This film is part of Free
E. H. Williams' Merrie Men
Fascinating fragments of a typical Victorian seaside entertainment
Overview
EH Williams' Merrie Men were a large troupe of seaside entertainers working in the popular Welsh resort at Rhyl. These two fragments of film represent a rare glimpse of such an act in progress, with a comic schoolroom sketch and a soft-shoe shuffle courtesy of dancers Jimmy Charters and Fred Egan, accompanied by a large band. The racist minstrel tradition dates back to the slavery era in the American south. Imported from the US around the mid-19th century, minstrel shows became very popular in Britain. Such shows generally featured white performers, in exaggerated 'blackface' make-up, portraying people of African descent and performing caricatured Black American songs, dances, comic sketches and drama.
Acts would follow a set pattern. After a 'walkaround' of the whole troupe doing a 'cakewalk', there was the 'olio', a variety section featuring the interlocutor and the 'endmen', who flanked the other performers and whose function was to keep up a comic patter during the show. The act would usually conclude with a drama.
Related
The Beggar's Deceit The Beggar's Deceit
Comedy 1900 1 mins Silent
A copper pursues a cheeky beggar who can't possibly escape justice - or can he?
Come Along, Do! Come Along, Do!
Comedy 1898 1 mins Silent
A museum visitor takes an interest in a nude sculpture - to his wife's annoyance - in a sadly incomplete early film comedy
How It Feels to Be Run Over How It Feels to Be Run Over
Trick film 1900 1 mins Silent
A terrifying first-person brush with death at the hands of a dangerous driver
Spiders on a Web Spiders on a Web
1900 0 mins Silent
Dare you watch this footage of larger-than-life spiders - one of the earliest nature films of its type?
Railway Collision Railway Collision
Drama 1900 1 mins Silent
An impressive early film special effect
Comic Faces - Old Man Drinking a Glass of Beer Comic Faces - Old Man Drinking a Glass of Beer
Comedy 1897 1 mins Silent
How many faces can one man pull while drinking one glass of beer? Far more than you might think
Getting it Back: The Story of Cymande - Q&A Getting it Back: The Story of Cymande - Q&A
Inside Film 2024 22 mins
The director of a documentary about British funk pioneers Cymande joins the band at BFI Southbank to talk about the film.
The West Case The West Case
Action and Adventure 1923 28 mins Silent Location: Tilbury
Plotting world domination, Devil Doctor Fu-Manchu steals plans for a new aero-torpedo in this earliest surviving thrill-a-minute serial instalment.
Enter the Scala!!! Enter the Scala!!!
Inside Film 2024 16 mins
Filmmakers Jane Giles and Ali Catterall discuss their documentary Scala!!!, revisiting the legendary and inspirational cinema venue and some of the most notorious films that screened there.
Smith Smith
Charity appeal 1939 10 mins
Long thought lost, this Powell-directed promotional short for a veteran’s charity was only rediscovered in 2003.
An Airman's Letter to His Mother An Airman's Letter to His Mother
Documentary 1941 6 mins
A poignant, stirring letter from a recently deceased pilot to his mother is read by John Gielgud.
The NHS75 Celebration The NHS75 Celebration
Short documentary 2023 3 mins
Former Bristol Poet Laureate, Miles Chambers reads a poem specially commissioned for the 75th anniversary of the NHS.