Flanagan and Allen
Flanagan and Allen were a popular Wartime singing and comedy double-act, comprising Bud Flanagan and Chesney Allen.
As music hall comedians, they would often feature a mixture of comedy and music in their act and this led to a successful recording career as a duo and roles in film and television. Flanagan and Allen were both also members of The Crazy Gang and worked with that team for many years concurrently with their double-act career.
Flanagan and Allen's songs featured the same, usually gentle humour for which the duo were known in their live performances, and during the Second World War reflected the experiences of ordinary people during wartime. Songs like We're Going to Hang Out the Washing on the Siegfried Line mocked the German defences (Siegfried Line), while others like Miss You sang of missing one's sweetheart during enforced absences. Other songs such as their most famous Underneath the Arches (which Flanagan co-wrote with Reg Connelly) had universal themes such as friendship, which again, helped people relate to the subject matter. The music was usually melodic, following a binary verse, verse chorus structure, with a small dance band or orchestra providing the backing. The vocals were distinctive because while Flanagan was at least a competent singer and sang the melody lines, Allen used an almost spoken delivery to provide the harmonies.
Flanagan and Allen remain popular as recording artists and are frequently impersonated by professionals and amateurs. Royal Variety Performances often feature people 'doing a Flanagan and Allen', notably Roy Hudd and Christopher Timothy, Bernie Winters and Leslie Crowther.
Selected List of Flanagan and Allen songs
- Run Rabbit, Run
- Underneath the Arches
- We're Gonna Hang Out the Washing on the Siegfried Line
- Any Umbrellas
- Shine on Harvest Moon
- Franklin D. Roosevelt Jones
- Round the Back of the Arches
- We'll Smile Again
- Miss You
- Don't Ever Walk in the Shadows
- Sierra Sue
- Let's Be Buddies
- Down Ev'ry Street
- Are You Havin' Fun
- Yesterday's Dreams
- I Don't Want to Walk Without You
- Rose O'Day
- Smiths and the Jones
- What More Can I Say
- Why Don't You Fall in Love With Me
- I'm Nobody's Baby
- Down Forget Me Not Lane
- Two Very Ordinary People
- On the Outside Looking In
See also
External links
Bud Flanagan's Internet Movie Database entry
Chesney Allen's Internet Movie Database entry