Music Hall star Charles Coborn sings "'E's Alright When You Know Him" 1936‏

[@nealc.6927]

I do like a bit of music hall. Gone, but not forgotten.

[@FSCforal]

Its unbelievable to think hes 84 in this film ,very talented man

[@helza]

Amazing piece of history.

[@Survivethejive]

The cockney accent was so different in 19th century. It sounds much more like rural southern accents and a bit less harsh

[@thomasclark8242]

Brilliant. A fan of ol(e)...nostalgia.

[@annodomini7887]

Bill Sloggins is a party you don't meet with every day He's always bluff and hearty, free and easy in his way You wouldn't call him handsome but that isn't a disgrace He looks as though a regiment has marched across his face. Chorus: He's all right when you know him, though he's hasty when he's vexed He'll black your eye one minute, and he'll stand a pint the next He wouldn't hurt a baby, he's a pal as you can trust He's all right when you know him, but you've got to know him fust. He don't get up too early cos he's partial to his bed He don't believe in work so much, he says it 'urts is 'ed But at the Cat and Compass he'd spend his only brown And at moppin' up the booze there ain't his ekal in the town. Chorus: He's seed a deal of life, has Bill, although he's in his prime He's had his bit of trouble, and he's done a bit of time He'd never round upon a pal, unless it filled his kick And I've known him land a bobby on the boko with a brick. Chorus: One day I was parstin' by the 'ouse where Billy lives I hears a kind of bother so a peep inside I gives And there was Bill aswearin' and two coppers on the job A runnin' on 'im in 'cos he had split his old gal's nob. "Apparently Bill had brought home a pound of prime steak for his dog and the missis had given the steak to the kids"

[@Eddy2730]

At the time this was filmed, Mr. Coborn was 82 years old (!).

[@richardgrant7055]

One of the greats ........

[@Eddy2730]

@conysalvo As far as I'm concerned, he was born in 1854, not '52.

[@gobshyte7349]

Eddy2730 it does say on his headstone he was born in 1852

[@conysalvo]

Interesting that he says "wery" for "very". If Wikepedia correctly states that he was born in Stepney in 1852, this is the only living example I have seen of this cockney pronunciation, as represented by Charles Dickens. I notice that he doesn't use the v and f for th, (e.g. "vese fings" for "these things"), which was commonplace in mid 20th century London.

[@janinebone9790]

I was born in Port Melbourne, Australia and some of the same usage occurred there. It was not common among the educated but a lot of the people I worked with spoke in very similar ways. Things like "Wotcha doin" for "What are you doing" , " I fink" for "I think". My father was a Cockney and he fit right in! This was 50 years ago and more.

[@alunpalmer7337]

A couple of points. Firstly, his life overlapped with Dickens himself, although some say he was born in 1854. Secondly, most music hall stars were of a somewhat higher social class than the people they portrayed, so even if born in Stepney he wasn't necessarily as working class in real life as when he was putting on a character. Still, I've no doubt he had heard people say wery for very, as there were certainly working class people all around him, and by defnition some of them much older than he was. As for the class thing, the middle classes aren't entirely free of dropped h's etc., and weren't even before talking cockney became trendy. I used to think my speech was quite refined until I realised I almost always said 'e and 'er, and never he and her, even though I 'ardly h'ever did that with h'other words, LOL!.

[@annodomini7887]

That’s the original cockney accent, it’s not Latin mix it’s actually danish, that’s where one of the many Vikings settlements were and the danish &old English mixed and gave you that.

[@postscript67]

Try Gus Elen's recording of "If it wasn't for the 'ouses in between". He sings: "it really is a wery pretty garden."

[@mturynP]

In her rendition (on an album whose title I've forgot) of "The Rat-Catcher's Daughter" Elsa Lanchester sings "Vestminster" for "Westminster"; is this a related pronunciation?

[@christopherclayton2494]

Does anyone have a recording of Charles entertaining women during the second world war recorded by the BBC during a "Workers playtime" at a munitions factory? I saw it once years ago on a TV documentary, he sung "The man who broke the bank at Montecarlo"and he lifted one of his hairs from his head and said to the audience "Here it is "The independent Hair" I haven't seen this clip since I was a child and would love to see it again.

[@annodomini7887]

I know what your speaking of, I believe it was a British pathè clip, i will try to find it for you. I’m so glad and happy people still enjoy listening to real music rather than that horrible jungle music my generation is fond of.