Arthur Askey was a diminutive British comedian, born in 1900. He began
his professional career as a music hall performer in 1924, but it
wasn't until 1938's BBC radio series
"Band Waggon" (which lasted for
three seasons), that he became a household name in England. His
film debut was in the 1937 British feature
Calling All Stars (1937), but
then, in 1939, Band Waggon (1940)
swooped in again and made him a film star with a film following on from
when Arthur and co-star Richard "Stinker" Murdoch were evicted from
their beloved flat. Film stardom carried Arthur through to the
mid-1940s, but it wasn't till 1956 when he starred in another film,
Ramsbottom Rides Again (1956).
He started his own television show,
The Arthur Askey Show (1961),
where he was the main player, and that carried on till his
retirement. He died in 1982.
