Will Fyffe
Encyclopedia
Will Fyffe was a major star of the 1930s and 1940s, a star of stage, screen and shellac.
Fyffe made his debut in his father's stock company at the age of six. He travelled extensively throughout Scotland and the rest of the UK, playing the numerous music hall
s of the time, where he performed his sketches and sang his songs in his own inimitable style. During the '30s, he was one of the highest paid musical hall artistes in Britain.
In addition, Fyffe appeared in 23 major films of the era (American and British), sometimes starring, and recorded over 30 songs, witty masterpieces enveloped in an engaging melody and delivered with his own unique style.
His singer-songwriter skills are still well known to us today and whereas the memory of his contemporaries may continue to fade, Will has become immortalised for his rendition of his own composition, "I Belong To Glasgow
".. This song, which has been covered by the likes of Danny Kaye
, Eartha Kitt
, Gracie Fields
and Kirk Douglas
, is still as fresh today as it was then, and is as memorable for its lyrics as it is for its melody :
As a result of this song, Will became forever associated with Glasgow
, even though he was born 70 miles (112.7 km) away in the east coast city of Dundee
.
Fortunately for us, Fyffe left some rare footage of his stage act, which gives us a glimpse of stage life in those times. In the footage, he performs the “Broomielaw” sketch and sings his song “Twelve and a Tanner a Bottle”. The footage came about as a result of a screen test, shot for Pathe in New York in 1929.
the eldest child of John Fyffe (1864–1928), a ship's carpenter, and a music teacher, Janet Rhynd Cunningham (1858–1949).
His father was interested in theatrical entertainment and operated a Penny Geggy, in which the young Will gained valuable experience as a character actor, as he travelled around the Lowlands of Scotland.
In his twenties, Fyffe joined Will Haggar Junior's Castle Theatre company, touring the South Wales Valleys from its base in Abergavenny
. Fyffe and his wife feature in an advert for the Castle Theatre in the Portable Times in 1911.
Fyffe's screen debut was in 1914 when William Haggar
, Will Junior's father and a pioneer silent film producer, made an epic 50-minute version of the classic Welsh Tale, The Maid of Cefn Ydfa, which was first screened in Aberdare
in December of that year. Reviewed in The South Wales Echo in 1938, the film disappeared, but was rediscovered in 1984 in a family cupboard and conserved: 38 minutes survives, in the Welsh Film Archive in Aberystwyth
. In the film, Fyffe plays Lewis Bach, the loyal servant of the maid .
As a character actor, he was much in demand in Hollywood and Britain, starring and co-starring in dozens of productions, with the likes of Finlay Currie
, Patricia Roc
, John Laurie
, Duncan MacRae, John Gielgud
, Douglas Fairbanks Jr, Margaret Lockwood and Charles Hawtrey. His last film was The Brothers, which was released shortly after his death. In Owd Bob, (To The Victor in America), Fyffe plays the ‘likeable old carmudgeon’, McAdam,. The New York Times describes Fyffe's performance as fitting “snugly into the mental dossier we have been compiling under the heading, great performances” .
Although he became well known as a talented actor for the breadth of his on-screen characterisations, Fyffe was also a successful music hall artist (singer-songwriter and comedian), creating a succession of comic characters, whose story he narrated with his unique form of delivery – Fyffe would start his song, pausing in the middle to give a monologue with further detail of the song’s storyline, before resuming the song where he left off. Listen to the stories of the 94 year-old bridegroom and his 3 scheming sons in "I’m 94 Today", and the proud new father in "You Can Come And See The Baby". 'Daft Sandy', the village idiot, was one of Fyffe’s most popular characters - the drama critic, James Agate
, referred to this as "a masterpiece of tragi-comedy". Will Fyffe had the ability to create a character and then seem to actually be that character.
In 1937, Fyffe appeared in the Royal Command Performance
at the London Palladium
. As one local commentator put it:
“ … we are sure the lasting thrill for us all was the finale, Will Fyffe, a wonderful Scottish comedian, was top of the bill. To finish, he sang a song. On the second chorus, the scenery changed completely, and down the aisles came Scottish Pipers. The artists all appeared around a rostrum in front of the orchestra, and we filled the stage, in Scout uniform complete with red scarf. It was the greatest thrill of our young lives. As the National Anthem was played, we faced the Royal Box and sang as we had never sang before.”
For a period, Fyffe developed a successful stage partnership with Harry Gordon
, playing opposite him in pantomime for many years.
and John Barleycorn
with equal enthusiasm". Fyffe asked him: "Do you belong to Glasgow?" and the man replied: "At the moment, at the moment, Glasgow belongs to me."
He was so popular that the Empire Theatre in Glasgow ran a 'Will Fyffe' competition, with dozens of entrants singing I belong to Glasgow. Heavily disguised as himself, Fyffe entered the competition for a bet, but he could only win second prize!
According to theatre manager and historian, W. J. MacQueen-Pope
: "Will Fyffe was a man of great honesty and integrity", and this comes across in his songs when heard today.
One of the lines in "I Belong to Glasgow" reads : 'We went in a hotel, where we did very well. It was by falling from a hotel room window that Fyffe met his death. (After an operation on his right ear in 1947, Will went to recuperate at his own hotel in St Andrews. One night, he fell from the window of his suite and was taken to the local cottage hospital, where he later died.)
Fyffe was buried in his adopted home city of Glasgow, (Lambhill Cemetery), three days later.
Fyffe was survived by a son, Will Fyffe Jr. (1927–2008), a musical director who wrote a musical about his father’s life, and a daughter, Eileen.
1947 - The Brothers
1944 - Give Me the Stars
1944 - Heaven Is Round the Corner
1940 - Neutral Port
1940 - The Prime Minister
1940 - They Came by Night
1940 - The Mind Of Mr. Reeder (aka The Mysterious Mr. Reeder)
1940 - For Freedom
1939 - The Missing People
(aka Missing People)
1939 - Rulers of the Sea
1938 - Owd Bob (aka To The Victor)
1937 - Said O'Reilly to McNab (aka Says O'Reilly to MacNab, Sez O'Reilly to McNab)
1937 - Spring Handicap
1937 - Cotton Queen (aka Crying Out Loud)
1936 - Annie Laurie
1936 - Love in Exile
1936 - Men of Yesterday
1936 - Well Done, Henry
1936 - Debt of Honour
1936 - King of Hearts
1935 - Rolling Home
1934 - Happy
1914 - The Maid of Cefn Ydfa
Clyde Built
Corporal McDougall (1939)
Daft Sandy (1930)
Doctor McGregor (1926)
Down In The Quarry Where The Bluebells Grow (1926)
He’s Been Oan The Bottle Since A Baby (1932)
I Belong To Glasgow (1927) (Animated footage)
I’m 94 Today (1929) (Live footage)
I'm The Landlord Of The Inn In Aberfoyle (1932)
It Isn’t The Hen That Cackles The Most
McPherson’s Wedding Breakfast (1930)
Sailing Up The Clyde (1927)
She Was The Belle of the Ball (1929)
Sheila McKay (1929)
The Skipper Of The Mercantile Marine (1939)
The Centenarian (1927)
The Gamekeeper (1927)
The Railway Guard (1930)
The Spirit O The Man Fae Aberdeen (1931, Walsh & Fyffe)
The Train That's Taking You Home (1929)
The Waddin O Mary Maclean (1931, Martin & Fyffe)
Twelve And A Tanner A Bottle (1929) (Live footage)
Uncle Mac (1931)
Ye Can Come And See The Baby (1927)
The ‘Broomielaw’ Sketch (1929) (Live footage)
Fyffe made his debut in his father's stock company at the age of six. He travelled extensively throughout Scotland and the rest of the UK, playing the numerous 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...
s of the time, where he performed his sketches and sang his songs in his own inimitable style. During the '30s, he was one of the highest paid musical hall artistes in Britain.
In addition, Fyffe appeared in 23 major films of the era (American and British), sometimes starring, and recorded over 30 songs, witty masterpieces enveloped in an engaging melody and delivered with his own unique style.
His singer-songwriter skills are still well known to us today and whereas the memory of his contemporaries may continue to fade, Will has become immortalised for his rendition of his own composition, "I Belong To Glasgow
I Belong to Glasgow
"I Belong To Glasgow" is a song written and recorded by the music hall entertainer Will Fyffe, in 1920. It also has been performed by Danny Kaye, Eartha Kitt, Gracie Fields and Kirk Douglas....
".. This song, which has been covered by the likes of Danny Kaye
Danny Kaye
Danny Kaye was a celebrated American actor, singer, dancer, and comedian...
, Eartha Kitt
Eartha Kitt
Eartha Mae Kitt was an American singer, actress, and cabaret star. She was perhaps best known for her highly distinctive singing style and her 1953 hit recordings of "C'est Si Bon" and the enduring Christmas novelty smash "Santa Baby." Orson Welles once called her the "most exciting woman in the...
, 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 Kirk Douglas
Kirk Douglas
Kirk Douglas is an American stage and film actor, film producer and author. His popular films include Out of the Past , Champion , Ace in the Hole , The Bad and the Beautiful , Lust for Life , Paths of Glory , Gunfight at the O.K...
, is still as fresh today as it was then, and is as memorable for its lyrics as it is for its melody :
- “If your money, you spend,
- You’ve nothing to lend,
- Isn’t that all the better for you”
As a result of this song, Will became forever associated with Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, even though he was born 70 miles (112.7 km) away in the east coast city of Dundee
Dundee
Dundee is the fourth-largest city in Scotland and the 39th most populous settlement in the United Kingdom. It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firth of Tay, which feeds into the North Sea...
.
Fortunately for us, Fyffe left some rare footage of his stage act, which gives us a glimpse of stage life in those times. In the footage, he performs the “Broomielaw” sketch and sings his song “Twelve and a Tanner a Bottle”. The footage came about as a result of a screen test, shot for Pathe in New York in 1929.
Early life and career
Will Fyffe was born, on 16 February 1885, in a tenement at 36 Broughty Ferry Road, Dundee,the eldest child of John Fyffe (1864–1928), a ship's carpenter, and a music teacher, Janet Rhynd Cunningham (1858–1949).
His father was interested in theatrical entertainment and operated a Penny Geggy, in which the young Will gained valuable experience as a character actor, as he travelled around the Lowlands of Scotland.
In his twenties, Fyffe joined Will Haggar Junior's Castle Theatre company, touring the South Wales Valleys from its base in Abergavenny
Abergavenny
Abergavenny , meaning Mouth of the River Gavenny, is a market town in Monmouthshire, Wales. It is located 15 miles west of Monmouth on the A40 and A465 roads, 6 miles from the English border. Originally the site of a Roman fort, Gobannium, it became a medieval walled town within the Welsh Marches...
. Fyffe and his wife feature in an advert for the Castle Theatre in the Portable Times in 1911.
Fyffe's screen debut was in 1914 when William Haggar
William Haggar
William Haggar was a British pioneer of the cinema industry. Beginning his career as a travelling entertainer, Haggar, whose large family formed his theatre company, later bought a Bioscope show and earned his money in the fairgrounds of south Wales...
, Will Junior's father and a pioneer silent film producer, made an epic 50-minute version of the classic Welsh Tale, The Maid of Cefn Ydfa, which was first screened in Aberdare
Aberdare
Aberdare is an industrial town in Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Dare and Cynon. The population at the census was 31,705...
in December of that year. Reviewed in The South Wales Echo in 1938, the film disappeared, but was rediscovered in 1984 in a family cupboard and conserved: 38 minutes survives, in the Welsh Film Archive in Aberystwyth
Aberystwyth
Aberystwyth is a historic market town, administrative centre and holiday resort within Ceredigion, Wales. Often colloquially known as Aber, it is located at the confluence of the rivers Ystwyth and Rheidol....
. In the film, Fyffe plays Lewis Bach, the loyal servant of the maid .
As a character actor, he was much in demand in Hollywood and Britain, starring and co-starring in dozens of productions, with the likes of Finlay Currie
Finlay Currie
Finlay Jefferson Currie was a Scottish actor of stage, screen and television.Currie was born in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1878. His acting career began on the stage. He and his wife Maude Courtney did a song and dance act in the US in the 1890s. He made his first film in 1931...
, Patricia Roc
Patricia Roc
Patricia Roc , born Felicia Miriam Ursula Herold, was a British film actress, popular in the Gainsborough melodramas such as Madonna of the Seven Moons and The Wicked Lady , though she only made one film in Hollywood, Canyon Passage...
, John Laurie
John Laurie
John Paton Laurie was a British actor born in Dumfries, Scotland. Although he is now probably most recognised for his role as Private James Frazer in the sitcom Dad's Army , he appeared in hundreds of feature films, including films by Alfred Hitchcock, Michael Powell and Laurence Olivier...
, Duncan MacRae, John Gielgud
John Gielgud
Sir Arthur John Gielgud, OM, CH was an English actor, director, and producer. A descendant of the renowned Terry acting family, he achieved early international acclaim for his youthful, emotionally expressive Hamlet which broke box office records on Broadway in 1937...
, Douglas Fairbanks Jr, Margaret Lockwood and Charles Hawtrey. His last film was The Brothers, which was released shortly after his death. In Owd Bob, (To The Victor in America), Fyffe plays the ‘likeable old carmudgeon’, McAdam,. The New York Times describes Fyffe's performance as fitting “snugly into the mental dossier we have been compiling under the heading, great performances” .
Although he became well known as a talented actor for the breadth of his on-screen characterisations, Fyffe was also a successful music hall artist (singer-songwriter and comedian), creating a succession of comic characters, whose story he narrated with his unique form of delivery – Fyffe would start his song, pausing in the middle to give a monologue with further detail of the song’s storyline, before resuming the song where he left off. Listen to the stories of the 94 year-old bridegroom and his 3 scheming sons in "I’m 94 Today", and the proud new father in "You Can Come And See The Baby". 'Daft Sandy', the village idiot, was one of Fyffe’s most popular characters - the drama critic, James Agate
James Agate
James Evershed Agate was a British diarist and critic. In the period between the wars, he was one of Britain's most influential theatre critics...
, referred to this as "a masterpiece of tragi-comedy". Will Fyffe had the ability to create a character and then seem to actually be that character.
In 1937, Fyffe appeared in the Royal Command Performance
Royal Command Performance
For the annual Royal Variety Performance performed in Britain for the benefit of the Entertainment Artistes' Benevolent Fund, see Royal Variety Performance...
at 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...
. As one local commentator put it:
“ … we are sure the lasting thrill for us all was the finale, Will Fyffe, a wonderful Scottish comedian, was top of the bill. To finish, he sang a song. On the second chorus, the scenery changed completely, and down the aisles came Scottish Pipers. The artists all appeared around a rostrum in front of the orchestra, and we filled the stage, in Scout uniform complete with red scarf. It was the greatest thrill of our young lives. As the National Anthem was played, we faced the Royal Box and sang as we had never sang before.”
For a period, Fyffe developed a successful stage partnership with Harry Gordon
Harry Gordon
Harry Gordon was a popular Scottish entertainer, comedian and impressionist, touring throughout Scotland and further afield. From the 1920s through the 1950s Gordon also produced a large number of recordings, including several under assumed names...
, playing opposite him in pantomime for many years.
I Belong To Glasgow
It was when Fyffe wrote and recorded the song "I Belong to Glasgow" that he became a world wide star. According to Albert Mackie's The Scotch Comedians (1973) , Fyffe found the inspiration for the song from a drunk he met at Glasgow Central Station. The drunk was "genial and demonstrative" and "laying off about Karl MarxKarl Marx
Karl Heinrich Marx was a German philosopher, economist, sociologist, historian, journalist, and revolutionary socialist. His ideas played a significant role in the development of social science and the socialist political movement...
and John Barleycorn
John Barleycorn
"John Barleycorn" is an English folksong. The character of John Barleycorn in the song is a personification of the important cereal crop barley and of the alcoholic beverages made from it, beer and whisky...
with equal enthusiasm". Fyffe asked him: "Do you belong to Glasgow?" and the man replied: "At the moment, at the moment, Glasgow belongs to me."
He was so popular that the Empire Theatre in Glasgow ran a 'Will Fyffe' competition, with dozens of entrants singing I belong to Glasgow. Heavily disguised as himself, Fyffe entered the competition for a bet, but he could only win second prize!
According to theatre manager and historian, W. J. MacQueen-Pope
W. J. MacQueen-Pope
Walter James MacQueen-Pope was an English theatre historian and publicist. From a theatrical family which could be traced back to contemporaries of Shakespeare, he was in management for the first part of his career, but switched to publicity, in which field he became well-known...
: "Will Fyffe was a man of great honesty and integrity", and this comes across in his songs when heard today.
One of the lines in "I Belong to Glasgow" reads : 'We went in a hotel, where we did very well. It was by falling from a hotel room window that Fyffe met his death. (After an operation on his right ear in 1947, Will went to recuperate at his own hotel in St Andrews. One night, he fell from the window of his suite and was taken to the local cottage hospital, where he later died.)
Fyffe was buried in his adopted home city of Glasgow, (Lambhill Cemetery), three days later.
Fyffe was survived by a son, Will Fyffe Jr. (1927–2008), a musical director who wrote a musical about his father’s life, and a daughter, Eileen.
Filmography
The Internet Movie Database1947 - The Brothers
The Brothers (1947 film)
The Brothers is a British film melodrama of 1947, starring Patricia Roc and John Laurie, from a novel of the same name by L.A.G. Strong. It is set in the Western Isles of Scotland, and the long and murderous grudge between two clans there, the Macraes and McFarishes...
1944 - Give Me the Stars
Give Me the Stars
Give Me the Stars is a 1945 British drama film directed by Maclean Rogers and starring Leni Lynn, Will Fyffe, Jackie Hunter and Olga Lindo.-Cast:* Leni Lynn - Toni Martin* Will Fyffe - Hector MacTavish* Jackie Hunter - Lyle Mitchell...
1944 - Heaven Is Round the Corner
1940 - Neutral Port
Neutral Port
Neutral Port is a 1940 British war film directed by Marcel Varnel and starring Will Fyffe, Leslie Banks, Yvonne Arnaud, Phyllis Calvert and Wally Patch. A British merchant ship is torpedoed by a German U-Boat and takes shelter in a neutral port. The Captain then strikes back at the German enemy...
1940 - The Prime Minister
The Prime Minister (film)
The Prime Minister is a British film from 1941 directed by Thorold Dickinson. It details the life and times of Benjamin Disraeli, who became Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, and stars John Gielgud, Diana Wynyard, Fay Compton and Stephen Murray.-Plot:...
1940 - They Came by Night
1940 - The Mind Of Mr. Reeder (aka The Mysterious Mr. Reeder)
1940 - For Freedom
1939 - The Missing People
The Missing People
The Missing People is a 1940 British, black-and-white, mystery film directed by Jack Raymond and starring Ronald Shiner as Sam Hackett and Will Fyffe as Mr. J. G. Reeder. It was produced by Jack Raymond Productions. Ronald Shiner, Will Fyffe and Jack Raymond were also all involved in another Mr....
(aka Missing People)
1939 - Rulers of the Sea
1938 - Owd Bob (aka To The Victor)
1937 - Said O'Reilly to McNab (aka Says O'Reilly to MacNab, Sez O'Reilly to McNab)
1937 - Spring Handicap
1937 - Cotton Queen (aka Crying Out Loud)
1936 - Annie Laurie
1936 - Love in Exile
1936 - Men of Yesterday
1936 - Well Done, Henry
1936 - Debt of Honour
Debt of Honour
Debt of Honour is a 1936 British drama film directed by Norman Walker and starring Leslie Banks, Will Fyffe, Geraldine Fitzgerald and Garry Marsh.-Plot:A Colonel's daughter steals from the regimental mess funds to pay off her gambling debts...
1936 - King of Hearts
1935 - Rolling Home
1934 - Happy
1914 - The Maid of Cefn Ydfa
Discography
Ah’m Feart For Mrs. McKie (1931)Clyde Built
Corporal McDougall (1939)
Daft Sandy (1930)
Doctor McGregor (1926)
Down In The Quarry Where The Bluebells Grow (1926)
He’s Been Oan The Bottle Since A Baby (1932)
I Belong To Glasgow (1927) (Animated footage)
I’m 94 Today (1929) (Live footage)
I'm The Landlord Of The Inn In Aberfoyle (1932)
It Isn’t The Hen That Cackles The Most
McPherson’s Wedding Breakfast (1930)
Sailing Up The Clyde (1927)
She Was The Belle of the Ball (1929)
Sheila McKay (1929)
The Skipper Of The Mercantile Marine (1939)
The Centenarian (1927)
The Gamekeeper (1927)
The Railway Guard (1930)
The Spirit O The Man Fae Aberdeen (1931, Walsh & Fyffe)
The Train That's Taking You Home (1929)
The Waddin O Mary Maclean (1931, Martin & Fyffe)
Twelve And A Tanner A Bottle (1929) (Live footage)
Uncle Mac (1931)
Ye Can Come And See The Baby (1927)
The ‘Broomielaw’ Sketch (1929) (Live footage)