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Richard (Dickie) Murdoch in So Long As They're Happy
Sommerlad, Gilbert, born 1904 - died 1976 - Enlarge image
Richard (Dickie) Murdoch in So Long As They're Happy
- Object:
Caricature
- Place of origin:
Oxford, England (made)
- Date:
25 April 1953 (dated)
- Artist/Maker:
Sommerlad, Gilbert, born 1904 - died 1976 (artist)
- Materials and Techniques:
Pencil, ink and watercolour on paper
- Credit Line:
Given by Michael Sommerlad
- Museum number:
S.132:21-2002
- Gallery location:
In Storage
This caricature shows Richard Murdoch (1907-1990) as Bobby Denver in As Long As They're Happy by Vernon Sylvaine, at the Oxford New Theatre in April 1953. It was drawn by Gilbert Sommerlad (1904-1976), a rehearsal pianist and orchestral violinist at the Brighton Theatre Royal from 1932 until 1936, and at the Oxford New Theatre from 1936 for over forty years. Sommerlad sketched the stars on stage when he wasn't needed in the orchestra pit, compiling the sketches in a series of albums.
Richard Murdoch was an actor and comedian whose career embraced musicals, pantomime, film and television. In the late 1930s Murdoch was one of the first regular performers on radio when he teamed up with Arthur Askey in Band Waggon, where he earned the nickname 'Stinker’.
