12 Facts About Fred Karno

Frederick John Westcott, best known by his stage name Fred Karno, was an English theatre impresario of the British music hall.

Fred Karno's father was a cabinet maker, although Karno's first career was as a plumber's apprentice.

Fred Karno subsequently worked as a solo acrobat and as part of a troupe called The Four Aubreys.

Fred Karno demolished the original hotel and hired architect Frank Matcham to build The Karsino.

Fred Karno then was able to marry his long-time partner, Marie Moore.

Fred Karno went to the US in September 1929, and was hired by the Hal Roach Studios as a writer-director, thanks to the support of one of his former proteges, Stan Laurel.

Fred Karno left the studio in February 1930 and returned to England later that spring.

Fred Karno later helped to write and produce several short films, some of which starred members of the Gang.

Fred Karno spent his last years in southwest England in the village of Lilliput, Dorset, as a part-owner of an off-licence, and died there in 1941 from diabetes, aged 75.

Fred Karno was an innovator: he choreographed mime shows for his own troupe, Fred Karno's Komics, and brought slapstick circus comedy to the music hall which included his 1904 sketch Mumming Birds, featuring a number of new innovations including the pie in the face gag; its success saw it become the longest-running sketch the music halls produced.

Fred Karno developed possibly the first use of the revolve in Britain, brought together troupes of comics and in so doing developed sketch comedy; he was instrumental in establishing copyright protections for stage productions against the threat from film; and was a pioneer of adding musical accompaniment to stage slapstick.

The film included a brief routine based on Fred Karno's sketch Mumming Birds.