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Norman Shelley

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Norman Shelley
Shelley circa. 1970s
Born(1903-02-16)16 February 1903
Chelsea,London,U.K.
Died21 August 1980(1980-08-21)(aged 77)
Royal Free Hospital,Hampstead,London,U.K.
OccupationActor
SpouseMonica Daphne nee Brett

Norman Shelley(16 February 1903 – 21 August 1980) was a British actor, best known for his work in radio, in particular for theBBC'sChildren's Hour.[1][2]He also had a recurring role as Colonel Danby in the long-running radiosoap operaThe Archers.[3]

Perhaps Shelley's single best-known role was asWinnie-the-PoohinChildren's Houradaptations ofA.A. Milne's stories; for many British people of the mid-20th century, his is the definitive voice of Pooh. Other roles forChildren's HourincludedDr. Watson(oppositeCarleton Hobbsas Holmes) in the1952–1969 Sherlock Holmes radio series;[4]ToadinKenneth Grahame'sThe Wind in the Willows;[5]and the role of Dennis the Dachshund in the specially writtenToytownseries.[6]Shelley also played the parts ofGandalfandTom Bombadilin the1955-56 radio adaptationofJ. R. R. Tolkien'sThe Lord of the Rings.In the 1973BBCtelevision seriesJack the RipperShelley playedDetective ConstableWalter Dew.

Life and career

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Shelley was born inChelsea,London, the son of Frank Shelley, a painter, and his wife, Alice Campbell, née Glover. He originally intended to make a career as an aircraft designer,[7]but took up stage acting on the advice of the actress and teacher Rosina Fillipi. His public debut was at theOld Vicin 1919, and in the early 1920s he toured with theCharles DoranShakespeare Company, performing such roles as Trebonius inJulius Caesarand Sebastian inTwelfth Night.During the 1920s and early '30s he worked principally in London, and was particularly associated withPeter Godfrey's experimental productions at theGate Theatre Studio.[8]

Shelley's first BBC broadcast was in 1926,[7]having earlier made a reputation in radio inAustraliaandNew Zealand.By the late '30s he established a reputation as a respected and versatile British radio actor. In 1937 he married Monica Daphne, née Brett. During theSecond World Warhe was a member of the BBC's wartime repertory company, but left to serve as a ferry pilot in theAir Transport Auxiliary.[8]He worked regularly under producer directorRaymond Raikes.

In the 1930s and '40s he was aChildren's Hourregular, famous as Dennis the Dachshund in earlier episodes ofToytown,[7]and asWinnie-the-Pooh,[7]whom he first played in 1939. He playedDr WatsontoCarleton Hobbs'sSherlock Holmesfrom October 1952 to July 1969.[9]

In the late 1950s he took part in recorded dramatised versions byArgo RecordsofAlice in Wonderland(1958) andThrough the Looking-Glass,both directed byDouglas Cleverdonand both starringJane Asherin the title role.[10]For the same company he also recorded his impersonation of Toad inThe Wind in the Willows(1960) withRichard Gooldenas Mole.

Late in life he found new fame as Colonel Freddy Danby in the BBC radio serialThe Archers.He was still recording episodes ofThe Archersat the time of his death. He collapsed suddenly atFinchley Road tube station,London, on 21 August 1980, and was declared dead in theRoyal Free Hospital,Hampstead. His wife had predeceased him; he was buried near her atLong Hanborough,Oxfordshire,on 28 August.[8]

Churchill impersonation

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A recurring rumour holds that, because the House of Commons was not set up for location recording at that time, some ofWinston Churchill's most famous speeches to Parliament during theSecond World Warwere subsequently recorded for radio broadcast by Shelley, impersonating Churchill. The rumour has been promoted byDavid Irving,to support his unflattering view of Churchill.[11]

It is difficult to prove or disprove Irving's claims. Analysis of the voice patterns in 20 of Churchill's recorded speeches show that three made in May and June 1940 do not match those provably by him, although Churchill might have recorded them after his voice had changed. According to one source, it is unproven whether Shelley is the speaker and, if so, whether the speeches were broadcast as having been spoken by Churchill.[12]

One report states Shelley did record a performance of Churchill's "We shall fight on the beaches"speech,[13]which is claimed to be one of the three non-matching speeches,[12].However, Shelley's 78rpmrecord is dated 7 September 1942, whereas Churchill's speech was broadcast on 4 June 1940, key parts being read out by a BBC announcer.[14][15]Shelley claimed that, with Churchill's permission, he did once voice Churchill for an introduction to a wartime propaganda film for distribution overseas, because thePrime Ministercould not find time for the necessary visit to the studio.

According to Shelley's great friend, formerBBC radioand TV producer and presenter,Trevor Hill,Shelley did stand in for Churchill on at least three occasions, specifically when Churchill was ill or out of the country. That would never have been divulged at the time. Shelley's party piece, apparently often requested, was for everyone to close their eyes while he impersonated Churchill, and on those occasions, according to Hill, it was impossible to tell the difference.

In 1949, Churchill re-recorded most of his speeches at his home atChartwell.TheEMIengineer responsible for the recordings has told theBECTUHistory Project that he used one of the then newBritish Tape Recorders,and that Churchill usually did the recording in bed, so the speeches have a more relaxed air than the original broadcast. They are often the versions that are played today.[citation needed]

Selected filmography

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References

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  1. ^"Norman Shelley".Archived fromthe originalon 22 December 2016.
  2. ^"CHILDREN'S HOUR – BBC Home Service Basic – 16 February 1953 – BBC Genome".The Radio Times(1527): 18. 13 February 1953.
  3. ^"The Archers – BBC Radio 4 FM – 30 November 1978 – BBC Genome".The Radio Times(2872): 67. 23 November 1978.
  4. ^"The Solitary Cyclist, Sherlock Holmes with Carleton Hobbs, Sherlock Holmes – BBC Radio 4 Extra".
  5. ^"'THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS' – BBC Home Service Basic – 12 April 1955 – BBC Genome ".The Radio Times(1639): 22. 8 April 1955.
  6. ^"Norman Shelley tribute: A Man of Many Voices".Retrieved14 July2023.
  7. ^abcdIan Hartley,Goodnight children...everywhereMidas Books: Hippocrene Books, New York: 1983; p. 42
  8. ^abc"Sir Gawaine and the Green Knight".Diversity Website.Retrieved22 March2010.
  9. ^Redmond, Christopher (2009).Sherlock Holmes Handbook: Second Edition.Dundurn. p. 229.ISBN9781459718982.
  10. ^"Alice in Wonderland: Wired for Sound".Archived fromthe originalon 13 April 2009.Retrieved15 November2009.
  11. ^Olsen, John."An actor read Churchill's wartime speeches over the wireless".
  12. ^abWenden, D. J. (1993). "Churchill, Radio, and Cinema". In Blake, Robert B.; Louis, William Roger (eds.).Churchill.Oxford: Clarendon Press. pp. 236–239.ISBN0-19-820626-7.
  13. ^Thorpe, Vanessa (29 October 2000)."Finest hour for actor who was Churchill's radio voice".The Observer.The Guardian.Retrieved29 May2009.
  14. ^Robert Rhodes James (Autumn 1996)."Myth Shattering: An Actor Did Not Give Churchill's Speeches"(PDF).Finest Hour(92). The International Churchill Societies: 23–25. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 28 January 2016.Retrieved3 January2016.
  15. ^Robert Rhodes James."Myths – An actor read Churchill's wartime speeches over the wireless".The Churchill Centre.Retrieved3 January2016.
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