Sunny Rogers
Encyclopedia
Sunny Rogers was an English
entertainer
best known for her work with comedian
Frankie Howerd
.
Rogers was born Jessie Mary Rogerson in Ashton-under-Lyne
, Lancashire
. Her nickname "Sunny" comes from her constant smiling. When attending the Welbeck Street Primary School, the headmistress
wrote to her parents saying that "You really should consider sending little Jessie for dancing lessons as she entertains us all day with her singing and dancing."
Rogers began as a dancer at The Trocadaro in London
and then joined the Tiller Girls
; she went on from there to become a choreographer
and producer of floor shows.
With her deadpan
comedy expression, she became the long-suffering sidekick of Frankie Howerd, a role she played for over 35 years. She was his accompanying pianist
who would be continually mocked by the comedian ("She's deaf you know - can't hear a word - poor old soul!"). One of the best examples of her work with the star is the Channel 4
hour-long special "Superfrank!
" recorded in 1986.
After Frankie Howerd died in 1992, Sunny retired to Brighton
, Sussex
, where she continued to help show business charities. Rogers died at age 92 at a nursing home
in Worthing
.
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...
entertainer
Entertainment
Entertainment consists of any activity which provides a diversion or permits people to amuse themselves in their leisure time. Entertainment is generally passive, such as watching opera or a movie. Active forms of amusement, such as sports, are more often considered to be recreation...
best known for her work with 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...
Frankie Howerd
Frankie Howerd
Francis Alick "Frankie" Howerd OBE was an English comedian and comic actor whose career, described by fellow comedian Barry Cryer as "a series of comebacks", spanned six decades.-Early career:...
.
Rogers was born Jessie Mary Rogerson in Ashton-under-Lyne
Ashton-under-Lyne
Ashton-under-Lyne is a market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Tameside, Greater Manchester, England. Historically a part of Lancashire, it lies on the north bank of the River Tame, on undulating land at the foothills of the Pennines...
, 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...
. Her nickname "Sunny" comes from her constant smiling. When attending the Welbeck Street Primary School, the headmistress
Head teacher
A head teacher or school principal is the most senior teacher, leader and manager of a school....
wrote to her parents saying that "You really should consider sending little Jessie for dancing lessons as she entertains us all day with her singing and dancing."
Rogers began as a dancer at The Trocadaro 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 then joined the Tiller Girls
Tiller Girls
The Tiller Girls were among the most popular dance troupes of the 1900s, first formed by John Tiller in Manchester, England, in 1890. Whilst on visits to the theatre, Tiller had noticed the overall effect of a chorus of dancers was often spoiled by lack of discipline. Tiller found that by linking...
; she went on from there to become a choreographer
Choreography
Choreography is the art of designing sequences of movements in which motion, form, or both are specified. Choreography may also refer to the design itself, which is sometimes expressed by means of dance notation. The word choreography literally means "dance-writing" from the Greek words "χορεία" ...
and producer of floor shows.
With her deadpan
Deadpan
Deadpan is a form of comic delivery in which humor is presented without a change in emotion or body language, usually speaking in a casual, monotone, solemn, blunt, disgusted or matter-of-fact voice and expressing an unflappably calm, archly insincere or artificially grave demeanor...
comedy expression, she became the long-suffering sidekick of Frankie Howerd, a role she played for over 35 years. She was his accompanying pianist
Pianist
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
who would be continually mocked by the comedian ("She's deaf you know - can't hear a word - poor old soul!"). One of the best examples of her work with the star is the Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
hour-long special "Superfrank!
Superfrank!
Superfrank! was a one-hour television special starring English comedian Frankie Howerd OBE. The special show marked his return to television performance after an absence of five years.The show was made by Channel 4 and HTV...
" recorded in 1986.
After Frankie Howerd died in 1992, Sunny retired to 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...
, Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
, where she continued to help show business charities. Rogers died at age 92 at a nursing home
Nursing home
A nursing home, convalescent home, skilled nursing unit , care home, rest home, or old people's home provides a type of care of residents: it is a place of residence for people who require constant nursing care and have significant deficiencies with activities of daily living...
in Worthing
Worthing
Worthing is a large seaside town with borough status in West Sussex, within the historic County of Sussex, forming part of the Brighton/Worthing/Littlehampton conurbation. It is situated at the foot of the South Downs, west of Brighton, and east of the county town of Chichester...
.
External links
- Profile on the Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
- Obituary from The IndependentThe IndependentThe Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...