19th and 20th-century British comedian, impresario and theatre manager (1865–1941)
Fred Karno
Born
Frederick John Westcott
(1866-03-26)26 March 1866
Exeter, Devon, England
Died
17 September 1941(1941-09-17) (aged 75)
Lilliput, Dorset, England
Occupation(s)
Comedian, theatre impresario of music hall
Spouse(s)
Edith Karno (nee Cuthbert), Marie Karno (nee Moore)
Website
https://www.fredkarno.com/
Frederick John Westcott (26 March 1865 – 17 September 1941), best known by his stage name Fred Karno, was an English theatre impresario of the British music hall.[1] As a comedian of slapstick he is credited with popularising the custard-pie-in-the-face gag.[2] During the 1890s, in order to circumvent stage censorship, Karno developed a form of sketch comedy without dialogue.
Cheeky authority-defying playlets such as Jail Birds (1895) in which prisoners play tricks on warders and Early Birds (1899), showing the poverty and realities for the poor of London's East End, can be seen as precursors of movie silent comedy. Many of his comics subsequently worked in film and used Karno material throughout their work. Film producer Hal Roach stated: "Fred Karno is not only a genius, he is the man who originated slapstick comedy. We in Hollywood owe much to him."[3]
Among the music hall comedians who worked for him were Charlie Chaplin and his understudy, Arthur Stanley Jefferson, who later adopted the name of Stan Laurel. These were alumni of his comedy companies all of whom trained at his headquarters, The Fun Factory, in Vaughan Road, Camberwell. Such was Karno's fame that his name became associated with any chaotic situation, and the disorganised volunteer soldiers of the Great War labelled themselves "Fred Karno's Army". The phrase was also adapted into a trench song in the First World War, to the tune of the hymn "The Church's One Foundation".[4] In the Second World War it was adapted as the Anthem of the Guinea Pig Club, the first line becoming "We are McIndoe's Army ...". The song also features in the musical comedy film Oh! What a Lovely War (1969).
^Cite error: The named reference up was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Leslie Halliwell, John Walker (2001). "Halliwell's Who's who in the Movies". p. 240. HarperCollinsEntertainment, 2001
^J. P. Gallagher (1971). "Fred Karno: master of mirth and tears". p. 165. Hale.
^"'Trench Songs', The First World War Poetry Digital Archive". University of Oxford. Retrieved 16 October 2010. We are Fred Karno's army, we are the ragtime infantry. We cannot fight, we cannot shoot, what bleeding use are we? And when we get to Berlin we'll hear the Kaiser say, 'Hoch, hoch! Mein Gott, what a bloody rotten lot, are the ragtime infantry'
Westcott (26 March 1865 – 17 September 1941), best known by his stage name FredKarno, was an English theatre impresario of the British music hall. As a comedian...
film work, especially as pantomimicry. In a biography of Karno, Laurel stated: "FredKarno didn't teach Charlie [Chaplin] and me all we know about comedy...
his skills in pantomime and music hall sketches. He was a member of "FredKarno's Army", where he was Charlie Chaplin's understudy. He and Chaplin arrived...
later working as a stage actor and comedian. At 19, he was signed to the FredKarno company, which took him to the United States. He was scouted for the film...
were protégés of FredKarno, the English theatre impresario of British music hall, and in his biography Laurel stated, "FredKarno didn't teach Charlie...
comedians who worked for his company. Karno was a pioneer of slapstick, and in his biography, Laurel stated, "FredKarno didn't teach Charlie [Chaplin] and...
on stage in the music hall sketches of the English theatre impresario FredKarno. The practice is also used to express disapproval of politicians or other...
Karno may refer to: Platysace maxwellii FredKarno (1866–1941), British theatre impresario Norton S. Karno (born 1936), American attorney Rano Karno (born...
Studios, a houseboat, built in 1911 for and once owned by impresario FredKarno, now a recording studio owned by David Gilmour of Pink Floyd. The rare...
on stage in the music hall sketches of the English theatre impresario FredKarno. It was first seen in film in the 1909 Essanay Studios silent film Mr...
The Bailiffs is a 1932 British comedy film, based on a sketch by FredKarno and starring Flanagan and Allen, made by Associated Talking Pictures at Ealing...
Kelly in 1908 in London when they were both performing for impresario FredKarno at the Streatham Empire. She was with a song and dance troupe, Bert Coutts'...
1987 Cry Freedom Jimmy Kruger 1988 Business As Usual Kieran Flynn 1992 Chaplin FredKarno 1996 Masculine Mescaline The Man 1998 Goodnight Mister Tom Tom...
mentioned as general manager and producer in advertising for FredKarno's companies, second only to Karno himself. A Darnley ballad was adapted for a nine-minute...
violence and activities which may exceed the boundaries of common sense. FredKarno Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle Buster Keaton Mack Sennett Laurel and Hardy: Stan...
shorts such as The Bailiffs (1933) (a pretty rudimentary film of an old FredKarno routine) and The Dreamers (1934), to features such as A Fire Has .." Bud...
"FredKarno didn't teach Charlie [Chaplin] and me all we know about comedy. He just taught us most of it". Film producer Hal Roach stated; "FredKarno...
and Harry Champion. English music hall comedian and theatre impresario FredKarno developed a form of sketch comedy without dialogue in the 1890s, and Chaplin...
leading comedy impresario FredKarno as a supporting actor, and as an understudy for Charlie Chaplin. Laurel said of Karno, "There was no one like him...
Leno. The influential English music hall comedian and theatre impresario FredKarno developed a form of sketch comedy without dialogue in the 1890s, and Chaplin...
the United States) with the Karno Company from London. Chaplin performed this play during his U.S. tours with FredKarno company and decided to bring...
training for nurses Theodore Bayley Hardy (1863–1918), Army chaplain and VC FredKarno (1866–1941), comedy pioneer and impresario Irene Vanbrugh (1872–1949)...
at the age of nine. In 1913, while on tour in the United States with FredKarno's comedy group, he accepted a contract to work for Keystone Film Company...
known as Stan Laurel, was an understudy of Charlie Chaplin working for FredKarno, a music hall impresario, before Laurel and Chaplin entered American film...
villain in that play. In 1906, however, he landed a contract with FredKarno, of Karno's London Comedians, and worked hard to bring Charlie into the company...
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