Comments on: George Formby

By: Matt McGrattan

Matt McGrattan — Tue, 01 Jun 2004 13:58:57 +0000

No, he died in the early ‘60s. Bio here: http://www.georgeformby.co.uk/gf_story/gfstory.htm

By: Claire

Claire — Tue, 01 Jun 2004 12:24:15 +0000

Is he still alive?

By: Nasi Lemak

Nasi Lemak — Mon, 31 May 2004 23:19:17 +0000

One of the many good things about Jasper Fforde’s Thursday Next series is being set in an alternative universe in which George Formby is a hero of British national liberation and non-executive President for life.

By: John Kozak

John Kozak — Mon, 31 May 2004 11:45:22 +0000

Another story: GF is playing somewhere in (I think) Canada, spots, sitting some way back in the stalls, a schoolfriend who’d emigrated there some 20 years ago, calls out “By ‘eck Walter, is that you?”, invites him on stage and takes him out to dinner.

By: Matthew McGrattan

Matthew McGrattan — Mon, 31 May 2004 08:37:16 +0000

There was a little review of that radio programme in yesterday’s Observer. The review also points out that Formby regularly played dangerously close to the front line while entertaining troops in WWII (at one point picking his way through a live minefield to get to his destination) and that he also got in trouble for refusing to play to audiences in which the officers were allocated better seats than the ordinary soldiers. It also points out (as you say) that he refused to play to racially segregated audiences in South Africa. It’s amazing to discover a political side to some old entertainer that I was only ever aware of in re-runs of his movies on BBC 2. Not just any political side too, but an egalitarian anti-racist side. Formby rocks… [quietly and in a high-pitched voice]

By: Jack

Jack — Mon, 31 May 2004 08:21:47 +0000

“If only there had been more like them.” Quite, but since governments feel free to ignore even millions of protestors it still wouldn’t have been enough.