Description
Date: 1959
Theatre: Victoria Palace
Performance: Clown Jewels Picture Souvenir Book
Main Actors: Jimmy Nervo & Teddy Knox, Bud Flanagan, Charlie Naughton & Jimmy Gold, Eddie Gray
This special theatre programme is for the performance of Jack Hyltons’ Crazy Gang revue, Clown Jewels; a variety show at Victoria Palace Theatre in 1959. The front cover is a dramatic black and pink design with two photographed dancing girls holding each side of an enormous illustrated clown hat and falling out of the clown hat are illustrated large pink jewels encasing the photographed faces of The Crazy Gang.
The programme has amazing black and white photographs of the performers and stage acts; singing dancing, acting, it is easy to see the energy of the performers in their fabulous costumes through the fantastic array of photographs in this souvenir book.
The Crazy Gang was 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. The joining of the group happened gradually in 1931, during performances called ‘The Crazy Week’. Nervo and Knox, Naughton and Gold where pulled together with other double acts to create a variety show. Later Flanagan and Allen were invited to join the show. They were not known officially as The Crazy Gang until 1937. The Crazy Gang had an extremely successful stage career and due to their popularity, they later on went to make such films as O-Kay For Sound (1937) and Life’s a Circus (1958).
Except for some Royal Variety Performances, Chesney Allen rarely performed with the Crazy Gang after 1945 and Eddie Gray re-joined the Gang in 1956
This souvenir theatre programme/book is made up of smooth paper and printed in pink, black, white and grey inks. 16 pages including front and back cover pages. Approx. H29cm x W21cm.