Wilson, Keppel and Betty: Too Naked for the Nazis

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QUESTION What happened to Wilson, Keppel and Betty, a music hall act who dressed as Egyptians and performed a comic dance routine? On The Air (UK 1934) – lost film, but the section with the act survives in Köbenhavn, Kalundborg, og – ?, featuring the duo with Betty Knox In 1920 the duo travelled to Canada where they toured in a comedy tap dancing act, later also performing in vaudeville venues in the United States. By 1928 they were performing as 'The Bus Boys' [4] and in this year Kansas-born chorus girl Betty Knox (Alice Elizabeth Peden, 10 May 1906 – 25 January 1963) joined the act at Des Moines, Iowa. She is said to have married mechanic Donald Knox in 1923 and to have divorced him after a brief marriage, but there are no records to confirm either event. Their daughter Jean Patricia Knox was born in 1923 in Salina, Kansas. [5] She was brought up by her grandparents for the next 14 years while her mother worked firstly in a chorus line and then with Wilson and Keppel. [6] International celebrity Betty Knox (third from right) in 1944 as a war correspondent for the London Evening Standard Wilson, Keppel and Betty Knox in a clip from the otherwise lost British film On the Air (1934). The clip survives in a Danish compilation film København, Kalundborg og – ? (1934)

l to r Alan Stafford, Dame Barbara Windsor and Steve Garner on completion of the Wilson Keppel and Betty tribute - image sourced from Alan Stafford Fb with thanks Starlight Serenade (UK 1943) – threadbare variety feature hosted by Bonar Colleano, with Patsy as ‘Betty’ Freda Utley (1949). "The Nuremberg Judgments". The High Cost of Vengeance. Henry Regnery Company . Retrieved 20 May 2018. From the early 1930's the trio became an established feature of British variety shows and were chosen for several Royal Variety Performances. Because the act was visual and hence instantly understandable to anyone, they received many offers from Europe. While her efforts certainly went down well with the audience judging from the loud cheers she commanded, the judges were also impressed.A Ray of Sunshine (UK 1950) – variety acts linked together by comedian Ted Ray, with Patsy as ‘Betty’ Too Naked for the Nazis is a terrific book, warmly recommended. Now, if we could just get some better image quality clips of the act online, or a definitive TV history…" 2014 - Dancing on Ice Freda Utley (1949). "The Nuremberg Judgments". The High Cost of Vengeance. Henry Regnery Company . Retrieved 2 October 2013.

Frank Skinner and Suzy Klein examine what happened to British popular entertainment - its stars and its audiences - during the Second World War and beyond. See how they recreated the poses originated by Wilson and Keppel here BBCs 'What a Performance - Pioneers of Popular Entertainment' Knox's daughter, Patsy Knox, took over as 'Betty' in 1942, staying with the act until 1950. The trio, in its various line-ups, appeared at the Royal Variety Performance in 1933, [11] 1945 and 1947.The 'opener' for the Russ Abbot Christmas Show with no real indication of the delightful 'The Day it Snowed in Cairo' Sketch Betty Knox seemed to play off Wilson and Keppel pretty well, she seems to have been pretty self-assured and a bit of a character and that has only to come from being both on and off stage. Sure she was a very lively personality and that shows so I think she brought some spark to the act." The supreme eccentric dance act of the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s, Wilson, Keppel and Betty still hold sway fifty years after their disbandment. Theirs is a remarkable achievement. Many speech-based comedy routines of that period now appear to be resoundingly awful, their jokes no better than those found in juvenile comics. But Wilson, Keppel and Betty created something new, the appeal of which seems ageless. They were sand dancers, who established a routine they called Cleopatras Nightmare. It was carefully constructed over several years. The common view now is that it was immutable just like other music hall and variety acts who were able to travel throughout Britain never needing to change their routines. All that is wrong. Wilson, Keppel and Betty did alter their act, although the changes were mostly cosmetic. Their followers were happy to watch their turn time and time again and demand nothing very much different. For the second consecutive year, the winning title has been nominated by its author. Therefore, St Theatre is about many things, but ultimately it can be argued that even 'serious' theatre is about entertainment in the widest sense. While these plays may tell us little about Ancient Egypt, and what they do tell us is seldom accurate, they do tell us a lot about our perception of it. Topical productions, especially spectacular ones, are popular but by definition largely about the Egypt of their day. What keeps appealing to audiences is not real Ancient Egypt, but fantasy Egypt, a land of monuments, magic, mummies, and the mysterious Queen Cleopatra. Which means, of course, that we cannot forget the fantasy Moorish style Alhambra Theatre and others which were the setting from the late 1920s to the early 1960s for Cleopatra's Nightmare and the Sand Dance of the immortal Wilson, Keppel and Betty." Postcards

Professional Christmas Greetings from Wilson, Keppel & Betty on 1st January 1936 - images sourced from the British Newspaper Archive 1934 - Following on from ' On the Air' some skillful steps. Can you imagine touring without having to take cumbersome props or a troupe of dogs or performing The singer, 53, put on an impressive performance during the halftime show of the NFL Super Bowl XLVI football game between the New York Giants and the New England Patriots." Openwriting Web magazine features a feast of words from regular columnists, U3A writers and other authors. Every day there is something new to read in Openwriting." Letter from America : Herr Göbbels Flunks The Ballet Egyptien TestThe magic and fascination continues! The final, final ever series of Dancing on Ice features Team Hayley leading (and losing) the Team Challenge using Wilson, Keppel and Betty visual stimulus at its best. Still taken from the ITV Player. The refreshed BBC iPlayer image for the tribute which is still available here 2020 - R.I.P. Dame Barbara Windsor Most are surprised to learn that their signature dance was set to Luigini's Ballet Egyptien.’The music fitted their 'ballet' perfectly. It was a series of moves and stylised paroxysms based on poses from the wall carvings of Egyptian Osiritic texts. Excellent example of the painstakingly beautiful 'copperplate' hand written graphics that accompanied the 'fan' cards Richard Crean, the Palladium’s musical director, fell ill only a few days before the performance. His place was taken by George Deacon, the leader of the orchestra.