millions (1935 film)
Brewster's Millions is a 1935 British musical comedy film directed by Thornton Freeland and starring Jack Buchanan, Lili Damita and Nancy O'Neil...
(1935), Come Out of the Pantry
Come Out of the Pantry
Come Out of the Pantry is a 1935 British musical film directed by Jack Raymond and starring Jack Buchanan, Fay Wray, James Carew and Fred Emney.-Plot:...
(1935), When Knights Were Bold
When Knights Were Bold (1936 film)
When Knights Were Bold is a 1936 British comedy film directed by Jack Raymond and starring Jack Buchanan, Fay Wray and Garry Marsh. Sir Guy de Vere inherits his father's estate while serving with the British army in India. He returns home to take up his new role, but is greeted with hostility by...
(1936), This'll Make You Whistle
This'll Make You Whistle
This'll Make You Whistle is a 1936 British musical comedy film directed by Herbert Wilcox and starring Jack Buchanan, Elsie Randolph and William Kendall.-Cast:* Jack Buchanan - Bill Hoppings* Elsie Randolph - Bobbie Rivers* Jean Gillie - Joan Longhurst...
(1936), Smash and Grab
Smash and Grab
Smash and Grab is a 1937 British comedy crime film directed by Tim Whelan and starring Jack Buchanan, Elsie Randolph, Arthur Margetson and Anthony Holles...
(1937), The Sky's the Limit
The Sky's the Limit (1938 film)
The Sky's the Limit is a 1938 British musical comedy film directed by Jack Buchanan and Lee Garmes and starring Buchanan, Mara Loseff and William Kendall.-Cast:* Jack Buchanan - Dave Harber* Mara Loseff - Isobella* William Kendall - Thornwell Beamish...
(1938), Break the News
Break the News (film)
Break the News is a 1938 British musical comedy film directed by René Clair and starring Jack Buchanan, Maurice Chevalier and June Knight. Two struggling performers decide to create a fake murder scandal in order to drum up publicity for their act...
(1938), The Gang's All Here
The Gang's All Here (1939 film)
The Gang's All Here is a 1939 British, black-and-white, crime, drama, musical, directed by Thornton Freeland and starring Ronald Shiner as Spider Ferris. It was produced by Associated British Picture Corporation. Subsequently, the film was released in 1943 with the film title of The Amazing Mr...
(1939), The Middle Watch
The Middle Watch (1940 film)
The Middle Watch is a 1940 British, black-and-white, comedy film, directed by Thomas Bentley and starring Ronald Shiner as the Ship's Mechanic or Engineer, Jack Buchanan, Greta Gynt, Fred Emney and Kay Walsh. It was produced by Associated British Picture Corporation...
(1940), Bulldog Sees It Through
Bulldog Sees It Through
Bulldog Sees it Through is a 1940 British, black-and-white, mystery war film directed by Harold Huth and starring Ronald Shiner as Pug, Jack Buchanan, Greta Gynt, Googie Withers and Sebastian Shaw. It was produced by Associated British Picture Corporation....
(1940), As Long as They're Happy
As Long as They're Happy
As Long as They're Happy is a 1955 British musical comedy film directed by J. Lee Thompson.-Cast:* Jack Buchanan as John Bentley* Janette Scott as Gwen Bentley* Jeannie Carson as Pat Bentley* Brenda De Banzie as Stella Bentley...
(1955), and Josephine and Men
Josephine and Men
Josephine and Men is a 1955 British comedy film directed by Roy Boulting and starring Glynis Johns, Jack Buchanan, Donald Sinden and Peter Finch...
(1955). He made one French film (bilingual), The Diary of Major Thompson
The French, They Are a Funny Race
The French, They Are a Funny Race, known in France as Les Carnets du Major Thompson and in the U.K. as The Diary of Major Thompson, is a 1955 comedy film written and directed by Preston Sturges, based on the novel by Pierre Daninos...
(1955).
Radio and television
Buchanan was a frequent broadcaster on British radio, especially during the Second World War. Programmes included The Jack Buchanan Show and, in 1955, the hugely popular eight-part series Man About Town.Television appearances in the USA included The Max Liebman Show and The Ed Sullivan Show
The Ed Sullivan Show
The Ed Sullivan Show is an American TV variety show that originally ran on CBS from Sunday June 20, 1948 to Sunday June 6, 1971, and was hosted by New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan....
.
Business interests
In a British tradition of actor-management, Buchanan frequently produced his own shows, many of which were premiered in the Alhambra Theatre GlasgowAlhambra Theatre Glasgow
The Alhambra Theatre Glasgow opened on 19 December 1910 at the corner of Waterloo Street and Wellington Street, Glasgow under the direction of Sir Alfred Butt and was acknowledged as one of the best equipped theatres in Britain, planned to accommodate 2,800 people.The Theatre was designed by...
. He was also heavily involved in the more commercial side of British show-business. He was responsible, with partners, for the building and ownership of the Leicester Square Theatre, London, and the Imperial in Brighton
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
. He also controlled the Garrick Theatre
Garrick Theatre
The Garrick Theatre is a West End theatre, located on Charing Cross Road, in the City of Westminster. It opened on 24 April 1889 with The Profligate, a play by Arthur Wing Pinero. In its early years, it appears to have specialised in the performance of melodrama, and today the theatre is a...
in the West End of London and the King's Theatre in Hammersmith
Hammersmith
Hammersmith is an urban centre in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in west London, England, in the United Kingdom, approximately five miles west of Charing Cross on the north bank of the River Thames...
. Jack Buchanan Productions (in which his partners were J. Arthur Rank
J. Arthur Rank
Joseph Arthur Rank, 1st Baron Rank was a British industrialist and film producer, and founder of the Rank Organisation, now known as The Rank Group Plc.- Family business :...
and Charles Woolf) owned Riverside Studios
Riverside Studios
Riverside Studios is a production studio, theatre and independent cinema on the banks of the River Thames in Hammersmith, London, England. It plays host to contemporary and international dramatic and dance performance, film, visual art exhibitions and television production.-History:In 1933, the...
in Hammersmith.
He had been at school with the pioneer of television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
, John Logie Baird
John Logie Baird
John Logie Baird FRSE was a Scottish engineer and inventor of the world's first practical, publicly demonstrated television system, and also the world's first fully electronic colour television tube...
, and with him co-owned Television Limited, which manufactured and rented televisions.
Not all his business ventures were profitable and, at his death, his estate was valued for probate
Probate
Probate is the legal process of administering the estate of a deceased person by resolving all claims and distributing the deceased person's property under the valid will. A probate court decides the validity of a testator's will...
(in 1958) at £24,489 (equivalent to £ today).
Marriage
Buchanan's image was that of the raffish eternal bachelor, but he was, unknown to most, married to Saffo Arnau in 1915. She was a singer. This marriage was annulled in 1920.Later in life, he married in 1947, as her second husband, Susan Bassett, an American. Through her he had a stepdaughter, Theo, who lived with him and his wife. He had no children of his own.
He had previously had a relationship with Australian actress Coral Browne
Coral Browne
Coral Browne was an Australian-American stage and screen actress.-Career:Coral Edith Brown was the only daughter of a restaurant-owner. She and her two brothers were raised in Footscray, a suburb of Melbourne, where she studied at the National Gallery Art School...
, and during her meeting in Moscow with Soviet spy Guy Burgess
Guy Burgess
Guy Francis De Moncy Burgess was a British-born intelligence officer and double agent, who worked for the Soviet Union. He was part of the Cambridge Five spy ring that betrayed Western secrets to the Soviets before and during the Cold War...
in the late 1950s she informed Burgess, on mentioning Buchanan, that she 'almost married him'. Burgess, previously at the British Foreign Office, had defected to Moscow a few years earlier and one of the few mementoes of his earlier life that he had been able to keep was one 78rpm Jack Buchanan record - "Who?
Who? (song)
"Who?" is a popular song written for the Broadway musical Sunny by Jerome Kern, Otto Harbach and Oscar Hammerstein II. The song was featured in the film version of Sunny starring Marilyn Miller....
" - which when Browne visited his Moscow flat, he played repeatedly. This event is portrayed in Alan Bennett
Alan Bennett
Alan Bennett is a British playwright, screenwriter, actor and author. Born in Leeds, he attended Oxford University where he studied history and performed with The Oxford Revue. He stayed to teach and research mediaeval history at the university for several years...
's play An Englishman Abroad
An Englishman Abroad
An Englishman Abroad is a 1983 BBC television drama, based on the true story of a chance meeting of an actress, Coral Browne, with Guy Burgess , a member of the Cambridge spy ring who worked for the Soviet Union whilst with MI6...
.
Character
Like David NivenDavid Niven
James David Graham Niven , known as David Niven, was a British actor and novelist, best known for his roles as Phileas Fogg in Around the World in 80 Days and Sir Charles Lytton, a.k.a. "the Phantom", in The Pink Panther...
, Buchanan was renowned for his portrayal of the quintessential Englishman on stage and screen, despite being a Scot. Buchanan also provided financial backing for another Scot, John Logie Baird
John Logie Baird
John Logie Baird FRSE was a Scottish engineer and inventor of the world's first practical, publicly demonstrated television system, and also the world's first fully electronic colour television tube...
, in Logie's work to develop mechanical television
Mechanical television
Mechanical television was a broadcast television system that used mechanical or electromechanical devices to capture and display video images. However, the images themselves were usually transmitted electronically and via radio waves...
. Buchanan was legendary among his colleagues for his financial generosity to less prosperous actors and chorus performers. Sandy Wilson
Sandy Wilson
Sandy Wilson is an English composer and lyricist, best known for his musical The Boy Friend .-Biography:Wilson was born Alexander Galbraith Wilson in Sale, Greater Manchester, and was educated at Harrow School and Oriel College, Oxford. During the war he served in the Royal Ordnance Corps in Great...
recalled that, each year during the running of the annual Grand National
Grand National
The Grand National is a world-famous National Hunt horse race which is held annually at Aintree Racecourse, near Liverpool, England. It is a handicap chase run over a distance of four miles and 856 yards , with horses jumping thirty fences over two circuits of Aintree's National Course...
horse race, Buchanan would cancel that day's performance of his current musical and would charter an excursion train to the racetrack and back, supplying meals for the entire cast and crew of his show ... and even giving them £5 each for a "flutter" on the horse of their choice!
Buchanan died in London in 1957 from spinal cancer
Spinal tumor
Spinal tumors are neoplasms located in the spinal cord. They are mostly metastases from primary cancers elsewhere . Primary tumors may be benign Spinal tumors are neoplasms located in the spinal cord. They are mostly metastases from primary cancers elsewhere (commonly breast, prostate and lung...
, when he was 66 years old.
Filmography
- Auld Lang SyneAuld Lang Syne (film)Auld Lang Syne is a 1929 British musical film directed by George Pearson and starring Harry Lauder, Dorothy Boyd and Patrick Aherne. It was originally made as a silent film, but in September 1929 sound was added.-Cast:* Harry Lauder - Sandy McTavish...
(1917) - Her Heritage (1919)
- The Audacious Mr. Squire (1923)
- The Happy EndingThe Happy EndingThe Happy Ending is a 1969 film written and directed by Richard Brooks, which tells the story of a repressed housewife who longs for liberation from her marriage...
(1925) - Bulldog Drummond's Third RoundBulldog Drummond's Third RoundBulldog Drummond's Third Round was the second silent film adaptation of the Bulldog Drummond character, starring Jack Buchanan and Betty Faire, adapted by Sidney Morgan from the novel The Third Round by H. C. McNeile, and directed by Morgan....
(1925) - Settled Out of CourtSettled Out of CourtSettled Out of Court is a 1925 British silent drama film directed by George A. Cooper and starring Fay Compton, Jack Buchanan and Jeanne De Casalis...
(1925) - A Typical Budget (1925)
- ConfettiConfetti (1927 film)Confetti is a 1927 British drama film directed by Graham Cutts and starring Jack Buchanan, Annette Benson and Sydney Fairbrother. It had its trade show in December 1927.-Cast:* Jack Buchanan - Count Andrea Zorro* Annette Benson - Dolores...
(1928) - ToniToni (1928 film)Toni is a 1928 British thriller film directed by Arthur Maude and starring Jack Buchanan, Dorothy Boyd and Forrester Harvey. It was made by British International Pictures and based on a play by Dion Titheradge.-Cast:* Jack Buchanan - Toni Marr / Marini...
(1928) - ParisParis (1929 film)Paris is a black-and-white musical comedy film with Technicolor sequences: four of ten reels were originally photographed in Technicolor. Paris was the fourth color movie released by Warner Bros.; the first three were The Desert Song, On With the Show and Gold Diggers of Broadway, all released in...
(1929) - Monte CarloMonte Carlo (1930 film)Monte Carlo is a 1930 American musical comedy film directed by Ernst Lubitsch. It stars Jeanette MacDonald as Countess Helene Mara. The film is also notable for the song "Beyond the Blue Horizon", which was written for the film and was performed by Jeanette MacDonald. The film was also hailed by...
(1930) - A Man of MayfairA Man of MayfairA Man of Mayfair is a 1931 British musical comedy film directed by Louis Mercanton and starring Jack Buchanan, Joan Barry and Warwick Ward.-Cast:* Jack Buchanan - Lord William* Joan Barry - Grace Irving* Warwick Ward - Ferdinand Barclay...
(1931) - Good Night, ViennaGood Night, ViennaGoodnight, Vienna is a 1932 British musical film directed by Herbert Wilcox and starring Jack Buchanan and Anna Neagle and Gina Malo. Two lovers in Vienna are separated by the First World War, but are later reunited....
(1932) - Yes, Mr BrownYes, Mr BrownYes, Mr Brown is a 1933 British musical comedy film directed by Herbert Wilcox and starring Jack Buchanan, Hartley Power, Elsie Randolph and Margot Grahame...
(1933) - That's a Good Girl (1933)
- Brewster's MillionsBrewster's Millions (1935 film)Brewster's Millions is a 1935 British musical comedy film directed by Thornton Freeland and starring Jack Buchanan, Lili Damita and Nancy O'Neil...
(1935) - Come Out of the PantryCome Out of the PantryCome Out of the Pantry is a 1935 British musical film directed by Jack Raymond and starring Jack Buchanan, Fay Wray, James Carew and Fred Emney.-Plot:...
(1935) - This'll Make you WhistleThis'll Make You WhistleThis'll Make You Whistle is a 1936 British musical comedy film directed by Herbert Wilcox and starring Jack Buchanan, Elsie Randolph and William Kendall.-Cast:* Jack Buchanan - Bill Hoppings* Elsie Randolph - Bobbie Rivers* Jean Gillie - Joan Longhurst...
(1936) - When Knights Were BoldWhen Knights Were Bold (1936 film)When Knights Were Bold is a 1936 British comedy film directed by Jack Raymond and starring Jack Buchanan, Fay Wray and Garry Marsh. Sir Guy de Vere inherits his father's estate while serving with the British army in India. He returns home to take up his new role, but is greeted with hostility by...
(1936) - Smash and GrabSmash and GrabSmash and Grab is a 1937 British comedy crime film directed by Tim Whelan and starring Jack Buchanan, Elsie Randolph, Arthur Margetson and Anthony Holles...
(1937) - The Sky's the LimitThe Sky's the Limit (1938 film)The Sky's the Limit is a 1938 British musical comedy film directed by Jack Buchanan and Lee Garmes and starring Buchanan, Mara Loseff and William Kendall.-Cast:* Jack Buchanan - Dave Harber* Mara Loseff - Isobella* William Kendall - Thornwell Beamish...
(1938) - Break the NewsBreak the News (film)Break the News is a 1938 British musical comedy film directed by René Clair and starring Jack Buchanan, Maurice Chevalier and June Knight. Two struggling performers decide to create a fake murder scandal in order to drum up publicity for their act...
(1938) - Alias the Bulldog (1939)
- Bulldog Sees It ThroughBulldog Sees It ThroughBulldog Sees it Through is a 1940 British, black-and-white, mystery war film directed by Harold Huth and starring Ronald Shiner as Pug, Jack Buchanan, Greta Gynt, Googie Withers and Sebastian Shaw. It was produced by Associated British Picture Corporation....
(1939) - The Gang's All HereThe Gang's All Here (1939 film)The Gang's All Here is a 1939 British, black-and-white, crime, drama, musical, directed by Thornton Freeland and starring Ronald Shiner as Spider Ferris. It was produced by Associated British Picture Corporation. Subsequently, the film was released in 1943 with the film title of The Amazing Mr...
(1939) - The Middle WatchThe Middle Watch (1940 film)The Middle Watch is a 1940 British, black-and-white, comedy film, directed by Thomas Bentley and starring Ronald Shiner as the Ship's Mechanic or Engineer, Jack Buchanan, Greta Gynt, Fred Emney and Kay Walsh. It was produced by Associated British Picture Corporation...
(1940) - The Band WagonThe Band WagonThe Band Wagon is a 1953 musical comedy film that many critics rank, along with Singin' in the Rain, as the finest of the MGM musicals, although it was only a modest box-office success. It tells the story of an aging musical star who hopes a Broadway play will restart his career...
(1953) - Josephine and MenJosephine and MenJosephine and Men is a 1955 British comedy film directed by Roy Boulting and starring Glynis Johns, Jack Buchanan, Donald Sinden and Peter Finch...
(1955) - As Long as They're HappyAs Long as They're HappyAs Long as They're Happy is a 1955 British musical comedy film directed by J. Lee Thompson.-Cast:* Jack Buchanan as John Bentley* Janette Scott as Gwen Bentley* Jeannie Carson as Pat Bentley* Brenda De Banzie as Stella Bentley...
(1955)