Max Miller (comedian)

Thomas Henry Sargent(21 November 1894 – 7 May 1963), known professionally by hisstage nameMax Millerandbilled asThe Cheeky Chappie,was an Englishcomedianoften considered the greateststand-upof his generation.He came from humble beginnings and left school at the age of twelve. At the outbreak of theFirst World War,he volunteered for the army. During his time in the forces, he started a troupeconcert party.On leaving the army, he took up work as a light comedian, dancer, and singer. He toured extensively, appearing invariety,revuesand by the early 1930s reached the top of the bill in the largemusic hallsincluding theLondon Palladium.

Max Miller
Bronze statue of Miller at the Pavilion Gardens,Brighton
Birth name	Thomas Henry Sargent
Born	(1894-11-21)21 November 1894 Kemptown,Brighton,England
Died	7 May 1963(1963-05-07)(aged 68) Brighton,England
Resting place	Downs Crematorium, Brighton, England
Genres	Blue comedy
Spouse	Kathleen Marsh ​ (m.1921)​
Website	maxmiller.org

He recorded many songs, some of which he wrote. He appeared frequently on radio and starred in fourteen feature films. He was known for his flamboyant suits, his wicked charm, and his risqué jokes often led to difficulties with the censors. He made his last recording in January 1963 and died four months later.

Early years

Miller was born as Thomas Henry Sargent on 21 November 1894 in Hereford Street,Kemptown,Brighton,Sussex.He was the second child of James Sargent, a labourer, and Alice (née West), a flower seller; Miller had three brothers and two sisters. His parents were poor and often unable to pay rent, so were forced to move to other parts of the town. Owing to this, Miller frequently changed schools, until he reached 12 when he left altogether. He tried jobs such as labouring, delivering milk, selling fish and chips,caddyingat the Brighton and Hove Golf Course, and finally trained to be amotor mechanic.As a youth, he was nicknamed "Swanky Sargent".

On the outbreak of thewarin 1914, Miller volunteered for the army. He joined theRoyal Sussex Regimentand, after serving in France, was posted to India and a year later toMesopotamia,where he was temporarily blinded for three days. This experience stayed with him all his life, and in later years he did much work to help the blind including giving his home in Brighton over to St Dunstans during World War 2. During his time in the army, he started a troops'concert party.

Career

Early performing experiences

Demobilised from the army, Miller found work to be in short supply, and he had lost his mother to the1918 flu pandemic.He had his sights on performing inLondon,and obtained a booking at theShoreditchHall in 1919. He was not experienced enough for the type of venue, however, and lasted only a week. Returning toBrighton,he saw an advertisement for artists to join Jack Sheppard's concert party in an alfresco theatre on Brighton beach. He applied and joined as a light comedian for the 1919 summer season.While with the concert party, he met his future wife, Frances Kathleen Marsh, who was acontraltoin the group.

Kathleen Marsh came from amiddle-classfamily whose parents came to Brighton fromDorsetshortly before she was born in 1896. Her elder brother Ernest Marsh served as a Brightonaldermanfor 43 years and becamemayorof the then town from 1949 to 1950.

In the summer of 1920, Harry toured nationwide inThe Rogues,a concert party. The following year, Harry and Kathleen toured in arevuecalledThe Girl.While inPlymouth,the couple married at the parish church in Tormoham,Devonon 17 February 1921. (Tormoham is better known today as Torre in the seaside resort of Torquay.) As well as being a performer, Kathleen was an astute businesswoman, and thereafter did much to develop her husband's career. She suggested that he should change his name to Max Miller. Later, a press notice described Max as the Cheeky Chappie, and the nickname stuck.

Max and Kathleen formed adouble actfor a while, but it became obvious to her that Max was the stronger performer and that he would be better as a solo act.

Apprenticeship

Through the 1920s, Miller was regularly touring in revues. In 1922 he was in a show presented by the Sydney Syndicate,There You Are Then.The following year, he toured with the Ernest Binn Arcadians. 1924 saw him joining a revue calledCrisps.However, during that summer, he returned to Jack Sheppard's Concert Party on the Brighton seafront.In 1925, he continued in the revueCrisps,and in November that year joined the cast ofTen to One On,which starredJimmy James.This show ran until February 1926, when Miller gained work in variety orcine-variety,the latter a show consisting half of film and half of live acts. In September, he was booked in theHolborn Empire,his first engagement there, where he was spotted by impresarioTom Arnold,who booked him to star in his next revue,Piccadilly.It opened inBirminghamand toured the country. His co-star was the 21-year-oldFlorence Desmond.After that, he was booked byFred Karnoto appear inThe Show,and in May joined a touring cabaret revue calledXYZuntil the end of the year. After a few weeks in variety, he was back in revue, starring in Francis Laider'sTipperary Tim.

This kept him busy until February 1929, when he appointed a new agent, Julius Darewski. This was a turning point in his career. In May, Miller made his first appearance at theLondon Palladiumin variety. He returned there in October and, in November, joined the cast ofFools in Paradise,which took him to March 1930. This would be his last revue for some time.

Miller much preferred to perform solo, and from 1930 onwards, he appeared in variety in large theatres, including the London Palladium and theHolborn Empire.In those days, instant success was unheard of, and Miller, like any other performer, had to earn his fame through a long apprenticeship. In May 1931, he appeared in his firstRoyal Variety Performance.Radio broadcasts followed.

In 1932, he made his first recording,Confessions of a Cheeky Chappie,on theBroadcast Twelve Recordslabel. After this initial success, he was wooed byHis Master's Voiceand recorded for them. In 1953, he changed toPhilips,and then toPye.

Miller was given acameo rolein the filmThe Good Companions(1933) in the part of amusic publisherselling a song to a pianist, played byJohn Gielgud.Although he was not credited for his role, his three-minute debut was impressive, got him noticed and led to his making a further 13 films working up from small parts to starring roles. Considered his best film,Educated Evans(1936), which was based on anEdgar Wallacestory and filmed byWarner Bros.,it has beenlost.His last but one film wasHoots Mon!(1940). He played the part of a southernEnglishcomedian called Harry Hawkins. In the film there is a scene in which Harry Hawkins appears on the stage in avariety theatre.The act is Miller's, and the sequence is the only one in existence giving us an idea of his stage act. It is invariably included in anydocumentarymade about him.

Stardom

Commemorative plaque at 160 Marine Parade, Brighton (2006)

Miller's act on a variety bill usually lasted between 20 and 30 minutes. It would begin with the orchestra playing hissignature tune,Mary from the Dairy.Aspotlightaimed on the curtain by the wings would anticipate his appearance. There would be excitement in the audience; he would sometimes wait for up to ten seconds until he appeared, leading to resounding applause. Miller would walk to themicrophoneand just stand there in his costume, a colourful suit withplus-fours,akipper tie,trilbyandco-respondent shoes,and wait for the laughter to begin.

Although Miller's material was risqué, he never swore on stage and disapproved of those who did. He useddouble entendre,and when telling a joke would often leave out the last word or words for the audience to complete.

His act would be punctuated by songs: sentimental material like "My Old Mum", or comic numbers such as "Twin Sisters". Sometimes he would accompany himself on guitar or entertain with asoft shoeshuffle. He wrote and co-wrote a number of songs.

Miller was very much asouthern Englishcomedian. He preferred being booked in theatres in London or the south, so he could return to his beloved Brighton after a show. However, in 1932 he embarked on his only overseas tour, when he sailed toCape Townto appear inJohannesburgandPretoria,South Africa.

After many years as a solo act in variety, he appeared inGeorge Black's wartimerevueHaw Haw!at the Holborn Empire from December 1939 to July 1940. George Black's next revue,Apple Sauce,opened in August 1940 at theHolborn Empire,co-starringVera Lynn.After the theatre was bombed, the show transferred to the London Palladium, where it ran until November 1941.After that, Miller was back touring in variety, and broke all records as the highest paid variety artist, earning £1,025 in a single week at theCoventryHippodrome in February, 1943.

In 1947, he topped the bill inBernard Delfontpresents International Varietyat theLondon Casino.In his review of the show,Daily Mailtheatre critic Lionel Hale described Miller as the "gold of the music hall".

The comeback

Miller appeared in threeRoyal Variety Performances(1931, 1937 and 1950). In the last of these, he was annoyed that he was only given six minutes, while the American comedianJack Bennygot twenty minutes, so he abandoned his script and went on for twelve minutes, ending with riotous applause. However, this had a devastating effect on the schedule.Val Parnell,the producer, who ran theMoss Empirescircuit of theatres, was furious, and told Miller that he would never work for him again.

Despite this, after eighteen months of Miller's touring in secondary theatres, he was invited back to the "number ones" – the Moss Empires – and returned in triumph to the London Palladium.One of these "number two" theatres wasHulme Hippodrome,whereKen Doddsaid he appeared as a younger performer on the same bill as Max Miller in "about 1951, 1952".This return to the Palladium revitalised his career, and with it came a new recording contract, this time withPhilips.He was back on radio and appeared on television, but his television appearances were never a great success. The new medium did not suit his style; he needed the feedback only a live theatre audience could give him and the freedom to use his naughty material.

Miller appeared regularly in all the large variety halls in and around London: theHackney Empire,Chelsea Palace,Chiswick Empire,Finsbury Park Empire, Wood Green Empire andMetropolitan Music Hall.It was in the latter that he recorded theLPMax at the Metin 1957.

The final years

Tablet on wall of Garden of Remembrance, Downs Crematorium, Brighton

In 1958, Miller suffered aheart attack.After recovery, he needed to take life easier. His lastWest Endappearance took place at thePalace Theatrein April 1959, and his last ever appearance in variety was inFolkestonein December 1960. Miller continued to make records, his last being in January 1963 withLonnie Donegan.

Death

Miller died at home on 7 May 1963, aged 68, and was cremated at the Downs Crematorium, Brighton.A memorial tablet is mounted on a wall in the Garden of Remembrance. His wife Kathleen outlived him by nine years, dying in aHovenursing home in 1972.

With dwindling work in variety, brought about by the rise of television, he had commented, "When I'm dead and gone, the game's finished."

It has frequently been suggested thatJohn Osbornemodelled the characterArchie Ricein his playThe Entertaineron Miller. John Osborne denied it and in his autobiography he wrote, "This is not so. Archie was a man. Max was a god, a saloon-barPriapus".

Censorship

The laws on censorship were strict during Miller's lifetime. Those responsible for censorship were theLord Chamberlainin London and localwatch committeesin the regions. Miller's material needed approval by those bodies but by usinginnuendo,leaving out the last word or words of a joke, he could get away with much risqué and saucy material. However, he never swore or told a "dirty joke" on stage.

In one of his acts he would take from his pocket two books, one a white book and the other a blue book, explaining to the audience that these are joke books and asking them which the audience would like; the crowd almost always chose the blue book. The jokes in the blue book were the naughty ones. For example:

I went skating the other week with a young lady on ice and we'd been going around for quite a while and she kept on falling down.
I said, "Have you hurt yourself?”
She said, "No, I'm sorry to spoil your fun".
I said, "You're not spoiling my fun. It'll keep on ice".

Or he would leave the last word out for the audience to finish and blamed them if they laughed.

When roses are red,
They're ready for plucking.
When a girl is sixteen,
She's ready for... 'Ere

He would then say, "I know exactly what you are saying to yourself, you're wrong, I know what you're saying. You wicked lot. You're the sort of people that get me a bad name!"

It was said that Miller was banned by the BBC twice, first in the 1930s,and then in the 1950s. However, these rumours only helped Miller's reputation as daring and naughty, and led to increased box office sales.

Legacy

Miller influenced many comedians during his lifetime and since. His jokes live on and are often told by other comedians. The comedian Walter William Bygraves became known asMax Bygravesafter his impersonation of Miller.Miller was one of the many famous people on the cover ofthe Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band".

The biography,Max Miller the Cheeky Chappieby John M. East was published in 1977. A paperback version was issued in 1993 with additional material. Two paperbacks containing Miller's jokes have been published:The Max Miller Blue Bookcompiled byBarry Tookand illustrated by cartoonistTrog(1975)andThe Max Miller Appreciation Society's Blue Bookcompiled by members with a foreword byRoy Hudd(2001).

Several radio and television documentaries have been produced includingGerald Scarfe'sThe Girls Who Do(40 Minutes,BBC, 1989) andHeroes of Comedy: Max Miller(1995).Here's a Funny Thing,a play featuringJohn Bardonby R.W. Shakespeare, was staged at theEdinburgh Fringe,and at theFortune Theatrein London; it was broadcast onChannel Fourin November 1982.

In 1999, the Max Miller Appreciation Society was formed in Brighton. Its main purpose is to keep his memory alive. It has erected a bronze statue sculptured byPeter Websterin theRoyal PavilionGardens, New Road, Brighton (unveiled 1 May 2005; re-sited August 2007) and mounted twoblue plaqueson his former homes on Ashcroft in Kingston Lane,Shoreham-by-Sea(2000) and at 160 Marine Parade, Brighton (2006). In 2009, the Society curated an exhibition devoted to Miller's life and career in Bardsley's Fish Restaurant, Baker Street, Brighton.

In the British dramaThe Triple Echofrom 1972, set during World War II, Glenda Jackson and Brian Deacon are listening to him (and laughing aloud) on the radio. He's telling a story about finding a man without any clothes on, standing in his house, and his wife said he's a nudist who came to use the phone.

Catchphrases

He was renowned for his use ofcatchphrases,in performance

• "Now, there's a funny thing"
• "Listen! Listen!"
• "There'll never be another"
• "They don't make 'em anymore, duck!"
• "It's people like you who give me a bad name"
• "It's all clever stuff, no rubbish!"
• "How's your memory, gal?"
• "Miller's the name, Lady"
• "I don't care what I say, do I?"
• "That's nice, Maxie"
• "You can't help liking him"
• "'Ere!"

Filmography

Year	Title	Role
1933	The Good Companions	Millbrau
	Friday the Thirteenth	Joe
	Channel Crossing	James
1934	Princess Charming	Walter Chuff
1935	Things Are Looking Up	Joey
	Get Off My Foot	Herbert Cronk
1936	Educated Evans	Educated Evans
1937	Take It from Me	Albert Hall
	Don't Get Me Wrong	Wellington Lincoln
1938	Thank Evans	Educated Evans
	Everything Happens to Me	Charles Cromwell
1939	The Good Old Days	Alexander the Greatest
1940	Hoots Mon!	Harry Hawkins
1942	Asking for Trouble	Dick Smith

Discography

• Oct 1932Confessions of a Cheeky Chappie,pts 1 and 2: 78 rpmBroadcast Twelve3266
• Oct 1935Confessions of a Cheeky Chappie,pts 1 and 2: 78 rpmRex8604
• Mar 1935Max the Auctioneer,pts 1 and 2: 78 rpm Rex 8665
• Dec 1936Mary from the Dairy/ The Woman Improver:78 rpmHMVBD385
• Jan 1937Ophelia/Down in the Valley:78 rpm HMV BD396
• Jan 1937Backscratcher/Impshe:78 rpm HMV BD408
• Feb 1937Why Should the Dustman Get It All? /You Can't Blame Me for That:78 rpm HMV BD417
• May 1937How the So and So Can I Be Happy? /The Girl Next Door:78 rpm HMV BD419
• Jun 1937The Love Bug Will Bite You/Julietta:78 rpm HMV BD427
• Jul 1937You Can't Go Away Like That/Weeping Willow:78 rpm HMV BD432
• Sep 1937The Windmill/La De Da:78 rpm HMV BD439
• Oct 1937Put It Down/The Old Oak Tree:78 rpm HMV BD450
• Nov 1937I Never Thought That She'd Do That To Me/Let's All Have a Charabanc Ride:78 rpm HMV BD458
• Mar 1937Voice of the Stars extracts from the filmDon't Get Me Wrong:78 rpm VS4
• Dec 1937Just Another Sally/The Christmas Dinner:78 rpm HMV BD475
• Jan 1938Annie the Farmer's Daughter/Ain't Love Grand?:78 rpm HMV BD482
• Mar 1938She Said She Wouldn't/I'm the Only Bit of Comfort She's Got:78 rpm HMV BD505
• Apr 1938Winnie the Whistler/Doh Rae Me:78 rpm HMV BD533
• May 1938Every Sunday Afternoon/Um Ta Ra Rae:78 rpm HMV BD541
• Jul 1938Does She Still Remember? /I Bought a Horse:78 rpm HMV BD563
• Sep 1938The Girls Who Work Where I Work/Happy School Days:78 rpm HMV BD583
• Nov 1938She Was She Was She Was/Just in Fun:78 rpm HMV BD597
• Dec 1938Max Miller in the Theatre: At theHolborn Empire:78 rpm HMV BD615
• Dec 1938Max Miller in the Theatre: At the Holborn Empire:78 rpm HMV BD616
• Dec 1938Max Miller in the Theatre: At the Holborn Empire:78 rpm HMV BD617
• Mar 1939Max Miller in the Theatre Again: Holborn Empire: Second House:78 rpm HMV BD646
• Mar 1939Max Miller in the Theatre Again: Holborn Empire: Second House:78 rpm HMV BD647
• Mar 1939Max Miller in the Theatre Again: Holborn Empire: Second House:78 rpm HMV BD648
• Jun 1939At the Bathing Parade/Everything Happens to Me78 rpm HMV BD697
• Jul 1939No, No, No/Maria Fell for Me:78 rpm HMV BD710
• Dec 1939Max Miller in the Theatre: At the Finsbury Park Empire:78 rpm HMV BD770
• Dec 1939Max Miller in the Theatre: At the Finsbury Park Empire:78 rpm HMV BD771
• Dec 1939Max Miller in the Theatre: At the Finsbury Park Empire:78 rpm HMV BD772
• Dec 1940Max Miller with the Forces (Somewhere in England):78 rpm HMV BD883
• Dec 1940Max Miller with the Forces (Somewhere in England):78 rpm HMV BD884
• Dec 1940Max Miller with the Forces (Somewhere in England):78 rpm HMV BD885
• Dec 1941Max Miller Entertains the War Workers:78 rpm HMV BD980
• Dec 1941Max Miller Entertains the War Workers:78 rpm HMV BD981
• Dec 1941Max Miller Entertains the War Workers:78 rpm HMV BD982
• Jan 1942That's the Way to Fall in Love/When You're Feeling Lonely/She'll Never Be the Same Again:78 rpm HMV BD987
• Nov 1942Max Miller in the Theatre: At the Finsbury Park Empire:78 rpm HMV BD1022
• Nov 1942Max Miller in the Theatre: At the Finsbury Park Empire:78 rpm HMV BD1023
• Mar 1950Come Hither with Your Zither/ I Never See Maggie Alone:78 rpm HMV BD9878
• Dec 1953Let's Have a Ride on Your Bicycle/My Old Mum:78 rpmPhilipsPB199
• Mar 1954Mary from the Dairy/ Voulez Vous Promenade?:78 rpm Philips PB236
• Apr 1954Pleasant Dreams/Oh Yes! She Knows Her Onions:(with theBeverley Sisters) 78 rpm Philips PB274
• Jun 1954Friends and Neighbours/Two Little People:78 rpm Philips PB296
• Nov 1954Someone Else I'd Like to Be/Don't Forget Your First Sweetheart:78 rpm Philips PB362
• Apr 1955Something Money Can't Buy/London Belongs to Me:78 rpm Philips PB427
• Oct 1955The Budgie Song/Ain't It Ni-ice!:78 rpm Philips PB518
• May 1956The Girls I Like/The Mother Brown Story:78 rpmNixaN15050
• Nov 1957Max at the Met (recorded atThe Metropolitan Music Hall,London):LP Nixa NPT19026
• Jun 1958Be Sincere/With a Little Bit of Luck:78 rpm Nixa N15141
• Jun 1961Influence/There's Always Someone Worse Off Than You:45 rpmPye7N15349
• Jun 1961That's Nice Maxie (recorded at the Black Lion, Patcham, Brighton):LPPye NPL18064
• Sep 1962The Cheeky Chappie (recorded at the Star Sound Studios, London):LP Pye NPL18079
• Jan 1963The Market Song/Tit Bits:with Lonnie Donegan 45 rpm Pye 7N 15493

Since these recordings were released, most have been re-issues as compilations on LPs, cassettes and CDs)

References

• Fisher, John (1973),Funny Way to be a Hero,London, Muller, pp. 86–96,ISBN978-0584100976
• East, John M. (1977),Max Miller the Cheeky Chappie,London, W H Allen,ISBN0491-02260-3
• Osborne, John (1981),A Better Class of Person: An Autobiography: 1929-1956,London, Dutton, pp. 203–205,ISBN0525066349
• Wilmot, Roger (1986),Kindly Leave the Stage: The Story of Variety 1919-1960Methuen, pp. 122–125,ISBN978-0413592903
• Baker, Richard Anthony (2011),Old Time Variety: An Illustrated HistoryBarnsley, Remember When, pp. 52–59,ISBN978-1844681242

External links

• Official website
• Max MilleratIMDb
• "Max Miller".Theatre and Performance.Victoria and Albert Museum.Archived fromthe originalon 14 March 2011.Retrieved15 February2011.
• Max Miller,Great Lives,BBC Radio 4,first broadcast 15 August 2006.