Tommy Trinder
Encyclopedia
Thomas Edward Trinder CBE
( 24 March, 1909 – 10 July, 1989) known as Tommy Trinder, was an English stage, screen and radio comedian of the pre and post war years whose catchphrase was 'You lucky people'.
, South London
, (a plaque from the Streatham Society marks the spot) on 24 March, 1909, the son of a London tram driver, Tommy Trinder was one of the best-loved comedians in Britain during the period from the late 1930s until the 1960s.
He was fast-talking and quick-witted and well-suited to stand up comedy in front of a live audience. His catch phrases, 'You lucky people!' and 'If it's laughter you're after, Trinder's the name', combined with his trademarks; the trilby hat, the leering smile and the wagging finger were almost universally recognised in Britain.
He left school early for a job as an errand boy
but by the age of 12 was on stage. He toured South Africa
with a revue company in 1921 and appeared as a boy vocalist at Collins' Music Hall the following year. Minor successes in music hall
, revues and working men's club
s followed.
By 1926, aged 17, Trinder was the star of Archie Pitt's travelling variety comedy shows.
National recognition began to come in 1937 with the revues Tune In and In Town Tonight
. By World War II
he was one of Britain's foremost entertainers and his shows brought welcome relief during the darkest days of the war.
Ealing Studios
signed him up to films during the war. His most famous was the comedy Sailors Three
in which he, Claude Hulbert
and Michael Wilding
capture a German
pocket battleship.
He also took straight acting parts in The Foreman Went to France
, The Bells Go Down
(a tribute to the work done by firemen
in London during the Blitz
); and Bitter Springs
about a family fighting to make a new life in the Australian Outback.
He is believed to have originated "Trinder's Impossibility" - a "bar bet" where the mark is presented with a ten shilling note
, partly torn through in two places at right angles to the long side and challenged to hold the two corners of the torn edge and tear it into three pieces. It cannot be done.
After the war, as a national figure he was soon recruited to television. In 1955, he became the first compere for the new ITV
television programme Sunday Night at the London Palladium
.
"He would begin his act with, 'The name's Trinder. That's T-R-I-N-D-E-R, pronounced Chumley.' This witticism was a gentle dig at the snobs of society, who insisted on pronouncing ordinary names in a fancy way which was utterly un-phonetic."
He lived in an Art Deco-style apartment block – Du Cane Court
, in Balham, south-west London – the largest such under one roof in Europe in the 1930s. He moved in with Violet Trinder in 1939, and was still there in 1955. Residents remember him, and one has described an impromptu encounter she had with him in which her silk scarf had covered her features. He said: "One should never hide a pretty face."
He hosted his own TV series, Trinder Box on BBC
, in 1959.
He was a lifelong devoted supporter of Fulham Football Club and was chairman of the club between 1959 and 1976. During that time he hired and fired Bobby Robson
In 1979 he appeared in an edition of The Old Boy Network, doing his stand-up routine and presenting a condensed history of his life and career.
Using a wheelchair after a stroke in 1986, he made his final television appearance in I Like The Girls Who Do recalling his contemporary Max Miller.
Always a favourite with the Royal family (he made six appearances in Royal Variety Performance
s between 1945 and 1980), he was awarded a CBE
in 1975. He died on 10 July, 1989.
A biography
by Patrick Newley, You Lucky People! - The Tommy Trinder Story, was published in 2008 (Third Age Press).
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
( 24 March, 1909 – 10 July, 1989) known as Tommy Trinder, was an English stage, screen and radio comedian of the pre and post war years whose catchphrase was 'You lucky people'.
Life
Born at 54 Wellfield Road, StreathamStreatham
Streatham is a district in Surrey, England, located in the London Borough of Lambeth. It is situated south of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.-History:...
, South London
South London
South London is the southern part of London, England, United Kingdom.According to the 2011 official Boundary Commission for England definition, South London includes the London boroughs of Bexley, Bromley, Croydon, Greenwich, Kingston, Lambeth, Lewisham, Merton, Southwark, Sutton and...
, (a plaque from the Streatham Society marks the spot) on 24 March, 1909, the son of a London tram driver, Tommy Trinder was one of the best-loved comedians in Britain during the period from the late 1930s until the 1960s.
He was fast-talking and quick-witted and well-suited to stand up comedy in front of a live audience. His catch phrases, 'You lucky people!' and 'If it's laughter you're after, Trinder's the name', combined with his trademarks; the trilby hat, the leering smile and the wagging finger were almost universally recognised in Britain.
He left school early for a job as an errand boy
Courier
A courier is a person or a company who delivers messages, packages, and mail. Couriers are distinguished from ordinary mail services by features such as speed, security, tracking, signature, specialization and individualization of express services, and swift delivery times, which are optional for...
but by the age of 12 was on stage. He toured South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
with a revue company in 1921 and appeared as a boy vocalist at Collins' Music Hall the following year. Minor successes 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...
, revues and working men's club
Working men's club
Working men's clubs are a type of private social club founded in the 19th century in industrial areas of the United Kingdom, particularly the North of England, the Midlands and many parts of the South Wales Valleys, to provide recreation and education for working class men and their families.-...
s followed.
By 1926, aged 17, Trinder was the star of Archie Pitt's travelling variety comedy shows.
National recognition began to come in 1937 with the revues Tune In and In Town Tonight
In Town Tonight
In Town Tonight was a BBC radio programme broadcast on Saturday evening from 1933 to 1960 . It was an early example of the chat show, originally presented by Eric Maschwitz.Its theme music was the Knightsbridge March by Eric Coates...
. By World War II
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...
he was one of Britain's foremost entertainers and his shows brought welcome relief during the darkest days of the war.
Ealing Studios
Ealing Studios
Ealing Studios is a television and film production company and facilities provider at Ealing Green in West London. Will Barker bought the White Lodge on Ealing Green in 1902 as a base for film making, and films have been made on the site ever since...
signed him up to films during the war. His most famous was the comedy Sailors Three
Sailors Three
Sailors Three is a 1940 British war comedy film directed by Walter Forde and starring Tommy Trinder, Claude Hulbert and Carla Lehmann. Thre British sailors accidentally find themselves aboard a German ship during the Second World War....
in which he, Claude Hulbert
Claude Hulbert
Claude Noel Hulbert was a British comic actor. He was the younger brother of Jack Hulbert. Like his brother, he was Cambridge educated and was a member of the Footlights comedy club as an undergraduate....
and Michael Wilding
Michael Wilding (actor)
-Early life:Born in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, England, Wilding was a successful commercial artist when he joined the art department of a London film studio in 1933. He soon embarked on an acting career.-Career:...
capture a German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
pocket battleship.
He also took straight acting parts in The Foreman Went to France
The Foreman Went to France
The Foreman Went to France, also known as Somewhere in France, is a 1942 British World War II war film starring Clifford Evans, Tommy Trinder, Constance Cummings and Gordon Jackson...
, The Bells Go Down
The Bells Go Down
The Bells Go down is a black-and-white wartime film made by Ealing Studios in 1943. The reference in the title is to the alarm bells in the fire station that "go down" when a call to respond is made...
(a tribute to the work done by firemen
Firefighter
Firefighters are rescuers extensively trained primarily to put out hazardous fires that threaten civilian populations and property, to rescue people from car incidents, collapsed and burning buildings and other such situations...
in London during the Blitz
The Blitz
The Blitz was the sustained strategic bombing of Britain by Nazi Germany between 7 September 1940 and 10 May 1941, during the Second World War. The city of London was bombed by the Luftwaffe for 76 consecutive nights and many towns and cities across the country followed...
); and Bitter Springs
Bitter Springs (film)
Bitter Springs is a 1950 Australian-British film directed by Ralph Smart. An Australian pioneer family buy a piece of land from the government in the Australian outback and hire two inexperienced British men as drovers...
about a family fighting to make a new life in the Australian Outback.
He is believed to have originated "Trinder's Impossibility" - a "bar bet" where the mark is presented with a ten shilling note
Note
In music, the term note has two primary meanings:#A sign used in musical notation to represent the relative duration and pitch of a sound;#A pitched sound itself....
, partly torn through in two places at right angles to the long side and challenged to hold the two corners of the torn edge and tear it into three pieces. It cannot be done.
After the war, as a national figure he was soon recruited to television. In 1955, he became the first compere for the new ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
television programme Sunday Night at the London Palladium
Sunday Night at the London Palladium
Sunday Night at the London Palladium is a British television variety show produced by ATV for the ITV network, originally running from 1955 to 1967, with a brief revival in 1973 and 1974...
.
"He would begin his act with, 'The name's Trinder. That's T-R-I-N-D-E-R, pronounced Chumley.' This witticism was a gentle dig at the snobs of society, who insisted on pronouncing ordinary names in a fancy way which was utterly un-phonetic."
He lived in an Art Deco-style apartment block – Du Cane Court
Du Cane Court
Du Cane Court is an Art Deco apartment block on Balham High Road, Balham, south London. A distinctive local landmark, it was opened in 1937 and, with 676 apartments, is the largest privately owned block of flats under one roof in Europe...
, in Balham, south-west London – the largest such under one roof in Europe in the 1930s. He moved in with Violet Trinder in 1939, and was still there in 1955. Residents remember him, and one has described an impromptu encounter she had with him in which her silk scarf had covered her features. He said: "One should never hide a pretty face."
He hosted his own TV series, Trinder Box on 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...
, in 1959.
He was a lifelong devoted supporter of Fulham Football Club and was chairman of the club between 1959 and 1976. During that time he hired and fired Bobby Robson
Bobby Robson
Sir Robert William "Bobby" Robson, CBE was an English footballer and manager, who coached seven European clubs and the England national team during his career....
In 1979 he appeared in an edition of The Old Boy Network, doing his stand-up routine and presenting a condensed history of his life and career.
Using a wheelchair after a stroke in 1986, he made his final television appearance in I Like The Girls Who Do recalling his contemporary Max Miller.
Always a favourite with the Royal family (he made six appearances in Royal Variety Performance
Royal Variety Performance
The Royal Variety Performance is a gala evening held annually in the United Kingdom, which is attended by senior members of the British Royal Family, usually the reigning monarch. In more recent years Queen Elizabeth II and The Prince of Wales have alternately attended the performance...
s between 1945 and 1980), he was awarded a CBE
CBE
CBE and C.B.E. are abbreviations for "Commander of the Order of the British Empire", a grade in the Order of the British Empire.Other uses include:* Chemical and Biochemical Engineering...
in 1975. He died on 10 July, 1989.
A biography
Biography
A biography is a detailed description or account of someone's life. More than a list of basic facts , biography also portrays the subject's experience of those events...
by Patrick Newley, You Lucky People! - The Tommy Trinder Story, was published in 2008 (Third Age Press).
Filmography
- 1938 - Save a Little SunshineSave a Little SunshineSave a Little Sunshine is a 1938 British comedy film directed by Norman Lee and starring Dave Willis, Patricia Kirkwood and Tommy Trinder. After he is sacked from his job, a man buys a share in a hotel.-Production:...
- 1938 - Almost a HoneymoonAlmost a Honeymoon (1938 film)Almost a Honeymoon is a 1938 British comedy film directed by Norman Lee and starring Tommy Trinder, Linden Travers and Edmund Breon. It was based on the 1930 play Almost a Honeymoon by Walter Ellis...
- 1939 - She Couldn't Say No
- 1940 - Sailors ThreeSailors ThreeSailors Three is a 1940 British war comedy film directed by Walter Forde and starring Tommy Trinder, Claude Hulbert and Carla Lehmann. Thre British sailors accidentally find themselves aboard a German ship during the Second World War....
(aka Three Cockeyed Sailors in the U.S.) - 1940 - Laugh It OffLaugh It Off (1940 film)Laugh It Off is a 1940 British musical comedy film directed by John Baxter and Wallace Orton and starring Tommy Trinder, Jean Colin, Anthony Hulme and Marjorie Browne.-Cast:* Tommy Trinder - Tommy Towers* Jean Colin - Sally* Anthony Hulme - Somers...
- 1942 - The Foreman Went to FranceThe Foreman Went to FranceThe Foreman Went to France, also known as Somewhere in France, is a 1942 British World War II war film starring Clifford Evans, Tommy Trinder, Constance Cummings and Gordon Jackson...
- 1943 - The Bells Go DownThe Bells Go DownThe Bells Go down is a black-and-white wartime film made by Ealing Studios in 1943. The reference in the title is to the alarm bells in the fire station that "go down" when a call to respond is made...
- 1944 - Fiddlers ThreeFiddlers Three (1944 film)Fiddlers Three is a 1944 British black-and-white comedy with music. The film was produced by Michael Balcon and directed by Harry Watt. The cast included Tommy Trinder, Sonnie Hale, Frances Day, Francis L. Sullivan, Diana Decker, Elisabeth Welch and James Robertson Justice...
- 1944 - Champagne CharlieChampagne Charlie (film)Champagne Charlie is a 1944 British musical film made by Ealing Studios. It is based on an 1860s play that depicted the real life rivalry between George Leybourne, who first performed the song of that name, and Alfred Vance....
- 1950 - Bitter SpringsBitter Springs (film)Bitter Springs is a 1950 Australian-British film directed by Ralph Smart. An Australian pioneer family buy a piece of land from the government in the Australian outback and hire two inexperienced British men as drovers...
- 1955 - You Lucky PeopleYou Lucky PeopleYou Lucky People is a 1955 British comedy film directed by Maurice Elvey and starring Tommy Trinder, Mary Parker and Dora Bryan. It was released in CinemaScope.-Partial cast:* Tommy Trinder as Tommy Smart* Mary Parker as Private Sally Briggs...
- 1959 - Make Mine a MillionMake Mine a MillionMake Mine a Million was a 1959 British comedy film starring Arthur Askey, Sid James, and Bernard Cribbins. It was directed by Lance Comfort. The film parodies the stuffiness of the 1950s BBC and the effect of television advertising in the era.-Plot:...
- 1963 - The DamnedThe Damned (1963 film)The Damned is a 1963 British science fiction film starring Macdonald Carey, Shirley Anne Field and Oliver Reed. It was a Hammer Film production directed by Joseph Losey and based on H.L...
(aka These are the Damned in the U.S.) - 1964 - The Beauty JungleThe Beauty Jungle-Plot:While on a seaside holiday a young typist is persuaded by a local journalist to enter a beauty contest. When she wins, she decides to give up her previous career and life and take up entering the contests full-time.-Cast:*Ian Hendry as Don Mackenzie...
(aka Contest Girl in the U.S.) - 1974 - Barry McKenzie Holds His OwnBarry McKenzie Holds His OwnBarry 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...