Last Friday, 9 October 2020, British Entertainer Tommy Steele' (1936) received a knighthood in the Queen’s Birthday Honours. The 83-year-old is honoured for services to entertainment and charity. Steele was Britain's first teen idol and rock 'n roll star. His cheeky Cockney image and boy-next-door looks won him success as a musician, singer, and actor. Sir Tommy told the press: "It’s like being in a panto. People are calling you Sir and you think: 'Blooming heck. Is that in the script?' It’s wonderful and I haven’t come down to earth yet."
German postcard by ISV, no. H 14.
Vintage postcard.
Dutch postcard by Takken, Utrecht, no. 3248.
West-German postcard by Ufa/Film-Foto, Berlin-Tempelhof, no. CK 345. Photo: Dezo Hoffman / UFA.
West-German postcard by Ufa/Film-Foto, Berlin-Tempelhof, no. FK 4280. Photo: Dezo Hoffmann / Ufa.
Tommy Steele was born Thomas William Hicks in London, England, in 1936. He was the son of a tailor.
Tommy had tried many odd jobs before he turned up at the famous 2 I's coffee bar in London. There he was 'discovered' by manager Larry Parnes and became one of Britain's first manufactured pop stars. Parnes believed he could be Britain's answer to Elvis Presley.
Steele shot quickly to fame in the UK as the frontman for a rock and roll band, The Steelmen, after their first single, 'Rock With The Caveman', reached number 13 in the UK singles charts in 1956. His second single 'Singin' the Blues' was a number 1 hit.
His sudden stardom was compressed quickly into a film as well, The Tommy Steele Story (Gerard Bryant, 1957), even before there was a story to tell.
Most of Steele's 1950s recordings were covers of American hits, such as 'Singing the Blues' and 'Knee Deep in the Blues'. Steele co-wrote many of his early songs with Lionel Bart and Mike Pratt, but he used the pseudonym of Jimmy Bennett from 1958 onwards.
And on film, he played his Cockney self in such teen comedies as The Duke Wore Jeans (Gerald Thomas, 1958) and Tommy the Toreador (John Paddy Carstairs, 1959) with Janet Munro.
Dutch postcard by Takken, Utrecht, no. 3729.
Dutch postcard by Internationale Filmpers (I.F.P.), no. 1326.
Dutch postcard by N.V. v.h. Weenenk & Snel, Baarn, no. 161. Photo: Centra.
Dutch postcard by Gebr. Spanjersberg N.V., Rotterdam, no. 6083. Photo: Combi Press, Amsterdam.
Vintage postcard.
During the 1960s Tommy Steele progressed to a career in stage and film musicals, leaving behind his pop idol identity.
He appeared in such films as Light Up the Sky! (Lewis Gilbert, 1960) with Ian Carmichael and Benny Hill, and in the West End in the title role of 'Hans Christian Andersen'.
He was nominated for Broadway's 1965 Tony Award as Best Actor (Musical) for 'Half a Sixpence' in the role of Arthur Kipps - which he later recreated for the film version of the same name, Half A Sixpence (George Sidney, 1967) with Julia Foster. One of his other co-stars was John Cleese.
Steele played character roles in The Happiest Millionaire (Norman Tokar, 1967) with Fred MacMurray and Greer Garson, and Where's Jack? (James Clavell, 1969), although many critics found his personality to be somewhat overwhelming on screen.
In Finian's Rainbow (Francis Ford Coppola, 1968), co-starring with Petula Clark and Fred Astaire, he had his best-known appearance in the cinema.
Dutch postcard by Uitg. Takken, Utrecht, no. 3280. Photo: Decca.
Dutch postcard by Uitg. Takken, Utrecht, no. 3764.
Dutch postcard by Uitg. Takken, Utrecht, no. 3823, 1958. The photo of Elvis Presley with Lizabeth Scott was a publicity still for the film Loving You (Hal Kanter, 1957).
Dutch postcard.
Dutch postcard by Gebr. Spanjersberg N.V., Rotterdam, no. 5194/1059.
In 1979-1980, Tommy Steele's one-man show, 'An Evening with Tommy Steele', ran for fourteen months and is in the 'Guinness Book of Theatre Facts and Feats' as "the longest-running one-man show in West End history”.
In 1983, he directed and starred in the West End stage production of 'Singin' in the Rain', and in 2003-2005 he had a triumphant return on the stage as Ebenezer Scrooge in 'Scrooge: The Musical'.
In 2018, he returned to the London Coliseum, 60 years after his debut there in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s 'Cinderella', to star in 'The Glenn Miller Story'.
He was awarded the Knight Bachelor of the Order of the British Empire in the 2020 Queen's Birthday Honours List for his services to entertainment and charity.
Recalling his six-decade career, he said: “I love finding new challenges. I love taking my career into different facets like pantomime, musicals, films. I just love trying things and being invited to do it. I have always been very lucky that things have happened to me."
Tommy Steele is married to Ann Donoghue since 1960. They have one daughter, Emma.
Vintage postcard. Caption: Import 212.
Tommy Steele performs 'Butterfingers' in The Tommy Steele Story (Gerard Bryant, 1957). Source: Kevin Allen (YouTube).
Tommy Steele 'Singing the blues' Source: David Jones (YouTube).
Tommy Steele performs 'Elevator Rock' in The Tommy Steele Story (Gerard Bryant, 1957). Source: Kevin Allen (YouTube).
Tommy Steele sings 'Little White Bull' in Tommy the Toreador (1959). The song is written by Lionel Bart. Source: aap 257 (YouTube).
Tommy Steele sings 'When I'm not near the girl' in Finian's Rainbow (1968) with Barbara Hancock. Source: Leighg5226 (YouTube).
Sources: Shropshire Star, IMDb, and Wikipedia.
German postcard by ISV, no. H 14.
Vintage postcard.
Dutch postcard by Takken, Utrecht, no. 3248.
West-German postcard by Ufa/Film-Foto, Berlin-Tempelhof, no. CK 345. Photo: Dezo Hoffman / UFA.
West-German postcard by Ufa/Film-Foto, Berlin-Tempelhof, no. FK 4280. Photo: Dezo Hoffmann / Ufa.
The British Answer to Elvis
Tommy Steele was born Thomas William Hicks in London, England, in 1936. He was the son of a tailor.
Tommy had tried many odd jobs before he turned up at the famous 2 I's coffee bar in London. There he was 'discovered' by manager Larry Parnes and became one of Britain's first manufactured pop stars. Parnes believed he could be Britain's answer to Elvis Presley.
Steele shot quickly to fame in the UK as the frontman for a rock and roll band, The Steelmen, after their first single, 'Rock With The Caveman', reached number 13 in the UK singles charts in 1956. His second single 'Singin' the Blues' was a number 1 hit.
His sudden stardom was compressed quickly into a film as well, The Tommy Steele Story (Gerard Bryant, 1957), even before there was a story to tell.
Most of Steele's 1950s recordings were covers of American hits, such as 'Singing the Blues' and 'Knee Deep in the Blues'. Steele co-wrote many of his early songs with Lionel Bart and Mike Pratt, but he used the pseudonym of Jimmy Bennett from 1958 onwards.
And on film, he played his Cockney self in such teen comedies as The Duke Wore Jeans (Gerald Thomas, 1958) and Tommy the Toreador (John Paddy Carstairs, 1959) with Janet Munro.
Dutch postcard by Takken, Utrecht, no. 3729.
Dutch postcard by Internationale Filmpers (I.F.P.), no. 1326.
Dutch postcard by N.V. v.h. Weenenk & Snel, Baarn, no. 161. Photo: Centra.
Dutch postcard by Gebr. Spanjersberg N.V., Rotterdam, no. 6083. Photo: Combi Press, Amsterdam.
Vintage postcard.
Somewhat Overwhelming
During the 1960s Tommy Steele progressed to a career in stage and film musicals, leaving behind his pop idol identity.
He appeared in such films as Light Up the Sky! (Lewis Gilbert, 1960) with Ian Carmichael and Benny Hill, and in the West End in the title role of 'Hans Christian Andersen'.
He was nominated for Broadway's 1965 Tony Award as Best Actor (Musical) for 'Half a Sixpence' in the role of Arthur Kipps - which he later recreated for the film version of the same name, Half A Sixpence (George Sidney, 1967) with Julia Foster. One of his other co-stars was John Cleese.
Steele played character roles in The Happiest Millionaire (Norman Tokar, 1967) with Fred MacMurray and Greer Garson, and Where's Jack? (James Clavell, 1969), although many critics found his personality to be somewhat overwhelming on screen.
In Finian's Rainbow (Francis Ford Coppola, 1968), co-starring with Petula Clark and Fred Astaire, he had his best-known appearance in the cinema.
Dutch postcard by Uitg. Takken, Utrecht, no. 3280. Photo: Decca.
Dutch postcard by Uitg. Takken, Utrecht, no. 3764.
Dutch postcard by Uitg. Takken, Utrecht, no. 3823, 1958. The photo of Elvis Presley with Lizabeth Scott was a publicity still for the film Loving You (Hal Kanter, 1957).
Dutch postcard.
Dutch postcard by Gebr. Spanjersberg N.V., Rotterdam, no. 5194/1059.
Longest Running One-man Show in West End history
In 1979-1980, Tommy Steele's one-man show, 'An Evening with Tommy Steele', ran for fourteen months and is in the 'Guinness Book of Theatre Facts and Feats' as "the longest-running one-man show in West End history”.
In 1983, he directed and starred in the West End stage production of 'Singin' in the Rain', and in 2003-2005 he had a triumphant return on the stage as Ebenezer Scrooge in 'Scrooge: The Musical'.
In 2018, he returned to the London Coliseum, 60 years after his debut there in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s 'Cinderella', to star in 'The Glenn Miller Story'.
He was awarded the Knight Bachelor of the Order of the British Empire in the 2020 Queen's Birthday Honours List for his services to entertainment and charity.
Recalling his six-decade career, he said: “I love finding new challenges. I love taking my career into different facets like pantomime, musicals, films. I just love trying things and being invited to do it. I have always been very lucky that things have happened to me."
Tommy Steele is married to Ann Donoghue since 1960. They have one daughter, Emma.
Vintage postcard. Caption: Import 212.
Tommy Steele performs 'Butterfingers' in The Tommy Steele Story (Gerard Bryant, 1957). Source: Kevin Allen (YouTube).
Tommy Steele 'Singing the blues' Source: David Jones (YouTube).
Tommy Steele performs 'Elevator Rock' in The Tommy Steele Story (Gerard Bryant, 1957). Source: Kevin Allen (YouTube).
Tommy Steele sings 'Little White Bull' in Tommy the Toreador (1959). The song is written by Lionel Bart. Source: aap 257 (YouTube).
Tommy Steele sings 'When I'm not near the girl' in Finian's Rainbow (1968) with Barbara Hancock. Source: Leighg5226 (YouTube).
Sources: Shropshire Star, IMDb, and Wikipedia.
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