George Graves (actor)
Encyclopedia
George Windsor Graves was an English comic actor. Although he could neither sing nor dance, he became a leading comedian in musical comedies
, adapting the French and Viennese opéra-bouffe style of light comic relief into a broader comedy popular with English audiences of the period. His comic portrayals did much to ensure the West End
success of Véronique
(1904) The Little Michus
(1905; for which he invented the Gazeka
), and The Merry Widow
(1907).
In addition to musical comedy, operetta
s and revue
s, Graves specialised in pantomime
and music hall
. Later in his career, he was a frequent broadcaster and made several films, always in comic roles, but continued to perform on stage. His last stage success was in Me and My Girl
(1937).
in Portsmouth
. In its obituary notice, The Times
wrote, "from the line then chosen [he] deviated during the next 40 years only into pantomime and music hall sketches." Although he could neither sing nor dance, he made his career in comic parts in musical pieces. His first success on the London stage was as General Marchmont in The School Girl
in 1903, followed the next year by MacSherry in Madame Sherry and Coquenard in Messager
's Véronique
(1904). For the next five years, Graves was cast in comic roles in George Edwardes
productions, becoming a leading comedian of his day.
In 1905 Graves was chosen to play the General in the British premiere of Messager's The Little Michus, but he became ill and had to join the cast later in the run. He habitually improvised comic dialogue during rehearsals and for this piece he invented a mythical creature called "the Gazeka
" which caught the fancy of the London public. After appearing in a revival of The Geisha
(1906), in which his style was criticised as being too broad, he was again prevented by illness from taking the comic lead in a new show; in The Merveilleuses
(1906) he was replaced by W. H. Berry
. His greatest success for Edwardes was in the British premiere of The Merry Widow
(1907), in which he played Baron Popoff, a role that he would repeat many times during his career. The Observer
wrote, "a great deal of the fun as provided by that clever comedian was more English than 'Marsovian'."
Graves did not stay in The Merry Widow for the whole of its long run. In 1908, he left the Edwardes management, and appeared in The Belle of Brittany, with Ruth Vincent
. The other comic lead was Walter Passmore
, who was judged less effective than Graves because he stuck to a weak script instead of improvising as Graves did. The Times
wrote of Graves, "Time after time, as in his favourite manner he hugs a lady close and delivers to her a monologue, he introduces so much that is new that when the lady's turn does come she is quite unable to speak for laughter. And the audience never stops laughing."
Pantomime was another prominent part of Graves's theatrical career. He was, in the words of The Times, "a pillar of Drury Lane
at Christmas". His roles included Abanazar in Aladdin (1909), Jack's mother in Jack and the Beanstalk (1910), The King in Hop o' my Thumb (1911), and the Duke of Monte Blanco in The Sleeping Beauty (1912). These and appearances in music hall
shows interspersed his career in musical comedy.
and variety. One such revue was Nuts and Wine
. His only wartime appearance in musical comedy was in 1916, when he appeared with Gertie Millar
in Houp La!. This, the first production by C.B. Cochran, opened the new St. Martin's Theatre. In 1918, Graves married Madge Mussared, but he left her in 1921, and she successfully sued for divorce in 1923. After the war, Graves continued to work in variety and revue. His return to musical comedy was in 1923, in a revival of The Merry Widow, with Evelyn Laye
, Carl Brisson
and Derek Oldham
. Graves once again received high praise for his performance as Popoff. The production was so popular that it transferred from Daly's
to the larger Lyceum Theatre.
In 1925, Graves made the first of many broadcasts for the BBC. His first new musical comedy of the 1920s was in 1926, when Robert Courtneidge
directed Lehár's
The Blue Mazurka on tour and then at Daly's, with Gladys Moncrieff
and Bertram Wallis
. The Times thought Graves not altogether comfortable in the show: "His methods are not quite suited to the sentimental humours of the piece." Graves appeared on Broadway
several times, mostly around 1930. In 1931 he appeared in a revival of Florodora
at Daly's. In 1932 he once again played Popoff in The Merry Widow.
In the 1930s, Graves acted in films, including Those Were the Days
, a 1934 version of Pinero
's The Magistrate
with Will Hay
and Lily Morris
, and Heart's Desire (1935) starring Richard Tauber
. After appearing in two revivals of operettas (Lilac Time
in 1936 and The Vagabond King
in 1937), Graves made the last great success of his career as Sir John in Me and My Girl
(1937).
Graves died in London at the age of 73.
Edwardian Musical Comedy
Edwardian musical comedies were British musical theatre shows from the period between the early 1890s, when the Gilbert and Sullivan operas' dominance had ended, until the rise of the American musicals by Jerome Kern, Rodgers and Hart, George Gershwin and Cole Porter following World War I.Between...
, adapting the French and Viennese opéra-bouffe style of light comic relief into a broader comedy popular with English audiences of the period. His comic portrayals did much to ensure the West End
West End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
success of Véronique
Véronique (operetta)
Véronique is an opéra comique or operetta in three acts composed by André Messager. The French libretto was by Georges Duval and Albert Vanloo...
(1904) The Little Michus
The Little Michus
Les p'tites Michu is an opérette in three acts, composed by André Messager. The libretto was by Albert Vanloo and Georges Duval.Dismayed by the Paris reception for his 1896 piece, Le Chevalier d’Harmental, Messager retreated to London vowing to write no more...
(1905; for which he invented the Gazeka
Gazeka
Monckton's Gazeka, also called the Papuan Devil-Pig, is a cryptid, an animal said to have been seen on Papua New Guinea in the early 20th century...
), and The Merry Widow
The Merry Widow
The Merry Widow is an operetta by the Austro–Hungarian composer Franz Lehár. The librettists, Viktor Léon and Leo Stein, based the story – concerning a rich widow, and her countrymen's attempt to keep her money in the principality by finding her the right husband – on an 1861 comedy play,...
(1907).
In addition to musical comedy, operetta
Operetta
Operetta is a genre of light opera, light in terms both of music and subject matter. It is also closely related, in English-language works, to forms of musical theatre.-Origins:...
s and revue
Revue
A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance and sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century American popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural presence of its own during its golden years from 1916 to 1932...
s, Graves specialised in pantomime
Pantomime
Pantomime — not to be confused with a mime artist, a theatrical performer of mime—is a musical-comedy theatrical production traditionally found in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Jamaica, South Africa, India, Ireland, Gibraltar and Malta, and is mostly performed during the...
and 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...
. Later in his career, he was a frequent broadcaster and made several films, always in comic roles, but continued to perform on stage. His last stage success was in Me and My Girl
Me and My Girl
Me and My Girl is a musical with book and lyrics by Douglas Furber and L. Arthur Rose and music by Noel Gay. It takes place in the late 1930s in Hampshire, Mayfair, and Lambeth....
(1937).
Early life and career
Graves was born in London and made his stage debut at the age of 19 in an Edwardian musical comedyEdwardian Musical Comedy
Edwardian musical comedies were British musical theatre shows from the period between the early 1890s, when the Gilbert and Sullivan operas' dominance had ended, until the rise of the American musicals by Jerome Kern, Rodgers and Hart, George Gershwin and Cole Porter following World War I.Between...
in Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
. In its obituary notice, The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
wrote, "from the line then chosen [he] deviated during the next 40 years only into pantomime and music hall sketches." Although he could neither sing nor dance, he made his career in comic parts in musical pieces. His first success on the London stage was as General Marchmont in The School Girl
The School Girl
The School Girl is a musical comedy, in two acts, composed by Leslie Stuart with a book by Henry Hamilton and Paul M. Potter, and lyrics by Charles H. Taylor and others...
in 1903, followed the next year by MacSherry in Madame Sherry and Coquenard in Messager
André Messager
André Charles Prosper Messager , was a French composer, organist, pianist, conductor and administrator. His stage compositions included ballets and 30 opéra comiques and operettas, among which Véronique, had lasting success, with Les p'tites Michu and Monsieur Beaucaire also enjoying international...
's Véronique
Véronique (operetta)
Véronique is an opéra comique or operetta in three acts composed by André Messager. The French libretto was by Georges Duval and Albert Vanloo...
(1904). For the next five years, Graves was cast in comic roles in George Edwardes
George Edwardes
George Joseph Edwardes was an English theatre manager of Irish ancestry who brought a new era in musical theatre to the British stage and beyond....
productions, becoming a leading comedian of his day.
In 1905 Graves was chosen to play the General in the British premiere of Messager's The Little Michus, but he became ill and had to join the cast later in the run. He habitually improvised comic dialogue during rehearsals and for this piece he invented a mythical creature called "the Gazeka
Gazeka
Monckton's Gazeka, also called the Papuan Devil-Pig, is a cryptid, an animal said to have been seen on Papua New Guinea in the early 20th century...
" which caught the fancy of the London public. After appearing in a revival of The Geisha
The Geisha
The Geisha, a story of a tea house is an Edwardian Musical Comedy in two acts. The score was composed by Sidney Jones to a libretto by Owen Hall, with lyrics by Harry Greenbank. Additional songs were written by Lionel Monckton and James Philip....
(1906), in which his style was criticised as being too broad, he was again prevented by illness from taking the comic lead in a new show; in The Merveilleuses
The Merveilleuses
The Merveilleuses is a musical play in three acts, with a book adapted from the French original of Victorien Sardou by Basil Hood, lyrics by Adrian Ross, and music by Hugo Felix...
(1906) he was replaced by W. H. Berry
W. H. Berry
William Henry Berry , always billed as W. H. Berry, was an English comic actor. After learning his craft in pierrot and concert entertainments, he was spotted by the actor-manager George Grossmith Jr., and appeared in a series of musical comedies in comic character roles. His greatest success was...
. His greatest success for Edwardes was in the British premiere of The Merry Widow
The Merry Widow
The Merry Widow is an operetta by the Austro–Hungarian composer Franz Lehár. The librettists, Viktor Léon and Leo Stein, based the story – concerning a rich widow, and her countrymen's attempt to keep her money in the principality by finding her the right husband – on an 1861 comedy play,...
(1907), in which he played Baron Popoff, a role that he would repeat many times during his career. The Observer
The Observer
The Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
wrote, "a great deal of the fun as provided by that clever comedian was more English than 'Marsovian'."
Graves did not stay in The Merry Widow for the whole of its long run. In 1908, he left the Edwardes management, and appeared in The Belle of Brittany, with Ruth Vincent
Ruth Vincent
Ruth Vincent was an English opera singer and actress, best remembered for her performances in soprano roles of the Savoy Operas with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company in the 1890s and her roles in the West End during the first decade of the 20th century, particularly her role as Sophia in Tom...
. The other comic lead was Walter Passmore
Walter Passmore
Walter Henry Passmore was an English singer and actor best known as the first successor to George Grossmith in the comic baritone roles in Gilbert and Sullivan operas with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company....
, who was judged less effective than Graves because he stuck to a weak script instead of improvising as Graves did. The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
wrote of Graves, "Time after time, as in his favourite manner he hugs a lady close and delivers to her a monologue, he introduces so much that is new that when the lady's turn does come she is quite unable to speak for laughter. And the audience never stops laughing."
Pantomime was another prominent part of Graves's theatrical career. He was, in the words of The Times, "a pillar of Drury Lane
Theatre Royal, Drury Lane
The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane is a West End theatre in Covent Garden, in the City of Westminster, a borough of London. The building faces Catherine Street and backs onto Drury Lane. The building standing today is the most recent in a line of four theatres at the same location dating back to 1663,...
at Christmas". His roles included Abanazar in Aladdin (1909), Jack's mother in Jack and the Beanstalk (1910), The King in Hop o' my Thumb (1911), and the Duke of Monte Blanco in The Sleeping Beauty (1912). These and appearances in 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...
shows interspersed his career in musical comedy.
World War I and later years
When the First World War began in 1914, Graves concentrated on charity shows, revueRevue
A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance and sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century American popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural presence of its own during its golden years from 1916 to 1932...
and variety. One such revue was Nuts and Wine
Nuts and Wine
Nuts and Wine was a theatrical revue, with lyrics by C. H. Bovill and P. G. Wodehouse and music by Frank E. Tours, with additional numbers by Guy Jones and Melville Gideon, from a book by Bovill and Wodehouse. It was performed at the Empire Theatre, London, opening on 3 January 1914...
. His only wartime appearance in musical comedy was in 1916, when he appeared with Gertie Millar
Gertie Millar
Gertrude "Gertie" Millar was one of the most famous English singer-actresses of the early 20th century, known for her performances in Edwardian musical comedies....
in Houp La!. This, the first production by C.B. Cochran, opened the new St. Martin's Theatre. In 1918, Graves married Madge Mussared, but he left her in 1921, and she successfully sued for divorce in 1923. After the war, Graves continued to work in variety and revue. His return to musical comedy was in 1923, in a revival of The Merry Widow, with Evelyn Laye
Evelyn Laye
Evelyn Laye, CBE was an English theatre and film actress.-Early years and career:Born as Elsie Evelyn Lay in Bloomsbury, London, Laye made her first stage appearance in August 1915 at the Theatre Royal, Brighton as Nang-Ping in Mr...
, Carl Brisson
Carl Brisson
Carl Brisson , born Carl Frederik Ejnar Pedersen was a Danish film actor. He appeared in 12 silent films between 1918 and 1935, including two films directed by Alfred Hitchcock...
and Derek Oldham
Derek Oldham
Derek Oldham was an English singer and actor, best known for his performances in the tenor roles of the Savoy Operas with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company....
. Graves once again received high praise for his performance as Popoff. The production was so popular that it transferred from Daly's
Daly's Theatre
Daly's Theatre was a theatre in the City of Westminster. It was located at 2 Cranbourn Street, just off Leicester Square. It opened on 27 June 1893, and was demolished in 1937.-Early years:...
to the larger Lyceum Theatre.
In 1925, Graves made the first of many broadcasts for the BBC. His first new musical comedy of the 1920s was in 1926, when Robert Courtneidge
Robert Courtneidge
Robert Courtneidge was a British theatrical manager-producer and playwright. He is best remembered as the co-author of the light opera Tom Jones and the producer of The Arcadians...
directed Lehár's
Franz Lehár
Franz Lehár was an Austrian-Hungarian composer. He is mainly known for his operettas of which the most successful and best known is The Merry Widow .-Biography:...
The Blue Mazurka on tour and then at Daly's, with Gladys Moncrieff
Gladys Moncrieff
Gladys Moncrieff OBE was an Australian singer who was so successful in musical theatre and recordings that she became known as 'Australia's Queen of Song' and 'Our Glad'.-Early years:...
and Bertram Wallis
Bertram Wallis
Bertram Wallis was an English actor and singer known for his performances in plays, musical comedies and operettas in the early 20th century, first as leading men and then in character roles. He also later appeared in several film roles.-Early years:Wallis was born in London...
. The Times thought Graves not altogether comfortable in the show: "His methods are not quite suited to the sentimental humours of the piece." Graves appeared on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
several times, mostly around 1930. In 1931 he appeared in a revival of Florodora
Florodora
Florodora is an Edwardian musical comedy and became one of the first successful Broadway musicals of the 20th century. The book was written by Jimmy Davis under the pseudonym Owen Hall, the music was by Leslie Stuart with additional songs by Paul Rubens, and the lyrics were by Edward Boyd-Jones...
at Daly's. In 1932 he once again played Popoff in The Merry Widow.
In the 1930s, Graves acted in films, including Those Were the Days
Those Were the Days (1934 film)
Those were the Days is a film primarily remembered as Will Hay's first major film role. It was based on the farce The Magistrate written by playwright Sir Arthur Wing Pinero, and was the first of two Hay movies that were based Pinero's plays, the other being Dandy Dick...
, a 1934 version of Pinero
Arthur Wing Pinero
Sir Arthur Wing Pinero was an English actor and later an important dramatist and stage director.-Biography:...
's The Magistrate
The Magistrate (play)
The Magistrate is a farce by the English playwright Arthur Wing Pinero. The plot concerns a respectable magistrate who finds himself caught up in a series of scandalous events that almost cause his disgrace....
with Will Hay
Will Hay
William Thomson "Will" Hay was an English comedian, actor, film director and amateur astronomer.-Early life:He was born in Stockton-on-Tees, in north east England, to William R...
and Lily Morris
Lily Morris
Lily Morris , born Lilles Mary Crosby, was an English music hall performer, who specialized in comedic singing....
, and Heart's Desire (1935) starring Richard Tauber
Richard Tauber
Richard Tauber was an Austrian tenor acclaimed as one of the greatest singers of the 20th century. Some critics commented that "his heart felt every word he sang".-Early life:...
. After appearing in two revivals of operettas (Lilac Time
Lilac Time
Lilac Time can refer to:*Das Dreimäderlhaus, a 1922 operetta also produced under the name Lilac Time*The Lilac Time, a British alternative rock band...
in 1936 and The Vagabond King
The Vagabond King
The Vagabond King is a 1925 operetta by Rudolf Friml in four acts, with a book and lyrics by Brian Hooker and William H. Post, based upon Justin Huntly McCarthy's 1901 romantic play If I Were King...
in 1937), Graves made the last great success of his career as Sir John in Me and My Girl
Me and My Girl
Me and My Girl is a musical with book and lyrics by Douglas Furber and L. Arthur Rose and music by Noel Gay. It takes place in the late 1930s in Hampshire, Mayfair, and Lambeth....
(1937).
Graves died in London at the age of 73.
External links
- Graves at the IMDB database
- Graves at the IBDB database
- Pathe clip of Graves in FlorodoraFlorodoraFlorodora is an Edwardian musical comedy and became one of the first successful Broadway musicals of the 20th century. The book was written by Jimmy Davis under the pseudonym Owen Hall, the music was by Leslie Stuart with additional songs by Paul Rubens, and the lyrics were by Edward Boyd-Jones...
- Photos of Graves and the Gazeka
- New York Times article