Arthur Lucan
Encyclopedia
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
actor who gained fame as Old Mother Riley
Old Mother Riley
Old Mother Riley was a music hall act which originally ran from about 1934 to 1954 played by Arthur Lucan, then from 1954 to 1977 by Roy Rolland....
on stage, radio and also screen, with a series of comedy films between the late 1930s and early 1950s.
Biography
Lucan was born as Arthur Towle, the third of seven children born to Tom Towle, a groom, and his wife Lucy Ann Mawer. When he was five years old, the family moved to nearby Boston, LincolnshireBoston, Lincolnshire
Boston is a town and small port in Lincolnshire, on the east coast of England. It is the largest town of the wider Borough of Boston local government district and had a total population of 55,750 at the 2001 census...
, later making his first acting appearance at the town's Shodfriars Hall. After leaving school, he left home to pursue a career in music hall. He gained a job with a family troupe called The Musical Cliftons, and later as sidekick to a comedian called Will Pepper.
'Old Mother Riley'
Lucan was appearing in Dublin where he met and married the 16 year old Kitty McShaneKitty McShane
Kathleen "Kitty" McShane is best known as the wife and acting partner of Arthur Lucan, with whom she appeared in a series of Old Mother Riley stage shows and films from the 1930s to the 1950s.-Early life:Catherine McShane was the fourth of seventeen children born to Daniel and Kate McShane, of...
in 1913. The couple had one son, Donald Daniel Towle (2 October 1915, Dublin – 1970), and became an incredibly successful double act. They achieved some success with a sketch called "Bridget's Night Out". For this he first wore drag, and began to develop the character of Old Mother Riley. Whilst in Dublin, he changed his name to Lucan, and they continued to perform as 'Lucan and McShane'. The act was so successful, they played it to the 1934 Royal Command Performance
Royal Command Performance
For the annual Royal Variety Performance performed in Britain for the benefit of the Entertainment Artistes' Benevolent Fund, see Royal Variety Performance...
at the London Palladium
London Palladium
The London Palladium is a 2,286 seat West End theatre located off Oxford Street in the City of Westminster. From the roster of stars who have played there and many televised performances, it is arguably the most famous theatre in London and the United Kingdom, especially for musical variety...
, the most prestigious engagement of its time. However,their marriage proved to be a volatile union, and Lucan and McShane separated in 1951.
After the Royal Command Performance, there followed a successful and highly lucrative film career, a radio series and even a strip cartoon in the Radio Times
Radio Times
Radio Times is a UK weekly television and radio programme listings magazine, owned by the BBC. It has been published since 1923 by BBC Magazines, which also provides an on-line listings service under the same title...
. In all, Arthur Lucan made 17 films, 16 as Old Mother Riley.
Lucan, as 'Old Mother Riley' was last seen on stage at the Theatre Royal, Barnsley
Barnsley
Barnsley is a town in South Yorkshire, England. It lies on the River Dearne, north of the city of Sheffield, south of Leeds and west of Doncaster. Barnsley is surrounded by several smaller settlements which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley, of which Barnsley is the largest and...
on May 14, 1954. The following Monday he was to appear in revue at The Tivoli, Hull
Kingston upon Hull
Kingston upon Hull , usually referred to as Hull, is a city and unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Hull at its junction with the Humber estuary, 25 miles inland from the North Sea. Hull has a resident population of...
. Ellis Aston was the first on stage to compere the forthcoming show. But Lucan had collapsed behind the scenes and died shortly after in his dressing room. He was 68 years old. The site now houses a bakery and cafe, where there is a memorial bust of Arthur Lucan, together with various memorabilia from his career. He is buried in Hull's Eastern Cemetery. Lucan was a member of the Savage Club
Savage Club
The Savage Club, founded in 1857 is a gentlemen's club in London.-History:Many and varied are the stories that have been told about the first meeting of the Savage Club, of the precise purposes for which it was formed, and of its christening...
. In recent years, the Club has held Old Mother Riley evenings, as a tribute to Lucan's talent.
In 1983, Alan Plater
Alan Plater
Alan Frederick Plater, CBE, FRSL was an English playwright and screenwriter, who worked extensively in British television from the 1960s to the 2000s.-Career:...
wrote a play, On Your Way, Riley, about the life of Arthur Lucan, with songs by Alex Glasgow
Alex Glasgow
Alex Glasgow was a singer/songwriter from Low Fell, Gateshead, England. He was educated at Gateshead Grammar School where he founded the Caprians, a choir that, 55 years on and still counting, is thriving. He graduated in German at the University of Leeds...
. This was also broadcast on ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
in 1985 with Brian Murphy
Brian Murphy (actor)
Brian Murphy is a British actor.Murphy was born in Ventnor, Isle of Wight. Although a prolific actor in many films and theatre productions for almost half a century, Murphy's most famous role was as the henpecked husband George Roper in the sitcom Man About the House and spin-off George and...
and Maureen Lipman
Maureen Lipman
Maureen Diane Lipman CBE is a British film, theatre and television actress, columnist and comedienne.-Early life:Lipman was born in Hull in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England, the daughter of Maurice Julius Lipman and Zelma Pearlman. Her father was a tailor; he used to have a shop between the...
in the leading roles.
Actor
- Mother Riley Meets the Vampire (1952)
- Old Mother Riley's Jungle Treasure (1951)
- Old Mother Riley, Headmistress (1950)
- Old Mother Riley's New Venture (1949)
- Old Mother Riley at Home (1945)
- Old Mother Riley Detective (1943)
- Old Mother Riley Overseas (1943)
- Old Mother Riley's Ghosts (1941)
- Old Mother Riley in Business (1941)
- Old Mother Riley's Circus (1941)
- Old Mother Riley in Society (1940)
- Old Mother Riley Joins Up (1940)
- Old Mother Riley, MP (1940)
- Old Mother Riley in ParisOld Mother Riley in ParisOld Mother Riley in Paris is a 1938 British comedy film directed by Oswald Mitchell and starring Arthur Lucan, Kitty McShane, Magda Kun and C. Denier Warren...
(1938) - Kathleen Mavourneen (1937)
- Old Mother RileyOld Mother Riley (film)Old Mother Riley is a 1937 British comedy film directed by Oswald Mitchell and starring Arthur Lucan, Kitty McShane, Barbara Everest, Patrick Ludlow and Hubert Leslie...
(1937)
Writer
- Old Mother Riley Detective (1943)
- Old Mother Riley Overseas (1943)
- Old Mother Riley's Ghosts (1941)
- Old Mother Riley's Circus (1941)