Billy Merson
Billy Merson | |
|---|---|
 Billy Merson as Platt in Whirled into Happiness | |
| Born | William Henry Thompson 29 March 1879 Nottingham, England |
| Died | 25 June 1947 (aged 68) Nottingham, England |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation(s) | Music hall singer and songwriter. |
Billy Merson (born William Henry Thompson; 29 March 1879 – 25 June 1947)[1] was an English music hall performer, comedian and songwriter.
Biography
He was born in
north of England, and appeared in pantomimes. In 1904, they changed their name to "Keith and Merson".[2] Merson was initially an acrobat and clown, and first played in London in 1905 under the character name "Ping-Pong".[3] It took some time until he could make a living from his stage work. "For five or six years on the stage, I survived on a salary hardly enough to keep body and soul together", he said.[4] The partnership with Whiteman ended in 1908.[2]
Under the name Billy Merson, he made his solo
bankrupt.[1]
Other songs that Merson wrote include "The Photo of the Girl I Left Behind", and "Desdemonia".
With fellow music hall performer Charles Austin, he set up Homeland Films, and made several silent short films, including Billy's Spanish Love Spasm (1915), directed by W. P. Kellino.[5] He also appeared in three films made in the DeForest Phonofilm sound-on-film process, Billy Merson Sings Desdemona, Billy Merson Sings Scotland's Whiskey (a satire on Sir Harry Lauder), and Billy Merson in a Russian Opera (all 1926-1927).
As a comedian he was often paired with
Players Theatre in London. In the 1930s he reverted to his old music hall act, dressed in eccentric costume and singing.[2]
He died in Nottingham in 1947, aged 68.[1]
Selected filmography
- The Show Goes On (1937)
- Riding High (1937)
References
- ^ ISBN 978-1-78383-118-0, pp.227-228
- ^ ISBN 0-236-40053-3.
- ^ a b Raymond Mander and Joe Mitchenson, British Music Hall: A story in pictures, Studio Vista, 1965, p.158
- ^ The Era, a professional music hall journal, 3 January 1917.
- ^ Rachael Low (ed.), The History of British Film 1914 - 1918 · Volume 3, Taylor & Francis, 2013, p.99
- ^ "The Music of Al Jolson, Page 1". Parlorsongs.com. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
External links
- Billy Merson at IMDb
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