Hugh René & Co.’s Clee Pierrots c1923
Professional publicity photograph by J. W. Hardy, Cleethorpes Probably June 1923
This remarkable publicity photograph, taken by the noted Cleethorpes photographer J. W. Hardy, portrays Hugh René & Co.’s Clee Pierrots, one of the most popular professional concert parties to entertain holidaymakers at Cleethorpes during the early 1920s.
The company performed at the Sands Pavilion, where twice-daily performances combined comedy, music, dancing, burlesque, topical sketches and audience participation. Such concert parties became one of the defining attractions of the British seaside holiday between the First and Second World Wars.
Unlike most surviving photographs of seaside entertainers, the accompanying display boards identify the members of the company and their stage specialities:
Hugh René – Principal Comedian, Producer and Proprietor Hal Ready – Light Comedian & Violinist Reg. Seymour – Sometimes a Lady Sid Sheldon – Speciality Dancer Jack Jesson – Character Comedian Noel Britten – Silly Dick Ed. Glazebrook – Accompanist Karl Edwards – The Clee Pierrots’ Popular Dame Comedian The performer in dame costume is Karl Edwards, who became a popular favourite with Cleethorpes audiences during the 1922 and 1923 seasons. Contemporary newspapers later recalled that he had become “famous locally” with the Clee Pierrots before enjoying success as a producer and manager in his own right.
Research in The Stage and the Grimsby Daily Telegraph shows that Hugh René was far more than the company’s leading comedian. By 1922 he was already established as a producer and manager, directing the resident concert party The Bargains at the Kingsway Pavilion while also overseeing the Clee Pierrots on the sands. His productions featured comic songs, speciality acts, local topical sketches and ensemble performances, helping to establish Cleethorpes as one of the leading entertainment resorts on the Lincolnshire coast.
This photograph is believed to date from June 1923. The accompanying poster announces the opening of the season on Monday, 25 June, while contemporary trade advertisements record Hugh René completing his third resident season at the Kingsway Pavilion later that summer. Although the precise date of the photograph has yet to be conclusively established, the evidence strongly suggests it was taken to publicise the opening of the 1923 season.
Beyond its historical importance, the image is an outstanding example of J. W. Hardy’s portrait photography. Rather than arranging the performers in a rigid studio line, Hardy created an informal composition that captures both the individuality of the artistes and the camaraderie of a successful touring company. The existence of at least one alternative pose from the same photographic session suggests Hardy took a series of publicity photographs, allowing the management to select their preferred image for promotional use.
Today, this photograph stands as one of the finest surviving visual records of professional seaside entertainment in Cleethorpes during the golden age of the British concert party.
Photographer: J. W. Hardy, Cleethorpes Date: Probably June 1923 Venue: Sands Pavilion, Cleethorpes Collection: Grimsby & Cleethorpes Museum
