J. R. Hartley
Encyclopedia
J. R. Hartley is both the name of a fictional character and an author's pseudonym inspired by it.
commercial telephone
directory company Yellow Pages
, first shown in 1983. The character was played by the actor Norman Lumsden
.
The advertisement shows an elderly man asking in several second-hand
bookshops (which are recognisably real shops in London
's Cecil Court
) for "Fly Fishing by J. R. Hartley". Every attempt fails, and the next scene shows him at home looking dejected. His daughter, sympathising, hands him the Yellow Pages; in the next scene he looks delighted as his end of a telephone conversation reveals that a shop has a copy of the book. He asks them to keep it for him. He responds at dictation speed to a question: 'My name? Oh, yes, it's J. R. Hartley.' The advertisement ends by promoting the Yellow Pages.
The advertisement is one of the most popular ever made in Britain, and remained a part of popular culture long after it ceased to be shown. The advertisement was affectionately parodied many times in the 1980s by comedians such as Jasper Carrott
, Harry Enfield
, Fry and Laurie
, and Mel Smith
and Griff Rhys Jones
. When Lumsden died on 28 November 2001 at the age of 95, despite his numerous other roles and distinguished career as an opera singer, the death of the man who played J. R. Hartley was in the national headlines, and the advertisement was broadcast again in his memory, nearly 20 years after its first appearance.
in 1991, noted how much of a cult figure the fictional Hartley had become, and published it under the pseudonym
J. R. Hartley with the title Fly Fishing: Memories of Angling Days. A further book on the subject followed, under the same pseudonym (J. R. Hartley Casts Again: More Memories of Angling Days).
searching second-hand record shops for a 1992 trance mix he made. He eventually finds a shop stocking it through the Yell
app on his daughter's iPhone. The revamp is intended to mark Yell's presence in the digital age.
Fictional author
The fictional character appeared in television advertisements for BritishUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
commercial telephone
Telephone
The telephone , colloquially referred to as a phone, is a telecommunications device that transmits and receives sounds, usually the human voice. Telephones are a point-to-point communication system whose most basic function is to allow two people separated by large distances to talk to each other...
directory company Yellow Pages
Yell Group
Yell Group plc is a multinational directories company headquartered in Reading, United Kingdom. As well as the United Kingdom, it has operations in the United States, Spain and some countries in Latin America...
, first shown in 1983. The character was played by the actor Norman Lumsden
Norman Lumsden
Norman Lumsden was a British opera singer and actor. He first came to prominence during the 1940s and 1950s in several operas by composer Benjamin Britten, often performing at Covent Garden and the Aldeburgh and Glyndebourne festivals. He later began a television acting career during the 1970s...
.
The advertisement shows an elderly man asking in several second-hand
Second-Hand
Second-Hand was a 2005 Romanian film directed by Dan Piţa.-Plot summary:The film's plot surrounds the romantic involvement of two contrasting characters: Petre , a Mafioso, and Andreea , a young violin player. The pair meet and fall in love...
bookshops (which are recognisably real shops in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
's Cecil Court
Cecil Court
Cecil Court is a pedestrian street with Victorian shop-frontages in London, England linking Charing Cross Road and St. Martin's Lane. Since the 1930s it has been known as the new Booksellers' Row and it is sometimes used as a location by film companies...
) for "Fly Fishing by J. R. Hartley". Every attempt fails, and the next scene shows him at home looking dejected. His daughter, sympathising, hands him the Yellow Pages; in the next scene he looks delighted as his end of a telephone conversation reveals that a shop has a copy of the book. He asks them to keep it for him. He responds at dictation speed to a question: 'My name? Oh, yes, it's J. R. Hartley.' The advertisement ends by promoting the Yellow Pages.
The advertisement is one of the most popular ever made in Britain, and remained a part of popular culture long after it ceased to be shown. The advertisement was affectionately parodied many times in the 1980s by comedians such as Jasper Carrott
Jasper Carrott
Jasper Carrott OBE is a British comedian, actor, television presenter and personality.-Early life:...
, Harry Enfield
Harry Enfield
Henry Richard "Harry" Enfield is a BAFTA-winning English comedian, actor, writer and director.-Early life:...
, Fry and Laurie
Fry and Laurie
Fry and Laurie, Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie, were a successful English comedy double act, mostly active in the 1980s and 1990s. Having met in 1980 through mutual friend Emma Thompson , Fry and Laurie have since collaborated on numerous projects together, including Jeeves and Wooster, in which...
, and Mel Smith
Mel Smith
Melvin Kenneth "Mel" Smith is an English comedian, writer, film director, producer, and actor. He is most famous for his work on the sketch comedy shows Not the Nine O'Clock News and Alas Smith and Jones along with his comedy partner Griff Rhys Jones.- Early life :Smith's father, Kenneth, was born...
and Griff Rhys Jones
Griff Rhys Jones
Griffith "Griff" Rhys Jones is a Welsh comedian, writer, actor, television presenter and personality. Jones came to national attention in the early 1980s for his work in the BBC television comedy sketch shows Not the Nine O'Clock News and Alas Smith and Jones along with his comedy partner Mel Smith...
. When Lumsden died on 28 November 2001 at the age of 95, despite his numerous other roles and distinguished career as an opera singer, the death of the man who played J. R. Hartley was in the national headlines, and the advertisement was broadcast again in his memory, nearly 20 years after its first appearance.
Life imitates art
Michael Russell, an author who had brought out a book about fly fishingFly fishing
Fly fishing is an angling method in which an artificial 'fly' is used to catch fish. The fly is cast using a fly rod, reel, and specialized weighted line. Casting a nearly weightless fly or 'lure' requires casting techniques significantly different from other forms of casting...
in 1991, noted how much of a cult figure the fictional Hartley had become, and published it under the pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
J. R. Hartley with the title Fly Fishing: Memories of Angling Days. A further book on the subject followed, under the same pseudonym (J. R. Hartley Casts Again: More Memories of Angling Days).
In culture
- The character 'Tim, Nice But Dim', from the British television comedy series Harry Enfield and Chums, goes into a bookshop and asks for the book Fly Fishing, which he has recently seen advertised on television.
- In the first stage show of the sitcom BottomBottom (TV series)Bottom was a British sitcom television series that originally aired on BBC2 between 1991 and 1995. It was written by comic duo Rik Mayall and Adrian Edmondson who star as Richie and Eddie, two flatmates living on the dole in Hammersmith, London...
, Eddie Hitler (played by Adrian EdmondsonAdrian EdmondsonAdrian Charles "Ade" Edmondson is an English comedian. He is probably best known for his comedic roles in the television series The Young Ones and Bottom , for which he also wrote together with his long-time collaboration partner Rik Mayall.-Early life:Edmondson, the second of four children, was...
) is asked his name, and he says 'My name... J. R. Hartley'. - In A Bit of Fry & Laurie, there is a sketch based on the pretext of an elderly gentleman going into a bookshop and asking for Fly Fishing by J. R. Hartley. The two shop assistants inform him that on the previous day, they had hundreds of copies, but have now sold out completely. The gentleman instead asks for a copy of the Yellow PagesYellow PagesYellow Pages refers to a telephone directory of businesses, organized by category, rather than alphabetically by business name and in which advertising is sold. As the name suggests, such directories were originally printed on yellow paper, as opposed to white pages for non-commercial listings...
, and gives his name as 'Pages. L. O. Pages.' - An episode of the satirical comedy show Bremner, Bird and FortuneBremner, Bird and FortuneBremner, Bird and Fortune is an award-winning satirical British television programme produced by Vera Productions for Channel Four, uniting the longstanding satirical team of John Bird and John Fortune with the satirical impressionist Rory Bremner.The show started in 1999. The fourteenth series...
parodied the advertisement with a sketch set in the near future, in which Lord Hutton is searching for a copy of the Hutton Report. The sketch ends with an image of the report being dropped onto a heap of previous government reports, and a voice-over saying: 'Good old yellowing pages'. - In an edition of PanoramaPanorama (TV series)Panorama is a BBC Television current affairs documentary programme, which was first broadcast in 1953, and is the longest-running public affairs television programme in the world. Panorama has been presented by many well known BBC presenters, including Richard Dimbleby, Robin Day, David Dimbleby...
, entitled "Must Have Own Teeth", the advertisement is redubbed with J. R. Hartley going into several shops asking if they have a position available. Eventually, in his armchair, he finds a potential position and after giving his name and age, he looks dejected and says, 'Oh, I'm too old.' - In a digitally edited version of the advert, shown on BBC1's Carrott's Commercial BreakdownCommercial BreakdownCommercial Breakdown is a BBC/Celador light entertainment television programme which shows humorous television advertisements from around the world.-History:...
, J. R. Hartley is shown asking a shopkeeper, played by Jasper CarrottJasper CarrottJasper Carrott OBE is a British comedian, actor, television presenter and personality.-Early life:...
for the book at a shop which has a special window display on Fly Fishing. - More recently Ricky Gervais, Stephen Merchant and Karl Pilkington parodied the advert to promote the release of the book The World Of Karl Pilkington in a video podcast.
- In the Kedleston 18 (2003) episode of Bargain HuntBargain HuntBargain Hunt is a British television programme in which two pairs of contestants are challenged to buy antiques at a fair and then sell them in an auction for a profit. It has aired on BBC One since 13 March 2000 in a daytime version and from 22 August 2002 to 13 November 2004 in a primetime version...
, host David DickinsonDavid DickinsonDavid Dickinson is an English antiques expert, television presenter and entrepreneur.-Biography:...
cheekily asks whether J. R. Hartley is the person bidding up the price on an antique fishing reel. - Eddie IzzardEddie IzzardEdward John "Eddie" Izzard is a British stand-up comedian and actor. His comedy style takes the form of rambling, whimsical monologue and self-referential pantomime...
, for his routine in Hysteria!, a 1991 comedy show for the Terrence Higgins TrustTerrence Higgins TrustTerrence Higgins Trust is a British charity that campaigns on various issues related to AIDS and HIV. In particular, the charity aims to reduce the spread of HIV and promote good sexual health ; to provide services on a national and local level to people with, affected by, or at risk of...
, opens saying the audience must read a book called Sex, Drugs, and Me by J. R. Hartley. - In the radio show The Mary Whitehouse ExperienceThe Mary Whitehouse ExperienceThe Mary Whitehouse Experience was a British topical sketch comedy show produced by the BBC in association with Spitting Image Productions. It starred two comedy double acts - David Baddiel and Rob Newman, and also Steve Punt and Hugh Dennis, all of whom had graduated from Cambridge University...
the reference frequently popped up – initially as a parody of the affair surrounding The Satanic VersesThe Satanic VersesThe Satanic Verses is Salman Rushdie's fourth novel, first published in 1988 and inspired in part by the life of Prophet Muhammad. As with his previous books, Rushdie used magical realism and relied on contemporary events and people to create his characters...
, later as a stock answer in almost every round of the 'punchline competition' in which the audience were asked to come up with punchlines. - In TV sitcom Not Going OutNot Going OutNot Going Out is a British television sitcom that has aired on BBC One since 2006. Starring Lee Mack, Tim Vine, Sally Bretton, Miranda Hart and Katy Wix, it was initially written by Mack, Andrew Collins, Paul Kerensa, Simon Evans and Peter Tilbury, but now features contributions from other...
, in series 2, episode 3, Lee (Lee Mack) asks for "a book on fly fishing by J. R. Hartley" when he meets a woman he thinks is a librarian working in a gentleman's club. - In series 1, episode 2 of Lee Mack's All Star CastLee Mack's All Star CastLee Mack's All Star Cast is a Saturday night television programme by the BBC. Each week, host Lee Mack is joined by two celebrity guests and a live studio audience who are entertained by stand-up comedians, random sketches and various games....
, Lee MackLee MackLee Gordon McKillop is an English stand-up comedian and actor, known by the stage name Lee Mack. He is well known in the United Kingdom for writing and starring in the sitcom Not Going Out, for being a team captain on Would I Lie to You? and for hosting Lee Mack's All Star Cast.-Personal life:Mack...
asks Henry WinklerHenry WinklerHenry Franklin Winkler, OBE is an American actor, director, producer, and author.Winkler is best known for his role as Fonzie on the 1970s American sitcom Happy Days...
, having just spoke of Winkler's recently published book on Fly Fishing, who the author of "the most famous Fly Fishing Book in Britain" is, stating that even though he is most likely the most knowledgeable person in the room on Fly Fishing, he is also likely the only person who does not know the answer. The answer, of course, is J. R. Hartley.
Revamp
The advert was remade in 2011 to feature a retired DJ named Day V LatelyDay V Lately
Day V Lately is the name of a fictional former DJ in a marketing campaign for Yell, played by actor Matthew Jure.- Day V Lately TV ad :The 2011 advert is a remake of the celebrated Yellow Pages television ad first aired in 1983, in which author J.R. Hartley searched for a copy of his own book, "Fly...
searching second-hand record shops for a 1992 trance mix he made. He eventually finds a shop stocking it through the Yell
Yell Group
Yell Group plc is a multinational directories company headquartered in Reading, United Kingdom. As well as the United Kingdom, it has operations in the United States, Spain and some countries in Latin America...
app on his daughter's iPhone. The revamp is intended to mark Yell's presence in the digital age.