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Ron Shand

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Ron Shand
Born
Ronald Ernest McMurtry

3 February 1906
Carlton, Melbourne, Australia
Died8 August 1993 (aged 87)
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
NationalityAustralian
Other namesRonnie McMurtry
Occupations
  • Actor (radio, stage (including cabaret, revue), television and film)
  • comedian
  • circus performer
  • dancer
  • vaudevillian
Years active?-1985
Known forNumber 96, The Benny Hill Show, Poor Man's Orange
SpouseLetty Craydon
FamilyIris Shand (1912-2000; actress, theatre director, stage manager)[1]

Ronald Ernest McMurtry (3 February 1906 in Carlton, Melbourne, Australia – 8 August 1993), professionally known as Ron Shand and earlier in his career as Ronnie McMurtry, was a Australian actor and comedian who worked extensively in numerously genres of the show business industry including, circus, soft shoe, theatre, cabaret, revue vaudeville, radio, television and film. Shand was also a recording artist. He started his career in vaudeville in Perth, he was probably best known however for his role in television soap opera Number 96 as Herbert "Herb" Evans.

Biography

Shand came from a background in show business, particulary of circus performers, that spanned 4 generations on his mothers side and 3 generations on his fathers side, his grandfather Patrick Montomery was an Irish-born ringmaster and horse trainer and was married to Annie Gordon, who was half French and half Spanish[2]. Born to entertainer parents, his father, Ernest Shand and mother where circus acrobat's, whom had met at 19, whilst performing with the Fitzgeralds Circus. Ron was given the name "Shand" was by to his grandparents as travelling circus performers and Ron grew up with them in Melbourne. He started his career in the circus as a clown, and later performed as a song and dance man in vaudeville, did tent shows and comedy. He appeared in the Tivoli circuit for many years playing in revue and pantomime, before joining the J. C. Williamson theatre company for several seasons in musical comedy. he worked ac act his first wife Laurel Streeter and dancer Eddie Clifford.[3] Roles with J C Williamson included The Pajama Game, Can Can, The Sentimental Bloke, and Sail Away produced by Noël Coward. he also appeared in numerous plays with the John Alden Shakespeare company.

Shand was then one of the original members of the John Alden Shakspeare Company that toured all the capital cities of Australia. Shand played in several straight dramatic roles with the company, appearing in such plays as The Man Who Came to Dinner, Arsenic and Old Lace , Love Thy Neighbour and Bell, Book and Candle. Through the 1960s Shand also acted in several Australian television drama series, including Matlock Police, Division 4 and Homicide

Shand subsequently found his widest audiences in the 1970s on television through his portrayal of hen-pecked Herbert Evans, husband to shrill gossip Dorrie (Pat McDonald), in the phenomenally successful sex-comedy soap opera Number 96. Comedy characters Dorrie and Herb became two of the show's most popular figures and continued in the series its entire 1972–1977 run. After the series ended Shand acted in television dramas The Young Doctors, A Country Practice, Prisoner and G.P. and the acclaimed miniseries Poor Man's Orange. He was also part of the cast of a 1977 The Benny Hill Show TV special made in Australia, in place of Hill's usual short, bald stooge Jackie Wright.[4] He was married to actress and singer Letty Craydon, (born Letitia Matilda Graydon 1899-1965), who coincidentally enough featured in the film Seven Little Australian, that starred Pat McDonald, who would play his future Number 96 on-screen wife Dorrie Evans)[5] whom he appeared with in revues and he also had a younger sister Iris Shand, (Thelma Hilda Shand; 1 April 1912), wo wasa soubrette, dancer and actress, as well as a theatre director and stage manager[2]who worked with their parents in the circus.

Filmography (selected)

Year Title Role Notes
1952 Kangaroo Accordion Player [a]
1960 Farewell, Farewell, Eugene Unknown [b]
1961 Whiplash Publican [c][a]
1961 Long Distance role unknown [b]
1962-1964 Consider Your Verdict Dicker
1966 They're A Weird Mob" Man at Racetrack [a]
1966-1968 Homicide 3 roles:
- Jock Wilson
- Arthur Wilkes
- Alf Purcer		 [c]
1968 Contrabandits Mickey [c]
1969 "You Can't See 'round Corners Punter [a]
1969 "Riptide" Baliff Napier [c]
1968-1969 Skippy Ernie Stubbs - Gus [c]
1970 The Long Arm Zookeeper [c]
1970 The Rovers Jack Carter [c]
1970 Mrs Finnigan Dan Smith [c]
1971 Matlock Police McPhee [c]
1970-1972 Division 4 4 roles:
Will ""Duff Duff" Duffy
Billy
Rabbit
Fred Miller		 [c]
1972-1977 Number 96 Herbert Evans [c] [d]
1977 Benny Hill Down Under Various roles [e]
1978 Father, Dear Father in Australi Pickles [c]
1979 Love Thy Neighbour in Australia Arnold [c]
1980 "Menotti" Halliday [c]
1981 The Young Doctors Arthur Shepherd [c]
1982 "Fluteman" Dicker
1983 A Country Practice Big Mac [c]
1984 Prisoner Pop Misom [c]
1987 Poor Man's Orange Bumper Reily [f]
1988 Rafferty's Rules Sid Clutten [c]
1990 "The Last Crop" Mr. Thompson [b]
1991 G.P. Charlie Jackman [c]

Theatre credits (selected)

Further theatre credits can be found at AusStage: Ron Shand theatre roles[6] Ron had roles for numerous theatre companies including with J.C. Williamson and John Alden theatre: He started on stage in 1934 and had numerous character roles until 1985

Title
The Pajama Game
Can-Can
The Sentimental Bloke
Sail Away
The Man Who Came to Dinner
Arsenic and Old Lace
Love Thy Neighbour
Bell, Book and Candle

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d Uncredited
  2. ^ a b c TV movie
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s TV series
  4. ^ 1 of 3 original with Pat McDonald and Bunney Brooke
  5. ^ Fill-in for Jackie Wright
  6. ^ TV mini-series

References

  1. ^ "Iris Shand". AusStage.
  2. ^ a b "Iris Shand interviewed by Bill Stephens [sound recording]".
  3. ^ "Practitioners [S]". 27 April 2011.
  4. ^ Atterton, Margot. (Ed.) The Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Australian Showbiz, Sunshine Books, 1984. ISBN 0-86777-057-0 p 202
  5. ^ "Craydon, Letty".
  6. ^ "Ron Shand Ron Sand at AusStage".
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