# Stanley Holloway on stage and screen

The English comic singer, monologist and actor Stanley Holloway (1890–1982), started his performing career in 1910. He starred in English seaside towns such as Clacton-on-Sea and Walton-on-the-Naze, primarily in concert party and variety shows. The first of these, The White Coons Show, was soon followed by the more prestigious Nicely, Thanks! in 1913. From here, he went on to co-star in The Co-Optimists, a variety show which brought him to wider audience attention. After the First World War, he returned to London and found success in the West End musicals at the Winter Garden Theatre, including Kissing Time (1919), followed in 1920 by A Night Out. The Co-Optimists continued until 1927, and he then appeared in Hit the Deck, a comic musical which appeared both in London and on Broadway. Reporting for The Manchester Guardian, the theatre critic Ivor Brown praised Holloway for a singing style "which coaxes the ear rather than clubbing the head."
In between his stage roles, Holloway had a successful film career. He made his silent film debut in 1921 in The Rotters and went on to star in over 60 motion pictures, with his last being in 1976. His credits covered many genres including drama, romance and comedy and he shared successful collaborations with a number of studios, including Gaumont-British Picture Corporation, Gainsborough Studios and, most notably, Ealing Studios. He started his association with Ealing in 1934, appearing in the fifth Gracie Fields picture, Sing As We Go. After a ten-year absence from the studios, Holloway returned to star in Champagne Charlie in 1944 alongside Tommy Trinder and went on to star in Nicholas Nickleby (1947) and Another Shore (1948). However, it was the next three Ealing Comedies, Passport to Pimlico (1949), The Lavender Hill Mob (1951) and The Titfield Thunderbolt (1953), which confirmed Holloway as a mainstay of British cinema. His final film with the studio was Meet Mr. Lucifer (1953).
In 1956, Holloway revived his flagging career, creating the role of Alfred P. Doolittle in the extraordinarily successful original Broadway production of My Fair Lady, which was made into a hit film in 1964 with Holloway in the same role. Owing to the film's success, he was able to get good roles in more films, including Mrs. Brown, You've Got a Lovely Daughter alongside Herman's Hermits. His films in the early 1970s included The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes, Flight of the Doves and Up the Front. His final film was Journey into Fear, released in 1976.

## Stage shows

Stage appearances of Stanley Holloway :
| Production | Date | Role | Theatre | Notes |
| The White Coons Show | 1910 | Various | | Six week show in Walton-on-the-Naze |
| Nicely, Thanks! | 1913 | Various | | Concert party in which Holloway first worked with Leslie Henson |
| Kissing Time | 16 September 1918 – 1 February 1919 | Captain Wentworth | New Amsterdam Theatre, New York | Written by Guy Bolton and P. G. Wodehouse |
| Kissing Time | 20 May 1919 – 3 July 1920 | Captain Wentworth | Winter Garden Theatre, London | Written by Guy Bolton and P. G. Wodehouse |
| The Disorderly Room | 1919 | Various | Victoria Palace Theatre | Written by Eric Blore, Holloway starred alongside Leslie Henson, Tom Walls and Jack Buchanan. The sketch later became popularly associated with Tommy Handley, who frequently played it on stage and on radio. |
| A Night Out | 18 September 1920 – 18 June 1921 | René | Winter Garden Theatre | Ran for 309 performances |
| The Co-Optimists | 27 June 1921 – | Various | Royalty Theatre | Devised by Davy Burnaby |
| The Co-Optimists | November 1926 – 4 August 1927 | Various | Palace Theatre | Devised by Davy Burnaby. The show ran for 500 performances. |
| Hit the Deck | 25 April 1927 – | Bill Smith | Belasco Theatre, New York | The musical was written by R.P. Weston, Bert Lee and Vincent Youmans with lyrics by Clifford Grey and Leo Robin. |
| Hit the Deck | 3 July 1927 – | Bill Smith | Hippodrome, London | Ran for 277 performances. The musical was written by R.P. Weston, Bert Lee and Vincent Youmans with lyrics by Clifford Grey and Leo Robin. |
| Song of the Sea | 1928 | Lt. Richard Manners | His Majesty's Theatre, London | An adaption of a German operetta "Lady Hamilton" (1926). Written by Arthur Wimperis with music composed by Eduard Künneke. |
| Coo-ee | 1929 | Various | Vaudeville Theatre, London | Revue with Billy Bennett, Dorothy Dickson and Claude Hulbert |
| The Co-Optimists | 1929–1931 | Various | | Revival of the popular show which toured the provencies, including the Princes Theatre, Bristol on 11 May 1931. |
| The Savoy Follies | 1931 | PC | Savoy Theatre, London | Written by Riginald Arkell and Wolseley Charles. Co-starring H. M. Walker, Hal David, Douglas Byng and Florence Desmond and where Holloway first introduced the monologue The Lion and Albert. |
| Here We Are Again | October 1932 – | | Lyceum Theatre, London | |
| Three Sisters | 19 April 1934 – | Eustace Titherley | Theatre Royal, Drury Lane | The production featured Victoria Hopper, Adele Dixon, Esmond Knight and Charlotte Greenwood. Written by Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II. |
| Aladdin | 1934 | Abanazar | | First appearance in pantomime, co-starring Sir Henry Lytton, as the Emperor, playing it in successive years in Leeds, London, Edinburgh and Manchester. |
| London Rhapsody | 1938 | Various | London Palladium | Performed alongside The Crazy Gang. Holloway and comedian Jimmy Britton replaced Bud Flanagan and Chesney Allen after they pulled out for contractual reasons. |
| Up and Doing | 17 April 1940 – | Various | Saville Theatre, London | A revue written by Firth Shephard; co-starring Leslie Henson, Cyril Ritchard and Binnie Hale. |
| Fine and Dandy | 1942 | Sam Small/various | Saville Theatre, London | Co-starring Leslie Henson, Douglas Byng, Dorothy Dickson and Graham Payn, the show had a run of three hundred and forty-six performances. |
| Mother Goose | December 1946 – | Squire Skinflint | London Casino, London | The show was Holloway's first and only London Christmas pantomime. He first performed the monologue "Sam's Christmas Pudding" after writing it especially for the production. |
| Hamlet | 1951 | First Gravedigger | New Theatre, London | Directed by Alec Guinness, who also played the title role. Holloway was offered the role of the First Gravedigger by Guinness who was impressed with his performance in the film version a few years earlier. |
| Mr Lord Says No | 1951 | Henry Lord | | By Michael Clayton Hutton. It was adapted for the screen the following year and was retitled The Happy Family. Holloway played the same role in the film. |
| A Midsummer Night's Dream | 1954 | Nick Bottom | | Holloway joined the Old Vic Company which toured America, performing at the Met. It opened in October 1954, having made a successful début at the Edinburgh Festival the same year. |
| My Fair Lady | 15 March 1956 – | Alfred P. Doolittle | Mark Hellinger Theatre | Holloway performed two songs; With a Little Bit of Luck and Get Me to the Church on Time. He was nominated for a Tony Award. |
| My Fair Lady | April 1958 – 3 October 1959 | Alfred P. Doolittle | Theatre Royal, Drury Lane | Holloway was replaced in the role by James Hayter |
| Laughs and Other Events | 10 – 17 October 1960 | Himself | Ethel Barrymore Theatre, New York | Produced by Martin Tahse, Directed by Tony Charmoli, Piano: Richmond Gale and Arthur Siegel; Banjo: Jerry Silverman; Concertina: Allan Atlas |
| Cool Off | 31 March 1964 – 4 April 1964 | Lester Linstrom, Irving, policeman and Lester Lenz | Forrest Theatre, Philadelphia | Based on the legend of Faust |
| Candida | 1970 | Burgess | | Shown at the Shaw Festival, in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Canada |
| Siege | 1972 | | Cambridge Theatre, London | The show had a three-month run with Alastair Sim, David Ambrose and Michael Bryant. |
| You Can Never Tell | 1973 | William | | |

## Film

| Film | Year | Role | Notes |
| The Rotters | 1921 | Arthur Wait | |
| The Co-Optimists | 1929 | Various | |
| Sleeping Car | 1933 | François Dubois | |
| The Girl from Maxim's | 1933 | Mongicourt | |
| Love at Second Sight | 1934 | PC | |
| D'Ye Ken John Peel? | 1934 | Sam Small | |
| Lily of Killarney | 1934 | Father O'Flynn | |
| Road House | 1934 | Donovan | |
| Sing As We Go | 1934 | Policeman | |
| In Town Tonight | 1935 | | |
| Play Up the Band | 1935 | Sam Small | |
| Squibs | 1935 | Constable Charley Lee | |
| Sam Small at Westminster | 1935 | Sam Small | |
| Sam Small Leaves Town | 1937 | Richard Manning | |
| Song of the Forge | 1937 | Joe; Sir William Barrett | |
| The Vicar of Bray | 1937 | Vicar of Bray | |
| Cotton Queen | 1937 | Sam Owen | Re-issued in 1940 as Crying Out Loud |
| Our Island Nation | 1937 | Chief Petty Officer George Barber | |
| Sam Goes Shopping | 1938 | Sam; Narrator | Documentary |
| Major Barbara | 1941 | Policeman | |
| Salute John Citizen | 1942 | Oskey | |
| This Happy Breed | 1944 | Bob Mitchell | |
| The Way Ahead | 1944 | Private Ted Brewer | |
| Champagne Charlie | 1944 | The Great Vance | |
| The Way to the Stars | 1945 | Mr Palmer | |
| Brief Encounter | 1945 | Albert Godby | |
| Caesar and Cleopatra | 1945 | Belzanor | |
| Wanted for Murder | 1946 | Sergeant Sullivan | |
| Carnival | 1946 | Charlie Raeburn | |
| Meet Me at Dawn | 1947 | Emile Pollet | |
| Nicholas Nickleby | 1947 | Vincent Crummles | |
| Snowbound | 1948 | Joe Wesson | |
| One Night with You | 1948 | Tramp | |
| Hamlet | 1948 | Gravedigger | |
| The Winslow Boy | 1948 | Comedian | |
| Noose | 1948 | Inspector Kendall | |
| Another Shore | 1948 | Alastair McNeil | |
| Passport to Pimlico | 1949 | Arthur Pemberton | |
| The Perfect Woman | 1949 | Ramshead | |
| Midnight Episode | 1950 | "The Professor"; Kelvin Landseer; Prince | |
| One Wild Oat | 1951 | Alfred Gilbey | |
| The Lavender Hill Mob | 1951 | Alfred Pendlebury | |
| The Magic Box | 1951 | Broker's Man | |
| Lady Godiva Rides Again | 1951 | Mr Clark | |
| The Happy Family | 1952 | Henry Lord | |
| Meet Me Tonight: Fumed Oak | 1952 | Henry Gow | |
| The Titfield Thunderbolt | 1953 | Mr Valentine | |
| The Beggar's Opera | 1953 | Mr Lockit | |
| A Day to Remember | 1953 | Charley Porter | |
| Meet Mr. Lucifer | 1953 | Sam Hollingsworth; Mr Lucifer | |
| Fast and Loose | 1954 | Mr Crabb | |
| An Alligator Named Daisy | 1955 | The General | |
| Jumping for Joy | 1956 | Captain Jack Montague | |
| Alive and Kicking | 1959 | MacDonagh | |
| No Trees in the Street | 1959 | Kipper | |
| No Love for Johnnie | 1961 | Fred Andrews | |
| On the Fiddle | 1961 | Cooksley | |
| British Transport Films – "The Third Sam" | 1962 | Narrator; monologist | Documentary |
| My Fair Lady | 1964 | Alfred P. Doolittle | |
| In Harm's Way | 1965 | Clayton Canfil | |
| Ten Little Indians | 1965 | Detective William Henry Blore | |
| The Sandwich Man | 1966 | Park Gardener | |
| Mrs. Brown, You've Got a Lovely Daughter | 1968 | George G. Brown | |
| How to Make it | 1969 | Jason Carlyle | |
| The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes | 1970 | Gravedigger | |
| Flight of the Doves | 1971 | Judge Liffy | |
| Up the Front | 1972 | The Great Vincento | |
| Journey into Fear | 1975 | Mr Mathews | |

## Television

Known television appearances of Stanley Holloway :
| Programme | Date | Channel (UK, unless stated) | Role | Notes |
| The Tonight Show | 29 July 1957 | NBC (USA) | | |
| DuPont Show of the Month: "Crescendo" | 29 September 1957 | CBS (USA) | | |
| The Bell Telephone Hour – The Mikado | 29 April 1960 | NBC (USA) | Pooh-Bah | |
| An Arabian Night | 9 July 1960 | ITV | Ibrahim | |
| Our Man Higgins | 3 October 1962 – 11 September 1963 | ABC (USA) | Higgins | 34 episodes |
| Kraft Music Hall | 29 October 1964 | NBC (USA) | | |
| The Red Skelton Show | 16 November 1965 | CBS (USA) | Eggcup Tycoon | |
| The Dean Martin Show | 26 May 1966 | NBC (USA) | Himself | |
| Show of the Week, "'Ere's 'Olloway" | 24 May 1966 | BBC2 | | |
| Blandings Castle | 24 February – 31 March 1967 | BBC1 | Sebastian Beach | Six episodes: "Lord Emsworth and Company for Gertrude", "Blandings Castle Pig Hoo-Oo-Ey!", "Lord Emsworth Acts For The Best", "Lord Emsworth and the Crime Wave at Blandings", "The Great Pumpkin Crisis" and "Lord Emsworth and the Girl Friend" |
| The Red Skelton Show | 19 September 1967 | CBS (USA) | Sir Whitecliff of Dover | |
| Armchair Theatre, "The Ballad of the Artificial Mash" | 27 July 1968 | ITV | | |
| Thingumybob | 3 August 1968 – | ITV | Bob Bridge | |
| A Time to Remember | 11 June 1969 – 28 March 1972 | ITV | | Documentary series about the First and Second World Wars; Holloway narrated five episodes |
| The Barnstormers | 10 September 1969 | BBC | | |
| Run a Crooked Mile | 18 November 1969 | Universal Television (USA) | Caretaker | |
| If It Moves It's Rude: The Story of the Windmill Theatre | 26 December 1969 | BBC1 | On-screen participant | |
| Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde | 7 March 1973 | NBC (USA) | Poole | |
| Fifty Bighearted Years; The Variety Club of Great Britain's Tribute to Arthur Askey | 17 October 1974 | ITV | | |
| Looks Familiar | 17 April 1980 | ITV | | |
| Royal Variety Performance | 23 November 1980 | BBC1 | | |