Description

Date: 1941

Theatre: Victoria Palace

Performance: Black Vanities

Main Actors: Bud Flanagan and Chesney Allen

This colourful war-time London theatre programme has a sweet illustration printed in red and black on the front cover (page 1) of happy dancers with their umbrellas.

Black Vanities, George Black’s 3^rd intimate rag is an exciting variety act filled with singing, dancing and comedy.  Cole Porter kindly donated the royalties for the use of his song (in this performance) Do I love you, Do I, to British War Charities. The cast list includes a variety of performers including Flanagan and Allen.

Bud Flanagan, was London born as Chaim Reuben Weintrop, (1896 – 1968).  He became a famous comedian and had a successful career on both stage and screen. He was a very popular world-renown performer particularly remembered for entertaining the troops during WWII and keeping up moral. From a young adult, Bud Flanagan had the good fortune to travel and perform around the globe; in 1915 he enlisted into the during the First World War. During his time in the army he met a Sergeant-Major Flanagan who, by some accounts, inspired the stage name that Bud Flanagan adopted.

Chesney Allen was the other half of Flanagan and Allen. Chesney Allen (1894 – 1982) was born William Ernest Chesney Allen and was a popular English entertainer born in London, England. Mr Allen first started acting on the stage as a serious actor in 1912.

In 1926 Bud Flanagan and Chesney Allen teamed up whilst performing for the Florrie Forde Show and became the comic double act ‘Flanagan and Allen’ performing comedy sketches and song.  As the pair’s popularity grew, in the early 1930s, Flanagan and Allen became a part of the very successful entertaining troupe, ‘The Crazy Gang’.

Single sheet of paper with two vertical spinal fold making 6 pages including front and back cover pages. The original blue and white seal sticker still remains on front and back cover pages.

Approx. H22cm x W10cm.