Mrs Shufflewick (Full Act) 1982

This can now be watched in higher definition at
   • Mrs Shufflewick (Full Act) Uptown at ...  

A rare clip of Mrs Shufflewick (Rex Jameson) filmed during the "Uptown at the Downtown" London variety show at the Downtown Restaurant, Surrey Docks, London in 1982. It is a bit blue... be warned!

Original cast members included Ronnie Twist, Tommy Osborne, Lee Tracey, Dave Cooper, Chubby Oates, Bobby Davro, Sheila Lawrence and the Brian Williamson Trio. This piece of footage, from a very battered and ancient VHS tape is Shuff´s full act. Enjoy!

Apologies for the recording quality in the first two or three minutes, its a little shaky, but better than nothing and it does settle down. I´ve left the damaged footage in or you would have missed the beginning of her act!!!!!

My father (Chubby Oates) was very fond of Shuff and Patrick Newley; the writer and journalist wrote the following about the pair of them in his biography of Rex:

"The comedian Chubby Oates was one of Rex´s closest friends. An ebullient clubland performer and a panto dame who boasted a 54" bosom, he was for many years a stalwart of the Paul Raymond Revues. He recalled that at the beginning of his career, when working as a junior reporter on a local newspaper, he had been sent to interview Rex at a provincial theatre:

¨Far from being the imposing figure I expected, he was charming- but instead of an interview he sent me down to the local butchers to get a pound of lard as he had nothing to remove his make-up with

"Chubby and Rex had worked together on many variety bills and clubs during the sixties but were memorably teamed together when they became an integral part of the infamous Pure Corn Shows that were something of a fixture at the Theatre Royal, Stratford East in the late seventies. The shows were originally the idea of the comedian Lee Tracey..."- Patrick Newley

I can remember Dad dining out on another story about Rex...They’d been in the CAA (Concert Artists Association) bar one evening, they both liked a tipple , and someone rather snootily, had told them that “no hats were allowed to be worn at the bar”. .. with that Shuff took his hat off and then removed his wig, threw it at the offending person and retorted “well in that case, you may as well f***ing have that ´n all!”

There is so little footage of Mrs Shufflewick around which is a dreadful shame because she was so bloody funny!

Journalist Patrick Newley (RIP), who incidentally managed Rex Jameson´s later career wrote a fantastic book about her life. It is well worth getting a copy and has had some excellent reviews.

"The Amazing Mrs Shufflewick" is available through Third Age Press ISBN 978-1-898576-21-1

Here are some descriptions of the late great Mrs Shufflewick...

“Weak willed and easily lead, Mrs Shufflewick was a red nosed, drunken old cockney who liked nothing better than propping up the bar of her local while sipping large gin and tonics, Guinness, port and lemon or anything else that came to hand. She would tell outrageous stories about her private life to anyone who cared to listen and invariably, at the end of a disastrously alcoholic evening would end up stark naked- all but her hairnet- on to of a number 29 bus” -Patrick Newley

“The only female impersonator to ever make me laugh”- Nigel Hawthorne

“Rex as Mrs Shufflewick was truly one of the great stand-up comics, up there with Ken Dodd, Frankie Howerd and even Jack Benny” - Jonathon Cecil

"A comic genius" - Roy Hudd

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