Jimmy Logan was born (as James Allan Short) in Glasgow in 1928 . He was the son of the music hall performers Jack Short and May Dalziel. Together with his parents and four brothers and sisters he appeared on stage as'The Logan Family'. He toured as an accordionist, juvenile lead and comedian's feed. He made his pantomime debut in 1944 and rarely missed a pantomime season thereafter. A big career break came for Logan when he was offered a part in It's All Yours, a BBC radio comedy series going out from Glasgow from 1949 . The show consistently topped the ratings for most of its 100-plus performances. His work in television began by appearing in the opening shows for both BBC Scotland and STV. He also became a regular in the New Year shows from Glasgow. His work in live theatre continued and he was a member of the Five Past Eight Show team at the Alhambra in Glasgow. He bought the New Metropole Theatre in St George's Street, Glasgow in 1964 and intended to use it as a base for Scottish Farce. In 1972 it was offered for sale to Glasgow Corporation, but the theatre was burned to the ground in 1974 . He had profited greatly from his frequent stage performances, but the loss of the Metropole affected him badly. He toured Scotland and the world with his one-man show, Lauder (about Sir Harry Lauder), which he created in 1976 . He collected a large theatrical archive which he donated to the Scottish Theatre Archive, Glasgow. He was appointed OBE in 1996 . He died in 2001 .
See Jimmy Logan, It's a Funny Life(Edinburgh, 1998)
Sir Harry Lauder (1870-1950) is perhaps best known for his songs such as Roamin in the gloaming and his act based on Scottish characters. During the First World War he sang to the troops at the front line and was also active in the recruiting of troops. Over 12,000 men were recruited through his efforts. As a result of his war work Lauder was knighted in 1919. Lauder's last stage appearance was at a concert in the Gorbals to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the local Rover Scout Group in 1947.
Dr Walford Bodie (c1866-1939) was probably born in Aberdeen. His real name was Sam Murphy. He was an illusionist, bloodless surgeon and, amongst other things a'miracle worker'. He adopted the stage persona of Dr Walford Bodie in the 1880s.
From the guide to the Papers of Jimmy Logan (1928-2001), comedian, 1895-1990, (Glasgow University Library, Special Collections Department)
