Norman Evans
Encyclopedia
Norman Evans was a variety and radio artiste, born in Rochdale
, Lancashire
, England
.
Evans was discovered by fellow Rochdale entertainer Gracie Fields
. The act for which he is best remembered was "Over the Garden Wall", in which he played a toothless hatchet-faced Lancastrian housewife gossiping over a garden wall, which provided the inspiration for Les Dawson
's later Cissie and Ada characters with Roy Barraclough
. The one-sided conversations would embrace all sorts of local gossip, including scandal about the neighbours and personal medical complaints, including silently mouthing words deemed too rude to be spoken out loud, and accompanied with a range of facial contortions and glances round for supposed eavesdroppers.
His first appearance on the London stage was alongside a young Betty Driver
and he was the only pantomime dame
to receive top billing at the London Palladium
.
Norman Evans is buried in Carleton Cemetery, Blackpool. The headstone of his grave is a low wall built from natural gritstone blocks. His epitaph (preceding birth and death dates) reads "Norman's last garden wall!"
Rochdale
Rochdale is a large market town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies amongst the foothills of the Pennines on the River Roch, north-northwest of Oldham, and north-northeast of the city of Manchester. Rochdale is surrounded by several smaller settlements which together form the Metropolitan...
, Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
Evans was discovered by fellow Rochdale entertainer Gracie Fields
Gracie Fields
Dame Gracie Fields, DBE , was an English-born, later Italian-based actress, singer and comedienne and star of both cinema and music hall.-Early life:...
. The act for which he is best remembered was "Over the Garden Wall", in which he played a toothless hatchet-faced Lancastrian housewife gossiping over a garden wall, which provided the inspiration for Les Dawson
Les Dawson
Leslie "Les" Dawson was a popular English comedian remembered for his deadpan style, curmudgeonly persona and jokes about his mother-in-law and wife.-Life and career:...
's later Cissie and Ada characters with Roy Barraclough
Roy Barraclough
Roy Barraclough MBE is a comic actor. He is best known for his role as the shifty, lugubrious landlord of the Rovers Return, Alec Gilroy in the long-running British TV soap Coronation Street where he formed an on-screen partnership with Bet Lynch .- Career :Roy Barraclough...
. The one-sided conversations would embrace all sorts of local gossip, including scandal about the neighbours and personal medical complaints, including silently mouthing words deemed too rude to be spoken out loud, and accompanied with a range of facial contortions and glances round for supposed eavesdroppers.
His first appearance on the London stage was alongside a young Betty Driver
Betty Driver
Elizabeth Mary "Betty" Driver, MBE was an English singer, actress and author, best known for her role as Betty Williams on the British soap opera, Coronation Street, appearing in more than 2,800 episodes...
and he was the only pantomime dame
Pantomime dame
A pantomime dame is a traditional character in British pantomime. It is a continuation of en travesti portrayal of female characters by male actors in drag. They are often played either in an extremely camp style, or else by men acting 'butch' in women's clothing...
to receive top billing at the London Palladium
London Palladium
The London Palladium is a 2,286 seat West End theatre located off Oxford Street in the City of Westminster. From the roster of stars who have played there and many televised performances, it is arguably the most famous theatre in London and the United Kingdom, especially for musical variety...
.
Norman Evans is buried in Carleton Cemetery, Blackpool. The headstone of his grave is a low wall built from natural gritstone blocks. His epitaph (preceding birth and death dates) reads "Norman's last garden wall!"
Filmography
- DemobbedDemobbed (1946 film)Demobbed is a 1946 British comedy film directed by John E. Blakeley and starring Norman Evans, Nat Jackley, Gus McNaughton and Dan Young. Its plot concerns a group of ex-soldiers who attempt to gain employment after being discharged from the army.-Cast:...
(1946) - Under New ManagementUnder New ManagementUnder New Management is a 1946 British comedy film directed by John E. Blakeley and starring Nat Jackley, Norman Evans and Dan Young. A chimney sweep inherits a hotel and calls on a number of ex-army friends to staff it. It was one of a number of films at the time dealing with the contemporary...
(1946) - The CalendarThe Calendar (1948 film)The Calendar is a 1948 British drama film directed by Arthur Crabtree and starring Greta Gynt, John McCallum, Raymond Lovell and Leslie Dwyer...
(1948) - Over the Garden Wall (1950)