Terry Scanlon
Encyclopedia
Terry Scanlon was an Australia
n comedian and pantomime artist. He was one of Australia’s top comedians; he worked with some of the early greats of Australian comedy, including Sid Beck, Roy Rene
and George Wallace
. In the 1930s, however, he was one of the vanguard to modernise comedy out of baggy suits, funny face make up and slapstick into the more modern stand up style comedian - in a tailored suit, the only prop a cigarette in hand, delivering gags. His role in the evolution of Australian comedy was acknowledged in a tribute by Joe Martin when he was honoured as a life member of the “ECHINDAS” by his peer’s years later.
Scanlon was born at the Salvation Army home, Mount Lawley, Western Australia
. In 1918 he was formally and legally adopted by the midwife who had delivered him and taken care of him since he was 3 days old, Harriet, and her husband Maurice Scanlon. They lived in Charles St, West Perth. He started performing professionally at the age of 9, touring with YAL (Young Australia League), which also produced the talented Colin Croft and internationally known Rolf Harris
. Jack Cox, an English producer/director, taught Terry the basis of comic routines. Terry refined his craft through years of touring through West Australia, South Australia
and Victoria
during the 1930s.
Scanlon left school at the age of 13 and his elderly adoptive parents had died in 1928 while he was in his early teens. He had no family but his burning ambition to become a comedian and perform in the east of Australia sustained him. He was still touring mainly around Perth and Fremantle at this time with William (Billy) R. Heaton. He began touring with Mrs Teague’s Concert Party, performing in jails, hospitals, asylums and at Cottesloe beach, performing in the show “Sleepy Time Down South” while doubling as a waiter in a guest house. Still in his late teens he continued learning his craft with great enthusiasm; touring with vaudeville shows, visually impaired shows, community concerts etc.…
Doing diverse, but mainly comic performances Scanlon also performed as a juggler, assistant in a dagger throwing club and did a stint in a tent show as a boxer. In those days people had to be versatile. Comedy however was his true forte and on the advice of an act, Ted and Flo James, he was advised to go to the eastern states and get work in the theatres there. Many years later Ted and Flo James became show business agents in Sydney and Terry would get a lot of bookings through them.
Terry decided to leave WA and in a T-model Ford he crossed the Nullarbor plains. The car blew up during its long journey. He was now stuck in Adelaide and South Australia was not appreciative of strangers from other states. As these were the depression years they were having enough problems feeding their own. He kept performing wherever he could. Six months went by and he decided to move on to Melbourne. A racing car driver was driving to Melbourne for a competition and Terry was able to hitch a ride with him. He found work in Melbourne including Sunday night performances at the Kings, Savoy, Princess and Apollo theatres. He worked with Ronny Shand, an acrobatic comic as well as Jo Lawman and Stella Lamond. Scanlon remembered nursing Toni Lamond
when she was a baby.
Scanlon was in his early 20’s when he hit the big time. He started performing at the Melbourne Tivoli which marked the beginning of a 26 year relationship with the Tivoli circuit
. The Tivoli was owned by a variety of people over the years. At the time Scanlon first performed at “The Tiv”, the owner was an ex-actor, Frank Neil. After Neil was found murdered in South Melbourne, Wallace Parnell took charge (brother of the English Entrepreneur Val Parnell
, who ran the London Palladium
). Later still, David M. Martin took charge, whose son Lloyd Martin was to become the director of the Sydney Opera House
. Scanlon had a lifetime contract with the entrepreneur Harry Wren, who booked him into theatres all over Australia including the Cremorne-Brisbane, Tasmania and New Zealand.
A fellow performer related the story of when the power was cut during an ice show in New Zealand. With the aid of the impromptu spotlights provided by usherettes and their torches, Terry entertained the audience, telling gags for 1.5 hours non-stop till the power came back on. In all that time he never once stooped to tell a dirty joke.
Scanlon also worked in night clubs including Sydney’s “Sammy Lees” and “Jo Taylors.” He performed pantomime. He was famous as “Buttons” in Cinderella. He did Vaudeville, variety and revue. He even played the pivotal part of Lord Fancourt Babberley in Charley's Aunt
, staged by the Tivoli in Adelaide. During the 1950s, Terry toured England with the Empire Theatre circuit, working in Scotland and Ireland. He played the then famous Collins Music Hall in Islington
, London
, where he topped the bill and was the only Australian to do so. He also did six seasons at the racy Windmill Theatre
.
Scanlon toured North Africa
, Cyprus
, Malta
and Germany
entertaining US troupes stationed there. He also performed in Bimbos, a famous nightclub in San Francisco and then left the US for more work in the UK. He also entertained the troupes in Vietnam. During that engagement, he performed with other artists including Lucky Starr
. Scanlon was awarded a certificate of appreciation from General William Westmoreland
, the General of the United States army in 1967. He was a keen golfer and played on the famous St Andrews golf course
in the UK. And when in the United States played and met one of the all time golf greats, Ben Hogan
, on his own course in Fort Worth, Texas
.
Scanlon had his own television show in the late 60’s, “The Terry Scanlon Show” running on channel 9 in Melbourne. He also made guest appearances on the Stuart Wagstaff
show there. He also had his own show in Sydney on Channel 7 and a guest appearance on “The Bobby Limb Show” on Channel 9. However, Terry preferred the warmth of live audiences. With the closure of the Tivoli and other live variety theatres due to the advent of television, RSL and other clubs were a source of work in the precarious world of show business. During the 1960s, Terry became very ill. He had glaucoma, heart problems and was diagnosed as a manic depressive.
Scanlon retired from public life. He had lived in the eastern suburbs of Sydney
for 35 years and in later life became a local identity around Bondi Beach
. Terry died aged 83 years. He was buried at Waverley Cemetery
; Geoff Bull
led his musicians playing a traditional jazz funeral march.
Terry performed alongside artists such as: Noel Coward
, Dave Brubeck
, Johnnie Ray
, Mel Tourme, Howard Keel
, Chico Marx
, Tommy Trinder
, Arthur Askie, Billy Daniels
.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n comedian and pantomime artist. He was one of Australia’s top comedians; he worked with some of the early greats of Australian comedy, including Sid Beck, Roy Rene
Roy Rene
Roy Rene , born Harry van der Sluys, was an Australian comedian and vaudevillian. As the bawdy character Mo McCackie, Rene was one of the most well-known and successful Australian comedians of the 20th century. Roy Rene was born in Adelaide in the 15 of February 1892 with the name Harry van der...
and George Wallace
George Wallace (Australian comedian)
George Wallace , was an Australian comedian, vaudevillian and film star. He was one of the most famous and successful Australian comedians on stage and screen in the twentieth century.-History:...
. In the 1930s, however, he was one of the vanguard to modernise comedy out of baggy suits, funny face make up and slapstick into the more modern stand up style comedian - in a tailored suit, the only prop a cigarette in hand, delivering gags. His role in the evolution of Australian comedy was acknowledged in a tribute by Joe Martin when he was honoured as a life member of the “ECHINDAS” by his peer’s years later.
Scanlon was born at the Salvation Army home, Mount Lawley, Western Australia
Mount Lawley, Western Australia
Mount Lawley is an inner suburb of Perth, Western Australia. Most of the suburb lies within the Local Government Area of the City of Stirling and small portions are in the City of Vincent and City of Bayswater...
. In 1918 he was formally and legally adopted by the midwife who had delivered him and taken care of him since he was 3 days old, Harriet, and her husband Maurice Scanlon. They lived in Charles St, West Perth. He started performing professionally at the age of 9, touring with YAL (Young Australia League), which also produced the talented Colin Croft and internationally known Rolf Harris
Rolf Harris
Rolf Harris, CBE, AM is an Australian musician, singer-songwriter, composer, painter and television personality.Born in Perth, Western Australia, Harris was a champion swimmer before studying art. He moved to England in 1952, where he started to appear on television programmes on which he drew the...
. Jack Cox, an English producer/director, taught Terry the basis of comic routines. Terry refined his craft through years of touring through West Australia, South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
and Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
during the 1930s.
Scanlon left school at the age of 13 and his elderly adoptive parents had died in 1928 while he was in his early teens. He had no family but his burning ambition to become a comedian and perform in the east of Australia sustained him. He was still touring mainly around Perth and Fremantle at this time with William (Billy) R. Heaton. He began touring with Mrs Teague’s Concert Party, performing in jails, hospitals, asylums and at Cottesloe beach, performing in the show “Sleepy Time Down South” while doubling as a waiter in a guest house. Still in his late teens he continued learning his craft with great enthusiasm; touring with vaudeville shows, visually impaired shows, community concerts etc.…
Doing diverse, but mainly comic performances Scanlon also performed as a juggler, assistant in a dagger throwing club and did a stint in a tent show as a boxer. In those days people had to be versatile. Comedy however was his true forte and on the advice of an act, Ted and Flo James, he was advised to go to the eastern states and get work in the theatres there. Many years later Ted and Flo James became show business agents in Sydney and Terry would get a lot of bookings through them.
Terry decided to leave WA and in a T-model Ford he crossed the Nullarbor plains. The car blew up during its long journey. He was now stuck in Adelaide and South Australia was not appreciative of strangers from other states. As these were the depression years they were having enough problems feeding their own. He kept performing wherever he could. Six months went by and he decided to move on to Melbourne. A racing car driver was driving to Melbourne for a competition and Terry was able to hitch a ride with him. He found work in Melbourne including Sunday night performances at the Kings, Savoy, Princess and Apollo theatres. He worked with Ronny Shand, an acrobatic comic as well as Jo Lawman and Stella Lamond. Scanlon remembered nursing Toni Lamond
Toni Lamond
Toni Lamond AM is an Australian cabaret singer, stage actor, dancer and comedienne...
when she was a baby.
Scanlon was in his early 20’s when he hit the big time. He started performing at the Melbourne Tivoli which marked the beginning of a 26 year relationship with the Tivoli circuit
Tivoli circuit
The Tivoli Circuit was a successful and popular Australian entertainment circuit which flourished from 1893 and the 1950s. The circuit suffered a catastrophic decline in popularity after the introduction of television in Australia in 1956, and the last Tivoli show was staged in 1966.-History:The...
. The Tivoli was owned by a variety of people over the years. At the time Scanlon first performed at “The Tiv”, the owner was an ex-actor, Frank Neil. After Neil was found murdered in South Melbourne, Wallace Parnell took charge (brother of the English Entrepreneur Val Parnell
Val Parnell
Valentine Charles Parnell , known as Val Parnell, was a British television producer and theatrical impresario.-Life and career:...
, who ran the London Palladium
London Palladium
The London Palladium is a 2,286 seat West End theatre located off Oxford Street in the City of Westminster. From the roster of stars who have played there and many televised performances, it is arguably the most famous theatre in London and the United Kingdom, especially for musical variety...
). Later still, David M. Martin took charge, whose son Lloyd Martin was to become the director of the Sydney Opera House
Sydney Opera House
The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in the Australian city of Sydney. It was conceived and largely built by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, finally opening in 1973 after a long gestation starting with his competition-winning design in 1957...
. Scanlon had a lifetime contract with the entrepreneur Harry Wren, who booked him into theatres all over Australia including the Cremorne-Brisbane, Tasmania and New Zealand.
A fellow performer related the story of when the power was cut during an ice show in New Zealand. With the aid of the impromptu spotlights provided by usherettes and their torches, Terry entertained the audience, telling gags for 1.5 hours non-stop till the power came back on. In all that time he never once stooped to tell a dirty joke.
Scanlon also worked in night clubs including Sydney’s “Sammy Lees” and “Jo Taylors.” He performed pantomime. He was famous as “Buttons” in Cinderella. He did Vaudeville, variety and revue. He even played the pivotal part of Lord Fancourt Babberley in Charley's Aunt
Charley's Aunt
Charley's Aunt is a farce in three acts written by Brandon Thomas. It broke all historic records for plays of any kind, with an original London run of 1,466 performances....
, staged by the Tivoli in Adelaide. During the 1950s, Terry toured England with the Empire Theatre circuit, working in Scotland and Ireland. He played the then famous Collins Music Hall in Islington
Islington
Islington is a neighbourhood in Greater London, England and forms the central district of the London Borough of Islington. It is a district of Inner London, spanning from Islington High Street to Highbury Fields, encompassing the area around the busy Upper Street...
, 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...
, where he topped the bill and was the only Australian to do so. He also did six seasons at the racy Windmill Theatre
Windmill Theatre
The Windmill Theatre, later The Windmill International, was a variety and revue theatre in Great Windmill Street, London. The theatre was famous for its nude tableaux vivants...
.
Scanlon toured North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
, Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
, Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
and Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
entertaining US troupes stationed there. He also performed in Bimbos, a famous nightclub in San Francisco and then left the US for more work in the UK. He also entertained the troupes in Vietnam. During that engagement, he performed with other artists including Lucky Starr
Leslie Morrison
Leslie Morrison , better known by his stage name Lucky Starr, is an Australian singer. He released the tongue-twisting, "I've Been Everywhere" as a single in 1962, written by the singer-songwriter Geoff Mack, which name-drops numerous Australian towns...
. Scanlon was awarded a certificate of appreciation from General William Westmoreland
William Westmoreland
William Childs Westmoreland was a United States Army General, who commanded US military operations in the Vietnam War at its peak , during the Tet Offensive. He adopted a strategy of attrition against the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam and the North Vietnamese Army. He later served as...
, the General of the United States army in 1967. He was a keen golfer and played on the famous St Andrews golf course
St Andrews Links
St Andrews Links in the town of St Andrews, Fife, Scotland, is regarded as the "home of golf". It is one of the oldest courses in the world, where the game has been played since the 15th century...
in the UK. And when in the United States played and met one of the all time golf greats, Ben Hogan
Ben Hogan
William Ben Hogan was an American golfer, generally considered one of the greatest players in the history of the game...
, on his own course in Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth is the 16th-largest city in the United States of America and the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas. Located in North Central Texas, just southeast of the Texas Panhandle, the city is a cultural gateway into the American West and covers nearly in Tarrant, Parker, Denton, and...
.
Scanlon had his own television show in the late 60’s, “The Terry Scanlon Show” running on channel 9 in Melbourne. He also made guest appearances on the Stuart Wagstaff
Stuart Wagstaff
Stuart Wagstaff AM is an Australian television and stage entertainer.- Early life :Wagstaff was born in Great Durnford, Wiltshire, England, and grew up on a farm with his parents and two older sisters. His father was very strict and emotionally abusive, and he received little affection from his...
show there. He also had his own show in Sydney on Channel 7 and a guest appearance on “The Bobby Limb Show” on Channel 9. However, Terry preferred the warmth of live audiences. With the closure of the Tivoli and other live variety theatres due to the advent of television, RSL and other clubs were a source of work in the precarious world of show business. During the 1960s, Terry became very ill. He had glaucoma, heart problems and was diagnosed as a manic depressive.
Scanlon retired from public life. He had lived in the eastern suburbs of Sydney
Eastern Suburbs (Sydney)
The Eastern Suburbs is a general term used to describe the metropolitan area directly to the east and south-east of the Sydney central business district in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Eastern Suburbs can refer to the suburbs within the local government areas of Woollahra, Waverley, Dover...
for 35 years and in later life became a local identity around Bondi Beach
Bondi Beach, New South Wales
Bondi Beach is a popular beach and the name of the surrounding suburb in Sydney, Australia. Bondi Beach is located 7 kilometres east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Waverley Council, in the Eastern Suburbs...
. Terry died aged 83 years. He was buried at Waverley Cemetery
Waverley Cemetery
The Waverley Cemetery opened in 1877 and is a cemetery located on top of the cliffs at Bronte in the eastern suburbs of Sydney. It is noted for its largely intact Victorian and Edwardian monuments. The cemetery contains the graves of many significant Australians including the poet Henry Lawson and...
; Geoff Bull
Geoff Bull
Geoffrey Randolph Bull is an Australian jazz trumpeter and bandleader.Bull played with the Melbourne New Orleans Jazz Band in 1961, then formed his own group, the Olympia Jazz Band, in Sydney; his sidemen included guitar/banjoist Geoff Holden, clarinetist Peter Neubauer, and bassist Dick Edser....
led his musicians playing a traditional jazz funeral march.
Terry performed alongside artists such as: Noel Coward
Noël Coward
Sir Noël Peirce Coward was an English playwright, composer, director, actor and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what Time magazine called "a sense of personal style, a combination of cheek and chic, pose and poise".Born in Teddington, a suburb of London, Coward attended a dance academy...
, Dave Brubeck
Dave Brubeck
David Warren "Dave" Brubeck is an American jazz pianist. He has written a number of jazz standards, including "In Your Own Sweet Way" and "The Duke". Brubeck's style ranges from refined to bombastic, reflecting his mother's attempts at classical training and his improvisational skills...
, Johnnie Ray
Johnnie Ray
Johnnie Ray was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Popular for most of the 1950s, Ray has been cited by critics as a major precursor of what would become rock and roll, for his jazz and blues-influenced music and his animated stage personality.-Early life:John Alvin Ray was born in...
, Mel Tourme, Howard Keel
Howard Keel
Harold Clifford Keel , known professionally as Howard Keel, was an American actor and singer. He starred in many film musicals of the 1950s...
, Chico Marx
Chico Marx
Leonard "Chico" Marx was an American comedian and film star as part of the Marx Brothers. His persona in the act was that of a dim-witted albeit crafty con artist, seemingly of rural Italian origin, who wore shabby clothes, and sported a curly-haired wig and Tyrolean hat.As the first-born of the...
, Tommy Trinder
Tommy Trinder
Thomas Edward Trinder CBE known as Tommy Trinder, was an English stage, screen and radio comedian of the pre and post war years whose catchphrase was 'You lucky people'.-Life:...
, Arthur Askie, Billy Daniels
Billy Daniels
William Boone Daniels , better known as Billy Daniels, was a singer active in the United States and Europe from the mid-1930s to 1988, notable for his hit recording of "That Old Black Magic" and his pioneering performances on early 1950s television.Daniels was born in Jacksonville, Florida, where...
.