ukelele lady Posted December 18, 2011 Share Posted December 18, 2011 I read recently of someone who had commented on the number of TV adverts with ukulele backing music. The ukulele seems to be making a comeback especially in the Lancashire schools where it is taking place of the dreaded recorder. I've noticed the Christmas Sainsbury advert with James Oliver has a George Formby song playing in the background. The song is " Happy go lucky me " it was in the charts for three weeks in 1960. They also played it all way through in the series of " I'm a Celebrity get me out of here. " [ Yes , I do watch that ] :wacko: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveH Posted December 18, 2011 Share Posted December 18, 2011 I read recently of someone who had commented on the number of TV adverts with ukulele backing music. The ukulele seems to be making a comeback especially in the Lancashire schools where it is taking place of the dreaded recorder. I've noticed the Christmas Sainsbury advert with James Oliver has a George Formby song playing in the background. The song is " Happy go lucky me " it was in the charts for three weeks in 1960. They also played it all way through in the series of " I'm a Celebrity get me out of here. " [ Yes , I do watch that ] For some of us ukelele lady, George Formby has NEVER been out of fashion. Even though he has been dead for over 50 years now his throaty voice, old coloquial catchphrases and uke playing still cheer me up every time I hear him. The songs he sung, mostly written by Noel Gay are very clever aren't they, unusaul rhyming words, again using Lancashire coloquialisms to fit the rhymes and every one of his songs full of innocent naughtiness, sexual innuendo and double entendre hidden in the lyrics. Very amusing even now, but some of them quite risque in their day. Here is George's Version of "Happy go Lucky Me" from his 1960 recording. George died at the end of 1960, during the year he had lost his wife Beryl and was in poor health himself, He wasn't a young man any more and wasn't in good health and this shows in his voice in this recording. He had recently completed a Friday TV show which was to be his last ever appearance in which he told quite a sad, melancholic version of his life story. Typical of George, he was happy, smiling, joking and putting on a brave face to the end, forever the "it's turned out nice again" optimist he had been boosting the moral of the Nation during the darkest times of the War. On "Happy Go Lucky Me" George comes across as bright, chirpy and optimistic as ever, but beneath that voice is a man approaching the end of his life. in some ways happy, but on others, a very sad song. <object width="420" height="315"><param name="movie" value="<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZaGLpH79YyY?version=3&hl=en_GB"></param><param">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZaGLpH79YyY?version=3&hl=en_GB"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.c...=3&hl=en_GB" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="420" height="315" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
THYLACINE Posted December 19, 2011 Share Posted December 19, 2011 I saw George Formby's 1935 movie 'No Limit' during TT week at the Isle of Man, they were still showing it in the '60's They used to set up a temporary picture theatre on Douglas Prom. We loved George, loved to see him racing around the TT course and the film was a love story too. He played the lovable fool who eventually gets the girl. Speaking of lovable fools, Norman Wisdom (in my opinion the greatest comic ever) would have to be a clone, surely! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveH Posted December 19, 2011 Share Posted December 19, 2011 I saw George Formby's 1935 movie 'No Limit' during TT week at the Isle of Man, they were still showing it in the '60's They used to set up a temporary picture theatre on Douglas Prom. We loved George, loved to see him racing around the TT course and the film was a love story too. He played the lovable fool who eventually gets the girl. Speaking of lovable fools, Norman Wisdom (in my opinion the greatest comic ever) would have to be a clone, surely! My favourite Formby film too THYLACINE. George plays a character called George Shuttleworth and sets off from Lancashire on his home made motorbike, the "Shuttleworth Flyer" to win the Isle of Man TT racers, with some good songs on the way as well, not least of which is the title song "Riding in the TT races" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveH Posted December 19, 2011 Share Posted December 19, 2011 The song is " Happy go lucky me " it was in the charts for three weeks in 1960. The optimism and the "lets just get on with it and enjoy it" attitude to adversity in "Happy Go lucky Me" are very similar to an earlier Formby song "Count Your Blessings And Smile" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ukelele lady Posted December 20, 2011 Author Share Posted December 20, 2011 Even though he has been dead for over 50 years now his throaty voice, old coloquial catchphrases and uke playing still cheer me up every time I hear him. The songs he sung, mostly written by Noel Gay are very clever aren't they, unusaul rhyming words, again using Lancashire coloquialisms to fit the rhymes and every one of his songs full of innocent naughtiness, sexual innuendo and double entendre hidden in the lyrics. Very amusing even now, but some of them quite risque in their day. Here is George's Version of "Happy go Lucky Me" from his 1960 recording. George died at the end of 1960, during the year he had lost his wife Beryl and was in poor health himself, On "Happy Go Lucky Me" George comes across as bright, chirpy and optimistic as ever, but beneath that voice is a man approaching the end of his life. in some ways happy, but on others, a very sad song. I used to play this song myself , I loved it. I have the video of his last TV show just a few months before he died. He died March 1961 two weeks before he was to marry his new wife but obviously it was never to be. Did anyone see Frank Skinner on TV recently doing the show about George Formby? Very interesting, he was in Blackpool with the rest of the Formby fans doing his bit on the stage "with his little ukulele in his hand ". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
THYLACINE Posted December 20, 2011 Share Posted December 20, 2011 Sorry, didn't see Frank Skinner on TV doing George Formby but you just reminded me of something Ukelele Lady. The scene in Kes shot in a Working Mens Club, who is the singer doing an impersonation of George Formby? The song is on the tip of my tongue. (Tell me it's Frank Skinner???) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ukelele lady Posted December 20, 2011 Author Share Posted December 20, 2011 Sorry, didn't see Frank Skinner on TV doing George Formby but you just reminded me of something Ukelele Lady. The scene in Kes shot in a Working Mens Club, who is the singer doing an impersonation of George Formby? The song is on the tip of my tongue. (Tell me it's Frank Skinner???) Hi THYLACINE I think Frank Skinner would have only been a little boy when Kes was made. I have just watched the bit in the Working Men's Club in the film Kes and I hate to dissapoint you but it's not a George Formby song , I doubt if he ever sang it. Also the man on stage was playing a guitar not a ukulele. I don't know who the person was on stage but do remember that song from when I was a kid. Any takers, It goes like What a beauty , What a beauty, I've never seen one as big as that before. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hilldweller Posted December 21, 2011 Share Posted December 21, 2011 Oh What A Beauty (The Marrow Song) The Wurzles (and others). Rugby clubs used to sing it with adaptions. HD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
syrup Posted December 21, 2011 Share Posted December 21, 2011 Hi THYLACINE I think Frank Skinner would have only been a little boy when Kes was made. I have just watched the bit in the Working Men's Club in the film Kes and I hate to dissapoint you but it's not a George Formby song , I doubt if he ever sang it. Also the man on stage was playing a guitar not a ukulele. I don't know who the person was on stage but do remember that song from when I was a kid. Any takers, It goes like What a beauty , What a beauty, I've never seen one as big as that before. Billy Cotton. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNTVKANb7p4 Down the road there lives a man I'd like you all to know He grew a great big marrow For the local flower show When the story got around They came from far and wide And when the people saw the marrow Everybody cried! Oh, what a beauty! I've never seen one as big as that before Oh, what a beauty! It must be two feet long or even more! It's such a lovely colour And nice and round and fat I never thought a marrow Could grow as big as that! Oh, what a beauty! I've never seen one as big as that before Oh, oh, oh, oh, what a beauty! We've never seen one as big as that before! He was leaning on the garden gate the other day And beckoned to a lady Who lives just across the way He took her down the garden path And showed it her with pride! And when she saw the size of it The little lady sighed! "Oooh, what a beauty!" She'd never seen one as big as that before! Oh, what a beauty! It must be two feet long or even more! It's such a lovely colour And nice and round and fat I never thought a marrow Could grow as big as that! Oh, what a beauty! I've never seen one as big as that before It's stupendous! It's collosal! It's gigantic! It's bigger than that! Then the flower show was held and everybody went To see the great big marrow lying there inside the tent Soon the judges came along and give the prizes out They only took one look at it and then began to shout! Oh, what a beauty! We've never seen one as big as that before! Oh, what a beauty! It must be two feet long or even more! It's such a lovely colour And nice and round and fat I never thought a marrow Could grow as big as that! Oh, what a beauty! We've never seen one as big as that before! Oooh, I've never seen one as big as that before! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ukelele lady Posted December 21, 2011 Author Share Posted December 21, 2011 There you are THYLACINE you've got all the words now and a few of the singers. Thanks tp syrup and hilldweller. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveH Posted December 22, 2011 Share Posted December 22, 2011 Hi THYLACINE I think Frank Skinner would have only been a little boy when Kes was made. I have just watched the bit in the Working Men's Club in the film Kes and I hate to dissapoint you but it's not a George Formby song , I doubt if he ever sang it. Also the man on stage was playing a guitar not a ukulele. I don't know who the person was on stage but do remember that song from when I was a kid. Any takers, It goes like What a beauty , What a beauty, I've never seen one as big as that before. You are correct, Frank Skinner would have only been very young at the time Kes was made. Also correct, it is not a Formby song, and it is a guitar being played and not a uke. At the time Kes was made, (late 60's - early 70's ?) the top uke playing Formby impersonator in the country was Alan Randall. Had it been a Formby song and played on uke in his style, then my money would have been on Alan Randall for playing the part. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
THYLACINE Posted December 23, 2011 Share Posted December 23, 2011 Thanks everyone, I stand corrected. I decided to do a bit of digging and find out who the mystery impersonator was. The credits at the end of the film Kes give names but don't link the names to any characters. But a certain website does. The singer/comedian in the Club scene is Joey Kaye. He appeared in a few productions around the time when Kes was made, one of which was called 'Another Sunday and Sweet FA'. And look who else was in the cast of Another Sunday . . . Freddie Fletcher who played Jud in Kes and Duggie Brown who drove the milk float. I found out a bit about David Bradley too but I'll save that for another post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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