Dave Willis (comedian)
Encyclopedia
Dave Willis was a Scottish
comedian
and actor
. He was a major music hall
star in the 1930s and the 1940s in Glasgow
. The actor Jerry Desmonde
acted as a stooge to him. He made two films for Welwyn Studios co-starring with Patricia Kirkwood
in the late 1930s. His son Denny Willis
was also a music hall performer and incorporated a number of his father's routines into his act.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
comedian
Comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
and actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
. He was a major music hall
Music hall
Music Hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment which was popular between 1850 and 1960. The term can refer to:# A particular form of variety entertainment involving a mixture of popular song, comedy and speciality acts...
star in the 1930s and the 1940s in Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
. The actor Jerry Desmonde
Jerry Desmonde
Jerry Desmonde was an English stage musical, film, and television actor principally in comedies and drama. He is probably best known as a straight man to Norman Wisdom.Jerry is sometimes credited as Jerry Desmond....
acted as a stooge to him. He made two films for Welwyn Studios co-starring with Patricia Kirkwood
Patricia Kirkwood
Patricia Kirkwood was a British stage actress who appeared in numerous performances of dramas, cabaret, revues, music hall, variety, and pantomimes. She also performed on radio, television, and movies...
in the late 1930s. His son Denny Willis
Denny Willis
Dennis Willis was a Scottish comedian.Willis was born as the son of theatre maker Dave Willis, who performed sketches in theatres in Scotland in the 1930s. Willis added many of his fathers ideas to his own repertoire. In 1962, Willis had his own television show on ATV, the Denny Willis Show...
was also a music hall performer and incorporated a number of his father's routines into his act.
Filmography
- Save a Little SunshineSave a Little SunshineSave a Little Sunshine is a 1938 British comedy film directed by Norman Lee and starring Dave Willis, Patricia Kirkwood and Tommy Trinder. After he is sacked from his job, a man buys a share in a hotel.-Production:...
(1938) - Me and My PalMe and My Pal (1939 film)Me and My Pal is a 1939 British comedy film directed by Thomas Bentley and starring Dave Willis, Patricia Kirkwood and George Moon. Two lorry drivers become mixed up with criminals who trick them into an insurance swindle that ends up with them being sent to prison.It was the second and last...
(1939) - Slick Tartan (1949, short)