George Formby Prolific Song Writer

Dominion, Volume 33, Issue 192, 10 May 1940, Page 6

George Formby Prolific Song Writer

TT is not the ability of every per- ' former to compose his or her own song numbers, but George Formby does so. Of the 66 numbers Formby has recorded, he has written and composed 38 himself. Of these recordings the most popular is “Chinese Limehouse Laundry Blues,” which might never have been included in his repertoire had it not .been brought under his notice a second time, for when it was first offered to him, Formby turned it down. It was during the boating scenes in “Keep Fit” when he nearly toppled IHlllllllllllltltlllliMtlllHlHlllllllllllllllltlillllllllHHllllllllllllll

over into the river, that a chance remark to Beryl (Mrs. Formby) : “Wouldn’t I look nice floating down the river on my back?” resulted in him strumming the words into the rhythm of a song, and so “Floating Down the River on My Baek” was born. On his way to London to do some recording, the comedian found himself short of a number and on going through his travelling ' trunk came across some verses that had remained there for so long that he had almost forgotten them. ■Working overtime during the trip he wrote the melody, and on arrival at the recording studio had “I Blow a Blast on My Whistle” w’hich had to be hurriedly orchestrated and rehearsed. Its subsequent popularity justified the trouble he took with it. In “Come On, George,” in which Formby has the role of a jockey, he is heard in several new song numbers, all of which he wrote specially for the picture, with ukelele accompaniment. Formby endeavours as far as possible to give new numbers all the time, but his English public continues to shout for the old favourites.

HAYWAKD, the young actor who won acclaim in “My Son, My Son” with Brian Aherne, will co-star with Maureen O’Hara in “Have It Your Own Way.”