James Fawn, my great great great Grandfather, was a music hall singer and a low comedian often billed as, 'The Prince of the Red Nosed Comedians' who lampooned the leisured classes by appearing on stage drunk. With a red nose and bleary eyes, and holding a half-full bottle of champagne or expensive wine, he would dress in dishevelled but very fashionable clothing- top hat and tails.
He hiccuped as he sang, protesting that "… it must have been the lobster I've eaten as I've hardly drunk enough to drown a fly!".
He is most famous for his number 'If you want to know the time…ask a policeman', which was a satire of the well known fact that if arrested for drunkenness, your watch would probably 'vanish' during your time inside the police station.
His last appearance was at the South London Music Hall in 1922, less than a year before his death.
18-Mar-06 at 7:26 am | Permalink
excellent page
18-Mar-06 at 2:34 pm | Permalink
Thank you. Fawn was only the stage name of our ancestor, or so I believe.
Genealogy rocks!!
11-Jul-06 at 10:47 pm | Permalink
Do you know where I can find an audio sample of “if you want to know the time ask a policeman” for my grandparents please?
12-Jul-06 at 12:31 pm | Permalink
Hi Kim. Sadly I’ve never heard an audio recording. I keep meaning to get in touch with the Bristol Theatre Archive to ask for advice about tracking down recordings from this period. I’ve got your email ad if I ever manage to find anything.
15-Jun-09 at 10:59 am | Permalink
my brother has in his posession a ivory handled walking stick with engraved silver band. “to my old pal harry from james fawn christmas 1922″ which had belonged to our grandfather henry winter
we believe that his stage name was william henry prince,which was on his masonic lodge certificate dated 1899,we have been told that this may have been an entertainers branch of the bolingbroke
21-Sep-09 at 7:23 pm | Permalink
James Fawn appeared at the Canterbury Theatre of Varieties May to June 1880, on the same bill as my great grandfather, Henri Dewinne, Ballet Master of the Canterbury Ballet, who choreographed the two dance productions on those nights – Nymphs of the Ocean and the Grand Spactacular Snowball Ballet.
19-Jan-11 at 8:34 am | Permalink
Hello,
I am a singer/researcher and every year prepare a programme for the British Music Hall Society Study group on a particular music hall star. I am thinking of making James Fawn my subect for next January’s talk (this year it was George Beauchamp, last year Charles Godfrey). If anyone has positive information about James and would be prepared to share this with me I would be most grateful. Sadly my work is unpaid so I can’t offer financial recompense.
Regards,
Peter Charlton
member of the British Music Hall Society and The Society for Theatre Research
25-Jan-11 at 5:08 pm | Permalink
No-one has contacted me yet but I would like to hear from anyone who knows anything about James Fawn and his family. Incidentally, CJ, James did record. The only one I know about, presumably a cylinder recording, was “Tablets” which was re-issued on an LP “On the Halls”, EMI SHB 43. Possibly still available on the 2nd hand market but I have a copy if you want to hear it.