Poster
1957 (printed)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This hanging card advertises the stand-up comedian Ken Dodd's appearance in a twice-nightly variety programme at the Palace Theatre Hull in 1957. By this date Ken Dodd was a star, his name 'topping the bill' in the largest letters.
Ken Dodd (b.1927) learned his trade in music hall and variety, starting out in 1952 in Liverpool as a member of Don Ellis's Fairfield Concert Party, and topping the bill two years later at the Hull Palace as 'the North's New Star Comedian'. He worked on radio and the variety theatre circuit during the 1950s, becoming a well-paid performer with star billing by the mid 1950s. His ability to improvise on stage was extraordinary and led to his soubriquet 'Ken Dodd the Unpredictable'.
His first break in pantomime came at the Bradford Alhambra in 1959, and he became widely known through television in the 1960s where his 'Diddy Men' and 'Tickling Stick' became trademarks of his act. Dodd had hugely admired the northern comics of the 1940s, of whom he once said: 'I think they left me to switch the light off. I am the last one. They've all gone. Frank Randle, Norman Evans. Max Miller. They're my heroes. They're my boys.'
Ken Dodd (b.1927) learned his trade in music hall and variety, starting out in 1952 in Liverpool as a member of Don Ellis's Fairfield Concert Party, and topping the bill two years later at the Hull Palace as 'the North's New Star Comedian'. He worked on radio and the variety theatre circuit during the 1950s, becoming a well-paid performer with star billing by the mid 1950s. His ability to improvise on stage was extraordinary and led to his soubriquet 'Ken Dodd the Unpredictable'.
His first break in pantomime came at the Bradford Alhambra in 1959, and he became widely known through television in the 1960s where his 'Diddy Men' and 'Tickling Stick' became trademarks of his act. Dodd had hugely admired the northern comics of the 1940s, of whom he once said: 'I think they left me to switch the light off. I am the last one. They've all gone. Frank Randle, Norman Evans. Max Miller. They're my heroes. They're my boys.'
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Letterpress on card |
| Brief description | Hanging card advertising the programme at the Palace Theatre Hull for the week beginning Monday 4 November 1957, featuring Ken Dodd. Letterpress. |
| Physical description | Hanging card on white card with string loop for suspension at the top, featuring the name of the theatre PALACE HULL in blue uppercase typeface, beneath which are the names of the performers with Ken Dodd's name in the largest blue letters, topping the bill. Beneath his name are the names of the other performers, Georgette 'Glamour on the Wire', 'the Explosive Spar' Barry Anthony, 'Giving Vent to Juggling' Winston Foxwell, 'Radio's New Singing Star' Barbara Law, 'Mad Magician' Roy Earl, and Jimmy Jackson featuring his latest hits 'White Silver Sands' and 'Build your Love'. |
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| Association | |
| Summary | This hanging card advertises the stand-up comedian Ken Dodd's appearance in a twice-nightly variety programme at the Palace Theatre Hull in 1957. By this date Ken Dodd was a star, his name 'topping the bill' in the largest letters. Ken Dodd (b.1927) learned his trade in music hall and variety, starting out in 1952 in Liverpool as a member of Don Ellis's Fairfield Concert Party, and topping the bill two years later at the Hull Palace as 'the North's New Star Comedian'. He worked on radio and the variety theatre circuit during the 1950s, becoming a well-paid performer with star billing by the mid 1950s. His ability to improvise on stage was extraordinary and led to his soubriquet 'Ken Dodd the Unpredictable'. His first break in pantomime came at the Bradford Alhambra in 1959, and he became widely known through television in the 1960s where his 'Diddy Men' and 'Tickling Stick' became trademarks of his act. Dodd had hugely admired the northern comics of the 1940s, of whom he once said: 'I think they left me to switch the light off. I am the last one. They've all gone. Frank Randle, Norman Evans. Max Miller. They're my heroes. They're my boys.' |
| Associated objects |
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| Other number | THM/354 - Archive number |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | S.217-2008 |
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| Record created | July 14, 2008 |
| Record URL |
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