Tom Leamore: Difference between revisions
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{{Short description|British singer-songwriter}} |
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[[File:Tom Leamore.jpg|thumb|Tom Leamore]] |
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{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} |
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'''Tom Leamore''' (24 August 1866 - 6 September 1939) was an English popular [[Variety show|variety]] comedian,<ref>{{cite book|title=The Era Almanack, Dramatic & Musical|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=WSs_AQAAMAAJ|year=1896|page=85}}</ref> dancer and singer. He debuted at the [[Rodney Music Hall]] in 1880 and quickly grew into a successful stage performer, singing comically and dancing eccentrically with clogs. In December 1905 he portrayed [[Ali Baba]] in the pantomime of ''[[The Forty Thieves]]'' at the [[Marlborough Theatre]], an experience he did not enjoy and never repeated. His best known song was ''Percy from Pimlico'' which he composed and wrote himself.<ref name="MG">{{cite web|url=http://www.themusichallguild.com/artist.php?id=99|title=Tom Leamore|publisher=Themusichallguild.com|accessdate=14 July 2014}}</ref> He was featured singing this song in the 1968 documentary ''A Little of What You Fancy''. Tony Barker of ''Music Hall Records'' referred to him as "second only to [[Dan Leno]]".<ref name="Barker1978">{{cite book|last=Barker|first=Tony|title=Music Hall Records|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=z404AQAAIAAJ|year=1978|publisher=T. Barker|page=107}}</ref> |
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{{Infobox person |
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| name = Tom Leamore |
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| image = Tom Leamore.jpg |
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| alt = |
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| caption = |
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| birth_name = Henry Samuel Lee |
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| birth_date = {{birth date|1866|9|22|df=y}} |
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| birth_place = [[Shoreditch]], London, England |
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| death_date = {{death date and age|1939|9|6|1866|9|22|df=y}} |
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| death_place = [[Lambeth]], London, England |
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| nationality = |
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| other_names = |
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| known_for = |
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| occupation = Comic, singer, dancer |
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}} |
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'''Thomas Leamore''' (probably born '''Henry Samuel Lee'''; 22 September 1866<ref name=mhs>{{cite journal |last1=Allen |first1=Terri |date=2013|title= Rediscovering Tom Leamore|url= |journal=Music Hall Studies |volume= |issue=12 |pages=507–511 |doi= |access-date=}}</ref> – 6 September 1939) was an English [[music hall]] and [[Variety show|variety]] comic performer, dancer and singer.<ref>{{cite book|title=The Era Almanack, Dramatic & Musical|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WSs_AQAAMAAJ|year=1896|page=85}}</ref> |
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==Life and career== |
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In November 1937 Leamore joined The Old Timers touring company with fellow artistes [[Tom Costello]], George Mozart, Arthur Reece, James Stewart, [[Tom E. Finglass]], Ada Cerito, Nell Calvert and Lottie Lennox, appearing with them in various venues across the UK. In December 1937 he took part in an early television programme for the [[BBC]] called ''Cavalcade of Music Hall'' broadcast from the [[Alexandra Palace]] along with George Mozart, [[Marie Kendall]], Lizzie Collins, Talbot O Farrell, Walter Williams, Charlie Lee and Sable Fern. At the end of the same month he also appeared in the television broadcast ''New Years Eve Party'' with [[Sam Mayo]] and [[Daisy Dormer]].<ref name="MG"/> |
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He was born in [[Shoreditch]], London, in 1866. There is some uncertainty over his birth name and details; an alternative date and birth name are given by the [[Music Hall Guild]].<ref name="MG">{{cite web|url=http://www.themusichallguild.com/artist.php?id=99|title=Tom Leamore|publisher=Music Hall Guild|accessdate=14 July 2014}}</ref> He initially worked for a firm of wood carvers and gilders,<ref name=chat>"A Chat with Tom Leamore", ''The Era'', 1894, reprinted at ''[http://www.themusichallguild.com/artist.php?id=99 Music Hall Guild]''</ref> but developed talents for [[clog dance|clog]] and [[sand dancing]]. He first appeared on stage in the early 1880s, perhaps at the [[Rodney Music Hall]] as early as 1880, though his first paid appearance came in 1884.<ref name=mhs/><ref name="MG"/> He quickly grew into a successful stage performer, singing comically and dancing eccentrically with clogs. Contemporary reviews state that he was second only to [[Dan Leno]] as an eccentric dancer.<ref name=mhs/><ref name="Barker1978">{{cite book|last=Barker|first=Tony|title=Music Hall Records|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=z404AQAAIAAJ|year=1978|publisher=T. Barker|page=107}}</ref> |
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During February to April 1938 he continued to tour with The Old Timers, and from August to December 1938 appeared in the touring revue ''Time Marches On''. In November 1938 Leamore was invited to take part in a [[Royal Command Performance]] during which he performed [[The Lambeth Walk]] with [[Lupino Lane]] and various other [[Music Hall]] veterans. In August 1939 he took part in ''Flashbacks of 30 Years Ago'' with [[Wilkie Bard]], [[Ida Barr]] and [[Lillie Lassah]].<ref name="MG"/> |
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Leamore appeared in [[pantomime]]s, though he claimed not to enjoy the experience, and he also fought as a [[Boxer (boxing)|boxer]].<ref name=mhs/> He made up his own [[patter]] and songs, and, by 1898, he had introduced a repertoire of characters. He was engaged by the main London music halls as one of their leading attractions, sometimes performing in four different theatres each night. Lists of his engagements indicate that his popularity peaked in the 1890s and 1900s.<ref name="MG"/> He was the first music hall performer to make commercial recordings, for [[Berliner Gramophone|Berliner]] in 1898.<ref name=kilgarriff>Michael Kilgarriff, ''Grace, Beauty and Banjos: Peculiar Lives and Strange Times of Music Hall and Variety Artistes'', Oberon Books, 1998, {{isbn|1-84002-116-0}}, pp.154-155</ref> |
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Leamore married Mary Anne Fleming, Rose Hamilton and Florence Palmer. He died on September 6, 1939. |
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His best known song was "Percy from Pimlico" which he composed and wrote himself in 1898.<ref name=mhs/> He recorded the song in the 1930s, and was featured singing it in the 1968 documentary ''A Little of What You Fancy''. In December 1905 he portrayed [[Ali Baba]] in the pantomime of ''[[The Forty Thieves]]'' at the [[Marlborough Theatre]]. He continued to perform in the 1910s, but his career began to fade. He toured South Africa in 1921, and Australia and New Zealand the following year, but by that time was seen as "quaint" and "old school".<ref name=mhs/> |
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In the early 1930s, he made some radio and experimental television broadcasts, as a "veteran" performer.<ref>[https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/search/0/20?order=asc&q=%22Tom+Leamore%22#search ''Radio Times'', BBC Genome]. Retrieved 3 February 2021</ref> In November 1937 Leamore joined the Old Timers touring company with fellow artistes including [[Tom Costello (music hall)|Tom Costello]], [[George Mozart]], and [[Tom Finglass]], appearing with them in various venues across the UK. The following he took part in an early [[BBC TV|television programme]], ''Cavalcade of Music Hall'', broadcast from the [[Alexandra Palace]]. At the end of the same month he also appeared in the television broadcast ''New Years Eve Party'' with [[Sam Mayo]] and [[Daisy Dormer]]. In 1938 he continued to tour with The Old Timers, and appeared in the touring revue ''Time Marches On''. In November 1938 he took part in a [[Royal Command Performance]] during which he performed "[[The Lambeth Walk]]" with [[Lupino Lane]] and various other music hall veterans. In 1939 he took part in ''Flashbacks of 30 Years Ago'' with [[Wilkie Bard]], [[Ida Barr (singer)|Ida Barr]] and Lillie Lassah.<ref name=mhs/><ref name="MG"/> |
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Leamore married three times. In 1889 he married Florrie Palmer, who died in 1895. He then married actress and dancer Rose Hamilton. They divorced in 1907, by which time he had been living for several years with Mary Ann Fleming, whom he married the same year.<ref name=mhs/> |
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He died in [[Lambeth Hospital]] in 1939, aged 72, and was buried in the Variety Plot at [[Streatham Park Cemetery]].<ref>[https://www.hlf.org.uk/about-us/media-centre/press-releases/music-hall-stars-shine-once-more "Music Hall stars to shine once more"], Heritage Lottery Fund, accessed 16 August 2016.</ref> |
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==References== |
==References== |
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==External links== |
==External links== |
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* {{IMDb name|1593490}} |
* {{IMDb name|1593490}} |
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* [http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O85168/caricature-cooke-george-harold/ Caricature by G. H. Cooke] at V&A Museum |
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[[Category:English comedians]] |
[[Category:English male comedians]] |
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[[Category:English male dancers]] |
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[[Category:English male singer-songwriters]] |
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[[Category:English singer-songwriters]] |
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[[Category:1866 births]] |
[[Category:1866 births]] |
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[[Category:1939 deaths]] |
[[Category:1939 deaths]] |
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[[Category:Burials at Streatham Park Cemetery]] |
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[[Category:Comedians from London]] |
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[[Category:Singers from London]] |
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Latest revision as of 04:52, 16 October 2023
Tom Leamore | |
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 | |
| Born | Henry Samuel Lee 22 September 1866 Shoreditch, London, England |
| Died | 6 September 1939 (aged 72) Lambeth, London, England |
| Occupation(s) | Comic, singer, dancer |
Thomas Leamore (probably born Henry Samuel Lee; 22 September 1866[1] – 6 September 1939) was an English music hall and variety comic performer, dancer and singer.[2]
Life and career
[edit]He was born in Shoreditch, London, in 1866. There is some uncertainty over his birth name and details; an alternative date and birth name are given by the Music Hall Guild.[3] He initially worked for a firm of wood carvers and gilders,[4] but developed talents for clog and sand dancing. He first appeared on stage in the early 1880s, perhaps at the Rodney Music Hall as early as 1880, though his first paid appearance came in 1884.[1][3] He quickly grew into a successful stage performer, singing comically and dancing eccentrically with clogs. Contemporary reviews state that he was second only to Dan Leno as an eccentric dancer.[1][5]
Leamore appeared in pantomimes, though he claimed not to enjoy the experience, and he also fought as a boxer.[1] He made up his own patter and songs, and, by 1898, he had introduced a repertoire of characters. He was engaged by the main London music halls as one of their leading attractions, sometimes performing in four different theatres each night. Lists of his engagements indicate that his popularity peaked in the 1890s and 1900s.[3] He was the first music hall performer to make commercial recordings, for Berliner in 1898.[6] His best known song was "Percy from Pimlico" which he composed and wrote himself in 1898.[1] He recorded the song in the 1930s, and was featured singing it in the 1968 documentary A Little of What You Fancy. In December 1905 he portrayed Ali Baba in the pantomime of The Forty Thieves at the Marlborough Theatre. He continued to perform in the 1910s, but his career began to fade. He toured South Africa in 1921, and Australia and New Zealand the following year, but by that time was seen as "quaint" and "old school".[1]
In the early 1930s, he made some radio and experimental television broadcasts, as a "veteran" performer.[7] In November 1937 Leamore joined the Old Timers touring company with fellow artistes including Tom Costello, George Mozart, and Tom Finglass, appearing with them in various venues across the UK. The following he took part in an early television programme, Cavalcade of Music Hall, broadcast from the Alexandra Palace. At the end of the same month he also appeared in the television broadcast New Years Eve Party with Sam Mayo and Daisy Dormer. In 1938 he continued to tour with The Old Timers, and appeared in the touring revue Time Marches On. In November 1938 he took part in a Royal Command Performance during which he performed "The Lambeth Walk" with Lupino Lane and various other music hall veterans. In 1939 he took part in Flashbacks of 30 Years Ago with Wilkie Bard, Ida Barr and Lillie Lassah.[1][3]
Leamore married three times. In 1889 he married Florrie Palmer, who died in 1895. He then married actress and dancer Rose Hamilton. They divorced in 1907, by which time he had been living for several years with Mary Ann Fleming, whom he married the same year.[1]
He died in Lambeth Hospital in 1939, aged 72, and was buried in the Variety Plot at Streatham Park Cemetery.[8]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g h Allen, Terri (2013). "Rediscovering Tom Leamore". Music Hall Studies (12): 507–511.
- ^ The Era Almanack, Dramatic & Musical. 1896. p. 85.
- ^ a b c d "Tom Leamore". Music Hall Guild. Retrieved 14 July 2014.
- ^ "A Chat with Tom Leamore", The Era, 1894, reprinted at Music Hall Guild
- ^ Barker, Tony (1978). Music Hall Records. T. Barker. p. 107.
- ^ Michael Kilgarriff, Grace, Beauty and Banjos: Peculiar Lives and Strange Times of Music Hall and Variety Artistes, Oberon Books, 1998, ISBN 1-84002-116-0, pp.154-155
- ^ Radio Times, BBC Genome. Retrieved 3 February 2021
- ^ "Music Hall stars to shine once more", Heritage Lottery Fund, accessed 16 August 2016.
External links
[edit]- Tom Leamore at IMDb
- Caricature by G. H. Cooke at V&A Museum