'George Formby' was the archetype "cheeky chappie" Northern British comedian. Trained originally as a jockey, he often appeared on horseback in his films. Best known for his buck-toothed grin and his ukelele.
His father George Formby Sr. was a member of a music hall troupe that included a young Charles Chaplin and it was Georges fathers insistence that Charlie should try his luck in the US.
He was inducted into the Ukulele Hall of Fame in 2004.
He had never been to school and couldnt read or write. His wife and manager, Beryl Formby , had to rehearse him through every line he ever spoke on the stage or on film, and all the songs, too.
His best known song, "Leaning on a Lamp Post", which became his trademark, was first sung in his film Feather Your Nest .
In October 1936 he made a 5 wager with his producer friend, Jack Taylor, that he could climb the 500-foot Blackpool Tower by its intricate inner network of staircases and ladders.On the morning of the climb there was a crowd of some 6,000 waiting for him. By that time, though, he had received telegrams from his manager and the General Manager of ATP, the company that produced his films, stating that if he went ahead with the climb his contracts would be immediately canceled. He told the assembled crowd and the waiting reporters that he couldnt lose 50,000 for a 5 quid bet and that the bets would be given to the local hospital--and that the sad thing was that he could have done it.
He was awarded the OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) in the 1946 Kings Birthday Honours List for his services to the Forces during World War II.
In 1946 he and wife Beryl Formby arrived in South Africa to embark on a tour when they discovered that they would have to play to segregated audiences. They objected strongly, resulting in the South African authorities throwing them out of the country.
He was a big influence on Frank Skinner , who presented Frank Skinner on George Formby .
