Arthur Worsley: Difference between revisions
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{{Infobox person |
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| name = Arthur Wilkinson Worsley |
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| image = Arthur Worsley.tif |
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| birth_name = |
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| birth_date = {{Birth date|1920|10|06|df=y}} |
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| birth_place = [[Failsworth]], [[Manchester]], [[England]] |
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| death_date = {{Death date and age|2001|07|14|1920|10|06|df=y}} |
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| death_place = [[Blackpool]], [[Lancashire]], England |
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| resting_place = [[Carleton Crematorium, Blackpool|Carleton Cemetery]], Blackpool |
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| resting_place_coordinates = <!-- {{Coord|LAT|LONG|display=inline}} --> |
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| nationality = [[English people|English]] |
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| occupation = [[Ventriloquist]] |
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| television = |
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'''Arthur Wilkinson Worsley''' (16 October 1920 - 14 July 2001) was a [[ventriloquist]] who appeared regularly on [[British television]] from the 1950s to the 1970s. |
'''Arthur Wilkinson Worsley''' (16 October 1920 - 14 July 2001) was a [[ventriloquist]] who appeared regularly on [[British television]] from the 1950s to the 1970s. |
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==Later years== |
==Later years== |
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He retired from the stage in 1983 and thereafter declined all requests for guest appearances on TV and radio. He died in 2001 in Blackpool, Lancashire, aged 80. |
He retired from the stage in 1983 and thereafter declined all requests for guest appearances on TV and radio. He died in 2001 in [[Blackpool]], Lancashire, aged 80. |
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He is buried at [[Carleton Crematorium, Blackpool|Carleton Cemetery, Blackpool]] |
He is buried at [[Carleton Crematorium, Blackpool|Carleton Cemetery, Blackpool]]. |
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== References == |
== References == |
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Revision as of 22:52, 19 December 2012
Arthur Wilkinson Worsley | |
|---|---|
| File:Arthur Worsley.tif Worsley with his dummy, 'Charlie Brown' | |
| Born | 6 October 1920 |
| Died | 14 July 2001 (aged 80) Blackpool, Lancashire, England |
| Resting place | Carleton Cemetery, Blackpool |
| Nationality | English |
| Occupation | Ventriloquist |
Arthur Wilkinson Worsley (16 October 1920 - 14 July 2001) was a ventriloquist who appeared regularly on British television from the 1950s to the 1970s.
Early years
He was born at Failsworth, Manchester. At the age of eight he saw a ventriloquist for the first time which gave him the ambition to become a ventriloquist himself.
Career
Worsley made his first stage appearance aged 11 at the Casino, Rusholme, billed as the World's Youngest Ventriloquist. His London debut took place four years later and so began a hugely successful career. He was soon playing principal theatres around the country and later around the world. In the days of live variety, he was a regular at the UK's top venue, the London Palladium. He became well known in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and America. He appeared on most of the variety shows on British TV and was one of the few British acts who achieved success in the US, appearing on The Ed Sullivan Show in the United States returning to perform a variation of his act for ten years in a row. He was called "the world's greatest ventriloquist' by Ed Sullivan.
Technique
Many "vents" have difficulty getting booked to perform on television, since the merciless scrutiny of the television camera shows their lips moving. Sullivan admired Worsley's ventriloquism act because, in addition to being funny, Worsley's technique was so perfect that he could appear in tight close-up exhibiting no discernible lip movements while his "figure" (dummy) appeared to be speaking.
It is almost impossible to form the plosive consonants "B" and "P" without some movement of the lips; ventriloquists traditionally substitute another consonant ... thus inspiring a joke about a ventriloquist who orders a "gottle of geer" instead of a bottle of beer. As part of Worsley's act, his dummy would shout the phrase "Bottle of beer!" repeatedly while Worsley's lips remained motionless; invariably, this brought a round of applause as the audience realised the difficulty of Worsley's achievement.
Act
All the talking was done by his dummy Charlie Brown, who would turn to the impassive Worsley and say, "Look at me, son, when I'm talking to you". For most of Worsley's act, Charlie would abuse him, growing ever more exasperated by the ventriloquist's silent stupidity. Worsley would accept Charlie's tirades with a Buster Keaton-like implacability, on rare occasions a barely detectable rise of the eyebrow, on still rarer ones a slight smirk. In due time, Charlie would work himself up into a frenzy and start shrieking at Worsley. Not only was this funny, it also allowed Worsley to show off his skills.[1]
Personal life
He married Audrey (née Hewitt), a stage performer.[2] They had one son, Michael.
Later years
He retired from the stage in 1983 and thereafter declined all requests for guest appearances on TV and radio. He died in 2001 in Blackpool, Lancashire, aged 80.
He is buried at Carleton Cemetery, Blackpool.
References
- ^ Yagoda, Ben (2001-12-30). "The Lives They Lived: Arthur Worsley; Suffering Silently". New York Times. pp. 8, Section 6.
{{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ "Arthur Worsley". The Daily Telegraph. London. 20 July 2001. Retrieved 25 April 2010.