George Formby: Difference between revisions

* [[Chinese Launderer]]: Mr Wu started out as owning a Chinese Laundry in Limehouse (a district of London where many Chinese immigrants settled in the 19th and early 20th centuries and where such laundries were associated with) but later moved on to greater things.

* [[Dawson Casting]]: Referenced in "The Window Cleaner":

''She looks a [[The Flapper|flapper]] on the screen''<br />

''She's more like eighty than eighteen!''<br />

* [[Fair for Its Day]]: The "Mr Wu" songs have some dodgy lyrics for today, but at the time nobody else would have made songs about a Chinese immigrant--at least not portraying him in a sympathetic light. Especially noteworthy as the original "Mr Wu" was a [[Yellow Peril]] villain from a play in the 1910s who was taken up as a recurring character in music hall; Formby used the name for the recognition, but not much else.

* [[Getting Crap Past the Radar]]: Legendarily so. For example, in "The Window Cleaner":

I'd rather have his job than mine, when I'm cleaning windows!" }}

* [[Inherently Funny Words]]: One reason why he often mentioned his ukulele in the words of his songs.

* [[Last-Second Word Swap]] and [[Subverted Rhyme Every Occasion]]: Fond of using these.

You ought to see it wobble when he's ironing ladies'...blouses" }}

** Another example:

The wife said "Where've you been?" and I said "You can go to...bed!" }}

* [[I Meant to Do That]]: "Sitting On The Ice In The Ice Rink" is based on this trope--it's George insisting that, no, he hasn't fallen while skating, he ''likes'' sitting on the ice in the ice rink with his skates on.

* [[Sequel]]: Many of his songs have sequels, most notably the 'Mr Wu' series.

* [[Sound Effect Bleep]]: One of the first to do the musical version:

But up to now it's been like h('''LOUD NOTE''')! Mother what'll I do now?" }}