The Stage Career of Sonnie Hale

I've been chasing through reference books, databases, theatre programmes, playbills, etc. trying to track down Sonnie Hale's stage career: while his film record at the Internet Movie Database isn't [2009] quite as exhaustive as it might be (additional writer's credits are probably due on "Gangway" and "Climbing High" in addition to the one on "Sailing Along"; apparently he made an Hitchcock-style cameo appearance in "Gangway"; and I discovered that the final play he wrote had actually been filmed in 1960 as a screen comedy by the Boulting brothers... and then the original script credit assigned by error to someone else) I find the IMDb an admirably comprehensive resource compared to the challenge of chasing down thirty years of ephemeral theatrical history..!

Ironically, one of the performances I've failed to locate is the one illustrated above, supposedly Sonnie Hale and Maisie Gay circa 1935 in the burlesque operetta "Lilac Time". However, there was a spoof duet by this title which was a great success for Noël Coward and Beatrice Lillie in the Broadway production of "This Year of Grace" (see below), although it did not feature in the running order for the original London production in which Sonnie starred. The "Theatrical Companion to Coward", on the other hand, indicates that a 'new' number "Lilac Time", featuring Sonnie Hale and Maisie Gay, replaced Maisie Gay's previous "Law and Order" sketch in September 1928 before the show transferred to the USA: I suspect therefore that the photo is in fact a misattributed image of this burlesque duet from "This Year of Grace" in 1928, rather than some subsequent performance from the straight operetta of the same name.

Stage roles

Compiling all that I've discovered up to now -- I don't expect to find much more, but I'm constantly being surprised -- I can establish the following dates and roles:

• The Fun of the Fayre (revue) (17 Oct 1921) -- London Pavilion -- in chorus line
  With Clifton Webb, Evelyn Laye
• Little Nelly Kelly (2 July 1923) by George M. Cohan -- New Oxford Theatre -- as Sidney Potter Songs:
  • "Dancing My Worries Away" (Sonnie Hale and Anita Elson)
  • "When you do the Hinky Dee"
  • "Till My Luck Comes Rolling Along"
• The Punch Bowl (revue) (21 May 1924) -- Duke of York's Theatre, London
  With Hermione Baddeley
  Songs:
  • "Lizzie" (Sonnie Hale and chorus)
  • "Oh Say, Oh Sue" (Sonnie Hale and chorus)
  • "Kongo Kate" (Sonnie Hale, Annie Kasmir and chorus)
  • "Poached Eggs and Haddock" ("The Breakfast-Time Follies": Sonnie Hale)
  • "Underneath the Chestnut Tree" (Marjorie Spiers and Sonnie Hale)
  • "I Love My Chili Bom Bom" (Sonnie Hale, Hermione Baddeley and chorus)
• Mercenary Mary (Oct 1925) by Con Conrad & William B. Friedlander -- London Hippodrome -- as Jerry Warner
  Songs:
  • "Honey I'm In Love with You" (June and Sonnie Hale)
  • "Over a Garden Wall" (June and Sonnie Hale)
  • "Thinking of You" (June and Sonnie Hale)
  • "Tie a String Around your Finger" (June and Sonnie Hale)
  • "Give a Little, Get a Little" (Peggy O'Neil and Sonnie Hale)
• Queen High (Nov 1926) -- as Richard Johns
  Songs:
  • "It Pays to Advertise"
  • "Don't Forget"
  • "Cross Your Heart"
  • "Who'll Mend a Broken Heart?"
• One Damn Thing After Another (revue) (May 1927) by Rodgers & Hart -- London Pavilion
  With Jessie Matthews, Max Wall
  Songs:
  • "My Lucky Star" (Mimi Crawford and Sonnie Hale)
  • "Paris is Really Divine" (Sonnie Hale)
• This Year of Grace (revue) (Mar 1928) by Noel Coward -- London Pavilion
  With Jessie Matthews
  Songs:
  • "Waiting in a Queue" (Sonnie Hale & Chorus)
  • "A Room With a View" (Jessie Matthews, Sonnie Hale)
  • "Dance, Little Lady" (Sonnie Hale, Laurie Devine)
  • "Mexico" [pre-London only] (Sonnie Hale)
  • "Lorelei" (Adrienne Brune & Sonnie Hale)
  • "Try to Learn to Love" (Jessie Matthews & Sonnie Hale)
  • "Lilac Time" (Maisie Gay & Sonnie Hale
• Wake Up and Dream! (revue) (Mar 1929) by Cole Porter -- London Pavilion
  With Jessie Matthews
  Songs:
  • "Looking at You" (Jessie Matthews, Sonnie Hale and Ensemble)
  • "Operatic Pills" [aka "If You Take One Pill"] (Sonnie Hale & Ensemble)
  • "I Dream of a Girl in a Shawl" -- Chicago section (Sonnie Hale & Polly Ward)
  • "Night Club Opening" (Sonnie Hale, George Metaxa, William Stephens & Chester Fredericks)
  • "I Want to Be Raided by You" [added during the London run] (Sonnie Hale)
  • "Let's Do It, Let's Fall in Love" [from Paris] (Jessie Matthews and Sonnie Hale)
• Ever Green (Dec 1930) -- Adelphi Theatre, London -- as Tommy Thompson
  With Jessie Matthews
  Songs:
  • "Doing a Little Clog Dance" (Albert Burdon & Sonnie Hale)
  • "Dear, Dear" (Jessie Matthews & Sonnie Hale)
  • "Nobody Looks at the Man" (Sonnie Hale)
  • "No Place but Home" (Jessie Matthews & Sonnie Hale)
  • "The Lion King" (Sonnie Hale)
  • "Dancing on the Ceiling" (Jessie Matthews, Sonnie Hale, Mr Cochran's Young Ladies & the John Tiller Girls)
  • 'Impromptu Song' during cabaret (Sonnie Hale)
• Hold My Hand (Dec 1931) by Noel Gay -- Gaiety Theatre, London -- as Pop Curry
  With Jessie Matthews, Stanley Lupino, Harry Milton
  Songs:
  • "Where is our Wandering Boy" (Sonnie Hale, Harry Milton, Connie Emerald & Ensemble)
  • "Pied Piper" (Sonnie Hale & Chorus)
  • "Spring" (Jessie Matthews, Sonnie Hale, Marjery Wyn &Stanley Lupino)
  • "Turn On the Music" (Jessie Matthews, Sonnie Hale & Ensemble)
  • "To Please the Man She Loves" (Cyril Wells, Harry Milton & Sonnie Hale)
  • Finale (full company)
  • "Hold My Hand" (Jessie Matthews, Sonnie Hale) [recorded on disc as duet but not performed together in show]
• Sally Who? (1933) by Dion Titheradge -- Strand Theatre, London
  With Jessie Matthews
• I Can Take It (Jan 1939) by Harry Woods -- Sheffield Empire, Alhambra, Glasgow and tour -- as Sebastian (also directed)
• Come Out to Play (revue) (Mar 1940) -- Phoenix Theatre, London and tour -- as compere (also co-wrote and directed)
  With Jessie Matthews
  (Same pricipals as I Can Take It)
  • "Caught Napping" (full company)
  • "She was a Dear Little Dicky Bird" (Sonnie Hale)
  • "Monotonous Rhythm" (full company)
• Pantomime Aladdin (1940) -- Prince of Wales Theatre, Birmingham -- as Widow Twankey
  With Jessie Matthews, Sid Field
• Pantomime Aladdin (1941) -- Theatre Royal, Newcastle
  With The Three Stooges
• The Maid of the Mountains (Apr 1942) -- Hippodrome, Bristol / Coliseum, London -- as Tonio
• Kiss the Girls (10 May 1943) -- Grand Theatre, Blackpool /
  The Knight Was Bold (July 1943) -- Piccadilly Theatre, London -- as Sir Guy de Vere
  With Francis L. Sullivan
  Songs:
  • "I Go on My Way Whistling" (Sonnie Hale)
  • "Kiss the Girls" (Sonnie Hale)
  • "You and the Moonlight" (Enid Stamp Taylor & Sonnie Hale)
  • "Whoopsy Diddly Dum de Dee" (Sonnie Hale & Ensemble)
  • "Where the Rainbow Ends" (Adèle Dixon & Sonnie Hale)
  • "I'm Telling Thee" (Adèle Dixon & Sonnie Hale)
  • Finale (full company)
• Pantomime Aladdin (Dec 1944) -- Hippodrome, Manchester -- as Widow Twankey
• That'll Be The Day (revue) (1945) -- tour
  • "Turn On the Sound" (full company)
  • "Hail Follow" (Sonnie Hale & Charles Heslop)
  • "Hans, Fritzie und Me" (Sonnie Hale, Nellie Wallace & Charles Heslop)
  • "Songs of the 'Twenties'" (full company)
  • "Sweet Nell" (Nellie Wallace, Sonnie Hale, Charles Heslop & Daphne Oxenford
  • "Love is Shortsighted" (Guy Fielding, Joan Winters, Sonnie Hale, Nellie Wallace, Charles Heslop & George Dale
  • "That'll Be the Day" (full company)
• Wonder Bar (Nov 1946) -- Glasgow Alhambra and tour -- as Sam Wonder
• One, Two Three (revue) (Sept 1947) -- Duke of York's Theatre, London (also co-produced and directed)
  With Binnie Hale
  Songs:
  • "One, Two, Three, Go!" by Charles Zwar (full company)
  • "Fine New English Gentlemen" by Charles Zwar (Sonnie Hale, Charles Heslop, Anthony Hayes)
  • "Still Dancing"(?) (full company)
  • "Encores (When We Were Very Young)"(?) (Binnie Hale and Sonnie Hale)
• Four, Five, Six (revue) (1948) -- Duke of York's Theatre, London (directed only)
  With Binnie Hale
• Halesapoppin! (1948)
  45 minute BBC TV special 'for popular comedian Sonnie Hale'.
  Transmitted 8.30pm 29 May 1948
• The Perfect Woman (Sept 1948) -- Playhouse, London -- as Freddie Cavendish
• Encore (revue) (Oct 1948) -- Chepstow -- (produced)
• The Ex Mrs Y (24 Oct 1949) -- Grand Theatre, Blackpool
• Queen Elizabeth Slept Here (1950) -- tour -- as Michael Fuller
• Pantomime Babes in the Wood (Dec 1950) -- London Palladium
  
• Rainbow Square by Robert Stolz (Sept 1951) -- Stoll Theatre, London -- as Peppi
• Pardon My Claws (June 1952) -- "Q", Kew -- as Tim Manners (also wrote)
• See You in Court (Sept 1952) -- Richmond -- as James Stedman, Q.C.
• Pantomime Dick Whittington (1952) -- London Palladium -- as Cook Daphne Dumpling
  With Frankie Howerd, Richard Hearne
  Live TV broadcast from this production 28th December 1952
• Not a Clue-! (1953) -- Theatre Royal, Bath (also directed/produced) and tour -- as Bill Shepherd
  With Claude Hulbert, Robert Stephens
• Night of a Hundred Stars (benefit night for Actors' Orphanage) (1955) -- London Palladium
  With Jessie Matthews
  Songs: "A Room with a View" (Sonnie Hale & Jessie Matthews)
• Pantomime Dick Whittington (Dec 1954) -- Liverpool Empire -- as Daphne Dumpling
• The French Mistress (June 1955) -- Wimbledon (also produced) -- as John Crawley
• Double Crossing (Aug 1955) -- Eastbourne/Streatham Hill (also produced) -- as Hank Endicott
• A Nest of Robins (Aug 1955) -- Canterbury (also wrote and directed) -- as Reggie Plum
  With Jessie Matthews
• Pantomime Dick Whittington (1955) -- Palace Theatre, Manchester -- as Daphne Dumpling
• Lady Be Good by George Gershwin (1956) -- Hippodrome, Bristol / Golders Green Hippodrome, London -- as 'Watty' Watkins
  With Bobby Drage
  Songs:
  • "Oh, Lady be Good" (Sonnie Hale and Girls)
• Pantomime Aladdin (1956) -- London Palladium
  With Norman Wisdom, Valentine Dyall
• Goodbye Gaiety (1957)
  BBC TV broadcast of scenes and shows from earlier years at the Gaiety Theatre.
  Transmitted 8pm 10th June 1957
• A Nest of Robins (1957) -- Royal Court Theatre, Liverpool and tour (also wrote but did not direct this time!)
  With Jessie Matthews, Valerie Singleton
• Pantomime Dick Whittington (1957) -- Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham
  With Arthur Haynes
• A Nest of Robins shown on television (1959)
  BBC TV live broadcast transmitted 29th March 1959
• The French Mistress (1959) -- Adelphi Theatre, London -- as John Crawley (also wrote)
  (Sonnie Hale died on tour before London opening night)

Notes

• In the case of revues, even where a full programme is available it is often hard to tell whether a particular number is a song or a sketch; I have tried to err on the 'safe side' and have therefore not listed anything credited to Sonnie Hale which appears more likely to be a comedy routine.
• In the case of some musicals, although I may have located a full list of songs I have no way to tell which numbers were sung by which character; again I have not listed songs unless I am reasonably certain that they were in fact performed by Sonnie in that production.
• Those co-stars actively mentioned are simply those whom I happened previously to have heard of; there is no other significance to the choice of names included or omitted.