Austrian-born comic actor Vic Oliver (1898-1964) was a popular radio comedian, music hall favourite and film star in Great Britain before and during the war. He was an accomplished violinist and used this musical talent in his comedy act.
British postcard in the Picturegoer series, London, no. 1397. Photo: British Lion.
Vic Oliver was born Victor Oliver Von Samek in Vienna, Austria, in 1898. He was the son of Baron Victor von Samek, but he relinquished his father's title in 1922. He was acclaimed as a child prodigy on the violin, and for a time studied under Mahler. He studied piano, violin, and conducting at the Vienna Conservatory and was assistant conductor at the Graz Opera House, but Oliver decided upon a career in show business.
After emigrating to the US, he played piano in restaurants, bars, and cinemas. One day, he announced that a charity collection would be taken during the intermission at a theatre where he was performing. His English was still poor, and he ended with the words "I shall now come down and go through you all." Laughter and large donations followed, and his comedy career had inadvertently begun, according to IMDb. Wikipedia has a different story: "He discovered his gift for comedy by chance when he apologised to his audience after falling from a piano stool and found that his apologies drew more laughs than did his accident". His new career as a comedian took him all over the United States. He reached the Palace Theatre, New York, then regarded as the pinnacle of the American vaudeville circuit, in 1929.
He moved to England, where he played at the London Palladium and started to establish his reputation. With his deferential, modest humour, he became very popular, both in Britain and America, as a solo act, and gained a reputation as a sophisticated if rather risqué cabaret artiste. Vic was a skilled musician and played the violin (badly in his comedy shows). His distinctive trick was to play the violin while telling jokes. He had aspirations as a conductor and founded the Vic Oliver Concert Orchestra, which gave light classical concerts along the South coast. His theme tune was 'Prelude to the Stars'.
In 1935, he was the star of the revue 'Follow the Sun', where he met Sarah Churchill, daughter of soon-to-be Prime Minister Winston Churchill. Although he was 18 years her elder and had already been married twice, they fell in love. Winston Churchill warned his daughter that if Vic was not a US citizen, she would marry "the enemy" and would lose her British passport. Sarah travelled by sea to the USA, where they married in a blaze of newspaper publicity.
In addition to appearing on stage, Vic soon appeared in film musicals like Rhythm in the Air (Arthur B. Woods, 1936) and Who's Your Lady Friend? (Carol Reed, 1937). The latter was based upon the hit German musical 'Der Herr Ohne Wohnung' (The Gentleman Without a Home), which had already been filmed in 1934. Vic Oliver played a famous Viennese 'beauty specialist' (plastic surgeon) in the farce, and Sarah Churchill played the maid of the house.
Dutch postcard by HEMO. Photo Eagle Lion.
Vic Oliver was one of the first musical comedians and was a regular on such Radio programs as 'Henry Hall's Guest Night' and 'Workers Playtime'. His style was later taken up by the likes of Victor Borge. Female impersonation was a valuable part of his repertoire. In the comedy Room for Two (Maurice Elvey, 1940), based on a stage farce by Gilbert Wakefield, Oliver plays a womanising Englishman in Venice, who takes a fancy to married tourist Frances Day. In a plot device right out of 'Charley's Aunt', Oliver disguises himself in drag and hires on as Day's maid. When Day's philandering hubby, Basil Radford, comes home, the laughs start rolling in.
In the early 1940s, Vic Oliver teamed up with Bebe Daniels and Ben Lyon on their immensely popular wartime BBC radio series, 'Hi Gang!' In 1941, there was also a film version, Hi, Gang! (Marcel Varnel, 1941). In this musical, the on-air rivalry between a married pair of American radio stars, each hosting a different show, heats to a boil when they each have British evacuees on their shows.
Another music comedy, He Found a Star (John Paddy Carstairs, 1941) was based on Monica Ewer's novel 'Ring O'Roses'. Vic is cast as Lucky Lyndon, a seedy but enthusiastic talent agent specialising in small-time variety acts. Lyndon spends the entire picture searching for the next 'big star', never realising that his secretary Ruth Cavour (Sarah Churchill) is madly in love with him.
Vic Oliver was the first ever 'castaway' to appear on the long-running BBC radio series 'Desert Island Discs'. He was introduced as a "comedian, lightning club manipulator, violinist and comedy trick cyclist". The show was recorded in the BBC's bomb-damaged studio in January 1942.
In the mid-1940s, he was in some Gainsborough films, Give Us The Moon (Val Guest, 1944), and I'll Be Your Sweetheart (Val Guest, 1945), both with Margaret Lockwood and Peter Graves. In Give Us the Moon (Val Guest, 1944), Oliver delivers a broad performance as a dour, suicide-prone chap who belongs to an 'I won't work' club. Oliver was usually at his best on-screen when teamed with an unusually talented leading lady. Oliver's vis-à-vis in I'll Be Your Sweetheart (Val Guest, 1945) was again film favourite Margaret Lockwood. Set in the early 1900s, the film concerns the trials and tribulations of musical-hall diva Edie Story (Lockwood), whose happy-go-lucky partner is one Sam Kahn (Oliver).
Sarah Churchill. Dutch postcard. Photo: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
Vintage photo.
As a Jew, Vic Oliver's name was reportedly listed on a Nazi blacklist (known as 'The Black Book') of people to be arrested and killed immediately in the event of a successful German invasion of Britain. Vic escaped persecution at the hands of the Nazis, but his mother and sister were murdered in Bergen-Belsen extermination camp.
In 1945, Vic Oliver and Sarah Churchill divorced, which drew the attention of the press. In his autobiography, 'Mr. Showbusiness', published in 1954, he told many stories about his former father-in-law, Sir Winston Churchill, with whom he was not on good terms.
In the post-war years, Oliver continued his variety act and starred in revues like 'Starlight Roof' (1947), which introduced Julie Andrews to London audiences. In 1962, he appeared in 'Discord in Three Flats' (1962) with Cicely Courtneidge and Jack Hulbert. He didn’t appear in more films, except for the short film For Old Time’s Sake (Paul Barralet, 1948).
In the 1950s and early 1960s, he worked for Television. He was a regular on the TV series Hotel Imperial (1958) as the leader of the orchestra at a posh London hotel. The show proved to be popular, with Oliver clearly revelling in a starring role, and a further 12 episodes were screened in January-March 1960.
Oliver continued performing in England and overseas during the early 1960s. In 1964, Vic Oliver collapsed and died during a performance in Johannesburg, South Africa. He was 66. His fourth wife was Natalie Conder. They were married in 1946 and had one daughter.
"Now Pathetone has pleasure in presenting - The famous American (sic) Variety Star - VIC OLIVER". Source: British Pathe (YouTube).
Sources: Hal Erickson (AllMovie - Page now defunct), Chris Wrigley (Winston Churchill - A Biographical Companion), Wikipedia and IMDb.
This post was last updated on 17 January 2026.
British postcard in the Picturegoer series, London, no. 1397. Photo: British Lion.
Married in a blaze of newspaper publicity
Vic Oliver was born Victor Oliver Von Samek in Vienna, Austria, in 1898. He was the son of Baron Victor von Samek, but he relinquished his father's title in 1922. He was acclaimed as a child prodigy on the violin, and for a time studied under Mahler. He studied piano, violin, and conducting at the Vienna Conservatory and was assistant conductor at the Graz Opera House, but Oliver decided upon a career in show business.
After emigrating to the US, he played piano in restaurants, bars, and cinemas. One day, he announced that a charity collection would be taken during the intermission at a theatre where he was performing. His English was still poor, and he ended with the words "I shall now come down and go through you all." Laughter and large donations followed, and his comedy career had inadvertently begun, according to IMDb. Wikipedia has a different story: "He discovered his gift for comedy by chance when he apologised to his audience after falling from a piano stool and found that his apologies drew more laughs than did his accident". His new career as a comedian took him all over the United States. He reached the Palace Theatre, New York, then regarded as the pinnacle of the American vaudeville circuit, in 1929.
He moved to England, where he played at the London Palladium and started to establish his reputation. With his deferential, modest humour, he became very popular, both in Britain and America, as a solo act, and gained a reputation as a sophisticated if rather risqué cabaret artiste. Vic was a skilled musician and played the violin (badly in his comedy shows). His distinctive trick was to play the violin while telling jokes. He had aspirations as a conductor and founded the Vic Oliver Concert Orchestra, which gave light classical concerts along the South coast. His theme tune was 'Prelude to the Stars'.
In 1935, he was the star of the revue 'Follow the Sun', where he met Sarah Churchill, daughter of soon-to-be Prime Minister Winston Churchill. Although he was 18 years her elder and had already been married twice, they fell in love. Winston Churchill warned his daughter that if Vic was not a US citizen, she would marry "the enemy" and would lose her British passport. Sarah travelled by sea to the USA, where they married in a blaze of newspaper publicity.
In addition to appearing on stage, Vic soon appeared in film musicals like Rhythm in the Air (Arthur B. Woods, 1936) and Who's Your Lady Friend? (Carol Reed, 1937). The latter was based upon the hit German musical 'Der Herr Ohne Wohnung' (The Gentleman Without a Home), which had already been filmed in 1934. Vic Oliver played a famous Viennese 'beauty specialist' (plastic surgeon) in the farce, and Sarah Churchill played the maid of the house.
Dutch postcard by HEMO. Photo Eagle Lion.
Hi gang!
Vic Oliver was one of the first musical comedians and was a regular on such Radio programs as 'Henry Hall's Guest Night' and 'Workers Playtime'. His style was later taken up by the likes of Victor Borge. Female impersonation was a valuable part of his repertoire. In the comedy Room for Two (Maurice Elvey, 1940), based on a stage farce by Gilbert Wakefield, Oliver plays a womanising Englishman in Venice, who takes a fancy to married tourist Frances Day. In a plot device right out of 'Charley's Aunt', Oliver disguises himself in drag and hires on as Day's maid. When Day's philandering hubby, Basil Radford, comes home, the laughs start rolling in.
In the early 1940s, Vic Oliver teamed up with Bebe Daniels and Ben Lyon on their immensely popular wartime BBC radio series, 'Hi Gang!' In 1941, there was also a film version, Hi, Gang! (Marcel Varnel, 1941). In this musical, the on-air rivalry between a married pair of American radio stars, each hosting a different show, heats to a boil when they each have British evacuees on their shows.
Another music comedy, He Found a Star (John Paddy Carstairs, 1941) was based on Monica Ewer's novel 'Ring O'Roses'. Vic is cast as Lucky Lyndon, a seedy but enthusiastic talent agent specialising in small-time variety acts. Lyndon spends the entire picture searching for the next 'big star', never realising that his secretary Ruth Cavour (Sarah Churchill) is madly in love with him.
Vic Oliver was the first ever 'castaway' to appear on the long-running BBC radio series 'Desert Island Discs'. He was introduced as a "comedian, lightning club manipulator, violinist and comedy trick cyclist". The show was recorded in the BBC's bomb-damaged studio in January 1942.
In the mid-1940s, he was in some Gainsborough films, Give Us The Moon (Val Guest, 1944), and I'll Be Your Sweetheart (Val Guest, 1945), both with Margaret Lockwood and Peter Graves. In Give Us the Moon (Val Guest, 1944), Oliver delivers a broad performance as a dour, suicide-prone chap who belongs to an 'I won't work' club. Oliver was usually at his best on-screen when teamed with an unusually talented leading lady. Oliver's vis-à-vis in I'll Be Your Sweetheart (Val Guest, 1945) was again film favourite Margaret Lockwood. Set in the early 1900s, the film concerns the trials and tribulations of musical-hall diva Edie Story (Lockwood), whose happy-go-lucky partner is one Sam Kahn (Oliver).
Sarah Churchill. Dutch postcard. Photo: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
Vintage photo.
Mr. Showbusiness
As a Jew, Vic Oliver's name was reportedly listed on a Nazi blacklist (known as 'The Black Book') of people to be arrested and killed immediately in the event of a successful German invasion of Britain. Vic escaped persecution at the hands of the Nazis, but his mother and sister were murdered in Bergen-Belsen extermination camp.
In 1945, Vic Oliver and Sarah Churchill divorced, which drew the attention of the press. In his autobiography, 'Mr. Showbusiness', published in 1954, he told many stories about his former father-in-law, Sir Winston Churchill, with whom he was not on good terms.
In the post-war years, Oliver continued his variety act and starred in revues like 'Starlight Roof' (1947), which introduced Julie Andrews to London audiences. In 1962, he appeared in 'Discord in Three Flats' (1962) with Cicely Courtneidge and Jack Hulbert. He didn’t appear in more films, except for the short film For Old Time’s Sake (Paul Barralet, 1948).
In the 1950s and early 1960s, he worked for Television. He was a regular on the TV series Hotel Imperial (1958) as the leader of the orchestra at a posh London hotel. The show proved to be popular, with Oliver clearly revelling in a starring role, and a further 12 episodes were screened in January-March 1960.
Oliver continued performing in England and overseas during the early 1960s. In 1964, Vic Oliver collapsed and died during a performance in Johannesburg, South Africa. He was 66. His fourth wife was Natalie Conder. They were married in 1946 and had one daughter.
"Now Pathetone has pleasure in presenting - The famous American (sic) Variety Star - VIC OLIVER". Source: British Pathe (YouTube).
Sources: Hal Erickson (AllMovie - Page now defunct), Chris Wrigley (Winston Churchill - A Biographical Companion), Wikipedia and IMDb.
This post was last updated on 17 January 2026.
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