TV’s original little and large
QUESTION In the early days of TV, I recall a comedy duo on BBC children’s TV by the name of Mick and Montmorency, one of whom was a young Charlie Drake. Who was the other member of the duo and what became of him? Diminutive comedian Charlie Drake (real name Charles Springhall) began his comic career at the age of eight and spent his formative years trying to break into the entertainment world.
He originally called himself Charlie Smart, but changed this to his mother’s maiden name of Drake.
He found steadier work in the summer of 1953 as a Butlins Redcoat at Filey where he joined up in a double act with an old wartime colleague Jack edwardes, who at 6 ft 4in dwarfed the 5 ft 1 in Drake.
Just the sight of the two of them on stage together had audiences in stitches. Drake taught the campers ju-jitsu and boxing, clowned for the kiddies and called the bingo. At the end of the season, Billy Butlin sacked Drake for alleged weekly thefts of £60 from the bingo takings.
Drake and edwardes, through their new agent Phyllis Rouse, then got a regular date at the Stage Door Canteen performing a hilarious table tennis act.
this got them several guest spots on BBC Children’s tv, including the Centre Show, Showcase and Jigsaw.
Head of BBC Children’s tv, michael Westmore, absconded to the newly formed itv for London, Associated Rediffusion in 1955 and took with him both Drake and edwardes. Drake devised and scripted an afternoon series for the double act and called the characters Big Jack and Little mack. Westmore renamed them mick and montmorency, Drake being mick and edwardes being montmorency.
Drake’s scripted show was christened Jobstoppers and was first broadcast on itv on September 30, 1955, with the slaphappy pair trying their hands at various different jobs.
each show began with mick saying ‘Hello my Darlings’ and finished with him crying ‘it’s teeeea-time’, catchphrases that would become synonymous with Charlie Drake.
the show’s name reverted to mick And montmorency after 34 episodes.
ninety-one shows of ten, 15 and 20 min- utes were produced in all, but then, at the end of the second series, Charlie parted company with the show and Jack.
His supreme ego, putting him first in everything he did, had now had its fill of children’s tv and Drake decided to develop his comedy more for adults.
this saw him later appearing in tv shows such as Drake’s Progress (1957-58), Charlie Drake Show (1960-61) and the Worker (1965-70) in which he appeared with Henry mcGee.
Jack edwardes went on to be a main character in a commercial tv show from 1957-63, called Jim’s inn, hosted by Jimmy Handley, where he played a customer who regularly ordered two Ben trumans in a pint pot.
Little did he realise that later he’d find himself on the other side of the bar, after being approached by the brewer sponsoring the show to run its pub, the Kings Arms, in Frating, essex, with his wife.
this he did very successfully for a number of years with many showbiz stars such as Jimmy tarbuck and Bruce Forsyth regularly calling in. Jack sadly died at the age of 88 in 2001.
Kevin Williams, North Hykeham, Lincoln. QUESTION Which ‘empire’ does the Empire State Building represent? tHe 102-storey empire State Building is one of America’s most iconic buildings.
For nearly 40 years, from its completion in early 1931 until that of the World trade Centre’s north tower in late 1970, the art deco skyscraper was the tallest building in the world. its roof height is 1,250 ft (381 m), and with its antenna spire included, it stands a total of 1,454 ft high.
George Washington (1732-1799) is credited with having given the title of empire State to new York State on account of its dominance in the America of his days and the title has been used as the nickname for the State ever since.
American car licence plates carry the State nickname, such as the Golden State (California), the Bluegrass State (Kentucky) and the Columbine State (Colorado). Columbine, the State flower of Colorado, is better known here by its botanical name aquilegia.
Plates in new York State carry the title ‘the empire State’, but the skyscraper was named after the state, not vice-versa.
Terry Gomersall, Chesterfield. Derbys.
QUESTION What is the origin of the word ‘spiv’, a derogatory term for a petty criminal? We ALL remember ‘spivs’ in the post-war film era — George Cole (pictured below) as Flash Harry in the Belles Of St trinians, Arthur english the ‘spiv’ comedian in Worker’s Playtime, Private Joe Walker in Dad’s Army, George Cole, again, as Arthur Daley in minder and lots more wide-boys.
its origins are uncertain, but might include ‘spiffy’ (smartly dressed), the Romany word for ‘sparrow’ or the tortuous police acronym for ‘Suspicious Person itinerant vagrant’.
in my own childhood days in the Forties and Fifties, its origins were said to be that a ‘spiv’ was the opposite of ‘vips’ hence the letters were reversed.
Dr Colin Harris, Solihull. tHe spiv was the flashy type involved in dubious dealings in the period of austerity after World War ii.
Private Walker of Dad’s Army was one such, though they didn’t really emerge until the war was over and the excuse ‘there’s a war on, you know’, could no longer be used.
Food rationing continued, even got worse with bread requiring coupons for the first time, and everyone became fed up with how long it was taking to get back to anything like normal, so plenty of opportunists were around to take advantage. the atmosphere is wonderfully caught in the classic ealing comedy Passport to Pimlico.
Comedian Arthur english, later Are You Being Served’s stroppy mr Harman, had great success at the time as a spiv with high-padded shoulders and flashy hat striding up and down with an endless monologue of the great deals he had on offer.
Rodney Bennett, Richmond, Surrey.
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