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John Norman Hulbert (24 April 189225 March 1978) was a British actor, director, screenwriter and singer, specializing primarily in comedy productions, and often working alongside his wife (Dame) Cicely Courtneidge.
After Cambridge, he earned recognition and fame performing in musicals and light comedies.D. Pepys-Whiteley, ‘Hulbert, John Norman (Jack) (1892–1978)’, rev., Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004. However the First World War delayed his rise to fame; on 14 February 1916, while still an actor, he married Cicely Courtneidge, the daughter of Robert Courtneidge, a theatrical manager, in Hampstead. On 2 March, the Military Service Act 1916 came into force and Hulbert was expecting to be conscripted into the army for the remainder of the conflict.
However, he appears to have been exempted. In June 1916, Hulbert and Courtneidge were appearing together in a sketch called “A Lucky Mistake”,"MISS CICELY COURTNEIDGE AND MR. JACK HULBERT In a Farcical Sketch, entitled A LUCKY MISTAKE" in Leicester Daily Post, 24 June 1916, p. 2 and in December 1916 he was appearing at the Comedy Revue in "See-Saw"."THE PLAYHOUSES. SEE-SAW." in Illustrated London News, 23 December 1916, p. 19 In May 1917, he opened at the Comedy in "Bubbly", and the Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News commented that "Mr. Jack Hulbert, Miss Winnie Melville, and Miss Irene Greville also stay on at this same munition factory for high explosives of laughter"."OUR CAPTIOUS CRITIC: BUBBLY, AT THE COMEDY THEATRE" in Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News, 26 May 1917, p. 22 After the war, Hulbert continued his career in the theatre.Hartley, 2013, A Historical Dictionary of British Women. p. 120
Hulbert made his film debut in Elstree Calling (1930); appearing opposite his wife and frequent stage and screen co-star Cicely Courtneidge. His career went through a successful period during the 1930s when he appeared in several films, including The Ghost Train (1931), Love on Wheels (1932) and Bulldog Jack (1935), a tongue-in-cheek homage to the popular Bulldog Drummond films in which Jack was supported by Claude Hulbert.
In 1931 Courtneidge and Hulbert suffered a serious setback when they discovered that their financial manager had been speculating with their money, suffering heavy losses and putting their business into liquidation. Hulbert accepted responsibility for all the business's debts and undertook to repay every creditor.
He had a hit record in 1932 "The Flies Crawled Up the Window", which was originally sung in the film Jack's the Boy. In 1934 he was voted the most popular male British star at the box office.
In 1936 exhibitors voted him the third most popular British film star.
Hulbert's popularity waned as the 1930s came to an end, and after the war he and his wife continued to entertain chiefly on stage. In 1951 he appeared in the West End in The White Sheep of the Family and the following year directed his brother in Lord Arthur Savile's Crime. In 1958 he starred with Yvonne Arnaud in Ronald Millar's The Big Tickle. In 1962 he appeared in the BBC radio sitcom Discord in Three Flats, along with Courtneidge and Vic Oliver.
In 1975, Hulbert published his autobiography, The Little Woman's Always Right. Hulbert died, at the age of 85, at his home in Westminster, London on 25 March 1978.
Personal life
His marriage to Cicely Courtneidge lasted for 62 years until his death. Their relationship is mentioned in the British television series Dad's Army in the episode Ring Dem Bells when Hulbert pulls out of shooting a Home Guard training film to spend time with his wife.
Filmography
Film
1930 Elstree Calling Himself His film debut 1931 The Ghost Train Teddy Deakin Sunshine Susie Herr Hasel Released as The Office Girl in USA 1932 Jack's the Boy Jack Brown Released as Night and Day in USA Happy Ever After Willie Released as A Blonde Dream in USA Love on Wheels Fred Hopkins 1933 Falling for You Jack Hazeldon 1934 Jack Ahoy Jack Ponsonby The Camels Are Coming Jack Campbell 1935 Bulldog Jack Jack Pennington Released as Alias Bulldog Drummond in USA 1936 Jack of All Trades Jack Warrender Alternative title: The Two of Us 1937 Take My Tip Lord George Pilkington Paradise for Two Rene Martin Released as Gaiety Girls in USA 1938 Kate Plus Ten Inspector Mike Pemberton Released as Queen of Crime in USA 1940 Under Your Hat Jack Millett 1950 Into the Blue John Fergusson Released as Man in the Dinghy in USA 1951 The Magic Box 1st Holborn Policeman 1955 Miss Tulip Stays the Night Constable Feathers Released as Dead by Midnight in USA 1960 The Spider's Web Sir Rowland Delahaye 1973 Not Now Darling Commander Frencham 1974 The Cherry Picker Sir Hugh Fawcett
Television
1951 The Golden Year John Radlett Musical play for BBC TV 1961 Kraft Mystery Theater – "The Spider's Web" TV Episode 1962 Compact Smith TV series 1970 Party Games (TV) - Waiter
Theatre
1913 The Pearl Girl Shaftesbury Theatre with Cicely Courtneidge 1921 Pot Luck! Vaudeville Theatre, London Green, 2009, Encyclopedia of the Musical Theatre, p. 201 Ring Up Vaudeville Theatre, London 1924 Second Little Revue Starts at Nine Little Theatre 1925 By The Way Apollo Theatre and Shaftesbury Theatre Revue 1926 By The Way Gaiety Theatre, London with Cicely Courtneidge 1926-27 Lido Lady Gaiety Theatre, London 1927-29 Clowns in Clover Adelphi Theatre and Strand Theatre with Cicely Courtneidge 1930 Follow A Star Liverpool Empire with Sophie Tucker 1951-52 The White Sheep of the Family Piccadilly Theatre with Rona Anderson 1952 Lord Arthur Savile's Crime Royal Court Theatre Director, with Claude Hulbert, Peter Haddon 1958 The Big Tickle Duke of York's Theatre with Yvonne Arnaud 1959 Not in the Book Touring With David Conville 1960 The Bride Comes Back Vaudeville Theatre, London Cicely Courtneidge, Jack Hulbert 1973 The Hollow Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham with Cicely Courtneidge 1974 Breath of Spring Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham with Cicely Courtneidge 1976 Once More With Music Theatre Royal, Brighton with Cicely Courtneidge
Bibliography
External links
Categories: 1892 Births, 1978 Deaths, English Male Film Actors, English Male Musical Theatre Actors, Actors From Ely, Cambridgeshire, Actors Educated At Westminster School, London, Alumni Of Gonville And Caius College, Cambridge, Musicians From Cambridgeshire, Male Actors From Cambridgeshire, 20th-century English Male Actors, English Male Stage Actors, 20th-century English Singers, 20th-century English Comedians, 20th-century British Male Singers, English Male Comedians, Comedians From Cambridgeshire
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