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George Edward Wade (20 September 1869 â?? 29 November 1954), better known by his stage name, George Robey, was a British music hall star.
Particularly known for having participated with great enthusiasm in recruitment for the army during World War I in Britain. In one theatre he promised "a shiny florin for every recruit who signs on tonight". (The Slogan - Sidelights on recruiting with Harry Lauderâ??s Band by Private Joseph Quigley, Simpkin London 1916)
He appeared in April 1916 at the Alhambra Theatre in the musical/revue The Bing Boys Are Here. He was given the leading male part, Lucius Bing, opposite Violet Loraine as Emma. It became one of the most popular musicals of the time. His duet with Loraine "If You Were the Only Girl (in the World)" became a "signature song" of the era and endured as a pop standard.
Robey also had a brief association with Chelsea Football Club. Following a friendly match involving the club, in which he played and scored, he was awarded an amateur contract.
In December 1905, George Robey brought a team of professional football players to Springfield Park, Wigan for a charity match against Wigan Town (1905-08) in aid of the Chief Constableâ??s Clog and Stocking Fund.
Robey also appeared in films. Among his most famous roles were Sancho Panza in both the 1923 and 1933 film versions of Don Quixote, as Ali Baba in the 1934 film version of Chu Chin Chow, and as the dying Falstaff in Laurence Olivier's film version of Shakespeare's Henry V (1944 film).
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