Island Life Magazine Ltd February/March 2014 | Page 12

INTERVIEW
filming, and told him he never
paid me. He replied ‘oh, didn’t
I?’ and just walked off. I never
saw him again.”
Melvyn then had a spell in
Fleet Street, carrying printers’
blocks in the office of the News
Chronicle. It was while he
was there he saw an advert in
the paper simply saying ‘Boy
wanted to disappear’.
He continued: “That led
me to my first showbiz
appearance, disappearing
twice daily doing the Indian
Rope Trick at the Comedy
Theatre, London when I was
15. At school I was very good at
Latin and climbing ropes, so I
was the only one who applied
for the job who could stay on
the rope long enough for the
Press to take pictures.
“I was paid £4 a week, but
when the show toured, I
was told my wages would
be cut because I was no
longer working in the West

Melvyn (with hat) and Cliff
Richard (top left) on the film
set of 'Wonderful Life'
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End. It was that or being a
night watchman at a factory
in Croydon, so I went on
tour doing the Indian Rope
Trick, and as assistant stage
manager, property master,
looking after the animals and
setting all the props. Everyone
says this is a glamorous
profession, but in my 64 years
in it, I have never seen any
glamour!”
Melvyn then had a variety of
acting jobs including Bonzo
the Dog in ‘Babes in the Wood’,
before deciding: “I needed to
learn my trade, and appeared
in repertory theatre around
the country. That was when I
worked with two actors, who
weren’t sure whether to carry
on because the going was
tough. One was Frank Finlay
and the other Eric Woodward.
I once told Eric I wish he had
told me not to carry on.”
Melvyn eventually earned
a film contract as well as