A musical comedy special starring Lupino Lane.
This one-off special was a direct transfer of the British music hall tradition to the television screen. Produced by the variety impresario Jack Hylton, the programme was built around the formidable talents of its star, Lupino Lane, a giant of musical comedy. The show was based on a stage play co-written by Lane himself with Noel Gay, the celebrated composer of “The Lambeth Walk,” ensuring a pedigree of proven popular entertainment. It represents a common strategy for the newly-formed commercial television network: relying on established stage properties and veteran performers to capture a mass audience, rather than developing programming specifically for the new medium.
Broadcast: ITV – Associated Rediffusion, 1 Episode, 14 February 1957
Based on a play by: Lupino Lane, Lauri Wylie, Noel Gay
Director: Douglas Hurn
Designer: John Clements
Music Director: Billy Ternent
Main Cast: Lupino Lane (Harry Hawkins), Barbara Shotter (Liz Hawkins), Lauri Lupino Lane (‘Erb Hawkins), Jack Stewart (Jock), Richard Caldicot (Vernon), Malcolm Colebrook (Nipper), Anthony Valentine (Herbert), Warren Hearnden (Claude Montmorency), Virginia Keighley (Benita), Nellie The Donkey (Herself)
