Frankie Howerd (1917-1992)

Born Francis Alick Howard in York in 1917, Frankie Howerd’s career as a comedian and actor spanned over 45 years. He became a comedy icon and the favourite comedian of the Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, yet throughout his life he hid his potentially career destroying homosexuality from his audience and family.

Howerd failed an audition at RADA and began entertaining troops during his army service during the Second World War. He made his radio debut in Variety Bandbox in 1946 and began to use his distinctive patter with “Oohs”, “Aahs”, punctuation pauses, and famous catch phrases such as “titter yee not” and “Ooh no missus”. He appeared in stage plays, variety, film and television including the satire show That Was The Week That Was (1962-63), the West End premiere of the musical A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1963), and the TV innuendo-filled sitcom Up Pompeii! as slave Lurcio (1969-70).

Howerd appeared at the Bristol Hippodrome five times, the first occasion starring in a variety show in May 1951. Bristol Evening World interviewed the comedian “in bed wearing blue pyjamas” in his digs in Claremont Road, Bishopston. Howerd said he wanted to be a serious actor: “I would like to make people cry. I like sad things”. He returned to the Hippodrome, again in variety, in August 1952 and in April 1956 he played the title role in the play Charley’s Aunt. In September 1957 he starred in the French farce Hotel Paradiso when Bristol Evening Post described him as “6ft tall and 13 stone …. a shambling, long faced loon”. His last appearance at the Bristol Hippodrome was in April 1979 topping the bill in a charity variety show for Bristol based Dawn James Festival for the Old Folk.

In 1958 40 year old Howerd met Dennis Heymer, aged 28, a wine steward at the Dorchester Hotel. They became lifetime partners until Howerd’s death. Heymer also became Howerd’s manager and helped to revive his flagging career in the 1960s. Their relationship was dramatised for TV in Frankie Howerd: Rather You Than Me in 2008.

After Howerd appeared in cabaret at the Webbington Club in Axbridge, Somerset, the couple bought ‘Wavering Down’ house in nearby Cross in 1969 where they lived together for the last 20 years of Howerd’s life. The couple were regulars at the White Hart pub in Cross where Howerd enjoyed fry ups washed down with Bloody Marys, and they often frequented restaurants in Cheddar.

Heymer later said Howerd “hated being gay” and once told friend, the singer Cilla Black, “I wish to God I wasn’t gay”. Howerd was outrageously promiscuous and frequently made advances to attractive young men, but he was also often deeply depressed and was treated by a psychiatrist for some years and given LSD therapy. His mental trauma was increased by the memory of the abuse he had received from his father who died when Howerd was 17. Heymer recalled Howerd really “wanted to have been normal and have kids”.

Howerd died in 1992 aged 75 and is buried in St Gregory’s churchyard, Weare, Somerset. Heymer curated his memorabilia and held open days and concerts at the house to raise money for local causes through the Frankie Howard Trust.

On Christmas Eve 2005 Dennis Heymer contracted a civil partnership with Chris Byrne (1965-2017), his 42 year old carer. Heymer died in 2009 aged 80 and was buried near Howerd with several personal items belonging to him including his chestnut brown toupee.

Jonathan Rowe 2024

 

Wikipedia: Frankie Howerd
Frankie Howerd’s forbidden love  David Silito, BBC News, 23 March 2007
Dennis Heymer obituary,  The Daily Telegraph, 18 May 2009
Bristol Evening World: 22 May 1951
Bristol Evening Post: 20 August 1957