Neville Kennard
Encyclopedia
Neville Kennard was a twentieth century variety entertainer from England, most active in the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s. He was a prolific writer of sketches and was one of the most famous names associated with the concert party
form of entertainment.
.
He also toured with Fred Karno
's Mumming Birds, an act made famous previously by the pairing of Charles Chaplin and Stan Laurel
. He later became a popular principal comedian in pantomime, revue and summer show. During the Second World War, he continued to perform in pantomime. At every performance of the 1943 pantomime, "Cinderella," Neville Kennard, who played Buttons, appealed for anything smokeable for the troops.
He also presented his own summer shows, and wrote a number of successful concert party sketches including: The tale of a tail; At your service; Babies in the park; and probably the most performed *It's Up To You Sir. In the "It's Up To You Sir" sketch the audience were invited to make suggestions as to how the sketch should proceed. After the gradual demise of concert party and other forms of variety, mainly due to the rise of cinema, he remained active. In 1949 he started to write a weekly column in the theatrical newspaper The Performer all about summer shows. It was called "Pom Poms and Ruffles" and was so successful that he continued it once the winter started and called it "Bon Bons and Trifles". He spent his later years, from 1956, in Eastbourne.
He died on 30 December 1963 and in the "Business of the Theatrical Managers' Association" section of The Stage magazine a small obituary was posted, although overshadowed by deaths that happened due to the contemporary Lusitania
tragedy.
. At the end of the thirties they had relocated to Kenton
before finally living in Eastbourne
from 1956. He died in Cuckfield
, Sussex in 1963.
Concert Party (entertainment)
A concert party, also called a Pierrot troupe, is the collective name for a group of entertainers, or Pierrots, popular in Britain during the first half of the 20th century. The variety show given by a Pierrot troupe was called a Pierrot show...
form of entertainment.
Early life
Neville Kennard, real name Lord Nevil Brown, was born in Eastbourne in 1900, the son of Harriet (née Kennard) and Edwin Brown, a carpenter. They had married on 20 February 1892 in Ripe, Sussex where Harriet was from. Lord Nevil was the third of at least five children. He grew up in 12 Mona Road with his four sisters: Evelyn Violet (born 1896), Winifred Kennard (1898 - 1982), Bessie Lilian (born 1903) and Gwendoline Isabella Linda (born 1906). Lord Nevil Brown took as his stage name Neville Kennard (his middle name plus the surname of his maternal grandfather, George Kennard)Career
Kennard's career was initially encouraged by the great music-hall comedian, Sam Mayo. Neville's early years were with alfresco concert parties, a form of entertainment described as long-gone and much lamented. He performed in variety alongside the comedienne, Gladys Wells, who later became his wife. Together they were often billed as "Kennard and Wells". In the 1930s he advertised himself as "The Perfect Fool" alongside Gladys Wells (billed as a Comedienne). It was at this time that he spent a number of seasons at the Windmill TheatreWindmill Theatre
The Windmill Theatre, later The Windmill International, was a variety and revue theatre in Great Windmill Street, London. The theatre was famous for its nude tableaux vivants...
.
He also toured with Fred Karno
Fred Karno
Frederick John Westcott , best known by his stage name Fred Karno, was a theatre impresario of the British music hall. Karno is credited with inventing the custard-pie-in-the-face gag. Among the young comedians who worked for him were Charlie Chaplin and Arthur Jefferson, who later adopted the...
's Mumming Birds, an act made famous previously by the pairing of Charles Chaplin and Stan Laurel
Stan Laurel
Arthur Stanley "Stan" Jefferson , better known as Stan Laurel, was an English comic actor, writer and film director, famous as the first half of the comedy team Laurel and Hardy. His film acting career stretched between 1917 and 1951 and included a starring role in the Academy Award winning film...
. He later became a popular principal comedian in pantomime, revue and summer show. During the Second World War, he continued to perform in pantomime. At every performance of the 1943 pantomime, "Cinderella," Neville Kennard, who played Buttons, appealed for anything smokeable for the troops.
He also presented his own summer shows, and wrote a number of successful concert party sketches including: The tale of a tail; At your service; Babies in the park; and probably the most performed *It's Up To You Sir. In the "It's Up To You Sir" sketch the audience were invited to make suggestions as to how the sketch should proceed. After the gradual demise of concert party and other forms of variety, mainly due to the rise of cinema, he remained active. In 1949 he started to write a weekly column in the theatrical newspaper The Performer all about summer shows. It was called "Pom Poms and Ruffles" and was so successful that he continued it once the winter started and called it "Bon Bons and Trifles". He spent his later years, from 1956, in Eastbourne.
He died on 30 December 1963 and in the "Business of the Theatrical Managers' Association" section of The Stage magazine a small obituary was posted, although overshadowed by deaths that happened due to the contemporary Lusitania
RMS Lusitania
RMS Lusitania was a British ocean liner designed by Leonard Peskett and built by John Brown and Company of Clydebank, Scotland. The ship entered passenger service with the Cunard Line on 26 August 1907 and continued on the line's heavily-traveled passenger service between Liverpool, England and New...
tragedy.
Personal life
Kennard was married to Gladys Wells (real name Gladys B Turner) who on a number of occasions performed with him. Thye had married at the latter end of 1938 in Hendon, Middlesex. Despite much of their work being in London, they lived for most of the 1930s in SharrowSharrow
For the village in North Yorkshire, see Sharow. For the shared lane roadway marking, see Shared lane marking.Sharrow is a district of Sheffield directly south west of Sheffield city centre....
. At the end of the thirties they had relocated to Kenton
Kenton
-Notable people:* Actress Michele Austin, best known as PC Yvonne Hemmingway in ITV's The Bill, attended Claremont High School in Kenton* Cricketer Denis Compton lived in Kenton* TV exercise instructor Mr Motivator lived in Kenton...
before finally living in Eastbourne
Eastbourne
Eastbourne is a large town and borough in East Sussex, on the south coast of England between Brighton and Hastings. The town is situated at the eastern end of the chalk South Downs alongside the high cliff at Beachy Head...
from 1956. He died in Cuckfield
Cuckfield
Cuckfield is a large village and civil parish in the Mid Sussex District of West Sussex, England, on the southern slopes of the Weald. It lies south of London, north of Brighton, and east northeast of the county town of Chichester. Nearby towns include Haywards Heath to the southeast and Burgess...
, Sussex in 1963.