Eric Blore

 ( 1887 Births ) 

He was drawn to a theatrical career, and in 1908 he made his debut on the stage at the Bridlington Spa in the musical comedy The Girl from Kays. In the same year he went to Australia, where he appeared with a concert party, "The Merrymakers". In the English provinces he appeared in the musical comedy The Arcadians (1910), the pierrot show The March Hares (1911) and Barry Jackson and Basil Dean's Fifinella (1912). In April 1913 Blore made his first appearance in London, at the Empire, Leicester Square in C.H. Bovill's revue All the Winners, in which he was praised by The Observer."All the Winners", The Observer, London, 13 April 1913, p. 9 He also appeared at the Empire in Bovill's and P.G. Wodehouse's revue Nuts and Wine (1914)."At the Play", The Observer, 28 December 1913, p. 4

During the First World War, Blore enlisted and served in the South Wales Borderers and later joined the Royal Flying Corps, before being assigned to run the 38th Divisional Concert Party in France ("The Welsh Wails") (1917–1919).

Blore wrote several sketches for revue and variety show, including "Violet and Pink" (1913); "A Burlington Arcadian" (1914); "The Admirable Fleming" (1917); "Yes, Papa" (1921); "French Beans" (1921) and his most enduring sketch, "The Disorderly Room", written while he was in the Army, and first given in London by Stanley Holloway, Tom Walls, Leslie Henson, Jack Buchanan and the author. It was taken up by Tommy Handley, who starred in it in around the country and on BBC radio in the 1920s and '30s.Holloway and Richards, pp. 23, 60 and 190 "Eric Blore", British Film Institute. Retrieved 13 June 2020

In August 1923 Blore appeared for the first time on Broadway theatre, playing the Hon. Bertie Bird in Little Miss Bluebeard, and on his return to London he appeared in the same part at Wyndham's Theatre. After the death of his first wife, Violet ( née Winter), Blore married Clara Macklin in 1926. In the same year he returned to New York, playing Teddie Deakin in The Ghost Train. The play, which ran in London for 655 performances did less well on Broadway, and closed after 61 performances.Gaye, p. 1532; and "The Ghost Train", IMDB. Retrieved 13 June 2020 Blore remained in the US for the next seven years; his Broadway roles were Reggie Ervine in Mixed Doubles, Sir Calverton Shipley in Just Fancy, Sir Basil Carraway in Here's Howe, the King of Arcadia in Angela, Captain Robert Holt in Meet the Prince, Lieutenant Cooper in Roar China, Bertie Capp in Give Me Yesterday and Roddy Trotwood in Here Goes the Bride. In 1932 he toured as Cosmo Perry in The Devil Passes, before returning to Broadway to play the waiter in Cole Porter's Gay Divorce, which starred Fred Astaire and Claire Luce. Divorce", IMDB. Retrieved 13 June 2020

Gay Divorce ran for 248 performances, closing in July 1933, to allow Astaire and Luce to go to London to play in the piece at the Palace Theatre. Blore and Erik Rhodes from the Broadway cast also appeared in the London production,"Palace Theatre", The Times, London, 3 November 1933, p. 12 which ran for five months."Theatres", The Times, 7 April 1934, p. 8 This was Blore's last London stage show. As The Times put it, he joined "the select company of English actors who were persuaded to journey to California" to appear in Hollywood films, along with the likes of C. Aubrey Smith and Ronald Colman.