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307:"...we are sure the lasting thrill for us all was the finale, Will Fyffe, a wonderful Scottish comedian, was top of the bill. To finish, he sang a song. On the second chorus, the scenery changed completely, and down the aisles came Scottish Pipers. The artists all appeared around a rostrum in front of the orchestra, and we filled the stage, in Scout uniform complete with red scarf. It was the greatest thrill of our young lives. As the National Anthem was played, we faced the Royal Box and sang as we had never sung before."
168:, where a street bears his surname. Fyffe was also Freemason, who was initiated and then became a full member of Lodge St John, Shotts No 471. He left some rare footage of his stage act, which gives a glimpse of stage life in these times. In the footage, he performs the "Broomielaw" sketch and sings his song "Twelve and a Tanner a Bottle". The footage came about as a result of a screen test, shot for Pathe in New York in 1929.
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Although he became well known as a talented actor for the breadth of his on-screen characterisations, Fyffe was a successful music hall artist (singer-songwriter and comedian), creating a succession of comic characters, whose story he narrated with his unique form of delivery. Fyffe would start his
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He was so popular that the Empire
Theatre in Glasgow ran a 'Will Fyffe' competition, with dozens of entrants singing "I Belong to Glasgow". Heavily disguised as himself, Fyffe entered the competition for a bet, but he only won the second prize. According to theatre manager and historian,
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Fyffe died by falling from a hotel room window. After an operation on his right ear in 1947, Fyffe went to recuperate at his own hotel in St
Andrews. One night, he fell from the window of his suite and was taken to the local cottage hospital, where he later died.
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The song is believed to have been written in 1920, but it is unclear if it was first released that year. A known release of the song in 1921 shows it as a B side to "I'm 94 To-Day". The song was released as an A side in 1927.
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song, pausing in the middle to give a monologue with details of the song's story, then resume the song where he left off. Daft Sandy, the village idiot, was one of Fyffe's more popular characters. The drama critic
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Will Fyffe was born on 16 February 1885 in a tenement at 36 Broughty Ferry Road, Dundee, the eldest child of John Fyffe (1864–1928), a ship's carpenter, and Janet Rhynd
Cunningham (1858–1949), a music teacher.
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of the time, where he performed his sketches and sang his songs in an inimitable style. During the 1930s, he was one of the highest paid musical hall artists in
Britain.
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Fyffe died after falling from a window in the
Rusacks Hotel in St Andrews in December 1947. The fall has been attributed to dizziness caused by an operation on his ear.
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342:(1973), Fyffe found the inspiration for the song from a drunk he met at Glasgow Central Station. The drunk was "genial and demonstrative" and "laying off about
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Fyffe made his debut in his father's stock company at age 6. He travelled extensively throughout
Scotland and the rest of the UK, playing the numerous
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Fyffe was survived by a son Will Fyffe Jr. (1927–2008), a musical director who wrote a musical about his father's life, and a daughter, Eileen.
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with equal enthusiasm". Fyffe asked him "Do you belong to
Glasgow?", and the man replied "At the moment, at the moment, Glasgow belongs to me."
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As a result of this song, Fyffe became forever associated with
Glasgow, but he was born 70 miles (110 km) away in the east coast city of
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describes Fyffe's performance as fitting "snugly into the mental dossier we have been compiling under the heading 'great performances'".
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It was when Fyffe wrote and recorded the song "I Belong to
Glasgow" that he became a worldwide star. According to Albert Mackie's
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As a character actor, he was much in demand in
Hollywood and Britain, starring and co-starring in dozens of productions, with
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in 1938, the film disappeared, but was rediscovered in 1984 in a family cupboard and conserved. 38 minutes survives in the
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In his 20s, Fyffe joined Will Haggar Junior's Castle Theatre company, touring the South Wales Valleys from its base in
362:: "Will Fyffe was a man of great honesty and integrity", and these traits comes across in his songs when heard today.
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In addition, Fyffe appeared in 23 major films of the era (American and British), and he recorded over 30 songs.
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Fyffe entertains men of the RAF Regiment in the open air at Hammamet, Tunisia, during his tour of North Africa.
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Fyffe was buried in his adopted home city of Glasgow, at Lambhill Cemetery, three days later.
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In 1939, Fyffe was the ninth most popular British star at the box office. He was appointed a
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against conscription in 1918 on grounds of his occupation, serious hardship and ill health.
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in Aberystwyth. In the film, Fyffe plays Lewis Bach, the loyal servant of the maid. He
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His singer-songwriter skills are still well-known today, particularly his composition "
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and performing artist on stage and screen during the 1930s and 1940s.
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His father was interested in theatrical entertainment and operated a
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in America), Fyffe plays the 'likeable old curmudgeon' McAdam,. The
895:. Perth: National Library of Australia. 24 February 1939. p. 3
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For a period, Fyffe developed a successful stage partnership with
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The Spirit O the Man Fae Aberdeen (1931, Walsh & Fyffe)
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The Scotch Comedians: from the music hall to television
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referred to this as "a masterpiece of tragi-comedy".
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1152:"Search and browse - Moving Image Archive catalogue"
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The Waddin O Mary Maclean (1931, Martin & Fyffe)
610:Down in the Quarry Where the Bluebells Grow (1926)
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1025:"The Glasgow Herald - Google News Archive Search"
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971:Will Fyffe - I Belong to Glasgow / I'm 94 To-Day
949:Will Fyffe - I'm 94 To-Day / I Belong to Glasgow
1097:""Twelve and a Tanner A Bottle" – Live Footage"
628:I'm the Landlord of the Inn in Aberfoyle (1932)
1193:Vimeo (I Belong To Glasgow - Animated Footage)
1258:Commanders of the Order of the British Empire
756:"Will Fyffe: Glasgow and the art of drinking"
614:He's Been Oan the Bottle Since a Baby (1932)
324:Commander of the Order of the British Empire
652:The Skipper of the Mercantile Marine (1939)
16:Scottish actor and entertainer (1885–1947)
1122:""The 'Broomielaw' Sketch" – Live Footage"
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577:(1947) - Aeneas McGrath (final film role)
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213:in December of that year. Reviewed in
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644:She Was the Belle of the Ball (1929)
636:McPherson's Wedding Breakfast (1930)
837:"The National Archives of Scotland"
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689:Ye Can Come and See the Baby (1927)
680:Twelve and a Tanner a Bottle (1929)
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160:Isn't that all the better for you"
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134:". This song has been covered by
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1072:""I'm 94 Today" – Live Footage"
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862:"The New York Times - Search"
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923:. 5 June 1942. p. 2489.
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1268:Scottish singer-songwriters
812:"William Haggar - HomePage"
640:Sailing Up the Clyde (1927)
10:
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1233:Scottish male stage actors
618:I Belong to Glasgow (1927)
558:Heaven Is Round the Corner
385:(1914, Short) - Lewis Bach
154:"If your money, you spend,
1263:Scottish male songwriters
1228:Scottish male film actors
598:Corporal McDougall (1939)
569:(1944) - Hector MacTavish
521:(1940) - James Fothergill
417:(1936) - Fergus McAndrews
297:Royal Command Performance
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664:The Railway Guard (1930)
317:Alhambra Theatre Glasgow
1253:Male actors from Dundee
705:Scottish Screen Archive
537:(1940) - Capt. Ferguson
465:(1937) - Bill Todcastle
157:You've nothing to lend,
933:Mackie, Albert David,
656:The Centenarian (1927)
606:Doctor McGregor (1926)
542:Welfare of the Workers
486:The Mind of Mr. Reeder
473:(1937) - Malcolm McNab
470:Said O'Reilly to McNab
449:(1936) - Bill Saunders
409:(1935) - John McGregor
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1223:Music hall performers
660:The Gamekeeper (1927)
553:(1941) - The Agitator
505:(1939) - J. G. Reeder
457:(1937) - Jack Clayton
383:The Maid of Cefn Ydfa
334:"I Belong to Glasgow"
328:1942 Birthday Honours
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207:The Maid of Cefn Ydfa
175:Early life and career
497:(1939) - Will Laurie
489:(1939) - J.G. Reeder
481:(1938) - Adam McAdam
441:(1936) - Henry McNab
340:The Scotch Comedians
260:. His last film was
250:Douglas Fairbanks Jr
215:The South Wales Echo
892:The West Australian
816:Williamhaggar.co.uk
648:Sheila McKay (1929)
623:I'm 94 Today (1929)
360:W. J. MacQueen-Pope
132:I Belong to Glasgow
1243:People from Dundee
1156:Movingimage.nls.uk
920:The London Gazette
620:(Animated footage)
550:The Prime Minister
518:They Came by Night
513:(1939) - John Shaw
502:The Missing People
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219:Welsh Film Archive
887:"POPULAR PLAYERS"
866:Query.nytimes.com
602:Daft Sandy (1930)
566:Give Me the Stars
510:Rulers of the Sea
425:(1936) - Doc Tate
254:Margaret Lockwood
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1159:. Retrieved
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1136:– via
1130:. Retrieved
1116:
1106:– via
1100:. Retrieved
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1081:– via
1075:. Retrieved
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1054:. Retrieved
1050:"Will Fyffe"
1044:
1032:. Retrieved
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1019:
1007:. Retrieved
1003:the original
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766:. Retrieved
761:The Guardian
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148:Kirk Douglas
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1218:1947 deaths
1213:1885 births
915:"No. 35586"
733:4 September
594:Clyde Built
585:Discography
526:For Freedom
376:Filmography
290:James Agate
238:John Laurie
192:Abergavenny
185:Penny Geggy
140:Eartha Kitt
122:music halls
81:Nationality
1202:Categories
1009:15 January
841:Nas.gov.uk
711:References
136:Danny Kaye
115:music hall
107:Will Fyffe
75:, Scotland
73:St Andrews
65:1947-12-15
52:, Scotland
43:1885-02-16
25:Will Fyffe
791:Gla.ac.uk
344:Karl Marx
198:in 1911.
1187:Fandango
1181:Time Out
1161:3 August
1132:3 August
1126:Archived
1102:3 August
1077:3 August
1056:3 August
1034:3 August
899:24 April
871:3 August
846:3 August
821:3 August
796:3 August
768:3 August
223:appealed
211:Aberdare
84:Scottish
1138:YouTube
1108:YouTube
1083:YouTube
478:Owd Bob
299:at the
266:Owd Bob
63: (
41: (
1052:. IMDb
977:13 May
955:13 May
433:(1936)
166:Dundee
50:Dundee
739:Vimeo
398:Happy
1163:2020
1134:2020
1104:2020
1079:2020
1058:2020
1036:2020
1011:2022
979:2022
957:2022
901:2012
873:2020
848:2020
823:2020
798:2020
770:2020
735:2021
703:The
346:and
256:and
146:and
58:Died
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