Band
Leader Oscar Rabin had formed a band as early as 1922, this was known as The
Romany Five, performing at the Palais de Dance in Derby (a city in the East-Midlands
of England). However, it was in the 1930's and the period leading up to the Second
World War when The Oscar Rabin Band had become one of the best known British dance
bands, that Sam Kydd joined them as an M.C. During this time the band toured throughout
the country.
Sam's
day jobs included working in the bedding department at Whiteley's Department store
in Bayswater, London, and later for Alvis Cars, he also entered talent contests
where there would be cash prizes.
Sam
Kydd's father was in the Army and Sam joined the Territorial Army in the late
1930s, which meant that he was one of the first to be 'called-up' for service.
Following a period of his training, Sam was sent with the British Expeditionary
Force to Calais. Later, Sam was captured by the enemy, and spent the rest of the
war as a P.O.W. (Prisoner of War), he wrote a book: For You The War Is Over,
about his five years in captivity. In the book, Sam makes light of the severe
deprivation and ill-health he suffered whilst at the
prison camp.
When the war was over, Sam recommenced his career as
an M.C., and later got his first film role in The Captive Heart (1946),
after he answered a newspaper advertisement asking for 'advisors' for a film on
Prisoners of War. Twenty advisors were used for the film, not only to talk about
their wartime experiences, but to become supporting artistes in the film.
For a while in the late 1950s, Sam introduced programmes on television after
the 6pm news; writing all his own scripts, and dressed as different characters.
Sam also played a character on television called Fred the Burglar, where
he would advise people on crime prevention and how not to get burgled!
Sam Kydd's film career of at least 138 feature films, spanned five decades, and
included: Scott of the Antarctic, Passport to Pimlico, The Blue
Lamp, Angels One Five, and The Cruel Sea. Sam's television appearances
run into thousands (literally), as well as starring roles in Crane
and Orlando, his many television appearances
include: Dixon of Dock Green, The Army Game, Sykes,
Hancock's Half Hour, Crossroads (Mr Walton), and Coronation
Street (Frankie Baldwin). Sam Kydd's legacy of feature films and television
appearances ensures that he can be seen regularly on our television screens still
to this day.
