Bobby Howes

Bobby Howes (4 August 1895 – 27 April 1972) was a British entertainer who was a leading musical comedy performer in London's West End theatres in the 1930s and 1940s.

Biography

Born in Battersea, Surrey, his parents were Robert William Howes and Rose Marie Butler. He started his career in revues, but his career was interrupted for the First World War where he soldiered on the Western Front. He suffered a German mustard gas attack but recovered and returned to the stage. He gained a career break-through with the role-reversal comedy Mr. Cinders, based on the Cinderella pantomime, also featuring Binnie Hale, with whom he appeared on many occasions subsequently. He reprised his title role in Mr. Cinders in several different productions.

In the 1930s, he was with Van Phillips' Four Bright Sparks whose vocalists included Billy Milton. Four Bright Sparks recorded at least 60 sides. He was a leading musical comedy performer on the West End in the 1930s and 1940s.

He continued onstage, including Broadway, and in films until he retired in the late 1960s. One of his most acclaimed roles was as the eponymous lead in Finian's Rainbow when it was revived on Broadway in 1960.

He was the father of actress/singer Sally Ann Howes and of Peter Howes, by his marriage to Patricia Malone. He died on 27 April 1972, aged 76, in London, England.