Who was Fred Karno? and what was his army?
We talk to David Crump whose biography of today's subject reveals all - and some!
Karno was a giant personality who had a giant effect on theatre and cinema as we know it. The man who gave Stan Laurel, Charlie Chaplin and the Crazy Gang their first break and almost single handedly invented the type of slapstick we recognise in the silent movies had an eventful life that was touched by many of the major events of the first part of the 20th Century.
David's book is available from all good booksellers and direct from the publisher (best option if ordering from outside the UK)
https://www.brewinbooks.com/fred_karno
This episode:
Guest: David Crump
Host: Lottie Walker
Editor: Jacob Taylor
Follow David on Twitter: https://mobile.twitter.com/davidbcrump
To find out more about music hall:
http://britishmusichallsociety.com/
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If you'd like to help us to keep the podcast going in these tough times, please consider becoming a patron. It's really easy to do. Just go to :
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if you're more comfortable with a one off donation you can do this via our website:
https://www.bluefiretheatre.co.uk/
or buy us a coffee on:
https://ko-fi.com/bluefiretheatre
Even the smallest donation helps us get our shows on the road and keep the lights on in the studio and we are so grateful for all your help and support.
And finally...don't forget to follow us on social media. We'd love to hear from you!
Find us at:
https://twitter.com/famous_heard
https://www.instagram.com/bluefire_tc
https://www.facebook.com/bluefirepodcast