Editing Frankie Howerd

{{Short description|English actor and comedian (1917–1992)}}
{{Redirect|Frankie Howard|the English footballer|Frankie Howard (footballer)|the American politician|Frankie Howard (Louisiana politician)}}
{{Use British English|date=September 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2024}}
{{Infobox person
| name          = Frankie Howerd
| post-nominals = {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|OBE}}
| image         = Frankie Howerd Allan Warren.jpg
| caption       = Portrait by [[Allan Warren]], 1976
| birth_name    = Francis Alick Howard
| birth_date    = {{Birth date|1917|3|6|df=y}}
| birth_place   = [[York]], England
| resting_place = [[St Gregory's Church, Weare|St. Gregory's Church]], [[Weare, Somerset]], England
| death_date    = {{Death date and age|1992|4|19|1917|3|6|df=y}}
| death_place   = [[Fulham]], London, England
| education     = [[Shooters Hill Sixth Form College|Shooters Hill Grammar School]]
| occupation    = {{hlist|Actor|comedian}}
| years_active  = 1946–1992
| partner       = Dennis Heymer (1958–1992)
}}
'''Francis Alick Howard''' (6 March 1917 – 19 April 1992),<ref name="ODNB">{{cite ODNB|url=http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/51134 |title=Oxford Dictionary of National Biography : Frankie Howerd|year=2004|doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/51134|access-date=16 July 2016|last1=Took|first1=Barry}} {{subscription required|date=July 2016}}</ref> better known by his stage-name '''Frankie Howerd''', was an English actor and comedian.

==Early life==
Howerd was born the son of a soldier Francis Alfred William<ref name=McCann/> (1887–1934)<ref name="ReferenceB">England & Wales, Death Index: 1916–2005</ref> and Edith Florence Howard<ref name=McCann/> (née Morrison, 1888–1962),<ref name=McCann/><ref name="ReferenceB"/> at the City Hospital in [[York]], England, in 1917 (not 1922 as he later claimed). His mother worked at the [[Rowntree's]] factory. The family lived in Hartoft Street, which he later described as ''"a poorish area of the city near the [[River Ouse, Yorkshire|River Ouse]]"''. He retained an affection for his home city, to which he often returned.<ref name="trust"/>

When his father was posted to [[Woolwich Garrison|Woolwich]], the family moved to [[Eltham]], London while he was a young child, and he was educated at [[Shooters Hill Sixth Form College|Shooter's Hill Grammar School]] in [[Shooter's Hill]].<ref name="OTWILI">Howerd, Frankie (1976) ''On the Way I Lost It'', W.H. Allen, {{ISBN|0-491-01807-X}}</ref>

== Career ==
His first stage appearance was at age 13 but his early hopes of becoming a serious actor were dashed when he failed an audition for the [[Royal Academy of Dramatic Art]]. He began to entertain during [[World War II]] service in the [[British Army]]. It was at this time that he adapted his surname to Howerd "to be different".<ref name="ODNB"/> In 1944 he became a bombardier in Plymouth, was promoted to sergeant, and on 6 June 1944 was part of the [[D-Day]] effort but was stuck on a boat off Normandy.<ref name=McCann/> Despite suffering from [[stage fright]], he continued to work after the war, beginning his professional career in the summer of 1946 in a touring show called ''For the Fun of It''.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Birmingham Daily Gazette |journal=Birmingham Daily Gazette |date=20 August 1946 |page=2}}</ref>

His act was soon heard on radio, when he made his debut, in early December 1946, on the [[BBC]]'s ''[[Variety Bandbox]]'' programme with a number of other ex-servicemen. His profile rose in the immediate postwar period (aided with material written by [[Eric Sykes]], [[Galton and Simpson]] and [[Johnny Speight]]). Sykes had headed a rival concert party during the war and was asked by Howerd if he could provide his material; Sykes obliged and offered to write anything more Howerd needed. Sykes punctuated the material with various 'ooh's and 'ahh's to provide "punctuation pauses" in the delivery, but Howerd decided to deliver these verbatim.<ref>''[[Arena (British TV series)|Arena]]'': "Oooh Er, Missus! - The Frankie Howerd Story", BBC, 1990</ref> Howerd then toured the Music Hall circuit with an act including what became his standard catch-phrases such as "titter ye not".  He also became a regular in the 1950s editions of the weekly hard-copy comic ''[[Film Fun]]''.

In 1954 he made his screen debut opposite [[Petula Clark]] in ''[[The Runaway Bus]]'', which had been written for his specific comic talent. Filming took five weeks, with a budget of £45,000.<ref name=McCann>{{cite book |author=Graham McCann |author-link=Graham McCann |title=Frankie Howerd: Stand-Up Comic |publisher=[[HarperCollins]] UK |edition=illustrated |date=1 October 2004 |isbn=1841153109 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/frankiehowerdsta0000mcca }}</ref>{{Full citation needed|date=April 2017}}

He then experimented with different formats and contexts, including [[farce|stage farces]], [[Shakespearean comedy]] roles, and [[British sitcom|television sitcoms]]. At the start of the 1960s, he began to recover his old popularity, initially with a season at [[Peter Cook]]'s satirical [[Establishment Club]] in [[Soho]] in London. He was boosted further by success on ''[[That Was the Week That Was]]'' (TW3) in 1963 and on stage with ''[[A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum]]'' (1963–1965), which led into regular television work. In 1966 and 1967, he co-hosted a 90-minute Christmas show called ''The Frankie and Bruce Christmas Show'' with [[Bruce Forsyth]], featuring many top acts of the day.

During the 1960s and 1970s, he was involved in shows for the [[BBC]] and [[Thames Television]] (as well as ''Frankie Howerd Reveals All'' for [[Yorkshire Television]] in 1980). [[Ray Galton]] and [[Alan Simpson (scriptwriter)|Alan Simpson]] wrote for him from 1964 to 1966 when he worked for the BBC and also for a one-off show for Thames, ''Frankie Howerd meets the Bee Gees'', shown on 20 August 1968. He was known for his seemingly [[off-the-cuff]] remarks to the audience, especially in the show ''[[Up Pompeii!]]'' (1969–70), which was a direct follow-up from ''Forum''. His television work was characterised by direct [[Piece to camera|addresses to camera]] and by his littering [[monologue]]s with verbal [[tic]]s such as "Oooh, no missus" and "Titter ye not". A later sale of his scripts, however, showed that the seemingly off-the-cuff remarks had all been meticulously planned. [[Barry Cryer]] said of his technique: "What he could do with a script was amazing, like all the great performers. He transformed something you'd just written – what you hoped was in a Frankie Howerd idiom – but when you heard him do it, my God, it was something else; – it was gossiping over the garden wall, the ''apparent'' waffle – he was like a tightrope walker, you thought he's going to fall off in a minute, you thought, 'Come on, Frank' , we're waiting for a laugh, and then, suddenly, ''Bang''. He knew exactly what he was doing."<ref>''Titter Ye Not; The Frankie Howerd Story'', 15 September 2009, [[BBC Radio 2]]</ref> Another feature of his humour was to feign innocence about his obvious and [[wikt:risqué|risqué]] [[double entendre]]s, while mockingly censuring the audience for finding them funny.

Howerd appeared as Francis Bigger, one of the lead characters in 1967's ''[[Carry On Doctor]]'',<ref name="BFI Carry On Doctor">{{cite web |url= http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b6a735060|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20171018182854/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b6a735060|url-status= dead|archive-date= 18 October 2017|title= Carry On Doctor (1968)|author= <!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date= 11 May 2014 |publisher= British Film Institute | access-date= 5 May 2017 }}</ref> of which ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' noted, "Added zest is given by the inclusion of Frankie Howerd as a quack 'mind-over-matter' doctor who becomes a reluctant patient. Howerd's brilliantly droll sense of comedy is given plenty of scope."<ref name="Variety 31 December 1967">{{cite news | author= <!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title= Review: 'Carry on Doctor'|url= https://variety.com/1967/film/reviews/carry-on-doctor-1200421679/| date= 31 December 1967|work= [[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |location=New York City| access-date= 5 May 2017 }}</ref>

The success of the film version of ''[[Up Pompeii (film)|Up Pompeii]]'' in 1971 saw British exhibitors vote him the ninth most popular star at the British box office that year.<ref>{{cite news|author=Peter Waymark|title=Richard Burton top draw in British cinemas|newspaper=[[The Times]]|location=London, England|date=30 December 1971}}</ref> He would play versions of the character Lurcio in ''[[Up the Chastity Belt]]'' (Lurkalot), also in 1971, and ''[[Up the Front]]'' (Boot Boy Lurk) in 1972.

In 1971 Howerd recorded, with [[June Whitfield]], a comedy version of the song "[[Je t'aime... moi non plus|Je t'aime]]", previously recorded by [[Jane Birkin]] and [[Serge Gainsbourg]], in which she featured as "Mavis" alongside Howerd's "Frank", and a third unexplained sleeping partner named "Arthur". The song was included in the 2004 CD re-issue of ''[[Oh! What a Carry On!]]''.

In 1976, Howerd appeared in ''[[The Frankie Howerd Show]]'' on [[CBC Television]] in Canada. It received good ratings but was not renewed.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0250857/|title=The Frankie Howerd Show |publisher=IMDb|date=26 February 1976 |access-date=16 July 2016}}</ref>{{better source needed|date=August 2022}}

He was awarded an [[OBE]] in 1977.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/somerset/4417871.stm |title=Howerd's OBE raffled for charity |work=BBC News |date=6 April 2005 |access-date=16 July 2016}}</ref>

In 1978, Howerd appeared in the big-budget Hollywood [[Musical film|musical]] ''[[Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (film)|Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band]]'' playing Mean Mr Mustard, acting alongside musical and film talent such as [[Peter Frampton]], the [[Bee Gees]], [[George Burns]], [[Alice Cooper]], [[Aerosmith]] and [[Steve Martin]]. He was cast by producer [[Robert Stigwood]] as he was on Stigwood's record label at the time. The film was a critical and commercial flop. Since Howerd was not well known to American audiences, this may have been his biggest exposure in the US.

There was a cabaret tour of New Zealand in 1979.<ref name=McCann/> In 1982, Howerd appeared in the televised versions of [[Gilbert and Sullivan]]'s ''[[Trial by Jury]]'' (as the Learned Judge) and ''[[H.M.S. Pinafore]]'' (as Sir Joseph Porter, KCB). He performed a comedy-duet with [[Cilla Black]] on ''Cilla Black's Christmas'' (1983).

After six years without a regular television show in the United Kingdom (though he had hosted a one-off UK version of ''[[The Gong Show]]'' for [[Channel 4]], which was critically panned and was not commissioned for a full series), Howerd returned to TV screens in 1987 in the Channel 4 show ''[[Superfrank!]]'', scripted by [[Miles Tredinnick]] and [[Vince Powell]]. In the last years of his career, Howerd developed a following with student audiences and performed a one-man show at universities and in small theatrical venues. He was also a regular guest on the late night [[BBC Radio 1]] programme ''Into the Night'', hosted by [[Nicky Campbell]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/schedules/service_bbc_radio_one/1992-05-19 | title=Schedule - BBC Programme Index }}</ref>

In 1990, he contributed to the last recording studio collaboration between [[Alan Parsons]] and [[Eric Woolfson]], on the album ''[[Freudiana]]'', performing "Sects Therapy".

Howerd often worked with [[Sunny Rogers]] (1913–2005), who was his accompanying pianist from 1960 onwards. She appeared in his TV and live theatre shows including his last major West End appearance – his one-man show – at the [[Garrick Theatre]] in 1990.{{citation needed|date=July 2023}} He also occasionally performed with accompanist Vera Roper (1908–2001), of [[Southend-on-Sea]], who was billed as "Madam Vere-Roper".<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.comedy.co.uk/people/vera_roper/ | title=Vera Roper | website=[[British Comedy Guide]] }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.gazette-news.co.uk/news/5477820.vera-roper-southend/ | title=Vera Roper (Southend) | date=3 December 2001 }}</ref>

==Personal life==

Throughout his career, Howerd hid his potentially career-destroying homosexuality from both his audience and his mother, Edith. (Sexual acts between consenting males were illegal in England and Wales [[Sexual Offences Act 1967|until 1967]].) In 1958, he met [[sommelier]] Dennis Heymer at the [[Dorchester Hotel]] while dining with [[Sir John Mills]]; Howerd was 40 and Heymer was 28. Heymer became his lover as well as [[Talent manager|manager]], and stayed with him for more than thirty years, until Howerd's death, with Heymer helping to revive Howerd's flagging career in the 1960s. However, the two had to remain discreet as Howerd feared being blackmailed if anyone beyond his immediate circle found out. The relationship was explored in 2008 in a drama for [[BBC Four]], ''Rather You Than Me'', starring [[David Walliams]] and [[Rafe Spall]].

Backstage, Howerd was notoriously bold in his advances, and was known for his [[promiscuity]]. One of Howerd's former boyfriends was comic actor Lee Young who created the TV sitcom ''[[Whoops Baghdad]]'' (1973) for him. Howerd's uncomfortable relationship with his sexuality{{spaced ndash}} he once allegedly said to [[Cilla Black]], "I wish to God I wasn't gay"{{spaced ndash}} as well as his [[Depression (mood)|depressive]] mental state, led him to seek resolution through a series of different methods. Heymer would often drop Howerd off on Friday at his [[psychiatrist]], who would ply him with [[LSD]] over the weekend.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6480117.stm |title=Frankie Howerd's forbidden love |work=[[BBC News]] |date=23 March 2007 |access-date=16 December 2007 |first=David |last=Sillito}}</ref> This experience was later the subject of the March 2015 [[BBC Radio 4]] drama ''Frankie Takes a Trip''.<ref name="BBC Frankie Takes a Trip">{{cite episode| title= Frankie Takes a Trip| series= Drama| credits= Director/Producer: Gary Brown; Writer: Martyn Hesford| network= BBC| station= [[BBC Radio 4]]| url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b05n1mhm | airdate= 27 March 2015| access-date=  5 March 2017 }}</ref>

In his early career, Howerd suffered from a [[stutter]], which caused him some distress,<ref>Howerd mentioned his youthful stutter in a revealing BBC broadcast of ''Desert Island Discs'', Jan. 1982, rebroadcast in April 2012 in the three-hour ''Howerd's Ways: the Radio Times of Frankie Howerd'' https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01gvwzh</ref> but which he turned to an advantage in developing his delivery style as a comic.<ref name="OTWILI"/>

For the last 20 years of Howerd's life, he and Heymer lived in Wavering Down, a house in the village of [[Cross, Somerset]], under the [[Mendip Hills]].<ref name = "BBC 17m2006">{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/newsnight/4813788.stm |first=Stephen |last=Smith |publisher=BBC |date=17 March 2007 |title=Titter ye not – it's Frankie's pad |access-date=16 October 2007}}</ref> After Howerd's death, Heymer curated Howerd's collection of memorabilia until his own death in 2009.

==Death==
Having contracted a virus during a Christmas trip to the [[Amazon rainforest|Amazon]] in 1991, Howerd suffered [[respiratory]] problems at the beginning of April 1992 and was taken to a clinic in London's [[Harley Street]], but was discharged at Easter. He collapsed and died of heart failure two weeks later, on the morning of 19 April 1992, aged 75.<ref>TV programme [[BBC Four]] on 4 September 2007, ''Reputations: Frankie Howerd''</ref> Two hours before he died, he was speaking on the telephone to his TV producer about new ideas for his next show.<ref>TV programme [[BBC Two]] on 26 March 2011, ''Reputations: Frankie Howerd''</ref>

Howerd's death came one day after that of fellow comedian [[Benny Hill]], but as Hill had died alone at his home, it was not yet known he was dead. Some newspapers ran an obituary of Howerd which featured a quote, ostensibly from Hill, saying that "We were great, great friends". The quote was released by Dennis Kirkland, a friend of Hill who acted as his press agent; Kirkland had issued the statement himself after being unable to contact Hill.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yOwgCwAAQBAJ&q=benny+hill+We+were+great%2C+great+friends%22.&pg=PT266|title=Beautiful Idiots and Brilliant Lunatics: A Sideways Look at Twentieth-Century London|last=Baker|first=Rob|date=15 November 2015|publisher=Amberley Publishing Limited|isbn=9781445651200|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url = https://flashbak.com/the-rise-fall-and-lonely-death-of-benny-hill-371668/|title = The Rise, Fall, and Lonely Death of Benny Hill|last = Baker|first = Rob|date = 22 January 2017|accessdate = 17 October 2024|work = Flashbak}}</ref>

Howerd was buried at [[St Gregory's Church, Weare|St. Gregory's Church]] in [[Weare, Somerset]].<ref>Wilson, Scott. ''Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons'', 3d ed.: 2 (Kindle Locations 22383-22384). [[McFarland & Company]], Kindle Edition</ref> In May 2009, when Heymer died, he was buried near him.<ref name=Heymer>{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/culture-obituaries/tv-radio-obituaries/5345737/Dennis-Heymer.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/culture-obituaries/tv-radio-obituaries/5345737/Dennis-Heymer.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Dennis Heymer|newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |date=8 May 2009 |access-date=21 April 2017}}{{cbignore}}{{subscription required}}</ref>

==Legacy==
[[File:Edwardes Square, London 21.JPG|thumb|27 Edwardes Square, London]]
[[File:Edwardes Square, London 23.jpg|thumb|Blue plaque at Edwardes Square, London]]

A BBC TV biography about Frankie Howerd, ''Rather You Than Me'', was broadcast by [[BBC Four]] on 9 April 2008, and repeated on 10 February 2013. The script was written by [[Peter Harness]], after extensive interviews with Howerd's partner, Dennis Heymer. The comedian [[David Walliams]] was cast as Howerd.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2007/dec/14/bbc.television?gusrc=rss&feed=media |title=Walliams to play Frankie Howerd |newspaper=The Guardian |date=14 December 2007 |access-date=16 December 2007 |location=London |first=Leigh |last=Holmwood}}</ref>

On 15 May 2009, Heymer died in the home, Wavering Down, that he and Howerd had shared. He was 79.<ref name=Heymer/><ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/somerset/8055693.stm |title=Frankie Howerd's ex-partner dies |work=BBC News |date=18 May 2009 |access-date=18 May 2009}}</ref> Wavering Down is now a [[tourist attraction]] and, in the summer, hosts concerts and opens regularly as a museum of Howerd's collection of [[memorabilia]] and personal effects such as his false teeth and ill-fitting toupee, to raise funds for charity.<ref name="BBC 17m2006"/>

Howerd also lived at 27 [[Edwardes Square]], [[Kensington]], London W8.  The house bears a [[blue plaque]] installed by the Dead Comics' Society in 1993. In March 1999 former colleagues and friends and Howerd's sister Betty attended a fund-raising weekend in York and a blue plaque was placed on the Cumberland Street entrance to the [[Grand Opera House, York|Grand Opera House]]. The inscription reads: "Frankie Howerd OBE 1917-1992. Son of York". In 2016, a York Civic Trust plaque was unveiled at 53, Hartoft Street, Howerd's childhood home, by York-born actor [[Mark Addy]] and the [[Lord Mayor of York]].<ref name="trust">{{Cite web|url=https://yorkcivictrust.co.uk/heritage/civic-trust-plaques/frankie-howerd-1917-1992/|title=Frankie Howerd (1917-1992) – York Civic Trust|website=yorkcivictrust.co.uk}}</ref>

The church hall of St Barnabas Church, [[Eltham]], was re-named the Frankie Howerd Centre in the 1980s and was opened by Howerd himself.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/2596878 |title=The Frankie Howerd Centre, Eltham:: OS grid TQ4275 :: Geograph Britain and Ireland – photograph every grid square! |publisher=Geograph.org.uk |access-date=11 June 2012}}</ref>

Howerd's career was described by the comedian [[Barry Cryer]] as being "a series of comebacks".<ref>Cryer speaking on ''Titter Ye Not; The Frankie Howerd Story'', [[BBC Radio 2]], 15 September 2009</ref>

==Works==
===Recordings===
====Singles====
* "[[Three Little Fishies]]" (1949), Harmony A1001, acc. by [[Billy Ternent|Billy Ternent and His Orchestra]]<ref>Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/fowdCONhr0M Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20121213002023/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fowdCONhr0M&gl=US&hl=en Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fowdCONhr0M |title=Frankie Howerd - Three Little Fishes / I'm Nobody's Baby (1949) |via=YouTube |date=10 June 2012 |access-date=16 July 2016}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
* "English As She Is Spoken"/"I'm The Man Who's Deputising for the Bull" (1952), [[Columbia Graphophone Company|Columbia Records]], written by [[Eric Sykes]], acc. by Billy Ternent and His Orchestra<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.45worlds.com/78rpm/record/db2694 |title=78 RPM - Frankie Howerd - English As She Is Spoken / I'm The Man Who's Deputising For The Bull - Columbia - UK - D.B. 2694 |website=45worlds.com |access-date=16 July 2016}}</ref>
* "All's Going Well"/"[[Nymphs and Shepherds]]" (1953), [[Philips Records]] PB214, with [[Margaret Rutherford]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.45worlds.com/78rpm/record/pb214 |title=78 RPM - Frankie Howerd, Margaret Rutherford - All's Going Well (My Lady Montmorency) / Nymphs And Shepherds - Philips - UK - P.B.214 |website=45worlds.com |access-date=16 July 2016}}</ref>
* "[[Je t'aime... moi non plus|Up Je t'aime]]" (1971), with [[June Whitfield]]<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://thequietus.com/articles/18468-serge-gainsbourg-jane-birkin-je-taime-moi-non-plus |title=Features &#124; Serge Gainsbourg, Jane Birkin & Je T'aime By Sylvie Simmons |magazine=[[The Quietus]] |access-date=16 July 2016}}</ref>

====Albums====
* ''At The Establishment and at the BBC'' (1963, Decca, scripted by [[Barry Took]] and [[Marty Feldman]])
* ''Please Yourselves'' (1976, Polydor, scripted by [[David Nobbs]] and [[David McKellar]])

===Radio===
* ''The Frankie Howerd Show'' (1966)
* ''The Frankie Howerd Show'' (1973–75)
* ''The Frankie Howerd Variety Show'' (1978)
* ''Frankie Howerd's Memoirs'' (date unknown, but often repeated)

===Television===
{{div col}}
* ''[[Frankly Howerd]]'' (1959)
* ''[[That Was The Week That Was]]'' (1962) – Himself
* ''The Frankie Howerd Show'' (1964-1966)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/user/anhedonianghost/videos|title=Ramshackle House|via=YouTube|access-date=26 October 2018}}</ref>
* ''East of Howerd'' (1966)
* ''Howerd's Hour'' (1968) 
* ''[[Carry On Christmas]]'' (1969) – Robert Browning / Fairy Godmother
* ''[[Up Pompeii!]]'' (1969–1970) – Lurcio
* ''[[Whoops Baghdad]]'' (1973) – Ali Oopla
* ''Further Up Pompeii!'' (1975) – Lurcio
* ''[[The Frankie Howerd Show]]'' (1976)
* ''Up the Convicts'' (1976) – Jonathan Shirk
* ''[[The Howerd Confessions]]'' (1976)
* ''Frankie Howerd Reveals All'' (1980)
* ''[[Frankie Howerd Strikes Again]]'' (1981)
* ''[[Then Churchill Said to Me]]'' (1982)
* ''[[The Blunders]]'' (1986) – cartoon series voiced by Howerd
* ''[[Superfrank!]]''  (1987) – Himself
* ''[[All Change]]'' (1989) – Uncle Bob
* ''Frankie Howerd on Campus'' (1990)
* ''Further Up Pompeii'' (1991) – Lurcio
* ''Frankie's On...'' (1992)
{{div col end}}

===Video===
* ''Frankie Howerd at His Tittermost'' (1991) at the [[Birmingham Hippodrome]]

===Selected filmography===
* ''[[The Runaway Bus]]'' (1954) – Percy Lamb
* ''[[The Ladykillers (1955 film)|The Ladykillers]]'' (1955) – The Barrow Boy
* ''[[An Alligator Named Daisy]]'' (1955) – M.C. at Alligator Rally (uncredited)
* ''[[Jumping for Joy]]'' (1956) – Willie Joy
* ''[[A Touch of the Sun (1956 film)|A Touch of the Sun]]'' (1956) – William Darling
* ''[[Further Up the Creek]]'' (1958) – Bosun
* ''[[Watch It, Sailor!]]'' (1961) – Church organist (guest appearance)
* ''[[The Fast Lady]]'' (1962) – Road workman in hole
* ''[[The Cool Mikado]]'' (1963) – Ko-Ko Flintridge
* ''[[The Mouse on the Moon]]'' (1963) – Himself
* ''[[The Great St Trinian's Train Robbery]]'' (1966) – Alphonse of Monte Carlo / Alfred Askett
* ''[[Carry On Doctor]]'' (1967) – Francis Bigger
* ''[[Carry On Up the Jungle]]'' (1970) – Professor Inigo Tinkle
* ''[[Up Pompeii (film)|Up Pompeii]]'' (1971) – Lurcio
* ''[[Up the Chastity Belt]]'' (1971) – Richard / Lurkalot
* ''[[Up the Front]]'' (1972) – Lurk
* ''[[The House in Nightmare Park]]'' (1973) – Foster Twelvetrees
* ''[[Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (film)|Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band]]'' (1978) – Mr. Mustard

==Selected bibliography==
* Howerd, Frankie (1976). ''On the Way I Lost It''. [[W. H. Allen & Co.]], {{ISBN|0-491-01807-X}}.
* Robert Ross (2001). ''The Complete Frankie Howerd''. Reynolds and Hearn, {{ISBN|1-903111-08-0}}.
* {{cite book |author=Graham McCann |author-link=Graham McCann |title=Frankie Howerd: Stand-Up Comic |publisher=[[HarperCollins]] UK |edition=illustrated |date=1 October 2004 |isbn=1-84115-310-9 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/frankiehowerdsta0000mcca }}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{commons category}}
{{Wikiquote}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20180414094524/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b9f722f91 Frankie Howerd] at the [[British Film Institute]]
* {{IMDb name|name=Frankie Howerd|id=0398110}}
* {{British Comedy Guide|people|frankie_howerd}}
* [http://www.fyne.co.uk/index.php?item=606 Frankie Howerd: Gay Great] From Fyne Times Magazine
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110911064510/http://www.britishclassiccomedy.co.uk/2011/05/its-frankie-howerd-week-part-one-whoops-baghdad/ Frankie Howerd Week] from British Classic Comedy

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Howerd, Frankie}}
[[Category:1917 births]]
[[Category:1992 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century English comedians]]
[[Category:20th-century English male actors]]
[[Category:British Army personnel of World War II]]
[[Category:Comedians from York]]
[[Category:English gay actors]]
[[Category:English LGBTQ broadcasters]]
[[Category:English LGBTQ comedians]]
[[Category:English male comedians]]
[[Category:English male film actors]]
[[Category:English male stage actors]]
[[Category:English male television actors]]
[[Category:English male voice actors]]
[[Category:Gay comedians]]
[[Category:LGBTQ people from Yorkshire]]
[[Category:Male actors from York]]
[[Category:Officers of the Order of the British Empire]]
[[Category:Royal Artillery soldiers]]
[[Category:20th-century English LGBTQ people]]