Wilson, Keppel and Betty
| Wilson, Keppel and Betty | |
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Eccentric dance act
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| Known for | Music hall sand dance |
Wilson, Keppel and Betty formed a popular British music hall and vaudeville act in the middle decades of the 20th century. They capitalised on the fashion for Ancient Egyptian imagery following the discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun. The "sand dance" that formed the highlight of their act was a parody of postures from Egyptian tomb paintings, combined with references to Arabic costume. The lithe and extremely lanky Wilson and Keppel, who wore long moustaches and make-up to emphasise the sharp angularity of their features and make them appear almost identical, demonstrated their impressive suppleness in adopting wild gestures and dancing in identical "stereo" movements, while Betty watched their antics. The dance itself was a soft-shoe routine performed on a layer of sand spread on the stage to create a rhythmic scratching with their shuffling feet. The act was usually performed to the familiar Egyptian Ballet (1875), by Alexandre Luigini.
Jack Wilson (30 January 1894 – 29 August 1970) was born in Warrington in Lancashire as John William Wilson, the son of a tanner; on leaving school Jack also worked as a tanner. During World War I Wilson served with the Royal Navy following which he travelled to Australia, where he joined Colleano's Circus in 1920.
Joe Keppel (5 May 1894 – 14 June 1977) was born in County Cork in Ireland as John Joseph Keppel. In 1912 he joined the Royal Navy, but was discharged after 5 months as being unfit. After making his way to Australia he joined the Royal Australian Navy in 1914 and was discharged as unfit after almost two years. On travelling to Australia he also joined Colleano's Circus, where he teamed up with Jack Wilson.
In 1920 the duo travelled to Canada where they toured in a comedy tap dancing act, later also performing in vaudeville venues in the United States. By 1928 they were performing as 'The Bus Boys' and in this year Kansas-born chorus girl Betty Knox (Alice Elizabeth Peden, 10 May 1906–25 January 1963) joined the act at Des Moines, Iowa. She is said to have married mechanic Donald Knox in 1923 and to have divorced him after a brief marriage, but there are no records to confirm either event. Their daughter Jean Patricia Knox was born in 1923 in Salina, Kansas. She was to be brought up by her grandparents for the next 14 years while her mother worked firstly in a chorus line and then with Wilson and Keppel.
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