Charlie Drake

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

With his small stature ( tall), curly red hair and liking for slapstick, he was a popular comedian with children in his early years. He had a successful career in television, film and theatre between the 1950s and 1980s, becoming nationally known for his "Hello, my darlings!" catchphrase.

Early life Born Charles Edward Springall in the Elephant and Castle, Southwark, south London, the son of a street trader, he took his mother's maiden name for the stage and, later, film and television, achieving success as a comedian. Aged eight, he won a chorus place in a Harry Champion music hall production. He left school and home aged 14 to become an electrician's mate while attempting to break into showbusiness.

Career Early career Drake made his first appearance on stage at the age of eight, and after leaving school toured working men's clubs. After serving in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War, Drake turned professional and made his television début in The Centre Show in 1953. He then joined his wartime comrade Jack Edwardes to form a double act, named 'Mick and Montmorency'; the pair appeared regularly on children's television,

Comeback Drake returned to television in 1963 with The Charlie Drake Show, a compilation of which later won an award at the Montreux Festival in 1968. The centrepiece of this was an extended sketch featuring a performance of the 1812 Overture, in which Drake played all the instruments, as well as conducting, including one scene in which he was the player of a triangle waiting for his cue to play a single strike—which he subsequently missed. Through the series, he played a gymnast doing a single arm twist from a high ring while a commentator counted eventually into the thousands and by the end of the series, Drake's arm appeared to be long.

Television fame led to further films, none of them successful at the box office— The Cracksman (1963) and Mister Ten Per Cent (1967).

The Worker In The Worker (ATV/ITV, 1965–70) he played a perpetually unemployed labourer who, in every episode, was dispatched to a new job by the ever-frustrated clerk (firstly Mr Whittaker in series one, played by Percy Herbert, and from series two onwards Mr Pugh, played by Henry McGee) at the local labour exchange. All the jobs he embarked upon ended in disaster, sometimes with a burst of classic slapstick, sometimes with a bewildered Drake himself at the centre of incomprehensible actions by the people employing him. Bookending these sequences were the encounters between Drake and the labour exchange clerk. The first, "Splish Splash", a cover version of a rock and roll song originally recorded by Bobby Darin, got into the Top 10 of the UK Singles Chart, reaching No. 7 in 1958. In 1961, "My Boomerang Won't Come Back" became a mid-chart UK hit (No. 14) and an edited, more politically correct, version (with one word overdubbed) was a No. 21 US hit, a follow-up to "Mr. Custer" (No. 12 UK chart). In Canada it reached No. 1.

In 1972 Drake recorded a spoof song called "Puckwudgie" on Columbia Records. It referred to a 2-or-3-foot-tall (0.61 or 0.91 m) being from the Wampanoag folklore. It reached No. 47 in the UK Singles Chart in early 1972.

Peter Gabriel, after leaving Genesis in late 1975, produced a single "You Never Know" for Drake (UK Charisma), with Sandy Denny on backing vocals and Phil Collins on drums. It was not a chart success.

Later career Drake turned to straight acting in the 1980s, winning acclaim for his role as Touchstone in Shakespeare's As You Like It (at the Ludlow Festival), and an award for his part in Harold Pinter's The Caretaker at the Royal Exchange, Manchester, along with Michael Angelis. Drake also starred as Smallweed in the BBC adaptation of Bleak House (1985), and Filipina Dreamgirls, a TV film for the BBC. His final appearances on stage were with Jim Davidson in Sinderella, his adult adaptation of Cinderella, as Baron Hardon.

Retirement Drake suffered a stroke in 1995 and retired, staying at Brinsworth House, a retirement home for actors and performers, run by the Entertainment Artistes' Benevolent Fund, until his death on 23 December 2006, after suffering multiple strokes the previous night.

Discography Singles "Splish Splash" / "Hello My Darlings" (1958) UK No. 7 "Volare" / "Itchy Twitchy Feeling" (1958) UK No. 28

"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 No. 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 Cry 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" (1971) UK No. 47 "Someone Opened the Watergate and They All got Wet" / "'Ello Erf" (1973) "You Never Know" / "I'm Big Enough for Me" (1975) (produced by Peter Gabriel) (Charisma Records 270) "Super Punk" (1976) (spoof record)

Theme tune from The Worker Drake sang the theme song himself, based upon 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!

The song, "Only A Working Man", written by Herbert Rule and Fred Holt in 1923, was featured by Lily Morris on the music hall stage, and in the 1930 film, Elstree Calling, the original lyric being "He's only a workin' man".

Filmography

Television roles Sources include The Radio Times Guide to TV Comedy, the BBC programme index and IMDb.