Leo Franklyn - Revision history

Kurt at 22:37, 3 January 2023

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 {{Short description|English actor (1897–1975)}}
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+{{Infobox person
 '''Leo Franklyn''' (7 April 1897 – 17 September 1975) was an English actor.  Much of his early career was in [[w:Edwardian musical comedy|Edwardian musical comedy]]; in his later career he was chiefly associated with [[w:farce|farce]].

Kurt at 22:26, 3 January 2023

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← Older revision		Revision as of 17:26, 3 January 2023
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	{{Short description\|English actor (1897–1975)}}		{{Short description\|English actor (1897–1975)}}
	~~{{Use dmy dates\|date=August 2016}}~~
	~~{{Use British English\|date=August 2016}}~~
	~~[[File:Leo-Franklyn.jpg\|thumb\|right\|Franklyn in ''[[The Night We Got the Bird]]'', 1961]]~~
	'''Leo Franklyn''' (7 April 1897 – 17 September 1975) was an English actor. Much of his early career was in [[Edwardian musical comedy]]; in his later career he was chiefly associated with [[farce]].

	~~In the years between the First and Second World Wars,~~ Franklyn was ~~a well-known performer in musical comedies, appearing in both British and American shows~~. ~~He spent ten years performing in Australia in musical comedies. From the 1940s he appeared regularly~~ in [[~~pantomime~~]] ~~as the~~ [[~~Pantomime dame~~\|~~Dame~~]].		[[File:Leo Franklyn.jpg\|thumb\|right]]
			'''Leo Franklyn''' (7 April 1897 – 17 September 1975) was an English actor. Much of his early career was in [[w:Edwardian musical comedy\|Edwardian musical comedy]]; in his later career he was chiefly associated with [[w:farce\|farce]].

	From the 1950s to his death he was principally associated with British farces. From 1956 to 1969 he was a member of [[Brian Rix]]'s company, first at the [[Whitehall Theatre]], and later at the [[Garrick Theatre\|Garrick]].		In the years between the First and Second World Wars, Franklyn was a well-known performer in musical comedies, appearing in both British and American shows. He spent ten years performing in Australia in musical comedies. From the 1940s he appeared regularly in [[w:pantomime\|pantomime]] as the [[w:Pantomime dame\|Dame]].

			From the 1950s to his death he was principally associated with British farces. From 1956 to 1969 he was a member of [[Brian Rix]]'s company, first at the [[w:Whitehall Theatre\|Whitehall Theatre]], and later at the [[w:Garrick Theatre\|Garrick]].

	== Life and career ==		== Life and career ==

	=== Early years ===		=== Early years ===
	Franklyn was born in London and educated by the [[Franciscan]] Brotherhood.<ref name=who>Gaye, p. 619</ref> He served in the army in the first years of the First World War, and made his stage debut in [[City of Sunderland\|Sunderland]] in August 1916 in the chorus of ''[[The Belle of New York (musical)\|The Belle of New York]]''.<ref name=who/> When the production opened in London in December 1916, Franklyn made his [[West End theatre\|West End]] debut. He toured for three years in [[Julian Wylie]]'s musical comedy companies.<ref name=who/>		Franklyn was born in London and educated by the [[w:Franciscan\|Franciscan]] Brotherhood.<ref name=who>Gaye, p. 619</ref> He served in the army in the first years of the First World War, and made his stage debut in [[w:City of Sunderland\|Sunderland]] in August 1916 in the chorus of ''[[The Belle of New York (musical)\|The Belle of New York]]''.<ref name=who/> When the production opened in London in December 1916, Franklyn made his [[w:West End theatre\|West End]] debut. He toured for three years in [[w:Julian Wylie\|Julian Wylie]]'s musical comedy companies.<ref name=who/>

	In the West End, Franklyn appeared with [[Lupino Lane]] in ''Turned Up''.<ref name=tu>"Turned Up", ''The Times'', 29 January 1926, p. 10</ref> ''[[The Times]]'' commented, "Mr. Leo Franklyn … shows a pretty sense of humour. He can also dance."<ref name=tu/> In 1923, Franklyn undertook a tour of the northern provinces, appearing in Scotland in the musical comedy ''[[Kissing Time]]'' in which he played Bibi St. Po.<ref>"Musical Comedy at Kings Theatre", ''Dundee Courier'', 1 September 1923, p. 3</ref> In the late 1920s he went to Australia for more than ten years,<ref name=who/> appearing in shows such as ''[[The Duchess of Dantzic]]'', ''[[Gay Divorce]]'', ''[[The Girl Friend]]'', ''[[Music in the Air]]'', ''[[Our Miss Gibbs]]'' and ''[[The Quaker Girl]]''.<ref>"Her Majesty's – Duchess of Dantzig", ''[[The Sydney Morning Herald]]'', 9 May 1931, p. 10; "Gay Divorce", ''The Sydney Morning Herald'', 21 July 1934, p. 9; "The Girl Friend", ''The Sydney Morning Herald'', 24 December 1927, p. 8; "Music in the Air", ''The Sydney Morning Herald'', 6 September 1933, p. 8; "Her Majesty's – Our Miss Gibbs", ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' 4 February 1933, p. 10; and "Theatre Royal – The Quaker Girl", ''The Sydney Morning Herald'', 14 October 1933 p. 10</ref>		In the West End, Franklyn appeared with [[w:Lupino Lane\|Lupino Lane]] in ''Turned Up''.<ref name=tu>"Turned Up", ''The Times'', 29 January 1926, p. 10</ref> ''[[w:The Times\|The Times]]'' commented, "Mr. Leo Franklyn … shows a pretty sense of humour. He can also dance."<ref name=tu/> In 1923, Franklyn undertook a tour of the northern provinces, appearing in Scotland in the musical comedy ''[[Kissing Time]]'' in which he played Bibi St. Po.<ref>"Musical Comedy at Kings Theatre", ''Dundee Courier'', 1 September 1923, p. 3</ref> In the late 1920s he went to Australia for more than ten years,<ref name=who/> appearing in shows such as ''[[The Duchess of Dantzic]]'', ''[[Gay Divorce]]'', ''[[The Girl Friend]]'', ''[[Music in the Air]]'', ''[[Our Miss Gibbs]]'' and ''[[The Quaker Girl]]''.<ref>"Her Majesty's – Duchess of Dantzig", ''[[The Sydney Morning Herald]]'', 9 May 1931, p. 10; "Gay Divorce", ''The Sydney Morning Herald'', 21 July 1934, p. 9; "The Girl Friend", ''The Sydney Morning Herald'', 24 December 1927, p. 8; "Music in the Air", ''The Sydney Morning Herald'', 6 September 1933, p. 8; "Her Majesty's – Our Miss Gibbs", ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' 4 February 1933, p. 10; and "Theatre Royal – The Quaker Girl", ''The Sydney Morning Herald'', 14 October 1933 p. 10</ref>

	Returning to London, Franklyn had a lucky break when the comedian [[Laddie Cliff]] fell ill, and Franklyn was cast as the comic lead in a new musical comedy, ''Crazy Days'', as James J. Hooker. ''The Times'' praised his performance: "a lively, unrepetitive comedian, quick off the mark, and secure of his audience."<ref>"Shaftesbury Theatre", ''The Times'', 15 September 1938, p. 10</ref> In 1938 he played in [[pantomime]] as Dame Crusoe in ''Robinson Crusoe'' at the [[Duke of York's Theatre]].<ref name=who/> During the Second World War he performed for [[ENSA]], entertaining the troops<ref>"Lend-Lease Plan in Entertainment", ''The Times'', 11 April 1942, p. 8</ref> and appeared in ''A Waltz Dream'' (1942) alongside Nita Croft and Leslie Hatton.<ref>"Nightly; Wed, Thurs and Sat: Nita Croft, Leo Franklyn and Leslie Hatton in ''A Waltz Dream''", ''Hull Daily Mail'', 27 October 1942, p. 2</ref>		Returning to London, Franklyn had a lucky break when the comedian [[Laddie Cliff]] fell ill, and Franklyn was cast as the comic lead in a new musical comedy, ''Crazy Days'', as James J. Hooker. ''The Times'' praised his performance: "a lively, unrepetitive comedian, quick off the mark, and secure of his audience."<ref>"Shaftesbury Theatre", ''The Times'', 15 September 1938, p. 10</ref> In 1938 he played in [[pantomime]] as Dame Crusoe in ''Robinson Crusoe'' at the [[Duke of York's Theatre]].<ref name=who/> During the Second World War he performed for [[ENSA]], entertaining the troops<ref>"Lend-Lease Plan in Entertainment", ''The Times'', 11 April 1942, p. 8</ref> and appeared in ''A Waltz Dream'' (1942) alongside Nita Croft and Leslie Hatton.<ref>"Nightly; Wed, Thurs and Sat: Nita Croft, Leo Franklyn and Leslie Hatton in ''A Waltz Dream''", ''Hull Daily Mail'', 27 October 1942, p. 2</ref>

Kurt: /* External links */

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External links

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	== External links ==		== External links ==
	*{{IMDb name\|0291593}}		*{{IMDb name\|0291593}}

	~~{{authority control}}~~

	{{DEFAULTSORT:Franklyn, Leo}}		{{DEFAULTSORT:Franklyn, Leo}}

Kurt: 1 revision imported

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en>Simeon: Adding local short description: "English actor (1897–1975)", overriding Wikidata description "actor" (Shortdesc helper)

2022-04-22T14:50:28Z

Adding local short description: "English actor (1897–1975)", overriding Wikidata description "actor" (Shortdesc helper)

New page

{{Short description|English actor (1897–1975)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2016}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2016}}
[[File:Leo-Franklyn.jpg|thumb|right|Franklyn in ''[[The Night We Got the Bird]]'', 1961]]
'''Leo Franklyn''' (7 April 1897 – 17 September 1975) was an English actor. Much of his early career was in [[Edwardian musical comedy]]; in his later career he was chiefly associated with [[farce]].

In the years between the First and Second World Wars, Franklyn was a well-known performer in musical comedies, appearing in both British and American shows. He spent ten years performing in Australia in musical comedies. From the 1940s he appeared regularly in [[pantomime]] as the [[Pantomime dame|Dame]].

From the 1950s to his death he was principally associated with British farces. From 1956 to 1969 he was a member of [[Brian Rix]]'s company, first at the [[Whitehall Theatre]], and later at the [[Garrick Theatre|Garrick]].

== Life and career ==

=== Early years ===
Franklyn was born in London and educated by the [[Franciscan]] Brotherhood.<ref name=who>Gaye, p. 619</ref> He served in the army in the first years of the First World War, and made his stage debut in [[City of Sunderland|Sunderland]] in August 1916 in the chorus of ''[[The Belle of New York (musical)|The Belle of New York]]''.<ref name=who/> When the production opened in London in December 1916, Franklyn made his [[West End theatre|West End]] debut. He toured for three years in [[Julian Wylie]]'s musical comedy companies.<ref name=who/>

In the West End, Franklyn appeared with [[Lupino Lane]] in ''Turned Up''.<ref name=tu>"Turned Up", ''The Times'', 29 January 1926, p. 10</ref> ''[[The Times]]'' commented, "Mr. Leo Franklyn … shows a pretty sense of humour. He can also dance."<ref name=tu/> In 1923, Franklyn undertook a tour of the northern provinces, appearing in Scotland in the musical comedy ''[[Kissing Time]]'' in which he played Bibi St. Po.<ref>"Musical Comedy at Kings Theatre", ''Dundee Courier'', 1 September 1923, p. 3</ref> In the late 1920s he went to Australia for more than ten years,<ref name=who/> appearing in shows such as ''[[The Duchess of Dantzic]]'', ''[[Gay Divorce]]'', ''[[The Girl Friend]]'', ''[[Music in the Air]]'', ''[[Our Miss Gibbs]]'' and ''[[The Quaker Girl]]''.<ref>"Her Majesty's – Duchess of Dantzig", ''[[The Sydney Morning Herald]]'', 9 May 1931, p. 10; "Gay Divorce", ''The Sydney Morning Herald'', 21 July 1934, p. 9; "The Girl Friend", ''The Sydney Morning Herald'', 24 December 1927, p. 8; "Music in the Air", ''The Sydney Morning Herald'', 6 September 1933, p. 8; "Her Majesty's – Our Miss Gibbs", ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' 4 February 1933, p. 10; and "Theatre Royal – The Quaker Girl", ''The Sydney Morning Herald'', 14 October 1933 p. 10</ref>

Returning to London, Franklyn had a lucky break when the comedian [[Laddie Cliff]] fell ill, and Franklyn was cast as the comic lead in a new musical comedy, ''Crazy Days'', as James J. Hooker. ''The Times'' praised his performance: "a lively, unrepetitive comedian, quick off the mark, and secure of his audience."<ref>"Shaftesbury Theatre", ''The Times'', 15 September 1938, p. 10</ref> In 1938 he played in [[pantomime]] as Dame Crusoe in ''Robinson Crusoe'' at the [[Duke of York's Theatre]].<ref name=who/> During the Second World War he performed for [[ENSA]], entertaining the troops<ref>"Lend-Lease Plan in Entertainment", ''The Times'', 11 April 1942, p. 8</ref> and appeared in ''A Waltz Dream'' (1942) alongside Nita Croft and Leslie Hatton.<ref>"Nightly; Wed, Thurs and Sat: Nita Croft, Leo Franklyn and Leslie Hatton in ''A Waltz Dream''", ''Hull Daily Mail'', 27 October 1942, p. 2</ref>

In 1943 he played Nisch (Njegus in the original) in ''[[The Merry Widow]]'' at [[Her Majesty's Theatre|His Majesty's Theatre]].<ref name=who/> ''[[The Manchester Guardian]]'' reported that he "flits through the whole affair as a somewhat disillusioned Puck of deft and considerable distinction."<ref>"Opera House: ''The Merry Widow''", ''The Manchester Guardian'', 23 December 1942, p. 6</ref> His last musical comedy was ''[[The Lilac Domino]]'' at the [[Adelphi Theatre]] in the role of Prosper in 1944.<ref name=who/> He appeared as [[pantomime dames]] in various English cities, and in 1956 he joined the [[Brian Rix]] company, in which he achieved his widest fame, in [[Whitehall farce]].<ref name=times/>

=== Farceur ===
For Rix, Franklyn succeeded [[John Slater (actor)|John Slater]] as the crooked [[bookies|bookie]] Alf Tubbs in the farce ''Dry Rot''.<ref>Gaye, pp. 619 and 1194</ref> He remained with Rix for thirteen years in knowing, worldly roles contrasting with Rix's gauche innocents. Franklyn played George Chuffer in ''[[Simple Spymen]]'', which ran for over three years; Jugg, the butler, in ''One for the Pot'', which ran for 1,221 performances; and Hoskins the gardener in ''Chase Me, Comrade'' from June 1964 to May 1966.<ref name=who/> He appeared in films with Rix, including ''[[The Night We Dropped a Clanger]]'' (1959), ''[[And the Same to You]]'' (1960), ''[[Nothing Barred]]'' (1961) and ''[[The Night We Got the Bird]]'' (1961).<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20090115182730/http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/44246 "The Night We Dropped a Clanger"] [[British Film Institute]] database, accessed 28 May 2012; [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0166983/ "And the Same to You"], International Movie Database, accessed 28 May 2012; [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0199875/ "Nothing Barred"], International Movie Database, accessed 28 May 2012; and [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0055231/ "The Night We Got the Bird"], International Movie Database, accessed 28 May 2012.</ref>

In 1967 Rix moved across [[Trafalgar Square]] from the [[Whitehall Theatre]] to the larger [[Garrick Theatre|Garrick]],<ref>The Garrick had a capacity of 800 to the Whitehall's 634: see Gaye, p. 1554</ref> presenting a repertory of three different farces in which he starred with Franklyn in ''Stand by your Bedouin'', ''Uproar in the House'', and ''Let Sleeping Wives Lie''.<ref name=times/><ref>"National Theatre's second Chekhov", ''The Times'', 8 April 1967, p. 9</ref> They then appeared in ''She's Done It Again'' in 1969 in which Franklyn played Pop.<ref name=times>"Obituary – Leo Franklyn", ''The Times'', 18 September 1975, p. 16</ref> His last Rix farce was ''Don't Just Lie There, Say Something!'' which ran from September 1971 to March 1973.<ref>Baker, Roger. "Don't Just Lie There, Say Something!", ''The Times'', 16 September 1971, p. 13; and "Theatres", ''The Times'', 3 March 1973, p. 9</ref>

In 1975 Franklyn was playing in another farce, ''[[No Sex Please, We're British]]'', when he suffered a heart attack, and died a week later at the age of 78.<ref name=times/> In its obituary notice ''The Times'' called him "the doyen of Whitehall farce". He was survived by his wife, the actress Mary Rigby, and their son, the actor [[William Franklyn]].<ref>"Obituary of William Franklyn", ''[[The Daily Telegraph]]'', 1 November 2006, p. 1</ref>

==Selected filmography==
* ''[[Two Minutes Silence]]'' (1933)
* ''[[Keep Fit]]'' (1937)
* ''[[I've Got a Horse]]'' (1938)
* ''[[Come On George!]]'' (1939)
* ''[[The Night We Dropped a Clanger]]'' (1959)
*''[[And the Same to You]]'' (1960)
*''[[The Night We Got the Bird]]'' (1961)
*''[[Nothing Barred]]'' (1961)

== Notes ==
{{reflist|2}}

== References ==
* {{cite book|editor-last= Gaye|editor-first=Freda |year= 1967|title=Who's Who in the Theatre |edition=fourteenth|location=London |publisher=Sir Isaac Pitman and Sons |oclc=5997224 }}

== External links ==
*{{IMDb name|0291593}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Franklyn, Leo}}
[[Category:1897 births]]
[[Category:1975 deaths]]
[[Category:English male stage actors]]
[[Category:Male actors from London]]
[[Category:British Army personnel of World War I]]
[[Category:20th-century English male actors]]