Arthur Lucan

Arthur Lucan (16 September 1885 – 17 May 1954) was an English actor who performed the drag act Old Mother Riley on stage, radio and screen, with a series of comedy films from the late 1930s to the early 1950s.

Lucan was born on 16 September 1885, Sibsey, Lincolnshire, Arthur Towle, the third of seven children born to Tom Towle, a groom, and his wife Lucy Ann Mawer. When he was five years old, the family moved to nearby Boston, Lincolnshire, where Arthur later made his first acting appearance at the town's Shodfriars Hall. After leaving school, he left home to pursue a career in music hall. He gained a job with a family troupe called the Musical Cliftons, and later as sidekick to a comedian called Will Pepper.

Arthur was appearing in Dublin when he met and married the 16-year-old Kitty McShane in 1913. The couple had one son, Donald Daniel Towle (b. 2 October 1915, Dublin –d. 1970), and became a successful double act. They achieved some success with a sketch called "Bridget's Night Out". For this he first wore drag, and began to develop the character of Old Mother Riley. Whilst in Dublin, he changed his name to Lucan, and they continued to perform as 'Lucan and McShane'. The act was featured in the 1934 Royal Command Performance at the London Palladium, the most prestigious engagement of its time.

After the Royal Command Performance, there followed a film career, a radio series and even a strip cartoon in the Radio Times and Film Fun. In all, Arthur Lucan made 17 films, 16 as Old Mother Riley; and in 1943, the Motion Picture Herald voted him the sixth biggest "money-making star" in British films. However, his marriage proved to be a volatile union, and Lucan and McShane separated in 1951.

Lucan, as 'Old Mother Riley' was last seen on stage at the Theatre Royal, Barnsley on 14 May 1954. The following Monday he was due to appear in revue at the Tivoli Theatre, Hull. Ellis Aston was the first on stage to compere the forthcoming show. But Lucan had collapsed in the wings and died shortly afterwards in his dressing room. He was 68 years old. The site now houses a bakery and cafe, where there is a memorial bust of Arthur Lucan, together with various memorabilia from his career. He is buried in Hull's Eastern Cemetery. Lucan was a member of the Savage Club. In recent years, the club has held Old Mother Riley evenings, as a tribute to Lucan's talent. Following his death Lucan's understudy Roy Rolland took on the role of Old Mother Riley.

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