Gus Elen
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| Gus Elen | |
 The Coster's Mansion, 1899 sheet music
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| Born | Ernest Augustus Elen 22 July 1862 East End of London |
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| Died | 17 February 1940 (aged 77) Balham, London |
| Burial place | Streatham Park Cemetery |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation | Music hall comic singer |
| Known for | If it Wasn’t for the Houses in Between |
Gus Elen (July 22, 1862 – February 17, 1940 (aged 77)[1]) was a British music hall singer. He achieved success from 1891, performing cockney songs and sketches as a 'coster' comedian
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[edit] Background
Gus Elen began his career busking, and found a position singing in a minstrel troupe. His solo success began with the coster songs, sung in 1891 at the Middlesex Music Hall[2], when his comedy partner, a man named Daniels, died in a boating accident. They had performed a 'blackface' comedy act, but solo he performed cockney songs and sketches as a 'coster' comedian, dressed in the clothes of a poor East End costermonger, coming himself from a similar background[2]. In an interview, given after he had become a star, he said,
| “ | Years before I entered the ranks of music hall performers proper, I used to contribute to the programmes of the weekly sing songs held at such places as 'Poppy Lords' in Lisson Grove; the 'Magpie and Stump', Battersea; or the 'George Street Recital Hall'. At the last named hall, the salaries ranged from a shilling to three and sixpence a night with a cup of coffee and a bun thrown in by way of refreshment. In those days I often filled in a season on the 'waxeys' (on the seaside) at Margate and Ramsgate in a Negro minstrel troupe[1] | ” |
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—in Vaudeville, Old and New: An Encyclopedia of Variety Performers in America |
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[edit] Musical themes
Many of Elen's songs spoke of the living conditions of ordinary workers. Commenting on the overcrowded poor parts of London, in one of his songs, he takes on the persona of a proud tenant boasting about the dismal place he lives in, and in particular the view from his 'garden'[3]:
| “ | Wiv a ladder and some glasses You could see to 'Ackney marshes If it wasn't for the 'ouses in between |
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—If it Wasn’t for the Houses in Between |
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The appeal to his audience, many of whom would be poor, was both to laugh at the difficulties of working class life, and to celebrate one's capacity for survival. Elen's performance could so easily have been a caricature, but he performed the songs and patter in a realistic manner. One that endeared him to his audiences, nostalgic for a way of life that was disappearing[1].
There were many other coster performers, but throughout his career, Elen maintained a particularly friendly rivalry with Albert Chevalier.
[edit] Long retirement
Elen left the stage in 1914, for a long retirement fishing, although he was occasionally called back for single performances for film; and in 1935 for a Royal Command Performance[2]. He died February 17, 1940 (aged 77), in Balham, London[1]. He is buried in Streatham Park Cemetery[4]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d Vaudeville, Old and New: An Encyclopedia of Variety Performers in America pp 351-2, Frank Cullen, Florence Hackman, Donald P. McNeilly (Routledge 2006) ISBN 0415938538 accessed 22 Oct 2007
- ^ a b c Music Hall stars: Gus Elen biography, at Theatre Museum (London) accessed 22 Oct 2007
- ^ 'Garden' was probably used ironically, as many Londoners of the era would be blessed with a small yard.
- ^ Music Hall burials (Arthur Lloyd) accessed 29 Oct 2007
[edit] External links
- Gus Elen at the Internet Movie Database
