Heywood & Hopwood July 2016

From the
archives
Norman Evans
Through TV, film and radio we are familiar with celebrities in our homes, but things were
very different prior to the 1950’s. Then, variety took place in theatres and tended to take
on a local or regional character. Furthermore, many of those that took to the stage were
ordinary people, often with ordinary jobs and living just down the road. No security-gated
compounds for the stars in the 1920’s and 1930’s. One such star emerging from Rochdale
was the comedian Norman Evans.
Norman was born in Rochdale on the 11th June 1901 and after attending Castlemere Council School worked
first as an office boy at Arrow Mills in Castleton, then for Swailes Ltd in Milnrow (formerly Lancashire Paper
Tubes Company on Molesworth Street) initially in the office but then as a salesman or ‘rep,’ securing orders
for the parent company. Although the pay was poor, it seems that Norman was good at his job. One incident
suggests this as well as his sense of fun. Norman went to Sykes of Halifax – a particularly hard firm to get
an order - and was quickly shown the door. In a local café he drew their manager as a huge monster
chasing Norman down the road. He returned to the company, showed the cartoon to the boss and got his
order ! He was as good at ‘reading’ his customers as he was at reading a theatre audience, another of his
tricks being to imitate - accurately – his bosses and his customers.
One of his work colleagues told me that Norman owned a Riley car which was constantly breaking down
due to the petrol being ‘gravity feed.’ Norman didn’t understand this and when the mechanics ‘fixed’ it
(by turning on a pump !) Norman was amazed and rewarded them with a packet of cigarettes. Stories of
his practical joking at work are still told, for example his pretending that there was a mouse in the office
to frighten the office girls.
After work, Norman would indulge in his hobby – variety and theatricals. The late 20’s and 30’s was an
era of the local concert party, Masonic Halls and ‘smoking clubs’ (all male) where Norman practiced his
comedy and ventriloquist acts. Sometimes he would play for Sunday Schools, charging one guinea, and
those who saw him said that he was never ‘smutty’ or crude, relying on good Lancashire humour to
entertain.
Talented as a comedian, pianist, trumpet player (and cartoonist), Norman left his rep’s job for a career in
show business in 1934. Gracie Fields saw him at a charity show at the Rochdale Hippodrome in 1931 and
being further alerted to his talents by a friend, gave him an audition in her dressing room. Impressed, she
put him on her Friday night bill at the Chiswick Empire, knowing that Sir Oswald Stoll, the impresario,
would be there. Stoll was impressed too and booked him for the Alhambra two weeks later. By 1935 Archie