Helen Norman and Jack Radcliffe visiting a sewing factory, 1940s.
Helen Norman (b 1907) was the niece of the illusionist Walford Bodie and appeared as his assistant before forging a career as a singer and pantomime principal boy. In 1935 she became the "feed" to comedian Jack Radcliffe.
Radcliffe was a Lanarkshire miner who became a comedians' feed and then one of the country's most popular comics. He became a close friend of Jimmy Logan (appearing in the legendary Five Past Eight shows) and mentor to the young Andy Stewart.
Reference: STA Mn 22/11 (t)
Glasgow University Library, Special Collections
Keywords:
actors, actresses, comedians, Five Past Eight Shows, pantomime, seamstresses, sewing factories, singers, women