Flanagan and Allen

Career

Flanagan and Allen were music hall comedians whose act blended comedy and music, a combination that earned them a successful recording career as a duo along with film and television roles. In the period just before and during the Second World War, they appeared in several films directed by Marcel Varnel and John Baxter. Both men were also part of the Crazy Gang, and they worked with that group for many years at the same time as their double-act career.

The songs they recorded shared the same gentle humour that marked their live performances. During the war, their material reflected the experiences of ordinary people. Tracks like "We're Going to Hang out the Washing on the Siegfried Line" poked fun at German defenses, while "Miss You" dealt with longing for a sweetheart during times apart. Other songs, including their best-known "Underneath the Arches" (which Flanagan co-wrote with Reg Connelly) and "Umbrella Man" (used in many Merrie Melodies and Looney Tunes cartoons), touched on universal ideas like friendship.

The music was typically melodic, following a binary verse-verse-chorus structure, with a small dance band or orchestra providing the backing. Their vocal style was distinctive: Flanagan sang the melody lines competently, while Allen delivered the harmonies and bass line in an almost spoken manner. The duo’s recordings continue to be impersonated by both professionals and amateurs. Royal Variety Performances have occasionally featured acts 'doing a Flanagan and Allen', such as Roy Hudd and Christopher Timothy, and Bernie Winters and Leslie Crowther.

Flanagan sang the main theme song "Who Do You Think You Are Kidding Mr. Hitler?" for the BBC Television comedy Dad’s Army, a show about the wartime Home Guard.