Gervase Phinn: Laughter that lives on

MY father was a great mimic. He could reproduce the voices of the great comedians – Jimmy Wheeler, Albert Modley, Norman Evans, Jimmy James and the sausage manufacturer- turned-comedian from Salford, Al Read who never told jokes but entertained with wry observations of everyday life. "Are you going to cut that grass," nags his shrewish wife, "or are you waiting for it to come in the 'all?"
By The Newsroom
Published 30th Apr 2010, 14:29 BST
Updated 30th Apr 2010, 14:29 BST

I was reminded recently on a trip to the Melrose Literary Festival of one of my father's favourites, Chic Murray, the Scottish actor and comedian. One of the speakers argued that Chic Murray shaped humour with his deadpan delivery, sense of the absurd and hopelessly silly but hilarious material. The speaker argued that he invented the wind-up – the unlikely story which is now commonplace in clubs. His material was akin to the theatre of the absurd, and Harold Hobson, theatre critic of the Sunday Times compared Murray to Proust and Beckett. More than 20 years after his death, Scotland is full of Chic Murray impersonators. At Melrose, one young man entertained us with some of the most famous pieces of his repertoire: "I was walking down the street. Well, I knew I was walking down the street because I could see the bottom of the street coming towards me."

"I bumped into the wife the other day. I said, 'Hello dear.' I often called her dear. She's got two horns sticking out her head. We met in the Tunnel of Love. She was digging it at the time."

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

"My mother was so houseproud that when my father got up to sleepwalk she had the bed made by the time he got back."

"My father was a simple man. My mother was a simple woman. You see the result standing in front of you – a simpleton."

Chick Murray began his career as an apprentice engineer at Kincaid's Shipyard in 1934 before forming a double act with his wife, Maidie Dixon. She was 4ft 11in tall and he was 6ft 3in and they were billed as "The Tall Droll and The Small Doll." Later, working as a solo act, he became much mimicked and much loved by his fellow professionals. Comedians like Les Dawson with their dry delivery and absurd stories, owed much to Chic Murray. In 2005 Murray was named the "Comedians' Comedian" in a poll of his fellow professionals. But Chic Murray was also a talented actor. I was delighted to see him on the screen playing the Scottish secondary school headmaster in Gregory's Girl and taking the stage as the late manager of Liverpool Football Club Bill Shankly in the musical play, You'll Never Walk Alone.

Coming back from Scotland on the train I started reading the book I had bought at Melrose, Just Daft: The Chic Murray Story by Robbie Grigor and Annabelle Meredith. It's a wonderfully nostalgic and entertaining account of the life of this comic genius.

My very favourite Chic Murray story was told by my father.

"I was walking down the street when I met my pal, Jimmy."

"Where are yous off to, Chic?" he asked.

"I'm takin' the wee dog to the vet's to have it put doon."

"Is is mad?"

"Well, it's no too pleased.''

YP MAG 1/5/10

Related topics:Salford