Bud Flanagan was born in Chaim Reuven Weintrop, London, England on October 14. He was a prominent British music hall and vaudeville entertainer, comedian, singer, and songwriter, best known as one half of the comedy duo Flanagan and Allen and as the leader of the revue troupe the Crazy Gang. Born Chaim Reuven Weintrop on October 14, 1896, his parents were Polish Jewish immigrants Woolf and Yetta Weintrop, who ran a fried fish shop, he was the youngest of ten children. He anglicized his name early in life, initially to Robert Winthrop and later to Bud Flanagan after a World War I incident involving a sergeant major and made his stage debut at age 12 in a talent show at the London Music Hall in Shoreditch.
Flanagan's career began in earnest after serving in the Royal Field Artillery during World War I, where he met Chesney Allen in Belgium in 1915; the pair formed their enduring double act in 1926, gaining popularity through variety shows and recordings. In 1932, Flanagan co-founded the Crazy Gang at the London Palladium, a chaotic comedy revue group that headlined at the Victoria Palace Theatre for over three decades, performing until 1962 and becoming synonymous with British entertainment during the interwar and wartime eras. He co-wrote and popularized enduring songs such as "Underneath the Arches" (1932), a signature tune for homeless performers, and wartime hits including "We're Going to Hang out the Washing on the Siegfried Line" (1939) and "Run, Rabbit, Run" (1939), which boosted morale during World War II.
Beyond the stage, Flanagan appeared in films like “Gasbags” (1940), on radio broadcasts, and in early television, while Allen retired in 1945 but occasionally reunited with him for specials. Awarded the OBE in 1960 for services to entertainment, he continued performing into his later years, notably recording the theme song "Who Do You Think You Are Kidding, Mr. Hitler?" for the BBC sitcom ‘Dad's Army’ just before his death. Married to Anne (known as Curly) since 1925, he and his wife endured the loss of their son Buddy to leukaemia in 1956, which later inspired the establishment of the Bud Flanagan Leukaemia Fund by his estate in 1969 to support cancer research and patient care. Flanagan died of a heart attack on October 20, 1968,, at age 72 in London, leaving a legacy honored by an English Heritage blue plaque at his birthplace in 1996.
Bud Flanagan appeared as himself in the 1939 Euro-western “The Frozen Limits”
FLANAGAN, Bud (aka Robert Winthrop) (Chaim
Reuven Weintrop) [10/14/1896, Chaim Reuven Weintrop, England, U.K. –
10/20/1968, London, England, U.K. (heart attack)] – theater, film, radio, TV,
voice actor, married to dancer Ann "Curly" Flanagan [19??-1975]
(1925-1968) father of actor Buddy Flanagan [1926-1956], half of the comedy team
of Flanagan & Allen, member of the Crazy Gang, awarded an OBE [1959].
The Frozen Limits – 1939 (Bud)
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