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60:', meaning apple. Because of this, he became known as a "coster comedian". For the stage persona he had created, Elen dressed in a coster uniform of striped jersey, peaked cap turned towards one ear and a short clay pipe in the side of his mouth. His characters adopted a persona of being constantly bad-tempered and pugnacious. In 1907 he starred in a short film called
206:, who wrote a vast number of music-hall songs and accompaniments for Marie Lloyd and Dan Leno, and also for Gus Elen's "It's a Great Big Shame". Chance Newton, a friend of Elen, spoke of his habit of leaving scores he was working on at the various pubs he visited en route to the particular hall he was travelling to.
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His songs were bitter and realistic and rooted in the poverty and life of the East Enders who were his audience. The appeal to his audience, many of whom were poor, proved to be a relief to the working classes of society within London. His act would encourage his audience to laugh at the difficulties
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Elen was a fiercely private person and although he was married with children, he would never refer to his family by their names when interviewed by the press. From 1898 Elen lived largely in Balham, where he bred poultry and took up photography. He also became a keen fisherman, particularly during a
209:"If It Wasn't for the 'Ouses In Between" is perhaps Elen's most recognisable song and is about the little backyards of London houses which are hemmed in by row upon row of other houses in all of the other streets in the neighbourhood. It is set in a typical working day of an east end costermonger.
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Elen performed songs and sketches as the character of an old East End costermonger and became known as a 'coster' comedian. Elen drew inspiration from his experiences of growing up around people, similar to that of his persona on stage. Elen's performances were often misinterpreted as being a self
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The New York
Dramatic News cited; "While his act is, in a sense, similar to that of Albert Chevalier, it is also radically different. Mr. Elen portrays the coster as if he actually exists in his native element". The box-office sales indicated that Chevalier, who was also appearing in America, was
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Unlike most performers, Elen kept a meticulous record of his songs with notes about the gestures and emotions, props required and stage settings. He also wrote comments about how his performance was received. Elen was praised as an "authentic cockney from the poor streets of London" and was well
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Many of Elen's songs spoke of the living conditions of ordinary workers and about the cramped housing conditions of the East End. Commenting on the overcrowded poor parts of London, in one of his songs, he takes on the persona of a proud tenant boasting about the dismal place he lives in, and in
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In 1907, William Morris, a respected vaudeville performer in
America, was sent to London by the czar of the American legitimate theatre, Abe Erlanger, who had formed "The Advanced Vaudeville". It was created to act as direct competition for the newly established Vaudeville Hegemony, which was
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in a 'blackface' comedy double act with a man named
Daniels, who died in a boating accident a few years after the partnership was formed. After the death of Daniels, he returned to being a solo performer and bought the rights to "Never introduce your donah to a pal" from the song's writer A.E
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of working class life, and to celebrate one's capacity for survival. Some songs would go further and openly reject establishment values of hard work and moral rectitude. His song "Wait until the work comes round" was specifically written for the unemployed people of
Victorian London.
135:; or the 'George Street Recital Hall'. At the last named hall, the salaries ranged from a shilling to three and sixpence a night with a cup of coffee and a bun thrown in by way of refreshment. In those days I often filled in a season on the 'waxeys' (on the seaside) at
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described his act as being "...strange, raucous, quavering voice with its queer breaks into the treble, the shambling gait and the sudden jerky gestures of a coster, with all the little mannerisms that serve to make him what he is".
151:, a contemporary to Elen and a major performer on the halls. There were many other coster performers on the Victorian music hall circuit, but throughout his career Elen maintained a particularly friendly rivalry with Chevalier.
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The movements for each of Elen's songs were carefully rehearsed so that the performances themselves were clean and precise. Each gesture was powerfully distinct and could be seen from the back of the largest theatre.
71:, and so he returned to the UK. He then made several appearances as a top attraction in music halls across London. He appeared on stage occasionally in the 1930s, albeit briefly, and he appeared in the 1935
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In his later years, Elen went to
America during the English music hall strike. He performed the same act as he did in the UK, but box-office sales show that he was less successful than his friend, the singer
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troupe. His solo success began in 1891 when he started performing in public houses, singing songs in a manner similar to many cockney fruit sellers of the time, known as costermongers - from the old word
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spell in residence on the south coast, and enjoyed shooting. Elen would not socialise with fellow artists, opting instead to go fishing, shooting or driving around the
English countryside.
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more popular with
American audiences than Elen and so he returned to the UK and performed for a further seven years as a top attraction in music halls across London, before his retirement.
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Years before I entered the ranks of music hall performers proper, I used to contribute to the programmes of the weekly sing songs held at such places as 'Poppy Lords' in
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songs including "Arf a Pint of Ale", "It's a Great Big Shame", "Down the Road" and "If It Wasn't for the 'Ouses in
Between" in a career lasting over thirty years.
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known for his involvement in personally organised charity events. For many years he and his wife distributed free
Christmas gifts to the poor in public.
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Elen took early retirement in 1914 after 33 years of performing. He returned in the 1930s, albeit briefly, where he appeared in a film and in the 1935
202:, who later wrote two more of Elen's songs: "She's Too Good to Live Is Mrs. Carter" and "The Postman's 'Oliday." The music to the songs was written by
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and signed him to take part in the new company. Elen was offered $ 1,500 to work in the US. He accepted the offer and appeared on the same bill as
75:. He retired in 1914, shortly after returning from America. He made occasional appearances on stage and film before his death in 1940 aged 77.
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caricature, but were performed in a realistic and simplistic manner, one that made him popular with his audiences.
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slang meaning girlfriend). The song was performed on stage on 4 June 1891, at
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operating in the eastern half of the US. Whilst in London, Morris saw a performance of Elen's at the
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before becoming a singer. He began busking at an early age and found a position singing in a
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where he performed his repertoire of cockney songs to the delight of American audiences.
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at his former home, 3 Thurleigh Avenue, Balham, which was erected on 6 October 1979 by
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at his home in Balham, South London, on 17 February 1940, aged 77 and is buried in
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The lyrics to "If It Wasn't for the 'Ouses In Between" were written by
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Elen started his career as a solo performer and briefly worked at the
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Derek B Scott sings “If It Wasn’t for the ’Ouses in Between” (1894)
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Vaudeville old & new: an encyclopedia of variety performances
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singer and comedian. He achieved success from 1891, performing
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In an interview, given after he had become a star, he said:
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The sheet music of "If It Wasn't for the 'Ouses in Between"
506:"Music Hall and Variety Artistes Commemorative Plaques"
32:(22 July 1862 – 17 February 1940) was an English
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484:"Music Hall and Variety Artistes Burial Places"
527:Ashton, Ellis (18 October 1979). "Memorable".
147:Elen's songs were often compared to those of
365:(online ed.). Oxford University Press.
310:whose then President Don Ross unveiled it.
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359:Russell, Dave. "Elen, Ernest Augustus ".
193:"If it Wasn't for the 'Ouses in Between"
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416:, Elen Gus, Volume 1, pg 351 – 354
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180:Wiv a ladder and some glasses
469:"London Types in New York",
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568:Victoria and Albert Museum
308:British Music Hall Society
225:And read your Daily Mirror
131:; the 'Magpie and Stump',
271:Royal Command Performance
73:Royal Command Performance
441:in Cockney pronunciation
564:Theatre and Performance
428:, accessed October 2011
296:Streatham Park Cemetery
213:Audience representation
371:10.1093/ref:odnb/39376
306:at the request of the
304:Greater London Council
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254:The New York Theatre
164:The Coster's Mansion
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30:Ernest Augustus Elen
508:. Arthurlloyd.co.uk
486:. Arthurlloyd.co.uk
473:, 10 September 1907
471:The New York Times
455:The New York Times
426:Dictionary on line
258:The New York Times
252:and Will Evans at
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560:"Gus Elen"
381:required.)
314:References
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529:The Stage
133:Battersea
79:Biography
545:Gus Elen
231:—
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141:Ramsgate
53:minstrel
43:Born in
25:Gus Elen
137:Margate
102:cockney
90:Pimlico
58:costard
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38:cockney
512:12 May
490:12 May
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580:2011
549:IMDb
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