R. P. Weston

Robert Patrick Weston (

He sold his first song, "Boys of the Chelsea School", to the publishing firm of Francis, Day and Hunter in 1902; it was popularised on stage by George Leyton. Weston continued to write songs himself, and in collaboration with other songwriters.^[5] Among the most successful and lasting songs from the early part of his career were "What a Mouth", sung by Harry Champion in 1906 and successfully revived in 1960 by Tommy Steele; and "I'm Henery the Eighth, I Am", written with Fred Murray in 1910 and also popularised and first recorded by Champion,^[4] which became a Billboard Hot 100 number 1 for Herman's Hermits in the U.S. in 1965.

Partnerships

Bob Weston had a successful songwriting partnership with Fred J. Barnes. They co-wrote "Little Willie's Woodbines" (1908); "I've Got Rings On My Fingers" (1909); "When Father Papered the Parlour" (1910, popularised by Billy Williams); and "Hush Here Comes the Dream Man", recorded in 1911 by Florrie Forde, parodied by First World War soldiers as "Hush Here Comes a Whizzbang", and sung in the Theatre Workshop production of Oh, What a Lovely War! in 1963. Weston also co-wrote "Sister Susie's Sewing Shirts for Soldiers", written with Herman Darewski in 1914, which was Al Jolson's first hit.^[4][5]

In 1915, music publisher David Day, of Francis, Day and Hunter, introduced him to

In the 1920s, Weston and Lee wrote for many theatre productions, and adapted many American productions for the British stage. In 1926, they started working with theatre producers Jack Waller and Joe Tunbridge, and wrote several musical comedies together, many featuring the comedian Bobby Howes. They wrote the monologue "My Word, You Do Look Queer", first recorded by Ernest Hastings in 1922 and later popularised by Stanley Holloway.^[4]

Weston and Lee wrote sketches for the

Weston was also a talented amateur artist, whose paintings reflect his London background and include a watercolour of Houndsditch Market painted in 1916.^{[citation needed]}

He died from a

After Weston's death, his house was occupied by his two daughters who lived there into old age, with Weston and Lee's papers sitting untouched and unlooked-at. Their present whereabouts are mostly unknown though several items have appeared on eBay, including Weston and Lee's three-volume workbook, containing manuscript versions of many, if not all, their songs, which it is now known is in the hands of a collector of music hall memorabilia. In 1985, the entertainer Roy Hudd created a stage show based on the songs of Weston and Lee, Just a Verse and a Chorus,^[3] performed by Hudd and Billy Dainty, and wrote about them in a now defunct periodical, Theatrephile.^[2] Hudd also adapted the stage show into a series of shows for BBC Radio 2. A programme exploring the lives and work of Weston and Lee was broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on 16 June 2009, presented by Children's Laureate Michael Rosen.^{[citation needed]}

Selected filmography

• Up for the Cup (1931)
• Splinters in the Navy (1931)
• No Lady (1931)
• The Mayor's Nest (1932)
• Trouble (1933)
• Up for the Derby (1933)
• It's a King (1933)
• This Is the Life (1933)
• It's a Cop (1934)
• Girls, Please! (1934)
• Squibs (1935)
• Where's George? (1935)
• Fame (1936)
• Splinters in the Air (1937)
• O-Kay for Sound (1937)

Selected stage works

• He Wanted Adventure (1933)
• These Foolish Things (1938)

Songs

• 1914 "Sister Susie's Sewing Shirts for Soldiers" (m: Herman E. Darewski)^[9]
• 1915 '"Cassidy – Private Micheal Cassidy" with Jack Norworth^[10]
• 1915 "Lloyd George's Beer Song" with Bert Lee
• 1916 "Blighty, the Soldier's Home Sweet Home" with Bert Lee^[10]
• 1917 "Good-bye-ee!", with Bert Lee
• 1919 "It's Hard to Settle Down to Civilian Life Once More" (m: Bert Lee)^[10]

References