Carroll Levis (1910-1968)

[julian_craster]

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Carroll Richard Levis (1910-1968), talent spotter and broadcaster, was born on 15 March 1910 in Toronto, Canada, one of at least three children. Little is known of his family other than that his father, an Irishman from Cork, was a police detective. After leaving school at fifteen he had numerous jobs ranging from variety show compere to lumberjack, before joining Vancouver radio station CKWX, where he was soon writing and presenting his own shows. To fill an unexpected gap in the programme he was presenting from Edmonton, Alberta, he invited an unknown singer from the audience to broadcast. This innovation proved so popular that it led to a regular programme introducing unknown artists to the microphone, which became the basis of his career for the next thirty years.

Despite Levis's popularity in his native Canada, he left for Britain in 1935, believing it offered greater opportunities. In 1939 he married his secretary, the lively Florence Mina Sumner (d. 1996). They had no children. Encouraged by Eric Maschwitz, the BBC's director of variety, he toured Britain, interviewing hundreds of unknown hopefuls. The best were invited to broadcast on Carroll Levis and his Discoveries, one of the broadcasting successes of 1936. He presented his shows with a heartiness and confidence that his audience found hugely attractive. Drawing over 20 million listeners in his heyday, he enthusiastically created the impression that a new star might emerge at any moment. Usually, the programme's formula was that of a conventional variety show with professional artists, within which was a regular discovery section. Constantly on the lookout for originality of material and presentation, plus a wide repertory, he never encouraged his discoveries to attempt a career in entertainment, unless they had exceptional talent.

Over the next decade Levis presented seven more series on the BBC and for Radio Luxemburg, as well as entertaining the troops overseas during the Second World War. An account of these travels appeared in A Showman Goes East (1945). In 1947 he suffered a mental breakdown and returned to Canada-his brother Cyril stepped in to present his 1948 show. By 1950 Levis was back in Britain, resuming his touring shows and returning to the airwaves in 1951. In 1955 the entertainer Hughie Green sued the BBC, Levis and his wife, and others, alleging a conspiracy to keep his own discoveries show Opportunity Knocks off the air. Green lost, yet it was Levis's career that went into decline. His last broadcast was on 4 November 1959 and despite successful shows on ITV his contracts were not renewed; in 1960 he again returned to Canada. After trying his luck in the United States and Paris, he fruitlessly tried to interest British broadcasters in plans for a new show in 1965. In the year of his death he realized that the days of the talent show were past and was considering instead the management of young artists.

Levis had a strong, round, fleshy face, blue eyes, and, from a young age, silver-grey hair, smoothed flat. Although grossly overweight he was dapper and elegant. Sometimes arrogant with a tendency to flamboyance, he was liable to be abusive and even aggressive during his periods of over-indulgence in alcohol. Yet there were times when he hardly drank at all, and beneath his often bumptious manner he was sensitive, caring, and trusting. Levis also had a minor film career, starring in Discoveries (1939) and appearing in Brass Monkey (1948) (retitled Lucky Mascot) (available on R2 DVD from Odeon Entertainment) and The Depraved (1957).

Levis died in obscurity in Charing Cross Hospital, London, on 17 October 1968 of cirrhosis of the liver, and was cremated on 24 October at Golders Green, London. During his career he had made three comebacks and had lost as many fortunes. He claimed to be a dollar millionaire by the time he was thirty, yet, according to press reports, left only a few hundred pounds on his death.

David Evans

Sources C. Levis, A showman goes east (1945) + C. Andrews, ed., Radio who's who (1947) + S. Heppner, 'All about Carroll Levis and his discoveries', Radio Times (19 Feb 1937), 11 + C. B. Rees, 'Discovering the discovery man', Radio Times (8 Oct 1937), 15 + B. Took, A point of view (1990) + The Times (18 Oct 1968) + Daily Telegraph (18 Oct 1968) + Daily Mail (18 Oct 1968) + Daily Express (18 Oct 1968) + G. Wood, 'The discovery man', Sunday Times (20 Dec 1970) [colour suppl.] + D. Gifford, The golden age of radio (1985) + D. Gifford, The British film catalogue, 1895-1985: a reference guide, [2nd edn] (1986) + C. G. Glover, 'Carroll carries on', Radio Times (19 Sept 1941), 5 + B. Took, Laughter in the air: an informal history of British radio comedy (1976) + Evening News (1 Jan 1968) + Daily Telegraph (26 Nov 1954) + The Star (23 Jan 1950) + The Star (9 Sept 1960) + J. Walker, ed., Halliwell's film and video guide, 12th edn (1997) + Sunday Express (19 March 1967) + Radio Times (1944) + Radio Times (5 March 1948) + Radio Times (20 April 1951) + records, BL NSA, BBC sound archive + records, BBC WAC + records, Golders Green crematorium + d. cert.
Archives FILM BFI NFTVA, 'Don't call us', BBC1, 13 Jan 1999 + BFI NFTVA, performance footage SOUND BL NSA, BBC sound archive, 'Carroll Levis show', 8 Sept 1946


Wealth at death a few hundred pounds: Wood, 'Discovery man'

[Mr Cosmo]

My memory of Carroll Levis is a very special one because we had our first ever TV delivered and after much messing around with ariels and wires and switches, at long last a picture came on TV and he ws the very first person I ever saw on TV and for some reason that has stayed with me along with the first record I ever bought (Telstar), my first kiss and my first cinema date (Dracula Has Risen From The Grave).

[CaptainWaggett]

Do we know which, if any, stars he actually discovered?