Entertainers in British Films: A Century of Showbiz in the Cinema Dennis Gifford 9780313307201

Representing the first attempt to compile a complete catalog of the entertainers who appeared on film in Great Britain from the invention of the cinema in the mid-1890s to the present, this innovative book covers more than 2,000 entertainers. Each entry gives the entertainer's specialty, a chronological listing of his/her films, and the titles of the songs sung, played, or danced to. Uniquely, the catalog lists appearances in shorts and especially series of shorts, such as Ace Cinemagazine, Eve's Film Review, and Pathe Pictorial, as well as other prewar series of cinemags. Newsreel performances are also included.

Attempting to compile the first complete catalog of the entertainers who appeared on film in Great Britain from the invention of cinema in the mid-1890s to the present, this innovative reference book covers more than 2,000 entertainers including: comedians, singers, musicians, impressionists, dancers and dance bands, contortionists, acrobats, pop groups and pop stars, and more. Listed here are the complete filmographies for bygone entertainers such as Max Miller, and Tommy Trinder; music-hall artists, including Marie Lloyd and Harry Champion; radio stars such as Richard Murdoch and Norman Long; crooners from Al Bowlly to Donald Peers; and a supporting cast of many more.

Each entry gives the entertainer's speciality, a chronological listing of his/her films, and the titles of the songs sung, played, or danced to. Uniquely, the catalog lists appearances in shorts, especially series of shorts, such as Ace Cinemagazine, Eve's Film Review, and Pathe Pictorial, as well as other prewar series of cinemags. Newsreel performances are also included. Based on more than 30 years research by the man dubbed custodian of the nation's nostalgia (The Sunday Times, London), this is a unique and comprehensive guide for all researchers concerned with the history of British film.

DENIS GIFFORD is the author of more than 50 books, many of them pioneering catalogs of British film production, including The British Film Catalogue, British Animated Films, and The Illustrated Who's Who in British Films. He has created many well-remembered radio and television series in the UK. A former cartoonist, he has also lectured on comics and film throughout the world.