Description

Date: 1943

Theatre: Coliseum, Charing Cross

Performance: Its Foolish But Its Fun

Main Actors: Jimmy Nervo & Teddy Knox, Toni Lupino, Betty Driver (of Coronation Street fame).

The front cover page of the programme has a wonderful sketch style illustration on the front cover of the two stars of the variety show, Mr Jimmy Nervo and Teddy Knox. Mr Jimmy Nervo and Mr Teddy Knox where famously known for being members of the variety act The Crazy Gang.

This programme presents a musical and comedy revue to lift the spirits of war-time London. The cast and act list of the show’s performance are across the centre pages 2 and 3. The acts of the evenings show include comedy sketches and musical numbers.

Mr Jimmy Nervo was born into a family of circus owners as James Hollaway in London (1898 -1975). From a very young age he became involved in the family business performing as an acrobat and a high wire entertainer.  When he was 16 he reinvented himself as Jimmy Nervo and started his career as a professional juggler.  Early on in his career he teamed up with Teddy Knox and they became as Nervo and Knox, the comic acrobatic double act touching on singing and dancing. Teddy Knox who was from Newcastle, England, was also a professional Juggler. In the early 1930s Nervo and Knox became a part of the very successful variety troupe, The Crazy Gang.

The Crazy Gang were six-man variety comedy troupe. In their pairs they were known as ‘Flanagan and Allen’, ‘Nervo and Knox’ and ‘Naughton and Gold’. They were a singing, dancing, acrobatic, comic acting group. They often performed in their pairs when they weren’t all together as The Crazy Gang. The joining of the group happened gradually in 1931, during performances called ‘The Crazy Week’. They were not known officially as The Crazy Gang until 1937.

The programme consists of a single sheet of white smooth paper with a vertical spinal fold to create the programme’s 4 pages including front and back cover pages. Approx. H 19cm x W 13cm.