| Harry Tate | |
|---|---|
| Born | Ronald Macdonald Hutchinson 4 July 1872 |
| Died | 14 February 1940 (aged 67) |
| Occupation | Music hall & film comedian |
Harry Tate (4 July 1872 - 14 February 1940) was an English 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]
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Tate made his debut at the Oxford Music Hall 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 phrases 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.
In February 1940 Tate suffered a stroke and died shortly after; while in bed between the two events he told reporters that he had been injured during an air raid, and because they failed to realise that he was joking this is often given as the cause of his death. He is buried at St Mary's, Northolt. For a time, his son Ronnie continued the act as Harry Tate junior.[3]
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.
During the Second World War, the Royal Naval Patrol Service - staffed mostly by naval reservists and using out-dated and poorly armed vessels, such as requisitioned trawlers crewed by ex-fishermen - came to bear the unofficial title "Harry Tate's Navy".