Raymond Stanley's Show Buzz

The Musicals of Waller & Tunbridge

Noel Coward, Ivor Novello, Vivian Ellis and Noel Gay were the main British composers of West End musicals in the 1930s.  Largely forgotten today though is the team of Jack Waller (1885-1957) and Joseph Tunbridge (1886-1954), whose tuneful music deserves to be remembered.

Waller, educated in Vienna,  began his career as an instrumentalist with a minstrel troupe, and for several years was an entertainer in provincial music halls and in 1910 proprietor of The Seven Butterflies Concert Party.  He toured the British Dominions and presented his first production in Australia in 1912.  After appearances in West End revues, in 1922 he entered into partnership to produce shows with 46-year old Herbert Clayton, who had appeared in musicals, but was now writing and directing shows.  At first they were involved with others in musicals produced by Tom Walls, but soon were presenting shows under their own management, on tour and in the West End  Amongst the shows were No, No, Nanette, Mercenary Mary, Princess Charming, Abie’s Irish Rose, The Girl Friend, Hit The Deck, Good News, Virginia, Dear Love, and Silver Wings.  Music for the last three shows was composed by Waller and Joseph Tunbridge.

Tunbridge was formerly a pianist and accompanist from the age of 16;  he  joined a pierrots company, for a time was editor of a music publishing company and musical adviser to Feldman’s, the music publishers.  He contributed the score for 1919’s The Red Moon, and music for nine revues.  After composing the score for the 1926 musical Turned Up, he collaborated in 1928 with Waller on Virginia, followed by other musicals over the next ten years.

The most successful of the Waller/Tunbridge musicals all starred the diminutive Bobby Howes (1895-1972), who played in seven of them, as well as other shows produced by Waller.  Howes, born in Battersea, London, made his stage debut at the Battersea Palace as a boy scout.  He trained in acrobatics and dancing and took voice lessons, in 1912 was one of the Gotham Quartette, and appeared at the Tivoli Music Hall.  His next few years were spent touring in variety shows and concert parties.  Touring again after the War, he made his first WestEnd appearances in revues in 1923, toured in several musicals, followed by West End productions of the musicals The Blue Kitten, The Blue Train and The Yellow Mask.  Then came the big one, Mr. Cinders, opposite Binnie Hale, in which The Times called him ‘Chaplinesque’.  He worked for Jack Waller for the first time in Sons O’ Guns in 1930, and for  the next decade only appeared in Waller/Tunbridge musicals with the single exception of Hide and Seek in 1937.

Books and lyrics for the duo’s musicals were contributed by a number of different writers, but the most consistent were R.P. Weston (1878-1936) and Bert Lee (1880-1946).  These two, either alone or together, penned a number of well known songs and musicals.

Turned Up, the musical composed by Tunbridge before his partnership with Waller, opened at the New Oxford Theatre on January 18 1926 and ran for 89 performances, followed by two touring companies.  Described as a musical comedy, it was adapted by Arthur Rigby from a famous farce of 40 years before with the same name.  Stanley Lupino (whose cousin, Dora Lupino, was married to Rigby) had toured in the play (then retitled Who’s My Father?) in 1924, and wrote some of the lyrics (with five others, including Weston and Lee) and music.  In the musical his role was taken by another cousin, Lupino Lane (1892-1959).

With a most involved plot Theatre World said “This musical farce is such a jolly artless affair that, in spite of having the most immature ‘book’ of any such type of piece in London, one cannot help liking it.”  It pointed out that it was actually ‘a song and dance show’.

Virginia, the first Waller/Tunbridge musical, opened at the Palace Theatre on October 24 1928 and ran for 228 performances.  Book and lyrics were in the hands of Herbert Clayton, Weston and Lee and Douglas Furber (l885-1961), who had an even higher profile with musicals than the former two.  At one time it was very popular with amateur societies throughout the United Kingdom.  Its plot revolves around Virginia, dragged by her father to the state of Virginia to be married to an impoverished English lord;  but she has secretly married her secretary and the lord also has a wife.

The couple next contributed to Merry Merry, which, chalked up 181 performances at the Carlton Theatre from February 28 1929.  It was an adaptation by Weston and Lee of a 1925 American musical.  Its first scene takes place in an underground tube station.  Its plot revolves around Sadie La Salle who, to afford to marry a preferred but impoverished lover, attempts to obtain £5,000 from a wealthy admirer as damages for having cracked one of her ribs in a too close embrace.

Together with Haydn Wood (of Roses of Picardy fame) the Waller/Tunbridge team supplied the music and lyrics for Dear Love, which opened at the Palace Theatre on November 14 1929 and ran for 132 performances.  The book was by Dion Titheradge (who died in 1934 aged 45), Lauri Wylie (1880-19??) and Herbert Clayton.  It was all about a titled bohemian French artist consenting to marry a girl for £1,000 so that she can inherit a fortune and inevitably they fall in love.  In the cast were Sydney Howard, Claude Hulbert and Vera Pearce; the latter was to feature in other musicals by the duo in the next decade.

The next W&T musical was adapted by Titheradge and Furber from the story The Broken Wing by Paul Dickey and C.W. Goddard.  This was Silver Wings, which played at the Dominion for 170 performances from February 14, 1930.  It had young airman Marvin crashing in Mexico, losing his memory and dallying with Inez (Desiree Ellinger), the intended bride of a bandit (Harry Welchman) who kidnaps the airman and holds him prisoner in the mountains.  Eventually Marvin’s memory is restored and he carries Inez off in his aeroplane.  One scene had an aeroplane crashing on stage! Its cast included Ralph Richardson.

Not all the score was the work of W&T;  Far Away and That’s Love were by Leslie Sarony (who played a comedy role on its try-out tour, taken over by Lupino Lane for London) and Indispensable You from Billy Mayerl.

Now long forgotten, leading lady Ellinger (1893-1951) had starred in opera and musicals.  In 1925 she took over the lead in the Broadway production of Rose Marie, was Magnolia in the Paris production of Show Boat, and Orestes in C.B.Cochran’s Helen! in 1932.  Welchman (1886-1966) who, after being a musical comedy star for many years ended his career as a small-part player, included a short snippet of The Rebels Are Out in a recording he later made of a medley of songs with which he had been associated.  Ray Starita and His Band also recorded Asleep In My Heart with the vocal by Lou Abelardo.

In 1930 Waller dissolved his partnership with Clayton and went into management on his own, with Tunbridge as musical director.  Clayton died early the following year.

For the Love of Mike was the first Waller/Tunbridge show to star Bobby Howes.  The initial presentation at the new Saville Theatre, it opened on October 8th 1931 and ran for 239 performances.  Described as a new style of musical entertainment  - a farce with tunes and no chorus - it was adapted by lyricist and author Clifford Grey (1887-1941) from a play by actor/playwright H.F. Maltby (1880-19??).  Grey, who penned the lyrics along with Sonny Miller, was involved with many leading revues and musicals in the West End and on Broadway from 1916 onwards.

Supporting Howes in the cast was Wylie Watson (1889-1966), who had been a member of Waller’s concert party, and was to feature in all the Howes/Waller/Tunbridge musicals.  He perhaps will be best remembered for his role as Mr. Memory in the Hitchcock film The Thirty Nine Steps.

The plot concerned a young ward named Enid Michaelis (Mike) who injudiciously signs a power of attorney at her guardian’s suggestion, which he places in a safe where it remains until young Bob Seymour (Howes) attempts to retrieve it on Mike’s behalf.  He is caught in the act by a private detective (hired by the guardian) who turns out to be an old school friend.  Complications follow thick and fast before the final rout of the guardian and uniting of Mike and Bob.  The piece was filmed with Howes and Watson in 1932.

Next offering at the Saville was Tell Her The Truth, described as ‘a play with tunes’, which opened on June 14 1932 and played 234 performances.  Again Howes was backed by Watson, with female trio the Carlyle Cousins and Cicely Courtneidge’s brother-in-law, Peter Haddon (1898-19??), also featured.  This was adapted by Weston and Lee from the famous American comedy by James Montgomery, Nothing But The Truth , based on the novel by Frederic S. Isham, and which has been filmed three times.  As the hero, Howes, to win a wager, has to speak the absolute truth for 24 hours, which gets him into some awkward situations.  Naturally he wins the bet and then has to lie to put everything right.

The third Saville offering was He Wanted Adventure, based by Weston and Lee on Walter Hackett’s novel, Ambrose Applejohn’s Adventure, with Clifford Grey supplying additional lyrics.  Described as ‘a musical fantasy’, it opened on March 28 1933 and ran for 152 performances.  As well as Howes and Watson the cast included Marie Burke (1894-1988) a leading lady of musical comedy, pantomime, vaudeville and plays who completed her career with cameo roles in films;  Judy Gunn (1914-19??) who featured on stage and in films in the 1930s and eventually went to live in Wales; and Raymond Newell (1894-19??) who played in many musicals.

Howes was a bored Bobby Brimstone who longs for adventure and finds it, both in a dream where he is a pirate chief, and in reality when two sets of guests in his stately home attempt to steal treasure hidden there.  Bobby gets into all sorts of scrapes, which include a Russian vamp (Burke).  Scoring a hit as a bubbling scoutmaster was Watson.  In the dream Watson is a slave-collector, and Burke the Pride of the Harem.  Newall is Burke’s Russian accomplice and a mutineer in the dream.  Despite glowing notices it was not so successful as its predecessors.

Billed as ‘a musical romance’, Command Performance with book by C. Stafford Dickens and lyrics from Clifford Grey, was the final Waller/Tunbridge musical at the Saville, premiering on October 17 1933.   It was very different to its predecessors and only ran 31 performances.  Set in Ruritania it had Dennis King as an actor who impersonates a nasty prince who does not want to marry his intended nice Princess.  The Prince is disposed of and the actor and princess wed with no one aware of the Prince’s disappearance.  No music from the show was recorded.

Mr. Whittington, which had a run of 298 performances, and opened at the London Hippodrome on February 1, 1934, was an up-to-date musical on the theme of the Dick Whittington pantomime, serving as an excellent vehicle for the popular Jack Buchanan and Elsie Randolph.  Book and lyrics were by Grey, Greatrex Newman (1892-19??) and Furber.  Most of the music was provided by the American Johnny Green, and featured in all the cast recordings.  Although listed as co-composers, the Waller and Tunbridge contributions seem confined to a series of pieces for a County Council scene, an Epson Downs scene and a burlesque ‘Pipes of Pan’ number for a policemen’s dance.

Based on a novel by K.R.G. Browne (who died in 1940 aged 45) which had been filmed in 1933, Yes Madam? opened at the London Hippodrome on September 27th 1934 and ran there for 302 performances.  Weston and Lee penned the lyrics and, together with Browne, wrote the book.

Heading the cast were Howes and Binnie Hale who had registered as an outstanding team five years before in Mr. Cinders.  Hale (1899-1984), a versatile and vivacious blonde actress, singer, dancer and exceptionally gifted mimic was arguably considered the  brightest and most successful star of the London musical comedy and revue stage during the 20s and 30s.  Admirable backing was provided by Wylie Watson, Australian-born Vera Pearce (????-1966), a large lady with a big personality who would throw the diminutive Howes around the stage, and the tall forbidding figure of Bertha Belmore (1882-1953).  In this musical the villain was in the hands of the versatile Billy Leonard (1892-1974).

Howes and Hale played Bill and Sally who, under the terms of an eccentric will, must go into domestic service for two months in order to inherit a fortune.  Should they be dismissed for any reason the money goes to a Tony Tolliver (Leonard).   Both are employed in the household of button manufacturer Peabody (Watson) and his austere sister (Belmore).  And of course Tolliver is on hand attempting get them sacked.  At hints that Bill is a crook Peabody, who has political ambitions, threatens him with dismissal unless the young man retrieves love letters Peabody once wrote to actress Pansy Beresford (Pearce).  The actress catches Bill in her apartment and insists he take her to a night club.  Here they encounter Sally in the company of Tolliver.  Sally and Bill, on the Peabodys’ doorstep and locked out, are joined by a drunken Peabody, in dread of being discovered by his sister.  Of course all comes right in the end and Bill and Sally seem set to spend the future together.

The musical was filmed in 1938 with Howes, Pearce, Belmore and Watson in their original stage roles and Diana Churchill portraying Sally and Billy Milton, Tolliver.

Yes Madam? was followed by Please Teacher! with the same music-writing team and main leads with the exception of Hale, who was replaced by Sephia Treble (1908-????) who appeared in several 1930s musicals and subsequently went to America.  Opening at the London Hippodrome on October 2 1935, it ran for 301 performances.  Set in a girls’ school run by Pearce and Belmore, with Watson as its music master, in the complicated manner of such musicals, to inherit a fortune Howes has to discover some documents hidden in a vase at the school.  To do so he poses as the brother of one of the girls (Treble).  A film was made of the musical in 1937 with the four leads and Rene Ray in the Treble role.

Certainly Sir! a team effort by Waller, Tunbridge, Weston and Lee, co-starring George Robey and Renee Houston, opened at the Hippodrome on September 17 1936 and closed after 20 performances, the composers’ shortest run.  Robey played a blackmailing butler and Houston a girl in whose vicinity a corpse is found.  The plot was feeble and received a rough reception from the first night audiences.

The team that was behind the successful Yes Madam? and Please Teacher! now became involved with Big Business, which opened at the Hippodrome on February 18th 1937.  In the interim Weston had died and now was replaced by Desmond Carter (????-1939) who had contributed to many successful West End musicals.  The piece had Pearce and Belmore as the eccentric owners of Beauty Cream Ltd, Howes hired to guard a valuable painting they owned and Watson as a crooked detective.  A finale pageant scene had Pearce as Robin Hood, Belmore as Will Scarlett, Watson a tipsy Friar Tuck and Howes as Little John.  Although the show was well up to the standards set by Yes Madam? and Please Teacher! and gleaned good reviews it failed to sustain more than 124  performances.

The final Waller/Tunbridge musical to star Howes was the least effective.  Entitled Bobby Get Your Gun and based on Walter Hackett’s The Wicked Earl, by Guy Bolton, Fred Thompson and Lee, the lyrics came from Grey, Lee and Carter. Howes was reunited with Watson and Belmore with Diana Churchill as leading lady, and Greta Niesen also in the cast.  Heir to a title, to prove it Howes has to produce a birth certificate and goes to Cuba to obtain this where his father was a gangster.  It opened at the Adelphi Theatre on October 7 1938 and lasted for 92 performances.

The composers’ next effort was Hearts Are Trumps which played two weeks in both Birmingham and Manchester in October and November 1943 but never made its intended journey to London.  Based on a 1924 American play The Best People by Avery Hopgood and David Grey, the book was by Robert Fyte, who also co-wrote the lyrics with Ian Grant and Leon Carroll contributing to the music.  The cast was headed by Hermione Baddeley and again included Wylie Watson.  Its plot centered around attempts to undo the unsuitable alliance of a young man with a cabaret girl (Baddeley) and his sister with a chauffeur.

When producer Waller presented the Arthur Askey musical The Kid From Stratford at the Princes in September 1948, although the music had been composed by Manning Sherwin, it included some contributions by Joe Tunbridge.

Another Waller-produced musical which failed to reach London was Caprice by Michael Pertwee, adapted from the Marguerite Steen and Derek Patmore play French For Love.  It played Manchester and Birmingham in the latter part of 1950.  Lyrics were by Sandy Wilson and Geoffrey Wright with additional numbers by Waller and Tunbridge.  The leads were played by Henry Kendall and Bobby Howes’ daughter Sally Ann Howes.

There was one final burst with Wild Grows The Heather, based on J.M., Barrie’s The Little Minister, which opened at the Hippodrome on May 3, 1956 and ran for 28 performances.  The music was supposedly by Robert Linden, who in reality was Waller and Tunbridge.  The latter was in fact now dead and the score consisted of little used or reused pieces from the composers’ past.

A Collectors’ set of three CDs of original casts and other recordings under the title THE MUSICALS OF WALLER & TUNBRIDGE is available.  
(See www.musicfromthepast.com)

(A Collectors’ set of three CDs of original casts and other recordings under the title THE MUSICALS OF WALLER & TUNBRIDGE has been issued and is available from Frank P. Bristow, 2 Cross Street, Brighton 2186, Victoria, Australia.  E-mail: franbris@ozemail.com.au)

(A Collector to Collector 3 CD set of all her recordings and some of her film and radio apppearances is available.  See www.musicfromthepast.com)