Charlie Drake facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Charlie Drake
Born	Charles Edward Springall (1925-06-19)19 June 1925 Elephant and Castle, Southwark, London, England
Died	23 December 2006(2006-12-23) (aged 81) Brinsworth House, Twickenham, London, England
Years active	1954–2004
Spouse(s)	Heather Barnes ​ ​ (m. 1953; div. 1971)​ Elaine Bird ​ ​ (m. 1976; div. 1984)​
Children	3

Charles Edward Springall (born June 19, 1925 – died December 23, 2006), known as Charlie Drake, was a famous English comedian, actor, writer, and singer.

He was known for being quite short (about 5 feet 1 inch tall), having curly red hair, and loving slapstick comedy. Slapstick is a type of comedy where people fall over or have silly accidents. Charlie Drake was very popular with children when he first started. Many people remember his famous saying, "Hello, my darlings!"

Early Life

Charlie Drake was born Charles Edward Springall in Elephant and Castle, South London. He later used his mother's maiden name, Drake, for his stage name.

When he was eight years old, he got a part in a Harry Champion music hall show. A music hall was a type of theatre that showed different acts like singing, dancing, and comedy.

At 14, he left school and home. He worked as an electrician's helper while trying to become a performer.

Career

Charlie Drake first performed on stage when he was eight. After leaving school, he toured around working men's clubs, which were places where working people could relax and be entertained.

After serving in the Royal Air Force during World War II, Drake became a professional entertainer. He first appeared on television in 1953. He then teamed up with his friend Jack Edwardes to form a comedy duo called 'Mick and Montmorency'.

In 1954, he appeared in a BBC Television Service comedy show called Fast and Loose. He then starred in his own TV shows like Laughter in Store (1957) and Drake's Progress (1957–58). He also had Charlie Drake In… (1958 to 1960) and The Charlie Drake Show (1960 to 1961).

He was famous for his opening line, "Hello, my darlings!" This saying came about because he was short. His eyes would often be level with a lady's chest, and he liked to appear with women who had large chests in his TV shows.

The Bookcase Accident

In 1961, one of his TV series ended suddenly because of a serious accident. This happened during a live TV show.

Charlie Drake had planned a comedy trick where a bookcase would fall apart when he was pulled through it. But a worker had fixed the bookcase too well before the show! The other actors didn't know this and continued the sketch. They picked him up and threw him through what was supposed to be an open window.

Charlie Drake fractured his skull and was unconscious for three days. It took him two years to recover and return to television.

His Comeback

Charlie Drake came back to television in 1963 with a new The Charlie Drake Show. A special collection of clips from this show won an award in 1968 at the Montreux Festival.

A famous part of this show was a long sketch where an orchestra played the 1812 Overture. Charlie Drake pretended to play all the instruments and even conduct! In one scene, he was a triangle player waiting for his turn to play just one note, but he missed it!

In another sketch, he played a gymnast doing a single arm twist from a high ring. A commentator counted his twists into the thousands. By the end of the series, Drake's arm looked like it was 20 feet long!

He also appeared in other shows like Who Is Sylvia? (1967) and Slapstick and Old Lace (1971). But his show The Worker (1965 to 1970) was the most popular.

He also made four films, but they were not very successful. These included Sands of the Desert (1960) and Mister Ten Per Cent (1967).

Charlie Drake was featured on the TV show This Is Your Life twice. This show surprises famous people by bringing on friends and family to talk about their lives. He was surprised in 1961 and again in 1995.

The Worker

Drake acting alongside Henry McGee in The Worker

In the TV show The Worker, Charlie Drake played a character who was always looking for a job but could never keep one. In each episode, he would be sent to a new job by a frustrated clerk at the local job center.

All the jobs he tried ended in a funny disaster. Sometimes it was classic slapstick comedy. Other times, Charlie Drake's character was just confused by the people he worked for.

A running joke in the show was Charlie Drake's character always mispronouncing the clerk's name. He sang the theme song for the show himself, which was based on an old music hall song.

Recording Career

Charlie Drake also recorded many songs. Most of them were produced by George Martin, who later produced music for The Beatles.

His first song, "Splish Splash," was a cover version of a song by Bobby Darin. It reached number 7 on the UK Singles Chart in 1958. In 1961, his song "My Boomerang Won't Come Back" became a hit in the UK and the US.

In 1972, he recorded a funny song called 'Puckwudgie'. It was about a small creature from Native American stories. This song reached number 47 in the UK charts.

Later, Peter Gabriel, a famous musician from the band Genesis, produced a song for Charlie Drake called "You Never Know" in 1976.

Later Career

In the 1980s, Charlie Drake started doing more serious acting. He received praise for his role in Shakespeare's play As You Like It. He also won an award for his part in Harold Pinter's play The Caretaker.

He played Smallweed in the BBC TV show Bleak House (1985). His last stage performances were with comedian Jim Davidson in a pantomime called Sinderella.

Personal Life

Charlie Drake was married twice. He was married to Heather Barnes from 1953 to 1971. They had three sons together. In 1976, he married Elaine Bird, but that marriage ended in 1984.

Retirement

Charlie Drake had a stroke in 1995 and retired from performing. He lived at Brinsworth House, a retirement home for actors and performers. He passed away on December 23, 2006, after having more strokes.

Discography

Singles

• "Splish Splash" / "Hello My Darlings" (1958) UK No. 7
• "Volare" / "Itchy Twitchy Feeling" (1958) UK No. 28
• "Tom Thumb's Tune" / "Goggle Eye Ghee" (1958)
• "Sea Cruise" / "Starkle Starkle Little Twink" (1959)
• "Naughty" / "Old Mr Shadow" (1960)
• "Mr. Custer" / "Glow Worm" (1960) UK No. 12
• "My Boomerang Won't Come Back" / "She's My Girl" (1961) UK No. 14 ; US #21; Australia No. 1
• "Tanglefoot" / "Drake's Progress" (1962)
• "I Bent My Assegai" / "Sweet Freddy Green" (1962)
• "I've Lost The End of My Yodel" / "I Can, Can't I" (1963)
• "I'm Too Heavy for the Light Brigade" / "The Reluctant Tight-Rope Walker" (1964)
• "Charles Drake 007" / "Bumpanology" (1964)
• "Only A Working Man" / "I'm A Boy" (1965)
• "Don't Trim My Wick" / "Birds" (1966)
• "Who Is Sylvia" / "I Wanna Be a Group" (1967)
• "Puckwudgie" / "Toffee and Tears" (1972) UK No. 47
• "Someone opened the Watergate and they all got wet" / "'Ello Erf" (1973)
• "You Never Know" / "I'm Big Enough for Me" (1976) (produced by Peter Gabriel)
• "Super Punk" (1976) (spoof record)

Theme Tune from The Worker

Charlie Drake sang the theme song for his show The Worker himself. It was based on an old music hall song:

I gets up every mornin' when the clock strikes eight

I'm always punctual, never never late

With a nice cup of tea, a little round of toast

The Sporting Life and the Winning Post.

I gets all nice and tidy, then I toddles off to work

I do the best I can

Cos I'm only a-doin' what a bloke should do

Cos I'm only a workin' man!

This song, "Only A Working Man," was written in 1923 by Herbert Rule and Fred Holt. It was famously performed by Lily Morris on the music hall stage.

Filmography

Television Roles

See also

In Spanish: Charlie Drake para niños