JB Priestly was one of the leading writers in his day and I intend to read more of his books. 27/4/26 This book has aspects of British social history in this period.
Aspiring artist Richard Herncastle, joins his uncle Nick Ollanton’s astonishing Indian Magician illusionist act. The book starts with the author meeting the old artist who has written notes about life during the Music Hall days which ended with WW1 and wants to leave a book about it. Most towns had their Empire theater.
Richard had been working as a clerk for an insurance company when his mother died her brother Uncle Nick offered him a job to join him on the stage at double what he was earning. Richard wanted to be a watercolor artist but did not have the means to study he was 20 at this stage. They would usually spend a week per town and Monday night First House had a lot of people with free passes for exhibiting the bills. The actors usually lived in digs as it was cheaper than hotels. The music hall attracted more men than women, and a very low social class. They appreciate a magician show as they want to be deceived.
The tricks were Nicks enthusiastic hobby. At this time most people did not have electric lights.
Barney the dwarf had been brought up in a fairground and could barely read or write, but he liked Nick who treated him as a man and not a freak, but never feel sorry for him or he'll take advantage of you. Winston Churchill and Admiral Tirpitz were competing to enlarge their navies.
Girls in 1913 were covered from head to toe so it was more exciting to think what they would be without clothes. One great London actress was drunk on and fell flat on the stage during a performance so ended up as a variety actor.
People came to forget what was happening outside at a time of suffragettes being force fed, strikes , lock outs, civil war in Ulster and Germany looking more and more dangerous.
Rombolds Moor in West Yorkshire he goes to find a scene to paint. Most towns then had trams for public transport which were done away with by the 1960 except Blackpool.
Nick was approached by the husband of a suffragette who asked him if he thought women should have the vote. " No I don't and I thing that a lot of half wit men shouldn't either." Mrs. Forster Jones a famous women's leader but hunted down by the police would appear in public only giving a 3 minute talk. When the police approached to apprehend her, she walked behind a screen and in seconds swopped her red coat with the actress who the police attempted to arrest while she go away. Richard has a sexual relationship with an actress but realizes that he wasn't the man for her, just a young substitute they were both craving sex. Tommy her partner discovers them and beats her up badly. Uncle Nick decides the punish Tommy now on a stage with another company, it is arranged that he is "given the bird" 2 nights running and loses his job.
He went with Nick to find a dwarf for a double dwarf act and was uncomfortable seeing them all, and chose Mr. Newby. Cities that were ports had a different atmosphere from inland ones and as there were always sailors about. It was because of Uncle Nick that he became a painter of landscapes and was not keen on portraits like Augustus John..(1878 to 1961). In Liverpool Nick considered it a filthy city and the only good thing was the art gallery but beyond are slums.
Nick tried out a Napier company started making cars in 1908 but later moved over to aeroplane engines.
With the assassination's of Archduke Ferdinand , Uncle Nick realizes it means war. A female actress Nonie is found dead and Nick realized that the dwarf Barney was the murderer. She had deliberately exited him and them laughed in her face and he strangled her. Nick said we will have a full house tonight talent won't bring them in like a murder.
Nick hires the dwarf Tewby and arranges for him to arrive as an Indian wearing stilts through the stage door with Richard and Richard then takes Barny out after the 2nd house in this outfit. Barney is then sent to Europe where he works in a circus. Nick felt he had to save the silly little man. In those day except for Russia and Turkey no passports were required and with a handful of sovereigns you could go anywhere. Nick was now going off to New York where he had a contract and wanted Richard to accompany him. He does not like the fact that the population are so keen on war. But Richard has had enough of being on the move and wants to move on from this stale and sterile life.
Kitchener knows how to beat the fuzzy wuzzies and Boer farmers but not a real war against an organized military power. Nick had played in Berlin and Hamburg and knows it will take a lot to beat them.
The last performance is in August 1914 to a full house in Blackpool. Uncle Nick pays out his staff and tells them that will be plenty work for all with this long war that won't end at Christmas.
Richard signed up to fight and in one of the entertainments brought to the troops Nancy is there and he recontracts with her. He is one of the few of his unit that survives the war and when the author meets old Richard he is introduced to Nancy his wife.
When Richard came to the variety stage it was still big but already in decline, the Chaplin and Laurel films had already started.
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