Chesney Allen
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| Chesney Allen | |
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| Born | April 5, 1893 Brighton, Sussex, England |
| Died | November 13, 1982 (aged 89) Midhurst, Sussex, England |
| Occupation | Comedian |
Chesney Allen (April 5, 1893 - November 13, 1982) was a popular English entertainer of the Second World War period. He is best known as part of a double act with Bud Flanagan, Flanagan and Allen.
He was born William E. Allen in Brighton, East Sussex, England, married Aleta Cosette Turner in Leeds in 1926 and died in Midhurst, England. As music hall comedians, they would often feature a mixture of comedy and music in their act and this led to a successful recording career as a duo and roles in film and television. Flanagan and Allen were both also members of The Crazy Gang and worked with that team for many years concurrently with their double-act career.
Flanagan and Allen's songs featured the same, usually gentle humour for which the duo were known in their live performances, and during the war reflected the experiences of ordinary people during wartime. Songs like We're Going To Hang Out The Washing On The Siegfried Line mocked the German defences (Siegfried Line), while others like Miss You sang of missing one's sweetheart during enforced absences. Other songs such as their most famous Underneath the Arches (which Flanagan co-wrote with Reg Connelly) had universal themes such as friendship, which again, helped people relate to the subject matter. The music was usually melodic, following a binary verse, verse chorus structure, with a small dance band or orchestra providing the backing. The vocals were distinctive because while Flanagan was at least a competent singer and sang the melody lines, Allen used an almost spoken delivery to provide the harmonies.
Flanagan and Allen stopped working together with Chesney Allen's retirement on health grounds in the 1960s but Allen returned to make occasional guest appearances.
Chesney Hawkes is named after Chesney Allen.
