0:00:04 > 0:00:09UKULELE MUSIC
0:00:17 > 0:00:19So, here are the clues.
0:00:19 > 0:00:22I'm in Blackpool, I'm leaning on a lamppost
0:00:22 > 0:00:24and I am carrying a ukulele.
0:00:24 > 0:00:28Yes, it's a George Formby documentary.
0:00:28 > 0:00:31I told a mate of mine I was making a programme about George Formby
0:00:31 > 0:00:34and he said, "Is that the guy with the grilling machines?"
0:00:34 > 0:00:37Well, no, it isn't. It's the guy who was one of the biggest
0:00:37 > 0:00:38British comedians of all time.
0:00:38 > 0:00:40A massive, massive star.
0:00:40 > 0:00:43I want to find out why? Why people loved him so much,
0:00:43 > 0:00:46and how his memory lives on today.
0:00:48 > 0:00:52# Now, I go window cleaning to earn an honest bob
0:00:52 > 0:00:55# For a nosey parker it's an interesting job
0:00:55 > 0:00:59# Now it's a job that just suits me a window cleaner you will be
0:00:59 > 0:01:01# If you could see what I can see
0:01:01 > 0:01:03# When I'm cleaning windows
0:01:03 > 0:01:05# La-la-lee, La-la-da
0:01:05 > 0:01:08# La-la-la-la-do-do-do
0:01:08 > 0:01:10# When I'm cleaning windows.#
0:01:10 > 0:01:12APPLAUSE
0:01:12 > 0:01:16'I've been a George Formby fan for as long as I can remember.'
0:01:19 > 0:01:21'Has Formby had an influence on my act?
0:01:21 > 0:01:23'Well...'
0:01:23 > 0:01:28# What happened to that nasty man so pally with the Taliban?
0:01:28 > 0:01:33# Oh, oh, oh, oh, Osama Bin Laden
0:01:35 > 0:01:38# He occasionally sends out a videotape
0:01:38 > 0:01:44# To say he's doing great and he's full of hate
0:01:44 > 0:01:47# Well, if he's doing so great then please tell me
0:01:47 > 0:01:49# Why a videotape not a DVD
0:01:49 > 0:01:54# Oh, oh, oh, oh, Osama Bin Laden. #
0:01:54 > 0:01:55Thank you very much. Good night.
0:01:55 > 0:01:59APPLAUSE
0:02:06 > 0:02:09I'm starting my journey here in Blackpool,
0:02:09 > 0:02:12in many ways George Formby's spiritual home.
0:02:12 > 0:02:17It's also the place where hundreds of fans meet up every year
0:02:17 > 0:02:19to celebrate the man and his music.
0:02:19 > 0:02:25MUSIC: "When I'm Cleaning Windows"
0:02:46 > 0:02:48One of the brilliant things about George Formby fans
0:02:48 > 0:02:50is they're not like other fans.
0:02:50 > 0:02:53If you were a Jimmy Hendrix fan, for example, you wouldn't
0:02:53 > 0:02:56go to a convention and take your electric guitar.
0:02:56 > 0:02:58If you were a Liberace fan, you wouldn't turn up
0:02:58 > 0:03:00with your Steinway Grand Piano.
0:03:00 > 0:03:04But almost every George Formby fan plays the ukulele.
0:03:04 > 0:03:07It's a completely interactive activity.
0:03:07 > 0:03:10The fans never tire of watching George's many comedy films,
0:03:10 > 0:03:14and in particular, they love to celebrate
0:03:14 > 0:03:15his mastery of the ukulele.
0:03:32 > 0:03:35George Formby was quite a massive film star.
0:03:35 > 0:03:40He made about 20 movies in-between 1934 and 1946
0:03:40 > 0:03:45and used to get about 35 grand a film which, by modern standards,
0:03:45 > 0:03:50is about a million and a half quid, so he was big time.
0:03:50 > 0:03:55# Bow down, everyone, here I come Bang that cymbal and hit that drum
0:03:55 > 0:04:01# Bow down, everyone, yes, sir I'm the Emperor Of Lancashire
0:04:01 > 0:04:04# Who's this gentleman flashing dough?
0:04:04 > 0:04:07# Is he somebody we should know?
0:04:07 > 0:04:13# Is he somebody? Whoa, sir! I'm the Emperor Of Lancashire. #
0:04:13 > 0:04:16A George Formby film has a certain formula to it.
0:04:16 > 0:04:23George plays a seemingly gormless northern lad who's still got
0:04:23 > 0:04:27a working class nouse and a certain amount of resilience
0:04:27 > 0:04:30and he meets a nice girl who's way, way out of his league
0:04:30 > 0:04:33and then he meets quite a bad person
0:04:33 > 0:04:38and the bad person does something bad and George somehow manages
0:04:38 > 0:04:41to stop that happening and at the end he gets the girl.
0:04:41 > 0:04:42Fancy you knowing all that.
0:04:42 > 0:04:45And in-between, there are various things.
0:04:45 > 0:04:50George does the occasional cracking one-liner.
0:04:50 > 0:04:53Tell me, how long were you in your last situation?
0:04:53 > 0:04:55- Three years. - Yes, and why did you leave?
0:04:55 > 0:04:58- I was pardoned.- Get out!
0:04:58 > 0:05:03In Keep Your Seats Please, there's a bit where George has to smuggle
0:05:03 > 0:05:04a goat onto a bus.
0:05:04 > 0:05:09Apparently you can't take a goat on a bus and, of course,
0:05:09 > 0:05:14what he does is he puts a dog mask on it.
0:05:14 > 0:05:18So we get George on the bus, manhandling this enormous goat,
0:05:18 > 0:05:21but it's disguised as a dog.
0:05:25 > 0:05:27What sort of a dog's that?
0:05:27 > 0:05:30- A root-haired hipopotopic.- Oh, yes.
0:05:30 > 0:05:32What a peculiar smell.
0:05:37 > 0:05:40- Who did that?- Baa!
0:05:40 > 0:05:44'But of course, the highlight of any George Formby film
0:05:44 > 0:05:47'is when he picks up the ukulele and starts to sing.'
0:05:47 > 0:05:51# It's Auntie Maggie's home-made remedy
0:05:51 > 0:05:54# Guaranteed never to fail
0:05:54 > 0:05:58# That's the stuff that will do the trick
0:05:58 > 0:06:01# It's sold at every chemist for one and a kick
0:06:01 > 0:06:05# Now, if you've got lumbago rheumatics or gout
0:06:05 > 0:06:09# Or a pain in your Robert E Lee
0:06:09 > 0:06:12# Don't kick up a shindy You'll never get windy
0:06:12 > 0:06:15# With Auntie Maggie's Remedy. #
0:06:17 > 0:06:20'To find out about George's early years,
0:06:20 > 0:06:24'I met up with John Walley, founder member of the George Formby Society
0:06:24 > 0:06:27'and all-round Formby mastermind.'
0:06:27 > 0:06:30- So this is the grave.- This is it.
0:06:30 > 0:06:34"In loving remembrance of George Formby, comedian."
0:06:34 > 0:06:37This is not George, is it? It's George's dad.
0:06:37 > 0:06:42No, this is George Formby Senior, forgotten now except by Formby
0:06:42 > 0:06:47aficionados, but the great George Formby, the first George Formby.
0:06:47 > 0:06:50- This is his grave. - And he gets the portrait.
0:06:50 > 0:06:52He get's the portrait.
0:06:52 > 0:06:58- And so...- And there is the famous George Formby Junior.
0:06:58 > 0:07:01- He didn't even get top billing. - He didn't!
0:07:01 > 0:07:0540 years top of the bill, but when he dies, he's underneath there.
0:07:05 > 0:07:09So George Senior was really quite a big star, wasn't he?
0:07:09 > 0:07:10Indeed he was.
0:07:10 > 0:07:15But George Senior's northern humour was born out of deprivation
0:07:15 > 0:07:20and ill health and I'm afraid he contracted TB
0:07:20 > 0:07:22at a very early age but, er...
0:07:22 > 0:07:26But his catch phrase... I love his catch phrase. He used to say,
0:07:26 > 0:07:29"I'm coughing well tonight." Is that right?
0:07:29 > 0:07:32- "I'm coughing BETTER tonight". - Oh, "I'm coughing better tonight".
0:07:32 > 0:07:35I love that a man bases his catch phrase on his illness.
0:07:35 > 0:07:36On something that's killing him.
0:07:36 > 0:07:41My dad collapsed and died in pantomime in Newcastle.
0:07:41 > 0:07:44He was a great fellow you know, really.
0:07:44 > 0:07:48I wonder how many of you older folks that's watching
0:07:48 > 0:07:53or in this theatre tonight remembers this song.
0:07:53 > 0:07:59# They put me on a horse's back and sent me out to ride
0:07:59 > 0:08:04# When I fell off, the riding master came to me and cried
0:08:04 > 0:08:10# "However did you come to be?" "I told you", I replied
0:08:10 > 0:08:15# "I was standing at the corner of the parade." #
0:08:15 > 0:08:19HE COUGHS
0:08:19 > 0:08:23'Bronchitis. I'm a bit tight tonight on t'chest.
0:08:23 > 0:08:27'I could do with a strengthening bottle.'
0:08:29 > 0:08:31Well, he certainly was a great star.
0:08:31 > 0:08:33I don't think I'll ever be as good as him.
0:08:33 > 0:08:38This is George Senior's date book which is the book
0:08:38 > 0:08:41- in which he kept a record of all his gigs.- Indeed.
0:08:41 > 0:08:46- He starts off in 1906, he's on £35 a week.- Yeah.
0:08:46 > 0:08:47You've worked that out, haven't you?
0:08:47 > 0:08:50According to the average wage that works out at about...
0:08:50 > 0:08:53It would now be £14,000 a week.
0:08:53 > 0:08:59And in 1922, he's on £325 a week
0:08:59 > 0:09:03- and that is about £58,000.- A week?
0:09:03 > 0:09:06- Yep.- Not bad, is it?!- Yeah.
0:09:06 > 0:09:09So the idea that the George Formby that we know,
0:09:09 > 0:09:11George Junior, came from poverty...
0:09:11 > 0:09:14I think people imagine he was a working class northern lad
0:09:14 > 0:09:16- and that's not true.- No, he wasn't.
0:09:16 > 0:09:19The Formby home at Hindley House,
0:09:19 > 0:09:22it was luxurious. There was a library...
0:09:22 > 0:09:28On the lounge floor were leopard skin tiger rugs
0:09:28 > 0:09:31and George never knew poverty.
0:09:37 > 0:09:40There's some great footage of George
0:09:40 > 0:09:43and his mother, Eliza, at George Senior's graveside.
0:09:43 > 0:09:45With our George standing more or less...
0:09:45 > 0:09:49I'm afraid he's standing just where I am, looking down.
0:09:51 > 0:09:55George was sent away at the age of six to be a jockey
0:09:55 > 0:09:59because George Senior didn't want his son to end up in the music hall,
0:09:59 > 0:10:03but a trip to the theatre with his mother Eliza changed everything.
0:10:03 > 0:10:06They went to London after the funeral to get over the shock
0:10:06 > 0:10:09and to visit relatives and they went to the Holborn Empire
0:10:09 > 0:10:13and they saw a man come on the stage impersonating Formby Senior
0:10:13 > 0:10:16and George said "Oh, all right then, if he can earn a living
0:10:16 > 0:10:18"doing my father, I can."
0:10:18 > 0:10:22So back up to Warrington they went, and Eliza dressed George
0:10:22 > 0:10:27in his dad's clothes, taught him several of his father's songs
0:10:27 > 0:10:30from the cylinder records, went into the music room
0:10:30 > 0:10:33and after three weeks, she rehearsed him and rehearsed him,
0:10:33 > 0:10:36- cos George had never seen his dad on the stage.- Really?- Never.
0:10:36 > 0:10:38He'd kick him out and say "Get back to the stables!
0:10:38 > 0:10:41"One fool in the family is enough!" So he didn't know what to do.
0:10:41 > 0:10:44Anyway, I learnt two songs off the record,
0:10:44 > 0:10:48two of my dad's songs, and a friend of his called Fred Harrison,
0:10:48 > 0:10:53he gave me a week's work at a place called the Hippodrome, Earlstown,
0:10:53 > 0:10:55It's a little tin hut near Newton-le-Willows.
0:10:57 > 0:11:02Formby Junior's performance was a carbon copy of his father's.
0:11:03 > 0:11:06# John Willie, come on!
0:11:06 > 0:11:09# It's closing time you see. #
0:11:09 > 0:11:13I didn't go as George Formby, I took my mother's maiden name "Hoy"
0:11:13 > 0:11:16because my dad's name was always top of the bill and I knew
0:11:16 > 0:11:18I wouldn't be top of the bill the first time.
0:11:18 > 0:11:21I'd be like that. And I didn't want the name of "Formby" to be small.
0:11:21 > 0:11:24I said I'll use "Formby" when I top bills myself.
0:11:24 > 0:11:29So George began in show business as his own father's tribute act.
0:11:29 > 0:11:33Correct. And for three years, his mother was not only his mum,
0:11:33 > 0:11:38but his manager, writing to the managers of the northern music halls
0:11:38 > 0:11:42who gave young George work out of sympathy for his father
0:11:42 > 0:11:44because they respected him and loved him.
0:11:44 > 0:11:49But in 1924, at the Alhambra Theatre in Barnsley,
0:11:49 > 0:11:53two things happened to him that completely changed his life.
0:11:54 > 0:11:58Sitting in the front row was the feisty young lady called Beryl,
0:11:58 > 0:12:02brilliant business woman, brilliant dancer, professional dancer
0:12:02 > 0:12:06and in the next dressing room was a man called Sam Paul
0:12:06 > 0:12:07who played a ukulele.
0:12:07 > 0:12:10Not in the show, but just to wile away the time.
0:12:10 > 0:12:13George paid two pounds, ten shillings for it,
0:12:13 > 0:12:17learned a few chords and Beryl... George was smitten with her
0:12:17 > 0:12:19and six months later, they married
0:12:19 > 0:12:24and that's when George Formby changed his life.
0:12:24 > 0:12:27She insisted that he dropped his father's clothes.
0:12:27 > 0:12:29Insisted that he always wore evening suit
0:12:29 > 0:12:31when he came on with the uke at the end.
0:12:31 > 0:12:33Insisted he put the ukulele in his act,
0:12:33 > 0:12:37so his act was completely different from that of his father
0:12:37 > 0:12:43and from 1924 onwards, George went up and up and up with Beryl.
0:12:43 > 0:12:51# Although the skies be dreary and grey
0:12:51 > 0:12:59# Promise me that you'll never stray away
0:12:59 > 0:13:07# My baby, baby, you're my... #
0:13:15 > 0:13:17Beryl Ingham was already a successful dancer
0:13:17 > 0:13:20when she met George, but after they were married
0:13:20 > 0:13:22she sacrificed her career to concentrate
0:13:22 > 0:13:24on making her husband into a star.
0:13:26 > 0:13:30She was hard as nails and it's difficult now, 70 years on,
0:13:30 > 0:13:33to think what it was like, but I mean, in those days
0:13:33 > 0:13:37show business was a male-orientated world
0:13:37 > 0:13:40and she was one of the very, very few female impresarios
0:13:40 > 0:13:43so she had to be very, very tough to get along.
0:13:43 > 0:13:45And she really didn't take any prisoners.
0:13:45 > 0:13:50She did deals for him that were record-breakers at that time.
0:13:50 > 0:13:52She was very, very good.
0:13:52 > 0:13:58I realised, even at that stage, she was one of the great managers.
0:13:58 > 0:14:03She looked after her husband's career tremendously.
0:14:03 > 0:14:07I think maybe a little too strongly in cases,
0:14:07 > 0:14:12but all the people that I saw dealing with her
0:14:12 > 0:14:15had a fear which was marvellous.
0:14:15 > 0:14:18See, I must admit I have a soft spot for Beryl
0:14:18 > 0:14:24because I know, as a performer, that one often uses one's manager
0:14:24 > 0:14:28as a kind of excuse. So when someone comes up to you and they say,
0:14:28 > 0:14:31"Oh, will you do this" and you say, "Yeah, I'll ask my manager"
0:14:31 > 0:14:34and you say to your manager "I don't want to do it. Can you tell him?"
0:14:34 > 0:14:36So you get your manager to do the dirty work
0:14:36 > 0:14:40and I suspect that George used Beryl like that quite a lot.
0:14:40 > 0:14:44It's quite handy having this very strict wife/manager
0:14:44 > 0:14:46because then you've got a good excuse for saying "No".
0:14:46 > 0:14:49- Do you care for one night of love?- Mother!
0:14:49 > 0:14:53Beryl also had a reputation for, shall we say, protecting George
0:14:53 > 0:14:55from the attentions of other women.
0:14:55 > 0:14:58Oh, is that going to come up, too?
0:14:58 > 0:15:01There are stories that he was a bit of a lady's man.
0:15:01 > 0:15:04The women loved him and all his films,
0:15:04 > 0:15:08he was always chased by a lovely lady.
0:15:08 > 0:15:13I mean, there was the story that I was told early on
0:15:13 > 0:15:17that Beryl wouldn't allow him to kiss any of his leading ladies.
0:15:17 > 0:15:20Whenever anybody did a film with George Formby,
0:15:20 > 0:15:23it would go around the grapevine with the girls
0:15:23 > 0:15:26that if you do a film with George he'll make passes at you.
0:15:26 > 0:15:28You know you are a clever young lady.
0:15:28 > 0:15:30Let's look again.
0:15:30 > 0:15:33Well, let me help you. I'll hold it still.
0:15:33 > 0:15:35- I can manage. - Well, I won't bother then.
0:15:35 > 0:15:39- How are we going to stop Mendes broadcasting?- We're not going to.
0:15:39 > 0:15:42And on the very, very last day Beryl had to do some Christmas shopping
0:15:42 > 0:15:44and I was in my dressing room in the lunch hour
0:15:44 > 0:15:47and a knock came at the door and George stood there,
0:15:47 > 0:15:51rather like a little boy, and said, "Eee, I'm crazy about you,"
0:15:51 > 0:15:54and that was all! I think Beryl appeared the next minute,
0:15:54 > 0:15:58but it was quite extraordinary how he couldn't resist
0:15:58 > 0:16:00or couldn't resist TRYING, I suppose,
0:16:00 > 0:16:03to make it with all his leading ladies.
0:16:03 > 0:16:05Isn't love a very funny thing?
0:16:05 > 0:16:07Oh, you're crazy.
0:16:07 > 0:16:09I know that.
0:16:09 > 0:16:12But it wasn't just Beryl who made George Formby a superstar.
0:16:12 > 0:16:15The other magic ingredient was the ukulele.
0:16:15 > 0:16:17# Some like to be alone
0:16:17 > 0:16:21# It's no-one else's business as far as I can see
0:16:21 > 0:16:25# But every time that I go out the people stare at me
0:16:25 > 0:16:29# With my little ukulele in my hand. #
0:16:29 > 0:16:32Sometimes when I say to people that I like George Formby they say,
0:16:32 > 0:16:35"Oh, yeah, George Formby, he's the one with the banjo."
0:16:35 > 0:16:39No! He's not the guy with the banjo, right!
0:16:39 > 0:16:42George Formby started playing one of these. It's a ukulele.
0:16:42 > 0:16:45Four strings, tuned...OK
0:16:45 > 0:16:46Not a banjo.
0:16:46 > 0:16:50A banjo normally has five strings tuned completely differently.
0:16:50 > 0:16:52The reason people think George played a banjo is
0:16:52 > 0:16:56if you play one of these in a large theatre...
0:16:56 > 0:16:59# With my little ukulele in my hand. #
0:16:59 > 0:17:02..it's beautiful but it's a little bit quiet.
0:17:02 > 0:17:06There's a thing on a banjo, a round body called the resonator...
0:17:08 > 0:17:12One of these. And if you put one of these on the ukulele,
0:17:12 > 0:17:14same thing...
0:17:14 > 0:17:18# With my little ukulele in my hand. #
0:17:18 > 0:17:21Much louder, everyone can hear it even in the cheap seats.
0:17:21 > 0:17:23What's that called?
0:17:23 > 0:17:26This one? If you don't want the goods, don't maul it.
0:17:26 > 0:17:29Oh, I know that, it goes like this.
0:17:29 > 0:17:33- Try it on this one first, sir. It's a better instrument.- All right.
0:17:37 > 0:17:42# Now here's a little motto song I'd like to sing to you. #
0:17:49 > 0:17:52Now, the ukulele is a bit like backgammon,
0:17:52 > 0:17:56in that it's very easy to play but very difficult to play well.
0:17:56 > 0:18:01So once I got the rudiments, I used to spend a lot of early hours
0:18:01 > 0:18:06of the morning sessions watching Youtube, finding these guys
0:18:06 > 0:18:10who show you how to do little George Formby techniques,
0:18:10 > 0:18:11little frills and fancy bits,
0:18:11 > 0:18:17and they're all mad fans and just want to share what they know.
0:18:17 > 0:18:19This guy here is one of my favourites.
0:18:19 > 0:18:23This is Peter Nixon who always starts with a lovely "Hello"
0:18:23 > 0:18:26which makes me feel very warm-hearted and then he shares
0:18:26 > 0:18:28often stuff he's just learnt that week.
0:18:28 > 0:18:31'Going down and hitting the top string.
0:18:31 > 0:18:35'Going down and hitting the bottom string.
0:18:35 > 0:18:41'Coming up and hitting the bottom string.
0:18:41 > 0:18:44So at this point, I'm normally sitting at home going...
0:18:49 > 0:18:52..which the neighbours love at two o'clock in the morning(!)
0:18:52 > 0:18:55'OK, so now what we're going to do is...
0:18:55 > 0:18:56'We're going to take...'
0:18:56 > 0:18:59Now, this guy is another one of my favourites.
0:18:59 > 0:19:01What he does in this one... It's a guy called John.
0:19:01 > 0:19:04And what he does is he slows down the solo
0:19:04 > 0:19:08in a George Formby song called I Can Tell It By My Horoscope
0:19:08 > 0:19:11and not only does he slow it down so we can hear exactly
0:19:11 > 0:19:14what George is doing, but he represents it
0:19:14 > 0:19:18by a series of sound waves... Really.
0:19:20 > 0:19:23'Here we see the first beat that I took from this point
0:19:23 > 0:19:26'in the movie clip.'
0:19:26 > 0:19:30So you can actually tell the very moment that George's fingernail
0:19:30 > 0:19:32is touching each individual string.
0:19:32 > 0:19:36UKULELE MUSIC
0:19:41 > 0:19:45Steven Sproat is a fantastic ukulele player and teacher.
0:19:45 > 0:19:48He's the man to ask about George's technique.
0:19:50 > 0:19:53It's relentless, yeah, yeah.
0:19:53 > 0:19:57- That's like watching a rottweiler on a postman.- Yeah!
0:19:57 > 0:20:01How good a ukulele player was George Formby?
0:20:01 > 0:20:02He was incredible really.
0:20:02 > 0:20:07He had a particular right hand technique that he made his own
0:20:07 > 0:20:12and there hasn't really been a uke player since Formby,
0:20:12 > 0:20:15or even before Formby, that played quite like him.
0:20:15 > 0:20:18A very, very good rhythm player.
0:20:18 > 0:20:21Because I get quite angry at people. Because he's very genial
0:20:21 > 0:20:25and sings silly songs, they kind of underestimate the musicianship.
0:20:25 > 0:20:28- Sure, yeah.- But that is unjust, isn't it?- It is really, yes.
0:20:28 > 0:20:34The trouble is that Formby was such a successful comic performer
0:20:34 > 0:20:38that often his lyrics and his songs pigeonholed him,
0:20:38 > 0:20:40but when it came to playing the ukulele,
0:20:40 > 0:20:42he was a true genius really.
0:20:42 > 0:20:46- He's fast, isn't he? - Very fast, yes.
0:20:46 > 0:20:49If you try playing along to Leaning On A Lamppost, it's phenomenal.
0:20:49 > 0:20:54You listen and you think, "That's fast", but when you play along to it, it's like, "Woah!"
0:20:54 > 0:20:58- Can you give me an example?- Probably not as fast as Formby, but...
0:20:58 > 0:21:03FAST-PACED UKULELE
0:21:45 > 0:21:48Cor! I love it!
0:21:48 > 0:21:50- I'm going to applaud, I'm sorry. - Thank you very much.
0:21:50 > 0:21:54- Thank you. I'll receive your applause.- That's fabulous, Steven.
0:22:08 > 0:22:11# In my little snapshot album. #
0:22:11 > 0:22:14# Heaven help me
0:22:14 > 0:22:16# When you call my name It's like a little prayer. #
0:22:16 > 0:22:20Nowadays the ukulele has become a very cool instrument.
0:22:20 > 0:22:23I went to this ukulele karaoke club to make sure the new generation
0:22:23 > 0:22:27of ukulele players give George the credit he deserves.
0:22:29 > 0:22:33I'm regarding you guys as kind of the new wave of ukulele players.
0:22:33 > 0:22:34Is that fair?
0:22:34 > 0:22:36I think that's a fair summary.
0:22:36 > 0:22:39And I think a lot of people probably from the new wave
0:22:39 > 0:22:42don't like George Formby very much and don't play George Formby.
0:22:42 > 0:22:44Why is that?
0:22:44 > 0:22:47Why is that? I think because we worry that that means
0:22:47 > 0:22:52we won't get an audience...maybe... if I'm being really honest.
0:22:52 > 0:22:55I have every admiration for Mr Formby, but I'm a bit wary
0:22:55 > 0:22:57of the cult of George.
0:22:57 > 0:23:00I think there's a place for George in the new world of ukulele.
0:23:00 > 0:23:03If you listen to some George Formby solos, for example,
0:23:03 > 0:23:06he was one hell of a ukulele player.
0:23:06 > 0:23:12A phrase that always comes up is "Phenomenal right hand"
0:23:12 > 0:23:15because no-one does it like George.
0:23:15 > 0:23:17It's a bit like being blood brothers.
0:23:17 > 0:23:20He should reach to us across the years.
0:23:20 > 0:23:23We're all joined together by the ukulele.
0:23:23 > 0:23:26# There's no other girl I would wait for
0:23:26 > 0:23:29# But this one I'd break any date for
0:23:29 > 0:23:33# I won't have to ask what she's late for
0:23:33 > 0:23:36# She wouldn't leave me flat She's not a girl like that
0:23:36 > 0:23:40# Oh, she's absolutely wonderful and marvellous and beautiful
0:23:40 > 0:23:42# And anyone will understand why
0:23:42 > 0:23:46# I'm leaning on a lamppost at the corner of the street
0:23:46 > 0:23:51# In case a certain little lady passes by. #
0:23:51 > 0:23:53APPLAUSE
0:23:53 > 0:23:57'I believe my work here is done.'
0:23:57 > 0:23:59It's turned out nice again, hasn't it?
0:23:59 > 0:24:03In schools all over the country, children have abandoned
0:24:03 > 0:24:07the old traditional recorder and reached for a shiny new ukulele.
0:24:07 > 0:24:11Sounds like an opportunity for a bit more indoctrination.
0:24:11 > 0:24:15ALL: # In the jungle The mighty jungle
0:24:15 > 0:24:18# The lion sleeps tonight. #
0:24:18 > 0:24:20Good morning.
0:24:20 > 0:24:23ALL: Good morning, Frank Skinner.
0:24:23 > 0:24:26I like being called "Frank Skinner." That's nice.
0:24:26 > 0:24:27How lovely to see you all.
0:24:27 > 0:24:30You all look so fabulous and nice blue tops and happy.
0:24:30 > 0:24:35I want to introduce you to a man who was the most famous ukulele player
0:24:35 > 0:24:40in the country, right. And he was called George Formby.
0:24:40 > 0:24:43This is George and George was very, very famous
0:24:43 > 0:24:47and whatever George played, he smiled as well.
0:24:47 > 0:24:50So I'm going to play a little George Formby song.
0:24:50 > 0:24:54Now, I'm a bit nervous so if I make a mistake be nice to me, OK?
0:24:54 > 0:24:59# With my little ukulele in my hand
0:24:59 > 0:25:03# People just don't seem to understand
0:25:03 > 0:25:08# They say, "Why don't you be a scout? Why don't you read a book?"
0:25:08 > 0:25:11# But I get much more pleasure when I'm playing with my uke. #
0:25:11 > 0:25:15CHILDREN SING
0:25:15 > 0:25:18I was amazed how quickly they picked it up.
0:25:18 > 0:25:23ALL: # My heart it jumped with joy I could see it was a boy
0:25:23 > 0:25:26# But I kept my ukulele in my hand
0:25:26 > 0:25:31# Yes, sir, I kept my ukulele in my hand. #
0:25:34 > 0:25:38Fantastic! Well, I really thought that was brilliant.
0:25:38 > 0:25:42Well done, everybody and now you know who George Formby is.
0:25:42 > 0:25:46And not only do you know who he is, but you can play a George Formby song and that's brilliant.
0:25:46 > 0:25:49So go away and tell your friends about George.
0:25:49 > 0:25:53ALL: Eh, eh it's turned out nice again.
0:25:56 > 0:25:58Pardon me.
0:25:58 > 0:25:59Thank you.
0:25:59 > 0:26:04Of course, there's always songs in George Formby films.
0:26:04 > 0:26:09George somehow acquires a ukulele or has one with him then the song has
0:26:09 > 0:26:13to emerge from the normal action and there's lots of ways of doing this.
0:26:13 > 0:26:16I think one of my favourites is
0:26:16 > 0:26:20when George is strolling through a store and there's a woman
0:26:20 > 0:26:25trying to work out exactly what a ukulele is cos she's thinking
0:26:25 > 0:26:29of buying one for her child and who should be passing but George Formby?
0:26:29 > 0:26:31Nonsense, listen.
0:26:31 > 0:26:36No, see, it's not quite right, do you mind? I'll show you.
0:26:36 > 0:26:41# Come on and hear my ukulele come on and hear, come on and hear
0:26:41 > 0:26:45# I give a demonstration daily right over here, right over here... #
0:26:45 > 0:26:49And it goes into a fabulous song sequence
0:26:49 > 0:26:52in which... What I love about it is that George
0:26:52 > 0:26:57is so persistently George that he does the normal saucy lines
0:26:57 > 0:27:01even though he is surrounded by a posse of smiling innocent children.
0:27:01 > 0:27:03It's a fabulous juxtaposition.
0:27:03 > 0:27:08# When I go out with my little black case, some people get me wrong
0:27:08 > 0:27:13# A nice young lady said to me "I'm glad you came along
0:27:13 > 0:27:16# "I'd like to see your underwear Please show me all you can"
0:27:16 > 0:27:21# I said, "You won't see none of mine, I'm the Ukulele Man".
0:27:21 > 0:27:23# He's the Ukulele Man
0:27:25 > 0:27:28# He's the Ukulele Man
0:27:30 > 0:27:34# I'm not a salesman you can guess but I sell something nonetheless
0:27:34 > 0:27:39# So come and buy some happiness from the Ukulele Man. #
0:27:39 > 0:27:44What I really like about the ukulele solos in the George Formby movies
0:27:44 > 0:27:47is that George, if you watch his face,
0:27:47 > 0:27:51it looks like he can hardly believe he is playing this solo either.
0:27:51 > 0:27:54So he's banging away and going...
0:27:54 > 0:27:56and really it's the joy of the man.
0:27:56 > 0:27:59It's like he's been given this gift from God.
0:28:18 > 0:28:21Most George Formby films end with a chase
0:28:21 > 0:28:25and this could be George in a car, George on a race horse,
0:28:25 > 0:28:30George on a motorbike, but the general motif is that George
0:28:30 > 0:28:32is terrified, and consequently,
0:28:32 > 0:28:36he makes a lot of fabulously high-pitched Lancastrian noises
0:28:36 > 0:28:41throughout and the variety that he manages to find in this...
0:28:41 > 0:28:46The occasional "Mother!" or "Oh, eck" is really something.
0:28:46 > 0:28:48Ooo.
0:28:48 > 0:28:52Ooo. Argghh!
0:28:52 > 0:28:55Oo-oo. Argh! Yow!
0:28:55 > 0:28:57Yak!
0:28:57 > 0:28:58Yaa! Oooo!
0:29:00 > 0:29:03Ha-ha! Whoah!
0:29:03 > 0:29:05Argh!
0:29:05 > 0:29:10# Make life go with a swing Laugh at trouble and sing
0:29:10 > 0:29:13# Tra-la-la-la-lala-lala
0:29:13 > 0:29:15# Count your blessing and smile. #
0:29:15 > 0:29:20It was during the war that Formby's cheeky optimism
0:29:20 > 0:29:23and relentlessly cheerful songs really captivated the nation.
0:29:30 > 0:29:35# Now he makes raw recruits Just tremble in their boots
0:29:35 > 0:29:37# He calls them slackers Who's gone crackers?
0:29:37 > 0:29:39# Our Sergeant Major
0:29:39 > 0:29:43# His feet fill up the road Knock-kneed and pigeon-toed
0:29:43 > 0:29:46# We'd sooner shoot him then salute him
0:29:46 > 0:29:48# Our Sergeant Major. #
0:29:48 > 0:29:51George, of course, was a highly patriotic comic
0:29:51 > 0:29:55and a very big part of the British war effort
0:29:55 > 0:29:59and in Let George Do It there is one sequence which apparently always
0:29:59 > 0:30:04got a standing ovation and massive cheers and applause from the crowd.
0:30:04 > 0:30:06I think you'll probably be able to guess why.
0:30:06 > 0:30:10Look out, Adolf, I'm coming after you!
0:30:10 > 0:30:11I am determined...
0:30:11 > 0:30:15I will wipe Britain's Empire from the face of the earth!
0:30:15 > 0:30:16I want you.
0:30:16 > 0:30:17Why?
0:30:17 > 0:30:20You're my last territorial demand in Europe.
0:30:20 > 0:30:22I will knock your head off the block!
0:30:22 > 0:30:24Not if I knock your block off first.
0:30:31 > 0:30:33Well, I, like everybody else,
0:30:33 > 0:30:37I was called up and I went to take me medical.
0:30:37 > 0:30:40That was the biggest laugh I ever got in my life...
0:30:40 > 0:30:43when I stripped off.
0:30:43 > 0:30:46I never knew I had flat feet
0:30:46 > 0:30:49and the doctor looked at me and he gave me a shilling
0:30:49 > 0:30:52and he gave me a card which said "Grade 4".
0:30:52 > 0:30:54I didn't even get in the first three!
0:30:54 > 0:30:56And he said, "You better go entertaining troops,"
0:30:56 > 0:30:58so I went over every war front.
0:30:58 > 0:31:02I took Beryl with me, of course, and we went everywhere.
0:31:02 > 0:31:04BERYL: Wherever George had to go, Beryl went too.
0:31:04 > 0:31:07I said all the time, "If you want George, you've got to have me"
0:31:07 > 0:31:11and they always wanted George, so they had to put up with me.
0:31:11 > 0:31:12# It's turned out nice again... #
0:31:12 > 0:31:14# Oh, he does look the swank
0:31:14 > 0:31:16# Does Frank on his tank
0:31:16 > 0:31:19# He does look a swank does Frank
0:31:21 > 0:31:23# See him dashing along
0:31:23 > 0:31:27# With a clickety clickety clank... #
0:31:27 > 0:31:30# Oh Mr Wu, what shall I do?
0:31:30 > 0:31:35# I'm feeling kind of Limehouse Chinese Laundry Blues... #
0:31:35 > 0:31:39# Bless 'em all, bless 'em all
0:31:39 > 0:31:42# The long and the short and the tall... #
0:31:43 > 0:31:46# Out in the Middle East You can have a lot of fun
0:31:46 > 0:31:50# Out in the Middle East... #
0:31:50 > 0:31:52Amazingly, George Formby's songs
0:31:52 > 0:31:54are still keeping up morale in the front line,
0:31:54 > 0:31:59with a branch of the fan club out in Afghanistan.
0:31:59 > 0:32:03I can't believe all these young guys had any interest in it at all.
0:32:03 > 0:32:05Can you explain it?
0:32:05 > 0:32:07It's catchy.
0:32:07 > 0:32:10As you know, it's just a ukulele and the songs,
0:32:10 > 0:32:13and it's actually quite funny, some of the lyrics,
0:32:13 > 0:32:15like Mr Wu and things like that.
0:32:15 > 0:32:18It's just that kind of catchy tune. That's all pop music is,
0:32:18 > 0:32:20it's just very catchy stuff.
0:32:20 > 0:32:23Were you a George Formby fan before?
0:32:23 > 0:32:27Hand on heart, I'd never even heard of George Formby before I went to Afghanistan.
0:32:27 > 0:32:30I don't think any of us had, until one of the lads,
0:32:30 > 0:32:32Lee Greenhill, came out and he was listening,
0:32:32 > 0:32:38and then we were like, "What's that? What is he listening to? What's that all about?"
0:32:38 > 0:32:43And all of a sudden, I was writing to the George Formby society, starting the Afghanistan branch.
0:32:43 > 0:32:46I mean, do you think he was good for morale in Afghanistan?
0:32:46 > 0:32:48Yeah, it certainly was.
0:32:48 > 0:32:49When we went back to Camp Bastion,
0:32:49 > 0:32:52which is the focal point of Helmand,
0:32:52 > 0:32:54to fly home for rest and recuperation,
0:32:54 > 0:32:56we would sit there outside and play Formby,
0:32:56 > 0:32:59because it was natural for us, because for most of the tour,
0:32:59 > 0:33:03we were in the middle of nowhere on top of this hill so we could do as we pleased
0:33:03 > 0:33:06and we were sat there, # Mr Wu... # and just singing away
0:33:06 > 0:33:10and people would be walking by, going, "What are they on?!"
0:33:14 > 0:33:19George was awarded the OBE for his work entertaining the troops,
0:33:19 > 0:33:23and after the war, he and Beryl set out on a tour of the Commonwealth.
0:33:23 > 0:33:26They were treated like royalty everywhere they went,
0:33:26 > 0:33:27like here in South Africa.
0:33:27 > 0:33:30They were invited to South Africa, George and Beryl.
0:33:30 > 0:33:34They were told they would have to sing to segregated audiences.
0:33:34 > 0:33:39Neither of them claimed to know what apartheid was. I think it was just starting then.
0:33:39 > 0:33:40Yes, this would be '46,
0:33:40 > 0:33:44and I think apartheid started in '48, so it was obviously on the way.
0:33:44 > 0:33:46It was on its way.
0:33:46 > 0:33:50It hadn't actually started and he didn't know what segregated meant
0:33:50 > 0:33:54and, you know, they explained to him, black on one side, white on the other.
0:33:54 > 0:33:57His argument was, "Well, when I peel spuds,
0:33:57 > 0:34:02"if I peel red spuds and white spuds, they're still the same colour spuds inside".
0:34:02 > 0:34:04You know, that kind of thing.
0:34:04 > 0:34:09They were on stage in Johannesburg and this little black girl walked on stage with a bunch of flowers
0:34:09 > 0:34:12and, as anybody would, Beryl picked her up and gave her a kiss
0:34:12 > 0:34:15and they were escorted out of the theatre by armed guards
0:34:15 > 0:34:17and told they had to leave the country
0:34:17 > 0:34:21and she said, "Well, I'm not going to do that," so what they did...
0:34:21 > 0:34:22She cancelled all the concerts
0:34:22 > 0:34:27and she sang to black audiences only and they became heroes.
0:34:27 > 0:34:30George and Beryl's flouting of the rules
0:34:30 > 0:34:34attracted the attention of Daniel Malan, the head of the National Party.
0:34:34 > 0:34:38Eventually, they were arrested in the hotel
0:34:38 > 0:34:42and they kicked the door down and went in and said to Beryl, "You're leaving"
0:34:42 > 0:34:45and he called her all kinds of names and Malan walked in.
0:34:45 > 0:34:49She slapped him across the face and said, "Piss off, you horrible little man!"
0:34:49 > 0:34:51They were escorted to the airport,
0:34:51 > 0:34:53for there were no two ways about it then,
0:34:53 > 0:34:57they were escorted to the airport from the hotel
0:34:57 > 0:35:02and the man who'd arranged all the gigs in the township was shot dead as they were getting on the plane.
0:35:02 > 0:35:05I mean, it was a really horrible experience.
0:35:10 > 0:35:13This is the Imperial Hotel, Blackpool,
0:35:13 > 0:35:17which is where the George Formby Society has their convention
0:35:17 > 0:35:20and if you have any interest in George Formby at all,
0:35:20 > 0:35:22this is where you come to worship.
0:35:22 > 0:35:24And I am one of those pilgrims,
0:35:24 > 0:35:28so I think I am going to find out a great deal about George,
0:35:28 > 0:35:31and I'll probably play a little bit of ukulele as well.
0:35:31 > 0:35:32I'm looking forward to it.
0:35:32 > 0:35:34# They laughed
0:35:34 > 0:35:37# When I started to play
0:35:37 > 0:35:40# They laughed so hearty... #
0:35:40 > 0:35:44In a reckless moment, I'd promised to play on stage tomorrow,
0:35:44 > 0:35:47so I thought I'd better go and check out the competition.
0:35:58 > 0:36:01# Don Pedro The great bull-fighting hero
0:36:01 > 0:36:04# The Lancashire Toreador
0:36:04 > 0:36:07# They cheer me
0:36:07 > 0:36:09# And when the bull gets near me
0:36:09 > 0:36:11# To show how far a brave man can go
0:36:11 > 0:36:13# With the bull I dance the Tango... #
0:36:13 > 0:36:16# I'm leaning on a lamp
0:36:16 > 0:36:18# Maybe you think I look a tramp,
0:36:18 > 0:36:25# Or you may think I'm hanging round To steal a car... #
0:36:31 > 0:36:33So, about three years ago,
0:36:33 > 0:36:37I went to a branch meeting of the George Formby Society in Barnsley
0:36:37 > 0:36:40and somebody said to me, "Are you going to play a song?"
0:36:40 > 0:36:43and I said, "I have a slight problem because I can't play the ukulele"
0:36:43 > 0:36:46and they said, "Oh, you should talk to Andy Eastwood."
0:36:46 > 0:36:48So this is Andy Eastwood and you said,
0:36:48 > 0:36:50"Oh, I'll teach you in about 40 minutes."
0:36:50 > 0:36:53We had a little session and I thought you did very well.
0:36:53 > 0:36:57So you actually studied music at Oxford.
0:36:57 > 0:37:01- I did.- And your specialist instrument was the ukulele.
0:37:01 > 0:37:03I did my recital on the ukulele
0:37:03 > 0:37:06and it was the first time anyone had ever done that,
0:37:06 > 0:37:07so it was quite an event.
0:37:07 > 0:37:13- Presumably, they were used to people playing piano and violin.- They expected classical recitals, yes.
0:37:13 > 0:37:17Which is good, because no-one's studied Formby's music at all seriously.
0:37:17 > 0:37:21No, well, it's not taken very seriously, is it?
0:37:21 > 0:37:25It's not supposed to be. He was a comedian. He didn't want to be taken seriously.
0:37:25 > 0:37:26But he WAS a good player?
0:37:26 > 0:37:29He was a brilliant player and one of the things
0:37:29 > 0:37:33about the way he did it was he made it look so easy and simple.
0:37:33 > 0:37:37As a comic, he didn't want anyone to think he was clever.
0:37:37 > 0:37:40It was that character he played, he played off stage as well as on.
0:37:40 > 0:37:43I am very grateful to you because without you
0:37:43 > 0:37:47I'd never have started playing and I get a lot of joy out of playing.
0:37:47 > 0:37:51- Though I'm not very good, I love to play. Thanks, I appreciate it.- Cheers.
0:38:08 > 0:38:12Now, I am quite desperate to improve my ukulele skills,
0:38:12 > 0:38:14so this is called an improvers class,
0:38:14 > 0:38:16run by a bloke called Andy Little,
0:38:16 > 0:38:18and I'm hoping to improve.
0:38:20 > 0:38:23- Andy, how are you? - Come and join us, Frank.
0:38:23 > 0:38:26Thank you very much. All right, Charlie.
0:38:26 > 0:38:30Most people who pick up a ukulele want to play like George Formby.
0:38:30 > 0:38:34He was just an absolute genius, there's no question.
0:38:34 > 0:38:37If you look at a George Formby solo,
0:38:37 > 0:38:42the split stroke is actually going up continuously throughout the solo.
0:38:42 > 0:38:43If you can't do this stroke,
0:38:43 > 0:38:46you are never ever going to sound like George Formby.
0:38:46 > 0:38:51So it is the absolute bedrock of what we're trying to achieve.
0:38:51 > 0:38:52If you go down...
0:38:55 > 0:38:58OK, get that sound in your head. OK, just do that.
0:39:05 > 0:39:09You're not going to be able to do it now.
0:39:09 > 0:39:12It is mind-bogglingly difficult!
0:39:14 > 0:39:16I don't know. Am I doing it right?
0:39:19 > 0:39:21Now, to me, that sounds like, you know,
0:39:21 > 0:39:24three seconds of George Formby.
0:39:24 > 0:39:28- Well, that's a start, isn't it?- Yes, don't you think?- It's a start.
0:39:28 > 0:39:32Frank, do you think you can take all this information with you,
0:39:32 > 0:39:34get on the stage and have a go yourself?
0:39:34 > 0:39:37I'm now on the verge where I'm going into, I think,
0:39:37 > 0:39:39as far as the George Formby Society is concerned,
0:39:39 > 0:39:41what you would call class A drugs
0:39:41 > 0:39:42of playing the ukulele,
0:39:42 > 0:39:46and that is the solo, because everyone I've spoken to here so far,
0:39:46 > 0:39:49I think they fast forward through the rest of it.
0:39:49 > 0:39:52It's the solos they're after.
0:39:52 > 0:39:53You can't wait get to the solo!
0:39:53 > 0:39:57And I'm at that point where I'm in the dark labyrinth of the solo.
0:39:57 > 0:40:00I need somebody with a torch walking ahead of me, basically.
0:40:00 > 0:40:02To guide you. Exactly.
0:40:06 > 0:40:09# See me dressed like all the sports
0:40:09 > 0:40:12# In me blazer and a pair of shorts
0:40:12 > 0:40:15# With me little stick of Blackpool rock
0:40:16 > 0:40:18# Along the promenade I stroll
0:40:19 > 0:40:23# It may be sticky But I never complain
0:40:23 > 0:40:26# It's nice to have a nibble at it now and again... #
0:40:26 > 0:40:32George Formby was obviously tuned in to the comic potential of Blackpool rock.
0:40:32 > 0:40:33Hold on a minute!
0:40:33 > 0:40:38Could this be a way of ingratiating myself with the George Formby Society?
0:40:38 > 0:40:40The rock's very simple ingredients.
0:40:40 > 0:40:43Sugar, just like you'd put in your tea or coffee.
0:40:43 > 0:40:47The other ingredient is glucose syrup. The rock's cooled on these tables.
0:40:47 > 0:40:52You have to cool it down before you can start working with it. We put it on another machine which aerates it
0:40:52 > 0:40:55and that makes it go white in the centre.
0:40:55 > 0:40:59You know you could put that in an art gallery in London and people would pay to watch it.
0:40:59 > 0:41:01- Sounds a good idea.- Yeah.
0:41:01 > 0:41:04# With me little stick of Blackpool rock... #
0:41:04 > 0:41:08What we're going to do, we're going to put the word "George Formby" through the rock.
0:41:08 > 0:41:12Can I just say, one of the great mysteries of my childhood
0:41:12 > 0:41:14was how you got the words to go through a stick of rock.
0:41:14 > 0:41:18- Are we about to just find that out now? - You're about to find that out.
0:41:18 > 0:41:20Would you like to help us by making the F?
0:41:20 > 0:41:24- I'm happy to make the F.- OK, are you happy to try and make the F?
0:41:24 > 0:41:28I see. So hold on, that's what the letter F is?
0:41:28 > 0:41:31That's the letter F in the rock, yeah.
0:41:31 > 0:41:33Right, so if we put your F into the right place...
0:41:33 > 0:41:37Where does the F go? Hurry up, it's getting hot.
0:41:39 > 0:41:42You're now the man who put the F in Formby.
0:41:43 > 0:41:47Now you can see that's the white rock out of the pummelling machine
0:41:47 > 0:41:50and that will be the centre of the rock.
0:41:58 > 0:42:00Now, here's your bar of rock being put together.
0:42:00 > 0:42:03You'll see we've got the centre core of it,
0:42:03 > 0:42:06we've got the word George at the top, Formby at the bottom.
0:42:06 > 0:42:10That's going to go in the middle on that red piece.
0:42:10 > 0:42:13And the red piece is going to be pulled around it.
0:42:15 > 0:42:20And that, sir, is your large bar of George Formby rock.
0:42:20 > 0:42:22In a minute, we'll pull it out
0:42:22 > 0:42:26into the right thickness for the finished product.
0:42:26 > 0:42:30So I am in a rock factory in Blackpool and I've got a ukulele.
0:42:30 > 0:42:31It's got to be done.
0:42:31 > 0:42:35# With me little stick of Blackpool rock
0:42:35 > 0:42:39# Down the promenade I stroll
0:42:39 > 0:42:44# It might get sticky But I never complain
0:42:44 > 0:42:48# It's nice to have a nibble at it now and again
0:42:48 > 0:42:51# Every day wherever I stray
0:42:51 > 0:42:54# The kids all round me flock
0:42:55 > 0:42:59# One day the band conductor He was up on his stand
0:42:59 > 0:43:02# Somehow dropped his baton It out of his hand
0:43:02 > 0:43:07# So I jumped in his place and then conducted the band
0:43:07 > 0:43:11# With me little stick of Blackpool Rock! #
0:43:11 > 0:43:12Hee hee!
0:43:12 > 0:43:14Oo-er, Mother!
0:43:18 > 0:43:21One thing that it's hard to avoid with George Formby songs
0:43:21 > 0:43:25is there are double entendres,
0:43:25 > 0:43:28sort of sexual innuendo all over the place,
0:43:28 > 0:43:31which you have to try and identify.
0:43:31 > 0:43:33Some of them are very clever.
0:43:33 > 0:43:35There's a lovely one in one of his early songs
0:43:35 > 0:43:39where a woman gives him a pocket watch and when he opens it, it's just an empty shell,
0:43:39 > 0:43:41and he said, "What's the good of this?"
0:43:41 > 0:43:44and she says, "I'll give you the works tomorrow night."
0:43:44 > 0:43:45Ooh!
0:43:45 > 0:43:51Then again, in My Little Ukulele, when his child is born, towards the end,
0:43:51 > 0:43:55George goes off to the bedroom and there is the child.
0:43:57 > 0:44:00# And my heart it jumped with joy I could see it was a boy
0:44:00 > 0:44:05# Cos he had his ukulele in his hand, oh baby... #
0:44:05 > 0:44:07It's unlikely that a newborn child
0:44:07 > 0:44:09would actually have a musical instrument.
0:44:09 > 0:44:10Erm...
0:44:10 > 0:44:15You can get so innuendo-ed with George that you start seeing them everywhere.
0:44:15 > 0:44:18I've got here, for example, In A Little Wigan Garden,
0:44:18 > 0:44:23which, on the surface, seems like a song slightly about urban decay,
0:44:23 > 0:44:26about being in a garden, but because it's Wigan
0:44:26 > 0:44:27it's not as nice as gardens can be.
0:44:27 > 0:44:30But after a while, I start seeing
0:44:30 > 0:44:33sexuality and strangeness everywhere. So it goes...
0:44:35 > 0:44:37# 'Neath the Wigan water lilies
0:44:37 > 0:44:40# Where the drainpipe overflows
0:44:42 > 0:44:45# There's my girl and me She'll sit on my knee
0:44:45 > 0:44:49# And watch how the rhubarb grows... #
0:44:49 > 0:44:51Is it George or is it me?
0:44:51 > 0:44:52Oh, I'm going to faint!
0:44:52 > 0:44:59# When the morning mildew Christens our shallots... #
0:45:00 > 0:45:02In the end, I'm just...I'm lost.
0:45:02 > 0:45:06Well, it means... You've seen it... They'll know.
0:45:06 > 0:45:09# Baby
0:45:09 > 0:45:11# Baby
0:45:11 > 0:45:14# You're my sweet... #
0:45:14 > 0:45:18George and Beryl saw out their final years here at Lytham St Annes,
0:45:18 > 0:45:20a couple of miles from Blackpool.
0:45:20 > 0:45:25The house, like all their other houses, was called Beryldene.
0:45:25 > 0:45:27A couple of very sad events took place at Beryldene.
0:45:27 > 0:45:29What were they?
0:45:29 > 0:45:35Well, on Christmas Day 1960,
0:45:35 > 0:45:40Beryl died in her bedroom at this house,
0:45:40 > 0:45:41and she was 59
0:45:41 > 0:45:43and she died of cancer
0:45:43 > 0:45:45and eight days before that,
0:45:45 > 0:45:47she propped herself up in bed,
0:45:47 > 0:45:51with George's manservant, Harry Scott, attending her,
0:45:51 > 0:45:53put on her makeup and her fur,
0:45:53 > 0:45:57because she wanted to look at her best for George,
0:45:57 > 0:46:02because he was appearing on BBC television in a one-man show.
0:46:02 > 0:46:04Turned out nice again, hasn't it?
0:46:04 > 0:46:07Well, it may have done for me, but I don't know about you,
0:46:07 > 0:46:11because you've got to stick with me for the next 35 minutes or more,
0:46:11 > 0:46:14cos we've no girls, no dancers, no acrobats, no conjurers.
0:46:14 > 0:46:17Not even a guest star, only me and the uke.
0:46:17 > 0:46:21But I'm going to tell you a few home truths I've never told in public before.
0:46:21 > 0:46:23It really was a confession show
0:46:23 > 0:46:28in which he confessed that he regretted not having any children,
0:46:28 > 0:46:32that Beryl had been responsible for his success.
0:46:32 > 0:46:36See, I married Beryl and then she knew a man in Newcastle
0:46:36 > 0:46:37called Thomas F Connery.
0:46:37 > 0:46:39He used to run revues.
0:46:39 > 0:46:43He gave me a week's work up there and he liked my act.
0:46:43 > 0:46:47I don't know why, but he liked it and he gave me a revue contract for five years.
0:46:47 > 0:46:49Well, I never looked back after that.
0:46:49 > 0:46:51And I shall always be grateful to Beryl
0:46:51 > 0:46:53for doing all the business for me, you see.
0:46:53 > 0:46:58He regretted not being able to read and write properly.
0:46:58 > 0:47:00He praised the public for making him into a star,
0:47:00 > 0:47:03because he never understood why he was a star.
0:47:03 > 0:47:06I mean, what do WE do? We don't do anything.
0:47:06 > 0:47:10We don't become stars - you people make us stars.
0:47:10 > 0:47:12We wouldn't be any good without you.
0:47:12 > 0:47:16And any of our present stars today believe anything different, they're crazy.
0:47:16 > 0:47:20I shall always be grateful to the public for what they've done for me.
0:47:20 > 0:47:22And then eight days later, she died.
0:47:22 > 0:47:25It must have been incredibly difficult for George,
0:47:25 > 0:47:29doing that show knowing that Beryl was dying, basically.
0:47:29 > 0:47:32Well, she was dying of not only leukaemia
0:47:32 > 0:47:35but also of alcohol
0:47:35 > 0:47:37and there she was, watching George,
0:47:37 > 0:47:40and he must have put on a very brave face.
0:47:40 > 0:47:44It's classic showbiz stuff, though, isn't it? The show must go on.
0:47:49 > 0:47:53George's fans were shocked when, just six weeks after Beryl died,
0:47:53 > 0:47:59he got engaged to school teacher Pat Howson - 20 years his junior.
0:47:59 > 0:48:02If we'd have kept it quiet and gone on secretly...
0:48:02 > 0:48:06It wouldn't have been nice, though.
0:48:06 > 0:48:10To be perfectly honest, I'm going to have somebody to look after me,
0:48:10 > 0:48:12I mean, with what I've got...
0:48:12 > 0:48:15You've got something on your plate, you know.
0:48:15 > 0:48:17But it was never to be.
0:48:17 > 0:48:22Two days before their planned wedding, George suffered a heart attack and died.
0:48:25 > 0:48:30Over 100,000 people lined the streets of Warrington for his funeral.
0:48:33 > 0:48:36And when the will was published, oh, my goodness.
0:48:36 > 0:48:38I can see the headlines now, you know,
0:48:38 > 0:48:41"Formby cuts out family from will".
0:48:42 > 0:48:47"Miss Pat inherits £185,000."
0:48:47 > 0:48:52And the only thing that he left was £5,000 to his valet, Harry Scott,
0:48:52 > 0:48:54but most of his fortune he left to Pat.
0:48:54 > 0:48:59The solicitor, John Crowther, who was the executor of the will,
0:48:59 > 0:49:03insisted that all Beryl and George's possessions were to be auctioned
0:49:03 > 0:49:06and then they'd deal with the will later.
0:49:06 > 0:49:11So for three days, the public were allowed to view all the possessions.
0:49:11 > 0:49:15It was horrible. You know, people rummaging around Beryl's underclothes,
0:49:15 > 0:49:20and even the number plate off George's Bentley fetched £1,000.
0:49:20 > 0:49:24And just look at this for intimate items, on page 34 -
0:49:24 > 0:49:30"The deceased's personal clothing, much of which is new and unworn.
0:49:30 > 0:49:36"14 various shirts and a box of various coat hangers".
0:49:36 > 0:49:37What about this?
0:49:37 > 0:49:43"Four shirts, three vests, two pairs of underpants, pair socks and dressing gown, all used or soiled."
0:49:43 > 0:49:46- I know, isn't that sad? - It's just wrong.
0:49:49 > 0:49:53I must say, I like the idea of the father and the son buried together.
0:49:53 > 0:49:59It's very sad, though. The father dies aged 45 and the son, 56.
0:49:59 > 0:50:01It's nothing, is it?
0:50:07 > 0:50:11# I'm following me father's footsteps
0:50:11 > 0:50:14# I'm following me dear old dad
0:50:14 > 0:50:17# He's up front with a big fine girl
0:50:17 > 0:50:19# So I thought I'd have one as well
0:50:19 > 0:50:22# I don't know where he's going
0:50:22 > 0:50:25# But when he gets there I'll be glad
0:50:25 > 0:50:28# I'm following me father's footsteps, yes
0:50:28 > 0:50:30# I'm following me dear old dad. #
0:50:37 > 0:50:38Just after he died,
0:50:38 > 0:50:43a group of fans got together to form the George Formby Society,
0:50:43 > 0:50:46to keep the memory of George and his music alive.
0:51:02 > 0:51:06The highlight of every George Formby meeting is The Thrash -
0:51:06 > 0:51:11when everybody gets up on stage and shares a mass ukulele experience.
0:51:11 > 0:51:13THEY PLAY "Leaning On A Lamppost"
0:51:25 > 0:51:26ALL: # ..at the corner of the street
0:51:26 > 0:51:29# In case a certain little lady passes by! #
0:51:39 > 0:51:43I don't think I really understood the George Formby Society
0:51:43 > 0:51:48until I did The Thrash, and when I was in the midst of The Thrash,
0:51:48 > 0:51:51I think it then came to me, I knew what it was all about.
0:51:51 > 0:51:53It's a wonderful feeling, isn't it?
0:51:53 > 0:51:55It doesn't matter if you can play
0:51:55 > 0:51:58or whether you just get carried along with the enthusiasm.
0:51:58 > 0:51:59And you look along the line,
0:51:59 > 0:52:02all those arms going at the same time.
0:52:02 > 0:52:05It's a real thing of beauty, I thought.
0:52:05 > 0:52:08And I love the fact that it's an active thing,
0:52:08 > 0:52:13that people play the ukulele, they don't just listen to George playing it.
0:52:13 > 0:52:17You see, George was a happy-go-lucky fellow, wasn't he?
0:52:17 > 0:52:19His whole manner was joy and fun.
0:52:19 > 0:52:24To my mind, you cannot be miserable when you've got a uke in your hand.
0:52:57 > 0:52:58I'll be honest.
0:52:58 > 0:53:03When I came here, I thought everyone would have white hair, right.
0:53:03 > 0:53:07But in fact, there's children, teenagers...
0:53:07 > 0:53:10Can you explain why that appeal is still there?
0:53:10 > 0:53:12It's an enigma, isn't it?
0:53:12 > 0:53:13It is.
0:53:13 > 0:53:18It's the attraction of the ukulele. It's that unique sound.
0:53:18 > 0:53:22There's no other instrument that sounds like that. That's the attraction of it.
0:53:22 > 0:53:26# I'm leaning on a lamppost at the corner of the street
0:53:26 > 0:53:29# In case a certain little lady comes by... #
0:53:29 > 0:53:33'When I were a child, his songs were so descriptive.'
0:53:33 > 0:53:37Everybody else was singing songs about love and moaning Joan,
0:53:37 > 0:53:39and George would tell you a story.
0:53:39 > 0:53:42It were like reading a comic set to music.
0:53:42 > 0:53:45# Oh, Levi's Monkey Mike What a funny creature
0:53:45 > 0:53:49# He went into the church one day And bit the local preacher... #
0:53:49 > 0:53:55- There's an animation based on the George Formby song Levi's Monkey Mike.- That's right.
0:53:55 > 0:53:57Where did that come from?
0:53:57 > 0:54:01That's a young man who were doing a thesis at university,
0:54:01 > 0:54:03doing a degree in animation
0:54:03 > 0:54:06and he must have been attracted to George Formby,
0:54:06 > 0:54:12but when you watch the animation and listen to the words, it really all makes sense.
0:54:12 > 0:54:16# Now once we had a parliament But it would never go
0:54:16 > 0:54:20# So they filled it up with animals Out of a wild beast show
0:54:20 > 0:54:24# The lion was Prime Minister To swank he was disposed
0:54:24 > 0:54:28# They wanted a Lord Chancellor So somebody proposed
0:54:28 > 0:54:30# Levi's Monkey Mike
0:54:30 > 0:54:32# And he proved quite a good un
0:54:32 > 0:54:37# He taxed the laces in our boots And taxed our Christmas pudding
0:54:37 > 0:54:41# Now working man just give a cheer We're all right now, so never fear
0:54:41 > 0:54:43# Who's going to take the tax off beer?
0:54:43 > 0:54:44# Levis Monkey Mike. #
0:54:52 > 0:54:56We've got a wonderful concert going on this afternoon
0:54:56 > 0:55:00and we've got a special guest star that's going to come and entertain you.
0:55:00 > 0:55:03That guest star is Mr Frank Skinner!
0:55:14 > 0:55:18That's the one you want to turn off. Good afternoon, everyone.
0:55:18 > 0:55:19ALL: Good afternoon.
0:55:19 > 0:55:23Can I say, I'm absolutely terrified.
0:55:24 > 0:55:27So I'm apologising in advance, basically.
0:55:27 > 0:55:32I've just bought this in the room next door - 950 quid.
0:55:32 > 0:55:33You were robbed! >
0:55:33 > 0:55:36I know.
0:55:36 > 0:55:41And you're about to see it physically and mentally abused.
0:55:43 > 0:55:47If there is a solo, it'll be an accident.
0:55:55 > 0:55:57It's about as good as it gets.
0:55:59 > 0:56:03# Now I know I'm not handsome I've no good looks or wealth
0:56:03 > 0:56:05# And the girls I chase
0:56:05 > 0:56:09# Say my plain face will compromise their health
0:56:09 > 0:56:12# But I see fellows worse than me
0:56:12 > 0:56:14# Bow-legged and boss-eyed
0:56:14 > 0:56:18# Walking out with lovely women Clinging to their side
0:56:18 > 0:56:21# And if women like them like men like those
0:56:21 > 0:56:23# Why don't women like me?
0:56:23 > 0:56:26# Look at Empress Josephine
0:56:26 > 0:56:29# The most attractive woman that ever was seen
0:56:29 > 0:56:31# But Napoleon, short and fat
0:56:31 > 0:56:34# Captivates a lovely-looking dame like that
0:56:34 > 0:56:37# Well, if women like them like men like those
0:56:37 > 0:56:38# Why don't women like me?
0:56:38 > 0:56:41# Hey, hey, hey Why don't women like me? #
0:56:41 > 0:56:42Nearly a solo!
0:56:45 > 0:56:46STRUMMING FALTERS
0:56:46 > 0:56:48'Ooh, 'eck!'
0:57:03 > 0:57:06# Well, if women like them like men like those
0:57:06 > 0:57:08# Why don't women like me?
0:57:08 > 0:57:10# Take Lord Nelson with one limb
0:57:10 > 0:57:12# Lady William Hamilton She fell for him
0:57:12 > 0:57:14# With one eye and one arm gone west
0:57:14 > 0:57:17# She ran like the devil and she grabbed the rest
0:57:17 > 0:57:20# Oh, if women like them like men like those
0:57:20 > 0:57:22# Why don't women like me?
0:57:22 > 0:57:24# Hey, hey, hey why don't women like me? #
0:57:34 > 0:57:39'Well, I wouldn't go so far as to say it turned out nice again,
0:57:39 > 0:57:41'but I think I just about got away with it.'
0:57:41 > 0:57:43Come and get your rock here!
0:57:46 > 0:57:49I think it's pretty clear that George Formby was a massive star,
0:57:49 > 0:57:52because everybody loves what seems to be
0:57:52 > 0:57:56an ordinary working-class chap who triumphs over adversity.
0:57:56 > 0:58:01The reason I think he'll continue to be popular is because of these...
0:58:01 > 0:58:05Everyone I've spoken to, that's what really touches them,
0:58:05 > 0:58:07and people want to play like him.
0:58:07 > 0:58:11He was a great player and as long as ukuleles exist,
0:58:11 > 0:58:16people will come to George Formby conventions and watch those solos,
0:58:16 > 0:58:20every little move of the finger, every little twitch of the wrist,
0:58:20 > 0:58:22and they want to play like that.
0:58:22 > 0:58:27And that will keep George Formby's memory alive forever.
0:58:38 > 0:58:40Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:58:40 > 0:58:43Email subtitling@bbc.co.uk
0:58:49 > 0:58:53# Oh baby, had me ukulele in his hand! #