The third of a new series of musical programmes devised by Leslie Baily telling the story of famous stage successes and how they were written and produced
No. 3—
'THE CO - OPTIMISTS '
The story behind the show will be told tonight, in person or in special recordings by Phyllis Monkman
Stanley Holloway
Davy Burnaby
Elsa Macfarlane
Harry S. Pepper and others associated with the production
The BBC Chorus and the Augmented
BBC Variety Orchestra
Conducted by Charles Shadwell
Radio script by Gale Pedrick
Production by Ronald Waldman
It was in 1920 when he was acting with Leslie Henson at the Winter Garden in A Night Out, that Davy Burnaby conceived the idea of founding the Co-Optimists.
They opened at the Royalty in 1921 — Phyllis Monkman ,' Betty Chester , Elsa Macfarlane , Babs Valerie , Melville Gideon, Laddie Cliff, Gilbert Childs , Bert Hedley , and Davy himself-and they appeared in London at one theatre or another for the next six years. They were the first concert party ever to broadcast.
See the article on the series ' The
Story behind the Show by Gale Pedrick on page 10.