Terry Hall (ventriloquist)
Encyclopedia
Terry Hall born Terence Hall, was an English ventriloquist. He appeared regularly on television
with his puppet, Lenny the Lion, whose catchphrase was "Aw, don't embawass me!" Hall is credited as being one of the first ventriloquists to use a non-human puppet.
Hall was born in Chadderton
, Lancashire
, where his parents ran a working men's club
. He was educated at St Patrick's School in Oldham
and at De La Salle College in Salford. Hall initially worked as a ventriloquist with a boy dummy, named Mickey Finn, and won a talent show aged 15.
Hall created Lenny the Lion in 1954 after he visited the zoo while working at the summer season in Blackpool
. Lenny was made from an old fox
fur and papier-mâché
, with a golf ball for the nose. He originally had a mouthful of fearsome teeth, but they were removed at the suggestion of singer Anne Shelton to avoid scaring children in the audience.
Hall and Lenny first appeared on BBC Television
in 1956, in a variety show entitled Dress Rehearsal that also signalled Eric Sykes
' television debut. The Lenny the Lion Show ran on from 1957 to 1960, followed by Lenny's Den in 1959 to 1961, and Pops and Lenny in 1962 to 1963. Hall visited the United States in 1958, making his debut on the Ed Sullivan Show with Lenny that year. Hall and Lenny remained popular throughout the 1960s, appearing on stage in Blackpool and on television. The Beatles
made one of their early TV appearances in a 1963 episode of Pops and Lenny, singing "From Me to You
" and "Please, Please Me
." David Bowie
's father, Hayward Jones, worked on the show, and launched the Lenny the Lion Fan Club. Lenny advertised Trebor
mints for three years. Hall released a single, "Lenny's Bath Time", in 1963.
In spite of the fact that Hall was a staunch Oldham Athletic fan, during the 1957/58 English football
season, Hall took Lenny to The Den
which was then the home of Millwall Football Club
and allowed Lenny to pose with his "Fellow Lions" for publicity shots, much to the delight of all present in the ground.
Hall and Lenny continued to work in variety through the 1970s, appearing on television in programmes such as Crackerjack. From 1977 to 1980, Hall regularly appeared in the educational television programme Reading With Lenny the Lion.
Hall married twice. He had two daughters from his first marriage. He married a second time in 1980, to dance teacher Denise Francis. He suffered from Alzheimer's disease
in later life, and died in 2007 in Coventry
, West Midlands
. Dr. Harry Brünjes, a long-standing family friend, gave the eulogy at the service.
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
with his puppet, Lenny the Lion, whose catchphrase was "Aw, don't embawass me!" Hall is credited as being one of the first ventriloquists to use a non-human puppet.
Hall was born in Chadderton
Chadderton
Chadderton is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, in Greater Manchester, England, historically a part of Lancashire...
, 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...
, where his parents ran a working men's club
Working men's club
Working men's clubs are a type of private social club founded in the 19th century in industrial areas of the United Kingdom, particularly the North of England, the Midlands and many parts of the South Wales Valleys, to provide recreation and education for working class men and their families.-...
. He was educated at St Patrick's School in Oldham
Oldham
Oldham is a large town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies amid the Pennines on elevated ground between the rivers Irk and Medlock, south-southeast of Rochdale, and northeast of the city of Manchester...
and at De La Salle College in Salford. Hall initially worked as a ventriloquist with a boy dummy, named Mickey Finn, and won a talent show aged 15.
Hall created Lenny the Lion in 1954 after he visited the zoo while working at the summer season in 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...
. Lenny was made from an old fox
Fox
Fox is a common name for many species of omnivorous mammals belonging to the Canidae family. Foxes are small to medium-sized canids , characterized by possessing a long narrow snout, and a bushy tail .Members of about 37 species are referred to as foxes, of which only 12 species actually belong to...
fur and papier-mâché
Papier-mâché
Papier-mâché , alternatively, paper-mache, is a composite material consisting of paper pieces or pulp, sometimes reinforced with textiles, bound with an adhesive, such as glue, starch, or wallpaper paste....
, with a golf ball for the nose. He originally had a mouthful of fearsome teeth, but they were removed at the suggestion of singer Anne Shelton to avoid scaring children in the audience.
Hall and Lenny first appeared on BBC Television
BBC Television
BBC Television is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation. The corporation, which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927, has produced television programmes from its own studios since 1932, although the start of its regular service of television...
in 1956, in a variety show entitled Dress Rehearsal that also signalled Eric Sykes
Eric Sykes
Eric Sykes, CBE is an English radio, television and film writer, actor and director whose performing career has spanned more than 50 years. He frequently wrote for and/or performed with many other leading comedy performers and writers of the period, including Tony Hancock, Spike Milligan, Peter...
' television debut. The Lenny the Lion Show ran on from 1957 to 1960, followed by Lenny's Den in 1959 to 1961, and Pops and Lenny in 1962 to 1963. Hall visited the United States in 1958, making his debut on the Ed Sullivan Show with Lenny that year. Hall and Lenny remained popular throughout the 1960s, appearing on stage in Blackpool and on television. The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
made one of their early TV appearances in a 1963 episode of Pops and Lenny, singing "From Me to You
From Me to You
"From Me to You" is a song written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney and released by The Beatles as a single in 1963. The single was the Beatles' first number one in some of the United Kingdom charts, second in others, but failed to make an impact in the United States at the time of its initial...
" and "Please, Please Me
Please Please Me (song)
"Please Please Me" is a song and the second single released by The Beatles in the United Kingdom, and the first to be issued in the United States. It was also the title track of their first LP, which was recorded to capitalise on the success of the single...
." David Bowie
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
's father, Hayward Jones, worked on the show, and launched the Lenny the Lion Fan Club. Lenny advertised Trebor
Trebor
Trebor may refer to:*Cadbury Trebor Bassett, a British confectionery company*Trebor, a 14th-century composer*Robert Trebor, an actor*Trebor Healey, an American poet and novelist*Trebor Edwards, a Welsh tenor...
mints for three years. Hall released a single, "Lenny's Bath Time", in 1963.
In spite of the fact that Hall was a staunch Oldham Athletic fan, during the 1957/58 English football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
season, Hall took Lenny to The Den
The Den (stadium)
The Den was the fifth football stadium occupied by Millwall F.C. in Cold Blow Lane, New Cross, London since their formation in Millwall on the Isle of Dogs in 1885 before moving to The New Den, in May 1993. The ground opened in 1910 and was the home of Millwall for 83 years. It boasted a record...
which was then the home of Millwall Football Club
Millwall F.C.
Millwall Football Club is an English professional football club based in South Bermondsey, south east London, that plays in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football. Founded as Millwall Rovers in 1885, the club has retained its name despite having last played in the...
and allowed Lenny to pose with his "Fellow Lions" for publicity shots, much to the delight of all present in the ground.
Hall and Lenny continued to work in variety through the 1970s, appearing on television in programmes such as Crackerjack. From 1977 to 1980, Hall regularly appeared in the educational television programme Reading With Lenny the Lion.
Hall married twice. He had two daughters from his first marriage. He married a second time in 1980, to dance teacher Denise Francis. He suffered from Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease also known in medical literature as Alzheimer disease is the most common form of dementia. There is no cure for the disease, which worsens as it progresses, and eventually leads to death...
in later life, and died in 2007 in Coventry
Coventry
Coventry is a city and metropolitan borough in the county of West Midlands in England. Coventry is the 9th largest city in England and the 11th largest in the United Kingdom. It is also the second largest city in the English Midlands, after Birmingham, with a population of 300,848, although...
, West Midlands
West Midlands (county)
The West Midlands is a metropolitan county in western central England with a 2009 estimated population of 2,638,700. It came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972, formed from parts of Staffordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire. The...
. Dr. Harry Brünjes, a long-standing family friend, gave the eulogy at the service.