Cyril Fletcher: Difference between revisions
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'''Cyril Fletcher''' (25 June 1913 – 2 January 2005) was an [[England|English]] [[comedian]]; his catchphrase was 'Pin back your lugholes'. He was most famous for his Odd Odes, which |
'''Cyril Fletcher''' (25 June 1913 – 2 January 2005) was an [[England|English]] [[comedian]]; his catchphrase was 'Pin back your lugholes'. He was most famous for his Odd Odes, which later formed a section of the television show ''[[That's Life!]]''. Fletcher had first begun performing the Odd Odes in 1937, long before they first appeared on television (though he did appear on pre-[[World War II]] [[television]]).<ref>[http://www.apts.org.uk/films.htm Alexandra Palace Television Society<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> He came up with the idea when he was short of material for a radio show. The first Odd Ode was a comic, yet sentimental, reading of [[Edgar Wallace]]'s war poem ''Dreaming of Thee''. Following this broadcast he was given a regular programme on [[Radio Luxembourg (English)|Radio Luxembourg]]; it was this show that brought him to national attention. He called himself "the odd oder". |
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He also appeared as a panellist on the popular UK [[BBC]] panel show ''[[What's My Line#United Kingdom|What's My Line]]?'' that ran from 1951 to 1963. |
He also appeared as a panellist on the popular UK [[BBC]] panel show ''[[What's My Line#United Kingdom|What's My Line]]?'' that ran from 1951 to 1963. |
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Revision as of 08:18, 24 July 2013
Cyril Fletcher | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 25 June 1913 |
| Died | 2 January 2005 (aged 91) |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation | Comedian |
Cyril Fletcher (25 June 1913 – 2 January 2005) was an English comedian; his catchphrase was 'Pin back your lugholes'. He was most famous for his Odd Odes, which later formed a section of the television show That's Life!. Fletcher had first begun performing the Odd Odes in 1937, long before they first appeared on television (though he did appear on pre-World War II television).[1] He came up with the idea when he was short of material for a radio show. The first Odd Ode was a comic, yet sentimental, reading of Edgar Wallace's war poem Dreaming of Thee. Following this broadcast he was given a regular programme on Radio Luxembourg; it was this show that brought him to national attention. He called himself "the odd oder".
He also appeared as a panellist on the popular UK BBC panel show What's My Line? that ran from 1951 to 1963.
Fletcher was born in Watford, the son of a solicitor, who was the Friern Barnet town clerk.[2] Following schooling at Friern Barnet Grammar School,[3] where he first began to entertain by composing witty poems about his schoolmasters,[4] he graduated from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Fletcher was also a successful businessman, believing it to be important to diversify in such a fickle business as show business. He was the founder of Associated Speakers, an agency for after-dinner speakers, on whose books were the likes of the Duke of Bedford and Lord Longford, as well as himself.
His wife, Betty Astell, died in July 2005. They had a daughter, Jill Fletcher.
Selected filmography
- Nicholas Nickleby (1947)
- A Piece of Cake (1948)
References
- ^ Alexandra Palace Television Society
- ^ Fletcher, Cyril (1973). The Countryman: A Quarterly Review and Miscellany of Rural Life and Progress 73. Oxford: J.W. Robertson Scott. ISBN 0011-0272. page 47.
- ^ Fletcher, Cyril (1978). Nice One Cyril: Being the Odd Odessey and the Anecdotage of a Comedian. London: Random House. ISBN 0-214-20581-9. page 19.
- ^ Hayward, Anthony (3 January 2005). "Cyril Fletcher: Performer of 'Odd Odes' and 'That's Life'". The Independent. Retrieved 2008-12-16.
External links
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