Tommy Handley - Who is this man? (who looks like Charlie Chaplin)

Tommy Handley - The Man With the Big Cigar (Who is this man that looks like Charlie Chaplin?)

Thomas Reginald "Tommy" Handley (January 17, 1892 January 9, 1949) was a British comedian, mainly known for the BBC radio program ITMA ("It's That Man Again"). He was born at Toxteth Park, Liverpool in Lancashire.

He served in the British Army during World War I and went on to work in variety, and in the infancy of radio became known as a regular broadcaster. He worked with people such as Arthur Askey and Bob Monkhouse, and wrote many radio scripts, but it is the BBC comedy series ITMA for which he is best known. He later starred in the ITMA film in 1942 and in Time Flies in 1944

"Now we've seen a lot of pictures of the people in the news.
And we've got to know a lot of them by sight.
Chamberlain with his umbrella, Churchill with his hats.
Hore-Belisha, well we know him quite alright.
But there's one whose lovely photograph we've seen for years and years.
And we ask ourselves this question every time his face appears.
Who is this man who looks like Charlie Chaplin?
What makes him think that he can win a war?
It can't be the moustache. That only makes us laugh!
And Charlie's done it better, and before.
If it wasn't for the boots and cane and trousers,
You couldn't tell the 2 of them apart.
But the whole idea's absurd. Charlie's never said a word!
And Adolf couldn't play a silent part!

Imagine Adolf starring in "The Gold Rush".
He hasn't got a half of Charlie's charm.
But he gives a lot of troubles
To his film director doubles
When he plays the leading part in "Shoulder Arms".
He's amusing when he tries to play the villain.
It's bound to get a laugh in every clime.
I believe it's all a fake-up,
And in spite of all the makeup
We're convinced it's Charlie Chaplin all the time!

Supposing Charlie Chaplin got the fever.
A war would be a comedy, Pro Tem.
Imagine Adolf getting skittish,
Signing pacts with Rome and British,
And dropping custard pies on MGM.
Charlie Chaplin would be bigger, louder, funnier.
With him in charge the battles would be fun.
And the chief of his Gestapo
Wouldn't be Groucho Marx, but Harpo,
And he'd soon have Shirley Temple on the run!

If Adolf was in pictures he'd try soft stuff.
East Lynn would be his story as a start.
Little Eva, played by Goering, would be a trifle boring,
I'd sooner see Charles Laughton in the part!
But don't let us be too hard on poor old Adolf,
He's a god-send to the comics, he's sublime.
Cartoonists love his make-up, but one morning we shall wake up
And find it's Charlie Chaplin all the time!

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Tommy
• Handley
• The
• Man
• With
• the
• Big
• Cigar
• ITMA
• british
• humour
• 1940
• hitler

[Giac1981]

great song! i would like to know when it was precisely written and sung... thank u so much!

[jonjamg]

@Giac1981 I have read that at the start of WW2 comics were not allowed to make references to Hitler because we were still actually trying to avoid hostilities. But within 3 days of war being declared, Tommy Handley was on the radio with - Who is this man, that looks like Charlie Chaplin.

[ferdinandthecrow]

This isn't "Man With the Big Cigar"

I've only heard the Charlie & His Orchestra version of that...Apparently the original is too obscure for Youtube!

[jonjamg]

@ferdinandthecrow Try telling iTunes - have a search for it on there and see what comes up

[bunnydo]

i remember we used to do this song im music in my primary, this was the only song that everyone really put all their effort in.

[djoutrage18]

hmmm now you mention it, that name does ring a bell, ding! glad to know it's not just some figment of my imagination though, thanks!

[jonjamg]

@swallin19 I lift up my finger and say "Tweet Tweet" Leslie Sarony 1929 I lift up my finger and I say "Tweet tweet, shush shush, now now, come come!" I don't need to linger when I say "Tweet tweet, shush shush, now now, come come!" When the baby screams and scatters my dreams Do I start to sing or hum? No! I lift up my finger and I say "Tweet tweet, shush shush, now now, come come!" Gracie Fileds Bonzo Dog Band Lesley Sarony Stanley Lupino Both the last two are good

[swallin19]

@djoutrage18 You are thinking of Leslie Sarony, who wrote and performed the song himself. although Tommy may have recorded a version as well.

[jonjamg]

@djoutrage18

Are you sure it was Tommy Handley. He was a little before my time yet I know the song you are talking about and can hear it in my head. I'll see what I can find.

[djoutrage18]

I know, not to mention the amount of early jazz records that got burned too.

You people wouldn't happen to know a song Tommy did that went something like I lift up my finger and i say tweet tweet tweet, or something like that would you? been looking for it for years and that's all i know about it.