Famous Like Me > Actor > R > Frank Randle
Profile of Frank Randle
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| Name: |
Frank Randle |
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| Date of Birth: |
30th January 1901 |
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| Place of Birth: |
Wigan, Lancashire, England, UK |
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| Profession: |
Actor |
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From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia
Frank Randle (Born Arthur Hughes, also known as Arthur McEvoy) (January 30, 1901 - July 15, 1957) was a British comedian. A contemporary of fellow Lancastrians George Formby and Gracie Fields, he was regarded as more subversive, perhaps the reason that the immense popularity he enjoyed during his lifetime has not survived him.
Born Wigan, he left school aged 13 and worked in a variety of menial jobs until two years later he joined an acrobatic troupe. In 1928, he began to tour as a comedian, principally in Lancashire and the north, developing his own show, Randle's Scandals. He took equity in John E. Blakeley's Manchester-based Mancunian Film Studios and appearing in eight of its productions.
Randle's mischievous wit led to a running conflict with Harry Barnes, police chief of Lancashire seaside resort Blackpool, who frequently banned and censored his material. Randle responded to his critics in robust fashion, frequently throwing his false teeth into the audience and once bombarding Blackpool from an aeroplane with toilet rolls.
On the outbreak of World War II, having failed his medical to join the RAF, Randle joined the Home Guard and started to establish a career in motion pictures that even overtook that of Formby. His iconoclastic portrayal of the underdog, flouting authority and disrupting the establishment found a ready audience in a population suffering the privations of war.
With the decline of the music halls in the 1950s, Randle's popularity faded. Pressed by debts and tax arears and suffering from the consequences of a life of alcohol abuse, he was made bankrupt by the tax authorities in 1955. He died in Blackpool of gastroenteritis, in 1957.
He had married May Annie Victoria, known as Queenie, in 1924. There were no children but Manchester artist Arthur Delaney was alleged to be Randle's illegitimate son by fellow performer Genevieve Willis (also known as Delaney).
A detailed biography of Frank Randle and his career can be found at CP Lee essay on Frank Randle and also see Photographs, memorabilia and more information on Frank Randle
Bibliography
- Nuttall, J. (1978) King Twist
- Fisher, J. (1973) Funny Way to be a Hero
- Band, B. (1995) Blackpool's Comedy Greats
- Richards, J. (1994) Stars in our Eyes
- Montgomery, J. (1954) Comedy Films
- Mellor, J.G. (1982) They Made us Laugh
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