Ted Ray (comedian)
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Ted Ray (November 21, 1905 – November 8, 1977) (real name Charles Olden) was a popular English comedian of the 1950s and 1960s.
Charlie Olden was born in Wigan in 1905. His parents moved to Liverpool within days of his birth, and Liverpudlians therefore tend to regard him as a local of their city. As a major radio personality and comedian of the 1940s and 50s he regularly demonstrated his extraordinary ad-libbing skills in his weekly radio show Ray's A Laugh, which ran from 1949 until 1961.
A much sought after music hall comedian, Ray usually played the violin (badly) as part of his act. He also played straight roles in several British films - notably as the lead as the headmaster in Carry On Teacher. He is, however, best remembered for Ray's a Laugh, which was a domestic comedy in which he was accompanied by Australian, Kitty Bluett, who played his wife.
Many actors and actresses who would later become well-known cut their teeth on this radio show, including Peter Sellers, Fred Yule, Patricia Hayes, Kenneth Connor, Pat Coombs and Graham Stark. 1940 and 1950 saw Ray as King Rat of the Grand Order of Water Rats.
He was a very keen and accomplished golfer who frequently appeared playing with professional sportsmen. Later in his career Ted Ray appeared together with Jimmy Edwards, Arthur Askey and Cyril Fletcher in the comedy radio panel game Does the Team Think?.
He never managed to break into television successfully, though his son, Robin Ray, was a well known television personality in the 1960s and 1970s, having initiated Call My Bluff and other specialist classical music shows. Ted Ray died in 1977.
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[edit] Ray's a Laugh (1949-1961)
Nedlo, The Gypsy Violinist, started his own show in 1949 and made a very considerable success of it. Ray's a Laugh did not actually include Nedlo's name among the credits, nor indeed that of Charlie Olden (his real name). Nedlo/Olden was, by 1949, calling himself Ted Ray - and that was how he billed himself for his new radio series.
Ray's a Laugh was, in the main, a domestic comedy. Ray's wife was played by Australian, Kitty Bluett. Fred Yule played his brother-in-law. Patricia Hayes also appeared as did Kenneth Connor as Sidney Mincing. In later series Ted had left the Cannon Enquiry Agency and joined The Daily Bugle as a reporter. Jack Watson and Charles Leno joined the cast and new characters included Mrs Dipper and Roger Curfew the paying guest with songs by John Hanson and the King's Men.
Another early member of the cast was Peter Sellers, then only twenty-three and billing himself as 'an impressionist', who appeared as Soppy, a small boy who got ticked off by the nation's watchdogs for his catchphrase, 'Just like your big red conk!' and also as a strange lady called Crystal Jollibottom ('Stop it you saucebox!' she would cry in crazy soprano). Laidman Browne, as Ray's boss 'Mr. Trumble'; Pat Coombs as 'Ursula Prune', Charles Leno and Graham Stark were also present and Percy Edwards, the animal impersonator, played Gregory the chicken.
Then there was the glamour girl who would do anything, but 'Not until after six-o'clock!'. Songs came from the 'Beaux and the Belles' and Bob and Alf Pearson provided the musical interlude - "We bring you melodies from out of the sky, my brother and I !" In addition Bob also provided the voice of the little girl Jennifer who, when asked her name, would coyly reply: "Jen-ni-fer!".
The show was not any kind of real departure from the traditional, even in its catch-phrases. There was Ivy's (Ted Ray) devotion to Dr. Hardcastle, for instance: "He's lovely, Mrs. Hoskin, he's lovely!" And it was she to whom Mrs. Hoskin would remark, weakly, "It was agony, Ivy!" . Then there was the adenoidal "If you haven't been to Manchester, you haven't lived...." Ray's a Laugh ran from 1949 until January 1961 - a long run; and Ted Ray also showed his extraordinary skill at ad-libbing (together with Jimmy Edwards, Arthur Askey and Cyril Fletcher) in Does the Team Think.
[edit] The Ted Ray Show (1955-1959)
A long-running starring show that underwent various changes over the years. The first series accented variety, with international guests appearing; the second and third series had a greater emphasis on standup comedy; the fourth featured domestic routines (with Diane Hart as Ted Ray's wife and Kenneth Connor as 'that interfering brother-in-law'; the fifth and six - with new writers on board - concentrated on sketch comedy and were branded 'New Edition' and '1959 Edition' respectively to underline the difference in approach.
[edit] Cast
- Ted Ray
- Kenneth Connor - (series 4)
- Diane Hart - (series 4)
[edit] Crew
- Sid Colin - Writer (series 1-4)
- Talbot Rothwell - Writer (series 1-4)
- George Wadmore - Writer (series 1-4)
- John Junkin - Writer (series 5 & 6 and special)
- Terry Nation - Writer (series 5 & 6 and special)
- Dave Freeman - Additional Material (3 shows)
- George Inns - Producer (series 1-5)
- Bill Ward - Producer (2 shows)
- Ernest Maxin - Producer (1 show)
- Barry Lupino - Producer (1 show)
[edit] Transmission Details
- Number of episodes: 29 Length: 28 x 60 mins • 1 x short special
- Series One (4) 21 May-13 Aug 1955 • monthly Sat mostly 9.15pm
- Series Two (4) 28 Apr-21 July 1956 • monthly Sat mostly 9.15pm
- Series Three (8) 19 Jan-3 Aug 1957 • monthly Sat mostly 8pm
- Series Four (5) 25 Jan-10 May 1958 • monthly Sat 8pm
- Series Five (3) 27 Sep-22 Nov 1958 • monthly Sat 8pm
- Short special • part of Christmas Night With The Stars 25 Dec 1958 • Thu 6.25pm
- Series Six (4) 31 Jan-2 May 1959 • monthly Sat mostly 7.30pm
