H. Vernon Watson (1886â€"1952), better known under his stage name
Nosmo King, was a popular English variety artist. He was touring the
music halls before World War I, but he remained relatively obscure
until the 1920s, when he went by Nosmo King. He was the father of
actor Jack Watson.Coming from a rural background near Peterborough,
Watson showed a leaning towards things theatrical and it was evident
that he had a rare talent for mimicry. In 1911, he turned
professional, using his real name, doing impressions of the leading
comedians of the day.Then, when Frank Tinney, the American black-faced
comedian, came to the UK, Watson added an impression of him to his
repertoire. He noticed that this impression gained him great applause,
and when Tinney returned to the United States, Watson gave thought to
a different style of act based on a black-faced
personality.Opportunity for this came about in the early 1930s in
Leeds, in the West Riding of Yorkshire, England, which boasted two
variety theatres, run by two rival organisations. The Great Depression
was beginning to bite, and on hearing that the rival theatre had lost
its comic, he determined to double his income by doing both shows
(four performances a night), travelling between the two theatres by
taxi, disguising himself by blacking up.
Nosmo King, was a popular English variety artist. He was touring the
music halls before World War I, but he remained relatively obscure
until the 1920s, when he went by Nosmo King. He was the father of
actor Jack Watson.Coming from a rural background near Peterborough,
Watson showed a leaning towards things theatrical and it was evident
that he had a rare talent for mimicry. In 1911, he turned
professional, using his real name, doing impressions of the leading
comedians of the day.Then, when Frank Tinney, the American black-faced
comedian, came to the UK, Watson added an impression of him to his
repertoire. He noticed that this impression gained him great applause,
and when Tinney returned to the United States, Watson gave thought to
a different style of act based on a black-faced
personality.Opportunity for this came about in the early 1930s in
Leeds, in the West Riding of Yorkshire, England, which boasted two
variety theatres, run by two rival organisations. The Great Depression
was beginning to bite, and on hearing that the rival theatre had lost
its comic, he determined to double his income by doing both shows
(four performances a night), travelling between the two theatres by
taxi, disguising himself by blacking up.
Share this
SUBSCRIBE OUR NEWSLETTER
SUBSCRIBE OUR NEWSLETTER
Join us for free and get valuable content delivered right through your inbox.