Harry Tate
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| Harry Tate | ||
| Background information | ||
| Birth name: | Ronald Macdonald Hutchinson | |
| Date of birth: | 4 July 1872 | |
|---|---|---|
| Date of death: | 14 February 1940 | |
| Genres: | Music hall & film comedian | |
Harry Tate (4 July 1872 - 14 February 1940) was an Scots comedian who performed both in the music halls and in films. Born in 1872 as Ronald Macdonald Hutchinson, he worked for Henry Tate & Sons, Sugar Refiners before going on the stage, and he took his stage name from them.[1]
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[edit] Career
Tate made his debut at the Oxford in 1895, and became well known for his impressions of performers such as Dan Leno, George Robey, and Eugene Stratton.Success came with his comedy sketch, "Motoring", in which he played the part of a new car owner trying to repair it. His other sketches included "Billiards" and "Fishing". The catch phrase that he used "How's your Father" was highly used in Britain in the 1930s. He used his bristling moustache to express all kinds of emotion by twitching or moving it.
Harry Tate died in 1940 as a result of injuries suffered in an air raid during the London Blitz. He is buried at St Mary's, Northolt. For a time, his son Ronnie continued the act as Harry Tate junior.[2]
[edit] Filmography
- Her First Affair - 1932
- Happy - 1934
- Midshipsman Easy - 1935
- Hyde Park Corner - 1935
- Keep your Seats Please - 1936
- Wings of the Morning - 1937
[edit] Slang usage
The phrase "Harry Tate" entered the 20th century English (British) language as slang, initially as a nickname for the Royal Aircraft Factory R.E.8 biplane. When used as an adjective it became to mean; "amateur" or even "incompetent".
In cockney rhyming slang it could mean a "plate" or "worried" (from the expressin "being in a state").
In the British merchant navy (merchant marine) it is used to refer the the chief officer (second to the captain of a ship) whose title in official documents is 'Mate'. This use is believed to have come from the London docks where the majority of the workforce were Cockneys.
[edit] Trivia
- The earliest known celebrity personalised number plate was T 8, owned by Harry Tate[citation needed]
[edit] References
- ^ Music Hall history accessed 11 Feb 2007
- ^ Harry Tate (at British Library) accessed 11 Feb 2007
- "Halliwell's Who's Who in the Movies" - published by Harper-Collins - ISBN 0-06-093507-3
- "The Entertainers" published by Pitman House - ISBN 0-273-01542-7
