Jack Buchanan - Revision history

Kurt at 00:59, 25 August 2024

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Kurt at 01:23, 8 February 2023

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	~~{{Short description\|Scottish actor, singer, director and producer}}~~

	~~{{EngvarB\|date=October 2017}}~~
	~~{{Use dmy dates\|date=October 2017}}~~
	{{Infobox person		{{Infobox person
	\| name = Jack Buchanan		\| name = Jack Buchanan
	\| image = ~~Actor_Jack_Buchanan~~.jpg		\| image = Actor Jack Buchanan.jpg
	\| imagesize =		\| imagesize =
	\| caption =		\| caption =

Kurt: /* External links */

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External links

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	==External links==		==External links==
	* {{Internet Archive author \|sname=Jack Buchanan \|sopt=t}}
	*{{IMDb name\|id=0118014\|name=Jack Buchanan (I)}}		*{{IMDb name\|id=0118014\|name=Jack Buchanan (I)}}
	* [http://www.helensburghheroes.com/heroes/jack_buchanan Jack Buchanan's biography at Helensburgh Heroes]		* [http://www.helensburghheroes.com/heroes/jack_buchanan Jack Buchanan's biography at Helensburgh Heroes]
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	[[Category:1957 deaths]]		[[Category:1957 deaths]]
	[[Category:People from Helensburgh]]		[[Category:People from Helensburgh]]
	~~[[Category:Deaths from cancer in England]]~~
	~~[[Category:Neurological disease deaths in England]]~~
	~~[[Category:Deaths from spinal cancer]]~~
	[[Category:20th-century Scottish male actors]]		[[Category:20th-century Scottish male actors]]
	[[Category:20th-century Scottish male singers]]		[[Category:20th-century Scottish male singers]]
	[[Category:People educated at the Glasgow Academy]]		[[Category:People educated at the Glasgow Academy]]

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clean up

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	{{DEFAULTSORT:Buchanan, Jack}}		{{DEFAULTSORT:Buchanan, Jack}}

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	{{Short description\|Scottish actor, singer, director and producer}}		{{Short description\|Scottish actor, singer, director and producer}}
	~~{{about\|the actor\|the Australian rugby league footballer\|Jack Buchanan (rugby league)\|the biochemist known as Jack\|John Buchanan (biologist)}}~~
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	\| birth_name = Walter John Buchanan		\| birth_name = Walter John Buchanan
	\| birth_date = {{birth date\|df=yes\|1891\|04\|02}}		\| birth_date = {{birth date\|df=yes\|1891\|04\|02}}
	\| birth_place = [[Helensburgh]], Dunbartonshire, Scotland		\| birth_place = [[w:Helensburgh\|Helensburgh]], Dunbartonshire, Scotland
	\| death_date = {{death date and age\|df=yes\|1957\|10\|20\|1891\|04\|02}}		\| death_date = {{death date and age\|df=yes\|1957\|10\|20\|1891\|04\|02}}
	\| death_place = London, England		\| death_place = London, England

Kurt: 1 revision imported

2022-09-04T17:26:13Z

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← Older revision	Revision as of 12:26, 4 September 2022
(No difference)

en>Brent Brant: /* Radio and television */Add clarifications. in 1928, nobody on Earth could purchase an already-built television set. In the United States of the 1950s, lots of people bought them. That is an understatement.

2022-09-02T16:45:27Z

Radio and television: Add clarifications. in 1928, nobody on Earth could purchase an already-built television set. In the United States of the 1950s, lots of people bought them. That is an understatement.

New page

{{Short description|Scottish actor, singer, director and producer}}
{{about|the actor|the Australian rugby league footballer|Jack Buchanan (rugby league)|the biochemist known as Jack|John Buchanan (biologist)}}
{{EngvarB|date=October 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2017}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Jack Buchanan
| image = Actor_Jack_Buchanan.jpg
| imagesize =
| caption =
| birth_name = Walter John Buchanan
| birth_date = {{birth date|df=yes|1891|04|02}}
| birth_place = [[Helensburgh]], Dunbartonshire, Scotland
| death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|1957|10|20|1891|04|02}}
| death_place = London, England
| othername =
| occupation = {{hlist|Actor|director|producer|singer}}
| yearsactive = 1912–1957
| website =
| spouse = Saffo Arnau 1915–1920 (annulled) Susan Bassett 1947–1957 (one stepdaughter Theo)
}}

'''Walter John''' "'''Jack'''" '''Buchanan''' (2 April 1891 – 20 October 1957) was a Scottish theatre and film actor, singer, dancer, producer and director.<ref name="Larkin">{{cite book|title=[[Encyclopedia of Popular Music|The Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music]]|editor=Colin Larkin|editor-link=Colin Larkin (writer)|publisher=[[Virgin Books]]|date=1997|edition=Concise|isbn=1-85227-745-9|page=196}}</ref> He was known for three decades as the embodiment of the debonair man-about-town in the tradition of [[George Grossmith Jr.]], and was described by ''[[The Times]]'' as "the last of the [[wikt:knut|knuts]]." He is best known in America for his role in the classic Hollywood musical ''[[The Band Wagon]]'' in 1953.

==Biography==
Buchanan was born in [[Helensburgh]], Dunbartonshire, Scotland, the son of Walter John Buchanan Sr (1865–1902), auctioneer, and his wife, Patricia, ''née''  McWatt (1860–1936).<ref name=DNB>Spicer, Andrew H: [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/32154 "Buchanan, Walter John (1890–1957)"], ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, Sept 2004; online edn, January 2008. Retrieved 3 November 2008</ref> He was educated at the [[Glasgow Academy]].<ref>article "The top hat and tails man who left the boos and catcalls behind" in The Stage page 32, Col.1. Thursday 16 May 1985 by Chris Young</ref>

===Early career===
After a brief attempt to follow his late father's profession and a failure at acting in [[Glasgow]], he became a [[music hall]] comedian under the name of '''Chump Buchanan''' and appeared on the variety stage in Scotland.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Music Hall and Theatre Review |journal=Music Hall and Theatre Review |date=November 30, 1911 |page=14}}</ref> Moving to London and adopting the name "Jack Buchanan", he first appeared on the [[West End theatre|West End]] in September 1912 in the [[comic opera]] ''The Grass Widow''  at the [[Apollo Theatre]].<ref name=DNB/> Hardship dogged him for a while before he became famous whilst on tour in 1915 in ''[[To-Night's the Night (musical)|Tonight's the Night]]''.<ref name="Larkin"/> He produced and acted in his own plays both in London and New York City. {{Citation needed|date=March 2020}}

Buchanan's health was not robust, and, to his bitter regret, he was declared unfit when he attempted to enlist for military service in the First World War. He appeared with some success in West End shows during the war, attracting favourable notices as a "knut"<ref>defined by the ''Oxford English Dictionary'' as "a fashionable or showy young man"</ref> in the mould of George Grossmith Jr, and achieved front rank stardom in [[André Charlot]]'s 1921 revue ''A to Z'',<ref name="Larkin"/> appearing with [[Gertrude Lawrence]].<ref name=DNB/> Among his numbers in the show was [[Ivor Novello]]'s "And Her Mother Came Too", which became Buchanan's signature song.<ref name="Larkin"/> The show transferred successfully to [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] in 1924.<ref name=DNB/> For the rest of the 1920s and 1930s he was famous for "the seemingly lazy but most accomplished grace with which he sang, danced, flirted and joked his way through musical shows.... The tall figure, the elegant gestures, the friendly drawling voice, the general air of having a good time."<ref name=obit>''[[The Times]]'': "Last of the knuts", 21 October 1957, p. 12</ref> During the Second World War he starred in his own musical production ''It's Time to Dance'',<ref name="Larkin"/> whose cast included [[Fred Emney]]. The musical show was based on a book by Douglas Furber and L. Arthur Rose, and was staged at the [[Lyric Theatre, London|Lyric Theatre]], [[Shaftesbury Avenue]], London. {{Citation needed|date=March 2020}}

===Film career and later years===
He made his film debut in the silent cinema, in 1917 and appeared in about three dozen films in his career. In 1938, Buchanan achieved the unusual feat of starring in the London stage musical ''This'll Make You Whistle'' while concurrently filming [[This'll Make You Whistle|a film version]]. {{Citation needed|date=March 2020}} The film was released while the stage version was still running; thus the two productions competed with each other. Other starring roles included ''[[Monte Carlo (1930 film)|Monte Carlo]]'' (1930), ''[[Smash and Grab]]'' (1937) and ''[[The Gang's All Here (1939 film)|The Gang's All Here]]'' (1939). He also produced several films including ''[[Happidrome (film)|Happidrome]]'' (1943) and ''The Sky's the Limit'' (1938), which he also directed. He continued to work on Broadway and the West End and took roles in several [[musical film|Hollywood musicals]], including ''[[The Band Wagon]]'' (1953), his best-known film, in which he plays camp theatre director Jeffrey Cordova opposite [[Fred Astaire]] and [[Cyd Charisse]]. He suffered from spinal [[arthritis]], though this did not stop him from performing several dance numbers with Astaire in ''The Band Wagon''. {{Citation needed|date=March 2020}}

==British stage career==
Buchanan's British stage appearances included ''A to Z'', ''Battling Butler'', ''Toni'', ''Sunny'', ''That's a Good Girl'', ''Stand up and Sing'', ''[[Mr. Whittington]]'', ''[[This'll Make You Whistle (musical)|This'll Make You Whistle]]'', ''Top Hat and Tails'', ''[[The Last of Mrs. Cheyney (play)|The Last of Mrs Cheyney]]'', ''Fine Feathers'', ''Canaries Sometimes Sing'', ''Don't Listen, Ladies!'', ''[[Castle in the Air (play)|Castle in the Air]]'', ''[[King's Rhapsody]]'' and ''[[As Long as They're Happy (play)|As Long as They're Happy]]''.<ref name="Larkin"/> His first [[pantomime]] appearance (Christmas, 1940) was as "[[Buttons (pantomime)|Buttons]]" in ''[[Cinderella]]''.

His productions included ''[[The Women (play)|The Women]]'', ''The Body was Well Nourished'', ''Waltz Without End'', ''It's Time to Dance'', ''A Murder for a Valentine'', ''Treble Trouble'' and ''The Lady Asks for Help''.

==American stage career==
Buchanan's American stage appearances included: [[André Charlot]]'s Revues, [[Charles B. Cochran]]'s ''[[Wake Up and Dream (musical)|Wake Up and Dream]]'', ''[[Pardon My English]]'', ''[[Between the Devil]]'' and ''[[Harvey (play)|Harvey]]'' (1948).<ref name="Larkin"/>

==Film career==
Buchanan's Hollywood films included ''Paris'', ''[[The Show of Shows]]'' (1929), ''[[Monte Carlo (1930 film)|Monte Carlo]]'' (1930) and ''[[The Band Wagon]]'' (1953).<ref name="Larkin"/>

His British films included ''[[Yes, Mr Brown]]'' (1933), ''[[Goodnight, Vienna]]'' (1932), ''That's a Good Girl'' (1933), ''[[Brewster's Millions (1935 film)|Brewster's Millions]]'' (1935), ''[[Come Out of the Pantry]]'' (1935), ''[[When Knights Were Bold (1936 film)|When Knights Were Bold]]'' (1936), ''[[This'll Make You Whistle]]'' (1936), ''[[Smash and Grab]]'' (1937), ''[[The Sky's the Limit (1938 film)|The Sky's the Limit]]'' (1938), ''[[Break the News (film)|Break the News]]'' (1938), ''[[The Gang's All Here (1939 film)|The Gang's All Here]]'' (1939), ''[[The Middle Watch (1940 film)|The Middle Watch]]'' (1940), ''[[Bulldog Sees It Through]]'' (1940), ''[[As Long as They're Happy]]'' (1955) and ''[[Josephine and Men]]'' (1955).<ref name="Larkin"/> He made one French film (bilingual), ''[[The French, They Are a Funny Race|The Diary of Major Thompson]]'' (1955).

==Radio and television==
Buchanan was a frequent broadcaster on British radio, especially during the Second World War. Programs included ''The Jack Buchanan Show'' and, in 1955, the hugely popular eight-part series ''Man About Town''.

On 12 June 1928, Buchanan participated in the first-ever transatlantic television broadcast. It was conducted by Scottish engineer [[John Logie Baird]], an important figure in the technological development of television. At the time, the few television sets that existed had been custom-built by engineers and were not available for purchase by the general public in the United Kingdom or the United States.

American television shows on which Buchanan appeared during the era of stores selling television sets included ''Max Liebman's Spotlight'' in 1954 and ''[[The Ed Sullivan Show]]''.

==Business interests==
In a British tradition of actor-management, Buchanan frequently produced his own shows, many of which were premiered in the [[Alhambra Theatre Glasgow|Alhambra Theatre, Glasgow]].<ref>"Alhambra Glasgow" by Graeme Smith {{ISBN|978-0-9559420-1-3}}</ref> He was also heavily involved in the more commercial side of British show business. He was responsible, with partners, for the building and ownership of the [[Leicester Square Theatre]], London, and the Imperial in [[Brighton]]. He also controlled the [[Garrick Theatre]] in the West End of London and the King's Theatre in [[Hammersmith]]. Jack Buchanan Productions (in which his partners were [[J. Arthur Rank]] and Charles Woolf) owned [[Riverside Studios]] in Hammersmith.

He had been at school with the pioneer of television [[John Logie Baird]] and with him co-owned Television Limited, which manufactured and rented televisions.

Not all his business ventures were profitable, and at his death his estate was valued for [[probate]] (in 1958) at £24,489 (equivalent to £{{formatnum:{{Inflation|UK|24489|1958|r=-3}}}} today).

==Marriage==
Buchanan's image was that of the raffish eternal bachelor, but he was, unknown to most, married to Saffo Arnau in 1915. She was a singer. This marriage was annulled in 1920.<ref>Article "Charmed Snobbery" by Allen Saddler Page 12 Col.2, para.4; The Stage Thursday 11 April 2002</ref>

Later in life, he married Susan Bassett, an American, in 1947; he was her second husband. Through her he had a stepdaughter, Theo, who lived with him and his wife. He had no children of his own.<ref>Article "Charmed Snobbery" by Allen Saddler Page 12 Col.3, para.2; The Stage Thursday 11 April 2002</ref>

He had previously had a relationship with Australian actress [[Coral Browne]], and during her meeting in Moscow with Soviet spy [[Guy Burgess]] in the late 1950s she informed Burgess, on mentioning Buchanan, that "we almost got married'. "And...?" "He jilted me." Burgess, previously at the British [[Foreign Office]], had defected to Moscow a few years earlier, and one of the few mementoes of his earlier life that he had been able to keep was one 78rpm Jack Buchanan record—"[[Who? (song)|Who?]]"—which, when Browne visited his Moscow flat, he played repeatedly. This event is portrayed in [[Alan Bennett]]'s play ''[[An Englishman Abroad]]''. {{Citation needed|date=March 2020}}

==Character==
Buchanan was noted for his portrayals of the quintessential English gentleman, despite being a [[Scottish people|Scot]]. He was known for his financial generosity to less prosperous actors and chorus performers.{{Citation needed|date=March 2020}} [[Sandy Wilson]] recalled that each year during the running of the annual [[Grand National]] horse race, Buchanan would cancel that day's performance of his current musical and charter an excursion train to the racecourse and back, supplying meals for the entire cast and crew of his show, in addition to giving them £5 each for a "flutter" on the horse of their choice. {{Citation needed|date=March 2020}}

Buchanan died in London in 1957 from [[spinal tumor|spinal cancer]] at age 66.<ref>article "The top hat and tails man who left the boos and catcalls behind" in The Stage page 32, Col.6., para.2, Thursday 16 May 1985 by Chris Young</ref>

==Partial filmography==
{{Div col}}
* ''[[Auld Lang Syne (1917 film)|Auld Lang Syne]]'' (1917) – Vane
* ''[[Her Heritage]]'' (1919) – Bob Hales
* ''[[The Audacious Mr. Squire]]'' (1923) – Tom Squire
* ''[[The Happy Ending (1925 film)|The Happy Ending]]'' (1925) – Captain Dale Conway
* ''[[Settled Out of Court]]'' (1925) – The Husband
* ''[[Bulldog Drummond's Third Round]]'' (1925) – Captain Hugh Drummond
* ''A Typical Budget'' (1925, Short)
* ''[[Confetti (1927 film)|Confetti]]'' (1928) – Count Andrea Zorro
* ''[[Toni (1928 film)|Toni]]'' (1928) – Toni Marr / Marini
* ''[[Paris (1929 film)|Paris]]'' (1929) – Guy Pennell
* ''[[The Show of Shows]]'' (1929)
* ''[[Monte Carlo (1930 film)|Monte Carlo]]'' (1930) – Count Rudolph Farriere
* ''[[A Man of Mayfair]]'' (1931) – Lord William
* ''[[Goodnight, Vienna]]'' (1932) – Captain Maximilian Schletoff
* ''[[Yes, Mr Brown]]'' (1933) – Nicholas Baumann
* ''[[That's a Good Girl]]'' (1933) – Jack Barrow
* ''[[Brewster's Millions (1935 film)|Brewster's Millions]]'' (1935) – Jack Brewster
* ''[[Come Out of the Pantry]]'' (1935) – Lord Robert Brent
* ''[[When Knights Were Bold (1936 film)|When Knights Were Bold]]'' (1936) – Sir Guy De Vere
* ''[[This'll Make You Whistle]]'' (1936) – Bill Hoppings
* ''[[Smash and Grab]]'' (1937) – John Forrest
* ''[[Limelight (1936 film)|Limelight]]'' (1937) – Himself (uncredited)
* ''[[Break the News (film)|Break the News]]'' (1938) – Teddy Enton
* ''[[The Sky's the Limit (1938 film)|The Sky's the Limit]]'' (1938) – Dave Harber
* ''[[The Gang's All Here (1939 film)|The Gang's All Here]]'' (1939) – John Forrest
* ''[[The Middle Watch (1940 film)|The Middle Watch]]'' (1940) – Captain Maitland
* ''[[Bulldog Sees It Through]]'' (1940) – 'Bulldog' Bill Watson
* ''[[The Band Wagon]]'' (1953) – Jeffrey Cordova
* ''[[As Long as They're Happy]]'' (1955) – John Bentley
* ''[[Josephine and Men]]'' (1955) – Uncle Charles Luton
* ''[[The French, They Are a Funny Race]]'' (1955) – Le Major Marmaduke Thompson
{{Div col end}}

==Box office ranking==
For a number of years, British film exhibitors voted him among the top ten British stars at the box office via an annual poll in the ''Motion Picture Herald''.
*1936 – 6th<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article25390774 |title=PICTURES and PERSONALITIES. |newspaper=[[The Mercury (Hobart)|The Mercury]] |location=Hobart, Tasmania |date=10 April 1937 |access-date=27 April 2012 |page=5 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref>
*1937 – 5th
*1938 – 6th<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article25589834 |title=FORMBY IS POPULAR ACTOR. |newspaper=[[The Mercury (Hobart)|The Mercury]] |location=Hobart, Tasmania |date=25 February 1939 |access-date=27 April 2012 |page=5 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Internet Archive author |sname=Jack Buchanan |sopt=t}}
*{{IMDb name|id=0118014|name=Jack Buchanan (I)}}
* [http://www.helensburghheroes.com/heroes/jack_buchanan Jack Buchanan's biography at Helensburgh Heroes]
* [http://film.virtual-history.com/person.php?personid=5250 Photographs and literature]
* {{cite web
|work = Theatre & Performance
|publisher = [[Victoria and Albert Museum]]
|url = http://www.vam.ac.uk/collections/theatre_performance/features/history_of_musicals/the_stars/jack_buchanan/index.html
|title = Jack Buchanan
|access-date = 24 March 2011
|url-status = dead
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110413190825/http://www.vam.ac.uk/collections/theatre_performance/features/history_of_musicals/the_stars/jack_buchanan/index.html
|archive-date = 13 April 2011
|df = dmy-all
}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Buchanan, Jack}}
[[Category:Scottish male film actors]]
[[Category:Scottish male musical theatre actors]]
[[Category:1891 births]]
[[Category:1957 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Helensburgh]]
[[Category:Deaths from cancer in England]]
[[Category:Neurological disease deaths in England]]
[[Category:Deaths from spinal cancer]]
[[Category:20th-century Scottish male actors]]
[[Category:20th-century Scottish male singers]]
[[Category:People educated at the Glasgow Academy]]

← Older revision		Revision as of 19:59, 24 August 2024
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	\| birth_name = Walter John Buchanan		\| birth_name = Walter John Buchanan
	\| birth_date = {{birth date\|df=yes\|1891\|04\|02}}		\| birth_date = {{birth date\|df=yes\|1891\|04\|02}}
	\| birth_place = [[~~w:Helensburgh\|~~Helensburgh]], Dunbartonshire, Scotland		\| birth_place = [[Helensburgh]], Dunbartonshire, Scotland
	\| death_date = {{death date and age\|df=yes\|1957\|10\|20\|1891\|04\|02}}		\| death_date = {{death date and age\|df=yes\|1957\|10\|20\|1891\|04\|02}}
	\| death_place = London, England		\| death_place = London, England
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	===Early career===		===Early career===
	After a brief attempt to follow his late father's profession and a failure at acting in [[Glasgow]], he became a [[music hall]] comedian under the name of '''Chump Buchanan''' and appeared on the variety stage in Scotland.<ref>{{cite journal \|title=Music Hall and Theatre Review \|journal=Music Hall and Theatre Review \|date=November 30, 1911 \|page=14}}</ref> Moving to London and adopting the name "Jack Buchanan", he first appeared on the [[West End theatre\|West End]] in September 1912 in the [[comic opera]] ''The Grass Widow''  at the [[Apollo Theatre]].<ref name=DNB/> Hardship dogged him for a while before he became famous whilst on tour in 1915 in ''[[To-Night's the Night (musical)\|Tonight's the Night]]''.<ref name="Larkin"/> He produced and acted in his own plays both in London and New York City. ~~{{Citation needed\|date=March 2020}}~~		After a brief attempt to follow his late father's profession and a failure at acting in [[Glasgow]], he became a [[music hall]] comedian under the name of '''Chump Buchanan''' and appeared on the variety stage in Scotland.<ref>{{cite journal \|title=Music Hall and Theatre Review \|journal=Music Hall and Theatre Review \|date=November 30, 1911 \|page=14}}</ref> Moving to London and adopting the name "Jack Buchanan", he first appeared on the [[West End theatre\|West End]] in September 1912 in the [[comic opera]] ''The Grass Widow''  at the [[Apollo Theatre]].<ref name=DNB/> Hardship dogged him for a while before he became famous whilst on tour in 1915 in ''[[To-Night's the Night (musical)\|Tonight's the Night]]''.<ref name="Larkin"/> He produced and acted in his own plays both in London and New York City.

	Buchanan's health was not robust, and, to his bitter regret, he was declared unfit when he attempted to enlist for military service in the First World War. He appeared with some success in West End shows during the war, attracting favourable notices as a "knut"<ref>defined by the ''Oxford English Dictionary'' as "a fashionable or showy young man"</ref> in the mould of George Grossmith Jr, and achieved front rank stardom in [[André Charlot]]'s 1921 revue ''A to Z'',<ref name="Larkin"/> appearing with [[Gertrude Lawrence]].<ref name=DNB/> Among his numbers in the show was [[Ivor Novello]]'s "And Her Mother Came Too", which became Buchanan's signature song.<ref name="Larkin"/> The show transferred successfully to [[Broadway theatre\|Broadway]] in 1924.<ref name=DNB/> For the rest of the 1920s and 1930s he was famous for "the seemingly lazy but most accomplished grace with which he sang, danced, flirted and joked his way through musical shows.... The tall figure, the elegant gestures, the friendly drawling voice, the general air of having a good time."<ref name=obit>''[[The Times]]'': "Last of the knuts", 21 October 1957, p. 12</ref> During the Second World War he starred in his own musical production ''It's Time to Dance'',<ref name="Larkin"/> whose cast included [[Fred Emney]]. The musical show was based on a book by Douglas Furber and L. Arthur Rose, and was staged at the [[Lyric Theatre, London\|Lyric Theatre]], [[Shaftesbury Avenue]], London. ~~{{Citation needed\|date=March 2020}}~~		Buchanan's health was not robust, and, to his bitter regret, he was declared unfit when he attempted to enlist for military service in the First World War. He appeared with some success in West End shows during the war, attracting favourable notices as a "knut"<ref>defined by the ''Oxford English Dictionary'' as "a fashionable or showy young man"</ref> in the mould of George Grossmith Jr, and achieved front rank stardom in [[André Charlot]]'s 1921 revue ''A to Z'',<ref name="Larkin"/> appearing with [[Gertrude Lawrence]].<ref name=DNB/> Among his numbers in the show was [[Ivor Novello]]'s "And Her Mother Came Too", which became Buchanan's signature song.<ref name="Larkin"/> The show transferred successfully to [[Broadway theatre\|Broadway]] in 1924.<ref name=DNB/> For the rest of the 1920s and 1930s he was famous for "the seemingly lazy but most accomplished grace with which he sang, danced, flirted and joked his way through musical shows.... The tall figure, the elegant gestures, the friendly drawling voice, the general air of having a good time."<ref name=obit>''[[The Times]]'': "Last of the knuts", 21 October 1957, p. 12</ref> During the Second World War he starred in his own musical production ''It's Time to Dance'',<ref name="Larkin"/> whose cast included [[Fred Emney]]. The musical show was based on a book by Douglas Furber and L. Arthur Rose, and was staged at the [[Lyric Theatre, London\|Lyric Theatre]], [[Shaftesbury Avenue]], London.

	===Film career and later years===		===Film career and later years===
	He made his film debut in the silent cinema, in 1917 and appeared in about three dozen films in his career. In 1938, Buchanan achieved the unusual feat of starring in the London stage musical ''This'll Make You Whistle'' while concurrently filming [[This'll Make You Whistle\|a film version]]. ~~{{Citation needed\|date=March 2020}}~~ The film was released while the stage version was still running; thus the two productions competed with each other. Other starring roles included ''[[Monte Carlo (1930 film)\|Monte Carlo]]'' (1930), ''[[Smash and Grab]]'' (1937) and ''[[The Gang's All Here (1939 film)\|The Gang's All Here]]'' (1939). He also produced several films including ''[[Happidrome (film)\|Happidrome]]'' (1943) and ''The Sky's the Limit'' (1938), which he also directed. He continued to work on Broadway and the West End and took roles in several [[musical film\|Hollywood musicals]], including ''[[The Band Wagon]]'' (1953), his best-known film, in which he plays camp theatre director Jeffrey Cordova opposite [[Fred Astaire]] and [[Cyd Charisse]]. He suffered from spinal [[arthritis]], though this did not stop him from performing several dance numbers with Astaire in ''The Band Wagon''. ~~{{Citation needed\|date=March 2020}}~~		He made his film debut in the silent cinema, in 1917 and appeared in about three dozen films in his career. In 1938, Buchanan achieved the unusual feat of starring in the London stage musical ''This'll Make You Whistle'' while concurrently filming [[This'll Make You Whistle\|a film version]]. The film was released while the stage version was still running; thus the two productions competed with each other. Other starring roles included ''[[Monte Carlo (1930 film)\|Monte Carlo]]'' (1930), ''[[Smash and Grab]]'' (1937) and ''[[The Gang's All Here (1939 film)\|The Gang's All Here]]'' (1939). He also produced several films including ''[[Happidrome (film)\|Happidrome]]'' (1943) and ''The Sky's the Limit'' (1938), which he also directed. He continued to work on Broadway and the West End and took roles in several [[musical film\|Hollywood musicals]], including ''[[The Band Wagon]]'' (1953), his best-known film, in which he plays camp theatre director Jeffrey Cordova opposite [[Fred Astaire]] and [[Cyd Charisse]]. He suffered from spinal [[arthritis]], though this did not stop him from performing several dance numbers with Astaire in ''The Band Wagon''.

	==British stage career==		==British stage career==
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	Later in life, he married Susan Bassett, an American, in 1947; he was her second husband. Through her he had a stepdaughter, Theo, who lived with him and his wife. He had no children of his own.<ref>Article "Charmed Snobbery" by Allen Saddler Page 12 Col.3, para.2; The Stage Thursday 11 April 2002</ref>		Later in life, he married Susan Bassett, an American, in 1947; he was her second husband. Through her he had a stepdaughter, Theo, who lived with him and his wife. He had no children of his own.<ref>Article "Charmed Snobbery" by Allen Saddler Page 12 Col.3, para.2; The Stage Thursday 11 April 2002</ref>

	He had previously had a relationship with Australian actress [[Coral Browne]], and during her meeting in Moscow with Soviet spy [[Guy Burgess]] in the late 1950s she informed Burgess, on mentioning Buchanan, that "we almost got married'. "And...?" "He jilted me." Burgess, previously at the British [[Foreign Office]], had defected to Moscow a few years earlier, and one of the few mementoes of his earlier life that he had been able to keep was one 78rpm Jack Buchanan record—"[[Who? (song)\|Who?]]"—which, when Browne visited his Moscow flat, he played repeatedly. This event is portrayed in [[Alan Bennett]]'s play ''[[An Englishman Abroad]]''. ~~{{Citation needed\|date=March 2020}}~~		He had previously had a relationship with Australian actress [[Coral Browne]], and during her meeting in Moscow with Soviet spy [[Guy Burgess]] in the late 1950s she informed Burgess, on mentioning Buchanan, that "we almost got married'. "And...?" "He jilted me." Burgess, previously at the British [[Foreign Office]], had defected to Moscow a few years earlier, and one of the few mementoes of his earlier life that he had been able to keep was one 78rpm Jack Buchanan record—"[[Who? (song)\|Who?]]"—which, when Browne visited his Moscow flat, he played repeatedly. This event is portrayed in [[Alan Bennett]]'s play ''[[An Englishman Abroad]]''.

	==Character==		==Character==
	Buchanan was noted for his portrayals of the quintessential English gentleman, despite being a [[Scottish people\|Scot]]. He was known for his financial generosity to less prosperous actors and chorus performers.~~{{Citation needed\|date=March 2020}}~~ [[Sandy Wilson]] recalled that each year during the running of the annual [[Grand National]] horse race, Buchanan would cancel that day's performance of his current musical and charter an excursion train to the racecourse and back, supplying meals for the entire cast and crew of his show, in addition to giving them £5 each for a "flutter" on the horse of their choice. ~~{{Citation needed\|date=March 2020}}~~		Buchanan was noted for his portrayals of the quintessential English gentleman, despite being a [[Scottish people\|Scot]]. He was known for his financial generosity to less prosperous actors and chorus performers. [[Sandy Wilson]] recalled that each year during the running of the annual [[Grand National]] horse race, Buchanan would cancel that day's performance of his current musical and charter an excursion train to the racecourse and back, supplying meals for the entire cast and crew of his show, in addition to giving them £5 each for a "flutter" on the horse of their choice.

	Buchanan died in London in 1957 from [[spinal tumor\|spinal cancer]] at age 66.<ref>article "The top hat and tails man who left the boos and catcalls behind" in The Stage page 32, Col.6., para.2, Thursday 16 May 1985 by Chris Young</ref>		Buchanan died in London in 1957 from [[spinal tumor\|spinal cancer]] at age 66.<ref>article "The top hat and tails man who left the boos and catcalls behind" in The Stage page 32, Col.6., para.2, Thursday 16 May 1985 by Chris Young</ref>