Carroll Levis

Carroll Richard Levis (March 15, 1910 – October 17, 1968) was a Canadian talent scout, impresario and radio and television broadcaster, mainly working in Britain.

Biography Born in Toronto and brought up in Vancouver, the son of a murdered policeman, he grew up wanting to be an actor, but held various jobs in movie theatres and as a deckhand before doing some work as a comedian and stage hypnotist. He began broadcasting as an announcer with CKWX in Vancouver. When working in Alberta, on one occasion he had time to fill in during a live broadcast and persuaded a boy in the audience to sing a song. Following a good listener reaction, he started a local radio talent show, Saturday Night Club of the Air, and then a similar programme in Montreal.

In 1935, he decided to move to England. He met radio producer Eric Maschwitz, and they developed a tour of British cities to find new talent. His touring stage shows attracted thousands of applicants from potential performers, as well as large theatre audiences, The Radio Times reported the following year that "in the last two years [he] has heard thirty thousand people. Of the amateur acts he has introduced, forty-five have turned professional. Not one of them is earning less than £5 a week, and one is getting as much as £25."

Levis also presented talent shows on Radio Luxembourg, from 1937, and in 1939 played himself in a comedy film, Discoveries, which introduced the song "There'll Always Be an England". During World War II, he presented other programmes on BBC radio, such as the variety shows Carroll Levis Carries On and The Carroll Levis Hour, At the opening of his TV show, the banner read, "TeLEVISion", utilising his name, "Levis", which formed part of the word, "Television". However, his appearances on television were deemed "patronising and insincere".

In 1959 the Beatles, performing as "Johnny and the Moondogs", audition in Liverpool for his TV program Star Search.

In 1961, he removed himself from the public eye, only to attempt a return in 1968 after a four-year struggle with a stomach ailment. However, he died the same year, in London, aged 58.