Sam Small [108] During the First World War, while Holloway was away fighting in France, Queenie began to have financial trouble, as the tenants failed to pay their rent. Later that month, he created the role of Captain Wentworth in Guy Bolton and P. G. Wodehouse's Kissing Time,[36] followed in 1920 by the role of René in A Night Out. [30], Holloway spent much of his time in the later part of the war organising shows to boost army morale in France. There is a building named after him at 2 Coolfin Road, Newham, London, called Stanley Holloway Court. [15][16] He began performing part-time as Master Stanley Holloway – The Wonderful Boy Soprano from 1904, singing sentimental songs such as "The Lost Chord". [28] Later that year, he was sent to France,[29] where he fought in the trenches alongside Michael O'Leary, who was awarded the Victoria Cross for gallantry[30] in February 1915. If you are able, it is probably best read in a northern accent: Sam, Sam, Pick Up Tha Musket [32] The party included such performers as Jack Buchanan, Eric Blore, Binnie Hale, and Phyllis Dare, as well as the performers who would later form The Co-Optimists. In 1951 Holloway played the same role on the stage to the Hamlet of Alec Guinness. The two became firm friends and often consulted each other before taking jobs. 1928). It caused quite a stir when the Captain arrived. so Sam nodded, And parked 'is 'at under the pew. View production, box office, & company info. I like it for the absurd ineffectiveness of military discipline. [105], Holloway died of a stroke at the Nightingale Nursing Home in Littlehampton, West Sussex, on 30 January 1982, aged 91. And yet I don't know! [120][n 13], Holloway, Violet and Julian lived mainly in the tiny village of Penn, Buckinghamshire. Holloway was married twice and had five children, including the actor Julian Holloway. He also appeared in the 1965 war film In Harm's Way, together with John Wayne and Kirk Douglas. "Savoy Follies – Sparkle and Spontaneity". [65] In December 1934, Holloway made his first appearance in pantomime, playing Abanazar in Aladdin. It occurred on the evening before Waterloo. Following his success on Broadway, Holloway played Pooh-Bah in a 1960 US television Bell Telephone Hour production of The Mikado, produced by the veteran Gilbert and Sullivan performer Martyn Green. [3] He is buried, along with his wife Violet, at St Mary the Virgin Church in East Preston, West Sussex. [130], Holloway entitled his autobiography Wiv a Little Bit o' Luck after the song he performed in My Fair Lady. As Sergeant walks past he was swinging his arms. I know what I'll buy her. He created Sam Small after Henson had returned from a tour of northern England and told him a story about an insubordinate old soldier from the Battle of Waterloo. [104] He returned to Shaw and Canada, playing the central character Walter/William in You Never Can Tell in 1973. She can't powder her nose with a jumper. [9], In the early 1880s the family moved to Poplar, London. In 1924 he made his first gramophone discs, recording for HMV two songs from The Co-Optimists: "London Town" and "Memory Street". "[90] Also in 1964, he appeared as Bellomy in the Hallmark Hall of Fame television production of The Fantasticks. Stanley Holloway's monologues had large record sales during the 1930s, ... With her head tucked underneath her arm, The Beefeater, Brahn Boots, Old Sam - Pick Up Tha Musket, Old Sam - Alt! [59], Beginning in 1934, Holloway appeared in a series of British films, three of which featured his creation Sam Small. So I'll pop round to Woolworth's tomorrow, God bless her And buy her a nice powder puff. [2][3] He was named after Henry Morton Stanley, the journalist and explorer famous for his exploration of Africa and for his search for David Livingstone. A nice powder puff. Reviews 1 user | 1 critic. And yet I don't know. [102][103], In 1970, Holloway began an association with the Shaw Festival in Canada, playing Burgess in Candida. [95] In 1962, Holloway took part in a studio recording of Oliver! [37] Following its provincial success, The Disorderly Room was given a West End production at the Victoria Palace Theatre in late 1919, in which Holloway starred alongside Henson and Tom Walls. After playing at the Edinburgh Festival, the Royal Shakespeare Company took the production to New York, where it played at the Metropolitan Opera House and then on tour of the US and Canada. And knocking t’musket clean out of ‘is hand. [48] In The Manchester Guardian, Ivor Brown praised him for a singing style "which coaxes the ear rather than clubbing the head. [3], There is a memorial plaque dedicated to Holloway in St Paul's, Covent Garden, London, which is known as "the actors' church". 1. All excepting one man, he were in’t front rank. In its obituary of Holloway, The Times wrote that Sam and Albert "became part of English folklore during the 1930s, and they remained so during the Second World War. Violet's mother was Scottish, and her civil engineer father, Alfred Lane, was a, Holloway appeared with Neal in the 1965 film, Ten shillings (10/-) is 50 pence in British decimal currency. [72], In 1941 Holloway took a character part in Gabriel Pascal's film of Bernard Shaw's Major Barbara, in which he played a policeman. [17] A year later, he became a clerk at Billingsgate Fish Market,[15] where he remained for two years before commencing training as an infantry soldier in the London Rifle Brigade in 1907. All right Duke says old Sam just for thee I’ll oblige. Stanley Holloway. [122] Holloway also owned other properties including a flat in St John's Wood in North West London,[123] which he used when working in the capital,[124] and a flat in Manhattan during the My Fair Lady Broadway years. so he'll pick it up, Or it stays where it is on't ground The same thing occurred when the Major and Colonel, Both tried to get Sam to see sense, But when Old Duke 'O Wellington came into view, Well the excitement was really quite tense. 1920), John (1925–2013) and Mary (b. He never had a wrong word to say about anyone. Holloway did not count his appearances as First Gravedigger and Bottom, because he did not regard Shakespeare as straight theatre. Tha’ll pick it up, or it stays, where t’is on the floor. And yet I don't know! But Sam, with a shake of his head, Said, 'Seeing as tha' knocked it out of me hand, P'raps tha'll pick the thing oop instead.' [44] The Co-Optimists closed in 1927 at His Majesty's Theatre after 1,568 performances over eight years. I've been very poorly but now I feel prime. [n 7] He started his association with the filmmakers Ealing Studios in 1934, appearing in the fifth Gracie Fields picture Sing As We Go. [30] He, Henson and his newly established Star Attractions concert party, entertained the British troops in Wimereux. Writer: Stanley Holloway. He married Queenie in November 1913. I like for the tiny soldiers streaming across the screen like doodles. Added to Watchlist. Subsequently, Edgar wrote 16 monologues for him. "[58] These monologues employed the Holloway style that has been called "the understated look-on-the-bright-side world of the cockney working class. [58] His portrayal of Beach was received with critical reservation, but the series was a popular success. Lerner's only concern was whether, after so long away from the musical stage, Holloway still had his resonant singing voice. The plaque is next to a memorial to Gracie Fields. And every man there all, excepting old Sam, The same thing occurred when the Major and Colonel. The following poem is, in fact, a traditional folk song which was written in 1929 and made famous by the actor Stanley Holloway [1890-1982] It is about the period before the Duke of Wellington’s famous battle at Waterloo against Napoleon in 1815. Sam, Sam, pick oop tha' musket Stanley Holloway (1 October 1890 – 30 January 1982) was an English stage and film actor, comedian, singer, poet and monologist. They featured Sam Small, Albert Ramsbottom, and historical events such as the Battle of Hastings, Magna Carta and the Battle of Trafalgar. 3:53 PREVIEW The Lion And Albert. You need to enable JavaScript to use SoundCloud, SAM SMALL In his autobiography, Holloway said of her, "I suppose I am committing lawful bigamy. Well, thanks to the 'monkey gland' treatment, Old Sam is still with us, today. Over the following years, he recorded more than 20 monologues based around the character, most of which he wrote himself. [39] In all, his discography runs to 130 recordings, spanning the period 1924 to 1978. Stanley Holloway At His Very Best (2008) 1927 Fancy Me Just Meeting You From Hit the … 'Sam, Sam, pick up tha' musket!' Up rode the Duke on a loverly white 'orse. Star: Stanley Holloway. Stanley Holloway pictures on Getty images, Stanley Holloway – The Co optimists video, https://en.wikiquote.org/w/index.php?title=Stanley_Holloway&oldid=2878224, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. [67] After the war, he played Albert Godby in Brief Encounter and had a cameo role as the First Gravedigger in Laurence Olivier's 1948 film of Hamlet. The sound of high words [30] The production toured theatres on England's coast, including Walton-on-the-Naze and Clacton-on-Sea.