BRUCE FORSYTH

Written by Michael Darvell
 

(22 February 1928 - 18 August 2017)

Bruce Forsyth

Sir Bruce Forsyth, who has died at age 89 following a prolonged illness, was an all-round entertainer who could sing, dance, play various musical instruments and be a funny gameshow host. Over seventy years he entertained with utter professionalism and an abiding rapport with his audience. He toured in variety from the age of eleven, until his big break came in hosting Sunday Night at the London Palladium (1958-64). He was on many other TV shows but will be remembered mainly for The Generation Game (1971-94), Play Your Cards Right (1980-2003), Bruce’s Price Is Right (1995-2001) and Strictly Come Dancing (2004-15). On stage he appeared just once in the West End as an actor in Little Me, the Neil Simon-Cy Coleman-Carolyn Leigh musical in which Forsyth played seven roles. He made a few films but, like Morecambe & Wise, he was mainly a performer for live audiences. He played Gertrude Lawrence’s father in Star! with Julie Andrews, appeared in Anthony Newley’s egotrip Can Heironyms Merkin Ever Forget Mercy Humppe and Find True Happiness?, did Disney’s Bedknobs and Broomsticks, and the British comedy portmanteau The Magnificent Seven Deadly Sins. Otherwise it was TV for other acting parts until his final film, House! (2000), about the fate of a bingo hall, in which he played himself. Bruce Forsyth was married three times, to Penny Calvert, Anthea Redfern and Wilnelia Merced. He fathered six children and was knighted in 2011.

MICHAEL DARVELL

 
Michael Darvell

Michael Darvell trained as a librarian at Watford and in Surrey before joining Ealing Libraries where he became Music Librarian for the borough. He edited Masthead, the magazine of the University of North London School of Librarianship, The Surrealist, the staff magazine of Surrey County Library, and contributed to the Assistant Librarian and London Librarian professional journals. A freelance film reviewer since 1970, he has written for Film, Films Illustrated, Film Review, Movie Maker and Radio Times, as well as editing Montage, the London film societies magazine, for ten years. A change of career saw him joining What’s On in London as Features Editor and he eventually stepped into the shoes of the late F. Maurice Speed (founding father of Film Review annual) as the magazine’s Editor. From 2007 to 2015, he was co-editor of the Film Review annual with Mansel Stimpson. As well as writing about films, Michael has reviewed theatre for The Stage newspaper, and has written about music theatre and cabaret for the Classical Source and Musical Theatre Review websites. He is also a former restaurant critic for the ViewLondon website. Michael has been a member of the London Film Critics’ Circle since 2005.

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