The Crazy Gang (Bud Flanagan; Jimmy Nervo; Teddy Knox; Charlie Naughton; Jimmy Gold)
1 portrait of Jimmy Nervo
The Crazy Gang (Bud Flanagan; Jimmy Nervo; Teddy Knox; Charlie Naughton; Jimmy Gold)
by Cecil Beaton
bromide print, 17 October 1952
7 1/2 in. x 7 1/2 in. (191 mm x 189 mm)
Given by Cecil Beaton, 1968
Photographs Collection
NPG x27531
Sittersback to top
- Bud Flanagan (Reuben Weintrop) (1896-1968), Comedian; member of The Crazy Gang. Sitter in 1 portrait. Identify
- Jimmy Gold (1886-1967), Comedian; member of The Crazy Gang. Sitter in 1 portrait. Identify
- Teddy Knox (1896-1974), Comedian; member of The Crazy Gang. Sitter in 3 portraits. Identify
- Charlie Naughton (1887-1976), Comedian; member of The Crazy Gang. Sitter in 1 portrait. Identify
- James ('Jimmy') Nervo (1897-1975), Comedian; member of The Crazy Gang. Sitter in 3 portraits. Identify
Artistback to top
- Cecil Beaton (1904-1980), Photographer, designer and writer. Artist or producer associated with 1113 portraits, Sitter associated with 360 portraits.
This portraitback to top
Members of the Crazy Gang; Bud Flanagan (1896-1968), Jimmy Nervo (1897-1975), Teddy Knox (1896-1974), Charlie Naughton (1887-1976) and Jimmy Gold (1886-1967) were already well-established performers before they came together for the first time at the London Palladium in 1931. They were made up of three double acts who combined verbal gymnastics, farce, physical comedy and slapstick. Flanagan & Allen's songs were particularly loved, with Underneath the Arches being one of their biggest hits. The Crazy Gang made several films, the best known being the wartime Gasbags (1940). They took part in a number of Royal Command Performances, and also performed privately for the royal family. Television appearances included their own series in 1956. Chesney Allen retired from the stage in 1945, so he does not appear in this photograph.
Linked displays and exhibitionsback to top
- Comedians: From the 1940s to now (17 September 2011 - 8 January 2012)
Events of 1952back to top
Current affairs
King George VI is found dead in his bed in Sandringham; he had been suffering from lung cancer. His daughter Elizabeth, who was in Kenya at the time, became Queen, the only monarch not to know the precise moment of her accession as her father was alone when he died. Elizabeth was crowned the following year.Art and science
Samuel Beckett's play, Waiting for Godot is performed for the first time in Paris. The play belongs to the Theatre of the Absurd style, which influenced playwrights such as Harold Pinter and Tom Stoppard.Agatha Christie's play The Mousetrap opens in London. It is still going.
International
Mau Mau rebels in Kenya rise up against the British colonial administration. The rebellion was sparked by the growing poverty of the native farmers under the rule of white settlers and called for Kenyan independence. The violence of the rebels, who often murdered settlers and loyalists, was met by the indiscriminate suppression by the British Military, who executed hundreds of suspects.Comments back to top
We are currently unable to accept new comments, but any past comments are available to read below.
If you need information from us, please use our Archive enquiry service . Please note that we cannot provide valuations. You can buy a print or greeting card of most illustrated portraits. Select the portrait of interest to you, then look out for a Buy a Print button. Prices start at around £6 for unframed prints, £16 for framed prints. If you wish to license an image, select the portrait of interest to you, then look out for a Use this image button, or contact our Rights and Images service. We digitise over 8,000 portraits a year and we cannot guarantee being able to digitise images that are not already scheduled.
Related pages
- The World's Most Photographed
- The Royal Ballet at 75
- Britain 1960-1990
- Cecil Beaton Drawings
- Centenaries and Centenarians
- Handlist of names in the Reference Collection
- Photographic holdings - print and negative collections
- Learn more
- Mick Jagger: Young in the 60s
- In Close Up: Laurence Olivier
- Marilyn Monroe: a British love affair
- Women Poets and Photography, 1860–1970
- Photography: a living art - then and now
- Cecil Beaton’s Bright Young Things
- Britain and the formation of the UAE
- Love Stories
- Icons and Identities: Shakespeare to Winehouse
- Love stories: art, passion and tragedy
- Virginia Woolf and Bloomsbury: inventing life
- Bill Brandt: Portraits 1982
- Beatles to Bowie: the 60s exposed
- Picturing friendship