Bud Flanagan | WatchedThis
Bud Flanagan
Acting
Biography
From Wikipedia Bud Flanagan OBE (14 October 1896 – 20 October 1968) was a popular English music hall and vaudeville entertainer from the 1930s until the 1960s. Flanagan was famous as a wartime entertainer and his achievements were recognised when he was awarded the Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1959. Bud Flanagan is best remembered as part of a double act with Chesney Allen, Flanagan and Allen. They had first met on active service in Flanders, but did not work together until 1926, touring with a Florrie Forde show. They established a reputation and were booked by Val Parnell at the Holborn Empire. As music hall comedians, they would often feature a mixture of comedy and music in their act and this led to a successful recording career as a duo and roles in film and television. Flanagan and Allen were both members of The Crazy Gang, appearing in the first show at the London Palladium in 1931, and continued to work with the group, concurrently with their double-act career.
Filmography Movies
Acting
Gasbags
It's war time London and the Crazy Gang (Flanagan & Allen, Nervo & Knox, Naughton & Gold) are doing their bit for the war effort by running a fish and chip stall using their platoon's barrage balloon for advertising. Their Sgt Major is not happy about this and orders them to take the balloon down, but a freak heavy wind accidentally carries the gang away to Nazi Germany. They are captured and placed in a detention camp where they meet an elderly prisoner named Jerry, who possess a map for the location of a secret weapon which will win the war! Fortunately Teddy Knox's impersonation of Hitler lands him the spot of pretending to be the Fuhrer at a gala dinner and the gang are allowed out of the camp. However the Nazis have other ideas for their substitute leader.
Listen to Britain
A depiction of life in wartime Britain during the Second World War. Director Humphrey Jennings visits many aspects of civilian life and of the turmoil and privation caused by the war, all without narration.
The Frozen Limits
The Crazy Gang join the 1898 gold rush. Unfortunately it's now 1939 and they're a bit late.
A Fire Has Been Arranged
A pair of friends robs from a jewelry shop, and buries their loot in a field out in the country before they get caught. They spend ten years in prison, and when they're let out they go back to the burial ground, only to find out that it's no longer a bucolic pasture but the site of a large department store. Despite that setback, they're still determined to dig up their stash.
Alf's Button Afloat
Alf discovers that one of the buttons on his pyjamas is made from the metal of Aladdin's lamp and that when he cleans it a genie appears.
The Bailiffs
Two incompetent Bailiffs repossess the wrong house.
O-Kay for Sound
Hyman Goldberger, the president of film studio Super-Colossal Pictures, is in trouble--his major backer is threatening to stop financing his pictures. He finds a group of six wealthy individuals who may want to become investors in the studio if his disgruntled backer pulls out. Unfortunately, his bumbling runner Albert picks that day to invite six of his street musician friends to be in the film that is currently shooting at the studio, and Hyman mistakes them for the potential investors. Complications ensue.
Here Comes the Sun
When a wealthy newspaper proprietor passes away, his crooked business partner moves to secure the deceased's fortune by substituting a false will. But 'Corona' Flanagan is onto the fraudster, and his efforts to unmask the villain see him popping in and out of jail – which isn't all that bad, since the governor is an old friend of his – and dressing up as a Russian countess...
Wild Boy
This film is a caper story of greyhound racing and the efforts of a crooked dog owner to stop a rival's dog, Wild Boy, from running in the Greyhound Derby.
Life Is a Circus
Encompassing three hugely popular double acts, The Crazy Gang were one of Britain's best-loved, most enduring variety troupes – their antics delighting audiences for over three decades from the early 1930s and their career taking in numerous Royal Command performances. Their efforts to save a struggling circus provide the laughs in this uproarious comedy, also starring Goldfinger icon Shirley Eaton and featuring Flanagan and Allen's rendition of their greatest hit, Underneath the Arches. The Crazy Gang have been jacks-of-all-trades with Joe Winter's Monster Circus for almost as long as Joe has been on the road, and they're still hoping for a big break. But Joe has hit hard times: his equipment is mortgaged, most of his acts have deserted him and even the elephants have walked out. So the Gang set about finding a way to save the circus... and come up with a typically novel solution!
Production
Here Comes the Sun
When a wealthy newspaper proprietor passes away, his crooked business partner moves to secure the deceased's fortune by substituting a false will. But 'Corona' Flanagan is onto the fraudster, and his efforts to unmask the villain see him popping in and out of jail – which isn't all that bad, since the governor is an old friend of his – and dressing up as a Russian countess...
Dreaming
When a pretty Wren faints in a crowded train, Private Bud Flanagan and Captain Ches Allen are quick to render first aid. But over Bud's head, a heavy kitbag wobbles; it falls and scores a direct hit, knocking him unconscious. What follows is a dream sequence involving Ches, the Wren and Bud himself in a series of hilarious adventures as well as a magical medley of the duo's best-loved musical numbers!
We’ll Smile Again
Nazi spies infiltrate a British film studio with the intention of sending coded messages in the films they produce.
Theatre Royal
The Theatre Royal is a struggling London venue battling to keep its doors open. When the bank threatens to close it, the workers fear that they will soon be forced out of their jobs. The Royal's property master, Bob Parker (Bud Flanagan), recruits the rest of the staff to stage a benefit gala. They hope their show, featuring songs and dances, can raise enough cash to stave off the end. Meanwhile, they seek investors who can keep the Theatre Royal and its staff in business permanently.