Barry Band: Ventriloquists who made a difference on Blackpool's entertainment scene

Last week’s page of comedy double acts has led to a follow-up caused by my imagination of a muffled voice from a suitcase asking “What about me, you silly old fool?”

It was a tipsy Lord Charles, waking up after a late night session at the bar.

Charlie Brown, Lenny the Lion and Orville the Duck might have made the same observation - after glasses of milk!

Perish the thought that it could have been that flat-capped Grandad, always looking for a punch-up.

It’s time to recall those other double acts that made a difference in summer seasons and televised variety shows. The ventriloquists and their little pals.

Sadly, we’ve lost the star vents of Blackpool summer season shows. The two who made the most appearances, Keith Harris and Arthur Worsley, both lived in the Fylde.

We’ll get round to them in a minute. First I have to declare my favourites Ray Alan and Lord Charles. It goes back to watching Ray on Tich and Quackers with the kids.

I’ve since had a few laughs at the bar with my impersonation of the rascally earl.

“We’ve had a couple, y’know!”

So I was chuffed to meet them at the Grand in 2005, in the Comedy Legends season of weekend shows with two other double acts. I photographed them with Tommy Cannon and Bobby Ball and Grumbleweeds Graham Walker and Robin Colvill.

Ray never did a full Blackpool season but brought Lord Charles on several Sunday concert visits and was in five televised shows from the ABC in the mid-1960s.

Keith Harris and Orville had 11 Blackpool seasons, starting at the Central Pier in 1967. Orville the duck and Cuddles the monkey were introduced in Keith’s seasons at the ABC in 1974 and 77.

Keith was the only vent to have his name in the title of a summer show - at the Grand for the 1983 season - and in 1988 he was at the Opera House with Les Dawson and Frank Carson.

He did five seasons at the Sandcastle in Keith and Orville’s Magic Castle before returning to the Grand in Joe Longthorne’s 2001 season.

Next in the league table of vents in summer shows was Arthur Worsley, with seven. After moving to Blackpool, he introduced his cheeky Charlie Brown doll in the 1945 season at the Central Pier.

He was at the same theatre in 1954, then at the Hippodrome in 1956 and the Palace Theatre in 1961.

Arthur and Charlie were in the first summer show at the new ABC, in 1963, with Cliff Richard and the Shadows and also did seasons there in 1969 and 1972.

Neville King broke away from the traditional stance of the vent by having a very physical act, fighting and rolling around with his aggressive Grandad doll.

He did six Blackpool seasons, starting at the ABC in 1964 and then at all three Blackpool piers.

Terry Hall, with Lenny the Lion, did seasons at the Queen’s Theatre in 1957 and 58 and the North Pier in 61.

Others I saw keeping a straight face in the resort included Albert Saveen, Roger de Courcy, Dawson Chance, Ken Wood and Ward Allen in season shows and Paul Zerdin in the 2009 Royal Variety Performance at the Opera House.