J. R. Hartley
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J.R. Hartley is both the name of a fictional character and an author's pseudonym inspired by it.
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[edit] The fictional author
The fictional character appeared in television advertisements for Yellow Pages (a British commercial telephone directory), first shown in 1983. The character was played by the actor Norman Lumsden.
The advertisement shows an elderly man going into several bookshops asking for a book called Fly Fishing by an author named 'J. R. Hartley'. Every attempt fails, and the next scene shows him at home looking dejected. His daughter, sympathising, hands him a copy of the Yellow Pages, and the next scene features him looking delighted as a bookshop replies that they have a copy of the book. He asks them to keep it for him, and they ask for his name. He replies, 'My name? Oh, yes, it's J.R. Hartley.'
The advertisement is one of the most popular ever made in Britain, and remained a part of popular culture long after it ceased to be shown. The advertisement was affectionately parodied many times in the 1980s, by comedians such as Jasper Carrott and Mel Smith & Griff Rhys-Jones. When Lumsden died in 2001 at the age of 95, despite his numerous other roles and distinguished career as an opera singer, the death of the man who played J.R. Hartley was the national headlines, and the advertisement was broadcast again in his memory, nearly 20 years after its first appearance.
[edit] Life imitates art
An author who had brought out a book about fly fishing in 1991 noted how much of a cult figure the fictional Hartley had become, and published it under the pseudonym J R Hartley. Two further books on the subject followed, under the same name.
[edit] In culture
- The character 'Tim, Nice But Dim', from the British television comedy series Harry Enfield & Chums, goes into a book shop and asks for the book Fly Fishing which he has recently seen advertised on television.
- In the stage show version of the sitcom Bottom, Eddie Hitler (played by Adrian Edmondson) is asked his name, and he says 'My name...J. R. Hartley'.
- In A Bit of Fry & Laurie, there is a sketch based on the pretext of an elderly gentleman going into a bookshop and asking for Fly Fishing by J.R. Hartley. The two shop assistants inform him that on the previous day, they had hundreds of copies, but have now sold out completely. The gentleman instead asks for a copy of the Yellow Pages, and gives his name as 'Pages. L.O. Pages.'
- An episode of the satirical comedy show Bremner, Bird and Fortune parodied the advertisement with a sketch set in the near future, in which Lord Butler is searching for a copy of the Butler Report. The sketch ends with an image of the report being dropped onto a heap of previous government reports, and a voice-over saying: 'Good old yellowing pages'.
- In an edition of Panorama, entitled "Must Have Own Teeth", the advertisement is redubbed with J.R.Hartley going into several shops asking if they have a position available. Eventually, in his armchair, he finds a potential position and after giving his name and age, he looks dejected and says, 'Oh, I'm too old.'
[edit] In real life
As a consequence of the adverts, there are a number of people (usually male) with the surname Hartley who have the nickname JR, regardless of whether their initials are actually J.R.
