Harry Gordon

Scottish Character Comedian
A brief History
Harry Alex Ross Gordon was born in Aberdeen on the 11th July 1893.
As a boy he longed to get on the stage and when he left school, despite being employed by a firm of grain merchants as an office boy, he spent all his leisure time appearing in concerts. His first full time professional engagement was with Monty's Pierrots at Stonehaven in 1912 and this led to an engagement at the Beach Pavilion in Aberdeen in 1913 at a salary of £2 per week. He joined the Army at the outbreak of World War 1 and served for three years. As soon as he was demobbed he returned to the Beach Pavilion, purchasing it in 1924. As the owner/producer of Harry Gordon's Entertainers Harry made the Pavilion one of the principal dates for British Stars, and himself appeared there annually until World War 2 closed it in 1940.
He made over 100 broadcasts from the Pavilion among them Harry's Half Hour and Gordon Gaieties. He was the proprieter/producer of the first touring tab show Winners from 1922-27 and pioneered resident shows at other Scottish variety theatres such as The Pavilion, Glasgow; Theatre Royal, Edinburgh; and the Palace Theatre, Dundee. He appeared at The London Pavilion on 28th October 1929 but didn't go down well with the London audience. The fact that his local supporters hired a special train to take them from Aberdeen to London and gave him a tremendous reception at the theatre may have antagonised the English audience!
Harry was the Principal Comedian in Julian Wylie pantomimes from 1929-32. He had a record consecutive eleven years run in pantomime for Tom Arnold at the Glasgow Alhambra (seven of these years co-starring with Will Fyffe from 1937/48 and six summer shows with Howard & Wyndham's Kings Theatres in Edinburgh & Glasgow.This was not the only record Harry held. He had a record run of two solid years in Glasgow, during which he only played two theatres - the Kings & the Alhambra. He also held a flying record for playing three shows 100 miles apart in three hours, flying from the Pavilion in Aberdeen to Inverness and back.

Harry created an imaginary village of Inversnecky portraying various members of the community in songs & monologues. His stand up routines were linked by his Inversnecky characters. As such The Inversnecky Postman was a character built out of a string of postman jokes:-"You know, even when I was a laddie I used to play at Posties. I rushed in one day and cried, "Hey Mother, I've just delivered a real letter to every hoose in the street." She said, "Thats a smart boy-but where did you get real letters?" I said "Oh, I found them in the dresser ,a' tied up wi' pink ribbon."
In The Inversnecky Fireman a desperate telephone caller whose house was on fire was told:- "Oh, but we canna' come the day, though - no, no, this is oor half holiday, the day, ye see.....aye,....eh?"

He had over 300 character studies, 100 being character doubles with Jack Holden. He also played several special seasons in America in the 40's.
Harry Gordon died late 1955 in Glasgow.

If anyone has more info on Harry Gordon, especially pictures or memories, that could be added to this page, or even pictures of Aberdeen Beach and the theatre around that time, please contact me and I will add it in.

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