6. When Knights Were Bold - The Musical

The Stage (22 April, 1943 - p.4)

“Kiss the Girls”

    On Monday, at the Royal, Newcastle-on-Tyne, Emile Littler will produce a musical comedy entitled, “Kiss the Girls,” with book by Harriett Jay, Emile Littler, and Thomas Browne; musical score by Harry Parr-Davies, and lyrics by Barbara Gordon and Basil Thomas./ In the cast will be Sonnie Hale, Adele Dixon, Francis Sullivan, June Malo, Guy le Feuvre, Con Kenna, Patrick Colbert, Gerhard Kempinski, April Rose, and Teddy Brogden. The dresses have been designed and made by Norman Hartnell, Doris Zinkelsen, and Physhe. The scenery is by Joseph Carl. The company will visit the Hippodrome, Coventry; Grand, Blackpool; Grand, Leeds; and Royal, Birmingham. The late Harriett Jay was the author of “When Knights were Bold.”

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The Times (2 July, 1943 - p.6)

PICCADILLY THEATRE

“THE KNIGHT WAS BOLD”
BY HARRIET JAY, EMILE LITTLER, AND
THOMAS BROWNE
MUSIC BY HARRY PARR DAVIES

     It would be wise not to bring to this musical version of When Knights Were Bold any hopes of knowing again the old helpless laughter of years ago. Decked out with a dozen dancers, the daughters of the Dean, and more than a dozen songs, of which “Whoopsy Diddly Dum de Dee” is incomparably the best, the fable is no longer capable of creating the cumulative fun of first-rate farce. But it makes a pleasant musical comedy.
     Mr. Sonnie Hale is Sir Guy de Vere, and no comedian has ever worked harder. Once he has dreamed himself back into the Middle Ages he leaves the stage only once or twice, and seldom drops into a walk. He succeeds in making the mock heroic amusing. Miss Adèle Dixon lends her charming dignity to the bloodthirsty Lady Rowena and produces her voice as conscientiously and as pleasantly as ever. Miss Enid Stamp-Taylor puts on the tuft-hunting American lady the same bold Edwardian sparkle that he put on a similar character in The Belle of New York. The butler is played uncommonly well by Mr. Claud Allister. Mr. Davies has written some catchy music; the spectacle is well devised; and the evening passes cheerfully.

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Daily Express (2 July, 1943 - p.3)

SONNIE HALE IN ARMOUR

SAID perspiring Sonnie Hale, after appearing in “The Knight Was Bold,” at the Piccadilly Theatre last night, “If you want to take off a few pounds in weight, try playing my part for a night!”
     Mr. Hale perspired with reason (writes Ernest Betts), for this musical adaptation of the play in which Bromley Challenor appeared thousands of times is by now 99 per cent. perspiration and one per cent. inspiration.
     But Sonnie got a great reception—and it is about time London gave him one, after all he has given to London.
     He is one of the ablest and most neglected of war-time comedians, and his Sir Guy Vere de Vere, clanking in armour and swanking in evening dress, was a full-blooded piece of clowning which rejoiced playgoers who like to see a piece of absolute nonsense and charming people making fools of themselves.

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[The musical version of When Knights Were Bold was not a success. According to the page on Harry Parr Davies on the Robert Farnon Society website:

“In 1943 although The Knight was Bold had Sonnie Hale as the titled aristocrat dreaming he was back in the Middle Ages, after successfully touring the provinces under the title Kiss the Girls, it became a West End flop and left the Piccadilly Theatre after only 10 performances.”

As well as writing several considerably more successful musicals, Harry Parr Davies also wrote songs for Gracie Fields (including “Sing As We Go” and “Wish Me Luck as you wave me goodbye”) and George Formby - so the man has a lot to answer for. Further information about Harry Parr Davies is available on the New Songs For Old site, which has the following about The Knight Was Bold:

“Sonnie Hale, Adele Dixon and Frances L. Sullivan were the stars of this comedy musical with a plotline not far removed from the American extravaganza ‘A Yankee At The Court of King Arthur’. It was the tale of an impecunious Knight of theRealm (Sonnie Hale) who dreams he is back in the middle ages — with all the likely consequences. The songs included: ‘I Go On My Whistling Way’, ‘Where the Rainbow Ends’, ‘Whoopee Diddle de Dum de Dum’. It opened at the Piccadilly Theatre on the 1st July, 1943 with little success. 10 performances later, it closed.”

Fired by a perfectly understandable desire to find out whether the best song in the show (according to the Times’ review) was called “Whoopsy Diddly Dum de Dee” or “Whoopee Diddle de Dum de Dum”, I managed to track down a programme for the show on Rob Wilton’s site (no relation...I asked). It’s “Whoopsy Diddly Dum de Dee”, by the way, and Frances (or Francis) L. Sullivan is not mentioned in the cast list. But, don’t take my word for it - the full programme is available below (including instructions for what to do in case of an air raid.

The Knight Was Bold - Programme

Finally, I came across the following review of another musical version of the play from 1954:

The Guardian (23 December, 1954 - p.3)

“WHEN KNIGHTS WERE BOLD”—TO MUSIC

Manchester Playhouse

     Having already given us, in the recent season, a menu of good plays unusually well acted, the Salisbury Arts Theatre company at the Playhouse have given way to the heavy compulsion of the Christmas spirit with that hugely facetious old thing “When Knights Were Bold” by Charles Marlowe. It was first produced in 1906 and it combines those twin delights of that artistically sterile period, evening dress and medieval costume (Avaunt there, Sir Guy!)—into a mixture which has the sort of flavour of fizzy lemonade, certainly no stronger vintage. The company, with their usual versatility, manage the music and lyrics which they have added to it very well; they give it a choral harmony and a certain charm. They cannot do very much with the old-fashioned farce which includes too many weak-kneed verbal puns and rather a surfeit of comic business. Given a larger and more responsive audience than last night, they might warm it into life. But it is a good case in point for anyone who wants to question this Christmas convention. It is rather over the heads of the children, and a little too fizzy for those grown-ups who prefer the Playhouse’s higher quality theatre.

                                                                                                                                                     R. P.   ]

[Advert for The Knight Was Bold from The Times (5 July, 1943 - p.8)]

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7. When Knights Were Bold - Miscellanea

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