Marriott Edgar - Monologues

Monologues

Holloway was already enjoying some success with the monologue format, with such classics as Sam, Pick Oop Tha’ Musket. Edgar asked him if he had heard a story about a couple who had taken their son to the zoo, only to see the lad eaten by a lion. Holloway had indeed heard the story, and shortly afterwards Edgar supplied him with a script. The Lion and Albert became one of Holloway’s most popular pieces, one of many he recorded beginning in 1930.

The monologues were designed to be spoken rhythmically, with piano accompaniment which in many cases was also composed by Edgar. The texts were published by Francis, Day & Hunter during the 1930s in three collections. All were illustrated by John Hassall, many of whose lively images also became classics. Edgar's compositions were

• Albert 'Arold and Others - performed by Stanley Holloway and Marriott Edgar
  • The Lion and Albert: Albert swallowed by a lion in the menagerie of Blackpool Tower
  • Runcorn Ferry (Tuppence per Person per Trip), set in Runcorn
  • Three Ha'pence a Foot, featuring an argument with Noah
  • The Battle of Hastings, an account of the Battle of Hastings
  • Marksman Sam, featuring Stanley Holloway's creation Sam Small
  • Albert and the 'Eadsman, set in the Tower of London
  • The Return of Albert (Albert Comes Back}, sequel to The Lion and Albert
  • Goalkeeper Joe, set in Wigan
  • Gunner Joe, at the Battle of Trafalgar
  • The Jubilee Sov'rin, the awkward loss of a sovereign commemorating Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee
  • The Magna Charter, the signing of Magna Carta
  • Little Aggie, an elephant
• Albert and Balbus and Samuel Small - written and performed by Marriott Edgar
  • Sam's Medal (not written by Edgar)
  • The 'Ole in the Ark, a necessary repair to Noah's Ark
  • Sam's Racehorse, an unfortunate purchase
  • George and the Dragon, an unhelpful pub landlady
  • The Recumbent Posture, a linguistic misunderstanding
  • The Channel Swimmer, an attempt on the English Channel
  • Asparagus, a cautionary tale
  • Uppards, a Lancashire version of Longfellow's famous poem Excelsior
  • Joe Ramsbottom, a farmer and the squire
  • Burghers of Calais, retelling the story of the Burghers of Calais
  • Balbus (The Great Wall of China), a fantasy based on the Latin text-book example: "Balbus built a wall"
  • Jonah and the Grampus, the story of Jonah
• Normans and Saxons and Such - some Ancient History
  • Canute the Great 1017-1035, about Cnut the Great
  • William Rufus 1087-1100, about William II of England
  • Queen Matilda 1100-1135, about Empress Matilda
  • The Fair Rosamond 1154-1189, about Rosamund Clifford
  • Richard Cœur-de-Lion 1189-1199, about Richard I of England
  • Henry the Seventh 1485-1509, about Henry VII of England

Some interest has been shown in the name "Wallace" for the lion which ate Albert. "Wallace" was the name of the first African lion to be bred in Britain, living from 1812 until 1838, and his name became a popular one for lions.

The Lion and Albert and The Return of Albert have been translated into German under the titles Der Löwe und Albert and Albert kommt wieder, na klar! respectively.