Car full of chips

“The article about the comedian Johnny Victory reminded me that I used to see his performances from time to time, when I was young boy, at the Greenock Empire Variety Theatre, where we went, as a family every week,” emails Crawford Taylor of Wolfhill.

“I remembered him for his old Rolls Royce and his St Bernard dog. The car he had then always appeared to be in need of a good clean and looked like it had seen better days! I recall on one occasion, my father and I went to have a look inside the Rolls and it was littered with old fish and chip papers plus an array of stale cold chips scattered across the seats. The St Bernard also looked as though a bit of grooming would not have gone amiss.

“This would have been between 1954 and 1958 – when the Empire closed its doors for the last time. I do not recall either the dachshund or the Isetta, so perhaps they came later and maybe by then he had obtained a tidier Rolls Royce.

“In years to come, when she saw anyone behaving pretentiously and driving a rather aged but quality make of car, my mother would say they reminded her of a down-at-heel theatrical! I always reckoned she had Johnny Victory’s unkempt Rolls in mind when she said that.

“He was an entertaining comic and was always well received by the audience. I cannot recall whether the St Bernard featured in his act - though I think it did.

“Interestingly, Mike and Bernie Winters also featured in the Empire but at that time were a straight act playing musical instruments and I think that Mike may have done a bit of tap dancing as well.

“They were very good and their talents might have been wasted as comedians despite their later success in that field.

“I mention them because, in later years, after they went their separate ways, Bernie’s stage act included a St Bernard dog and I reckoned he may have pinched this idea from Johnny Victory.

“Finally there would appear to be a new Johnny Victory currently treading the boards as a 1920s style singer and entertainer and I wonder whether he might be a descendent of the comedian.”

Further to Saturday’s item about Salem Chapel in Dundee, a reader has provided this photograph of Mr and Mrs J. K. Tener, who gifted the building used for worship. It was opened on October 6, 1872.