Ted Ray (comedian)
Encyclopedia
Ted Ray was a popular English
comedian
of the 1940s, 50s and 60s.
Ray was born in Wigan
, Lancashire
. His parents moved to Liverpool
within days of his birth and Liverpudlians regard him as a local. As a comedian of the 1940s and 1950s he demonstrated his ad-libbing skills in his weekly radio show, Ray's A Laugh, from 1949 until 1961.
A music hall
comedian, Ray usually played violin
badly as part of his act. He also played comedy roles in several British films—notably as the headmaster in Carry On Teacher
. He is best remembered for Ray's a Laugh, a domestic comedy in which he was accompanied by Australian Kitty Bluett, who played his wife. Other actors and actresses who featured on the show during the run including Peter Sellers
, Fred Yule
, Patricia Hayes
, Kenneth Connor
, Pat Coombs
and Graham Stark
; Sellers' earliest appearances predated The Goon Show
by a couple of years. In 1940 and 1950 Ray was King Rat of the Grand Order of Water Rats
.
Ray was an accomplished golf
er, frequently playing with professional sportsmen. Later in his career he appeared with Jimmy Edwards
, Arthur Askey
and Cyril Fletcher
in the comedy radio panel game Does the Team Think?
Ted Ray appeared on television reading on Jackanory
(a children's programme) in the 1960s and 1970s. For several years, Ray presented a radio show on BBC Radio 2
in the early 1970s. He was also involved in Joker's Wild
, an ITV celebrity comedy game show (1971–74) which was chaired by Barry Cryer
. Arthur Askey
was another regular on the show.
He married showgirl Dorothy (née Sibil) and the couple had two sons: Robin Ray
, a well known television personality in the 1960s and 1970s, who initiated Call My Bluff and specialist classical music shows, and Andrew Ray
, a child star of the 1950s who had a long career on stage, film and television.
Ray's a Laugh was a domestic comedy. Ray's wife was played by Kitty Bluett. Fred Yule played his brother-in-law. Patricia Hayes appeared as did Kenneth Connor
as Sidney Mincing. In later series Ray had left the Cannon Enquiry Agency and joined the Daily Bugle as a reporter. Jack Watson
and Charles Leno joined the cast and new characters included Mrs Dipper and Roger Curfew, the paying guest with songs by John Hanson
and the King's Men
.
Another early member was Peter Sellers
, then 23 and billing himself as an impressionist. He appeared as Soppy, a small boy criticised by the nation's watchdogs for his catchphrase, "Just like your big red conk!" Another of his characters was a strange woman, Crystal Jollibottom ("Stop it you saucebox!" he would cry in a crazy falsetto
). Laidman Browne, as Ray's boss Mr Trumble, Pat Coombs
as Ursula Prune, Charles Leno and Graham Stark
were also present. Percy Edwards
, the animal impersonator, played Gregory the chicken.
There was the glamour girl who would do anything, but "Not until after six-o'clock!" Songs came from the Beaux and the Belles and Bob and Alf Pearson provided the musical interlude - "We bring you melodies from out of the sky, my brother and I!" Bob also played the little girl Jennifer who, asked her name, would coyly reply: "Jen-ni-fer!"
The show was no real departure from tradition, even in its catch-phrases. There was Ivy's (Ted Ray) devotion to Dr Hardcastle, for instance: "He's lovely, Mrs Hoskin, he's lovely!" And it was she to whom Mrs Hoskin would remark weakly: "It was agony, Ivy!" There was the adenoidal "If you haven't been to Manchester, you haven't lived...."
Ray's a Laugh ran from 1949 until January 1961, eventually dropping the musical items. Ray also showed his skill at ad-libbing (together with Jimmy Edwards
, Arthur Askey
and Cyril Fletcher
) in Does the Team Think?
as Ted Ray's wife and Kenneth Connor as "that interfering brother-in-law"); the fifth and six—with new writers—concentrated on sketch comedy and were branded 'New Edition' and '1959 Edition' to underline the difference.
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...
of the 1940s, 50s and 60s.
Ray was born in Wigan
Wigan
Wigan is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It stands on the River Douglas, south-west of Bolton, north of Warrington and west-northwest of Manchester. Wigan is the largest settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan and is its administrative centre. The town of Wigan had a total...
, 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...
. His parents moved to Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
within days of his birth and Liverpudlians regard him as a local. As a comedian of the 1940s and 1950s he demonstrated his ad-libbing skills in his weekly radio show, Ray's A Laugh, from 1949 until 1961.
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...
comedian, Ray usually played violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
badly as part of his act. He also played comedy roles in several British films—notably as the headmaster in Carry On Teacher
Carry On Teacher
Carry On Teacher is the third Carry On film, released in 1959. It features Ted Ray in his only Carry On role, alongside series regulars; Kenneth Connor, Charles Hawtrey, Kenneth Williams and Hattie Jacques. Leslie Phillips and Joan Sims make their second appearances in the series here, having made...
. He is best remembered for Ray's a Laugh, a domestic comedy in which he was accompanied by Australian Kitty Bluett, who played his wife. Other actors and actresses who featured on the show during the run including Peter Sellers
Peter Sellers
Richard Henry Sellers, CBE , known as Peter Sellers, was a British comedian and actor. Perhaps best known as Chief Inspector Clouseau in The Pink Panther film series, he is also notable for playing three different characters in Dr...
, Fred Yule
Fred Yule
Fred Yule was an English character actor, comedian and singer, mainly known for his appearances in post-war BBC Radio programmes such as ITMA, Ray's a Laugh, Band Waggon and The Archers....
, Patricia Hayes
Patricia Hayes
Patricia Lawlor Hayes, OBE was an English comedy actress.Hayes was born in Streatham, London. As a child Hayes attended Sacred Heart School in Wandsworth....
, Kenneth Connor
Kenneth Connor
Kenneth Connor MBE was an English comedy stage, radio, film and TV actor, best known for his appearances in the Carry On films.-Career:...
, Pat Coombs
Pat Coombs
Pat Coombs was an English actress. Coombs was considered one of Britain's great character actresses, specialising in the portrayal of the eternal downtrodden female — comically under the thumb of stronger personalities. She was known for many roles on radio, film and television sitcoms...
and Graham Stark
Graham Stark
Graham Stark is an English comedian, actor, writer and director.Stark was born in Wallasey on the Wirral in Cheshire, England. He first came to prominence on BBC Radio, making his debut in Happy Go Lucky and going on to Ray's A Laugh, Educating Archie and substitute on The Goon Show...
; Sellers' earliest appearances predated The Goon Show
The Goon Show
The Goon Show was a British radio comedy programme, originally produced and broadcast by the BBC Home Service from 1951 to 1960, with occasional repeats on the BBC Light Programme...
by a couple of years. In 1940 and 1950 Ray was King Rat of the Grand Order of Water Rats
Grand Order of Water Rats
The Grand Order of Water Rats is an entertainment industry charity, and brotherhood, based in London. The Water Rats were founded in 1889 by comedian Joe Elvin. The first King Rat, as the head of the charity is termed, was music hall singer Harry Freeman. Comedian Dan Leno joined in 1890 and was...
.
Ray was an accomplished golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
er, frequently playing with professional sportsmen. Later in his career he appeared with Jimmy Edwards
Jimmy Edwards
Jimmy Edwards DFC was an English comedic script writer and comedy actor on both radio and television, best known as Pa Glum in Take It From Here and as the headmaster 'Professor' James Edwards in Whack-O!-Biography:...
, Arthur Askey
Arthur Askey
Arthur Bowden Askey CBE was a prominent English comedian.- Life and career :Askey was born at 29 Moses Street, Liverpool, the eldest child and only son of Samuel Askey , secretary of the firm Sugar Products of Liverpool, and his wife, Betsy Bowden , of Knutsford, Cheshire...
and Cyril Fletcher
Cyril Fletcher
Cyril Fletcher was an English comedian; his catchphrase was 'Pin back your lugholes'. He was most famous for his Odd Odes, which was a section of the television show That's Life!. Fletcher had first begun performing the Odd Odes in 1937, long before they first appeared on television...
in the comedy radio panel game Does the Team Think?
Ted Ray appeared on television reading on Jackanory
Jackanory
Jackanory is a long-running BBC children's television series that was designed to stimulate an interest in reading. The show was first transmitted on 13 December 1965, the first story being the fairy-tale Cap o' Rushes read by Lee Montague. Jackanory continued to be broadcast until 24 March 1996,...
(a children's programme) in the 1960s and 1970s. For several years, Ray presented a radio show on BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBC's national radio stations and the most popular station in the United Kingdom. Much of its daytime playlist-based programming is best described as Adult Contemporary or AOR, although the station is also noted for its specialist broadcasting of other musical genres...
in the early 1970s. He was also involved in Joker's Wild
Joker's Wild (TV series)
thumb|200px|Host Barry Cryer on Joker's WildJoker's Wild is a British comedy panel game that was produced by Yorkshire Television and broadcast for eight series on ITV from 1969 to 1974...
, an ITV celebrity comedy game show (1971–74) which was chaired by Barry Cryer
Barry Cryer
Barry Charles Cryer OBE is a British writer and comedian. Cryer has written for many noted performers, including Dave Allen, Stanley Baxter, Jack Benny, Rory Bremner, George Burns, Jasper Carrott, Tommy Cooper, Les Dawson, Dick Emery, Kenny Everett, Bruce Forsyth, David Frost, Bob Hope, Frankie...
. Arthur Askey
Arthur Askey
Arthur Bowden Askey CBE was a prominent English comedian.- Life and career :Askey was born at 29 Moses Street, Liverpool, the eldest child and only son of Samuel Askey , secretary of the firm Sugar Products of Liverpool, and his wife, Betsy Bowden , of Knutsford, Cheshire...
was another regular on the show.
He married showgirl Dorothy (née Sibil) and the couple had two sons: Robin Ray
Robin Ray
Robin Ray was an English actor, musician and broadcaster, the son of comedian Ted Ray and the brother of actor Andrew Ray.-Career:...
, a well known television personality in the 1960s and 1970s, who initiated Call My Bluff and specialist classical music shows, and Andrew Ray
Andrew Ray
Andrew Ray was an English actor who was best known as a child star.He was born Andrew Olden , in North London, the son of the famous radio comic Ted Ray and his wife, showgirl Dorothy...
, a child star of the 1950s who had a long career on stage, film and television.
Ray's a Laugh (1949–1961)
Nedlo, the Gypsy Violinist, started his own show in 1949 and made a success of it. Ray's a Laugh did not include Nedlo's name in the credits, nor indeed that of Charlie Olden (Ray's real name). Nedlo/Olden was, by 1949, calling himself Ted Ray (after the golfer) - and that was how he billed himself for his radio series.Ray's a Laugh was a domestic comedy. Ray's wife was played by Kitty Bluett. Fred Yule played his brother-in-law. Patricia Hayes appeared as did Kenneth Connor
Kenneth Connor
Kenneth Connor MBE was an English comedy stage, radio, film and TV actor, best known for his appearances in the Carry On films.-Career:...
as Sidney Mincing. In later series Ray had left the Cannon Enquiry Agency and joined the Daily Bugle as a reporter. Jack Watson
Jack Watson (actor)
Jack Watson , was an English actor who appeared in many British films and television dramas from the 1950s onwards....
and Charles Leno joined the cast and new characters included Mrs Dipper and Roger Curfew, the paying guest with songs by John Hanson
John Hanson
John Hanson was a merchant and public official from Maryland during the era of the American Revolution. After serving in a variety of roles for the Patriot cause in Maryland, in 1779 Hanson was elected as a delegate to the Continental Congress...
and the King's Men
King's Men
King's Men or Kingsmen may refer to:*The King's Men , Númenórean royalist faction in J. R. R. Tolkien's writings*The King's Men , English company of actors to whom William Shakespeare belonged*The Kingsmen, American rock group...
.
Another early member was Peter Sellers
Peter Sellers
Richard Henry Sellers, CBE , known as Peter Sellers, was a British comedian and actor. Perhaps best known as Chief Inspector Clouseau in The Pink Panther film series, he is also notable for playing three different characters in Dr...
, then 23 and billing himself as an impressionist. He appeared as Soppy, a small boy criticised by the nation's watchdogs for his catchphrase, "Just like your big red conk!" Another of his characters was a strange woman, Crystal Jollibottom ("Stop it you saucebox!" he would cry in a crazy falsetto
Falsetto
Falsetto is the vocal register occupying the frequency range just above the modal voice register and overlapping with it by approximately one octave. It is produced by the vibration of the ligamentous edges of the vocal folds, in whole or in part...
). Laidman Browne, as Ray's boss Mr Trumble, Pat Coombs
Pat Coombs
Pat Coombs was an English actress. Coombs was considered one of Britain's great character actresses, specialising in the portrayal of the eternal downtrodden female — comically under the thumb of stronger personalities. She was known for many roles on radio, film and television sitcoms...
as Ursula Prune, Charles Leno and Graham Stark
Graham Stark
Graham Stark is an English comedian, actor, writer and director.Stark was born in Wallasey on the Wirral in Cheshire, England. He first came to prominence on BBC Radio, making his debut in Happy Go Lucky and going on to Ray's A Laugh, Educating Archie and substitute on The Goon Show...
were also present. Percy Edwards
Percy Edwards
Percy Edwards MBE , was an English animal impersonator, ornithologist, and entertainer.-Biography:...
, the animal impersonator, played Gregory the chicken.
There was the glamour girl who would do anything, but "Not until after six-o'clock!" Songs came from the Beaux and the Belles and Bob and Alf Pearson provided the musical interlude - "We bring you melodies from out of the sky, my brother and I!" Bob also played the little girl Jennifer who, asked her name, would coyly reply: "Jen-ni-fer!"
The show was no real departure from tradition, even in its catch-phrases. There was Ivy's (Ted Ray) devotion to Dr Hardcastle, for instance: "He's lovely, Mrs Hoskin, he's lovely!" And it was she to whom Mrs Hoskin would remark weakly: "It was agony, Ivy!" There was the adenoidal "If you haven't been to Manchester, you haven't lived...."
Ray's a Laugh ran from 1949 until January 1961, eventually dropping the musical items. Ray also showed his skill at ad-libbing (together with Jimmy Edwards
Jimmy Edwards
Jimmy Edwards DFC was an English comedic script writer and comedy actor on both radio and television, best known as Pa Glum in Take It From Here and as the headmaster 'Professor' James Edwards in Whack-O!-Biography:...
, Arthur Askey
Arthur Askey
Arthur Bowden Askey CBE was a prominent English comedian.- Life and career :Askey was born at 29 Moses Street, Liverpool, the eldest child and only son of Samuel Askey , secretary of the firm Sugar Products of Liverpool, and his wife, Betsy Bowden , of Knutsford, Cheshire...
and Cyril Fletcher
Cyril Fletcher
Cyril Fletcher was an English comedian; his catchphrase was 'Pin back your lugholes'. He was most famous for his Odd Odes, which was a section of the television show That's Life!. Fletcher had first begun performing the Odd Odes in 1937, long before they first appeared on television...
) in Does the Team Think?
The Ted Ray Show (1955–1959)
The first series accented variety, with international guests; the second and third series had greater emphasis on stand-up comedy; the fourth featured domestic routines (with Diane HartDiane Hart
Diane Hart was an English actress in both movies and the theater in the West End Theater of London, political campaigner and inventor. For 12 years she was married to the television broadcaster Kenneth MacLeod before separating in 1968...
as Ted Ray's wife and Kenneth Connor as "that interfering brother-in-law"); the fifth and six—with new writers—concentrated on sketch comedy and were branded 'New Edition' and '1959 Edition' to underline the difference.
Crew
- Sid ColinSid ColinSid Colin was an English screenwriter, working for both television and the cinema. He is best rememberd for the television comedies The Army Game , Up Pompeii! and the film Percy's Progress...
- Writer (series 1-4) - Talbot RothwellTalbot RothwellTalbot Nelson Conn Rothwell, OBE was an English screenwriter.Rothwell was born in Bromley, Kent, England. He had a variety of jobs during his early life: town clerk, police officer, and Royal Air Force pilot....
- Writer (series 1-4) - George Wadmore - Writer (series 1-4)
- John JunkinJohn JunkinJohn Francis Junkin was an English radio, television and film performer and scriptwriter.In 1960 Junkin joined Joan Littlewood's Stratford East Theatre Workshop, and played the lead in the original production of Sparrows Can't Sing...
- Writer (series 5 & 6 and special) - Terry NationTerry NationTerry Nation was a Welsh screenwriter and novelist.He is probably best known for creating the villainous Daleks in the long-running science fiction television series Doctor Who...
- Writer (series 5 & 6 and special) - Dave FreemanDave Freeman (writer)Dave Freeman was a British film and television writer, working chiefly in comedy.As well as writing sketches for comedians such as Tony Hancock and Arthur Askey, Freeman wrote screenplays for comedies including Jules Verne's Rocket to the Moon and Carry On Behind as well as being a regular...
- Additional Material (3 shows) - George Inns - Producer (series 1-5)
- Bill Ward - Producer (2 shows)
- Ernest Maxin - Producer (1 show)
- Barry Lupino - Producer (1 show)
Transmission details
- Number of episodes: 29 Length: 28 x 60 mins • 1 x short special
- Series One (4) 21 May – 13 Aug 1955 • monthly Sat mostly 9.15pm
- Series Two (4) 28 Apr – 21 July 1956 • monthly Sat mostly 9.15pm
- Series Three (8) 19 Jan – 3 Aug 1957 • monthly Sat mostly 8pm
- Series Four (5) 25 Jan – 10 May 1958 • monthly Sat 8pm
- Series Five (3) 27 Sep – 22 Nov 1958 • monthly Sat 8pm
- Short special • part of Christmas Night with the StarsChristmas Night with the StarsChristmas Night with the Stars was a variety television show broadcast each Christmas night by the BBC from 1958 to 1972 and also in 1994. The show featured the top stars of the BBC as they appeared in short versions of their programmes, typically five to ten minutes long. The show was voted 24th...
25 Dec 1958 • Thu 6.25pm - Series Six (4) 31 Jan – 2 May 1959 • monthly Sat mostly 7.30pm
Filmography
- Meet Me TonightMeet Me TonightMeet me Tonight is a 1952 omnibus British comedy film adapted from three one act plays by Noel Coward that are part of his Tonight at 8:30 play cycle...
(1952) - Escape by NightEscape by Night (1953 film)Escape by Night is a 1953 British crime film directed and written by John Gilling.-Plot:Gino Rossi is an Italian crime boss on the run who hides in a theater with a British journalist who wants to extract his life story.-Cast:...
(1953) - My Wife's FamilyMy Wife's Family (1956 film)My Wife's Family is a 1956 British comedy film directed by Gilbert Gunn and starring Ronald Shiner as Doc Knott, Ted Ray, Greta Gynt, Diane Hart and Robertson Hare. It was a remake of the 1941 British film My Wife's Family....
(1956) - Please Turn OverPlease Turn OverPlease Turn Over is a 1959 British comedy film written by Norman Hudis and directed by Gerald Thomas. It featured Ted Ray, Julia Lockwood, Jean Kent, Joan Sims, Leslie Phillips, Charles Hawtrey, Lionel Jeffries and Victor Maddern. An English village is thrown into chaos when the daughter of one of...
(1959) - The Crowning TouchThe Crowning TouchThe Crowning Touch is a 1959 British comedy film directed by David Eady and starring Ted Ray, Irene Handl and Greta Gynt.-Cast:* Ted Ray as Bert* Greta Gynt as Rosie* Griffith Jones as Mark* Sydney Tafler as Joe* Dermot Walsh as Aubrey Drake...
(1959) - Carry On TeacherCarry On TeacherCarry On Teacher is the third Carry On film, released in 1959. It features Ted Ray in his only Carry On role, alongside series regulars; Kenneth Connor, Charles Hawtrey, Kenneth Williams and Hattie Jacques. Leslie Phillips and Joan Sims make their second appearances in the series here, having made...
(1959)