Max Miller - Happy Birthday

Thomas Henry Sargent aka Max Miller was born on his day in 1894 - that is of course 120 years ago!! My God!

As told to John East, the writer and presenter of "The Life of Max Miller" from 1978, by the man himself:-

"Who's Max Miller when he's not on the stage? A nobody mate, but the Cheeky Chappie - he's a great bloke."

As his friend and contemporary Billy Marsh once said, "The greatest front of cloth comic that ever lived"

And to finish with, his friend and colleague Billy Gray:-

"Max, we lost one of the greatest in the world, and there will never be another"

Amen to that - and yes, I have already said this elsewhere, how I wish I could go back in time and see him live on stage.

"I like the girls who do
I like the girls who don't
I hate the girl that says she will
And then she says she won't
But the girl I like the most of all
And I think you'll say I'm right
Is the girl who says she never does
But looks as though she..........."

"'Ere! - Oooh, you wicked lot, its people like you who get me a bad name!"

LOVE HIM

Indeed. The greatest.

Bob Monkhouse once said that when Max came on stage. the walls closed in and the ceiling came down, and he was talking just to you.

I see his point !

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nm61yavCp-o

Just me and thee then OR

I've not got time to write much, so I'll just toss this one off.

Undoubtedly one of the all-time greats of British comedy. It's a travesty that so few recordings survive in any form.

I watched Oldrocker's link. Reminded me of Hancock in "Spanish Interlude". Was Hancock's performance there an hommage to Miller?
Anyway, I think I need to explore Miller's work.

Quote: Aaron @ 22nd November 2014, 3:29 PM GMT

Undoubtedly one of the all-time greats of British comedy. It's a travesty that so few recordings survive in any form.

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True, but let's be thankful for what there is.

Quote: Gordon Bennett @ 22nd November 2014, 4:02 PM GMT

I watched Oldrocker's link. Reminded me of Hancock in "Spanish Interlude". Was Hancock's performance there an hommage to Miller?
Anyway, I think I need to explore Miller's work.

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Hmm, need to think about that one.........Yes! Check him out So ahead of his time.

There are a number of CDs available and some films, but he was no actor.

The precursor to Frankie Howerd and Benny Hill, great British sauce.

Hancock was much more Sid Field imo. But all of them originals and comic masters.

I'm surprised Miller hasn't had one of those prurient biopics about him, lived a risqué life for his era.

Quote: Aaron @ 22nd November 2014, 3:29 PM GMT

It's a travesty that so few recordings survive in any form.

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Just normal for the period I think. Films survived, TV and radio recordings often didn't. It would only be a travesty if it was in the last 50 years and he'd offered to buy blank tapes for their recordings.

Quote: Alfred J Kipper @ 23rd November 2014, 9:15 AM GMT

I'm surprised Miller hasn't had one of those prurient biopics about him, lived a risqué life for his era.

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I have read his biog. and he seemed to be quite happily married, but with his type of act I wouldn't think anyone who had that on their mind most of the time would not be shagging everything in sight.

That type of exposé would not be news I suppose when he was at his height (a modern phenomena?) and most people who knew him well would now be long gone.

Then if it was done now there would be, sadly, people saying "Who?"

Undoubtedly one of the best in British history. He is an inspiration to many aspiring comedians out there.

Quote: comedycracked @ 25th November 2014, 8:29 PM GMT

Undoubtedly one of the best in British history. He is an inspiration to many aspiring comedians out there.

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Wow! From The States. Nice one!

There's a statue of him in the Pavilion Gardens, Brighton.

Quote: beaky @ 25th November 2014, 9:31 PM GMT

There's a statue of him in the Pavilion Gardens, Brighton.

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Yes, his home town of course and where he did much charity work on behalf of blind people.

I read his biog. awhile back - he was temporarily blinded during the First World War and this affected him so much that he not only devoted much of his time to blind charities he also donated one of his houses for victims.
This may have been to St Dunstans in Brighton but it is sometime since I read the book.

I very much enjoyed the clip and it reminded me of one of those 'Heroes of Comedy' or suchlike programmes the BBC show on a semi-regular basis where talking heads such as Sir Barry Cryer reminisce about former comedians. As I recall, they referred to his parsimony but did mention the fact that he raised huge amounts of money for charity. The 'risque' joke about the man, the woman and the narrow clifftop was also referenced: I recall laughing like a drain at that one at the time.

I knew that The Fast Show's Arthur Atkinson was based on certain performers of that era, but Whitehouse's portrayal is pretty much spot on.

Quote: TheBlueNun @ 1st December 2014, 8:55 AM GMT

I very much enjoyed the clip and it reminded me of one of those 'Heroes of Comedy' or suchlike programmes the BBC show on a semi-regular basis where talking heads such as Sir Barry Cryer reminisce about former comedians. As I recall, they referred to his parsimony but did mention the fact that he raised huge amounts of money for charity. The 'risque' joke about the man, the woman and the narrow clifftop was also referenced: I recall laughing like a drain at that one at the time.

I knew that The Fast Show's Arthur Atkinson was based on certain performers of that era, but Whitehouse's portrayal is pretty much spot on.

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Yes, a very much sanitised clip of MM in his heyday because it is from the 1940s film Hoots Mon but it does show his style which, for me, was way ahead of his time.

By the way........Sir?Barry Cryer. Did he become an Earl to go with his OBE? In that case he would be an Earlobe - I thank yow!

Well, the jury is out on the Mountain Pass joke. There is no recording of this and like to think that it was one of Max's; but Oldrocker thinks otherwise.

And as for Paul Whitehouse's AA, which I also like, that seems to be based on a bit of Arthur Askey and Jimmy Wheeler.