On This Day 25 July 1901 Prince Frank Littler CBE born Prince Frank Richeux. Theatre proprietor, impresario and television executive.
At the age of 25 Littler started his theatrical career with small companies touring provincial towns. 5 years later he became an independent theatre owner.
His empire began to build following the opening of theatres in Leicester, Manchester and Norwich before putting on his first London production at the Coleseum in St Martin's Lane followed by the New Prince's Theatre (now the Shaftesbury Theatre) and the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane.
Littler's West End shows included Carousel, Guys and Dolls and Fiddler on the Roof.
Littler with Sir Frederick Galer and Hugh Kingdon was a first director of the Streatham House Playhouse Ltd in 1928
In 1936 Prince Littler became pantomime producer at Streatham, opening his tenure with “Humpty Dumpty” followed in 1937 with “Jack and the Beanstalk”, starring Ted Ray, Shaun Glenville as Dame, with Marie Burke (mother of Patricia Burke) and “Baby Terry” as Fairy. The 1938 panto was “Sleeping Beauty”, and the first wartime panto saw Barry Lupino as Widow Twankey in “Aladdin”. This pantomime featured Wilson, Keppel and Betty.
When he was approached by Streatham resident Lew Grade to become a major shareholder in Associated Television he was already the managing director of three major theatre groups and the chairman of Moss Empires.
Littler was appointed CBE in 1957 and retired in 1966. He passed away at his Sussex home in 1973, aged 72 years.
(Sources Nigelthedame, Teletronic and John Cresswell - Streatham Society)
At the age of 25 Littler started his theatrical career with small companies touring provincial towns. 5 years later he became an independent theatre owner.
His empire began to build following the opening of theatres in Leicester, Manchester and Norwich before putting on his first London production at the Coleseum in St Martin's Lane followed by the New Prince's Theatre (now the Shaftesbury Theatre) and the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane.
Littler's West End shows included Carousel, Guys and Dolls and Fiddler on the Roof.
Littler with Sir Frederick Galer and Hugh Kingdon was a first director of the Streatham House Playhouse Ltd in 1928
In 1936 Prince Littler became pantomime producer at Streatham, opening his tenure with “Humpty Dumpty” followed in 1937 with “Jack and the Beanstalk”, starring Ted Ray, Shaun Glenville as Dame, with Marie Burke (mother of Patricia Burke) and “Baby Terry” as Fairy. The 1938 panto was “Sleeping Beauty”, and the first wartime panto saw Barry Lupino as Widow Twankey in “Aladdin”. This pantomime featured Wilson, Keppel and Betty.
When he was approached by Streatham resident Lew Grade to become a major shareholder in Associated Television he was already the managing director of three major theatre groups and the chairman of Moss Empires.
Littler was appointed CBE in 1957 and retired in 1966. He passed away at his Sussex home in 1973, aged 72 years.
(Sources Nigelthedame, Teletronic and John Cresswell - Streatham Society)
