Profile of Ronald Wolfe on Famous Like Me

Ronald Chesney (born 1922) and Ronald Wolfe are British TV comedy scriptwriters, best known for their popular 1960s / 1970s sitcoms The Rag Trade and On The Buses.

Early years

The Sublime Harmonica Virtuoso

At the age of twelve Chesney terminated his lessons on the piano, and freed from the grind of five-finger exercises his natural love of music came to the surface, so at the age of fifteen he resumed his studies. It was by chance that he discovered the possibilities of the harmonica and within two years of serious studies he made his first appearance in a major BBC program called Palace of Varieties. He also played in Cine Variety-short stage shows between films.

In the same year he gave a series on Radio Luxemburg. However, the weekly 1940 BBC series; Let's play the mouth-organ was the most important. Bad health precluded services in the Forces so he did the next best thing - shows for the troops, Teaching the Allied Forces to play the harmonica, and received over 10.000 letters from men stationed in all parts of the world. An article in the Melody Maker of June 8, 1940 stated under the heading. BBC To start harmonica lessons! Ronald Chesney, Englands No.1 harmonica player, is to teach listeners to play the harmonica in a series of 20 minute airings, produced by Mike (In Town To-night) Meehan, commencing on Tuesday, June 18, 9.15 p.m., on the Forces programme.

Prior to the start of the series Ronald inaugurated a fund to supply instruments to the troops. In The Melody Maker of June 15 he wrote; "what I want is either instruments or the money to buy these for the soldiers sailors and airmen".

The first lesson in the series was a complete success. Melody Maker June 22 wrote; "the Melody Maker staff are seriously thinking of forming a harmonicaband of their own." To the troops his programmes of instruction and music were alink with home.

In 1943 he began to assemble a classical repertoire and came to the notice of Harold Fielding. Ronald had great faith in the harmonica, but because it was regarded in rather an unorthodox light by the musical public, he had difficulty making people understand that a piece, written by Bach or Debussy, for the violin, can sound equally enchanting on the harmonica.

Ronald played in quite a few "Worker's Playtimes", Variety Bandbox and other BBC series, and then toured in Music for Millions for Harold Fielding, which culminated in a solo recital at the Royal Albert Hall in 1947 which was a landmark in his harmonica career.

It took place on Saturday, February 1st.1947, He was presented by Harold Fielding and accompanied on the piano by Bernard Crook. They played, The Ritual Fire Dance, Caprice Viennois, Schon Rosmarin, Dance of the Hours, Hejre Kati, Nocturne in E flat, op. 9, No. 2, Estrella and the Overture: Merry Wives of Windsor before interval, and concluded with Variations on a trad. Russian air, Clair de Lune No.3 from Suite in the Underworl.

He stood with 'Laurel and Hardy' in the London Palladium and did a season at the Lido in Paris. Then he played in the radio series Educating Archie and devised the Talking Harmonica which was also recorded.

Ronald was a man of simple tastes, he spent most of his time in a workshop at home, improving the mechanical aspect of the harmonica to keep pace with his musical progress. He believed the instrument capable of great improvement and considered he had only just begun to discover its vast musical possibilities.

Ronald Chesney became an exeptional artist, outstandingly successful and a star attraction in such varied fields as concert hall, variety, cabaret, radio and recordings. Whether playing works by Chopin, Bach, Debussy, De Falla, Heifetz, Kreisler, Rimsy-Korsakov, Ravel and many other great masters to critical concert audiences, or hitting off with pieces ranging from Gershwin and Cole Porter to solid boogie, Chesney is equally at home.

His powerfull tone-colours and extravagant technique made him firm favourite on all the top air-shows. His recording of The Flight of the Bumble Bee set a standard of virtuosity on the harmonica not equalled in his time.

Abroad he was just as popular as at home. He toured in many parts of the world. After arriving with the Union Castle in Cape Town, South Africa on Thursday, 26th April, 1951, he and Mrs.Chesney boarded the Blue Train to arrive at the Johannesburg station the next day. Amongst the welcome party were the Eric Cronholm Philharmonicans who supplied the music in honour of the distinguished visitor. Ronald joined the band on the spot.

Before leaving for the United States, where he was booked for a concert at Radio City, New York, followed by television and radio broadcasting in various parts of the U.S.A, he recorded 4 tracks for the 78 rpm records with Nico Carstens en sy Boere-orkes on HMV.SA.HS15 and 16. The titles are Nico se Vastrap, Bekfluitje Boogie, Vastrap Keurspel and Wals Keurspel.

Back in Britain Ronald was kept very busy on stage, on the air, recording and even film. In 1956 he composed and played the music for the Silly Symphony a cartoon for Ovaltine. Radio and Television]] appearances in Switzerland, France and other places on The Continent. In between Ronald wouldfind time to visit schools where he would hand-out Little Ladies, a 4 hole harmonica. to the children.

He toured Australia and the U.S.A. from May till August 1957. While down yonder he recorded Blues in the Night and Down Yonder on HMV.EA. 10189.

His very last recording would probably be Johnny's Talking Harmonica HMV. GES.5809. Which was recorded in 1960.

Ronald has also been President of the National Harmonica League in Britain for many years.

It was in the 1960s that he joined-up with Ronald Wolfe. The end of his harmonica career was the beginning of a script-writing career, a move he never regretted. Today playing Jazz on the piano for his ownpleasure has taken the place of the harmonica.

Discography

Rex. 9142 September in the rain; A sailboat in the moonlight; It look like rain, The Merry-go-round broke down, Let's call the whole thing off, Where are you.

Rex. 9241 Damsel in distress selection; Variety showselection.

Rex. 9193 On the avenue selection; Caravan.

Rex. 9294 The man I love; Avalon; Whispering; Margie.

Rex. 9381 Love walked in; Lambeth walk; Sweet as a song; Mama,I wanna make rhythm.

Rex. 9681 A long way to tipperary; Beer barrel polka; Madelon; Siegfried line; Run rabbit run; Wish me luck.

H.M.V. b.9947 Bewitched; Mona Lisa.

H.M.V. b.9963 Flight of the bumble bee; Hora staccato.

H.M.V.j o.406 The bandit.

H.M.V. pop.519 Volare; Torremolinos.

H.M.V. ea.4235 Majorca; Chiqui-Chaqui.

H.M.V. ea.4300 Zambezi; Parakeet calypso.

H.M.V. ea.4301 By the fountains of Rome; Almost Paradise.

H.M.V. 10300 Delicado; Blacksmith blues.

H.M.V. 10767 Le grisbi; The high and the mighty.

H.M.V. 10815 Majorca; Song of the sea.

H.M.V. sab.28 Galop from 'Masquerade suite' Fantasy impromptu.

E.M.I. ENC.161 Slaughter on 10th Avenue, George Melachrino's Moonlight concert".

Chesney and Wolfe's works

The first major series for Chesney and Wolfe was ITV's Educating Archie, in 1958, which featured ventriloquist Peter Brough and his puppet Archie Andrews. Two years earlier they had written a one-off special for the BBC entitled Here's Archie, which also featured Brough - and his dummy - and Irene Handl.

In 1961 the pair created the influential The Rag Trade, starring Peter Jones, Miriam Karlin and Reg Varney. Written for the BBC, this comedy was set in a working class environment and featured strong roles for the female actors, which was unusual for the time. Set in a fabric workshop - Fenner Fashions - it centred on the battles and conflicts between the bosses and the workers, and contained a certain degree of social commentary. Sheila Hancock, Esma Cannon and Barbara Windsor also appeared.

In 1963 Chesney and Wolfe repeated their success with the BBC sitcom Meet The Wife starring Dame Thora Hird and Freddie Frinton. It was originally a one-off Comedy Playhouse pilot called The Bed. Again, this featured working class characters and humour. Interestingly, the programme is mentioned in the Beatles song "Good Morning Good Morning".

In the mid to late 1960s they wrote The Bed-Sit Girl starring Sheila Hancock, and Sorry I'm Single starring Derek Nimmo, Gwendolyn Watts and Elizabeth Knight. In 1968 they created Wild, Wild Women starring Barbara Windsor, which was a kind of period-piece variation on The Rag Trade.

There next major series though was ITV's On The Buses which started in 1969. It starred Reg Varney as a bus driver, Michael Robbins, Anna Karen as the plain Olive and the memorable lip-quivering Stephen Lewis as Blakey. The series ran until 1973 and was a phenomenal success, producing three film spin-offs and an American remake, Lotsa Luck, which ran for 1 season on NBC in 1973-1974. When the series ended Wolfe and Chesney followed it with Don't Drink The Water, which starred Stephen Lewis's Blakey abroad in Spain. However, this was not a success and didn't go down to well with viewers or critics.

In 1972, the Two (Writing) Ronnies, as they were sometimes known, wrote the ITV sitcom Romany Jones starring Dad's Army star James Beck and featuring Jo Rowbottom and Arthur English. It lasted four series but didn't match the standard of most of their previous work. The fact that Beck died after the second series didn't help. Even so, it created a sequel - Yus My Dear in 1976, featuring Arthur Mullard and Queenie Watts.

In 1977, there was an updated version of The Rage Trade for ITV with Peter Jones and Miriam Karlin returning, and Anna Karen virtually repeating her Olive character from On The Buses.

Their last series as a comedy scriptwriting duo was 1980's Watch This Space starring Christopher Biggins as the boss of an advertising agency.

TV credits

• Here's Archie (1956)
• Educating Archie (1958)
• The Rag Trade (1961)
• Meet The Wife (1963)
• The Bed-Sit Girl (1965)
• Sorry I'm Single (1967)
• According To Dora (1968)
• Wild, Wild Women (1968)
• On The Buses (1969)
• The Other Reg Varney (1970)
• Romany Jones (1972)
• Don't Drink The Water (1974)
• Yus My Dear (1976)
• The Boys And Mrs B (1977)
• The Rag Trade (1977 remake)
• Watch This Space (1980)
• Take A Letter, Mr Jones... (1981)
• Allo Allo! (1982)

This content from Wikipedia is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Ronald Wolfe