Difference between revisions of "John Rumbelow"

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==Biography==
 
==Biography==
  
Born in Nieu Zealand  at White Hills, near Bendigo, Victoria, on January
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Born at White Hills, near Bendigo, Victoria, in New Zealand on 14 January, 1876. He was a natural
14, 1876, so that at the time of his death he was just on 29 years of age. He was a natural
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midget, perfectly formed, and his height was 3ft 4in. Immensely popular in New Zealand and Australia, he was for a long time a key member of the [[John F. Sheridan]] company, touring many countries with them.
midget, perfectly formed, and his height was 3ft 4in,
 
  
 
==Contribution to SA theatre, film, media and/or performance==
 
==Contribution to SA theatre, film, media and/or performance==
  
==Contribution to SA theatre, film, media and/or performance==
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He probably visited South Africa in 1904 with  [[The Sheridan Comedy Company]], when they undertook a six month tour of the country under the management of [[Frank and Ben Wheeler]], performing ''[[Fun on the Bristol]]'' (Sheridan and Fawcett) and ''[[Mrs Dooley's Little Joke]]'' (Finn and Sheridan).
 
 
He seems to have visited visited South Africa in 1904 for a six month tour of the country under the management of [[Frank and Ben Wheeler]]. His repertoire included and ''[[Mrs Dooley's Little Joke]]'' They played in the [[Good Hope Theatre]], Cape Town, during September. Besides the actor manager [[John F. Sheridan]] himself, the company also featured the popular midget[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midget] performer [[John Rumbelow]] (known as "[[Little Gulliver]]"), a long-time member of Sheridan's enterprise.
 
  
 
== Sources ==
 
== Sources ==

Latest revision as of 05:24, 7 October 2020

John Rumbelow (1876-1906) was a New Zealand comic actor, best known as "Little Gulliver"


Biography

Born at White Hills, near Bendigo, Victoria, in New Zealand on 14 January, 1876. He was a natural midget, perfectly formed, and his height was 3ft 4in. Immensely popular in New Zealand and Australia, he was for a long time a key member of the John F. Sheridan company, touring many countries with them.

Contribution to SA theatre, film, media and/or performance

He probably visited South Africa in 1904 with The Sheridan Comedy Company, when they undertook a six month tour of the country under the management of Frank and Ben Wheeler, performing Fun on the Bristol (Sheridan and Fawcett) and Mrs Dooley's Little Joke (Finn and Sheridan).

Sources

"John Rumbelow, "Little Gulliver" 14/1/1876-12/1/1906". Posted on the blog "In Loving Memory" by Otago Taphophile on Sunday, 27 January 2019[1]

Otago Witness, Issue 2705, 17 January 1906, Page 59, PapersPast website[2].

D.C. Boonzaier, 1923. "My playgoing days – 30 years in the history of the Cape Town stage", in SA Review, 9 March and 24 August 1932. (Reprinted in Bosman 1980: pp. 374-439.)

F.C.L. Bosman. 1980. Drama en Toneel in Suid-Afrika, Deel II, 1856-1912. Pretoria: J.L. van Schaik: p.421

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