This evening I have been to see Count Arthur Strong at the Little Theatre - the rather superior amateur theatre in Leicester where both Sir Richard Harrison and Joe Orton began their careers. The show was part of the Leicester Comedy Festival.
Count Arthur Strong is a character played by Steve Delaney . He resembles dreadful old comedians like Ted Ray and Tommy Trinder who were still around in my childhood. There is a strong Liverpudlian flavour to the humour, with many punch lines delivered in a style that reminds you of Alexei Sayle or even Bobby Chariot.
Anyway, here is a glimpse of Count Arthur's schtick, though he looked rather more decrepit tonight...
Later. This is a newer clip as the one I chose at the time has disappeared.
5 comments:
I kind of had you marked down as a Count Arthur Strong fan! Best comedy show on Radio 4 by a street, along with the sublime Ed Reardon's Week.
The terrible old comic from whom Steve Delaney takes his inspiration for the Count, though, is clearly Harry Worth, right down to the bungling and the pork pie hat. I'm sure the young Steve must have stood at the side of Hector Powe's window and raised his arms and legs in the air for comic effect...
No idea where you got "Liverpudlian" from though; the Count comes from Doncaster! (Steve, AFAIK, is a Leeds man)
I remember Harry Worth, and he was much more amiable than Count Arthur Strong.
Maybe Alexei Sayle and Steve Delaney are copying the same earlier comedian, but the parallel seemd very obvious last night.
Interestingly, I find him less obnoxious in this clip. I've heard him on the radio and don't get it at all. I think one needs to see him in the flash for it to make sense. But then almost everything is better live, don't you think?
Funnily enough, I met someone tonight who thought he would have been better on the radio!
I think you are right though, WH. I enjoyed last night, but it was as much because of the sense of occasion as because of anything in the show.
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