Frank Randle

Jim Procter

Jim Procter

Local
Weaver
The older ones among you will remember Frank Randle a comedian before and during the war.I was reading a biography of him and it mentioned that he once bombarded Accrington from a plane with toilet rolls.It did not mention when this event took place. Does anyone know?And why did he do it? Was he trying to tell Accrington something?
 
I didn't live in Accrington when Frank Randle was active so don't know about the bog rolls but what I remember him for was his constant belching during his act. When I was a child I thought it was very naughty of him and so I enjoyed it even more.
 
Two stories here have got mixed up.... The bombarding was done from a plane over Blackpool where he lived and frequently crossed swords with the Chief Constable. Accrington comes into the story because, towards the end of his life/career he operated the Hippodrome and lived in a caravan near the Red Lion at Green Haworth. Quite a come down from his superb house on Lytham Rd(?) Blackpool

His real name was Arthur MacEvoy
 
Bob Dobson said:
Two stories here have got mixed up.... The bombarding was done from a plane over Blackpool where he lived and frequently crossed swords with the Chief Constable. Accrington comes into the story because, towards the end of his life/career he operated the Hippodrome and lived in a caravan near the Red Lion at Green Haworth. Quite a come down from his superb house on Lytham Rd(?) Blackpool

His real name was Arthur MacEvoy
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Is he the one that did Old Mother Riley, with some one called Kitty McShane.
Retlaw.
 
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Retlaw said:
Is he the one that did Old Mother Riley, with some one called Kitty McShane.
Retlaw.
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No - not the same chap.

To help you remember look at this page,
Frank Randle Gallery
The photos at the bottom of that long page are how I remember him.

He also has a page in Wikipedia, which needs correcting if Bob Dobson's post is correct
 
Arthur Lucan played the part of Old Mother Riley.He died on the stage here in Hull at the Tivoli Theatre and is buried in a local cemetery. There is a street named after him in Hull.
 
I got my information about Frank's proper name from a marvellous book about comedians entitled 'They made us laugh' by Geoff Mellor. It looks as if in fact he was Arthur Hughes. Wikepedia mentions his previous convictions sheet being in the Lancashire Police Collection in the Museum of Lancashire. I was responsible for depositing it there. I will check if it is in the name of Hughes or McEvoy. I enjoyed looking at the link.
 
I think that he played the drunk with a broken cigarette in his mouth. I do remember that he was very funny without the need for foul and obscene language.
 
Freddie Frinton played a superb drunk on stage! Frank Randle managed it much more often in real life, he was a legendary boozer, and enjoyed more than a few sessions with Josef Locke! I think he once had a boat moored near Blackpool!


Best Regards - Taggy
 
Another comedian of that era was Albert Modley. He was famous for his tram driver impression. He isn't on you tube but you might remember him by this pic.
http://www.albertmodley.co.uk/1.jpg

My great aunt had a boarding house in Bispham, and I spent a chunk of my childhood there, so have seen many of these old time comedians on stage.
 
One of my favourites was
Albert Modley and his Blackpool Tram.
Eee a cud eaut a meat pie.

Retlaw
 
I was looking for information regarding "Over the garden wall " an old variety act in the 40's, Ethel Manners, part of the act, lived two doors from me in Walsden and when we had a holiday in Southport she invited us back stage to meet the other "stars".
I cannot for the life of me remember the man in the act, anyway while searching I came across the little snippet.

Frank Randle,once bombarded Blackpool from an aeroplane with toilet rolls (according to an episode of Rude Britannia, broadcast by the BBC on 15 June 2010, the toilet roll bombardment actually took place over Accrington, not Blackpool). Randle's police charge sheet is lodged with the Lancashire Constabulary collection, cared for by Lancashire County Museums.

Similarly, when the new-wave comedians of the late Seventies first let fly their four- letter expletives, they never knew the debt they owed to dangerous Frank Randle. Barred from club after club in the 1940s for use of blue language, Frank thought he'd stumbled on a foolproof way to swear on stage without winding up the management. First he would write 'F' on a blackboard, and his stooge would say, 'Why d'you write 'K' up there?'. Frank would reply, 'Why is it every time I write 'F', you see 'K' '. For that he was thrown out of the theatre at Blackpool and barred for an entire summer season. Frank was so annoyed, he hired a plane and bombed Blackpool Tower with toilet rolls.

edit:
I just found what I was looking for, it was Norman Evans who did the "Over the garden wall" comedy act.

Take your pick which is correct, Accrington or Blackpool, Wikipedia is not 100% reliable.
He died in Blackpool of gastroenteritis in 1957 and is buried in Carleton Cemetery, Blackpool.
 
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I'm putting a grand on it being Blackpool. I speak from memory - I deposited a document on behalf of the Chief Constable with Lancashire Archives. It was his list of previous convictions, which is different from a charge sheet.....There is a blue plaque on North Pier to commemorate Frank's association with Blackpool
 
I have a few relatives living in Poulton le Fylde, I lived there for a while, and the the ones who have since passed away are all either buried or cremated at the Carleton Cemetery.
It's not often I visit but next time I will look for Frank Randle's grave and see what it says on it it.

As I wrote above, Wikipedia is not 100% accurate and things may be put on which are just hearsay. Why he should bombard Accrington when he was upset with Blackpool is a mystery and probably an old myth.
 
Whoever wrote the piece was confused. He did have an association with Accrington towards the end of his life in that he leased the Hippodrome. At that time he lived in a caravan behind the Red Lion at Green Haworth and supped in the pubs in King Street
 
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