Fred Karno - Lilliput

[Warren Karno]

Date: 17 Oct 2010



Hi Gareth



Have just installed a new computer, which has caused us to do some house-cleaning. In the process, we found your enquiry and our reply. This seemingly inspired no response from you. Could it be we gave you wrong address or our message fell into the great black hole?



In recent weeks, there has been a lot of activity and interest in Fred Karno, including the show in Birmingham this month of "Khaotic-the Fred Karno story". This activity is in the process of uncovering some fascinating facts. Perhaps you are fully aware of all these. However you would like to keep in touch, I would be pleased to hear from you.



Best Wishes

Warren Karno

www.warrenkarno.com

portfolio.press@xtra.co.nz

[Langley Iddins]

I read with interest the chain of anecdotes about Fred Karno. This is a long shot but as this forum seems to have attracted a few Karno relatives I will give it a go.

Back in the early 90's I visited a niece of either Fred Karno or his wife Edith. She was living at the time somewhere between Balham and Streatham. She was in her early 90's and recalled visiting Fred and Edith at their houseboat 'Astoria' on Taggs Island.

Interestingly she had in her possession a wonderful collection of glass lantern slides showing Fred Karno with his dog, his houseboat, and other parts of The Karsino on Taggs Island. I am trying to trace the present whereabouts of these slides as the copies I made at the time were unfortunately destroyed in a fire.

I have lived on Fred Karno's houseboat for the past 26 years and to celebrate its centenary this year (2011) am putting together a pictorial history of the boat. If any relatives of Fred Karno should read this and know of the whereabouts of those lantern slides or any other rare period photographs of the houseboat Astoria I would be very pleased to hear from them.
Astoria, Garrick Lawn, Hampton.

[crumpydave]

Hi, Since this is now a very old thread I'm sure this will get me nowhere but nothing ventured... so if you're still out there Torrero I'd love to hear from you, I have almost completed a new biography on Fred Karno and it would be great to speak to you about this incident. If you are able to contact me you can do so via here or my website www.fredkarno.co.uk. Those who have commented on Karno on here might also find this interesting. The material you are all referring to has come from a biography of Karno called 'Master of Mirth and Tears' written in the early 70s by Jo Gallagher. The main source for this book were Karno's ex-wife's friends - they hated Karno for leaving Edith and painted a very dark picture of him. The truth was somewhat different, but this 'last shot across the bows' is how he is now remembered. As a result his contribution to comedy and popular culture is overshadowed, hopefully not for long.

Anyway, in addition to hoping to contact Torrero (i notice you were 80 when you put on that post!) can I also say that thanks to your post I was lucky enough to be put in touch with Warren Karno (hi Warren!) who has become a dear friend. And I notice Langley is also on this thread (Hi Langley!) another fine chap. It's a small Karno obsessed world!!

Gareth - I've done a lot of work on the Karno family tree so note your comment, I may be able to give you some more info if you are interested. Feel free to get in touch.

Anyway in summary rest assured Karno wasn't as black as he's painted.

Cheers

Crumpy

[Edward G]

HI Crumpy,
Delighted to see that you have made it your mission to back bring to life this oft forgotten legend and with it a more balanced account of his legacy than has been offered before. I first became aware of "Fred Karno's Army" while reading about Stan Laurel in John McCabe's biography of Laurel and Hardy "Mr Laurel and Mr Hardy", a few years back. What an impressario he was. People nowadays have no idea how huge he was.

Anyway in summary rest assured Karno wasn't as black as he's painted.

Cheers

Crumpy