CHESNEY ALLENChesney Allen, who died on 13 November, 1982, aged 89, was a comedian and entertainer best known as one half of the double act Flanagan and Allen who were popular during the Second World War.Along with Bud Flanagan, the duo would entertain music hall audiences with a mixture of comedy routines and musical numbers.This led to a successful recording career and roles in film and television.Chesney Allen was born in Brighton on 5 April, 1893. He had been set for a career in the law but opted instead for a stage career. He married Aleta Turner, daughter of an entrepreneur from Cleethorpes, in 1922.Flanagan and Allen formed in the 1920s. Many of their songs were distinctive because of Allen’s backing vocals to Flanagan’s lead which he delivered in an almost spoken word style. He was known as one of the best straight men in the business.Among their most well known songs were Run Rabbit, Run, Underneath the Arches and We're Gonna Hang Out the Washing on the Siegfried Line, the latter a jingoistic mocking of the German army. They are still performed today by music hall revival acts and in variety performances.The duo were also part of the Crazy Gang, a group of six entertainers who appeared together in several popular shows.He retired from the stage in the 1945 on health grounds, then became the managing director of a theatrical and variety agency. He managed the remaining members of the Crazy Gang for a time and made occasional guest appearances with his old cohorts.
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