Jimmy James (comedian)

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Jimmy James (comedian)
Born James Casey
Flag of England Portrack, Stockton-on-Tees, England
Died August 4, 1965
Flag of England Blackpool, Lancashire
Occupation music hall, stage, film, radio and television comedian and actor
Spouse(s)  ?, son Jim Casey
For alternatives for the name Jimmy James see the Jimmy James disambiguation page

Jimmy James (1892 - 4 August 1965)[1][2][3][4][5] was a music hall, film, radio and television comedian and actor. Jimmy had limited use for jokes as such, preferring to say things funnily, often in surreal situations and as such was well ahead of his time.[6] He was often hailed as a 'comedian's comedian'.[4][6][7][8]

Contents

[edit] Biographical details

Jimmy James was born James Casey in 1892.[4][9][10][11][12][13][14][15] Most sources state he was born in Portrack, Stockton-on-Tees[2][5][6][8][16][15] although others consider that he was born in South Bank, Middlesbrough and moved to Stockton-on-Tees at an early age.[1][2][3] He was the son of an iron puddler[17] or steelmaker.[2][3] Although Jimmy appeared on stage as a drunk often with a cigar or cigarette in his his mouth, he was teetotal[18][19] and did not smoke.[2][3][17] His weaknesses were gambling and his famed generosity[2][3] which may account for his declared bankruptcies in 1936, 1955 and 1963.[6] Jimmy died in Blackpool on 4 August 1965[8] and is buried in Oxbridge Cemetery, Stockton-on-Tees.[6]

Jimmy James's son Jim Casey was the producer of the The Clitheroe Kid radio and television shows.

[edit] Career

Jimmy began his stage career in Stockton as a double act with his great uncle Jimmy Howells and were known as the Two Jimmies.[20] James was also known as Terry the blue-eyed Irish boy singing popular songs of the day.[6] Unfortunately he was gassed on the Western Front in the First World War and never regained his singing voice.[6] On being demobbed Jimmy became a stand-up comedian. By 1930 he was appearing at the London Palladium, earning £100 a week.[3] Jimmy went on to appear in a number of films.[18]

Over the years Jimmy slowly developed one of the funniest stage routines in variety history with his two stooges - Bretton Woods, later known as Eli Woods 'Our Eli', and Hutton Conyers played by members of the Casey family and more famously by a young Roy Castle.[6] Eli Woods' real name is Jack Casey and he is Jimmy James' nephew. Bretton Woods was named after Bretton Woods, a ski resort at Mount Washington, New Hampshire, USA[21] which gave its name to a United Nations Monetary and Financial Conference that resulted in the Bretton Woods Agreement during July 1944. Jimmy James named the character of Hutton Conyers after Hutton Conyers, a small village off the Great North Road in Yorkshire north-east of Ripon.[2][3]

In Jimmy's first film for Mancunian Films in 1950 he starred with Norman Evans in Over The Garden Wall with Evans playing the role of his wife.[6] His second film was Those People Next Door where he and Eli reprise James’s drunk routine.[6] With his act Jimmy toured the musical halls, theatres and clubs around the country. While at the Barnsley Catholic Club Jimmy found Bernard Manning an agent who was able to find him a job as a singer in a band.[22][23]

Jimmy James starred on radio in Don't Spare the Horses[24][25] and The Mayor's Parlour[26][27] written by himself and Frank Roscoe.[26]

Jimmy appeared at the Royal Variety Performance in 1953[6] and stole the show. Jimmy also appeared on television in his own series, Home James[5] and Meet the Champ in 1960 as a boxing promoter[5][28][29] as well as making appearances in many TV programmes including Billy Cotton Bandshow, Showtime (1959-1961), Comedy Bandbox (1962-1963) and Saturday Bandbox (1962).[30]

[edit] Filmography

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Jimmy James, Oxford Biography Index
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Let there be lights ... eventually, Darlington & Stockton Times
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Let there be lights ... eventually, The Northern Echo
  4. ^ a b c Mancunian Film Studio - Biographies of the Stars, It's A Hot'un
  5. ^ a b c d Radio and TV Personalities I and J, Swalwell
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Alan Myers, Jimmy James (1888-1965)
  7. ^ Best of British Northern Comedy, Odeon Entertainment
  8. ^ a b c James, Jimmy, BFI Film & TV Database
  9. ^ A Cavalcade of Variety, The Gazette, Blackpool
  10. ^ Equity Magazine
  11. ^ Variety Bandbox 2, Ashcroft Theatre, Croydon
  12. ^ In That Box post, phpbb
  13. ^ Louise Gold, The Royal Variety Performance (1982), demon.co.uk
  14. ^ Kevin Berry, What's On Reviews: The Good Old Days II, The Stage, 16 April 2007
  15. ^ a b Biography for Jimmy James, IMDB
  16. ^ Stockton-on-Tees, Afundit.co.uk
  17. ^ a b A funny old business, these names, Darlington and Stockton Times
  18. ^ a b Jimmy James (I), IMDB
  19. ^ Mancunian Film Studio - Biographies of the Stars - A-Z, It's A Hot'un
  20. ^ Striking a chord with the music hall maestros, Access my Library
  21. ^ Mecca Leisure c1985, Picture Stockton
  22. ^ Jonathan Margolis, Obituaries, The Independent
  23. ^ Bernard Manning, The Telegraph
  24. ^ Biography of Spike Milligan, telegoons.org
  25. ^ Matthew Jarron, Jazzy's Spike Page, Dundee
  26. ^ a b The Jimmy Clitheroe Website, jimmyclitheroe.co.uk
  27. ^ Manchester Celebrities, Television, Film, Media & Broadcasting, Manchester UK
  28. ^ Gerry George, 1950's British TV Memories, Whirligig TV
  29. ^ Met the Champ, British TV Resources
  30. ^ Lost UK TV Shows, Lost Shows.com

[edit] External Links