Jimmy Clitheroe
| James Robinson Clitheroe | |
|---|---|
| Born |
24 December 1921 Clitheroe, Lancashire, England |
| Died |
6 June 1973 (aged 51) Blackpool, Lancashire, England |
| Cause of death | Overdose of sleeping tablets |
| Nationality | English |
| Occupation | Comedian |
James Robinson "Jimmy" Clitheroe (24 December 1921 – 6 June 1973) was an English comic entertainer.[1] He is best remembered for his BBC Radio programme, The Clitheroe Kid, a version of which was produced for television under the title Just Jimmy.
Life and career
He was born in Clitheroe, Lancashire,[2] England, to weavers Emma Pye and James Robert Clitheroe, who had married in 1918 and named their son after Emma's brother, James Robinson Pye, who had been born in Clitheroe in 1894 and killed in World War I.[3] Brought up in Blacko, near Nelson,[2] Jimmy Clitheroe started out in variety and theatre, but moved into films, pantomime, and radio, and finally onto television during the 1960s, including a role as a henchman in a 1968 episode of The Avengers. His long-running radio programme on the BBC, The Clitheroe Kid, which aired from 1956 to 1972, is still regularly repeated on BBC Radio 4 Extra. His catchphrase was "Don't some mothers 'ave 'em!"[4]
He never married, and lived, latterly in Blackpool, with his widowed mother, to whom he was very close.[4] He never grew any taller than 4 feet 3 inches, and until later life[4] could easily pass for an 11-year-old boy, the character he played in The Clitheroe Kid. He died at 51 in 1973 from an overdose of sleeping pills, on the day of his mother's funeral.[5][6] His funeral was held at Carleton Crematorium, Blackpool, where for many years he was commemorated by a plaque attached to memorial tree Number 3.
Mollie Sugden (who played Mrs. Slocombe in the TV series Are You Being Served?) played Clitheroe's mother on stage and in his TV series Just Jimmy.[7]
Selected filmography
- Old Mother Riley in Society (1940)[8] - as Boots
- Much Too Shy with George Formby (1942) - as Jimmy
- School for Randle with Frank Randle (1949) - as Jimmy
- Stars in Your Eyes (1956) - as Joey
- Jules Verne's Rocket to the Moon (1967) - as General Tom Thumb
- The Magic Christian (1969) - as Passenger on Ship (uncredited)
References
- ↑ JIMMY CLITHEROE Popular radio entertainer. The Times (London, England), Thursday, 7 June 1973; pg. 21; Issue 58802
- 1 2 Gill Johnson (17 May 2007). "Research reveals life of 'Clitheroe Kid'". Lancashire Telegraph (Newquest). Retrieved 24 September 2015.
- ↑ "Lancashire Lantern community history - East Lancashire Regiment". Lancs-local-resources.talis.com. 1917-03-30. Retrieved 2012-07-04.
- 1 2 3 Glynne-Jones, Tim (2014). Born in the 60s. United Kingdom: Arcturus Publishing. ISBN 978-1-90940-978-1.
- ↑ Stevens, Christopher (2010). Born Brilliant: The Life Of Kenneth Williams. John Murray. pp. 412/3. ISBN 1-84854-195-3.
- ↑ "Tragic end of Blackpool comic genius". Blackpool Gazette (Johnston Publishing). 2 May 2008. Retrieved 24 September 2015.
- ↑ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0163458/fullcredits
- ↑ Old Mother Riley
External links
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