Biography

Charles Robert William "Bobby" Howes (4 August 1895 – 27 April 1972) was a British entertainer who was a leading musical comedy performer in London's West End theatres in the 1930s and 1940s. Born in Chelsea and raised in Battersea, Surrey, his parents were Robert William Howes and Rose Marie Butler. After leaving school, he started an apprenticeship as an electrical engineer, but in 1909 after auditioning at the Battersea Palace for

female-impersonator Sable Fern, he made his professional debut the same day playing a boy scout. He remained with Fern for over a year before joining The Six White Boys and then the Gotham Quartet. His career was interrupted for the First World War where he soldiered on the Western Front. He suffered a German mustard gas attack but recovered and resumed his career when he got a part (along with Tommy Handley) in the Seasoned To Taste revue at The Metropolitan Theatre. In 1923, he made his West End debut in The Little Revue at 9, followed by The Second Little Revue, both at The Little Theatre.After a succession of parts in several plays, he gained a career break-through with the role-reversal comedy Mr. Cinders, based on the Cinderella pantomime, also featuring Binnie Hale, with whom he appeared on many occasions subsequently. He reprised his title role in Mr. Cinders in several different productions.

In the 1930s, he was with Van Phillips' Four Bright Sparks whose vocalists included Billy Milton.

Four Bright Sparks recorded at least 60 sides. He was a leading musical comedy performer on the West End in the 1930s and 1940s, appearing in productions including For the Love of Mike, Tell Her the Truth, Yes Madam?, and Please Teacher. In 1945 he made his pantomime debut, playing Buttons in Cinderella at the Victoria Palace.He married Patricia Malone in March 1922. Together they had two children - actress/singer Sally Ann Howes and musician Peter Howes, before divorcing in 1948. He performed with his daughter in 1953 in the musical Paint Your Wagon.He continued onstage, including Broadway, and in films and television (notably in The Dickie Henderson Show) until he retired in the late 1960s. One of his most acclaimed roles was as the eponymous lead in Finian's Rainbow when it was revived on Broadway in 1960.In April 1964, he was fined £10 after admitting a charge of indecent exposure.He died on 27 April 1972, aged 76, in London, England.