153:
act, where the dummy would fall apart. After being on stage for a few weeks with a series of awful ventriloquists, he bought a dummy himself and did his own act as a ventriloquist. When Pat
Phoenix as his wife who "fed him lines" asked if the dummy could sing something, he replied "If I know it, he
49:
best known for his radio work of the 1930s and for his catchphrase "Can you hear me, mother?" He first said this in a theatre in
Coventry. Fifty years later, deciding he needed a rest from the business (he planned a cruise around the world with his wife, Kay White), he again said it in a Coventry
91:
on the cheap
Broadcast label, sold almost half a million copies (he had turned down a flat fee of £60 for this), and his subsequent recordings for Broadcast and Rex were extremely popular. He said in a 1982 interview that he used his stage work to advertise the records, rather than the other way
127:, during his early career. At his next booking, the theatre manager asked him to say it again as everyone was saying it now. He also appeared in a number of films during the 1930s, usually as himself, with one of them actually referring to his catchphrase:
123:"Can you hear me, mother?" Powell said that the catchphrase originated on an occasion when he had dropped his script and was killing time at the microphone while rearranging the pages. It is also attributed to his mother's coercion and her
86:
He made a total of eighty-five 78 rpm records between 1929 and 1942, mostly double-sided sketches with him in various occupations. He sold seven and a half million records, earning a penny a side, so over £60,000. The first,
144:
was brought in to play Sandy's wife and played four parts in the film. After that he went onto a variety tour and she came with him as his wife, earning £12 a week. He performed with his
Starlight company in the
149:
theatre for over fifteen seasons in the 1950s and 1960s, earning himself the sobriquet Mr
Eastbourne, and he was still performing occasionally up to his death in 1982. Part of his act was a comedy
22:
38:
74:
entertainer, often wearing a kilt in the guise of a
Scottish comedian. During this part of his career he was associated with the singer
92:
about, though it was later said of him that his records introduced him so wherever he went to put on a show, they already knew him.
70:
show. At age nine, she put him in a velvet suit with a lace collar and he went on stage and sang. After he left school he became a
471:
413:
377:
166:
111:, on tour – it ran for ten years and was extremely popular despite having only a handful of performers and two backdrops.
486:
95:
Powell's stooge in his act during the 1930s was the boy soprano Jimmy
Fletcher, father of the actor Gerard Fletcher, of
476:
466:
481:
227:
161:: both 1935 and 1970. In the latter he appeared with his wife performing his ventriloquist act gone-wrong.
243:
182:
For a day or two, he thought he had bad indigestion, but it was worse than he realised and he died of a
273:
198:
257:
235:
158:
129:
392:
281:
27:
193:
A pub in Powell's native
Rotherham was named "The Comedian" in his honour. On 13 April 2015 a
403:
461:
456:
133:(1935). In 1939, he was voted the fifth most popular British star at the local box office.
8:
343:
265:
124:
436:
409:
373:
289:
103:
369:
Roy Hudd's
Cavalcade of Variety Acts: A who was who of Light Entertainment, 1945-60
442:
Photo and info on Sandy Powell together with details of other
Mancunian Film stars
367:
217:
In 1942 he married Katie Hughes, who died in 1947. He married Kay White in 1951.
146:
119:
In the 1930s he began to work on the radio, always introducing his show with the
171:
450:
338:
150:
75:
183:
441:
194:
141:
120:
21:
432:
206:
187:
71:
67:
66:, where he helped his mother (stage name of Lily le Maine) to put on a
154:
can sing it!" His real-life wife, Kay White, often appeared with him.
137:
97:
63:
59:
347:. Perth: National Library of Australia. 24 February 1939. p. 3
202:
46:
136:
A popular figure, he worked continually on radio, television and
78:, and released several records where he collaborated with her.
62:, Yorkshire, England, in 1900, he attended White's school in
365:
408:. Wordsworth Editions. September 2006. p. 92.
140:through the 1940s and 1950s. Aged 21 at the time,
41:(30 January 1900 – 26 June 1982), known as
448:
107:and other TV. From 1930 he took his own revue,
359:
321:
319:
205:at Powell's former home in Elms Avenue,
197:commemorating Powell was erected by the
20:
449:
81:
316:
201:and unveiled by the then President
13:
174:. He was awarded the MBE in 1975.
14:
498:
426:
170:in 1971 when he was surprised by
114:
366:Roy Hudd; Philip Hindin (1997).
472:20th-century English comedians
396:
386:
331:
304:
220:
1:
297:
53:
372:. Robson Books. p. 47.
311:British Music Hall on Record
212:
50:theatre, for the last time.
16:English comedian (1900–1982)
7:
244:Soft Lights and Sweet Music
10:
503:
487:Male actors from Yorkshire
199:British Music Hall Society
190:on 26 June 1982, aged 82.
159:Royal Variety Performance
477:Comedians from Yorkshire
236:Can You Hear Me, Mother?
177:
157:He performed twice in a
130:Can You Hear Me, Mother?
109:Sandy Powell's Road Show
405:Dictionary of Pub Names
467:English male comedians
328:(1985) by Roger Wilmut
326:Kindly Leave The Stage
258:It's a Grand Old World
164:He was the subject of
32:
482:Actors from Rotherham
24:
313:by Brian Rust (1979)
36:Albert Arthur Powell
25:Publicity still for
344:The West Australian
125:hardness of hearing
82:Stage and recording
89:The Lost Policeman
33:
415:978-1-84022-266-1
379:978-1-86105-115-8
339:"POPULAR PLAYERS"
290:Cup-tie Honeymoon
167:This Is Your Life
104:Coronation Street
45:, was an English
494:
420:
419:
400:
394:
390:
384:
383:
363:
357:
356:
354:
352:
335:
329:
323:
314:
308:
266:I've Got a Horse
228:The Third String
502:
501:
497:
496:
495:
493:
492:
491:
447:
446:
429:
424:
423:
416:
402:
401:
397:
391:
387:
380:
364:
360:
350:
348:
337:
336:
332:
324:
317:
309:
305:
300:
223:
215:
180:
147:Eastbourne Pier
117:
84:
56:
17:
12:
11:
5:
500:
490:
489:
484:
479:
474:
469:
464:
459:
445:
444:
439:
428:
427:External links
425:
422:
421:
414:
395:
385:
378:
358:
330:
315:
302:
301:
299:
296:
295:
294:
286:
278:
274:Home from Home
270:
262:
254:
251:Leave It to Me
248:
240:
232:
222:
219:
214:
211:
179:
176:
172:Eamonn Andrews
116:
115:Radio and film
113:
83:
80:
55:
52:
15:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
499:
488:
485:
483:
480:
478:
475:
473:
470:
468:
465:
463:
460:
458:
455:
454:
452:
443:
440:
438:
434:
431:
430:
417:
411:
407:
406:
399:
393:
389:
381:
375:
371:
370:
362:
346:
345:
340:
334:
327:
322:
320:
312:
307:
303:
292:
291:
287:
284:
283:
279:
276:
275:
271:
268:
267:
263:
260:
259:
255:
252:
249:
246:
245:
241:
238:
237:
233:
230:
229:
225:
224:
218:
210:
208:
204:
200:
196:
191:
189:
185:
175:
173:
169:
168:
162:
160:
155:
152:
151:ventriloquism
148:
143:
139:
134:
132:
131:
126:
122:
112:
110:
106:
105:
100:
99:
93:
90:
79:
77:
76:Gracie Fields
73:
69:
65:
61:
51:
48:
44:
40:
37:
30:
29:
23:
19:
433:Sandy Powell
404:
398:
388:
368:
361:
349:. Retrieved
342:
333:
325:
310:
306:
288:
280:
272:
264:
256:
250:
242:
234:
226:
216:
192:
184:heart attack
181:
165:
163:
156:
135:
128:
118:
108:
102:
96:
94:
88:
85:
57:
43:Sandy Powell
42:
35:
34:
26:
18:
462:1982 deaths
457:1900 births
221:Filmography
195:blue plaque
142:Pat Phoenix
121:catchphrase
451:Categories
298:References
282:All at Sea
207:Eastbourne
188:Eastbourne
72:music hall
68:marionette
54:Early life
28:All at Sea
213:Marriages
138:pantomime
98:Emmerdale
64:Masbrough
60:Rotherham
351:24 April
203:Roy Hudd
58:Born in
47:comedian
412:
376:
293:(1948)
285:(1940)
277:(1939)
269:(1938)
261:(1937)
253:(1937)
247:(1936)
239:(1935)
231:(1932)
31:(1940)
178:Death
437:IMDb
410:ISBN
374:ISBN
353:2012
435:at
186:in
39:MBE
453::
341:.
318:^
209:.
101:,
418:.
382:.
355:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
