Harry Tate

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Harry Tate
Background information
Birth name(s): Ronald Macdonald Hutchinson
Date of birth: 4 July 1872(1872-07-04)
Date of death: 14 February 1940 (aged 67)
Genre(s): Music hall & film comedian

Harry Tate (4 July 1872 - 14 February 1940) was a Scottish 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 took his stage name from them.[1]

Contents

[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 Running an Office, Billiards and Fishing. Several catch phrasees he used became popular in Britain in the 1930s, including "Goodbye-eee", "How's your Father" (used as an escape clause when he was unable to answer a question) and "I don't think", used sarcastically (as in "He's a nice chap – I don't think")[2] . 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.[3]

[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 came to mean "amateur" or even "incompetent".

In cockney rhyming slang it could mean a "plate" or "worried" (from the expression "in a state").

In the British merchant navy (merchant marine) it is used to refer 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[4]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Music Hall history accessed 11 Feb 2007
  2. ^ Harry Tate entry at Music Hall Performers website
  3. ^ Harry Tate (at British Library) accessed 11 Feb 2007
  4. ^ The first personalised number plate accessed 21 Sep 2007

[edit] External links


Persondata
NAME Tate, Harry
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Hutchinson, Ronald Macdonald
SHORT DESCRIPTION
DATE OF BIRTH 4 July 1872
PLACE OF BIRTH
DATE OF DEATH 14 February 1940
PLACE OF DEATH