The Battle of El Guettar took place during the Tunisia Campaign of World War II, fought between elements of the Army Group Africa under General Hans-Jürgen von Arnim, along with Italian First Army under General Giovanni Messe, and U.S. II Corps under Lieutenant General George Patton in south-central Tunisia. It was the first battle in which U.S. forces were able to defeat the experienced German tank units, but the followup to the battle was inconclusive.
James Robinson Clitheroe was an English comic entertainer. He is best remembered for his long-running BBC Radio programme, The Clitheroe Kid (1956–72).
Frank Randle was an English comedian. A contemporary of fellow Lancastrians George Formby and Gracie Fields, he was regarded as more subversive.
John E. Blakeley was a British film producer, director and screenwriter, the founder of Mancunian Films.
Mancunian Films was a British film production company first organised in 1933. From 1947 it was based in Rusholme, a suburb of Manchester, and produced a number of comedy films, mostly aimed at audiences in the North of England.
The Devil at 4 O'Clock is a 1961 American adventure film directed by Mervyn LeRoy and starring Spencer Tracy and Frank Sinatra. Based on a 1958 novel with the same title by British writer Max Catto, the film was a precursor to Krakatoa, East of Java and the disaster films of the 1970s such as The Poseidon Adventure, Earthquake and The Towering Inferno.
Ted Lune was a British actor, best known for portraying Private Len Bone in the TV series The Army Game. He also worked in radio comedy and appeared in a couple of films.
It's a Grand Life, also known as As You Were, is a 1953 British film described in its opening titles as a comedy burlesque. It was directed by John E. Blakeley and stars Frank Randle and Diana Dors.
Somewhere in England is a 1940 British comedy film directed by John E. Blakeley and starring Frank Randle, Harry Korris and Winki Turner. It follows the adventures of an anti-authoritarian private stationed in a military camp in the North of England during the Second World War. It was the first in the Somewhere film series, followed by its sequel Somewhere in Camp in 1942.
Somewhere in Camp is a 1942 British comedy film directed by John E. Blakeley and starring Frank Randle, Harry Korris and Robbie Vincent. The film continues the adventures of Private Randle from the 1940 film Somewhere in England. It was followed in 1943 by Somewhere on Leave.
Somewhere on Leave is a 1943 British comedy film directed by John E. Blakeley and starring Frank Randle, Harry Korris and Dan Young. It was written by Roney Parsons and Anthony Toner and was the third in the series of Somewhere films following Private Randle and his comrades. It was followed by Somewhere in Civvies (1943).
Somewhere in Politics is a 1948 British comedy film directed and produced by John E. Blakeley and starring Frank Randle, Tessie O'Shea and Josef Locke. It was written by Harry Jackson.
Daniel Daly Young was a British comedian and film actor. He featured in a number of Mancunian Films productions often appearing with Frank Randle.
Harry Korris was a Manx-British comedian and actor. He was a star of the hit BBC radio show Happidrome, and of the 1943 film version. He also appeared in several Frank Randle films.
Flora Newton was a British film editor. Newton was employed by ABPC at their Elstree and Welwyn Studios. She was one of a growing number of women editors working in the British film industry at the time.
Civvies is a six-part thriller first broadcast on BBC1 from 22 September to 27 October 1992. The series was written by Lynda La Plante - her first writing contribution for the BBC, after being poached by the BBC following the success of Prime Suspect. The series focuses on Frank Dillon, a former Army soldier who finds life outside the army tougher than being in it - and slowly falls under the power of east end gangster Barry Newman, who is looking to hire a trained hitman. The complete series was released on DVD on 3 June 2013 on Acorn Media UK.
Ada Barbara Harriett Tarry, known by her stage name Suzette Tarri, was an English comedian and singer, popular on radio as well as on stage in the 1930s and 1940s.
The Concert Artistes Association is a UK theatre artists benevolent association founded in 1897. Presidents of the association included Arthur Askey, Thorpe Bates, Elsie and Doris Waters, Norman Long, husband and wife act Nan Kenway and Douglas Young, and Suzette Tarri.
The Happidrome was a BBC radio comedy programme produced in Britain between 1941 and 1947. It was produced by Ernest Longstaffe and starred Harry Korris as Mr Lovejoy, the harassed manager of a small provincial theatre. Other regular cast members were Cecil Frederick as Ramsbottom, the stage manager, and Robbie Vincent as Enoch, the call boy. The show also featured leading performers of the time as guest stars.
Grey Blake (1902–1971) was a British stage, film and television actor.
