Sandy Powell (comedian)
Encyclopedia
Sandy Powell MBE
(30 January 1900 - 26 June 1982) was an English
comedian
best known for his radio
work of the 1930s and for his catchphrase Can You Hear Me, Mother?
, Yorkshire
, England
in 1900, he attended White's school in Masbrough
where he helped his mother (Lily le Maine) to put on a marionette
show. After he left school he became a music hall
entertainer, often wearing a kilt in the guise of a Scottish comedian. During this part of his career he was associated with the singer Gracie Fields
, and released several records where he collaborated with her.
He made a total of 85 78rpm records between 1929 and 1942, mostly double-sided sketches with him in various occupations. The first, The Lost Policeman on the cheap Broadcast label, sold almost half a million copies, and his subsequent recordings for Broadcast and Rex were extremely popular. He said in a 1982 interview that he used his stage work to advertise the records, rather than the other way about.
Sandy had a stooge in his act during the 1930s, the boy soprano, Jimmy Fletcher, father of the actor Gerard Fletcher, of Emmerdale, Coronation Street and other TV . From 1930 he took his own revue, Sandy Powell's Road Show, on tour - it ran for ten years and was extremely popular despite having only a handful of performers and two backdrops.
In the 1930s he began to work on the radio, always introducing his show with catchphrase Can You Hear Me, Mother? Powell said that the catchphrase originated on an occasion when he had dropped his script and was killing time at the microphone while rearranging the pages. It is also attributed to his mother's coercion and her hardness of hearing
, during his early career. He also appeared in a number of films during the 1930s, usually as himself. A popular figure, he worked continually on radio, television and pantomime
through the 1940s and 1950s. He performed with his Starlight company in the Eastbourne Pier theatre for over fifteen seasons in the 1950s and 1960s, earning himself the sobriquet 'Mr Eastbourne', and he was still performing occasionally up to his death in 1982. Part of his act was a comedy ventriloquism
act, where the dummy would fall apart.
He was still well-known enough to have a pub named after him in 1970 and was awarded the MBE in 1975.
MBE
MBE can stand for:* Mail Boxes Etc.* Management by exception* Master of Bioethics* Master of Bioscience Enterprise* Master of Business Engineering* Master of Business Economics* Mean Biased Error...
(30 January 1900 - 26 June 1982) was an English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
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...
best known for his radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
work of the 1930s and for his catchphrase Can You Hear Me, Mother?
Life and career
Born Albert Arthur Powell in RotherhamRotherham
Rotherham is a town in South Yorkshire, England. It lies on the River Don, at its confluence with the River Rother, between Sheffield and Doncaster. Rotherham, at from Sheffield City Centre, is surrounded by several smaller settlements, which together form the wider Metropolitan Borough of...
, Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in 1900, he attended White's school in Masbrough
Masbrough
Masbrough, occasionally spelt Masborough is a suburb of Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England, located in the Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham, about 0.5 miles from Rotherham town centre.-Schools:...
where he helped his mother (Lily le Maine) to put on a marionette
Marionette
A marionette is a puppet controlled from above using wires or strings depending on regional variations. A marionette's puppeteer is called a manipulator. Marionettes are operated with the puppeteer hidden or revealed to an audience by using a vertical or horizontal control bar in different forms...
show. After he left school he became a music hall
Music hall
Music Hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment which was popular between 1850 and 1960. The term can refer to:# A particular form of variety entertainment involving a mixture of popular song, comedy and speciality acts...
entertainer, often wearing a kilt in the guise of a Scottish comedian. During this part of his career he was associated with the singer 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:...
, and released several records where he collaborated with her.
He made a total of 85 78rpm records between 1929 and 1942, mostly double-sided sketches with him in various occupations. The first, The Lost Policeman on the cheap Broadcast label, sold almost half a million copies, and his subsequent recordings for Broadcast and Rex were extremely popular. He said in a 1982 interview that he used his stage work to advertise the records, rather than the other way about.
Sandy had a stooge in his act during the 1930s, the boy soprano, Jimmy Fletcher, father of the actor Gerard Fletcher, of Emmerdale, Coronation Street and other TV . From 1930 he took his own revue, Sandy Powell's Road Show, on tour - it ran for ten years and was extremely popular despite having only a handful of performers and two backdrops.
In the 1930s he began to work on the radio, always introducing his show with catchphrase Can You Hear Me, Mother? Powell said that the catchphrase originated on an occasion when he had dropped his script and was killing time at the microphone while rearranging the pages. It is also attributed to his mother's coercion and her hardness of hearing
Hearing impairment
-Definition:Deafness is the inability for the ear to interpret certain or all frequencies of sound.-Environmental Situations:Deafness can be caused by environmental situations such as noise, trauma, or other ear defections...
, during his early career. He also appeared in a number of films during the 1930s, usually as himself. A popular figure, he worked continually on radio, television and 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...
through the 1940s and 1950s. He performed with his Starlight company in the Eastbourne Pier theatre for over fifteen seasons in the 1950s and 1960s, earning himself the sobriquet 'Mr Eastbourne', and he was still performing occasionally up to his death in 1982. Part of his act was a comedy ventriloquism
Ventriloquism
Ventriloquism, or ventriloquy, is an act of stagecraft in which a person manipulates his or her voice so that it appears that the voice is coming from elsewhere, usually a puppeteered "dummy"...
act, where the dummy would fall apart.
He was still well-known enough to have a pub named after him in 1970 and was awarded the MBE in 1975.
Selected film credits
- Cup-tie HoneymoonCup-tie HoneymoonCup-Tie Honeymoon was the first motion picture to be filmed at the Dickenson Road Studios by the Mancunian Film Corporation in 1948, themed around football.-Plot summary:...
(1948) - Home from HomeHome from Home (film)Home from Home is a 1939 British comedy drama film directed by Herbert Smith and starring Sandy Powell, René Ray and Peter Gawthorne. A man struggles to cope with life after being released from prison.-Cast:* Sandy Powell - Sandy...
(1939) - I've Got a Horse (1938)
- It's a Grand Old World (1937)
- Can You Hear Me, Mother? (1935)
- Sandy the Fireman (1930)