Morley Entertainers
by Ronnie Barraclough and David Reekie

Price: UAE Dhs 75/- or UK £ 12.50/-
ISBN: 1-904566-00-6

Meticulous and painstaking research has resulted in this fascinating book. It contains details of entertainers, who were born or who lived in Morley, Yorkshire. The authors have written about entertainers through the ages to the present day including Tom Jenkins - the world famous violinist whose Stradivarius reached a record sum at auction; Henry Ainley, doyen of the early silver screen; John T. Kirk, actor, producer and theatre manager; Vincent J. Mulchrone, the larger than life character and wit of The Daily Mail; David James Collins, manager of the New Pavilion in 1913 and Ernie Wise, cornerstone of the "Morecambe and Wise" comedy duo. The book contains a plethora of insightful personal quotes from the rich, the not-so-rich, the famous and the infamous.

About the Authors

David Reekie and Ronnie Barraclough both have a deep seated interest in entertainment in Morley and it was inevitable that they both should meet. However, as David puts it: "It was a truly inspiring evening with friends gathered from all over the country. Ronnie was there with his wife Margaret, and still we did not meet. As he came in one door, I left by another with impeccable timing. I can only liken our movements to the cast of a Whitehall farce where the characters, central to the plot, are destined not to come face to face until that final moment of hilarious denouement."

However, meet they did, Ronnie the born and bred Yorkshireman and David who came to Morley from London as a Bevin Boy to work "darn pits". As one old collier said to him "Doan't tha fret thee 'sen Davy lad. Getting coil is summat tha hes ter be born to - trouble is tha were stillborn!".

The meeting of these two authors resulted in a superb record of this old, proud and independently minded former mill town of Morley.

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