Harold Middleton Harold Middleton i(A111204 works by) (a.k.a. H. Middleton; Harry Middleton)
Gender: Male
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3 14 y separately published work icon Kelly Country A. Bertram Chandler , Ringwood : Penguin , 1983 Z425643 1983 single work novel science fiction 'There was a Ned Kelly. He lived and breathed and fought for what he believed to be right - according to the historians. According to others he was no more than a bushranger, a vicious criminal who paid the just penalty for his crimes on the gallows. But what if he had lived. What would have been the consequences for Australia - and the world?' (www.bertramchandler.com)
1 Puss in Boots Harold Middleton , Harold Middleton (composer), 1928 single work musical theatre pantomime fantasy
1 y separately published work icon Calling Coo-ee Harold Middleton , Harold Middleton (composer), 1924 Sydney : W. H. Paling , 1924 Z1913759 1924 single work lyric/song
1 2 Hop O' My Thumb Harold Middleton , Harold Middleton (composer), John N. McCallum , The Famous Diggers , Pat Hanna , 1924 single work musical theatre pantomime fantasy

Hop O' My Thumb was staged by the Famous Diggers a little over 12 months after the start of its two and a half year engagement at the Cremorne Theatre, Brisbane (1923-1925). It was also possibly the troupe's first ever pantomime.

Although advertising for this production indicates that it is an adaptation of the Grimm brothers fairytale (also known as Thumbling), the list of characters suggests that Middleton may have also been influenced by Charles Perrault's 1697 story. In that tale the tiny hero defeates an ogre thus saving his older siblings after they have all been abandoned by their parents. In the Grimms' story Hop O' My Thumb is an only child who is also abandoned by his parents but finds himself being swallowed by various animals until he finally escapes by tricking the final animal - a wolf.

One of the local settings was 'The Village of Humpybong' (formerly situated on the Redcliffe Peninsula). The The Brisbane Courier 1864 theatre critic records that the villages only residents were beer-hums and ballet girls (20 December 1924, p.16). A character referred to in a later review of the production but not named in advertising was Baron Bombastikulostikos (2 January 1925, p.7).

Among the songs incorporated into the production were 'I am a Wandering Troubadour Bold' and 'Humpybong' (sung by Iza Crossley), 'Dear, I Love You' (Ern Kopke), 'Slumber Song,' and 'Down in the Forrest' (Wynne Macoboy), and the quartettes 'Good Night Beloved' and 'There's a Rong Around the Moon' (Crossley, Macoboy, Kopke and Lawrence). Middleton's song "Coo-ee" was also performed during the course of the production.

Two of the features of the production were said to be the children's ballet and the final scene - 'The Giant Christmas Cake.'

[Source: Australian Variety Theatre Archive]

1 y separately published work icon Song of the Convoys : Rolling Along on the Great North Road Harold Middleton , Harold Middleton (composer), 1920-1929 Sydney : Tin Pan (Australia) Publishing Co , Z1913762 1920-1929 single work lyric/song
1 y separately published work icon The Besieged Harold Middleton , Pat Hanna , The Famous Diggers , 1920-1929 (Manuscript version)x401915 Z1441433 1920-1929 single work drama sketch (theatrical) humour

Chic and Joe lock themeselves in their Darlinghurst (Sydney) boarding-house, in an effort to avoid being evicted for non-payment of rent. They are eventually saved by Joe's rich uncle from Fiji.

1 y separately published work icon Bring the Girls Along : The Yachtsman's Song : Double Chorus Song and Fox Trot E. T. Shorley , Harold Middleton (composer), Brisbane : E. T. Shorley , 1920-1929 Z1414684 1920-1929 single work lyric/song
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