Arthur Veary Treacher was an English actor born in
BrightonBrighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
,
East SussexEast Sussex is a county in South East England. It is bordered by the counties of Kent, Surrey and West Sussex, and to the south by the English Channel.-History:...
, England.
Treacher was a veteran of
World War IWorld War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. After the war, he established a stage career and in 1928, he went to America as part of a musical-comedy revue called
Great Temptations. He was featured in the 1930
Billy RoseWilliam "Billy" Rose was an American impresario, theatrical showman and lyricist. He is credited with many famous songs, notably "Me and My Shadow" , "It Happened in Monterey" and "It's Only a Paper Moon"...
production
Sweet and LowSweet and Low is a musical revue produced by Billy Rose and starring James Barton, Fanny Brice, George Jessel, and Arthur Treacher. It features sketches by David Freedman and songs by various composers and lyricists....
.
Treacher began his film career in the 1930s, which included roles in four
Shirley TempleShirley Temple Black , born Shirley Jane Temple, is an American film and television actress, singer, dancer, autobiographer, and former U.S. Ambassador to Ghana and Czechoslovakia...
films:
Curly TopCurly Top is an American musical film directed by Irving Cummings. The screenplay by Patterson McNutt and Arthur J. Beckhard focuses on the adoption of a young orphan by a wealthy bachelor and his romantic attraction to her older sister .Together with The Littlest Rebel, another Temple vehicle,...
(1935),
StowawayStowaway is a 1936 American musical film directed by William A. Seiter. The screenplay by William M. Conselman, Nat Perrin, and Arthur Sheekman is based on a story by Samuel Engel. The film is about a young orphan called 'Ching Ching' who stows away on a ship and is adopted by Tommy Randall and...
(1936),
HeidiHeidi is a 1937 American dramatic film directed by Allan Dwan. The screenplay by Julien Josephson and Walter Ferris was based on the 1880 children's story of the same name by Swiss author Johanna Spyri. The film is about an orphan named Heidi who is taken from her grandfather to live as a...
(1937), and
The Little Princess (1939). Scenes intentionally put the six-feet-four Treacher standing or dancing side-by-side with the tiny child actress. Treacher filled the role of the ideal
butlerA butler is a domestic worker in a large household. In great houses, the household is sometimes divided into departments with the butler in charge of the dining room, wine cellar, and pantry. Some also have charge of the entire parlour floor, and housekeepers caring for the entire house and its...
, and he portrayed P. G. Wodehouse's perfect valet character
JeevesReginald Jeeves is a fictional character in the short stories and novels of P. G. Wodehouse, being the valet of Bertie Wooster . Created in 1915, Jeeves would continue to appear in Wodehouse's works until his final, completed, novel Aunts Aren't Gentlemen in 1974, making him Wodehouse's most famous...
in the films
Thank You, Jeeves!Thank You, Jeeves! is a comedy film starring Arthur Treacher and David Niven.Although the film bears the same title as one of P.G. Wodehouse's novels, and the two leading characters are Jeeves and Bertie Wooster , the screenplay, by Stephen Gross and Joseph Hoffman, bears no similarity to any...
(1936) and
Step Lively, Jeeves (1937). He also played a valet or butler in several other films, including
Personal Maids,
Mister Cinderella, and
BordertownBordertown is a 1935 American drama film directed by Archie Mayo. The screenplay by Laird Doyle and Wallace Smith is based on Robert Lord's adaptation of the 1934 novel Border Town by Carroll Graham....
.
In 1964, Treacher played the role of stuffy English butler Arthur Pinkney in two episodes of
The Beverly HillbilliesThe Beverly Hillbillies is an American situation comedy originally broadcast for nine seasons on CBS from 1962 to 1971, starring Buddy Ebsen, Irene Ryan, Donna Douglas, and Max Baer, Jr....
. Pinkney mistakenly believed the hillbillies were the domestic servants of the family he was hired by, while the hillbillies believed Pinkney to be a boarder at their Beverly Hills mansion.
Treacher played the role of Constable Jones in
Mary PoppinsMary Poppins is a 1964 musical film starring Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke, produced by Walt Disney, and based on the Mary Poppins books series by P. L. Travers with illustrations by Mary Shepard. The film was directed by Robert Stevenson and written by Bill Walsh and Don DaGradi, with songs by...
and made many guest appearances on U.S. television, in addition to being
Merv GriffinMervyn Edward "Merv" Griffin, Jr. was an American television host, musician, actor, and media mogul. He began his career as a radio and big band singer who went on to appear in movies and on Broadway. From 1965 to 1986 Griffin hosted his own talk show, The Merv Griffin Show on Group W Broadcasting...
's announcer and
sidekickA sidekick is a close companion who is generally regarded as subordinate to the one he accompanies. Some well-known fictional sidekicks are Don Quixote's Sancho Panza, Sherlock Holmes' Doctor Watson, The Lone Ranger's Tonto, The Green Hornet's Kato and Batman's Robin.-Origins:The origin of the...
on
The Merv Griffin ShowThe Merv Griffin Show is an American television talk show, starring Merv Griffin. The series ran from October 1, 1962 to March 29, 1963 on NBC, September 20, 1965 to September 26, 1969 in first-run syndication, from August 18, 1969 to February 11, 1972 at 11:30 PM ET weeknights on CBS and again in...
from 1965–1970 ("...and now, here's the dear boy himself, Meeeer-vin!") When Griffin switched from syndication to
CBSCBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
in 1969, the network brass insisted that Treacher was too old for the show, but Griffin fought to keep Treacher and eventually won out. However, when Griffin relocated his show to Los Angeles the following year, Treacher stayed behind, telling Griffin "at my age, I don't want to move, especially to someplace that shakes!"
During this period of latter-day popularity, Treacher also capitalized on his name recognition through the use of his name and image for such franchised business concerns as
Arthur Treacher's Fish and Chips and
Call Arthur Treacher Service System (a household help agency).
Arthur Treacher's Fish and ChipsArthur Treacher's Fish and Chips is a fast food seafood restaurant chain., there were 45 stores in 8 northern states of the United States which serve fish and chips. Its main competitors are Long John Silver's and Captain D's...
became a popular restaurant chain in the 1970s named after him growing to nearly 900 outlets, although it is unclear if he had any financial involvement with the company. The fish and chips chain continues to exist, although there are believed to be only around 45 franchises left throughout the United States.
Partial filmography
- Curly Top
Curly Top is an American musical film directed by Irving Cummings. The screenplay by Patterson McNutt and Arthur J. Beckhard focuses on the adoption of a young orphan by a wealthy bachelor and his romantic attraction to her older sister .Together with The Littlest Rebel, another Temple vehicle,...
(1935)
- A Midsummer Night's Dream
A Midsummer Night's Dream is a 1935 film directed by Max Reinhardt and William Dieterle, produced by Henry Blanke and Hal Wallis, and adapted by Charles Kenyon and Mary C. McCall Jr...
(1935)
- Magnificent Obsession
Magnificent Obsession is a 1935 drama film based on a book of the same name by Lloyd C. Douglas. It was adapted by Sarah Y. Mason, Victor Heerman, and George O'Neil, and directed by John M. Stahl...
(1935)
- Remember Last Night?
Remember Last Night? is a 1935 American mystery comedy film directed by James Whale. The film, based on the novel The Hangover Murders, is about the investigation of the murder of one of a group of friends. The survivors are unable to recall the events of the night of the murder because they were...
(1935)
- Anything Goes (1936)
- Hearts Divided
Hearts Divided is a 1936 musical film about the real-life marriage between American Elizabeth 'Betsy' Patterson and Jérôme Bonaparte, brother of Napoleon. It starred Marion Davies and Dick Powell as the couple...
(1936)
- Satan Met a Lady
Satan Met a Lady is a 1936 American detective film directed by William Dieterle and starring Bette Davis.The screenplay by Brown Holmes is a loose adaptation of the 1930 novel The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett, which previously was filmed in 1931 under its original title.-Plot:Private...
(1936)
- Thank You, Jeeves!
Thank You, Jeeves! is a comedy film starring Arthur Treacher and David Niven.Although the film bears the same title as one of P.G. Wodehouse's novels, and the two leading characters are Jeeves and Bertie Wooster , the screenplay, by Stephen Gross and Joseph Hoffman, bears no similarity to any...
(1936)
- Stowaway
Stowaway is a 1936 American musical film directed by William A. Seiter. The screenplay by William M. Conselman, Nat Perrin, and Arthur Sheekman is based on a story by Samuel Engel. The film is about a young orphan called 'Ching Ching' who stows away on a ship and is adopted by Tommy Randall and...
(1936)
- Under Your Spell
Under Your Spell is a 1936 American romantic comedy film with music directed by Otto Preminger. The screenplay by Frances Hyland and Saul Elkins is based on a story by Sy Bartlett and Bernice Mason.-Plot:...
(1936)
- Thin Ice
Thin Ice is a United States comedy/romance film directed by Sidney Lanfield starring Tyrone Power and figure skater Sonja Henie.-Plot:...
(1937)
- Heidi
Heidi is a 1937 American dramatic film directed by Allan Dwan. The screenplay by Julien Josephson and Walter Ferris was based on the 1880 children's story of the same name by Swiss author Johanna Spyri. The film is about an orphan named Heidi who is taken from her grandfather to live as a...
(1937)
- Mad About Music
Mad About Music is a 1938 musical film about a girl at an exclusive boarding school who invents an exciting father. When her schoolmates doubt his existence, she has to produce him...
(1938)
- Up the River
Up the River is a 1938 prison comedy film starring Preston Foster and Arthur Treacher and featuring Bill "Bojangles" Robinson. The movie was directed by Alfred L. Werker and is a remake of a 1930 film with the same title directed by John Ford and starring Spencer Tracy and Humphrey Bogart in the...
(1938)
- The Little Princess (1939)
- Barricade
Barricade is a 1939 adventure film directed by Gregory Ratoff and starring Alice Faye, Warner Baxter, Charles Winninger, Arthur Treacher, and Keye Luke.-Plot:...
(1939)
- Irene (1940)
- Forever and a Day (1943)
- The Amazing Mrs. Holliday
The Amazing Mrs. Holliday is a 1943 film starring Deanna Durbin as a missionary who goes to great lengths, even posing as "Mrs. Holliday", in order to get some Chinese war orphans into the United States. Director Jean Renoir was replaced by Bruce Manning partway through production...
(1943)
- In Society
In Society is a 1944 film starring the comedy team of Abbott and Costello. It was the first of five Abbott and Costello films to be directed by Jean Yarbrough. It was re-released in 1953.-Plot:...
(1944)
- National Velvet
National Velvet is a 1944 drama film, in Technicolor, based on the novel by Enid Bagnold, published in 1935. It stars Mickey Rooney, Donald Crisp and a young Elizabeth Taylor....
(1944)
- Swing Out, Sister
Swing Out, Sister is a 1945 American musical comedy film starring Rod Cameron and Billie Burke. Two people get jobs anonymously at a jazz club without telling their upper class families.The band Swing Out Sister took its name from this movie.-Cast:...
(1945)
- The Countess of Monte Cristo
The Countess of Monte Cristo is a 1948 American comedy film directed by Frederick De Cordova and starring Sonja Henie, Olga San Juan and Dorothy Hart.-Cast:* Sonja Henie - Karen Kirsten* Olga San Juan - Jenny Johnsen* Dorothy Hart - Peg Manning...
(1948)
- That Midnight Kiss
That Midnight Kiss was the screen debut of tenor Mario Lanza, also starring Kathryn Grayson, and released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Among the supporting cast were Ethel Barrymore, conductor/pianist Jose Iturbi , Keenan Wynn, J. Carroll Naish, and Jules Munshin...
(1949)
- Mary Poppins
Mary Poppins is a 1964 musical film starring Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke, produced by Walt Disney, and based on the Mary Poppins books series by P. L. Travers with illustrations by Mary Shepard. The film was directed by Robert Stevenson and written by Bill Walsh and Don DaGradi, with songs by...
(1964)
External links