Fred Karno - Revision history

Kurt: /* Biography */

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Biography

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	On 27 May 1927 his wife Edith, from whom he had been separated since 1904, died in her sleep of [[diabetes]]. Karno then was able to marry his long-time partner, Marie Moore. Karno went to the US in September 1929, and was hired by the [[Hal Roach Studios]] as a writer-director, thanks to the support of one of his former protégés, [[Stan Laurel]]. However, his stay at the studio was brief and unsuccessful. [[Hal Roach]] later claimed that Karno's main abilities were as a producer, although in reality Karno appears to have been the victim of cost cutting at the studio following the [[Wall Street Crash of 1929]]. He left the studio in February 1930 and returned to England later that Spring. On his return to Britain, Karno launched a show called ''Laffs'' which was later licensed by [[George Black (producer)]] as the basis of shows for the newly formed [[Crazy Gang (comedy group)]]. He later helped to write and produce several short films, some of which starred members of the Gang. In 1932 he returned to the theatre with a show called ''Real Life''.<ref>David B. Crump (2021). "Fred Karno, The Legend Behind the Laughter". p. 568. Brewin.</ref> a show which launched the career of [[Frank Randle]], Karno's second son Leslie also appeared in the show.		On 27 May 1927 his wife Edith, from whom he had been separated since 1904, died in her sleep of [[diabetes]]. Karno then was able to marry his long-time partner, Marie Moore. Karno went to the US in September 1929, and was hired by the [[Hal Roach Studios]] as a writer-director, thanks to the support of one of his former protégés, [[Stan Laurel]]. However, his stay at the studio was brief and unsuccessful. [[Hal Roach]] later claimed that Karno's main abilities were as a producer, although in reality Karno appears to have been the victim of cost cutting at the studio following the [[Wall Street Crash of 1929]]. He left the studio in February 1930 and returned to England later that Spring. On his return to Britain, Karno launched a show called ''Laffs'' which was later licensed by [[George Black (producer)]] as the basis of shows for the newly formed [[Crazy Gang (comedy group)]]. He later helped to write and produce several short films, some of which starred members of the Gang. In 1932 he returned to the theatre with a show called ''Real Life''.<ref>David B. Crump (2021). "Fred Karno, The Legend Behind the Laughter". p. 568. Brewin.</ref> a show which launched the career of [[Frank Randle]], Karno's second son Leslie also appeared in the show.

	Karno spent his last years in southwest England in the village of [[Lilliput, Dorset]], as a part-owner of an off-licence, and died there in 1941 from diabetes, aged 75.<ref name=up>{{cite news\|title=Fred Karno\|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1941/09/19/archives/fred-karno.html\|agency=[[United Press]] \|work=[[The New York Times]] \|page=23\|date=19 September 1941\|quote=Westcott, an old-time comedian and veteran of the English vaudeville circuit known to show business as Fred Karno, died yesterday \|access-date=5 December 2009}}</ref><ref name=thames/>		Karno spent his last years in southwest England in the village of [[Lilliput, Dorset]], as a part-owner of an off-licence, and died there in 1941 from complications of [[diabetes]], aged 75.<ref name=up>{{cite news\|title=Fred Karno\|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1941/09/19/archives/fred-karno.html\|agency=[[United Press]] \|work=[[The New York Times]] \|page=23\|date=19 September 1941\|quote=Westcott, an old-time comedian and veteran of the English vaudeville circuit known to show business as Fred Karno, died yesterday \|access-date=5 December 2009}}</ref><ref name=thames/>

	==Legacy==		==Legacy==

Kurt at 15:37, 12 April 2023

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	Cheeky authority-defying playlets such as ''Jail Birds'' (1895) in which prisoners play tricks on warders and ''Early Birds'' (1899), showing the poverty and realities for the poor of London's East End, can be seen as precursors of movie silent comedy. Many of his comics subsequently worked in film and used Karno material throughout their work. Film producer [[Hal Roach]] stated: "Fred Karno is not only a genius, he is the man who originated slapstick comedy. We in Hollywood owe much to him."<ref>J. P. Gallagher (1971). "Fred Karno: master of mirth and tears". p. 165. Hale.</ref>		Cheeky authority-defying playlets such as ''Jail Birds'' (1895) in which prisoners play tricks on warders and ''Early Birds'' (1899), showing the poverty and realities for the poor of London's East End, can be seen as precursors of movie silent comedy. Many of his comics subsequently worked in film and used Karno material throughout their work. Film producer [[Hal Roach]] stated: "Fred Karno is not only a genius, he is the man who originated slapstick comedy. We in Hollywood owe much to him."<ref>J. P. Gallagher (1971). "Fred Karno: master of mirth and tears". p. 165. Hale.</ref>

	Among the music hall [[comedian]]s who worked for him were [[Charlie Chaplin]] and his [[understudy]], Arthur Stanley Jefferson, who later adopted the name of [[Stan Laurel]]. These were alumni of his comedy companies all of whom trained at his headquarters, The Fun Factory, in Vaughan Road, Camberwell. Such was Karno's fame that his name became associated with any chaotic situation, and the disorganised volunteer soldiers of the Great War labelled themselves "Fred Karno's Army", a phrase still occasionally used in the UK to refer to a chaotic group or organisation.~~{{fact\|date=December 2022}}~~ The phrase was also adapted into a [[war song\|trench song]] in the [[First World War]], to the tune of the [[hymn]] "[[The Church's One Foundation]]".<ref>{{cite web \|url=http://www.oucs.ox.ac.uk/ww1lit/education/tutorials/intro/trench/songs.html#fred \|title='Trench Songs', The First World War Poetry Digital Archive \|access-date=16 October 2010\|quote=We are Fred Karno's army, we are the ragtime infantry. We cannot fight, we cannot shoot, what bleeding use are we? And when we get to Berlin we'll hear the Kaiser say, 'Hoch, hoch! Mein Gott, what a bloody rotten lot, are the ragtime infantry' \|publisher=[[University of Oxford]] }}</ref> In the [[Second World War]] it was adapted as the Anthem of the [[Guinea Pig Club]], the first line becoming "We are McIndoe's Army ...". The song also features in the [[Musical film\|musical comedy]] film ''[[Oh! What a Lovely War]]'' (1969).		Among the music hall [[comedian]]s who worked for him were [[Charlie Chaplin]] and his [[understudy]], Arthur Stanley Jefferson, who later adopted the name of [[Stan Laurel]]. These were alumni of his comedy companies all of whom trained at his headquarters, The Fun Factory, in Vaughan Road, Camberwell. Such was Karno's fame that his name became associated with any chaotic situation, and the disorganised volunteer soldiers of the Great War labelled themselves "Fred Karno's Army", a phrase still occasionally used in the UK to refer to a chaotic group or organisation. The phrase was also adapted into a [[war song\|trench song]] in the [[First World War]], to the tune of the [[hymn]] "[[The Church's One Foundation]]".<ref>{{cite web \|url=http://www.oucs.ox.ac.uk/ww1lit/education/tutorials/intro/trench/songs.html#fred \|title='Trench Songs', The First World War Poetry Digital Archive \|access-date=16 October 2010\|quote=We are Fred Karno's army, we are the ragtime infantry. We cannot fight, we cannot shoot, what bleeding use are we? And when we get to Berlin we'll hear the Kaiser say, 'Hoch, hoch! Mein Gott, what a bloody rotten lot, are the ragtime infantry' \|publisher=[[University of Oxford]] }}</ref> In the [[Second World War]] it was adapted as the Anthem of the [[Guinea Pig Club]], the first line becoming "We are McIndoe's Army ...". The song also features in the [[Musical film\|musical comedy]] film ''[[Oh! What a Lovely War]]'' (1969).

	==Biography==		==Biography==
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	[[Category:Music hall performers]]		[[Category:Music hall performers]]
	~~[[Category:Deaths from diabetes]]~~

Kurt at 15:34, 12 April 2023

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	~~{{short description\|19th and 20th-century British comedian, impresario and theatre manager}}~~
	~~{{Use dmy dates\|date=September 2013}}~~
	~~{{Use British English\|date=September 2013}}~~
	{{Infobox person		{{Infobox person
	~~\| name = Fred Karno~~
	\| image = fredkarno.jpg		\| image = fredkarno.jpg
	\| caption =		\| caption =
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	*[http://www.themusichallguild.com Fred Karno at the Music Hall Guild of Great Britain]		*[http://www.themusichallguild.com Fred Karno at the Music Hall Guild of Great Britain]
	*[https://www.greatwartheatre.org.uk/db/person/12/ Plays by Fred Karno on Great War Theatre website]		*[https://www.greatwartheatre.org.uk/db/person/12/ Plays by Fred Karno on Great War Theatre website]

	~~{{authority control}}~~

	{{DEFAULTSORT:Karno, Fred}}		{{DEFAULTSORT:Karno, Fred}}

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{{short description|19th and 20th-century British comedian, impresario and theatre manager}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2013}}
{{Use British English|date=September 2013}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Fred Karno
| image = fredkarno.jpg
| caption =
| birth_name = Frederick John Westcott
| birth_date = {{Birth date|df=yes|1866|03|26}}
| birth_place = [[Exeter]], [[Devon]], England
| death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|1941|09|17|1866|03|26}}
| death_place = [[Lilliput, Dorset]], England
| other_names =
| occupation = Comedian, Theatre impresario of [[music hall]]
| spouse = Edith Karno (nee Cuthbert), Marie Karno (nee Moore)
| website = https://www.fredkarno.com/
}}

'''Frederick John Westcott''' (26 March 1866 – 17 September 1941), best known by his stage name '''Fred Karno''', was an English [[theatre]] [[impresario]] of the British [[music hall]].<ref name=up/> As a comedian of [[slapstick]] he is credited with popularising the [[Pieing|custard-pie-in-the-face gag]].<ref>Leslie Halliwell, John Walker (2001). "Halliwell's Who's who in the Movies". p. 240. HarperCollinsEntertainment, 2001</ref> During the 1890s, in order to circumvent stage censorship, Karno developed a form of sketch comedy without dialogue.

Cheeky authority-defying playlets such as ''Jail Birds'' (1895) in which prisoners play tricks on warders and ''Early Birds'' (1899), showing the poverty and realities for the poor of London's East End, can be seen as precursors of movie silent comedy. Many of his comics subsequently worked in film and used Karno material throughout their work. Film producer [[Hal Roach]] stated: "Fred Karno is not only a genius, he is the man who originated slapstick comedy. We in Hollywood owe much to him."<ref>J. P. Gallagher (1971). "Fred Karno: master of mirth and tears". p. 165. Hale.</ref>

Among the music hall [[comedian]]s who worked for him were [[Charlie Chaplin]] and his [[understudy]], Arthur Stanley Jefferson, who later adopted the name of [[Stan Laurel]]. These were alumni of his comedy companies all of whom trained at his headquarters, The Fun Factory, in Vaughan Road, Camberwell. Such was Karno's fame that his name became associated with any chaotic situation, and the disorganised volunteer soldiers of the Great War labelled themselves "Fred Karno's Army", a phrase still occasionally used in the UK to refer to a chaotic group or organisation.{{fact|date=December 2022}} The phrase was also adapted into a [[war song|trench song]] in the [[First World War]], to the tune of the [[hymn]] "[[The Church's One Foundation]]".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.oucs.ox.ac.uk/ww1lit/education/tutorials/intro/trench/songs.html#fred |title='Trench Songs', The First World War Poetry Digital Archive |access-date=16 October 2010|quote=We are Fred Karno's army, we are the ragtime infantry. We cannot fight, we cannot shoot, what bleeding use are we? And when we get to Berlin we'll hear the Kaiser say, 'Hoch, hoch! Mein Gott, what a bloody rotten lot, are the ragtime infantry' |publisher=[[University of Oxford]] }}</ref> In the [[Second World War]] it was adapted as the Anthem of the [[Guinea Pig Club]], the first line becoming "We are McIndoe's Army ...". The song also features in the [[Musical film|musical comedy]] film ''[[Oh! What a Lovely War]]'' (1969).

==Biography==
Karno was born in [[Exeter]], [[Devon]], England, in 1866. His father was a cabinet maker, although Karno's first career was as a plumber's apprentice. A chance encounter at a gymnasium led to Karno taking up acrobatics, and around 1882 Karno joined forces with an older performer called Olvene, and ran away with [[Circus|the circus]]. He subsequently worked as a solo acrobat and as part of a troupe called The Four Aubreys. Whilst with the Aubreys he met Edith Cuthbert who worked in the box office at Stockport Theatre Royal. They married in 1889. In 1891 his son, Fred Karno Jr. (born Frederick Arthur Westcott) was born.<ref>{{cite news |title=Fred Karno, Jr. |url=https://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FB0B11F934551B728DDDAD0894DA405B818AF1D3 |quote=Fred Karno, Jr., British comedian, died at his home today in Margate, Kent. He was 69 years old. Mr. Karno, as a young man, appeared in "Mumming Birds", one;... |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=4 February 1961 |access-date=16 October 2010}}</ref> As a young man he had [[Street performance|busked]] at Molesey near [[Tagg's Island]] on London's [[River Thames]] and in 1912 he leased the island and the existing hotel. He demolished the original hotel and hired architect [[Frank Matcham]] to build [[The Karsino]].<ref name=thames>{{cite web |url=http://www.richmond.gov.uk/home/leisure_and_culture/local_history_and_heritage/local_studies_collection/local_history_notes/fred_karno_and_the_karsino.htm |title=Fred Karno and the Karsino |access-date=16 October 2010 |publisher=[[Richmond upon Thames]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110417024358/http://www.richmond.gov.uk/home/leisure_and_culture/local_history_and_heritage/local_studies_collection/local_history_notes/fred_karno_and_the_karsino.htm |archive-date=17 April 2011 |df=dmy-all }}</ref> With the advent of [[Film|cinema]], the music hall's popularity declined and as a result of this decline, Karno went [[bankrupt]] in 1927.<ref>David B. Crump (2021). "Fred Karno, The Legend Behind the Laughter". p. 441. Brewin.</ref>

On 27 May 1927 his wife Edith, from whom he had been separated since 1904, died in her sleep of [[diabetes]]. Karno then was able to marry his long-time partner, Marie Moore. Karno went to the US in September 1929, and was hired by the [[Hal Roach Studios]] as a writer-director, thanks to the support of one of his former protégés, [[Stan Laurel]]. However, his stay at the studio was brief and unsuccessful. [[Hal Roach]] later claimed that Karno's main abilities were as a producer, although in reality Karno appears to have been the victim of cost cutting at the studio following the [[Wall Street Crash of 1929]]. He left the studio in February 1930 and returned to England later that Spring. On his return to Britain, Karno launched a show called ''Laffs'' which was later licensed by [[George Black (producer)]] as the basis of shows for the newly formed [[Crazy Gang (comedy group)]]. He later helped to write and produce several short films, some of which starred members of the Gang. In 1932 he returned to the theatre with a show called ''Real Life''.<ref>David B. Crump (2021). "Fred Karno, The Legend Behind the Laughter". p. 568. Brewin.</ref> a show which launched the career of [[Frank Randle]], Karno's second son Leslie also appeared in the show.

Karno spent his last years in southwest England in the village of [[Lilliput, Dorset]], as a part-owner of an off-licence, and died there in 1941 from diabetes, aged 75.<ref name=up>{{cite news|title=Fred Karno|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1941/09/19/archives/fred-karno.html|agency=[[United Press]] |work=[[The New York Times]] |page=23|date=19 September 1941|quote=Westcott, an old-time comedian and veteran of the English vaudeville circuit known to show business as Fred Karno, died yesterday |access-date=5 December 2009}}</ref><ref name=thames/>

==Legacy==

Karno was hugely influential on comedy – not least in recruiting and training a generation of comics who went on to fame and fortune in their own right, notably: [[Stan Laurel]], [[Charlie Chaplin]], [[Will Hay]], [[Fred Kitchen (entertainer)]], [[Syd Walker]], [[Sydney Chaplin]], [[Eric Campbell (actor)]], [[Sandy Powell (comedian)]], [[Max Miller (comedian)]], [[Frank Randle]], [[Billie Ritchie]], [[Billy Bennett (comedian)]], [[Walter Groves]], Billy Reeves, Jimmy Nervo, of [[Nervo and Knox]], and many more. These comedians were the backbone of British variety throughout the first half of the twentieth century, and many were recruited by fledgling studios in Hollywood as the cream of physical slapstick comedy.

Karno was also an innovator: he brought slapstick circus comedy to the music hall and developed possibly the first use of the revolve in Britain,<ref>David B. Crump (2021). "Fred Karno, The Legend Behind the Laughter". p. 90. Brewin.</ref> bought together troupes of comics and in so doing developed [[sketch comedy]]; he was instrumental in establishing copyright protections for stage productions against the threat from film; and was a pioneer of adding musical accompaniment to stage slapstick. <ref>David B. Crump (2021). "Fred Karno, The Legend Behind the Laughter". p. 580. Brewin.</ref>

Karno's reputation and legacy was significantly tarnished by a salacious biography: ''Master of Mirth and Tears'' (1971) by J. P. Gallagher, but this text has now been largely discredited by the 2021 biography by David B Crump: ''Fred Karno, the Legend Behind the Laughter''.<ref>David B. Crump (2021). "Fred Karno, The Legend Behind the Laughter". Brewin.</ref>

The American writer Trav S.D., author of ''No Applause, Just Throw Money: The Book That Made Vaudeville Famous,'' has proclaimed Crump's biography as "definitive, full of original primary research and then digested and turned into perceptive and entertaining prose", adding "there is a tendency to restrict Karno mentally to the British music hall in which he was so central, and to associate him almost entirely with his two best known creative progeny (Chaplin and Laurel). But that doesn’t do him enough justice. Given the minor fact that between them Chaplin and Laurel largely wrote the rules for screen comedy, it might be well to think of Karno as a [[Socrates]] to their [[Aristotle]] and [[Xenophon]]. In that respect, he has hands over all of 20th century culture. Crump’s strongly worded formulation is the one we should all now go by, calling Karno “the most significant exponent of sketch comedy and physical slapstick the stage has ever seen”.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://travsd.wordpress.com/2022/01/03/travalanche-reviews-fred-karno-the-legend-behind-the-laughter/|title=Review: Travalanche Reviews “Fred Karno: The Legend Behind the Laughter”|access-date=2021-01-03|language=en}}</ref> [[File:Astoria (Péniche).jpg|right|thumb|Karno's ''[[Astoria (recording studio)|Astoria]]'' houseboat from the river]]
Karno's [[houseboat]], the ''[[Astoria (recording studio)|Astoria]]'', on the [[River Thames]] at [[Hampton, London|Hampton]], [[Middlesex]], is now used as a [[recording studio]] by [[Pink Floyd]]'s [[David Gilmour]].<ref>Winn, p. 141</ref>

On 30 September 2012, the [[Music Hall Guild of Great Britain and America]] unveiled a commemorative [[blue plaque]] to Karno at his former studios at 38 Southwell Road, [[Camberwell]], in south London.<ref>[http://www.themusichallguild.com/news.php "Fred Karno Commemorated"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190518152923/http://www.themusichallguild.com/news.php |date=18 May 2019 }}, The Music Hall Guild of Great Britain and America, accessed 30 September 2012</ref>

Karno's role in Charlie Chaplin's rise to fame was highlighted in the biopic ''[[Chaplin (film)|Chaplin]]'' (1992), where Karno was played by British actor [[John Thaw]]. The film included a brief routine based on Karno's sketch ''Mumming Birds''.

Karno's comedy companies were the basis of a trilogy of novels by [[Chris England]].

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==Further reading==
{{Refbegin}}
*{{cite book | last=Crump| first=David | year=2021| title=Fred Karno, the Legend Behind the Laughter| location=Birmingham | publisher=Brewin Books | isbn=978-1-85858-508-6}}
*{{cite web|first=Eric|last=Midwinter|title=Karno, Fred (1866–1941)|work=Oxford Dictionary of National Biography|publisher=Oxford University Press|orig-year=First published 2004|date=January 2011|url=http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/37623|access-date=5 December 2009}}(Subscription required.)
*{{cite news|title=Death of Fred Karno|work=The Times|date=19 September 1941}} (Available through [http://archive.timesonline.co.uk/tol/archive/ The Times archive]. Subscription required.)
*{{cite news|first=Derek|last=Farnes|title=Fred Karno: Immortal Comic Who Recruited Laughter|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=_EISAAAAIBAJ&sjid=gLoDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5517,11605&dq=fred-karno&hl=en|work=The Age|page=2|date=1 July 1950|access-date=5 December 2009|archive-date=23 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211123215357/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=_EISAAAAIBAJ&sjid=gLoDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5517,11605&dq=fred-karno&hl=en|url-status=dead}}
*{{cite book | last= Winn| first=Christopher | year=2010| title=I Never Knew That About the River Thames| location=London | publisher=Ebury Press | isbn=978-0-09-193357-9}}
{{Refend}}

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120716235229/http://www.marketingreinforcements.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/index_fredkarno.html Fred Karno, Tagg's Island and the Astoria]
*[http://www.charliehallpicturearchive.co.uk The Charlie Hall Picture Archive]
*[http://www.fredkarno.com Fred Karno Website]
*{{IMDb name|id=0439833}}
*[http://www.themusichallguild.com Fred Karno at the Music Hall Guild of Great Britain]
*[https://www.greatwartheatre.org.uk/db/person/12/ Plays by Fred Karno on Great War Theatre website]

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Karno, Fred}}
[[Category:1866 births]]
[[Category:1941 deaths]]
[[Category:Businesspeople from Exeter]]
[[Category:English theatre managers and producers]]
[[Category:Music hall performers]]
[[Category:Deaths from diabetes]]