Harry Fragson (1869-1913)
English variety comedian and entertainer at the piano
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'Fragson, Harry (Harry Potts), variety artist, author and composer of French chansons; b. London, 1869; s. of a yeast merchant; went to France at the age of twenty, and remained there, with the exception of a three-days' visit in 1895, until 1905, when he returned to his native country to fulfil an engagement in pantomime at Drury Lane; after some years' residence in France he became more French than most Frenchmen, speaking and writing the language to perfection; going to Paris, he sang some of Paulus's songs to M. Blavet of Le Figaro, who invited him to meet the Coquelins, Mounet-Suly, and Réjane; was cordially praised by Coquelin ainé, who gave him an introduction to the manager of La Cigale, at Montmartre, where he made his appearance; he soon became a star of the first magnitude at the Folies Bergères and other Paris music halls; has written and composed over 200 songs, many of which have met with phenomenal success in France; played Dandingy in Cinderella, at Drury Lane, 1905 (the part being specially written for him by Sir Francis Burnand and J. Hickory Wood), introducing several songs of his own composition, and scoring an immense success; engaged by M. Gaston Mayer to appear, with May de Sousa, at the conclusion of the pantomime, for a ten weeks' season at the New Royalty Theatre, in a two-act operetta by M. de Féraudy. Address: Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, W.C.' |
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Fragson's engagement at the Royalty was in the two act comic opera Castles in Spain, with music by himself, the libretto by Cosmo Hamilton (based on La Gran Via), and lyrics by Eustace Pnsonby. The piece, directed by Gaston Mayer, opened on 18 April 1906. It transferred to Terry's Theatre on 24 May 1906 to score an eventual run of 68 performances. Other members of the cast included Johnny Danvers, Edouard Espinosa, May de Sousa and Kitty Lindley. Besides several more music hall appearances in London, Fragson was in two further Drury Lane pantomimes: Sinbad in 1906, and Babes in the Wood in 1907.
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Paris, December, 1904. * * * * * * * *
The Tivoli music hall, London, week of 9 July 1906. * * * * * * * *
'One of the best things [Fragson] did was the song at the piano in which he told how he had written a tragedy and took it to [Sir Herbert Beerbohm] Tree, who "received him most politely," but advised him to turn it into a comedy, and sent him to George Alexander. Alexander sent him to Arthur Collins; Arthur Collins passed him on to George Edwardes, each manager in turn "receiving him most politely," until at last he found himself at the music-halls, and his tragedy turned into a comic song. The mimicry was brilliant and good-natured. He had a little trick which always raised a laugh, and with which he ended his performance. He would pretend that he was doubtful whether the applause was really intended for him, and ask the question in dumb show, then, pretending to be frightened at the answering roar of laughter, bolt from the stage.'
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'I was sent for by Gaston Mayer to produce the musical numbers and ensembles in Cosmo Hamilton's English version of La Gran Via, the Spanish operetta, in which the late Harry Fragson made his appearance in musical comedy. The leading lady was that clever little American singer, May de Sousa. |
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Fragson was shot and mortally wounded by his deranged 83 year old father, Victor Potts, at their apartment in the Rue Lafayette in Paris about 9 o'clock on the evening of 30 December 1913. He was dead on arrival at hospital. Potts himself died shortly afterwards in a state of mental collapse in the Fresnes Prison, Paris, on 17 February 1914
'… Harry Fragson, who was a careful man of business and managed his investments with some prudence, has left some £80,000. In the latter years of his life his earnings on the music-hall stage are said to have amounted to nearly £12,000 a year.' His effects were sold by auction in Paris on 11 April 1914, but following the death of his father, Fragson appears to have had no next-of-kin. * * * * * * * * The fruits of Harry Fragson's recording career, especially in Paris, were considerable; a few titles are now available on CD from Pavilion Records Ltd, and on the Chansophone label. For a list of some of Fragson's song titles, see Michael Kilgarriff, Sing Us One of the Old Songs, Oxford University Press, 1998, p.202. See also UdeNap - le site official. Section chanson Française. |
© John Culme, 2002