The popularity of variety dwindled with the advent of the talking
pictures. By the 1930s many theatres had closed or become cinemas.
Other forms of entertainment such as revue, had become popular,
and many variety performers made their names through radio,
film and later television. In
World War 1 many former acrobats, aerialists and jugglers were killed or
injured and could no longer perform, thus robbing the stage
of the breadth and variety of acts previously available.
In the 1930s and 40s artists such as Ted Ray, Tommy Trinder,
Nellie Wallace, Gracie Fields, Will Hay, George Formby, Sandy
Powell and Max Miller
appeared regularly in variety up and down the country. These
were well known names made famous by radio. Radio was seen as
a way to encourage new audiences to come along to see the show,
but because performers didn’t want to give away all their best
jokes on the radio they would make the audience laugh at the
recording sessions with visual jokes.
During
World War 2 many variety stars started performing in
Combined Services Entertainment, including Norman Wisdom, Harry Secombe and Frankie Howerd.
Comics such as Tommy Trinder toured with
ENSA. Theatres in London stayed open during the war and shows played
to sell out audiences who remained in their seats even during
the heaviest bombing raids.
For many variety performers their first London appearance
was at the Windmill theatre where the famous nude showgirls
were the main feature of the show. Almost every comic appeared
there at some point in their careers, but left after a few weeks
because the audiences were only interested in the girls. Most
of these stars went on to make their name in television and
some in film.
Up to the 1960s, performers still learned their skills in the
variety theatres. TV stars such as
Larry Grayson, Bruce Forsythe,
Roy Hudd,
Bob Monkhouse and Ken Dodd, started their careers in variety, playing circuits
up and down the country.
The popularity of variety has faded in the last twenty years.
Variety acts can be seen in summer seasons at holiday resorts,
on cruise ships, in working men’s clubs, and in venues that
attract an older generation. Today’s new generation of variety
performers learns its trade in the much smaller clubs.
The Origins of Music Halls
