George Formby

by Harry on May 31, 2004

Last week was the centenary of George Formby’s birth. You can hear about his life in a sweet bio-documentary by Russell Davies (probably only for the next couple of days) called (misleadingly) George on George. The best bit concerns Beryl Formby (George’s wife and manager) who, when the South Afrcan Prime Minister phoned her to complain about George’s enthusiam about playing to mixed audiences and apparent colour blindness, shouted “Why don’t you just piss off you horrible little man”, and slammed the phone down. If only more had been like them.

{ 6 comments }

1

Jack 05.31.04 at 8:21 am

“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.

2

Matthew McGrattan 05.31.04 at 8:37 am

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]

3

John Kozak 05.31.04 at 11:45 am

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.

4

Nasi Lemak 05.31.04 at 11:19 pm

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.

5

Claire 06.01.04 at 12:24 pm

Is he still alive?

6

Matt McGrattan 06.01.04 at 1:58 pm

No, he died in the early ’60s.

Bio here: http://www.georgeformby.co.uk/gf_story/gfstory.htm

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George Formby

by Harry on May 31, 2004

Last week was the centenary of George Formby’s birth. You can hear about his life in a sweet bio-documentary byRussell Davies (probably only for the next couple of days) called (misleadingly) George on George. The best bit concerns Beryl Formby (George’s wife and manager) who, when the South Afrcan Prime Minister phoned her to complain about George’s enthusiam about playing to mixed audiences and apparent colour blindness, shouted “Why don’t you just piss off you horrible little man”, and slammed the phone down. If only more had been like them.