Category Archives: Comedians

Revill and Syd ‘still trying’

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We left Revill and Syd at the beginning of the 1930s when money was tight and work was hard to come by. A note to Syd and Ethel, written by Gordon on a memo from Dale Forty Piano Merchants, regretted that business was so bad for the couple. He went on to say that the slump was general and that the workers in his company had their salaries reduced by 10%.

In 1933 Syd received a letter from Bill Hengler, another performer, asking for repayment of a loan. Hengler needed the money for a court case but stressed ‘this request would not be made if circumstances did not demand it.’ Angeline Hengler apologised in a letter the same year that Bill had not yet thanked Syd for the return of the loan but he ‘had to rush off on Monday for panto rehearsals – – a lot of waste of time.’ Galling for Syd and Ethel who were struggling to find work.

Syd wrote material for their act and amongst the papers is a rather bitter, unfinished letter, heavy with sarcasm. Written from ‘The Pier, Southend (11th week)’ to John and Bill, it begins ‘was tickled to death to get your letter from Middlesboro. Dear old Middlesboro. How I envied you and with Corn Dekker too. Dear old Corn. In fact he’s more than a corn. He’s a malicious growth.’ Corn Dekker was part of an acrobatic act with his partner, Elly Pan. The letter goes on ‘and then you motored from Middlesboro to Rhyl. Well that was nice for you.’ Was this a letter written in anger or was it used as part of the act? Corn Dekker and Elly Pan, the Well-Balanced Pair, were bottom of the bill performers but worked venues such as the Chiswick Empire and the Pavilion Liverpool while Revill and Syd were asked by Percy Hall’s Agency to pencil in Scarboro for one night. ‘As it is the off season and no visitors Jack Gillam cannot afford to pay any money.’ There was the chance to set up a seven-day engagement at the same venue, £12 top whack, if they hadn’t played the town for three years. Presumably this relied on them doing the unpaid night to show willing and there was no guarantee they would get the seven nights.

A monologue/song penned by Syd gives us an idea of how performers tried to make it in the business, moving from one type of act to another until they ran out of options. We have a singer, dancer, juggler and pickpocket, among others. In 1934 Revill and Syd’s strap line was a poignant ‘Still Trying’ while in 1936 they were Revill and Syd ‘Who just Fool Around.’ In the next decade Syd performed solo, billed as the ‘Cheery Chatterbox’ and ‘Tall and Talkative.’ He also took on the role of comedian compère at The Vic, Burnley in 1942 and in 1948 was part of a comedy team in Folkestone’s resident company,‘K’Nights of Joy.


In 1950 Syd took over the role of comedian compère at Worthing Pier Pavilion for a new Saturday Evening Party series. The local paper warned of the waning popularity of the parties and noted the tendency in Worthing to persist too long with a type of show because it was originally successful. This could not have raised Syd’s spirits and it’s the last reference to his working life I was able to trace.

Syd Revill


In 1969 his wife, Ethel, placed a notice in the trade paper, The Stage, in his memory. Syd and Ethel left a trace of their lives in the letters, scribbled scripts and contracts which I was lucky enough to find. Syd featured strongly in these but Ethel kept them safe. I wish I knew more about her.

Thanks to the British Newspaper Archive and the Monomania collection.

Revill and Syd

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A few months ago I found a collection of ephemera on EBay about a husband and wife music hall /variety duo called Revill and Syd. It featured contracts, letters etc covering roughly ten years of their careers. I dithered for some time about buying it as the material covered the 1930s which is not my usual interest but I finally took the plunge and ended up with a fascinating personal record of a decade in the life of two performers.

Sydney Livock and Ethel Oliver were married in 1917 and first appeared on music hall bills in 1918 in this country as The South African Comedy Couple, Revill and Syd. They provided ‘wit, funny duets and eccentric novelty dances.’ Syd was often addressed as Syd Revill in correspondence but I have no clue as to why that name was chosen for a husband and wife act. Things seemed to be going well and they were getting work around the country, winning praise as a sparkling comedy duo with real clever wit and expert dancing. They pop up in the Era as supporting acts to Florence Yayman, Dusty Rhodes and Lily Morris. In 1920 they are no longer the new kids on the block and have become the novelty comedy duo. An advert for the Walsall Grand misspells Revill despite billing them as wonderful dancers. They continue to travel and perform but ominous mention of films on advertising matter showed which way public tastes were going.

We come to the 1930s, a time of recession, high unemployment, reduced wages and eventually, war. Revill and Syd were still performing, using many different agents and accepting short contracts to keep the wolf from the door. By 1930 they were living at 43 Edithna Road, Brixton, London. A letter chased them round the country from J Gladwin’s Theatrical Agency but it did not contain good news. ‘ Owing to the state of the business they are now playing the acts 3 times daily. Everybody has agreed to play so I am asking if you would agree to play the 18 shows as usual contract.’ More work for the same pay which ‘everybody’ has agreed to. In December 1930 the tax man wanted fuller particulars of their earnings including a ‘detailed statement of how you arrive at your expenses figure.’

A contract from April 1930 was for an appearance at the Lido, Manchester, covering three days in May at a salary of £8. The artistes were not permitted to appear at any place of public entertainment within a radius of six miles of the Lido for eight weeks prior to and during this engagement. Another contract for the Park Palace, Liverpool, made it clear that performers were to supply ‘free of charge’ printed matter ‘all properly headed and dated’. In 1931 while at the Palace, Chatham, Mr S T Revill received a copy of an order from a printer which totalled £4 9s 6d. There was also agent’s commission to pay at 10% or 12.5% as well as travel expenses and board and lodging.

We leave Revill and Syd at a this difficult point in their career where work is harder to come by and they know from friends in the business they are not alone. The next blog will follow them through the 1930s and then, thanks to the British Newspaper Archive, we can look beyond that decade to a change of focus.

Thanks to the Monomania Collection and the British Newspaper Archive