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	==External links==		==External links==
	* {{IMDb name\|0506115}}		* {{IMDb name\|0506115}}

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	{{DEFAULTSORT:Levis, Carroll}}		{{DEFAULTSORT:Levis, Carroll}}

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{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox person
|name = Carroll Levis
|honorific_suffix =
|image = Carroll_Levis.jpg
|caption =
|birth_name = Carroll Richard Levis
|birth_date = {{Birth date|1910|3|15}}
|birth_place = [[Toronto]], Canada
|death_date = {{death date and age|1968|10|17|1910|3|15}}
|death_place = London, England
|occupation = Broadcaster, talent scout
|partner =
|resting_place =
|years_active = 1930s–1968
|website =
}}

'''Carroll Richard Levis''' (March 15, 1910 – October 17, 1968) was a Canadian talent scout, impresario and radio and television broadcaster, mainly working in Britain.

==Biography==
Born in [[Toronto]] and brought up in [[Vancouver]], he grew up wanting to be an actor, but held various jobs in [[movie theatre]]s and as a deckhand before doing some work as a comedian and [[stage hypnotist]]. He began broadcasting as an announcer with [[CKWX]] in Vancouver. When working in [[Alberta]],<ref>[https://worldradiohistory.com/BOOKSHELF-ARH/Enjoyment/Radio%20Whos%20Who%201947.pdf Cyrus Andrews, ''Radio Who's Who'', 1947, p.1201]</ref> on one occasion he had time to fill in during a live broadcast and persuaded a boy in the audience to sing a song. Following a good listener reaction, he started a local radio [[talent show]], ''Saturday Night Club of the Air'', and then a similar programme in [[Montreal]].<ref name=macleans>{{Cite web|url=https://archive.macleans.ca/article/1946/2/15/maker-of-stars|title=Maker of Stars | Maclean's | February 15, 1946|first=Lester|last=Matthews|website=Archive.macleans.ca|accessdate=14 December 2020}}</ref>

In 1935, he decided to move to England. He met radio producer [[Eric Maschwitz]], and they developed a tour of British cities to find new talent. His touring stage shows attracted thousands of applicants from potential performers, as well as large theatre audiences,<ref name=macleans/> and his first radio shows, ''Carroll Levis and his Discoveries'', were broadcast in September 1936.<ref name=genome>[https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/search/0/20?order=asc&q=%22Carroll+Levis%22#search Search: Carroll Levis, ''Radio Times'']. Retrieved 13 December 2020</ref> The ''[[Radio Times]]'' reported the following year that "in the last two years [he] has heard thirty thousand people. Of the amateur acts he has introduced, forty-five have turned professional. Not one of them is earning less than £5 a week, and one is getting as much as £25."<ref>[https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/4f2ce24f8cb14b0fad559368e457b06a "Carroll Levis and his Discoveries", ''Radio Times'', Issue 736, 5 November 1937, p.60]. Retrieved 13 December 2020</ref>

Levis also presented talent shows on [[Radio Luxembourg]], from 1937,<ref name=gifford>[[Denis Gifford]], ''The Golden Age of Radio'', B.T. Batsford Ltd, London, 1985, {{isbn|0-7134-4235-2}}, pp.150-152</ref> and in 1939 played himself in a comedy film, ''[[Discoveries (film)|Discoveries]]'', which introduced the song "[[There'll Always Be an England]]". During [[World War II]], he presented other programmes on BBC radio, such as the [[variety show]]s ''Carroll Levis Carries On'' and ''The Carroll Levis Hour'',<ref name=gifford/> and toured military outposts in Europe and the Middle East.<ref name=macleans/> In 1945, Levis was featured in a concert show which entertained troops of the [[First Canadian Army]].

Among the performers "discovered" by Levis were comedian and actor [[Jim Dale]], comedian [[Barry Took]], and actress [[Anne Heywood]].<ref name=hudd/> After the end of the war, Levis continued with his stage shows and radio broadcasts.<ref name=macleans/> In 1946, ''The Carroll Levis Show'' introduced [[Cardew Robinson]] and [[Avril Angers]].<ref name=gifford/> In 1948 he starred in the British mystery film [[Brass Monkey (film)|''Brass Monkey'']], in which he played himself. He became ill in the late 1940s, and for a time was replaced by his brother, Cyril Levis, the show being renamed ''Carroll Levis' Discoveries''.<ref name=gifford/>

He returned in 1953, when ''The Carroll Levis Discovery Show'' moved to television, showcasing the talents of young people, with the [[catchline]]: "Truly, the discoveries of today are the stars of tomorrow".<ref name=hudd>Roy Hudd and Philip Hindin, ''Roy Hudd's Cavalcade of Variety Acts'', Robson Books, 1998, {{ISBN|1-86105-206-5}}, p.104</ref> At the opening of his TV show, the banner read, "TeLEVISion", utilising his name, "Levis", which formed part of the word, "Television". He also had an acting role in ''[[The Depraved (1957 film)|The Depraved]]'' (1957), which featured his discovery, Anne Heywood.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://explore.bfi.org.uk/4ce2b9faa4996|title=Carroll Levis|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120725194426/http://explore.bfi.org.uk/4ce2b9faa4996|accessdate=14 December 2020|archive-date=2012-07-25}}</ref>

In 1961, he removed himself from the public eye, only to attempt a return in 1968 after a four-year struggle with a stomach ailment. However, he died the same year, in London, aged 58.<ref name="Montreal Gazette, 5 February 1968">{{cite web |title=Carroll Levis to Return |accessdate=2013-04-18 |url= https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=WMUtAAAAIBAJ&sjid=458FAAAAIBAJ&pg=3375%2C927448}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{IMDb name|0506115}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Levis, Carroll}}
[[Category:1910 births]]
[[Category:People from Toronto]]
[[Category:1968 deaths]]
[[Category:British radio personalities]]
[[Category:Canadian radio personalities]]
[[Category:Canadian expatriates in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:BBC radio presenters]]
[[Category:BBC television presenters]]

Carroll Levis - Revision history

Kurt at 21:09, 26 January 2023

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