Fictional Author
The fictional character appeared in television advertisements for British commercial telephone directory company Yellow Pages, first shown in 1983. The character was played by the actor Norman Lumsden.
The advertisement shows an elderly man asking in several second-hand bookshops (which are recognisably real shops in London's Cecil Court) for "Fly Fishing by J. R. Hartley". Every attempt fails, and the next scene shows him at home looking dejected. His daughter, sympathising, hands him the Yellow Pages; in the next scene he looks delighted as his end of a telephone conversation reveals that a shop has a copy of the book. He asks them to keep it for him. He responds at dictation speed to a question: 'My name? Oh, yes, it's J. R. Hartley.' The advertisement ends by promoting the Yellow Pages.
The advertisement is one of the most popular ever made in Britain, and remained a part of popular culture long after it ceased to be shown. The advertisement was affectionately parodied many times in the 1980s by comedians such as Jasper Carrott, Harry Enfield, Fry and Laurie, and Mel Smith and Griff Rhys Jones. When Lumsden died on 28 November 2001 at the age of 95, despite his numerous other roles and distinguished career as an opera singer, the death of the man who played J. R. Hartley was in the national headlines, and the advertisement was broadcast again in his memory, nearly 20 years after its first appearance.
Read more about this topic: J. R. Hartley
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