Dick Bentley
Encyclopedia
Charles Walter "Dick" Bentley (14 May 1907 – 27 August 1995), born in Melbourne, Australia, was a comedian and actor. He starred with Jimmy Edwards
in Take It From Here
for BBC Radio
.
As a boy, Bentley learned several musical instruments, and while still in his teens was a staple on the Melbourne cabaret circuit as a comedian and singer, his act consisting of playing a few bars of music deliberately badly, interspersed with jokes and legitimate musical numbers. He made his first appearance on ABC Radio
in the early 1930s and by 1938 had become a fairly prominent personality. In that year he moved to London and worked for the BBC
. Newly married to Peta, he returned to Australia on the outbreak of war
, and spent several years entertaining the troops in the Pacific theatre.
By 1946, he was one of Australia's highest-paid entertainers, and returned to Britain to try to re-establish himself in a much larger market. He joined up with writer Denis Norden
and guested on many of the leading radio shows of the day. An appearance on Navy Mixture teamed him successfully with Jimmy Edwards
, and indirectly led to the pairing of Denis Norden with Frank Muir
, who was Edwards' writer. Muir and Norden together wrote Take It From Here
(1948–60), with Edwards and Bentley as two of the three stars. The most memorable feature of Take It From Here was The Glums, with Edwards playing the slightly seedy Pa Glum and Bentley his terminally dim son, Ron. Interestingly, Bentley was thirteen years older than Edwards.
In 1951, during the run of Take It From Here, Bentley briefly returned to Australia to star in a ten-episode radio comedy series, Gently Bentley, commissioned to celebrate the silver jubilee of the ABC. In 1956, he starred in And So To Bentley, a sketch-format comedy show for the BBC, co-starring Peter Sellers
. The show only lasted for one series, and the gently self-deprecating humor of Bentley was overshadowed by the charismatic Sellers. Both these shows were also written by Muir and Norden.
In 1960 he returned to Australia to play a sheep drover in The Sundowners
, starring Robert Mitchum
and Deborah Kerr
. In the late 1960s he was back on BBC radio in the short run comedy series If You Had a Talking Picture of Me.
In 1972 and 1974 Bentley was featured in the movies The Adventures of Barry McKenzie
and Barry McKenzie Holds His Own
, derived from the Barry McKenzie
comic strip in Private Eye
. By 1974 he had largely retired, but briefly returned to the screen to appear in the 1978 season of Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em
as Frank Spencer's granddad, fittingly since the hapless Spencer was in many ways a descendant of his Ron Glum character in TIFH.
His wife died in 1988, and Bentley died from complications from Alzheimer's Disease
in 1995.
Jimmy Edwards
Jimmy Edwards DFC was an English comedic script writer and comedy actor on both radio and television, best known as Pa Glum in Take It From Here and as the headmaster 'Professor' James Edwards in Whack-O!-Biography:...
in Take It From Here
Take It From Here
Take It From Here was a British radio comedy programme broadcast by the BBC between 1948 and 1960. It was written by Frank Muir and Denis Norden, and starred Jimmy Edwards, Dick Bentley and Joy Nichols...
for BBC Radio
BBC Radio
BBC Radio is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927. For a history of BBC radio prior to 1927 see British Broadcasting Company...
.
As a boy, Bentley learned several musical instruments, and while still in his teens was a staple on the Melbourne cabaret circuit as a comedian and singer, his act consisting of playing a few bars of music deliberately badly, interspersed with jokes and legitimate musical numbers. He made his first appearance on ABC Radio
ABC Radio and Regional Content
ABC Radio and Regional Content is the division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation responsible for radio output and regional content.-Origins:...
in the early 1930s and by 1938 had become a fairly prominent personality. In that year he moved to London and worked for the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
. Newly married to Peta, he returned to Australia on the outbreak of war
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, and spent several years entertaining the troops in the Pacific theatre.
By 1946, he was one of Australia's highest-paid entertainers, and returned to Britain to try to re-establish himself in a much larger market. He joined up with writer Denis Norden
Denis Norden
Denis Mostyn Norden CBE is a former English comedy writer and television presenter. After an early career working in cinemas, he began scriptwriting during World War II. From 1948 to 1959, he co-wrote the successful BBC Radio comedy programme Take It from Here with Frank Muir...
and guested on many of the leading radio shows of the day. An appearance on Navy Mixture teamed him successfully with Jimmy Edwards
Jimmy Edwards
Jimmy Edwards DFC was an English comedic script writer and comedy actor on both radio and television, best known as Pa Glum in Take It From Here and as the headmaster 'Professor' James Edwards in Whack-O!-Biography:...
, and indirectly led to the pairing of Denis Norden with Frank Muir
Frank Muir
Frank Herbert Muir was an English comedy writer, radio and television personality, and raconteur. His writing and performing partnership with Denis Norden endured for most of their careers. Together they wrote BBC radio's Take It From Here for over 10 years, and then appeared on BBC radio...
, who was Edwards' writer. Muir and Norden together wrote Take It From Here
Take It From Here
Take It From Here was a British radio comedy programme broadcast by the BBC between 1948 and 1960. It was written by Frank Muir and Denis Norden, and starred Jimmy Edwards, Dick Bentley and Joy Nichols...
(1948–60), with Edwards and Bentley as two of the three stars. The most memorable feature of Take It From Here was The Glums, with Edwards playing the slightly seedy Pa Glum and Bentley his terminally dim son, Ron. Interestingly, Bentley was thirteen years older than Edwards.
In 1951, during the run of Take It From Here, Bentley briefly returned to Australia to star in a ten-episode radio comedy series, Gently Bentley, commissioned to celebrate the silver jubilee of the ABC. In 1956, he starred in And So To Bentley, a sketch-format comedy show for the BBC, co-starring Peter Sellers
Peter Sellers
Richard Henry Sellers, CBE , known as Peter Sellers, was a British comedian and actor. Perhaps best known as Chief Inspector Clouseau in The Pink Panther film series, he is also notable for playing three different characters in Dr...
. The show only lasted for one series, and the gently self-deprecating humor of Bentley was overshadowed by the charismatic Sellers. Both these shows were also written by Muir and Norden.
In 1960 he returned to Australia to play a sheep drover in The Sundowners
The Sundowners
The Sundowners is a 1960 film that tells the story of an Australian outback family torn between the father's desires to continue his nomadic sheep-herding ways and the wife's and son's desire to settle down in one place...
, starring Robert Mitchum
Robert Mitchum
Robert Charles Durman Mitchum was an American film actor, author, composer and singer and is #23 on the American Film Institute's list of the greatest male American screen legends of all time...
and Deborah Kerr
Deborah Kerr
Deborah Kerr, CBE was a Scottish film and television actress from Glasgow. She won the Sarah Siddons Award for her Chicago performance as Laura Reynolds in Tea and Sympathy, a role which she originated on Broadway, a Golden Globe Award for the motion picture The King and I, and was a three-time...
. In the late 1960s he was back on BBC radio in the short run comedy series If You Had a Talking Picture of Me.
In 1972 and 1974 Bentley was featured in the movies The Adventures of Barry McKenzie
The Adventures of Barry McKenzie
The Adventures of Barry McKenzie is a 1972 Australian film starring Barry Crocker, telling the story of an Australian 'yobbo' on his travels to the United Kingdom. Barry McKenzie was originally a character created by Barry Humphries for a cartoon strip in Private Eye...
and Barry McKenzie Holds His Own
Barry McKenzie Holds His Own
Barry McKenzie Holds His Own is the 1974 sequel to the 1972 Australian comedy film The Adventures of Barry McKenzie.Returning from the original film is Barry Crocker in the title role, as well as Barry Humphries in the role of Barry's aunt, Dame Edna. Also returning in the director's chair is Bruce...
, derived from the Barry McKenzie
Barry McKenzie
Barry "Bazza" McKenzie is a fictional character originally created by the Australian comedian Barry Humphries for a comic strip, written by Humphries and drawn by New Zealand artist Nicholas Garland, in the British satirical magazine Private Eye.-Background:The Private Eye comic strips were...
comic strip in Private Eye
Private Eye
Private Eye is a fortnightly British satirical and current affairs magazine, edited by Ian Hislop.Since its first publication in 1961, Private Eye has been a prominent critic and lampooner of public figures and entities that it deemed guilty of any of the sins of incompetence, inefficiency,...
. By 1974 he had largely retired, but briefly returned to the screen to appear in the 1978 season of Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em
Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em
Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em was a BBC situation comedy, written by Raymond Allen and starring Michael Crawford and Michele Dotrice.The series followed the accident-prone Frank Spencer and his tolerant wife Betty through Frank's various attempts to hold down a job, which frequently end in...
as Frank Spencer's granddad, fittingly since the hapless Spencer was in many ways a descendant of his Ron Glum character in TIFH.
His wife died in 1988, and Bentley died from complications from Alzheimer's Disease
Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease also known in medical literature as Alzheimer disease is the most common form of dementia. There is no cure for the disease, which worsens as it progresses, and eventually leads to death...
in 1995.