Norman Shelley
This article needs additional citations for verification. (May 2009) |
Norman Shelley | |
---|---|
U.K. | |
Occupation | Actor |
Spouse | Monica Daphne nee Brett |
Norman Shelley (16 February 1903 – 21 August 1980) was a British actor, best known for his work in radio, in particular for the BBC's Children's Hour.[1][2] He also had a recurring role as Colonel Danby in the long-running radio soap opera The Archers.[3]
Perhaps Shelley's single best-known role was as
Life and career
Shelley was born in
Shelley's first BBC broadcast was in 1926,
In the 1930s and '40s he was a Children's Hour regular, famous as Dennis the Dachshund in earlier episodes of
In the late 1950s he took part in recorded dramatised versions by
Late in life he found new fame as Colonel Freddy Danby in the BBC radio serial The Archers. He was still recording episodes of The Archers at the time of his death. He collapsed suddenly at Finchley Road tube station, London, on 21 August 1980, and was declared dead in the Royal Free Hospital, Hampstead. His wife had predeceased him; he was buried near her at Long Hanborough, Oxfordshire, on 28 August.[8]
Churchill impersonation
A recurring rumour holds that, because the House of Commons was not set up for location recording at that time, some of
It is difficult to prove or disprove Irving's claims. Analysis of the voice patterns in 20 of Churchill's recorded speeches show that three made in May and June 1940 do not match those provably by him, although Churchill might have recorded them after his voice had changed. According to one source, it is unproven whether Shelley is the speaker and, if so, whether the speeches were broadcast as having been spoken by Churchill.[12]
One report states Shelley did record a performance of Churchill's "
According to Shelley's great friend, former
In 1949, Churchill re-recorded most of his speeches at his home at Chartwell. The EMI engineer responsible for the recordings has told the BECTU History Project that he used one of the then new British Tape Recorders, and that Churchill usually did the recording in bed, so the speeches have a more relaxed air than the original broadcast. They are often the versions that are played today.[citation needed]
Selected filmography
- Down River (1931) as Blind Rudley
- East Lynne on the Western Front (1931)
- The River Wolves (1934) as Jim Spiller
- The Iron Duke (1934) as Pozzo di Borgo
- Went the Day Well? (1942) as Bob Owen (uncredited)
- They Came to a City (1944) as Mr Cudworth
- Strawberry Roan (1944) as Dr. Lambert
- I Know Where I'm Going! (1945) as Sir Robert Bellinger (voice)
- We of the West Riding (1945) as narrator
- I See a Dark Stranger (1946) as Man in Straw Hat
- Dancing with Crime (1947) as Stage Door Keeper (uncredited)
- The Silver Darlings(1947) as Hendry
- Daughter of Darkness (1948) as Smithers
- The Monkey's Paw (1948) as Monoghan
- Vote for Huggett (1949) as Mr. Wilson
- The Blue Lamp (1950) as F. P. Jordan (uncredited)
- Her Favourite Husband (1950) as Mr. Dobson
- I'll Get You for This (1951) as Mr. Langley (uncredited)
- Blind Man's Bluff (1952) as Superintendent Morley
- Private Information (1952) as Freemantle
- Strange Stories (1953) as Mr. Gilkie
- The Man Without a Body (1957) as Dr. Alexander
- The Price of Silence (1960) as Councilor Forbes
- Sink the Bismarck! (1960) as Winston Churchill (voice, uncredited)
- The Angry Silence (1960) as Seagrave
- Very Important Person (1961) as Fred Whittaker
- A Place to Go (1963) as Magistrate
- Otley (1968) as Businessman
- Oh! What a Lovely War (1969) as Staff Officer in Ballroom
- Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed (1969) as Guest – Smoking pipe
- Gulliver's Travels (1977) as Father / animation voices
References
- ^ "Norman Shelley". Archived from the original on 22 December 2016.
- ^ "CHILDREN'S HOUR – BBC Home Service Basic – 16 February 1953 – BBC Genome". The Radio Times (1527): 18. 13 February 1953.
- ^ "The Archers – BBC Radio 4 FM – 30 November 1978 – BBC Genome". The Radio Times (2872): 67. 23 November 1978.
- ^ "The Solitary Cyclist, Sherlock Holmes with Carleton Hobbs, Sherlock Holmes – BBC Radio 4 Extra".
- ^ "'THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS' – BBC Home Service Basic – 12 April 1955 – BBC Genome". The Radio Times (1639): 22. 8 April 1955.
- ^ "Norman Shelley tribute: A Man of Many Voices". Retrieved 14 July 2023.
- ^ a b c d Ian Hartley, Goodnight children...everywhere Midas Books: Hippocrene Books, New York: 1983; p. 42
- ^ a b c "Sir Gawaine and the Green Knight". Diversity Website. Retrieved 22 March 2010.
- ISBN 9781459718982.
- ^ "Alice in Wonderland: Wired for Sound". Archived from the original on 13 April 2009. Retrieved 15 November 2009.
- ^ Olsen, John. "An actor read Churchill's wartime speeches over the wireless".
- ^ ISBN 0-19-820626-7.
- ^ Thorpe, Vanessa (29 October 2000). "Finest hour for actor who was Churchill's radio voice". The Observer. The Guardian. Retrieved 29 May 2009.
- ^ Robert Rhodes James (Autumn 1996). "Myth Shattering: An Actor Did Not Give Churchill's Speeches" (PDF). Finest Hour (92). The International Churchill Societies: 23–25. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 January 2016. Retrieved 3 January 2016.
- The Churchill Centre. Retrieved 3 January 2016.