Posts Tagged :

les dawson

What a celebration as we paid our respects to the great Mo 150 150 mhamer

What a celebration as we paid our respects to the great Mo

What a celebration this morning as we paid our respects to the great performer/comedian/dancer/singer, Maureen Moreland aka Mo from the Roly Poly’s our thanks to family friends of Mo, Tracey, Sam and Charlotte Dawson who helped us give her a great send off! ♥️xx

Jimmy Cricket was among those to pay their respects to the “great” Mo Moreland at her funeral in Lancashire.

Entertainer Mo, originally from Sheffield, died in December after a long illness at a nursing home on the Fylde coast.

The service took place at Lytham Park Cemetery & Crematorium in Lytham St Annes on Thursday morning (18 January).

So saddened to hear of the passing of Marie Ashton, I had the great pleasure working with her and the rest of the girls, they were such fun to be with backstage. So glad she found happiness with the great comedian Jack Diamond as they settled in Southport

Jimmy said afterwards: “What a celebration this morning as we paid our respects to the great performer/comedian/dancer/singer Maureen Moreland, aka Mo, from the Roly Polys.

“Our thanks to family friends of Mo, Tracey, Sam and Charlotte Dawson who helped us give her a great send off! ♥️xx.”

Mo was best known as the lead dancer in comedy dance troupe the Roly Polys, devised by late comedian Les Dawson.

Their success took them across the world to perform, including travelling to France, the Netherlands, Sweden, Hungary, Italy and Japan in their 20-year career.

Jimmy Cricket, who featured on performance bills with Mo and The Roly Polys, described her as a "great comic, singer and dancer"

They were especially popular with German audiences and visited the country on numerous occasions.

Mo also appeared in Coronation Street, as well as on the Little and Large Show, and Super Gran.

Northern Irish comic Jimmy had first met her when she was one half of the Mighty Atom and Roy act, in which she teamed up with her husband.

Mo was born Maureen McCluskey in 1936 and married singer Roy in 1959. He died in 2001.

She first performed on stage aged three and attended the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts.

At just 4ft 11in tall, she performed as The Mighty Atom and was a skilled dancer, particularly at tap.

Also read from this website: ‘Saddened to hear of the passing of Marie Ashton’

 

‘Saddened to hear of the passing of Marie Ashton’ 150 150 mhamer

‘Saddened to hear of the passing of Marie Ashton’

So saddened to hear of the passing of Marie Ashton, I had the great pleasure working with her and the rest of the girls, they were such fun to be with backstage. So glad she found happiness with the great comedian Jack Diamond as they settled in Southport

Jimmy Cricket has been fondly remembering dancer Marie Ashton who died recently.

Marie was a member of the well-known comedy dance troupe, the Roly Polys.

She joined the group in 1982 after spotting an advert in a stage magazine asking for plus-size lady dancers.

The success of the Roly Polys took them across the world to perform.

They travelled to France, Holland, Sweden, Hungary, Italy and Japan in their 20-year career.

The troupe were especially popular with German audiences and visited the country on numerous occasions.

Marie appeared in numerous Royal Variety performances, on Des O’Connor Tonight, Surprise Surprise and – most famously – on The Les Dawson Show.

Jimmy said: “I was saddened to hear of the passing of Marie Ashton.

Interesting showbiz story

“I did both a national tour and a summer season at the Blackpool Opera House with Marie when she performed with the wonderful dance troupe the Roly Polys!

“Marie’s showbiz story was a very interesting one, which I found out about while chatting to her backstage.

“Before she joined the Roly Polys, she toured extensively with her former husband Ronnie Parnell in a tap dance act.

“Indeed, it was while performing this act at a seaside resort that Marie looked out of her dressing room window and saw a child struggling in the water.

“Undeterred, she immediately ran out of the theatre and jumped in to save the boy.”

One of Marie’s favourite places to perform was her home town of Southport.

Added Jimmy: “She found happiness in the later stage of her life when she married the great comic/compère Jack Diamond (Mr Blackpool).

“Mrs C. and I used to visit them. R.I.P. our great friend! ????“

The Southport Visitor’s report on Marie’s return to Southport in 2008

Also read: LEP column was epitaph to the wonderful Vera Lynn

Irish legend and free Irish food! 150 150 mhamer

Irish legend and free Irish food!

Jimmy Cricket with the committee who organised the eventIrish legend Jimmy Cricket was the star act at a recent Gala evening run by the Mansfield and Dukeries Irish Association.

Gerry Molumby comperes with Jimmy Cricket sharing the laughterThe entertainment was organised by Nigel Scott and his hard-working committee and the compere for the evening was Gerry Molumby.

Acts also included guitarist Craig Deller and musical group Acushla.

A valuable prize raffle was included together with free Irish food, which warmed up the capacity audience on a bitterly cold April evening.

The Scott family from Mansfield with Jimmy CricketThe venue was the popular social club Boothys in central Mansfield.

Photos with this story are as follows:

Top – The committee who organised the event with Jimmy.

Above right – Gerry Molumby comperes with Jimmy sharing the laughter.

Above left – The Scott family from Mansfield with Jimmy.

Below – Sue and Gerry Sarson with Julie and Mark Brough.

Sue and Gerry Sarson with Julie and Mark Brough

 

‘Best Irish comedy act you will ever see’ 150 150 mhamer

‘Best Irish comedy act you will ever see’

Jimmy Cricket has been described as “Ken Dodd, Tommy Cooper and Les Dawson all rolled into one”.

Jimmy Cricket performs at Boothys in Mansfield on Friday 5 April

The famous comedian appears on a night of laughter and music at Boothys in Mansfield on Friday 5 April, with organiser Gerry Molumby insisting: “He is the best Irish comedy act you will ever see.”

Acushla will provide the music, while one or two local acts may also perform on the night.

The show begins at 8pm and tickets are £8, available from Boothys or, if there are any left, on the door on the night.

Boothys’ address is 2 West Hill Drive, Mansfield, Nottinghamshire. Postcode is NG18 1PJ and telephone number 01623 623729.