Tom Finglass

Thomas Patrick Finglass (17 November 1879[1][2] – 31 May 1957) was an Irish blackface tenor who had a successful career in British music hall. He was sometimes billed as The Ideal Coon. He played the legendary blackface performer Eugene Stratton (1861–1918) in the 1940 film You Will Remember which tells the story of songwriter Leslie Stuart's (1863–1928) life.[3][4][5]

Biography

Finglass was born in Dublin. In 1930, he teamed up with songwriter Fred Godfrey to create a variety act featuring Godfrey's hit songs. Finglass would sing while Godfrey played the piano. The act was extremely successful and topped the bill at venues in the 1930s.[6]

Finglass retired from regular performing in the late 1930s and subsequently made his living in London as a hairdresser. He appeared in the 1943 film Variety Jubilee, playing Eugene Stratton. The film depicts life in a London music hall from 1892 to the 1940s.[7] He also came out of retirement briefly in 1950 to portray Stratton once more in a BBC tribute to that singer.[6]

He died in Forest Hill, London, and was survived by his wife, Irene.

References

  1. ^ Thomas Finglass, music hall artist; 1939 England and Wales Register
  2. ^ Ireland, Catholic Parish Registers, 1655-1915
  3. ^ Will Remember Your Colossal Main Feature Plus Full Sup Volume 7 of Hollywood classics , John Reid, 2005. ISBN 1411629094
  4. ^ You Will Remember British Film Institute. Accessed 2013
  5. ^ You Will Remember John Reid, Hollywood Movie Musicals, 2006, page 225. ISBN 1411697626
  6. ^ a b Tom E. Finglass (1880?–1957) at Bless ’Em All: The Songs of Fred Godfrey , Barry Norris. Accessed 2013
  7. ^ Variety Jubilee at the IMDB. Accessed April 2013
  • S. Theodore Felstead, Stars Who Made the Halls: A Hundred Years of English Humour, Harmony and Hilarity (London: T. Werner Laurie, 1946), p. 58.
  • Lily of Laguna sung in the 1934 film Those were the days. The film credits the singer as G H Elliott, however the artist bears no resemblance to Elliott but does resemble Finglass.


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