Editing Jimmy Edwards

{{Short description|English comedy actor (1920–1988)}}
{{For|other people also known as Jimmy Edwards or James Edwards|James Edwards (disambiguation)}}
{{Use British English|date=July 2012}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2021}}
{{Infobox person
| honorific_suffix        = [[Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)|DFC]]
| name                    = Jimmy Edwards
| image                   = Jimmy Edwards at CHRIS SHAW's Book Launch.jpg
| caption                 = Edwards at a book launch, 1966
| birth_name              = James Keith O'Neill Edwards
| birth_date              = {{birth date|1920|3|23|df=y}}
| birth_place             = [[Barnes, London|Barnes]], [[Surrey]], England
| death_date              = {{death date and age|1988|7|7|1920|3|23|df=y}}
| death_place             = [[London]], England
| resting_place           = The Parish Church of St. Andrew and St. Mary the Virgin, [[Fletching, East Sussex|Fletching]], [[East Sussex]], England
| occupation              = Comedy Writer, actor
| yearsactive             = 1946–1988
| spouse                  = {{marriage|Valerie Seymour|1958|1969|end=divorced}}
}}

'''James Keith O'Neill Edwards''', [[Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)|DFC]] (23 March 1920{{spaced ndash}}7 July 1988) was an English comedy writer and actor of stage, radio, television and film, known for his roles as Pa Glum in ''[[Take It from Here]]'' and as headmaster "Professor" James Edwards in ''[[Whack-O!]]''.

==Early life==
Edwards was born in [[Barnes, London|Barnes]], [[Surrey]], the son of Reginald Walter Kenrick Edwards, lecturer in [[mathematics]]. at [[King's College London]], and Phyllis Katherine Cowan, from [[New Zealand]]. He was the eighth of nine children and fifth of five sons.<ref>Davis 2004.</ref><ref name="slide1">Slide 2018, chapter 1, [https://books.google.com/books?id=j8xgDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT213 "The early years"].</ref> His father died in 1935, leaving the family in dire financial straits. Jimmy's brother Alan had to leave school and enter the mounted police, while his brother Hugh joined the [[Merchant Navy (United Kingdom)|Merchant Navy]] as an apprentice aged fourteen. Hugh subsequently gained a reputation as a smuggler of cigarettes, whisky, and occasionally people and published a memoir, ''Midnight Trader'', in 1959.

Edwards was educated at [[St Paul's Cathedral School]], where he became [[head boy]], and attended the [[Silver Jubilee of George V]] in that capacity. His poem, "The Train", which first appeared in ''The Mortarboard'' – a school magazine founded by Edwards in competition with the existing one – was included in [[Walter de la Mare]]'s compilation of children's poems, ''This Year, Next Year'' (1937). Having won a scholarship, Edwards went on to [[King's College School]] in [[Wimbledon, London|Wimbledon]]. He subsequently became a [[choral scholar]] at [[St John's College, Cambridge]], where he studied history and sang in the [[Choir of St John's College, Cambridge|college choir]].<ref name="slide1"/>

==Second World War==
Edwards served in the [[Royal Air Force]] during the [[World War II|Second World War]], was commissioned in April 1942, was awarded the [[Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)|Distinguished Flying Cross]], and ended the war as a [[flight lieutenant]]. He served with [[No. 271 Squadron RAF]], based in [[Doncaster]], which took part in the [[Normandy landings|D-Day landings]].<ref>{{Cite news |title= Discover How Comedian Jimmy Edwards Took Part in Doncaster's D-Day Efforts |newspaper= Doncaster Free Press |via=HighBeam Research |access-date= 19 October 2015 |date= 8 June 2014 |url= http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-370599250.html |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170318001004/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-370599250.html |url-status= dead |archive-date= 18 March 2017 }}</ref> His [[Douglas DC-3|Dakota]] was shot down at [[Operation Market Garden|Arnhem]] in 1944, resulting in facial injuries requiring [[plastic surgery]], that he disguised with a large [[handlebar moustache]] that became his trademark. His injuries and their restitution made him a member of the [[Guinea Pig Club]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.express.co.uk/life-style/health/357783/Military-advances-How-warfare-has-led-to-healthcare-developments |title=Military advances: How warfare has led to healthcare developments |first=Jane |last=Symons |work=Express Online|publisher=Northern & Shell |date=13 November 2012 |access-date=17 February 2013 }}</ref>

==Acting career==
{{More footnotes needed|section|date=October 2019}}

===Radio and television===
Edwards was a feature of London theatre in post-war years, debuting at London's [[Windmill Theatre]] in 1946 and on BBC radio the same year. His early variety act, where he first used the name Professor Jimmy Edwards, was described by [[Roy Hudd]] as being "a mixture of university lecture, [[Royal Air Force|RAF]] slang, the playing of various loud wind instruments and old-fashioned attack".<ref>Roy Hudd & Philip Hindin, ''Roy Hudd's Cavalcade of Variety Acts: A Who Was Who of Light Entertainment 1945–60'', Robson Books, 1997, pp. 50–51.</ref> Edwards was in the ''London Laughs''<ref>{{cite web |title=guidetomusicaltheatre.com |url=http://guidetomusicaltheatre.com/shows_l/londonlaughs.htm |website=guidetomusicaltheatre.com |access-date=February 15, 2022}}</ref> revue at the Adelphi Theatre, London from 12 April 1952 to 6 February 1954 with [[Tony Hancock]] and [[Vera Lynn]]. He had previously performed in the [[Cambridge Footlights]] revue. He gained wider exposure as a radio performer in ''[[Take It From Here]]'', co-starring [[Dick Bentley]], which first paired his writer [[Frank Muir]] with Bentley's script writer, [[Denis Norden]]. Also on radio he featured in ''Jim the Great'' and ''My Wildest Dream''.

He appeared in ''[[Whack-O]]'' on television, also written by Muir and Norden, and the radio panel game ''[[Does the Team Think?]]'', a series which Edwards created. In 1960 a film of ''Whack-O'' called ''[[Bottoms Up (1960 film)|Bottoms Up]]'' was written by [[Michael Pertwee]] with additional dialogue by Muir and Norden. On TV he appeared in ''[[The Seven Faces of Jim]]'', ''Six More Faces of Jim'' and ''More Faces of Jim''; ''[[Make Room for Daddy]]'', ''[[Sykes (TV series)|Sykes]]'', ''Bold As Brass'', ''I Object'', ''John Jorrocks Esq'', ''The Auction Game'', ''[[Jokers Wild (TV series)|Jokers Wild]]'', ''[[Sir Yellow]]'', ''[[Doctor in the House (TV series)|Doctor in the House]]'', ''[[Charley's Aunt]]'', ''[[Brendon Chase]]'' and ''Oh! Sir James!'' (which he also wrote).

He was the subject of ''[[This Is Your Life (British TV series)|This Is Your Life]]'' in 1958 when he was surprised by [[Eamonn Andrews]] at the BBC's Piccadilly 1 Studio.

Edwards starred in ''The Fossett Saga'' in 1969 as James Fossett, an ambitious Victorian writer of [[penny dreadful]]s, with [[Sam Kydd]] playing Herbert Quince, his unpaid manservant, and [[June Whitfield]] playing music-hall singer Millie Goswick. This was shown on Fridays at 20:30 on [[London Weekend Television|LWT]]; David Freeman was the creator.

===Stage and film===
In December 1958, Jimmy Edwards played the King in [[Rodgers and Hammerstein]]'s ''[[Cinderella (Rodgers and Hammerstein musical)|Cinderella]]'' at the [[London Coliseum]] with [[Kenneth Williams]], [[Tommy Steele]], [[Yana (singer)|Yana]] and [[Betty Marsden]]; Bobby Howell was the Musical Director.

On 2 April 1966, he played at the last night of [[Melbourne]]'s [[Tivoli circuit|Tivoli Theatre]]. His final words closed a tradition of [[Australia]]n [[music hall]]. "I don't relish the distinction of being the man who closed the Tiv. Music hall's dead in Britain. Now this one's dead, there's nowhere to go. I'll either become a character comedian or a pauper."<ref>Van Straten, F (2003) ''Tivoli'' p. 233; Lothian Books, Melbourne, Australia {{ISBN|0-7344-0553-7}}</ref>

Edwards frequently worked with [[Eric Sykes]], acting in short films that Sykes wrote: ''[[The Plank (1967 film)|The Plank]]'' (1967), which also starred [[Tommy Cooper]]; alongside [[Arthur Lowe]] in the remake of ''[[The Plank (1979 film)|The Plank]]'' in 1979; and in ''[[Rhubarb (1969 film)|Rhubarb]]'' (1969), which again featured Sykes. The films were not silent but had very little dialogue. He also appeared in ''[[The Bed Sitting Room (film)|The Bed Sitting Room]]'' (1969) as Nigel, a man who lives in a left luggage compartment after being mistaken for a suitcase.

Edwards and Sykes toured British theatres with their farce ''[[Big Bad Mouse]]'' which, while scripted, let them ad lib, involve the audience and break the "[[fourth wall]]". The show initially had a six-week run at the [[Palace Theatre, Manchester|Palace Theatre]], [[Manchester]] during which Edwards and Sykes had followed the script, with these performances greeted with universally poor reviews. Sensing that cancellation was imminent Edwards told Sykes that he intended to "have a bit of fun" with the show and for what was expected to be the last week of the run the two stars began to deviate heavily from the script. However the new, more improvised version proved a success with audiences and led to a long run for the show at the [[Shaftesbury Theatre]].<ref>Eric Sykes, ''Eric Sykes' Comedy Heroes'', Virgin Books, pp. 60–61</ref>

Sykes was replaced by [[Roy Castle]] in later runs in its three-year residency at the [[Shaftesbury Theatre]] in London's [[West End theatre|West End]] and in tours of the [[Middle East]] and [[Australia]]. Edwards and Sykes also performed the show for [[Rhodesia]]n troops at the request of the country's prime minister, [[Ian Smith]], a controversial event at the time.<ref>Slide 2018, [https://books.google.com/books?id=j8xgDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT213 p. 213]</ref> Edwards also starred in the stage revival of ''[[Maid of the Mountains]]''.

==Personal life==
Edwards published two [[autobiographies]]: ''Take it From Me'' in 1953 and ''Six of the Best'' in 1984. He was vice-president of the [[City of Oxford Silver Band]],<ref>[http://www.cosb.co.uk/timeline/?y=1964#1964-04-06 City of Oxford Silver Band Timeline] City of Oxford Silver Band, 4 April 1964</ref> and an accomplished player of [[tuba]] and [[euphonium]]. He was founder and a lifelong member of the [[Handlebar Club]], in which all the members had such moustaches. He played at [[Ham Polo Club]]. [[Roy Plomley]] interviewed him for ''[[Desert Island Discs]]'' on 1 August 1951.<ref>[http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p009ycn4 Desert Island Discs - Jimmy Edwards] BBC Radio 4, 1 August 1951</ref>

Edwards was a lifelong [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] and in the [[1964 United Kingdom general election|1964 general election]] stood for [[Paddington North (UK Parliament constituency)|Paddington North]], without success. His candidature drew wide media attention, much of it derisive, although the local party insisted they had chosen "Jimmy Edwards the man" rather than the comedian.<ref>{{Cite news |last= O'Neill |title= When Lord Ted Was Bowled Over |newspaper= South Wales Echo|date= 4 May 2005 |first= Dan |url= https://www.questia.com/read/1G1-132143545}}{{dead link|date=July 2021}}</ref> As a result of this failed candidature, he took to introducing himself as "Professor James Edwards, MA, [[Cantabrigian|Cantab]], Failed MP".<ref>Sykes, p. 54</ref>

In the 1970s, Edwards and his friend [[Eric Sykes]] took part in a show for [[Ian Smith]] in [[Rhodesia]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/eric-sykes-actor-and-writer-who-overcame-adversity-to-become-a-leading-figure-of-british-comedy-7912538.html|title=Eric Sykes: Actor and writer who overcame adversity to become a|website=[[The Independent]]|date=5 July 2012|access-date=4 November 2018}}</ref>

He was a devotee of [[fox hunting]] at [[Ringmer]], near [[Lewes]]. He was [[Rector of the University of Aberdeen]] for three years in the 1950s, a university with a history of celebrities and actors as honorary rector.

He was married to Valerie Seymour for 11 years. In 1979, however, he was exposed as a homosexual to his annoyance. After the ending of his marriage, press reports spoke of his engagement to [[Joan Turner]], actress, singer and comedian, but the reports were suspected to be a mutual publicity stunt.<ref>[http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3724/is_/ai_n8940214 Theatrical double standards] The Spectator, 5 May 2001 {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081108092431/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3724/is_/ai_n8940214 |date= 8 November 2008 }}</ref> During the 2015 [[Gold (UK TV channel)|Gold]] documentary ''[[Frankie Howerd]]: The Lost Tapes'' Edwards was mentioned by [[Barry Cryer]] as one of several performers of the postwar era forced to conceal their homosexuality as a result of prevailing norms. He lived in [[Fletching, East Sussex|Fletching]], [[East Sussex]] and died from [[pneumonia]] in London in 1988 at the age of 68.

His home movies are held by the [[Cinema Museum (London)|Cinema Museum]] in London.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Cinema Museum Home Movie Database.xlsx |url=https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1OJqSWnOFAn6RJ24jtwb21Z4Hv5svJjbp/edit?usp=embed_facebook |access-date=2022-11-21 |website=Google Docs |language=en-US}}</ref>

==Selected filmography==
* ''[[Trouble in the Air]]'' (1948) – B. Barrington Crockett
* ''[[Murder at the Windmill]]'' (1949) – as himself
* ''[[Helter Skelter (1949 film)|Helter Skelter]]'' (1949) – Dr James Edwards
* ''[[Treasure Hunt (1952 film)|Treasure Hunt]]'' (1952) – Hercules Ryall / Sir Roderick Ryall
* ''[[Innocents in Paris]]'' (1953) – Captain George Stilton
* ''[[An Alligator Named Daisy]]'' (1955) – Alligator Owner (uncredited)
* ''[[Three Men in a Boat (1956 film)|Three Men in a Boat]]'' (1956) – Harris
* ''[[Bottoms Up (1960 film)|Bottoms Up]]'' (1960) – Prof. Jim Edwards
* ''[[Nearly a Nasty Accident]]'' (1961) – Group Capt. Kingsley
* ''[[The Plank (1967 film)|The Plank]]'' (1967) – Policeman
* ''[[The Bed Sitting Room (film)|The Bed Sitting Room]]'' (1969) – Nigel
* ''[[Rhubarb (1969 film)|Rhubarb]]'' (1969) – PC Rhubarb

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
* {{ODNB|first=Veronica |last=Davis |title=Edwards, James Keith O'Neill [Jimmy] (1920–1988) |id=39930 |year=2004 }}
* {{cite book |first=Jimmy |last=Edwards |title=Take it from Me |location=London |publisher=Werner Laurie |year=1953 }}
* {{cite book |first=Jimmy |last=Edwards |title=Six of the Best |location=London |publisher=Robson Books |year=1984 |isbn=0860512363 }}
* {{cite book |first=Anthony |last=Slide |title=Wake Up at the Back There: It's Jimmy Edwards |location=Albany, Georgia, USA |publisher=BearManor Media |year=2018 |isbn=978-1629333205 }}

==External links==
{{commons category}}
* {{IMDb name|id=0250096|name=Jimmy Edwards}}
* {{Screenonline name|1375514}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20050306223457/http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/guide/talent/e/edwards_jimmy.shtml Jimmy Edwards] BBC Comedy Guide

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